My first real round of disc golf was at Pier Park in Portland and I almost didn’t go through with it. I sat in my car for probably fifteen minutes beforehand just kind of psyching myself out. What if I throw it into someone? What if I can’t find hole 1? What if everyone stares at me because I obviously don’t know what I’m doing? I had convinced myself this was going to be embarrassing somehow.
It wasn’t. It was fine. Actually it was great. I threw some bad shots and nobody cared, I got lost between holes twice and figured it out, I finished with a score I didn’t even write down because I was too busy having fun. The anxiety beforehand was completely unnecessary, which I wish someone had told me before I wasted fifteen minutes in my car being weird about it.
So here’s everything I wish I’d known before that first round. Not the technical stuff \u2014 you can learn that later \u2014 just the practical reality of what to expect so you can skip the parking lot anxiety phase.
Getting There and Finding Hole 1
Most courses are in public parks, which means parking is usually just… park parking. Nothing special. You’re not looking for a pro shop or a clubhouse. It’s just a parking lot near some fields or woods.
Finding hole 1 can be genuinely confusing though, I’ll admit that. Some courses have good signage. Some courses have no signage at all and you’re just wandering around looking for a concrete pad and a basket somewhere in the distance. UDisc helps here \u2014 it’ll show you a map of the course layout and where hole 1 starts. I use it every time I play somewhere new because otherwise I’d be lost constantly.
If you show up and see other disc golfers, just ask. “Hey, where does hole 1 start?” Everyone’s been the new person. Nobody will think you’re weird for not knowing.
The Tee and What to Do There
Each hole starts with a tee pad \u2014 usually concrete or rubber, sometimes just a patch of worn dirt with a sign near it. The sign tells you the hole number, distance, and par. Par 3 means three throws is expected. The distance is in feet, usually somewhere between 150 and 500 for most recreational courses.
You stand on the tee pad and throw toward the basket. You’re supposed to keep at least one foot on the pad during your throw, but honestly for your first round don’t even worry about that. Just throw from the general area and figure out the technical rules later.
If there are people ahead of you on the hole, wait until they’re out of range before throwing. This is important \u2014 discs can hurt if they hit someone. Otherwise, just throw.
What Happens After You Throw
You walk to your disc. Hopefully it’s in the fairway. Possibly it’s in the woods or behind a tree or in some bushes. That’s fine, that happens to everyone.
From wherever your disc landed, you throw again toward the basket. You can take a little run-up or throw from a standstill, whatever feels natural. The rule is you throw from where the disc stopped \u2014 you don’t get to move it to a better spot. If it’s behind a tree, you throw from behind the tree. If it’s in thick bushes… yeah, you throw from the bushes. Welcome to the sport.
Keep throwing until you get it in the basket. The basket has chains hanging in it that catch your disc. When the disc is resting in the basket, that hole is done. Count your throws, remember the number (or don’t, whatever), move to the next tee.
Playing With Others vs. Playing Alone
My first round was solo, which was maybe easier because I could take my time and be bad without witnesses. But playing with other people is also fine \u2014 better, actually, because you learn faster and it’s more fun.
If you’re playing with a group, there’s a loose order: whoever is farthest from the basket throws first. This is called “throwing in order” or just common sense. When you’re all on the tee starting a hole, whoever had the best score on the previous hole throws first. These aren’t strict rules though, especially in casual play. Most people are flexible.
The main etiquette thing is don’t throw when someone is in your line. Don’t talk or move when someone is about to throw. Let faster groups play through. That’s basically it. Everything else you can figure out as you go.
What to Actually Worry About
Here’s the short list of things that actually matter your first round:
Don’t hit anyone with a disc. Seriously. If someone is anywhere near where you’re aiming, wait. If you’re not sure, wait. Discs are hard plastic moving fast. It’s not a joke.
Don’t be super slow. You don’t need to rush, but if you’re taking five minutes per throw and there’s a group behind you, let them through. Just wave them up and step aside.
Don’t leave trash. Pack out what you pack in. Basic stuff.
That’s it. That’s the whole list. Everything else \u2014 score, form, disc selection, whatever \u2014 doesn’t matter yet. Just throw, have fun, don’t injure anyone.
What to Not Worry About
Your score. I know people want to track progress from day one but honestly, your first round score is meaningless. You’re learning. You’re figuring out how to throw. A high number is totally expected. I shot like +25 or something my first round and I don’t even remember exactly because it didn’t matter.
Your form. It’s going to be bad. That’s fine. You can work on form later. For round one, just throw the disc in the general direction of the basket and see what happens.
Your discs. Whatever you brought is fine. One disc, five discs, your roommate’s frisbee \u2014 it doesn’t matter. I’ve seen someone play a full round with a beach frisbee and have a great time. Gear optimization comes later.
Looking stupid. Everyone who plays disc golf was once someone who didn’t play disc golf. We all started bad and clueless. Nobody is judging you for being new. If anything, people get excited when they see beginners because it means the sport is growing.
Lost Discs
You might lose a disc. Probably will, actually. It happens to everyone. The rules say you have three minutes to look, then you have to move on. In casual play nobody’s timing you, but don’t hold up the course for thirty minutes searching for a ten dollar disc.
If you can’t find it, you throw from where you think it went in \u2014 that’s a penalty stroke but whatever. Or you can go back and rethrow from your previous spot. Honestly just do whatever feels right. The rules exist for tournaments. Your first round is not a tournament.
Pro tip: throw bright colored discs. That neon orange or pink shows up way better than cool gray or forest green. Learned that one the expensive way.
After the Round
You finished. You made it. Hopefully you had fun. Possibly you’re exhausted because walking 18 holes in the sun is more exercise than you expected. That was me \u2014 I was not prepared for how tired I’d be after my first round.
Check UDisc or the course map to make sure you actually played all the holes. It’s surprisingly easy to skip one by accident, especially on courses with weird layouts. I’ve definitely gotten to “hole 18” and realized I somehow skipped hole 7.
And then… that’s it. You played disc golf. Go home, or go to hole 1 and play again. Nobody’s stopping you. Some of my best practice early on was just replaying the same 9-hole course three times in a row until I started figuring things out.
You’re Gonna Be Fine
The thing I really want you to take from this is that it’s way more chill than you’re probably imagining. There’s no dress code, no expensive equipment requirement, no membership, no tee times. It’s just a park with baskets in it. You show up, you throw, you leave when you’re done.
The fifteen minutes I spent in my car being nervous were completely wasted. The anxiety was unfounded. It’s just frisbee golf. It’s supposed to be fun. It will be fun, if you let it be.
Go play your first round. It’s gonna be fine.