Contents
What is the object of disc golf?
Complete each hole in as few throws as possible. A hole begins on the tee pad and ends when your disc comes to rest supported by the basket. Your score for the hole is the total number of throws plus any penalty strokes. Your score for the round is the sum of all holes. Lowest total wins. The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) publishes the Official Rules of Disc Golf, updated periodically, and every rule below reflects the current rulebook as applied in sanctioned competition and standard casual play.
What are the rules for tee shots?
Your tee shot must be released from within the teeing area, with at least one supporting point in contact with the tee pad at the moment of release. Most tee pads are concrete or rubber rectangles roughly 5 by 12 feet. Some courses use natural tees marked by a line or flags. You may step behind the tee pad for a run-up and may follow through past the front of the tee after release, but at the instant the disc leaves your hand, a supporting point must be on the pad.
A supporting point is any part of your body in contact with the ground. For most players this is a foot, but it could be a knee or hand if you are throwing from an unusual position. Stepping off the side of the pad before release is a foot fault. In casual play, nobody enforces this strictly. In tournaments, a foot fault results in a warning on the first offense and a penalty stroke on subsequent offenses within the same round.
What are the rules for your lie and stance?
Your lie is the position of your disc after it comes to rest. Your next throw must be released with a supporting point behind the rear edge of your disc or marker, on the line of play to the basket, and within 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) directly behind that point.
The line of play is an imaginary line from the center of the basket through the center of your disc, extending backward. You must have a supporting point on that line, within 30 cm behind the disc, at the moment of release. No other supporting point may be closer to the basket than the rear edge of your disc. This means you cannot straddle your disc with one foot in front. You can stand with your throwing-side foot behind the disc and your other foot off to the side, as long as it is not closer to the basket.
Do you have to use a marker disc?
In tournaments, yes. You place a mini marker disc directly in front of your thrown disc, touching its front edge, then remove the thrown disc. The mini becomes your lie. This lets you throw the same disc again. In casual play, most groups skip the mini and throw from directly behind the disc, then pick it up. Both approaches produce the same lie.
What if the lie is somewhere you cannot stand?
If your disc comes to rest in a bush, on a slope you cannot balance on, or against an obstacle, you still play from that lie. The rules allow you to move your supporting point up to 30 cm behind the disc on the line of play, which sometimes provides just enough room. You may not move branches, rocks, or other obstacles to improve your stance or your throwing line, but you may take a stance that avoids them. If a tree or bush is in the way of your throwing arm, you must throw around it, not through a gap you cleared.
When is the disc "in" the basket?
The disc is in when it comes to rest supported by the chains or the cage (the metal basket below the chains), or resting on the top rim of the cage. A disc that goes through the chains and lands on the ground beneath the basket is not in. A disc that hits the pole and bounces out is not in. A disc lodged in the chains without falling into the cage is in. A disc resting on top of the chain-assembly cap (the flat plate at the very top) is not in in most modern rule interpretations, though some casual groups count it.
The disc must come to rest. If it lands in the cage and then bounces out due to wind or a chain swinging, it is not in. Players wait for the disc to settle before declaring the hole complete.
What are the out of bounds rules?
If your disc comes to rest fully out of bounds, add one penalty stroke and throw from where the disc last crossed the OB line. Out of bounds areas are designated by the course: roads, parking lots, water, marked lines, and fenced areas are the most common. A disc is OB only if the entire disc is beyond the OB line. A disc touching the line or partly in bounds is in bounds.
The OB rule has three parts. First, add one penalty stroke to your score for the hole. Second, determine where the disc last crossed into OB, usually where it flew over the line. Third, take your lie up to one meter in bounds from that point, perpendicular to the OB line. You get that one meter relief so you can take a stance that is not right on the boundary.
Some courses designate a drop zone for specific OB areas, usually water holes where retrieving the crossing point is impractical. In that case you throw from the drop zone with the one-stroke penalty. Tee signs indicate when a drop zone applies.
What about casual water and casual obstacles?
Casual water is water that is not part of the course design: a puddle from rain, a temporary flooded area, or an overflow. If your disc lands in casual water or you cannot take a stance without standing in it, you may move your lie up to five meters straight back on the line of play with no penalty. Casual obstacles like fallen branches, trash, or maintenance equipment can be moved if they are not permanently part of the course.
What if your disc gets stuck in a tree?
If your disc is suspended above the ground, your lie is directly beneath it. In casual play there is no penalty. In PDGA competition, a disc more than two meters above the playing surface incurs a one-stroke penalty if the course has enabled the two-meter rule.
The two-meter rule is optional and set by the tournament director. Many courses and tournaments do not use it. When it is in effect, the tee sign or tournament rules will say so. If your disc is stuck higher than two meters and the rule is active, add one stroke and play from beneath the disc. If the disc is below two meters, no penalty regardless of the rule. If you cannot retrieve the disc, you may throw a different disc and come back for it, or leave it and continue.
What is a mando (mandatory)?
A mando is a marked object, usually a tree or post, that your disc must pass on a specific side. Missing the mando costs one penalty stroke and you throw from a designated drop zone. Mandos are used to prevent shortcuts that bypass the intended fairway, to protect other holes or pedestrian paths from errant throws, and to force a specific shot shape.
Mandos are marked with an arrow sign on the object indicating which side you must pass. A single mando means pass on the marked side. A double mando means pass between two marked objects. If your disc passes on the wrong side of the mando at any point, whether in the air or on the ground, you have missed it. The penalty applies even if the disc ends up in an otherwise good position.
What are the putting rules?
Inside 10 meters (about 33 feet) of the basket, you must demonstrate balance behind your lie after releasing the putt. You cannot step or fall forward past your marker until the disc is at rest. This is called the falling putt rule. It prevents players from jumping toward the basket to shorten the effective distance.
Practically, this means after you release a putt inside 10 meters, you must hold your position with your weight behind the lie until the disc has come to rest, then you may step through. Outside 10 meters, you may jump putt and land past your lie because the distance already prevents an unfair advantage. In casual play, most groups enforce this loosely, but in tournaments a falling putt is a one-stroke penalty.
The disc used for putting is your choice. There is no requirement to use a putter-class disc, though most players do because putters are designed to fly straight at low speed and to catch chains.
What is the throwing order?
On the first tee, order is determined by any agreed method: coin flip, alphabetical, or the order listed on the scorecard. On every subsequent tee, the player with the lowest score on the previous hole throws first, followed by the next lowest, and so on. Ties retain the previous hole's order. After the tee shot, the player whose disc is farthest from the basket throws next. This continues until all players have holed out. Throwing out of turn is not a penalty in casual play but is considered poor etiquette and can result in a courtesy violation in tournaments.
How do casual rules differ from tournament rules?
Casual disc golf follows the same core rules but relaxes enforcement. Foot faults are ignored. Falling putts are rarely called. The two-meter rule is almost never applied. Mulligans (do-over throws) are sometimes allowed by group agreement. Many groups play "nice lie" rules where a disc in a terrible spot can be moved a foot or two for playability. None of this is permitted in PDGA-sanctioned play, where every rule is enforced by the players on your card who act as officials for each other.
If you plan to play in tournaments, start practicing the tournament rules in casual play so they feel automatic. Marking your lie with a mini, holding balance on putts, and counting OB accurately all become second nature with a few rounds of deliberate practice. ThrowSpot's first tournament guide covers what to expect when you are ready to compete.