The Top 5 Best Disc Golf Tips for New Players!

As a new player, hitting the course for the first time can be super overwhelming. But with the tips in this post, we’ve got you covered. In it, we’ll go over the 5 best disc golf tips for new players to show you which discs to buy, what you need for practice off the course, how to practice, how to learn disc golf throwing technique, and how to learn to putt like a pro. Enough said. Let’s check out that list!

The Top 5 Best Disc Golf Tips for New Players!

1. Make sure you’re playing with the right discs

If you’re a brand new player, one of the biggest mistakes that you can make is to play with the wrong discs. It’s tough, because there are literally thousands of different discs now. So you have to find the ones that work best for new players and make sure you’re playing with those.

Word of caution on drivers: as a new player, skip all distance drivers and most control drivers. Drivers are very hard to throw at first and are not made for brand-new players. Focus on putters and mid-range discs (and maybe easy control drivers).

Because as a new player, you want discs that are easy-to-throw, low speed, high glide, high turn, and low fade. All of that can be determined by the flight ratings of a disc.

If you’re interested in learning about the flight ratings, and how you can pick out your own discs, check out this post here – How to Learn Disc Golf Flight Ratings in Only 10 Minutes!

If you’d rather just check out some recommendations, here are the 3 best beginner disc golf discs:

Dynamic Discs Judge (putter)

The Judge is a fantastic putter and one of the best discs for new players. Whether putting or throwing, the Judge will almost never let you down.

Grab one here on InfiniteDiscs.com.

Discraft Buzzz (mid-range)

The Buzzz is one of the best disc golf discs ever made. Period. It’s a super easy-to-throw mid-range that will follow any line you put it on. And as you improve, it’s an insanely versatile disc that can help you out in almost any situation.

Grab one here on InfiniteDiscs.com.

Innova Leopard (control driver)

Now, normally I don’t recommend a driver to beginners, even in the control category. But the Leopard is insanely easy to throw and gives newer players an opportunity to get a little bit of distance behind their throws.

If you’d like to try one out, grab it here on Discgolfunited.com.

Or you can check out this awesome post – 37 Best Disc Golf Discs for Beginners (You Need These)!

Also, if you need a good bag, check out this post – The 27 Best Disc Golf Bags!

2. Buy some practice gear

If you’re brand new, and you’ve already picked some great discs, it’s time to hit the course. After a few rounds you’ll probably notice how bad you are at disc golf. It’s cool…we’ve all been there. But you have to keep practicing to get better. So now it’s time to buy some at-home practice gear!

Let’s check out 3 awesome pieces of practice equipment that you can buy to help improve your game ten fold:

Personal practice basket

This can be one of the best ways to practice and improve your disc golf game. We’ll talk more about that in tip #5, but if you want to get better at disc golf, you should seriously consider forking over $150 and buying a quality basket to practice with.

For a list of the best disc golf baskets, check out this post – The 17 Best Disc Golf Baskets!

Practice net

A high-quality practice net can really help you get more throwing practice in when you’re stuck at the house. Nets are fairly cheap – around $50-100 bucks – and offer a great way to get extra practice in. So check out this one here on Amazon and get to work!

Pro-pull resistance trainer

The Pro-pull resistance band trainer is an excellent way to help practice your throwing technique all while improving your throwing speed and arm strength. For just $30 bucks, you can’t really beat that. Grab one here on Amazon.

3. Develop a practice routine

Once you’ve got the gear and the practice equipment, you’ve got to develop a weekly routine that works for you. With that being said, don’t forget to add in at least a full round of disc golf every week. If you’re not playing at least once a week, you will not improve.

I would write out every day of the week and assign something to it. If you can practice daily, in some form or fashion, do it. If not, 3-4 days a week and a full round will be fine. But remember, the more you practice, the better you’ll get.

Here’s a couple examples of weekly routines I’ve tried. Keep in mind, these also include actual gym works as well. You can include your own or not. Up to you:

Example 1 (with lighter physical gym workouts only twice a week)

Monday – Putting practice
Tuesday – Approach work
Wednesday – Disc golf workout and leg workout in the gym
Thursday – Technical knowledge & rules
Friday – Field work
(+ upper body workout in the gym)
Saturday – Rest/miscellaneous practice
Sunday – Full round

Example 2 (with working out in the gym four times per week)

Monday – Field work (+ chest workout)
Tuesday – Technical knowledge & rules (+back workout)
Wednesday – Approach work
Thursday – Shoulders and disc golf workout
Friday – Putting practice (+ arm workout)
Saturday – Full round
Sunday – Rest/miscellaneous practice

If you practice enough, and I mean really put in the work, you WILL improve. It’s inevitable.

4. Learn the techniques

Learning proper throwing technique is one of the most important concepts in all of disc golf. If you can’t throw a disc the right way, you’ll NEVER be good at this sport. I don’t care what disc you use, how good you want to be, how great you are at approaching, or how elite your putting game is. Because you have to actually get the disc toward the basket.

I’m not talking about distance just yet. But learning how to throw mainly a proper backhand, so that you get every throw to fly the way you want it to toward the basket. Distance comes with time and practice. I’m not worried about that right now.

In order to throw a proper backhand throw, here are 7 simple steps:

proper grip: whether it’s a power or non-power grip, find the grip that works for you.
Work on x-step and hip rotation: perfecting the x-step as you step through the motion is key for your footwork. And proper hip rotation can help you get more torque and power on every throw.
Good reach back: as you rotate, you want your arm at a decent 45 angle with full extension.
Look away from line of sight: it might seem counterintuitive, but this will help you rotate as much as possible for your throw.
Strong final step: step through with a strong throw.
Lead with your elbow: as you rotate your front pivot foot, allow your elbow to come through leading the throw.
Follow through: after you throw, allow your arm to swing through with a full motion so that you make sure to get all the power behind your throw and to prevent injury.

Technique is fairly difficult at first, but you’ll get it. For more, check out this post – 7 Steps to the Best Disc Golf Technique and a Perfect Throw!

5. Become an expert putter

Lastly, there’s one big thing that you can do to become a truly elite disc golfer: 10X your putting game. What I mean by that is to improve your putting tenfold, so that you’re an insanely good putter.

You see, putting is a skill that can make or break your disc golf game. Have you ever heard, “drive for show, putt for dough”? Well, it’s a common theme in whatever type of golf you’re playing. Driving looks cool, but putting is what helps you win the money. So you have to become a great putter in order to get better, and win at, disc golf.

If you don’t already have a practice basket, get one. We talked about that earlier. It’s one of the most productive ways you can spend $150 bucks.

Try to practice putting daily. If you get a basket, a quick 100 putts per day practice session can really improve your skills quickly.

More practice. Repetition is how you get better. Practice putting over and over and over again until you can’t miss.

Lastly, try some awesome practice drills and games. These are super fun and can really help you improve quick. Check them out in this post – The 11 Best Disc Golf Putting Drills and Games!

How to become an elite disc golfer

If you follow the tips above – finding the right discs, grabbing some practice gear, having a solid practice routine, learning all the techniques for throwing, and becoming an expert putter – you’ll be elite player in no time. But here’s the catch: you have to be patient.

That’s the trick. You aren’t going to become an awesome disc golfer overnight. Or in a week. Or in a month. It’s going to take you months of practice and patience, while practicing patience, before you become truly skilled in this sport. But you will get there. It just takes some time while you’re putting in the work.

Don’t forget to have fun

Before you hit the course, I want you to remember: don’t forget to always have fun. No matter how much you want to improve, or how good you want to be, don’t forget why you started disc golf…for fun.

I remember when I started. My friends took me out to have some fun. I was hooked from the start. And I’ve continued loving it ever since, sometimes having to remind myself to keep having fun. So don’t ever forget that!

Don’t forget to check out the book!

If you’re looking for more tips and tricks on how to play disc golf, check out my book, “The Disc Golf Player’s Manual.” This ultimate beginner’s guide is loaded with over 200 pages of content, helping you to improve your game AND lower score on the disc golf course. Check it out here on my site.

The Top 5 Best Disc Golf Tips for New Players!