Disc golf 101
Disc golf rules, explained
A plain-English summary of how the game is actually played — scoring, throwing, out of bounds, hazards, lost discs and etiquette. This covers what a newcomer or a casual round needs; it isn't the full tournament rulebook.
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The basics
3 questions
How do you play disc golf?
Each hole starts at a tee and ends at a target (usually a metal basket). You throw the disc, then throw again from wherever it lands, until it comes to rest in the basket. Your score for the hole is how many throws it took, plus any penalty throws. Add up all 18 (or however many) holes for your round score — lowest total wins.
How is a hole "completed"?
When your disc comes to rest supported by the chains or the basket tray — even wedged in the side of the tray. Just touching or slapping the chains doesn't count, and a disc resting on top of the basket doesn't count either.
How do you score disc golf?
Every throw counts as one stroke, and rule violations add penalty strokes on top. Record a whole number for each hole ("three," not "birdie") — your round score is the sum of every hole.
Throwing and your lie
3 questions
What is a "lie" in disc golf?
The lie is where your next throw comes from — roughly a sheet-of-paper-sized area directly behind where your last throw came to rest. You need a foot (or other body part) touching the lie when you release the disc, and nothing touching the ground in front of it.
Who throws first?
Whoever is farthest from the basket throws next. On the tee, the player with the best score on the previous hole throws first.
What's the difference between a practice throw and an abandoned throw?
An abandoned throw is when you choose to re-throw from your previous spot instead of playing where your disc landed — it still counts as a throw, plus a penalty. A practice throw doesn't count toward your score at all, but you still take a penalty for taking it during a hole.
Out of bounds, hazards and other course areas
4 questions
What happens if my disc goes out of bounds (OB)?
You take a one-throw penalty and play your next shot from the last in-bounds spot on the line of play, your previous lie, or a marked drop zone if the course has one — your choice, where the course allows it.
What is a "mando" on a disc golf course?
Short for mandatory — a marked route your disc has to pass on a specific side of a tree, pole or line before continuing. Break the mando and you're penalized and re-throw from a drop zone (or your previous lie if there's no drop zone).
What counts as a hazard?
A marked area (often water) where landing costs a one-throw penalty, and you play your next shot from where the disc came to rest rather than getting to move up.
Can I move branches, rocks or other obstacles out of my way?
Small, loose natural debris right behind your disc — pinecones, twigs, loose rocks — can be moved. Anything rooted, embedded or too large counts as part of the course and has to be played as-is; moving it is a penalty, and deliberately damaging the course (snapping branches, etc.) is a bigger one.
Lost discs and interference
2 questions
How long do we look for a lost disc before it's official?
Three minutes. After that it's ruled lost, you take a one-throw penalty, and you re-throw from your previous lie (or the drop zone, if there is one) — even if someone finds the disc a minute later, the ruling stands.
What if someone else's disc interferes with mine?
Unintentional interference generally isn't penalized — if it happens while your disc is in the air, you just play it from wherever it ends up; if it happens to a disc already at rest, the group resets it to where it was. Intentionally tipping, hitting or moving someone else's disc is a two-throw penalty.
Etiquette and equipment
2 questions
What's considered bad etiquette on the course?
Talking or moving around while someone's throwing, throwing out of turn or out of frustration, littering, and leaving gear where it could interfere with someone's disc. Repeat violations in the same round can escalate to a penalty stroke.
Do I need special discs or equipment?
Just PDGA-approved discs — no launching aids or devices that throw the disc for you. Gloves, grip aids like chalk, and a small towel or pad to stand on are all fine.
Where this comes from
This page summarizes the PDGA's own Simplified Rules of Disc Golf, the ruleset the Professional Disc Golf Association designed specifically for newcomers and casual, unsanctioned play. Rounds played under PDGA sanction use the longer Official Rules of Disc Golf — check there for tournament-grade detail this page leaves out.