Choosing Your First Golf Disc

Disc Golf is a great, fun and easy sport to play. If you get the right discs when you start, that's it, you will be hooked.

Here at Small Planet Disc Sports we want first time players to enjoy disc golf from their first throw.

We want you to be able to go towards a straight line target, 100 meters in front of you, and achieve a good (par) result from day one. We don't want you to buy a golf disc that will make you go in circles and cause you to dislike this great sport.

We can start by getting into high tech complicated explanations, but we have a feeling it is too early for you at this stage. If you've hardly thrown a golf disc before, reading the high tech section might scare you away! We recommend you to read the more advanced Disc Golf Flight Information category, only after you finish reading this section and have actually thrown your first rounds. 

Getting your first golf disc* is all about getting the right advice. We have seen too many new players starting with the wrong disc, and sadly never really getting hooked on the sport. 

If for some strange reason your first golf disc is a maximum distance driver!! We know for sure, that your are not having the most fun.

We've made it easy for you and put all of our Beginner Friendly Golf Discs in their own category. Buying one of these discs will be your best starting point, and will reward you with lots of fun.

The discs are organized into four groups: 

Buying one from each group is Ideal, but some players will want to start with one disc only.

If you are only after one golf disc to start with, you should buy a disc from the Beginner Friendly Mid-Range category. These are called Utility/All-round discs, and will cover most of the game bases to a good degree. These discs can be easily controlled, will go a good distance, and most important will fly fairly straight towards the basket. A good Mid-range/Utility golf disc is your best starting point towards becoming a good player, and is a disc you will keep using throughout your disc golfing career. 

Buying a Mid-range/Utility disc is a must, but some players want more than one disc to start with. If you are one of those, we recommend that your second disc will be a Putt & Approach golf disc. 

As all good players will tell you: "Drives for show, Putts for dough". 

"It counts only if the disc is in the basket" (or hit the target).

Entry level Putt & Approach discs are designed to fly straight, slow, hit the basket chains and fall in it. You will be amazed to see how much you score will improve (go down), by having a putter in addition to you Mid-range/Utility disc. With a bit of practice, you will stop missing those 3-8 meter putts. Check out our Beginner Friendly Putt & Approach Discs category.

So you’re ready for more distance? 

A good player will be able to drive his Mid-range/Utility disc to around 70-80 meters. Saying that, a good player will drive his distance drivers to 100-140 meters (or more). Distance drivers are recommended to players that achieved good control on their Mid-Range/ Utility disc, and want to get more distance. To get distance drivers to fly to their full potential you need to already have a good Technique (Arm speed).

Good Technique is all about practicing with you Mid-range/Utility disc first. If you are ready for your first distance driver disc, have a look at our Beginner Friendly Fairway Drivers & Beginner Friendly Distance Drivers categories.

Other Factors To Consider when Choosing a Disc:

Weight Effect on Disc Flight Path: The rule of thumb is: a heavier version of any given disc will tend to be slightly overstable/harder to throw than a lighter version of the same disc.

We recommend choosing a disc in the weight range that works best for your level of power (based on technique) and strength (based on your physical characteristics).

Recommended Mid-Range Disc weight range:

  • Strong Built Person: 167-174g

  • Normal Built Person: 164-172g 

  • Small Built Person: 160-166g

Plasic Blend Types Effect on Disc Flight Path: On many occasions manufacturers will produce the same disc mold in a variety of plastic blends. Different plastic blends will affect the overall flight path of the same disc mold. There will be minor differences in flight number ratings within the same mold, when made from different plastics blends. In addition, the more durable plastic blends will retain flight number ratings for a longer period of time. For full information on all the different plastic blends, please refer to each manufacturer plastic types information page.

That basically covers all the aspects of discs selection for the new player, on his path to becoming a pro!

For more technical information on discs selection, please read the Disc Golf Flight Information category.

*Any one of the discs listed below will be a great choice as a first disc: