The clown throwing plastic toys.

[Tripper]

It's easy enough to just reply "Don't feel self-conscious"...but that's easier said than done, right?

Just keep doing it until you feel comfortable. I'll bet you'll find people will be more curious and you'll find more kindred spirits than judgmental ones as time goes by. If you free yourself from the meta-criticism in your mind, you'll be relaxed and having fun, and that energy will project. You might be thinking that they're saying, "look at that weird guy" but really they're probably saying, "whoa that looks fun, I wonder what that is?"


I think as disc golfers we forget how cool a 8-10m putt, for example, looks to people who have never played. Even if it's not as impressive to us, it can be an eye-opening thing for them to watch.

Absolutely right. I was just playing with 46YearOldSlinger yesterday a Zebulon DGC and there were a couple of groups that were fascinated watching Slinger putt.

 

[Twmccoy]

I throw discs whenever and wherever I see fit. If people want to gawk I can care less. Many of these people have never seen disc golf before and have zero clue what I'm even doing.

 

[ILUVSMGS18]

It depends on where I practice on how weird I feel.
If I'm home and practicing at the local ball fields, I'm fairly calm and not worried about how I look, as long as there is no one else on the field.
If I'm in the field close to one of the courses, I'm perfectly fine.
If I'm on my practice field at college I'm more worried about the road that lines one side, and the river on the other side then how I look, as losing a disc, or hitting a car is a bit more important.

 

[Chaz58]

I'm a gray haired (white in sunlight) 60 year old so I gotta kind of think if people see me at a field or park, by myself throwing and then fetching my discs (the average passerby probably just assumes it's a regular frisbee), that they might be calling the guys in white coats to come pick up some old, senile coot out in the park playing frisbee by himself. But it doesn't bother me at all if I am with someone else!

 

[Moose33]

I just let people laugh, but if they want to talk to be about it and be rude I just throw my giant 400, and them another Giant and watch them fail to throw it 100. Usually makes the laughing stop.

It's natural to feel odd about it. We are still outliers in the sports world. I was very self conscious as a kid and teen, but have learned to care less about what people think.

I played Pokémon on a full plane yesterday, which I would have been to embarrassed to do in my teens.

You like what you like, do what you do. As long as it's not hurting anyone just be your best you.

 

[Spectacledbear]

I just let people laugh, but if they want to talk to be about it and be rude I just throw my giant 400, and them another Giant and watch them fail to throw it 100. Usually makes the laughing stop.

It's natural to feel odd about it. We are still outliers in the sports world. I was very self conscious as a kid and teen, but have learned to care less about what people think.

I played Pokémon on a full plane yesterday, which I would have been to embarrassed to do in my teens.

You like what you like, do what you do. As long as it's not hurting anyone just be your best you.

I like what i hear but my brain has other ideas.

 

[nate22]

We are the town crazies with the Frisbee course, 5000+ people live within 10 minutes of us but no one's been here in well over a year.

 

[Vintage Folfer]

I've gotten in the habit of taking a disc with me when I walk my dog, and start throwing it when we reach an open area. People just think it's a dog toy. If they ask why he never chases it I explain. I just take one disc so he doesn't get too bored.

 

[jeffmonty]

We are the town crazies with the Frisbee course, 5000+ people live within 10 minutes of us but no one's been here in well over a year.

That's a shame. Can you just not get anyone to come check it out, see what it's all about?

 

[thrembo]

We are the town crazies with the Frisbee course, 5000+ people live within 10 minutes of us but no one's been here in well over a year.

Wait 40-50 years. Donate some discs and hoops to the local elementary schools so they can play a simple version of disc golf on the playground. Try to get more advanced courses at middle/high schools. Churches in America are putting in courses all over the place...

 

[eegor]

I'm a gray haired (white in sunlight) 60 year old so I gotta kind of think if people see me at a field or park, by myself throwing and then fetching my discs (the average passerby probably just assumes it's a regular frisbee), that they might be calling the guys in white coats to come pick up some old, senile coot out in the park playing frisbee by himself. But it doesn't bother me at all if I am with someone else!

I'm 57, bald with a white beard. The kids literally come from everywhere when I try to throw in the schoolyard. If they would stay near me, it would be cool. Most of them want to be down where they land. I don't know why. There dads teach them soccer and baseball in the evenings. They never object to their kids putting with me when they get bored. The dads never want to putt. I think they don't want to miss in front of their kids...

People seem weird to this aging Texan. I miss the manners I was taught being the norm. Leave it to Beaver is dead to us now. Too bad.

 

[Chaz58]

I'm 57, bald with a white beard. The kids literally come from everywhere when I try to throw in the schoolyard. If they would stay near me, it would be cool. Most of them want to be down where they land. I don't know why. There dads teach them soccer and baseball in the evenings. They never object to their kids putting with me when they get bored. The dads never want to putt. I think they don't want to miss in front of their kids...

People seem weird to this aging Texan. I miss the manners I was taught being the norm. Leave it to Beaver is dead to us now. Too bad.

The only kind of field near me for doing any kind of fieldwork is a school, 1st - 6th grade. I usually, weather permitting, will go up there on a Saturday or Sunday for a good hour of throwing my discs. I have a couple of courses within a 15 to 20 minute drive of my home and I make those courses the places where I do a lot of solo rounds/practice. One has a lot of trees but is a well maintained 27 holer, the other (a newer 18 holer with long distances and mostly a very unforgiving par 3 course with only 2 par 4's, a 610 foot hole and a 709 foot hole) is mostly open and most of the holes are long so I get plenty of practice out there with both wind and trying to increase the distance of my drives off the tee.

 

[air show]

My practice in front of others:

At first I worry about others then the worry about my game takes over and nothing else matters.

 

[wake_rider]

I love the opportunity to expose unknowing people to the disc sports. I'll bring an Ultimate lid and throw it with kids that walk by, throw it into the wind for a big boomerang toss-and-catch, then use high-speed drivers to show the difference in aerodynamic qualities.

I'm a teacher though, and it's just in my nature to look for the opportunity to see people in that state of learning. I love it.

 

[Disc_chainy]

Yup. Footballs and baseballs just don't fly as far as "frisbees."

Are you the same GoobyPls as on the Carolina Huddle?

 

[GoobyPls]

Are you the same GoobyPls as on the Carolina Huddle?

No, I hadn't heard of Carolina Huddle until now.

 

[Disc_chainy]

No, I hadn't heard of Carolina Huddle until now.

Weird. You have an internet doppleganger.

 

[mostlynorwegian]

Whenever im out doing "field" work- i feel like a clown. If i were out practicing soccer or basketbal it would be no problem, but disc golf is not known for 99% of the population.
I just never feel comfortable doing it, except when on the course ofcourse.

How do you go about it?

I live in Norway btw, might be different in the us.

More often than not, people that take the time to pay attention to me when I'm out field throwing at the park, they are surprised by the distance I can get, and that I'm throwing through trees, trying out lines with the different molds in my bag.
Kids, like the ones I saw at the soccer field I was trying to go for distance throwing at this morning, asked if they could try throwing them too, and then ran after the one's I had thrown for distance to pick them up for me.
You have to admit, practising soccer solo, looks pretty silly too.

 

[nate22]

That's a shame. Can you just not get anyone to come check it out, see what it's all about?

tried everything, small town mentality...I even sponsored a basketball team in the league here, our logos all over the jerseys we bought for the team. No players ever come out to play. Be like a little league side sponsored by the local pizza place not going there to eat at the ed of the season. I suggested an end of season party, the team exceeded expectatons and nearly won the comp, but no interest. Its been a very disheartening few years.

 

[DavidSauls]

I rarely have the chance to be seen by strangers---the ballfield I use is either occupied or deserted, so when it's available to me, there's no one to watch.

But the way I throw, I would be much more self-conscious if anyone watching knew something about disc golf, than if they didn't know what I'm doing.