Solo Round Guide: Can You Play Disc Golf With One Disc?

Can you really play disc golf with one disc? ONE DISC? I mean, you normally need at least 3 discs to play, right? There are hundreds and hundreds of discs to choose from, in all different weights, colors, and disc types.

But the thought of only choosing one disc for your entire round seems just a little bit odd. Trying to choose just one disc when there are literally thousands of different discs to choose from…now that, well, that’s a bold move. Though it can be a great practice opportunity for your game.

Can you play disc golf with one disc?

Yes, you can absolutely play disc golf with one disc. A lot of players only use one disc for their rounds to work on: form and technique, developing their game with that disc, focusing on shots, strategizing, and to reset their game through discing down to a mid-range disc or putter to play. That’s called a solo disc round.

The solo disc round is something that a lot of disc golfers take advantage of. And a lot of disc golfers don’t. The solo disc golf round can help you in a lot of different ways and can expose you to things you’re doing wrong.

The solo round: what’s it for?

Practice with form and technique

First off, playing with one disc can help you develop your form and technique. Normally with one disc rounds, I recommend that you disc down. That means dropping from using your drivers down to a mid-range or even a putter. You’re stepping down in disc, from fast drivers to a slower mid-range or putter.

The reason you’re doing this is to work on both your form and your technique. Eliminating that “need for speed” mentality you have with drivers is the first step. Drivers need to be thrown fast and when you’re holding one, you probably try to throw it fairly hard. Throwing with lower speed discs helps you to focus on the mechanics.

As you progress through your rounds, work on each step of your technique including the X-step, the reach back, up to the throw and the follow through. Continually doing this will help you transition from average player to advanced player in no time.

For more on technique, check out our post, “7 Steps to the Best Disc Golf Technique and a Perfect Throw.”

Focus and strategy

Playing with only one disc adds a whole new level of focus and strategy to your game. You’re no longer playing with an arsenal of discs. There’s nothing for wind, distance, or different stability needs. Now it’s just you and one disc. You’ve got to really think about how you’re going to get from point A (the teepad) to point B (the basket). You have to implement good strategy and extreme focus on each shot in order to play well like this.

Working with something like the Axiom Envy Putt and Approach (link to InfiniteDiscs.com) really makes you think about what you need to do to get that disc to the basket. It’s tough but you can do it.

Clearing your mind

Another great reason for playing like this is for clearing your mind and resetting your game. Sometimes, I’ll get out on the course and just suck. I throw bad, miss putts, and constantly need something to help me play better. It happens. So here’s how you reset.

Grab one disc. Any disc in your bag that you believe can do everything for you. If you don’t have something like that, check out the recommendations below and go get you a new disc.

Now get out on the course. Use that one disc to focus on each shot, strategize your play, and to just have some fun. Remember: disc golf is a game that you play to have fun. Yes, I know it may be more than that. But you started playing for entertainment. So let some of that pressure go and just do your best. This should allow you to have a mental reset.

Solo round tips

You need to play alone

In order to effectively take advantage of a solo disc round, you need to hit the course alone. I know a lot of people like to play with friends or with a league, but solo play and solo disc rounds kind of go hand in hand. Playing by yourself is important. So much so that I wrote a post about why you should play disc golf alone sometimes.

If you’d like to know more about why playing alone is important, check out, “Can You Play Disc Golf Alone? 11 Reasons Why You Should.”

More than one disc?

Yes and no. Now you’re not using other types of discs. Even though all solo disc rounds are casual, try going out with 2 to 3 Envys or 2 to 3 Harps. You’re still only using a couple of the same disc, but now you can properly mark all your lies and keep that one disc from getting scuffed up from 50+ shots per round.

Try grabbing a couple of Harps here and playing your solo round (link to InfiniteDiscs.com).

Imagine tournament play

When you’re out on the course for solo disc play, we’ve already established that it’s casual play. But without getting too crazy, I want you to imagine that your playing competitive, tournament-grade disc golf. This will force you to think and strategize to a higher degree. And your disc golf game will thank you for it.

Only use “all-around” discs

When playing solo disc rounds, you’ll want to use only “all-around” discs. This means discs that are great in every throwing situation including driving, approaching, and putting (along with everything else).

This is where you’re going to put away the drivers and find a good all-purpose putter or mid-range disc. I highly recommend the 5 discs below, but the choice is up to you. I want you to pick up any putter or mid-range that you both like to play with and that you throw well in many different throwing situations.

The 5 best solo round discs to improve your game

1. Discraft Buzzz (5, 4, -1, 1)

The Buzzz is hands down one of the best all-purpose discs ever made. It’s phenominal in almost every situation on the course. It’s also an extremely straight-flying disc for me. So this is normally my choice for solo disc rounds. Grab one here on InfiniteDiscs.com.

2. Westside Discs Harp (4, 3, 0, 3)

Ever since the first time I threw the Harp, I fell in love with it as an all-around disc. This mid-range putter is a bit overstable but it doesn’t require a lot of speed to fly well. Grab a harp here on InfiniteDiscs.com.

3. Axiom Envy (3, 3, 0, 2)

I like the Envy. It’s one of the few putt and approach discs that I trust. And it’s just a great disc for solo disc play. Grab yourself one here on InfiniteDiscs.com.Grab yourself one here on InfiniteDiscs.com.

4. Innova Roc (4, 4, 0, 3)

Now I’m not a huge fan of the Roc, but it’s a hugely popular disc for solo rounds in the #discgolfcommunity so it deserves to be on this list. You can get a Roc here on Discgolfunited.com.

5. MVP Tangent (4, 4, -0.5, 0.5)

The Tangent is an awesome all-around mid-range that just deserves to make this list. This disc is great for new players and powerful throwers alike, which means it’s a good disc that can handle a lot of different types of shots on the course. All of that adds up to an interesting choice for a solo disc round. Grab one here on InfiniteDiscs.com.

Overall

It’s important to play solo disc rounds. It can be an absolutely awesome opportunity for you to practice and it can be a great way to reset and re-tool your disc golf game. It’s just an essential piece of the puzzle for becoming a great disc golfer. The solo disc round can really benefit you, but you’ve got to do it right. Hopefully you’ve found this post helpful. If so, please share it. Thanks for reading, disc golfers!

Don’t forget to check out the book!

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the best beginner disc golf book on the planet, “The Disc Golf Player’s Manual.” This ebook is packed with over 200+ pages of the best tips, tricks, and advice for new players. Im telling you, this book is epic. If you want to seriously improve in disc golf, you need this book. So don’t miss out!