Disc golf is a rapidly-growing sport, both in Canada, the United States, and overseas (Finland is actually the world leader in disc golf participation).
What You Need to Play Disc Golf
You need a disc, and the ability to get to a course, that’s it!
The beauty of disc golf is that the barriers to entry and participation are extremely low. Most courses are free-to-play, and discs are usually between $10 and $25, brand new.
Disc golf is a great group activity (though it starts to get slow if you have more than four people), but going solo can be fun and relaxing too, so you should try both!
Discs (not ‘Frisbees’)
Your First Discs
Everyone has different advice for what to start with, and this author is no different. I’d suggest that you get a pair of similar (mold and weight) ‘putt and approach’ discs, and a pair of similar ‘mid-range’ discs. Disc golf discs are very different from Frisbees and ultimate discs, and they take some getting used to. Putt and Approach, and mid-range discs are good places to start, and will go further than ‘drivers’ until you get the hang of it.
What Types of Discs Are There?
What is a Mold?
Why Does Weight Matter?
Starter Packs
Glow Discs
Getting More Discs
Where to Play
There are a bunch of courses all over Vancouver, Burnaby, and the Lower Mainland in general, but you should start by playing the course closest to you. You’ve got a lot to learn, but the most important things are to get outside, start throwing, and have fun!
Once you’ve played a few times, you’ll probably want to change things up, and play at a few different courses, further from home. The biggest (and fancier) courses are farther from population centers, in Langley, Squamish, and Whistler.
You should also bring your discs on vacations and trips, and check for courses where you go. There are courses all over the place, and a surprisingly large number are located in small communities. Quite a few Gulf Islands have courses, Vancouver Island has a bunch, as does the Interior; even the Sunshine Coast has one (in Gibsons!