As a beginner, you’ve probably watched professional disc golf players making every shot and shooting super-low rounds.
In this article, I’ll explain how long it takes to get good at disc golf for every level of play ranging. Plus, I’ll cover 7 tips that can help to shorten the learning curve and improve your game quicker.
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Here’s How Long it Takes to Get Good at Disc Golf:
To get good at disc golf, it will take a beginning player on average 3 years of continuous practice to gain the necessary skills and progress from a novice player to an advanced amateur player. It can take 3-4 years to reach the skill level of a professional disc golf player.
Below, I’ll explain why it takes years to gain the necessary skills to become good at disc golf, and 7 tips to improve quicker.
Disc Golf Skill Levels and Milestones
Male Skill Levels and Milestones
| Classification | Player Rating | Avg Yrs Playing | Drive Distance | Putt Accuracy | Milestones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice | <850 | 0-1 | 175-250 ft. | 30%-50% from 20ft. | Throwing backhand with some accuracy |
| Recreational | <900 | 1-2 | 200-300 ft. | 40%-60% from 20ft. | Learning a variety of shots |
| Intermediate | <935 | 2-3 | 250-350 ft. | 50%-70% from 20ft. | Consistent and accurate shots |
| Advanced | >=935 | 3+ | 300-400 ft. | 50%-70% from 25ft-30ft. | Make many shots with accuracy and consistency. Tournament Experience |
| Average Pro | 970+ | 3+ | 325-400 ft. | 60%-80% from 25ft-30ft. | Mastered a variety of shots. Drives accurately. Tournament Experience |
| World Class Pro | 1000+ | 3+ | 350+ ft. | 70%-90% from 25ft-30ft. | Rarely makes mistakes. Mastered all shots for every situation. |
Female Skill Levels and Milestones
| Classification | Player Rating | Avg Yrs Playing | Drive Distance | Putt Accuracy | Milestones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice | <725 | 0-1 | <200 ft. | <30% from 20ft. | Throwing backhand with some accuracy |
| Recreational | <775 | 1-2 | <200 ft. | <30% from 20ft. | Learning a variety of shots |
| Intermediate | <825 | 2-3 | 125-200 ft. | 30%-50% from 20ft. | Consistent and accurate shots |
| Advanced | >=825 | 3+ | 200-300 ft. | 40%-60% from 25ft-30ft. | Make many shots with accuracy and consistency. Tournament Experience |
| Average Pro | 825+ | 3+ | 225-300 ft. | 60%-80% from 25ft-30ft. | Mastered a variety of shots. Drives accurately. Tournament Experience |
| World Class Pro | 825-1000+ | 3+ | 300+ ft. | 70%-90% from 25ft-30ft. | Rarely makes mistakes. Mastered all shots for every situation. |
Should I Play Disc Golf Every Day?
You should play disc golf every day if your goal is to improve your game as much as possible in the shortest amount of time possible. If you’re playing disc golf every day, the focus should be more on practicing a specific skill rather than just playing.
Most casual or recreational disc golf players will only play one round per week, usually over the weekend. A novice or recreational player learning the game will have a steep learning curve. So, only playing one round per week will ensure this learning curve is long and steep.
There is one sure-fire way to shorten the learning curve, and that is to practice as much as possible
Since most players will only play a single round of disc golf per week, as a novice player you can gain ground by practicing disc golf every day.
However, quality still rules over quantity when it comes to practice. Focus on small improvements in your game every round you play, and practice until you’ve gained the skills necessary to move to the next part of your game that you’ll need to learn or improve.
For example, practice landing every drive in the fairway, forehand-only rounds, or practice putts with multiple putters.
How Difficult is Disc Golf?
Disc golf is difficult because it requires a player to have the ability to throw a small disc hundreds of feet with accuracy and consistency over various terrain. To become very good at disc golf a player must master a variety of shots for many situations, and be able to make those shots whenever needed.
Disc golf can be a difficult sport for players who want to play competitively in tournaments or throw respectable round scores during casual play.
However, if your goal is to only play for fun on a casual basis, the game is easy to learn, and there are few barriers to entry.
7 Ways to Get Better at Disc Golf Quicker
There is no magic bullet or hack that will get you better at disc golf overnight. Every one of these tips below comes down to one thing: practice.
But, using your practice time wisely and learning the game can speed up the process of improving your game. Below are the 7 top tips to improving your game quicker.
1. Focus and Improve On One Aspect
Instead of just going out to the course and throwing, make an effort to identify and focus on one skill to practice and improve.
Singling out a single focus for practice can help to develop the skill and muscle memory required to master the skill.
So, instead of just playing rounds where you might only marginally improve your overall game, focus on a weakness that can be improved.
For example, work on landing your drives in the fairway consistently during a practice round. Or, work on specific shots or situations repeatedly during a practice round.
2. Play Rounds With a Putter Only
Playing putter-only rounds can help with multiple areas of your game, and there are some very good reasons for this.
A disc golf putter is a much more touchy disc than other discs meant to drive further or high-speed discs. Playing an entire round with a putter will force you to focus on the mechanics of your throwing motion.
A putter will generally fly at the angle it is released, so for longer throws, it takes more to focus on throwing mechanics to get the disc to fly where you want it to.
This is especially true when throwing for distance. You’re not going to be able to just chuck it as hard as possible and hope for the best.
A putter-only round will help with throwing straight and cleaning up your release angle.
3. Consistent Practice
During the intro to these 7 tips, I talked about the one thing they all had in common, and that’s practice. But, not just practice–consistent practice is what will help your game.
The more that you practice the better you’re going to get. Most beginners and average players will only play one round per week.
If you’re practicing 5 days a week, you’re going to quickly surpass the competition and move to higher skill levels and classifications.
4. Perfect Your Footwork
Footwork is an important and sometimes overlooked part of disc golf. When throwing from the tee, executing the X-step properly can allow you to throw a disc further and increase your drive.
An increased drive distance is going to help other aspects of your game too.
Foot faults can become a factor too when footwork is poor. Practice necessary footwork to make consistent shots while avoiding a stance violation or a foot fault for different situations and lies.
5. Learn All the Rules
Learning the rules and the ins and outs of the game doesn’t even require physical skill, but it can give you a small advantage over the competition.
If you have a high-level understanding of the rules, this can be used to your advantage and it can shape the way you approach a hole or certain situations.
6. Keep Discs to a Minimum
It might be tempting to try to collect a large number of different discs for different types of situations as you start to play more and more.
It’s better though while you’re still building skills to keep the number of discs in your bag to a minimum. Mastering fewer discs, in the beginning, is preferable to only be able to throw a larger number of discs at an average level.
7. Play With Someone More Skilled
There is always someone better than you playing out there. This is true for 99% of people playing disc golf today.
Playing with someone with more skill and experience might teach you something you wouldn’t have known or figured out had you been practicing by yourself or with someone of lesser ability.
Summary | How Long to Get Good at Disc Golf?
Disc golf takes a lot of skill, consistent practice, and determination to truly become a great player. Even if your goal is to only become a “good” player it will still take a year or two to reach this level.
There will be times when you don’t feel as if you’re progressing or getting any better. But, if you stick with it and continue to practice the finer points of the game you’ll find that you get past these plateaus and become a much better player over time.
