Disc Golf tournaments attract all levels of competitor.
They are social events and players are happy to welcome newcomers.
Don't be concerned about whether you are good enough. Even if you
have a shocking round, you will be doing everyone else a favour
because their points depend on how many players they beat!!
Rules
There is an official rulebook, but I thought I would just pick out
a few rules and bits of etiquette which cover the main things that
you need to know.
Marking Your Lie
You can either mark your lie with a mini disc placed directly in
front of your thrown disc in line with the target; or you can leave
your thrown disc exactly where it landed and throw from behind it.
Either way you must have your foot or "supporting point"
on a 30cm line stretching from your marker directly away from the
hole (or mandatory point) You cannot have any other supporting point
forward of your lie. So you can pivot to the side, but not forward.
You could hang on to a tree behind you, but not lean on one ahead
of you. NB you cannot hold branches out of the way with one hand
while throwing with the other.
Falling Putt
When you are more than 10m from the hole you can step forward after
releasing the disc. If you are within 10m you must demonstrate that
you have no forward momentum before stepping forward.
Out of Bounds
Out of bounds is commonly referred to as OB. If your disc goes OB,
you mark your lie where the disc was last in bounds. You can always
take 1m relief from an out of bounds line, regardless of whether
you went out of bounds or just landed very close to the line. You
add one penalty stroke for going out of bounds. It is common to
mark penalty shots with a circle round the number. This evidences
the fact that you counted the penalty, and some events give a prize
for the most OB's.
Rules Doubt
If there is some doubt about whether a disc is OB or not, a player
may play both possible options, and consult the TD at the end of
the round to determine which option was valid.
Lost Disc
DO make a point of focussing on where you disc landed, even if it
is a bad shot. You have 3 minutes to find a lost disc. If it looks
like a disc may be lost then someone should time 3 minutes, and
all the group are obliged to help in the search. It often helps
if you go back to where you threw from, and guide players to the
spot you reckon your disc landed.
2 metre Rule
At the Tournament Directors (TD's) discretion there can be a penalty
for a disc being suspended more than 2m above ground.
Practice Shots
You cannot take any practice shots during a round, starting from
2 minutes before the start of play.
Putting Out
Tournaments are mostly strokeplay, and thus there are no "gimme's".
The disc must come to rest in the basket, it is not good enough
to brush the chains.
Time to Throw
Once it is your turn to throw, you have 30 seconds to complete the
throw. You can't wait longer for the wind to drop.
Distractions
Don't stand ahead of the player taking a throw
Don't move if you are in their vision while they are playing
Don't talk while they are throwing
Don't stand directly behind the basket when they are putting.
Scoring
It is usual to share scoring, so that in a group of 4 you each score
4 or 5 holes. You should do the scoring at the next tee when all
players are present. Ask each player to give their score, and echo
it back to them as you write it down.
Cards
Your card must be totalled, and it is your responsibility to hand
the card in. You must hand the card in within 25 minutes of the
end of the round.
Full rules can be found on the PDGA website
http://www.pdga.com/rules/index.php
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