I'm taking a person out who's never thrown a disc and want advice

[Gardnerbp]

I was thinking to give this person who's never played on a course a avair disc to throw. Or maybe a shark so they can throw it kinda far easier?
Would You choose a putter or a mid for one club for a person who's never played? Or give them both to them..?

 

[Tfire25]

You want that first time to be enjoyable. Teach them how to flick it and that way they can get more pleasure out of that first experience.

Sorry. Seriously though, don't try to make it harder that first time. Give them a driver and let them figure it out. Let them put some major oat on it and have it go 200 feet. See how much more exciting that would be vs throwing an aviar in a 100 ft noob hyzer or turning it into an awkward roller.

 

[Noill]

I'd give them just the shark... good enough to do the whole course with... every time I give more than one disc I've seen a new player get all confused and make strange choices with disc selection... a shark will be great just by itself for now

if they seem to just "get it" have something like a leopard on hand... it's always fun to see a driver fly... but if they are kinda middling it through then just keep them with the shark... sharks are great discs really

things that have worked for me:

• stand and deliver throws only
• start them with a backhand... show them the very basics of that form
• fan grip is sufficient... maybe power grip... you make the call based on what seems more comfortable for your newbie
• show them a basic putt... a putt grip... straddle or one leg forward... stress that this is a putt not a normal throw... can't tell you how many times I've seen new players slam chains on putts... it's hilarious
• have them try out a forehand somewhere about middle of the course or thereabouts
• be very forgiving on "play it where it lies"... that crap gets old real quick with discs in bushes or whatever... just let them have a good time and if they like it and keep going... add the bit about playing the disc where it lies is sacred to us
• celebrate any improvement... they should start to get a little better by about half way through or even a few throws in
• don't try to over-educate... don't talk all about grips and x-steps and yada so on... let them have fun with the barebones concepts

 

[PBokor]

Is it the Mayor?

 

[Lynn LeFey]

First, from very recent experience... if there are many trees or water hazards, please don't send them out with just one disc. It can go astray, and there's nothing, NOTHING that sucks more than walking off the course 8 holes into it because you have no disc.

So, get AT LEAST two discs for the player.

Which discs? Personally, I'd go with two mild midrange discs. Shark, Gateway Element, beat-in Roc or buzzz, even a stingray, or some such.

If the person is at all athletic, maybe, like Noill Golf said, have a fairway driver on hand. Leopard's good. FD or TL would be the best, IMO. But some mellow fairway driver.

I found that the deep rim on putters made me way more likely to shank when I started than the relatively thinner rims on mids.

The weights on the discs, if you have any control... if it's a kid, go as low as possible. A smallish female, maybe try for the 150 class. Normal male or not small female, try to keep it in the 160s.

Whatever you do. WHATEVER you do, get screamingly brightly colored discs for them. Hunting discs is no fun, doubly so on your first round, when you may not be paying super close attention to where your shot went, or you get a blind roll-away.

 

[armiller]

Depending how many discs you have, I think it works to show him/her a few discs (mids, fairways, higher speed drivers), explain the differences a bit so they know what to expect, and let him/her make the decision. After all, part of what makes disc golf fun is how differently the discs behave.

I'd agree with using at least two. I brought someone new out, let him pick from my backup stash, and after a round he settled on an Avenger SS, Buzzz, and Challenger. He doesn't have any big disc golf aspirations, but he enjoyed it and was happy to keep the discs to go out on his own.

 

[curmudgeonDwindle]

Eliminate variables.
Give them lighter slow speed discs.
Start with a putter and a midrange or 2 of the same mold.
Play catch with them before starting with some (very) basic tips.
If you give them 2 discs to play with, you need also play with 2 (and so on).
Keep the 'rules' simple and fun, like what's on the original DGA signs.
Don't keep score.

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

don't let them review the course after their first round ever.

 

[tbird888]

I usually give people a Leopard and an Aviar or whatever neutral slow fairway and putter I have. In your case, I'd go with the Shark.

On the other side, I would take the Aviar/your favorite putter/mid for yourself. You get to show them how to shape lines with a disc. Plus one disc rounds are fun!

 

[TAFL]

I play with novices who like to invite friends along on occasion, so I have a bag of loaners specifically geared to newbs.

I put a neutral or understable mid or slow fairway in their hands--Stingray, Tursas, Mako, that sort of thing. There are putters available for them, simply because they see me use a putter and they may want to; some do, some don't.

I show them the basics of driving form and suggest they throw from a standstill, emphasizing only that they try to throw the disc flat. That's it. They get to decide how much they want to worry about form and technique. If they have fun just flinging the disc wildly, I'm good with that. If they want to ask questions and try to hone their technique, I'm good with that.

I give them the basics about throwing from the lie and let them decide how closely they do so. I'm far more interested in them having fun than in them closely adhering to rules and developing form. It's a game--I want them to play it for fun.

 

[eric40817]

When my dad wanted to join me for a round the first time, I bought him one of those Innova starter packs. DX Aviar, Shark and Leopard. 3 years later he still has those discs and has played a half dozen or so rounds with me. Easy to throw discs, but discs that you can learn well with, and not a real difficult course, I think are keys to bringing a first timer out. If the fun starts lacking, break out the beers and make it fun again

 

[KnightsDG]

I think a major factor is also taking them to an easy course. On the rare occasion my wife wants to play (she throws a pro leopard and king cobra) we always go to the local pitch and putt. She can reach most greens in two throws and has even had a 108ft ace. There is also nothing worse for most rookies than losing a disc on the first few holes, so by going to an easy and open course they will be able to shank some drives without a 20 minute search looming over their head. Good luck I hope they have a great time.

 

[bradharris]

I like to give first timers 3 or 4 discs. A putter, a mid, and a driver or 2 (one stable, one understable). This makes it feel more "golf-like" in that they're hitting the course with a set rather than just throwing a frisbee around the park.

 

[Consult20]

Consider playing catch with an ultimate frisbee or superclass disc before hitting a course. While tossing the disc back and forth you could help them with the basics of the throwing motion. When you do go to a course they could even use that disc the entire round.

If they have some experience throwing catch discs, I'd still stick with putters and mids the first time.

 

[loki the trickster]

Discgolf long before i started playing called discs like the clasic roc or even the shark or cobra drivers. Its always painful to see people say take sharp edged discs cause they new player wants to throw far as someone who may have years on them. Faster discs tend to hide issues making it hard to corect simpel flaws like nose up or wing angle.

A simple putter and midrange like a panther, buzzz, spider, cobra, stingray, mako3 or anything neutral to understable but easy to throw and release would work well as a driver.

 

[bradharris]

Faster discs tend to hide issues making it hard to corect simpel flaws like nose up or wing angle.

Who cares??

A first timer is not trying to hone form and correct flaws, they're out there just to have a good time throwing different kinds of discs. The nice thing about giving a newbie a driver is that it is very different from a normal catch-and-throw disc, making the experience of playing golf different and unique from what they may be used to.

 

[Pymm]

Who cares??

A first timer is not trying to hone form and correct flaws, they're out there just to have a good time throwing different kinds of discs. The nice thing about giving a newbie a driver is that it is very different from a normal catch-and-throw disc, making the experience of playing golf different and unique from what they may be used to.

I like this idea. Maybe a Roadrunner, so they have a driver but US. I used one pretty early on and good success with it. I would also add that no matter the discs they use, you should try to give them very little unsolicited advice. I've taken two people out and both had much more fun after I stopped yammering at them and just let them throw. If they decide to stick with it, they will realize that they need to work on some form stuff and they will seek some help.

 

[Consult20]

Well I've been hit a couple times by the newbie with a driver scenario so I try to keep my head on a swivel when I see this situation, but not all the time. While standing behind a tee pad watching a person in our group throw, a disc zipped between two of us head high from a newbie with a driver. That could have gone very badly.

And last year there was a group of 4 who brought a new guy along for the first time. The new guy was very athletic and was assuring his buddies he'd have no problem throwing discs and keeping up with them. He was throwing drivers. He quit after 5 holes and I've never seen him back.

 

[F. Howl]

I think the stability of the first disc really depends on the person. When I tried to get my wife into it I didn't give her the same set of discs I gave to one of my friends who was starting out. He's the size of a small bear and the Lat 64 Pearl or Discraft Glide I gave my wife, would fly like a paper plate in his bear hands. A Buzzz SS ended up being the perfect disc for him.

Still on the US side for new players so they don't have to be throwing 100%. That's the only advice I like to give to very first timers. Don't throw so hard. If the first time you go out and someone's nitpicking every aspect of your throw, it isn't fun.

Also...give them a putter along with that mid and tweener. You'll probably get asked when it's time to pull out the putter on every hole, but switching up from their mid will help them differentiate between the very different motions of driving and putting. My bear of a buddy kept trying to "throw it in" at like 20% when he was in the circle. He said putting just didn't feel natural, but I had to draw the line. I mean...there were other disc golfers watching.

 

[air show]

I always take a newbie to an open field and let them pick any disc they want out of my bag. Give them a grip lesson and let them go to town. The learning curve for a newbie is much higher than a seasoned player. They will figure it out.