Disc Golf Rules for Beginners — The PDGA Basics in Plain Words

Disc golf is played very much like golf, except players throw a flying disc instead of hitting a ball with a club. The PDGA is the governing body for the sport, and its Simplified Rules were made for beginners and for unsanctioned events that want a standard set of rules without the full Official Rules.

How a hole works, step by step

• Start at the teeing area. A round is a series of holes, usually 18. Each hole starts at the teeing area and finishes at the target.
• Throw, then throw again from where it lands. After the first throw, throw again from where the disc comes to rest. Keep doing this until the disc comes to rest in the target.
• Move to the next hole. Then go to the teeing area for the next hole.
• Count the hole. Your score for the hole is the number of times you threw the disc, plus any penalties. Your score for the round is the sum of all your hole scores. The lowest score wins.

Whose turn is it?

The player who is farthest from the target throws next. When everyone is throwing from the teeing area, the player who did better on the most recent hole throws first.

Players play in a group, and the group enforces the rules on itself. A penalty adds a throw to your score for the hole. For example, a player who throws three times and gets one penalty scores a four on that hole.

The lie — where you throw from

Most of the time, you throw from a lie. A lie is an area behind the thrown disc that is about the size of a standard sheet of paper, with the short edge touching the disc. The lie can be marked by the thrown disc itself or by a mini marker disc.

• When you throw from a lie, a foot or other body part must be touching the lie when you release the disc.
• You cannot have any body part touching in front of the lie when you release the disc.
• From a teeing area or drop zone, a foot or other body part must be touching that area when you release the disc, and no body part can be touching something outside it.
• A player who breaks these throwing rules gets a penalty.

If a disc gets stuck in a tree branch or is otherwise above the ground, its position is on the ground directly below the disc.

Putting — the 10 metre rule

The putting area is 10 metres — approximately 33 feet — in radius, measured from the base of the basket.

If the front of your lie is in the putting area, you cannot follow through when you putt. That means no jump putts, step putts, or falling putts. You must stay balanced behind your lie after the putt before you move forward. If you do not, the throw counts and you get a penalty.

What counts as finishing a hole

A hole is finished when a thrown disc comes to rest supported by the basket's chains or tray, even if it is stuck in the side of the tray.

• Touching or slapping the chains with the disc does not count.
• A disc that lands on top of the basket does not count.

Out of bounds, hazards, and lost discs

• Out of bounds (OB). A disc is out of bounds when it is completely surrounded by the OB area — the OB line itself is part of the OB area. The penalty is one throw. Your next lie is your choice of the last spot in bounds, your previous lie, or a drop zone if there is one. If your disc is within a metre of the OB line but not out, you get 1 metre of relief off the line.
• Hazard. If your disc is completely surrounded by a hazard area, the penalty is one throw, and you play your next throw from where the disc came to rest.
• Disc near an OB line. When you take a new lie after going out of bounds, no supporting point — for example, your foot — can be touching the OB area.
• Mandatory routes, or “mandos.” Some holes have a required route. A mando creates a plane, like an invisible sheet of glass, that a thrown disc cannot break. If it does, you go to the marked drop zone with a penalty. If there is no drop zone, you throw from your previous lie with a penalty.
• Lost disc. If you cannot find your disc, the whole group looks for it. After three minutes of looking, the disc is lost. You go back to your previous lie — or the drop zone, if there is one — and throw with a penalty. So if your first throw of a hole is lost, you re-throw from the tee and you are throwing your third shot.

Play the course as you find it

Generally, you cannot move obstacles. You must play the disc as it lies and play the course as it is, and a player who moves obstacles gets a penalty. Do not alter or damage the course — for example, by breaking off branches.

There are small exceptions. You can move casual obstacles behind your lie — small, easily movable things lying on the ground, like pinecones, small rocks, and twigs. Big obstacles, or obstacles stuck in the ground, are not casual obstacles.

You can also get relief without a penalty in some cases. If your disc lands near something dangerous, like an insect or animal that could hurt you, you can move your lie backward along the line of play to a safe spot. The line of play is an invisible line between the target and the place where your disc landed.

Keeping score

All players keep score for everyone in the group, and players record the scores after each hole. A score is a whole number, such as “three” — saying “plus one” or “birdie” is not a score. Your score is all your throws plus any penalties.

Courtesy and safety

• Do not distract others by making noise or moving around when someone is throwing.
• Help find discs, and move your equipment when you are asked.
• A first courtesy violation gets a warning. Doing it again in the same round gets a penalty.

The PDGA's Disc Golfer's Code adds three simple safety and respect points:

• Play Smart. Never throw into a blind area or when players, spectators, pedestrians, or other facility users are within range. Use a spotter.
• Respect the Course. Observe all posted rules. No littering, graffiti, or abuse of equipment or flora.
• Represent the Sport. Be positive and responsible. Teach others.

Equipment, in brief

Players must use PDGA-approved discs. Players cannot use things that throw the disc for them or help them throw the disc. Gloves or tape, grip aids on the hands such as chalk or dirt, medical devices, and a towel or thin pad under a supporting point are allowed.