I live in Oregon. It rains here approximately 200 days a year. If I only played disc golf on dry days, I’d play maybe twice a month from November to April.
So I play in the rain. A lot. I’ve developed systems. Some of them even work.
Here’s everything I know about disc golf in wet conditions \u2014 gear, technique, mindset, and survival strategies.
The Gear
Towels (Plural)
One towel isn’t enough. You need:
- A dry towel \u2014 kept inside your bag, protected from rain, used only for drying your disc right before you throw
- A wet towel \u2014 clips to the outside of your bag, used for wiping mud and initial water off discs
The dry towel is sacred. It stays dry. If you use your dry towel to wipe mud and then wonder why your discs still slip, this is why.
I carry three towels minimum. Sometimes four. It sounds excessive until you’re on hole 15 in steady rain and every towel you brought is soaked.
Rain Jacket
Get one you can throw in. Not a stiff Carhartt work jacket \u2014 something with stretch, preferably athletic fit.
Test it at the driving range. Does it restrict your reach-back? Does it make noise when you throw? Can you move freely?
I throw in a Patagonia Torrentshell and it works fine. Arcteryx makes great stuff too if you’ve got the budget. Whatever you get, make sure it’s actually waterproof \u2014 not “water resistant” \u2014 and that you can throw in it.
Waterproof Bag or Rain Cover
Your discs don’t care about getting wet. Your phone, wallet, and extra towels do.
Some bags come with rain covers. If yours doesn’t, you can buy aftermarket covers or get creative with a contractor bag. The goal is keeping your dry zone dry.
Waterproof Shoes
This is huge. Cold wet feet ruin everything.
Options:
- Trail runners with Gore-Tex \u2014 light, flexible, good grip. My go-to.
- Disc golf specific shoes \u2014 Idio makes good ones. Good traction, waterproof options available.
- Hiking boots \u2014 overkill for most courses but very waterproof
Whatever you choose, grip matters more in the wet. Soles that are fine on dry concrete become ice skates on wet tee pads. Look for aggressive tread.
Grip Enhancers
Birdie bags, whale sacs, whatever \u2014 something to keep your hands dry.
I use a birdie bag before every shot in the rain. Dry hands + dry towel + dry disc = something resembling a normal throw.
Plastic Type
Some plastics grip better in wet conditions:
- Good in wet: ESP, GStar, Mega Soft, Star (broken in), Jawbreaker, Electron
- Meh in wet: Champion, Z, Lucid, fresh premium plastic
- Slippery in wet: Super slick premium like new Halo or Luster
I bag different discs for rainy rounds. My rainy Buzzz is ESP; my dry Buzzz is Z. Same mold, different grip.
The Technique Adjustments
Slower, Smoother Throws
In the rain, control matters more than power. A disc that slips out of your hand at 80% power might stay secure at 70%.
I consciously slow down my run-up, focus on a clean release, and don’t try to muscle anything. The worst rain rounds are when I fight the conditions instead of accepting them.
Grip Pressure
When your disc is wet, the instinct is to grip harder. This creates tension that kills your release.
Instead: dry the disc completely, use grip enhancer, and trust a normal grip. If it slips anyway, the disc was still wet \u2014 not your grip pressure.
Putting Adjustments
Wet chains catch differently. Sometimes they grab better (wet chains can be sticky). Sometimes the disc slips through. There’s no perfect rule.
What I do in the rain:
- Aim for center chains, not edges
- Putt with slightly more speed to stick in the chains
- Accept that C2 putts are riskier \u2014 lay up more often
Rain putting is high variance. Manage your expectations.
Tee Pad Footing
Wet tee pads are dangerous. Concrete gets slick. Rubber gets slick. Even dirt can become mud.
Options:
- Shorten your run-up so you’re not relying on fast footwork
- Drag your feet on the tee pad before throwing to clear standing water
- Throw standstill if the pad is really sketchy
Slipping on your plant foot destroys your throw and can injure you. It’s not worth it.
Course Management in Rain
Discs skip less. Wet grass stops discs dead. Shots that would skip 40 feet on dry ground might stop on a dime. Factor this into approaches.
Water hazards are more hazardous. Creeks rise. Ponds expand. What was 20 feet from water last week might be at water’s edge now. When in doubt, favor the safe side.
Visibility is worse. Disc flight is harder to track against gray sky. If you’re not sure where your disc went, walk your line and mark where you think it landed before throwing again.
Pace is slower. Drying discs, careful footing, slower throws \u2014 it all adds time. Budget an extra 20-30 minutes for a rain round.
Mental Game
Here’s the most important thing about playing in the rain: accept the conditions.
You’re going to get wet. Your discs are going to get wet. You’re going to make throws that wouldn’t miss on a dry day. This isn’t failure \u2014 it’s the rain.
Players who fight the conditions get frustrated, make bad decisions, and shoot worse than they should. Players who accept the conditions adjust, stay patient, and often find they’re beating everyone else whose mental game fell apart.
When I play rain rounds, my goal isn’t to shoot my best score. It’s to adapt better than my conditions-adjusted expectation. Shooting +8 in heavy rain might be the equivalent of shooting +2 on a dry day. Be realistic.
When to Skip It
Some conditions are genuinely unsafe or miserable enough to justify staying home:
- Lightning \u2014 metal baskets + metal discs + open fields = no. Stay home.
- Heavy wind + rain \u2014 discs become unpredictable, trees can drop branches. Be careful.
- Flooding \u2014 some courses become literally unplayable. Check conditions before driving 30 minutes.
Light to moderate rain? Play. Heavy steady rain? Play if you’re prepared. Thunderstorm? No disc golf is worth getting struck by lightning.
The Silver Lining
Rain rounds have benefits:
Empty courses. All those people who complain about crowded weekends? They’re at home. You’ve got the course to yourself.
Practice for tournaments. Some of your sanctioned rounds will happen in the rain. Having experience in those conditions is an advantage.
Different challenge. The same course plays differently wet. Familiar holes become new puzzles. It breaks up the routine.
Accomplishment. Finishing a round in the rain feels good. You’ve proven something to yourself about commitment. (Even if what you’ve proven is that you’re mildly unhinged.)
The PNW Reality
If you live in the Pacific Northwest and you don’t play in the rain, you don’t really play disc golf. Not seriously, anyway.
The sport happens year-round. The rain happens year-round. At some point, you accept that these things overlap.
I’ve played in conditions that would make normal people question my judgment. I’ve finished rounds looking like I fell in a river. I’ve thrown discs that slipped out and went places discs should not go.
But I’ve also had some of my most memorable rounds in the rain \u2014 just me, the course, and the relentless Oregon drizzle. There’s something clarifying about it.
So: get good towels, get waterproof shoes, accept the conditions, and go play. The rain isn’t going anywhere. Neither are we.