While many of us started out with just a couple of discs, few of us stop with just those discs. Taking a look at the State of Disc Golf survey (results below) for last year, we see that over half of us have 61 discs or more. And a small percentage of us have 200 or more. A lot of those are likely collector discs. But let’s focus on the title of this article and talk about how many discs you need in order to play disc golf.
The obvious answer is that you only need one disc in order to play disc golf. My brother only carries two drivers and makes them work on every shot. But, practically speaking, I recommend a few more discs than that. And there are good reasons for having several discs.
Understanding Different Types of Golf Discs
Different types of discs behave differently than other types of discs. Putters, for example, not only fly differently than drivers, they react differently when they contact the ground. Because you have such a variety of shots in a round disc golf, it’s nice to have a variety of discs to meet the demands of the course. HOWEVER, there are exceptions.
Start With A Putter
Many pros and experienced disc golfers have suggested that when you first begin disc golf, you should just start with a putter. I agree with that recommendation. Throw the putter on every shot.
By driving and approaching with a putter, you will learn proper mechanics and shot shaping. In other words, you’ll learn how to control your speed and disc angle. Then, when you move up to faster discs, you’ll be able to take longer, controlled shots with ease.
Ok, so you took the pros advice and have been playing for a couple of months with just a putter. Now what do you throw? What is the disc progression from there? What is a good number of discs for average players?
Add Midrange Discs and Understable Fairway Drivers
As you start to add discs to your bag, a good way to select them is to gradually get faster discs. After a putter, get a midrange. Midrange discs, or ‘mids’, behave fairly similar to putters, but allow more distance and can be thrown a little harder than putters. After that you could nab some fairway drivers. And finally, after you’ve been throwing for a while and have pretty good form and distance, it would be time to think about distance drivers.
What should your disc golf bag start to look like?
When you first start growing your bag, I recommend sticking to a three discs, a putter, a mid, and a fairway driver. These three will be able to meet the needs of a beginner, and you won’t have to put a lot of thought into what you are throwing. That will help you learn more about throwing angles and speed control. By only having those three, you will be forced to adjust how you throw the disc in order to get the desired flight.
Try a Distance Driver
Then, as you develop more of a need for different discs, you could look at adding discs to fill those needs. If you find your discs turning to the right more than you would like, try adding a faster, more overstable disc to your bag. You don’t necessarily have to replace the disc that is turning too much. You might find a need for a roller disc, or a high turnover disc.
When to Add Overstable Disc Golf Discs
In addition to finding the need to get faster or more overstable discs to get the flights you want, you might also find that by adding a few of the same molds, but in different weights and plastic types, you can effortlessly throw different shapes, with a mold that you are familiar with.
Pros do that all the time. Watch an ‘In My Bag’ video where a pro discusses the discs he throws and you’ll find that they will carry several of the same molds, but with different flight characteristics due to differing weights, plastic types, or states of wear. That way they are familiar with the feel of the disc, but can also use at least one of the discs for any shot shape they want to throw.
As you get more experience and skill, you may find that there are certain shots on certain courses that you play that require you to carry a disc just for one hole. I have a roller disc that I add to my bag for certain courses. Those types of discs are limited use discs.
How Many Discs Should I Carry?
Getting back to the original question of how many discs you should carry, obviously there isn’t a pat answer for everybody. However, if you start with one or two as a beginner, and slowly add as you find a need, you’ll end up with the right number for you and your skill level.
Most disc golfers use a small handful of discs for most of their shots. You could easily play a majority of courses with 10 or less discs in your bag. Throw in some limited use discs and backups for your go-to discs and you are still in the 15-17 disc range.
Can you have too many disc golf discs?
Can you have too many discs in your bag? Not really. As long as you’re willing to haul around the extra weight you can stuff your bag full. But, by paring down the number of discs in your bag, you will throw them more often and get to know them better. It’s better to have a few discs that you know well, rather than two dozen discs that you aren’t very familiar with.
If you love having a huge variety of discs, but don’t like all the weight of a heavy bag, you can always consider a disc golf cart. Some disc golf carts can hold 40+ discs and are easy to roll around on most disc golf courses.
Start with one or two, then add to your bag once you master those discs, or outgrow them. Starting smart and minimal will save you money and improve your game in the long run. The more skilled you become, the better you know what discs you need and that will help as you shop for discs.