Dogs and Disc Golf: Dreams do Come True!

selective focus photo of black and white dog — *Discs Golf and Dogs have the potential to* *make dreams come true!*

The following post, “Dogs and Disc Golf”, gives a look into whether or not your dog is a good fit for the disc golf course. Not all situations are the same and that’s okay! Have a look at what to consider so you can determine if you and your dog are a good match on the course!

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Half a life-time ago (almost exactly. Scary.), I studied abroad in Ireland. And while there, I lived with a lovely family in the outskirts of Dublin, called Sutton.

First off, Ireland is a wonderful place and the people are amazing. If you ever get a chance to go, I think you should.

Though, if you are looking for disc golf, it doesn’t exactly look too vibrant at the time of this writing. Huge potential there though. Give me a call Ireland and we’ll get something going!

Nevertheless, it is absolutely worth a trip…

But, while I was there, a short DART (what they call the Metro (train)) ride away is a town called Howth with a lovely (and cheap) public ball-golf course overlooking the sea.

I would go there often, play 9, have a pint of Guinness at the bar and a mini-pack of Pringles (crisps), before heading back home.

As I played, however, I couldn’t help but notice all of these dogs sitting dutifully by while their human companion played a round. These dogs would watch their “master” swing, then stroll alongside to the next shot.

“That’s it. It’s settled,” I thought. “When I get home, I’m teaching my dog to go out with me on the golf course.”

It was going to be grand (as the Irish say). I’d take the dog alongside me as I golfed and we’d do just as the Irish do…

What a pipe dream!

It took me about 2 minutes of practicing chipping in my back yard to realize it would never work. As I swung, my dog charged at me which altered my swing (so as not to hit my dog) and sent the ball careening off (coming very close to breaking my car window). My dog, of course, bounded after the ball, sucked it up (almost swallowing it whole), then carried it off to a far corner of the yard and chewed it to bits.

I had a new plan. My dog would stay home while I went golfing.

Fast Forward one more half of a lifetime. Last week I took my dog disc golfing. It happened somewhat serendipitously. We were driving and passed a local course. Fortunately, I had my disc golf go-bag in the car as well. I got an urge to play, looked at my dog, thought “What the hell,” and gave it a go.

It was amazing!

I’ll get into that in a little bit, but first a quick nod to the pro that planted the seed in my head.

Luke Humphries, Disc Golf, and Dogs

I’m a fan of what Jomez is doing. The production quality is high, and they, alongside so many others, are raising the overall level of disc golf.

One of the things they do are these mini biographies of players at the start of rounds. In this particular footage ( also below…starting at 2:30), they do a bio on professional disc golfer Luke Humphries.

At 2:30 see the bio on Luke Humphries where he discuss, among other things, dogs and disc golf…

First off, I’m just going to say it. Luke Humphries, in my humble opinion, is one of the cooler disc golfers out there (just because I’m not cool, doesn’t mean I can’t recognize it when I see it). If you’re interested, you can check out what he’s about at his blog.

And a major reason, Luke explains, that he switched from ball-golf to disc golf is so that he didn’t have to leave his dog stuck at home for hours on end.

Now, he could bring his dog out on the course, get his practice in, and be with his dog at the same time.

Naturally, this appealed to me as well. So, when I saw the opportunity, I went for it.

Admittedly, Luke’s dog is far better behaved than mine. Nevertheless, he planted the seed, and I grew that seed into a dream…

My first round with My dog

Because of experience with ball golf and my previous dog, I was naturally a little skeptical about how this would go.

I would have to take precautions to make sure I didn’t spend the rest of the day trying to find my dog that went off and chased a squirrel and just kept going…

Fortunately, with all of the practice I’ve been doing in my backyard putting (View my lessons from my first 8 weeks of putting) I already knew that my dog was not at all interested in chasing discs. (note: this is a crucial bit of information and I highly recommend you figure this out before heading to the course with your own dog).

Secondly, I know that if my dog even feels the faintest bit of resistence on her leash, she’ll assume she’s stuck and just sit passively. This made for favorable conditions.

Finally, adding in the fact that my dog is on the smaller side (35 lbs.) I knew that it wouldn’t take much to keep her stationary.

Here’s how it played out when I took her out for her first 9 holes (#CaNINE Holes? Nevermind…I don’t do hashtags…)

black, gold and white dog sitting and looking away — *Here’s my dog, being held by my son. It turns out she’s a good disc golf companion!*

Basically, at first I tied her to the post at each hole or held her leash as I took each shot (not a bad move if you are unsure of how it will work with your own dog).

Eventually though, I was able to attach the leash to my bag. The bag had enough weight so that she would feel tethered and sit patiently to the side while I threw! Then, after the shot, I could just pick up my bag and keep going! Brilliant!

I was living the dream! I was walking my dog (something I do daily anyways), and playing disc golf (something I want to do daily). Now, I can combine both more often and get more reps in out on the course.

More practice usually equals better play. Plus, my dog gets more exercise, as well as new sights/smells. It’s a win-win with only a few minor setbacks.

potential Setbacks for Dogs and Disc Golf

One immediate setback I noticed happened when I tethered my dog to my disc golf bag. My dog can be particularly adamant (read: stubborn) when she encounters a new smell. She will dig in, brace herself, and pull like hell to make sure she gets that smell.

So, as I was peacefully walking along enjoying the day between shots, I had a few instances where I was jolted to a stop as my dog dug in for a smell without me knowing it.

After a few of those, I made sure to hold the leash with my hand as well so my bag wouldn’t take the brunt of it…

Other than that, the rounds have been pretty seemless. Part of me still worries that my dog will get consumed by a squirrel, or another dog and go bounding off as the discs spill out of my bag (that I was too busy to close).

I’m also leery of the added risk of ticks or her finding a patch of poison ivy (here’s a post on disc golf and poison ivy for those that are allergic like I am. And here’s another on disc golf, ticks and Lyme Disease for your consideration as well…).

But as you can see, so far the benefits far outweigh the concerns. I’ll let you know if that changes though!

Great Disc for your dog!

While you are out there, you may want to get your dog in the disc action as well!

This disc is soft, floats, is pretty durable and very affordable!

It’s also quite stable and can even be thrown forehand.

I play catch with this disc with my 5-year old without ever fearing I’ll hit him. He loves throwing it too!

Check it out on Amazon here (paid link)!

Bringing Your Dog on the Disc Golf Course

In another post we showed how it’s best to know thy disc, when playing disc golf. Similarly, when determining whether your dog and disc golf are a good match, it’s best to “know thy canine” as well.

I would say that knowing your dog’s “tendencies” and anticipating potential risks can go a long way in helping you determine how to go about bringing your dog on the course.

If you have a massive, playful Mastiff, that goes bounding off whenever it sees a butterfly, for example, it could (read: will) be a lot more difficult.

If your dog is inclined to chew your discs up, then that might be difficult as well (though not impossible).

white dog with blue disc in its mouth — *Will your dog just chew any disc it gets it’s jaws on? If so, it may not be a match…*

Finally, if your dog has any highly concerning behaviors (no judgment, it happens) that puts you or others at risk, then that’s obviously not worth it either.

Perhaps, on the other hand, you have a passive, laid-back dog. If so, you’re probably going to have an easier time of it.

This is just like nearly everything else in life. You’re going to have to take it case by case and use your better judgment.

In other words, please don’t blame me if you had to spend 10 hours finding your dog during a round! You know your dog best! It’s your call if it’ll work or not!

For me, with my previous dog and ball-golf, I knew it wouldn’t work after a few minutes. The same probably would have been true for disc golf as well… For my current dog, Juniper, it’s so far so good!

In Summary

Disc golf and dogs have the potential to be a wonderful match! Like Luke Humphries realized, instead of leaving your dog at home, you can take it out on the course with you.

Now, you get to play the game you love, while your dog is providing companionship and getting its daily exercise at the same time.

This equates to more repetitions and better results over time.

Obviously be sure to take precautions before you try this for the first time. Watch how your dog reacts to a disc in your back yard. Know how your dog reacts to squirrels and other dogs too. With this information you’ll know how well you have to keep your dog tied up to prevent an “incident” from occurring on the course.

Also, if your dog has any major safety concerns, then it’s probably not a good match either. Knowing your dog well and anticipating setbacks will go a long way to determining whether your dog is a good match for the disc golf course.

If you do determine that it is a good match, then get out and enjoy the game you love with your dog(s) and be sure to come back and tell us all about it! Enjoy!

Thanks for reading everyone! Let me know below if you’ve played a round (or many) of disc golf with your dog(s) yet. How’d it go? Any memorable moments? Any other considerations you think I should factor in? Let me know in the comments below. Also, this site was started in April, 2022 and I’m on a mission to keep creating content that you want to read about. Reach out with any ideas for posts and/or subscribe and come along for the ride! In the meantime, I hope you get to be disc golf’n around the courses with your dog at your side!