Every sport or hobby has its own unique and interesting glossary of terms. I’m sure you’ve been out playing disc golf and heard some saying that you didn’t quite understand.
To help newer players and to keep up with the lingo myself, I created this simple and full list of all disc golf terms.
I’ll be sure to keep this glossary updated since the slang in disc golf is always changing. Hopefully, this is a place that you can come back to check in on when you need a little more info on what other players say during a round.
Scroll down below and explore this complete Disc Golf Dictionary to find the common slang and jargon that’ll be heard out on the course!
Disc Golf Terms
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
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 paired together. 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 your maximum distance (5 Tips to Increase Distance)
CTP (Closest To Pin)
Determining whose throw landed closet 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 they have 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 stuck 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 where your wrist snaps out as if you’re slapping in front of you
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 (Best Forehand Discs)
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 has a strong grip and releases too late causing an inaccurate throw
H
Headwind
Wind that is pushing and blowing towards you. This can cause the front of 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 getting 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
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 or sign that you must go around or inside
Marker
Small disc that indicates the lie. Usually used to know what spot to putt from (What are mini discs for?)
Mini
Small disc that indicates the lie. Usually used to know what spot to putt from (What are mini discs for?)
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 often times 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 (Best 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)
This is the membership for disc golfers, allowing people to play in sanctioned tournaments (PDGA Site)
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 (Complete Guide to 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. “Hey nice pull!”
Push Putt
A type of putt where the disc is throw with very little spin and comes downward towards the basket (Putting Tips)
Putter
The slowest speed disc that is primarily used for putting action (Best Throwing Putters)
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. “Wow 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
Sidearm
Type of throw in which your palm is facing the sky
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 (Best Putting Games)
Spit Out
When the disc hits the target area perfectly but doesn’t stay in the basket
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
T
Tailwind
Wind that is pushing and blowing away from you. Causes the front of the disc to push down
Target
The goal of a hole, referred to as the basket (Best Portables Baskets)
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 plans, puts on, and controls all tournament decisions
Triple Bogey
Shooting 3 strokes over par on a hole
Turbo Putt
A putting grip where all fingers are on the outside of the disc rim. Thrown from the shoulder position with a spinning motion (Best Innova Putters)
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
