- The tee
- The fairway
- A disc which doesn’t land on the ground
- Different discs for different situations
The tee
The tee is the throwing area to begin play and is usually an area marked with a throwing line. At the first hole it is decided in which order the players throw by the names on the scorecard. After that the result of the preceding hole de- termines the order: the best score throws first, and so on.
The fairway
After the first throw from the tee the player whose disc is the farthest from the target, throws again first. The next throw is played from the position where the previous throw came to rest. Before picking up the disc the player (or caddy!) places a marker-disc (a mini disc of about ten centimetres) in front of the thrown disc. At the next throw the player’s front foot must be on the ground within thirty centimetres behind the marker-disc.
A disc which doesn’t land on the ground
Play must continue from the position where the disc lies on the ground. However it can occur that the disc is not on the ground if, for example, it remained in the branches of a tree. In this case, if the disc is less than two meters from the ground, play can continue from the position right below the disc. However when the disc is more than two meters from the ground, there is a penalty of one throw. The players then positions the disc directly below where it came to rest and continues playing according to the out-of-bounds rule (see above).
Different discs for different situations
Disc golf players will find themselves in many different situations, each requiring a different approach. In some cases a long distance must be covered, at other times the disc must be thrown with a large curve around a tree. Where a ball golf player can choose from several clubs, a disc golf player may choose from several discs, each with specific flight or “rolling” proper- ties. For each throw players may pick the disc that seems to be appropriate.
Of course you can play disc golf with an “ordinary” disc. However you’ll notice that the special disc golf discs are more suitable for this sport. For instance you can easier cover a long distance with a “driver” or putt with a “putter”. For approaches from 40-60 meters you can use an “ap- proach disc”. Remember that these special disc golf discs are not made for catching. You can injure yourself when you try! So be careful. Also as a player, make sure there is no possibility to injure another person be- fore you throw.