Disc golf is one heck of a game. It’s great entertainment for groups, friends, couples, and anyone else who wants to enjoy disc golf. But what about playing by yourself?
Now, when I first started playing, I was introduced to the game through friends. I played a few times with those guys and everything seemed completely fine. And it was. Playing with other disc golfers is a completely acceptable way to play. But I thought you always had to play like this. I used to think that playing by yourself wasn’t acceptable, was weird, or any other myth that you may have heard about solo play.
Soon, though, I wanted to get better and play more. I couldn’t always get up with my buddies to play. But I wasn’t sure if it was okay to go by myself. That’s when I started my research and asked myself this question:
Can You Play Disc Golf Alone?
Yes, you can absolutely play disc golf alone. Playing by yourself is great because there’s no pressure, you can play at your own pace, you can work on your mental game, de-stress, get some exercise, and get some crucial solo practice in.
You can see that, right off the bat, disc golf is a good game for those who want to play by themselves. Soon after I realized all that, I started to go out and knock out solo rounds. Round by round, I started to like playing alone. I saw that it wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. Now I know that it can be really beneficial to your game. Playing alone has helped me out a lot. So today I’m going to go over all 11 reasons why playing by yourself is not only okay, but highly encouraged.
11 reasons why you should play disc golf alone
1. It’s not weird or wrong
Before you read anything else, I just want to address a common misconception that I myself thought was true. Some think that’s it’s weird or wrong to play disc golf by yourself. That myth is about to be busted by not just this first section, but with whole rest of this post. I just want to be clear: it is not weird or wrong to play disc golf alone. Myself, along with a lot of other players in the community, play their rounds this way. So don’t think you’re strange for wanting to play solo. It’s actually kind of fun sometimes.
2. No pressure
One of the main reasons why I like to play alone is because there’s no pressure on you. You can just go out, throw, keep score, and try to do your best. A lot of rounds with friends can usually end up in sudden death, overtime, rage-quit disc golf. That’s fun sometimes, but I like to also play solo rounds where I challenge myself to do better, but I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. The funny thing is, my score is almost always better.
3. You can play at your own pace
This kind of goes along with the last reason why you should play some of your rounds solo. But for this, you can control the flow of your game. Playing solo means you make the pace. Whether you want to play fast or take 40 breaks, it’s completely up to you.
I like to mix it up in my rounds. Sometimes I play quick, knocking an 18 hole round out in like an hour. And other days, I like to play doubles with myself, throwing multiple discs. Like I said earlier. It’s completely up to you.
4. You can work on your mental game
You mental game is a huge part of being successful in disc golf. When you play solo, you can use that time to yourself to think and work on every aspect of your mental game. There are many different aspects that you can focus on, but I’ll just list a few:
• Patience – this is needed on the course. The more patient you are, the better you will play. Check out our post, “11 Ways Patience Will Help You Win in Disc Golf.”
• Focus – with less distraction on the course, you will be able to focus more and learn this aspect if your mental game better
• Confidence – confidence is a must on the course. As you play these solo rounds and get better, your confidence will continue to grow.
• Positive mindset – this is an extremely important mental concept in disc golf. Learn how to master positivity so that you can really crush it on the course.
If you can master all of that, you will be completely mentally prepared to play better the next time. It’s all about the mental game. For our post on this concept, check out, “The 7 Best Mental Disc Golf Tips to Crush it on the Course.”
5. Stress? Not anymore…
Playing disc golf in general is a stress reliever. But going out to the course after a long week, by yourself, is some of the best stress relief on the market.
There’s just something so serene and peaceful about unwinding on the disc golf course. You’re one with nature, you’re doing something fun, with no problems, no one nagging you, and it’s all about what you want. For me, the stress just doesn’t stay very long. So try adding in some solo play if you’re stressed out.
6. Introverts love disc golf
So I’m fairly social, but at heart I’m an introvert. I don’t mind being alone at all. And you can do this for every round of disc golf if you want to. That’s just another reason I love the sport. If I want to go with friends I can. But if I want a solo round, I just pack my gear, head to the course, and play. Easy as that.
7. Disc golf is a sport
I’ve been an athlete for pretty much my entire life. And as I spoke to different disc golfers about whether or not they played solo like I did, one player stated to me: “of course you can play disc golf alone sometimes. Most athletes practice their craft alone.”
Then it hit me – we’re athletes. Athletes have to practice their game to get better. And while athletes in other sports practice with their teams, almost all athletes (on a team or not) will individually practice their game. The greats like Michael Jordan (NBA), Alex Morgan (soccer superstar), and our great hero Paul McBeth all practice or have practiced religiously by themselves at some point.
8. Versatility of disc golf
Versatility, or the ability to be adapted to many different functions or activities, is one of the reasons why we all love disc golf. Disc golf is remarkably versatile, meaning that we can enjoy it in so many different awesome ways including alone. We can play in groups, with friends, with family, daytime or nighttime, sun or snow, in every part of the world, with many discs…but also completely alone. And it’s all good with me.
9. Exercise
Exercise is another reason why I like to play alone sometimes. Most rounds with other people are laid back, relaxed, and there’s alot of stop and go because of a few people throwing. Solo rounds are awesome because it’s just you and your discs. You throw then keep it moving. Throw then keep moving. It’s faster and you’ll get a little bit more movement in as you keep moving through your rounds. I even add some extra cardio in here and there too just to ramp things up a bit.
10. Friends can’t go? No excuses
If you truly want to get better at disc golf, you’ve got to stop making excuses for getting out onto the course. I know you only like going out to play with friends, but if they can’t go, this will give you a chance to play some disc golf solo style. Yes, you can go by yourself. But you already knew that, right?
11. Learning the game
Disc golf is very challenging. Therefore, you must learn some things on your own. You’ve got to figure a lot of stuff out on your own.
There are some things that you will learn by playing with other, more experienced players. But in order to learn the game in-depth, you have to research and study rules, tips, how the pros play, strategy and much, much more.
As you’re developing you’re game, you need to start focusing on a few things:
• Learn the rules of disc golf – check out the Professional Disc Golf Association rulebook here on their website.
• Learn technique – check out our post, “The Best Disc Golf Technique Blog Post Ever Written.”
• Figure out how to putt – check out our post, “The 12 Best Disc Golf Putting Tips for Beginners.” If you can putt, you can win.
• Start adding distance to your game – check out our post, “The 27 Best Disc Golf Distance Tips for Beginners.”
Overall
Playing by yourself can be lonely sometimes. And it’s always great to take friends to the disc golf course with you. But I’ve gone over the 11 best reasons why you should take advantage of solo play. These rounds can be some of the most beneficial rounds as you learn the game and get better. If you can take friends out, I say do it. But if you don’t ever play alone, make sure you add these important rounds into your play. Because the solo rounds are the rounds that can help you become an elite, highly-focused disc golf player. Now get out there and go throw!
Great job!
If you’ve gotten this far, you must really want to learn more about disc golf! If you’re interested in more of what we have to say about the sport, check out some of our best posts below.
50 Ways to Get More Birdies and Improve Your Disc Golf Game
The 50 Best Disc Golf Drills to Change Your Game Forever
37 Best Disc Golf Discs for Beginners (You Need These)
The 15 All-Time Best Disc Golf Discs
All of these posts are our absolute best resources for practice, drills, and disc selection so check them out!
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The #1 Way to Improve Your Disc Golf Game This Year
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Don’t forget
You can also grab a copy of our book, “The Disc Golf Player’s Manual,” here on the site. It’s packed full of extremely practical tips and tricks to help you immediately start improving on the course!