If you don’t live near a disc golf course or an open field to practice disc golf, what other way is there to get in some quality practice?
The next best option for practicing disc golf without an official course is to set up a practice area in your backyard. The best part is, you don’t even need a large backyard to do this.
Table of Contents
Here’s How You Can Practice Disc Golf in Your Backyard
You can practice disc golf in your backyard in several different ways. The most common way is to set up a portable basket for putting practice. Other options for backyard practice include a throwing net for driving a disc or using objects to use as targets for practicing throwing accuracy.
In this article, I’ll explain 7 different ways that you can effectively practice disc golf in your backyard with or without special equipment.
Can You Play Disc Golf in Your Backyard?
As long as you have a little backyard space you can play disc golf in your backyard. There are many skills that you can work on with a little open space and a disc golf putter.
If you’re lucky and have a large backyard, you can even invest in some portable or permanent baskets for practicing.
People all across the globe have created small courses right in their backyard as shown in this round-up article.
For the vast majority of us though, space will be somewhat limited as to playing disc golf in your backyard. But this still doesn’t mean you can’t get some good practice right outside of your backdoor.
If you’re a little bit creative, you can practice most aspects of your game at home. Driving, accuracy in throwing, and most of all putting practice.
In this article, I’ll give you 7 different ideas of how you can use your backyard to practice disc golf. A backyard area for practice is great on those days you aren’t able to get to the disc golf course.
How Can I Practice Disc Golf Without a Basket?
If you don’t have a basket to use, there are still ways to practice and improve your game.
Throwing a practice disc at specific objects will practice and improve accuracy. Creating a DIY target out of a 5-gallon bucket, using a lawn chair, or form drills for driving are all good ways to practice in your backyard without the use of a basket.
But, if you’re practicing disc golf in your backyard, you’re probably going to get the most bang for your buck by practicing using your putter.
Putting is a crucial part of your game, and it’s important to spend as much time possible improving it.
Without a basket, you’ll have to get a little creative for objects to use as a target for putting.
Ideas for targets could be trees, corner fence posts, light poles, or any other stationary object in the backyard.
7 Ways to Practice Disc Golf in Your Backyard
If you can’t get to the disc golf course every day, no problem. The key to getting better at disc golf is to practice as much as possible.
Getting better through practice starts with working on some part of your game each day.
If you have some space available in your backyard, you might be surprised that you can get a lot of practice right at your house by getting a little creative.
For most of us, your backyard can’t take the place of playing rounds at the disc golf course or practicing driving into an open field. But, there are some ways that you can still practice and improve in your backyard.
Below are the 7 different ways you can practice disc golf in your backyard with or without a basket or any other equipment besides a disc to practice with.
1. Portable Practice Basket
The portable practice basket is number one on this list for a reason. The point of disc golf is to get the disc into the chains of the basket in the least amount of throws possible.
Having your portable practice basket in your backyard is the perfect way to practice this essential skill.
A basket in your backyard is great for practicing your pitting, but that’s not all it can be used for.
You can also take a step back and practice some approach shots if you have room before moving to putting.
The basket is at its best when you use it for putting from all different distances. There is no better way to improve your game than getting good at making putts from various distances and lies.
2. Throwing Net
A throwing net is an inexpensive and easy way to get set up quickly right in your backyard for practicing anything from putting to driving.
Most nets that you’ll find are large and sturdy enough to drive into. While nothing can take the place of the disc golf course or an open field for practicing your drive, the practice net is the next best thing.
The big advantage to the practice net over an open field is that you won’t have to walk to track down all your discs after you’ve thrown them.
The disadvantage is that you’re not going to get any feedback when it comes to the distance on the drive. But, the practice net is great more for checking form and nailing down your release on drives.
When you’re not using the next, they’re pretty simple to pack up and put away.
3. ProPull
If you’re not familiar with the ProPull, it’s a disc golf-specific resistance band trainer that allows you to strengthen the specific muscles and ligaments used for throwing and driving a disc.
There is a disc attached to either a 5lb. or 8lb resistance band. The resistance bands allow you to work your entire throwing movement with a little resistance added.
The ProPull is said to help increase acceleration and possibly add 7-8 feet to your maximum drive distance per every 1 mph of increased disc speed.
4. Form Practice
Even if you don’t have a ProPull, working on your throwing form is still great practice. Your backyard is a great place to work on perfecting something like adding an “X” step to your game.
You could even use your smartphone to record yourself throwing your disc into a net or other object to check form.
Don’t overlook practice form as a way to get better. This is something anyone can easily do in their backyard to help improve their game without any equipment.
5. Target Practice
One way to improve your short-distance throwing accuracy is to get some target practice.
You can choose any object in your yard to aim at, as long as hitting it with your disc won’t tear it up too much.
If possible, use an old practice disc for this drill. Choose something stationary in your yard and throw at it for different distances for practice.
This object could be a fence post, a tree, a trash can, your dog (just kidding). But, you get the point. You’re practicing aiming for something relatively small and slender.
This will help develop the muscle memory required for making putts from many different distances.
6. Work on Your Routine
Another aspect of putting that’s often forgotten by players when they’re practicing would be their routine for putting.
Some players casually practice putting and get very good at it, but when they’re in a tournament or competition when the pressure is on they might miss putts they normally sink in practice. Why?
The culprit could be that they aren’t also practicing their routine for putting.
Your routine will not only give you the confidence that you’ve gone through this many times but engage the muscle memory needed for throwing and releasing the disc exactly as needed.
Your stance, how you line up the shot, whether you hold another disc for counterweight, should all be practiced as a part of your routine.
7. Create a Mini Course
If your backyard is big enough, there is the ultimate way to practice disc golf in your backyard: build your own disc golf course!
Even if there are only a few holes, building a “mini disc golf course” can mean that you can practice every part of your game right from your backyard.
Some people have come up with some creative ways to locate disc golf targets in their yards for practice, as you can see here.
Summary | How Do I Practice Disc Golf in My Backyard
Many of the best disc golf players in the world got that way because they practiced a lot.
It’s no surprise to learn that many of them lived either right across the street or very close to a disc golf course. This way they could practice all the time.
Most of us won’t have the luxury of living right next to a disc golf course, but with a little creativity and some backyard with grass and space, you can create your area for practicing right outside your backdoor.
