Have you ever heard a friend use some terminology out on the course and had no idea what it meant? This complete list of disc golf terminology and slang will provide you with everything you need to fit in with everyone on your card.
The great thing about disc golf is that the lingo is always changing, so I’ll make sure to keep this glossary up to date for future references!
A
Ace – Hole-in-one. Throwing your disc in the basket on the first throw
Air Ball – To miss the basket completely on a putt attempt
Albatross – Shooting three under par on a hole
Anhyzer(Anny) – A throw where the outside of the disc is pointed upward
Approach – A throw that lands close enough to the basket to putt
B
Back of the box – The last player to take the tee
Backhand – A throw where the disc is pulled across in front of your body
Bag Tag – Tag showing membership to a club attached to a disc golf bag
Band – Top circle around the basket
Basket – The target for each hole on a course (Basket Tips)
Bead – Ridge on the bottom of a disc, mostly found in putters
Beat In – A disc that has been used for so long that the flight pattern has changed over time
Bid – A throw that comes close to landing in the basket
Birdie – Shooting one under par on a hole
Birdie Fest – A string of birdies in a row
Black Ace – An ace shot that goes in the wrong basket
Bonus Birdie – A birdie that is very difficult, feels like an eagle
Bullseye – Landing around 5 ft away from the basket
C
Card – A group of players. During tournaments your given card is the other players on the same scorecard
Circle – A measurement of 10 meters around the basket. Used to determine rules for putting.
Come Back Putt – An attempted putt after throwing long on the basket
Crushed – A drive that goes max distance
CTP – Closest To Pin. Determining who had the closest shot to the basket
D
Dirty Ace – An ace that goes into an unexpected place such as a trash can or bottle holder
Disc – The circular object that is thrown while playing disc golf
Double Bogey – Shooting 2 strokes over par on a hole
Drive – A throw from the tee pad or in hopes to reach the maximum distance of the disc
Driver – The disc used to throw a drive. Usually higher speeds for longer flights
Drop-in – A very easy putt that can be dropped in the basket from the lie
Drop Zone – A marked area where the player must throw from if they miss a mandatory or go out of bounds
E
Eagle – Shooting two strokes under par on a hole
Escape Shot – A shot that gets the player out of a tough situation. Often used when escaping from behind trees or bushes
F
Fade – The natural direction the disc will fly when it reaches the end of the flight
Fairway – The surface in between the tee pad and the basket on a hole
Fairway Driver – A disc slower than the distance driver and faster than a midrange
Flex Shot – The flight pattern that occurs when throwing an overstable disc on an anhyzer release
Flick – A forehand or sidearm throw
Flight Path – The natural way the disc will fly when released at the correct speed
Forehand – A throw where the disc is thrown from the side of the body (see Flick, Sidearm)
G
Green – The area around the basket where putts most often occur
Grenade – A backhand throw that is released an an extreme angle so that the disc goes straight up and down
Grip Lock – When a player releases too late causing an inaccurate throw
H
Headwind – Wind that is pushing and blowing towards you. Causes the disc to lift up
Hyzer – A release angle where the disc is angled down and away from your body
I
Island – An area on a hole that the disc must land in to avoid a penalty stroke
J
Jump Putt – A putt that is only allowed outside of the circle(10 meters) in which a player jumps up from the ground while releasing the disc
K
Kick Out – When the disc hits the target area perfectly but doesn’t stay in the basket (see Spit Out)
L
Lay Up – A throw where the goal is to put yourself in a good position to attempt a putt
Lie – The mark of where your disc has landed and where you will throw from next
Line – The path that you are trying to get your disc to hit
M
Mandatory – A designated area that your disc must go within. This is often a tree that you must go around or inside
Marker – Small disc that indicates the lie. Usually used to know where to putt from
Mini – (See Marker)
Mid-Range – A disc that has a slower flight and better accuracy and consistency
N
Nose – The front of the disc that is used to determine the angle of a throw
Nose Down – When the nose of the disc is pointed slightly towards the ground. This will result in a shorter distance throw
Nose Up – When the nose of the disc is pointed slightly towards the sky. This will result in a shot that loses speed quickly
O
Out Of Bounds – A marked area that a disc can not be played from. Landing in an out of bounds area usually results in an additional stroke count or moving to a dropzone area
Overstable – A stability level that causes the disc to pull from the release angle (Overstable Putters)
Overhead – A throw that is released above the shoulders, often called a tomahawk
P
Par – Shooting even on a hole
Parked – Shot that is executed perfectly and lands where planned
PDGA – Professional Disc Golf Association(PDGA Site) This is the membership for disc golfers, allowing people to play in sanctioned tournaments
Penalty Stroke – When an additional stroke is added to a player on a hole because of a mistake like going out of bounds or missing the mandatory
Play Through – This is when a group lets you skip ahead of them on a hole. This happens if one group is moving much quicker than another (Common Disc Golf Etiquette)
Power Grip – A grip that is used to maximize the distance achievable for a player. The grip has four fingers tucked away under the disc with the thumb on top for a backhand
Pull – A compliment given after a great drive, nice pull!
Push Putt – A type of putt where the disc is throw with very little spin and comes downward towards the basket
Putter – The slowest speed disc that is primarily used for putting action (5 Best Putting Tips)
R
Relief – When a lie is adjusted slightly because of an obstacle that isn’t supported. In certain holes you can move the disc slightly forward if you are near the water or an object like a trash can
Re-Throw – A second throw from the previous lie. Players can often choose to re-throw with a penalty if there other shot landing in a worse position
Rip – A compliment when throwing a great shot, great rip!
Roller- A type of throw where the side of the disc is rolling along the ground
Round – A complete game of disc golf. When 18 holes have been played you have completed a round
S
Scoober – Throwing style where the disc is upside down and thrown high and from in front of the body
Shot – A throw that occurs adding +1 to your shot total of a hole (see Stroke)
Sidearm – Type of throw in which your palm is facing the sky (see Forehand, Flick)(todo)
Skins – A competition where players compete to win money on each individual hole
Spike-Hyzer – A throw with the maximum hyzer angle that spikes down vertically
Spin Putt – A putt attempt that produces a high spin rate towards the basket
Spit Out – When the disc hits the target area perfectly but doesn’t stay in the basket(see Kick Out)
Stable – Stability level that causes the disc to stay on the angle it was released on
Stability – How the disc will fly when released at a certain nose angle
Straddle Putt – A putt attempt where the player stands will feet spread shoulder width pointing at the basket
Stroke – A throw that occurs adding +1 to your shot total of a hole (see Shot)
T
Tailwind – Wind that is pushing and blowing away from you. Causes the disc to push down
Target – The goal of a hole, referred to as the basket
Tee Pad – Area that starts each hole. Usually a longer hard material that provides good footing for a drive
Thumber – An overhead throw where only the thumb is inside the disc rim. Travels from left to right in the air
Tomahawk – An overhead throw where four fingers are inside the disc rim. Travels from right to left in the air
Tournament Director – The person who puts on and controls tournament decisions
Triple Bogey – Shooting 3 strokes over par on a hole
Turbo Putt – A putt grip where all fingers are on the outside of the disc rim. Thrown from the shoulder position with a spinning motion
U
Understable – Stability level that causes the disc to stray from the angle it was released on
Upshot – A shot that is throw close enough to the basket for a putt attempt
X
X-Step – The crossing pattern of feet used to open up the hips and generate more power on a backhand throw