Etik og regler i disc golf
In disc golf there is both written and unwritten rules, as well as "good spirit" which we have chosen to call ethics.
Take care of each other
There might be many users on the disc golf courses and it is important that we take care of each other. You will often meet other users of the area around the course and we encourage everyone to help each other so that there is room for everyone - even those who are not playing disc golf.
Make room for other groups
In general, it is good spirit to let other groups on the course who play faster than yourself and your group "play through". This means that you step aside and let the other group play the next hole before you continue playing. A typical example is, that you are out playing in a group of 4-5 players and behind is a group of only 2. A group of 2 will almost always play faster than a larger group and therefore it is good spirit to let them play through. In practical terms, just ask them when they are within reach and you have seen that they are faster than you. Most of the time they say yes and you just let them play the hole before you continue.
By letting others play through you avoid them getting frustrated and you can relax and have fun without feeling the urge to finish every hole.
Clean up after yourself
Like everywhere else, there is no one to help clean up after us after playing a round of disc golf. Therefore you should of course take your waste home or throw it in the bin. This also applies even if there is a refund on your water bottle or soda can.
Some courts also prohibit smoking or drinking alcohol on the course - be sure to respect that. If you smoke or use snus, remember to bring your shutters or used snus bags with you. It's good spirit.
Which should I play from?
On most disc golf courses, there are several different tee spots for each hole, one red, one yellow and one white tee. There are no rules for where you should start from, but as a starting point it is good to choose the tee that best suits your level. It is both for your own sake but also for the sake of others.
If you are new and have not played much, it is best to choose the red tee. The red tee is the easiest one and a great way to get started playing disc golf.
The yellow tee is the one most people play from even if they have been playing for a while. On many courses the yellow tee is challenging in terms of both distance and technique.
The white tee is for the best players who throw both long and accurately. White tee is usually placed so the course becomes very difficult and for tournaments only the best players from the white tee play.
There are many oppinions on this but as a rule of thumb you can say that when you can play a course in pairs from one tee you can try to move up to the harder one. Therefore, we recommend that you start playing from the yellow tee when you can play a round from the red tee in par, and that you play from white when you can play a round from the yellow tee in par.
The 3 main rules for beginners
If you want to play with your family or friends for fun, you can easily make up and play by your own rules. However, make sure to do it with care of the other people on the course and let players through if they play faster than you.
If you want to play a tournament, here are 3 rules that are good know from the start to get the right tournament habits from the beginning. The full set of rules can be found at PDGA's (Professional Disc Golf Association) website.
- Throwing your next throw
Once you have thrown your first throw and have to make the next one, you have to have a contact with the ground behind the disc you last threw. Your contact point must be within an area equivalent to the size of an A4 paper sheet place behind the disc. Here you must place one foot. If your disc is hanging in a tree or shrub, mark the area vertically under the disc. You are allowed to do a run up, but at the time you release the disc, your one foot must be "on the A4 paper sheet".
- Out of bounds (also called OB)
Many courses have areas marked as out of bounds (OB). OB is sometimes marked with a string but can also be a path or a lake. One can basically assume that all lakes and streams are OB.
Your throw is OB when the disc is stationary and is fully surrounded by OB. If the disc is on the line and only a small part of the disc is not OB, then the throw is not OB. A disc is allowed to fly over OB or rolling through an OB area as long as it ends up lying still in a place where it is not OB.
If a throw is OB, the next throw must be taken from where the disc was last in-bounds and you add a penalty throw to your score. You are always allowed to move 1 meter directly away from the OB. This applies regardless of whether you have landed OB or not. You can do this because you are not allowed to have a contact point with an area that is OB when you release your next throw.
- 10-meter rule - circle 1
When you are within 10 meters of the basket and throwing, do not step forward in front of the point you are throwing from until you have “shown balance”. This means for example that you must not jump forward when throwing and you must not step forward while throwing as you are within 10 meters of the basket, also called circle 1.