How Long is a Round of Disc Golf?

As the old adage goes, “time flies when you’re having fun.” Its true, especially when you start playing disc golf. The game can be extremely time consuming after you really start to get good and like it. But what about if you’re brand new and not sure about the game? Well, here are some numbers for you:

How long is a round of disc golf?

The average length of an 18 hole round of disc golf is around 2 hours, depending on how fast or slow you play, terrain of the course, and how large the course is.

• A 9 hole round: about 1 hour to play.
• An 18 hole round: about 2 hours.
• A 24-27 hole round: about 3 hours.
• More than 27 holes: 3 to 4 or more hours.

Normally, the rate of speed of which you play will be determined by who you’re playing with and if you’re playing the round by yourself.

What exactly is a round of disc golf?

A round of disc golf is a lot of things, but long and boring doesn’t fit the mold. A round of disc golf entails each individual player starting from a point on the course that marks hole #1 and going from hole to hole attempting to sink your disc in each basket in the least amount of throws. This normally takes a short amount of time not exceeding a couple of hours on the course.

The rounds never feels long enough, though, as most players play with friends and family. But no matter what, a round of disc golf is always extremely fun.

If you’d like to learn more about disc golf and why it’s awesome, check out our post, “What is Disc Golf (And Why is it So Awesome)?”. You can also learn how to play disc golf with our post, “Disc Golf 101: A Step by Step Beginner’s Guide.”

Do you have to play a full round?

Not at all. Most courses are arranged from 9 to 18 holes. Some have more baskets, some less. But the amount of time you spend playing is completely up to you.

You never have to play more than what you want to play. Love the game for only 9 holes at a time? Cool! Play 9 and go home. Get tired after 14 holes? No worries. Go ahead and call it a day.

Even so, most new players end up really liking the game and start to ask this next question.

Can I play more than one round?

Absolutely! The amount of disc golf that you can play is only limited by the time you have and the light outside. And you can still play in the dark if you really want to.

Most courses are completely free and are open to the public. A lot of parks, though, close when it gets dark. So you would just have to comply with their rules.

Many players go out and try to play multiple rounds per day if they can help it. I usually only play about a round per outing, not because I don’t like the game, but because a full 18 holes takes a good deal of energy. Sometimes I will play more, though, if I’m playing with friends.

And if you have to pay, even paid courses only charge you per day. That’s another reason why disc golf is better than ball golf. In ball golf, there is almost always a course fee and the course fee normally only covers a round of 18 holes. With disc golf, if the courses charge a fee, it’s almost always cheap and for the entire day (or as many holes as you want to play).

Round prep: what you need to play

Don’t forget the essentials if you decide to get out and play. The times it takes to drive out, play a round, and get back home can take a couple of hours. So make sure you are preparing for your rounds appropriately every time you decide to play.

The game itself is not super cardio-intensive, but you will be walking a mile or so while you play, so you need to do three things in order to be ready for each round.

1. Appropriate dress: whether it’s 100° degrees or 13° degrees, you need to make sure you are in the proper attire for each round. If it’s hot outside, light clothing is best. A t-shirt and shorts is probably your best bet. If it’s really cold, sweatpants and a hoodie might work best with some extra layers underneath. Also, wear some solid, comfortable shoes. Sandals or opened toed shoes won’t cut it. Whatever you wear, just make sure you’re comfortable and able to throw the disc without any trouble. Grab some gear for cold weather here (link to Amazon).

2. Proper Hydration: don’t forget to guzzle down some water to keep yourself hydrated before your round. Even if it’s cold, you need water. If it’s really hot outside, at least four bottles of water is required. This is very important so that you don’t pass out or get heat stroke. Drink at least a bottle before you play as well. Proper hydration helps you stay physically and mentally sharp so that you can do well on each round.

3. Proper Nutrition: make sure you get a good meal or snack in before you play. Being hungry always throws me off my game. So get a good meal and take something with you to munch on when you need some energy. I always take a protein bar or two to tie me over. Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut bars are the best. You can get them here on Amazon.

Side Note: Don’t forget about sunblock if you burn! I’m a redhead so I burn easily. I always make sure to grab a bottle and throw it in my bag. Banana Boat sport spf 30 works great.

The cost of a round

The great thing about disc golf is the price per round. If you’ve purchased a couple of discs, your rounds can be essentially free!

Disc golf requires you to purchase at least 3 discs: a driver, a midrange, and a putter. The cost of this varies, but normally runs you less than (or around) $50 bucks. Once you have these discs, as long as you don’t lose them on the course, they can last you for years.

Unlike ball golf that has a steep fee for each round, disc golf rounds, at about 90% percent of the courses and parks, are free to play. This makes disc golf a convenient game for those who don’t have a lot of money to invest into a sport. Those three discs mentioned earlier can help you play for a long time.

If you’d like to learn more about the costs of disc golf, check out our post, “How Much Does it (Actually) Cost to Play Disc Golf?”

Where can you find disc golf courses near you?

If you live anywhere near a town or city, there are most likely a lot of courses around you or close to you. If you’re looking for some good courses near you, you have a couple of good options to help you find them.

The first, of course (pun intended), is by searching Google for, “disc golf courses near me.” This will bring up courses closest to your location and give you a good idea of what’s around you.

That Google search will most likely bring up this next result. Discgolfcoursereview.com is an awesome resource for finding out about the best courses near you and reviews of those courses. This website shows you more in-depth course information so that you can figure out exactly how long it will take you to play all the courses.

The next option is the PDGA disc golf course locator on the Professional Disc Golf Association’s website, PDGA.com.

You can also check out discgolfscene.com. This website is a great resource for courses around the world. They have a likes system that shows which courses players like the most. It also has a rating system that shows each country’s top courses starting with #1.

Finally…

The game of disc golf is great because of a lot of things, including the length of time it takes to play each round. The ease of finding courses also allows anyone in almost any location to easily find and play a few rounds with no trouble at all.

So get out there throw a little bit. There’s no need to do anything else!

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!

How Long is a Round of Disc Golf?