Top 5 Disc Golf Beginner Mistakes (Avoid These at All Costs!)

As of 2024, disc golf is one of the fastest-growing sports, with more than 4 active players (per this post here on Innova.com).

That means millions of rounds and millions more mistakes for new players out on the course. If that’s you, the beginner who’s having a little bit of trouble, we’ve got you covered. In this post, we’ll be going over the 5 biggest disc golf beginner mistakes and helping you to improve so you don’t make them.

Are you ready? Let’s get to it!

The Top 5 Disc Golf Beginner Mistakes

1. Picking the wrong discs

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a new player is to start out playing with the wrong disc golf discs.

But you’re not the only one. I made this huge mistake when I started out. I was given a few discs, which ended up being way too difficult for me, and so I learned the hard way. Eventually, I learned which discs I needed and so will you.

Word of caution: as a brand-new player, you don’t want to play with any distance drivers and you also want to avoid most control drivers and all overstable discs. Everything I just mentioned is way too difficult to throw for a new player.

As a new player, you want discs that are easy-to-throw, low speed, high glide, high turn, and low fade. To know which discs fall into that category, you’ll need to learn the disc golf flight ratings system, or the numbers on a disc golf disc. It’s fairly simple, and you can check out this post for more – How to Learn Disc Golf Flight Ratings in Only 10 Minutes! Once you learn those, you’ll be a wiz at picking out new discs!

If you’d rather have a couple recommendations, that’s cool, too! Check out the 3 best discs for beginners:

Dynamic Discs Judge (putter)

The Judge is awesome. By far my favorite putter and the one I’m consistently sinking shots with into the basket. Grab one here on InfiniteDiscs.com.

Discraft Buzzz (mid-range)

The Buzzz is an epic disc. I’ve got it on my short list as one of the best disc golf discs ever made. Great for all skill levels of players, with it being highly controllable for beginners and extremely versatile for advanced players. Grab one here on InfiniteDiscs.com.

Innova Leopard (control driver)

Now, normally I don’t recommend control drivers to new players. Drivers are TOUGH to throw. But the Leopard is super easy to throw and control, so I highly recommend it as a good starter driver. So if you’d like to try one out, grab it here on Discgolfunited.com.

Or you can check out this awesome post – The 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. Not practicing or playing enough

As a new player, one huge mistake that you can make is to not practice or play enough rounds.

When I first started, I had weeks and months where I wouldn’t do anything with disc golf. And it showed. I sucked for a while. But as I started getting more into the sport, I realized that, just like with every other sport I’ve ever played, you have to actually practice and play to get better.

On the practice side of things, I worked on putting, field work, learning proper throwing technique, understanding the game and various disc golf rules, as well as learning everything else possible about disc golf on the internet. Hell, I even built a whole disc golf site to help myself and other disc golfers out (this one). Lastly, I bought various practice items to help me improve – a personal disc golf practice basket for putting, a practice net for extra throwing practice, and the pro-pull disc golf resistance trainer system – all of which have helped me out tremendously.

As for playing, you should be hitting the course and playing a full round at least once a week or more. 2-3 times per week is perfect. But if you’re not playing at least once a week, you’re not improving.

Finally, I would highly encourage you to have a system or routine set up for your practicing and playing. This can be as simple as you want it to be. But if you really want to get better, I encourage you to do something with disc golf every day!

Here are two examples of how I’ve set up weekly practice routines. Keep in mind that I also added in gym workouts, but you can set your weeks up however you like:

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 and play enough, you will get better!

3. Not learning the technique

When you’re first starting out, one of the biggest disc golf beginner mistakes is to not learn proper throwing technique.

Learning how to throw a disc properly is one of the most important concepts in all of disc golf. As a beginner, you’ll most likely learn backhand first, so here’s a quick break down on how to throw a proper backhand in just 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: work on trying to perfect the x-step as you step through the throwing motion. Also, 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 and pivot on your front foot for 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: allow your arm to swing through to complete your throw. This will help you get more distance on each throw and keep you from getting injured by cutting your range of motion short.

For more on technique, check out this post – 7 Steps to the Best Disc Golf Technique and a Perfect Throw!

4. Not being patient

One of the biggest reasons why people stop playing is because they see a lack of progress. Many new disc golfers often make the mistake of not being patient enough while they steadily improve over time. Players get frustrated and quit because they want to be awesome players just weeks after they start playing.

You see, you won’t become an advanced disc golfer in a day, a week, or a month. Becoming great at disc golf takes many months and even years, along with consistent practice and patience, while practicing patience.

So if you stay disciplined, consistent with practice, intentional with your improvement, and patient with your game, your skills will grow and you’ll learn to truly love disc golf like I do.

5. Taking the game too seriously

Lastly, one of the biggest mistakes new players can make is work too hard, be extremely hard on themselves, and take the game too seriously.

I mean, look, I want to get better at disc golf and play at an advanced level. But sometimes, I’ve got to remind myself that I started playing because I wanted to have fun with my friends. Disc golf is supposed to be fun.

I want you to improve, but don’t forget why you most likely started playing – to have fun and enjoy yourself out on the course.

How to become an elite disc golfer

For you to become a truly advanced, elite disc golf player, it’s going to take a lot. A lot of time, a lot of patience, a lot of practice, and a lot of disc golf. You have to do things over and over and over, consistently, for months and even years to become a great player.

But you will get there. So keep your head up and keep playing. Disc golf is tough. But your will to want to improve is stronger. I know it.

Thanks for reading, disc golfers! And good luck out there!

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.