Welcome to Disc Golf Around! Whether you are disc golf’n a round of golf for the first time or want to be disc golf’n around the world, you are in the right place!
Around here I go by Mr. Disc. Not because I’m any good but more because I’m an upper elementary teacher and it just seemed right.
At age 42, I’ve been around the block a few times and I know myself well enough to understand that I’ll be sticking with disc golf for a very long time. I hope to make it a game I play into retirement. Along the way, I plan to take you along for the ride and pass along everything that I learn.
As a teacher, one of my jobs is to curate the wealth of information that kids can encounter and break it into sequential, easily digestible chunks.
That’s exactly what I want to do for you as well. As I learn it, I’ll post it. That way it’s all right here for you…
my history with disc golf
I discovered disc golf about 10 years ago, and really enjoyed it. Then, life got in the way for a while (in mostly a good way… Marriage, new house, kid, work, etc.)
At that time, I remember feeling leery about diving too far below the disc golf iceberg. For some reason, at the time, I felt like learning disc golf language (heizer, upshot, parked, and all the rest) was the equivalent of learning Ewok. I was stubborn and just wasn’t going to do it.
I also didn’t buy a bag specific to disc golf or buy more than a few discs.
With a mindset like that, it was probably only a matter of time before I hung up my old high school backpack filled with random discs and moved on to something else…
This time it’s different. This time I’m all in…
And the good thing is (for this site, not me)that I’m basically a beginner. That means that I have a lot to learn and a lot to document. I think that eventually this will be a really great place for an all encompassing view of disc golf and will be appropriate for disc golfers of all levels.
humble beginnings – Teacher becomes student
As I write this, I’m an objectively bad disc golfer. I’m a lousy putter and I spray my longer shots all over the place. I have almost no confidence that I can aim my disc with even 30 degrees of certainty.
If I have an approach, I could sail it 40 feet past or leave it 40 feet short. Your guess is as good as mine.
In addition, I don’t really know much of the disc golf terminology, nor could I name 5 professional disc golfers.
What I like about this, is that I believe all that will change! I’m going to get much better at this game and pass along everything I learn along the way. It’s going to be fun and I’m very much looking forward to getting started!
Also, as a teacher, I think there is a lot of value in learning something from scratch (almost). As an adult, I can tailor my life to only play to my strengths. My students don’t have that option. They are at the mercy of whatever I decide to teach that day, whether they feel confident at it or not.
Being bad is frustrating and that’s a good reminder to get, no matter the age. I hope this makes me a better teacher as well… With that in mind, if you see something that I am doing wrong in the field of disc golf (I apologize for typos but no need to concern yourself with those) I welcome your feedback!
And as a disc golf “prospect” I also have a few things working in my favor that I’d like to share as well…
What’s going in my favor?
So you’re a 42 year old, aging beginner disc golfer huh? Great… I REALLY look forward to hearing what you have to say..
I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that way but before you write me off, I want to tell you a few things that I have going for me as well that give me some confidence going forward. Also, please know that anything positive I say is NOT meant to be a brag. I’m just trying to give you an accurate portrayal so whatever gains are made can be put in perspective. And as you’ll see there’s really not much to brag about…
1. I Question A Lot: If I have a question on something, I find an answer. It’s just how I’m wired. That means that you’ll get a lot of info on this site, but also that I’m going to find the info I need to make me a better player.
2. I’m a Decent Athlete: Just decent. Not bragging! But starting for varsity in a few different sports probably means your decent. I didn’t even get a sniff from any colleges because I wasn’t that good, but I was decent at a lot of sports growing up. This should help me. Also, I’m tall (6’3″)which seems to be a pretty favorable body type for disc golf.
3. I’m a Good Free Throw Shooter: In basketball I got to be very good at non-contested shots like free throws. The reason I mention this is because disc-golf is all non-contested throwing. Free throws require form and touch. I think I have both of those and I think it will translate well to putting and eventually throwing.
4. I played Golf: I wasn’t great but decent at golf (probably 20 handicap). What I like about this is that there is a lot to be learned from the strategy of the game. Also, if I could do it over I would have completely changed my approach to practice and focus more on my short game (drive for show, putt for dough). I plan to transfer that hard-earned wisdom to disc golf.
5. I also played Ultimate (for a year): I played a year of club ultimate frisbee during my freshman year of college. I think this was helpful as it gave me the confidence to throw forehands and have a general understanding of disc flights. It won’t be huge, but I still think this is part of the equation.
6. I’m Competitive! This could work for me or against me, but I hope to harness this competitiveness and put it to good use on the course. I plan to have it equate to habitual practice and deep diving the sport to get an edge. On the flipside, I get frustrated rather easily and can demonstrate a bit of perfectionism. When things don’t go as I’d like I can escalate and it could lead to poor habits/mindsets. This one is up in the air! Let’s see how I do!
7. I’m a Teacher: All that means is that I have my summers off. This just equates to more time to practice disc golf. Time is a key ingredient when trying to improve/document anything. I hope to use my summer’s well to this end.
my big plans
I have some big plans for this game in my lifetime, but, like I said before, I’m going to take it little by little. Nevertheless, it’s fun to get some of my plans/hopes in writing so I can look back and see how I did or where I changed course.
Right now, here’s what I’m thinking…
1. Get Good at Disc Golf! I have no designs of going pro or any such nonsense. Nevertheless, I want to be good at all components of the game. It’s pathetic, but I know so little now that I can’t even quantify it. Do any of you have an idea for what I should aim for? Basically, I want to be confident with longer putts, lengthy approach shots, and accurate, long drives… I should just stop writing and come back to this when I know what I’m talking about…
2. Design/Build a Course: I live in a heavily wooded area of Western Massachusetts. Land is more affordable, and some day (way in the future) I would love to help design and build a course to be proud of. With that in mind, for each course that I review along the way, I’m going to keep an eye out for what aspects of it I might like to incorporate into this future course design.
3. Design Disc Golf Equipment: I have ideas, but nothing concrete. For now, I’ll just say that I think it would be fun to design some useful equipment to be used.
4. Travel the World (or at least Europe): In my 20s I lived for 3.5 years in Europe (studying abroad and teaching). As a result, I have done a lot of travel over there and I really enjoy the lifestyle. I even have EU citizenship! I also really enjoy Scandinavia, which I recently discovered is big into disc golf! So, somewhere down the line, I’d like to take this show overseas and live a disc golf lifestyle in Europe. In short, I want to be disc golf’n around the world. And of course, I’ll take you along for the ride.
That’s all I’ve got for now, but if any of that is of interest to you then I highly encourage you to jump on board and subscribe!
General disc golf Strategy
Before I go big, I have to start small. In general, as I sit here today, my plan is to start close to the basket and work my way out.
I want to get better at putting and keep getting farther and farther away.
Also, given some of my flawed strategy in golf, I am going to try not to care as much about huge drives. Accuracy, form and consistency are going to win the day for me.
Then, as I improve and gain confidence, I’m going to keep adding more and more…
Obviously, I’m going to make mistakes along the way. I’ll let you know about all of it so you can learn from it as well…
Course/disc/equipment Reviews
Mostly, I hope to build a library of disc golf courses with my own personal slant on each. As I said before, I want to eventually end up in Europe as well. But with over 13,000 courses in the US, there’s plenty to see.
For now, I’m going to start close and just keep working my way out.
With that in mind, if you happen to have a course that you want me to review, let me know and I’ll add it to the list! Right now, I only know the ones that I used in my first stint of disc golf.
I also want to review discs/other equipment! I know each person has different preferences but I hope to help you find what works best for you as well.
A word about the pros
I can’t myself delving into news/drama revolving around the pros. That’s a younger person’s game, and it doesn’t suit my personality too well (but no judgment if you’re into it!)
But, the pros got to where they are for a reason. This is the angle I hope to attack. I want to know all about what they do to get so good at this sport of disc golf. What are their practice methods? What techniques (physical and mental), do they swear by? Which discs do they use? Off-season routines, warm-up routines, training regimen, and all the rest. I want to know it all.
Then, by understanding where they are coming from, I hope to mine those little nuggets that will make each of us that little bit better…
answer seeker
I’ve already alluded to this point, but I think it’s worth saying explicitly.
If you have a question, then I have a question too. I enjoy seeking information, and if you want me to research something, then ask away and I’ll get on it!
I want you to find this site to be a good resource so please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions/thoughts.
Let’s get started!
I’m looking forward to getting started and meeting you along the way. Given my previous experience, I already know that I’m a huge fan of the disc golf community. Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact me at any time.
From humble beginnings, I’m genuinely excited to dive deep below the surface and uncover all that I can in the world of disc golf. Be sure to subscribe and join me!