Scoring and driving goals

[crosstrek]

I'm new to disc golf and would like to set some goals for myself to practice towards. I'm a scratch golfer, and so I can sometimes break 70 and sometimes drive over 300 yards. What score and driving distance would equate to these benchmarks in disc golf? Thanks.

 

[black udder]

seems I didn't know what a scratch golfer is after all... I'll just shut up and sit down.

Read garublador's comment - that's an accurate assessment. No handicaps in DG.

 

[rgdg]

A 300 yard drive in ball golf is equivalent to a greater than 400 foot throw in disc golf. And in my opinion an under par score in disc golf is much more attainable than in ball golf. I played competitive golf for many years and am a scratch ball golfer. I was fortunate to pick up disc golf quickly and can hit 400' and under par, but I'd advise to not push for those goals too quickly. Work on accuracy and putting because at most dg courses, distance isn't as important. Just like ball golf, the short game is where the majority of scoring is at.

 

[discmonkey42]

I've always tried to set goals that are behaviors and not results. I can go out with a goal of throwing x number of feet, but I'm likely to be dissapointed many times because too many things can prevent that. Instead, I set goals like "I will throw my drives no higher than 10-15' or I will redrive" or "I will putt at every putt inside 30' until I make it" or "I will have a strong follow through on each shot today" or "I will putt every putt stagger and straddle until I make both".

These are things I feel I have more control over. And when I reach my goals, the result I'm really looking for (more distance, better putting, etc) has taken care of itself. No one can really go out and have a goal of "I will drive over 300' accurately today" without smaller goals of how they are going to accomplish that.

 

[garublador1]

I'm new to disc golf and would like to set some goals for myself to practice towards. I'm a scratch golfer, and so I can sometimes break 70 and sometimes drive over 300 yards. What score and driving distance would equate to these benchmarks in disc golf? Thanks.

Par isn't as well defined in disc golf as it is in ball golf. A scratch golfer in disc golf has a 1000 rating. The scratch golfer will shoot what's called the SSA for a course at any given time. If you go to www.PDGA.com and look up tournament results at a course you play, assuming the layout is the same, you can usually find a 1000 rated round by one of the pros and get what the approximate SSA is for the course. In disc golf, a scratch golfer will probably be able to win cash at most events he or she attends in the pro open (the highest) division.

What I'd recommend doing is checking this out to see what some of the standards are for each division and base your goals on that:

http://www.pdga.com/documents/2006/06DivisionsGuide.pdf

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. This is probably the best online resource for disc golf technique out there and everyone is happy to help.

 

[Bradley Walker]

<cough> <cough>

Not to question anyone's ability, but I have to make a point.

There are only about 25 true scratch ball golfers in all of North Texas. I watched many of these play at the US Open qualifiers held at Sherrill Park in 2005. The top scratch players were nearly as good as some of the top college players that watched when I was at OU (we won the National Championships my senior year).

Many of these "scratch" golfers (local pros from public courses and country clubs from all over Texas) shot closer to 80 than 70.

I have shot under par on Sherrill Park, and my handicap would be closer to 8 or 10.

Many people who talk about golf handicaps have never actually carried one (I have never bothered to get a handicap for example). Handicaps are based on several scores over a long period of time, not anomaly scores.

 

[Blake_T1]

gordon:

300 yards is equivalent to about 425' of fairly accurate D.

i would say scratch golf in disc golf = combo of distance + accuracy + consistency, with greater accuracy consistency required at shorter distances.

a 200' hole = 9 deuces out of 10.

a 300' hole = 7 deuces out of 10.

a 350' hole = 5 deuces out of 10.


assuming these are "average" holes.

 

[crosstrek]

Not to question anyone's ability...

I tossed out those golf numbers because I know golf, but I'm brand new to disc golf and I don't yet have a clue as to how good some players really are or how far the best players really throw a disc during play.

As reference... I've been golfing for over 35 years, and the last official handicap I had was actually in the "plus" range, so I downgraded my skill rating. Also, because everyone exaggerates the distance they hit a golf ball, I hoisted my ass up onto the tee in several LDA qualifying events to get officially measured. None of my golfing friends would do this. I was measured at 360 yards in two different events. If I'm healthy, I'll go to the next Big-D on the lake bed so everyone will know exactly how far I can throw a disc. Will that help my credibility?

Thanks to the guys who made helpful comments about reaching my goals. I'm going to measure a spot on my course that is 425', and start practicing hard. I think my longest drive so far is about 340'. That's with a 150 class DX Valkyrie or Orc. Can you suggest the next driver I should try?

Believe me, I know the value of the short game in scoring from my experience in golf, so I'm also going to practice approaches and putting equally hard.

I see that there is a BDA rating for a few courses in my State. Does the BDA relate directly to the SSA? I'll eventually figure it out, but your comments can really help me get this straight.

Thanks.

 

[thatdirtykid]

Not to question anyone's ability...

I tossed out those golf numbers because I know golf, but I'm brand new to disc golf and I don't yet have a clue as to how good some players really are or how far the best players really throw a disc during play.

As reference... I've been golfing for over 35 years, and the last official handicap I had was actually in the "plus" range, so I downgraded my skill rating. Also, because everyone exaggerates the distance they hit a golf ball, I hoisted my ass up onto the tee in several LDA qualifying events to get officially measured. None of my golfing friends would do this. I was measured at 360 yards in two different events. If I'm healthy, I'll go to the next Big-D on the lake bed so everyone will know exactly how far I can throw a disc. Will that help my credibility?

Thanks to the guys who made helpful comments about reaching my goals. I'm going to measure a spot on my course that is 425', and start practicing hard. I think my longest drive so far is about 340'. That's with a 150 class DX Valkyrie or Orc. Can you suggest the next driver I should try?

Believe me, I know the value of the short game in scoring from my experience in golf, so I'm also going to practice approaches and putting equally hard.

I see that there is a BDA rating for a few courses in my State. Does the BDA relate directly to the SSA? I'll eventually figure it out, but your comments can really help me get this straight.

Thanks.

The bigger issue with going to a Big D in the desert (dry lake bed) kind of event is you can throw there much further than you can on a golf shot. My longest drives are in the 475' vacinity, with a couple hitting 500'. However, if you put me on a 425' hole, even in the wide open I would only get there 50% of the time because I would throw a golf line over a distance line.

and for your next driver unless you do not have the healthiest physique, you should step up to some 160' plastic. a 164-167 gram DX valk would be a good place to start. A good step up from there is the starfire (pro which is the L mold), x avenger, solf or similar.

 

[jiwaburst]

and for your next driver unless you do not have the healthiest physique, you should step up to some 160' plastic. a 164-167 gram DX valk would be a good place to start. A good step up from there is the starfire (pro which is the L mold), x avenger, solf or similar.

good advice on disc choices, those should all work.

 

[black udder]

This was from a Marshall Street mail..

"Traditional golf calculates par for a course based on measurements of distance and obstacles (trees, wind, sand traps, water hazards, OB). They fit these measurements into an algorithm and determine what par and slope should be.

Par is what the average scratch golfer would be expected to score. A scratch golfer is the equivalent of a 1000 rated disc golfer.

Slope is a measure of how much worse the average bogey golfer would expect to score. A bogey golfer is roughly the equivalent of a 900 rated golfer.

The PDGA's course rating system, and its player rating system, are dynamic, meaning that there is no preset score for a 1000 rated round. Player ratings (and course ratings by extension) are determined anew each time a tournament comes to town.

This system is better for disc golf for multiple reasons. First, disc golf is played in all kinds of weather (rain, snow, wind) which affects scores. It is more fair to rate players based on the course and conditions than on a static course alone. Second, many courses are tweaked for tournament play. Disc golf simply does not have the resources to perform the necessary measurements before each tournament.

Dynamic player ratings provide a more accurate measurement of the competing players' relative skill levels. The course ratings - which are based on the players' ratings and scores - are therefore also suitably dynamic. "

Explains more than I knew..