Hello! 

Thanks for trying out disc golf with me in your PE class! I had a great time sharing my passion for this sport with you. I really hope you enjoyed it, and make plans to play on your own in the future. One of the things I love about disc golf is once you find courses and have a few discs, you can play it anytime with friends or alone, without much physical training or experience. Of course, the more you play, the better you will get, and sometimes that improvement leads to looking for more ways to get better. Trial and error will teach you everything eventually, but with a little guidance, tips, and “field work”, you will watch your accuracy and distance improve, remarkably. Keep reading because the rest of this document will provide descriptions and links to more ways you can learn and play disc golf. 

Wildcat Woods!

I have been working on our own course for the past 4 (up to 6, now) years in my spare time. It has been exciting to carve out holes in the unused areas around our athletic fields, thinking of different shot types, and selectively clearing spaces to create different lines through the woods. The 12-hole course is ready to play now with practice baskets and “natural” tee boxes, but I am also working on a grant to purchase permanent baskets that look and catch better, and buy materials to install real tee pads. (In 2021, these new permanent baskets were installed!) Eventually, the simple maps you used in PE will be enhanced by fancy QR codes linked to video walkthroughs of each hole. (Still not ready, but signs are available at each hole.)

Want to play outside of PE but don’t have your own discs? I will have at least 4 small satchels of discs available for you to borrow anytime you have a free block or want to play after school. Included will be a putter, a mid-range, and a fairway driver. If you want your own discs, there are many options to buy them. I can help advise you on which discs will be good for you just starting out, and discs that you might keep throwing even as you get better. I will include a bunch of links below to help you find your own discs. 

New England Courses

Massachusetts doesn’t have the most courses in the USA, only 88, (up to 104, as of 6/14/23) but did you know we have some of the best in the world? Maple Hill in Leicester (near the Worcester Airport) is considered by many to be the best in the USA, if not the world. Here is a link to MA courses.

MA DG Courses: https://udisc.com/places/massachusetts-united-states#:~:text=Learn%20all%20about%20disc%20golf,States%2C%20Massachusetts%20has%2088%20courses.

  RI, ME, and CT all have great courses too. This link to UDisc website lists all the courses within a 50 mile radius of Weston. https://udisc.com/courses?searchRadius=50

As you can see, we are surrounded by a bunch of great courses, but you have to zoom out a little to see them. Dacey Field, and Borderland are amazing and worth the short 30 min drive from Weston. Franklin Park is brand new and is getting a lot of attention being the closest course to Boston.(I believe it has since been closed due to too many people playing!) Clement Farm in Haverhill is another beautiful course I have enjoyed. My home course is Newton Hill in Worcester, a fun and challenging course, but when I have extra time I’ll go to Maple Hill or Pyramids. Pyramids is another very nice course just ½ mile from Maple Hill. ‘501 Disc Golf Course’ is further out, about 60 minutes from Weston, but was laid out on a beautiful piece of property. The first 5 courses I listed are free, and the next 3 listed are pay to play, some with online tee time sign ups due to Covid restrictions. Maple Hill is the most expensive at $10 weekdays and $15 on weekends(it has gone up), but once you’ve played a few other courses you will realize it is worth the price of admission. Maple Hill is a magical place to play disc golf.

Bad Weather? Watch Some Pros Play!

Even the pros don’t like playing in the rain or extreme wind. I played several rounds this winter in a foot of snow, but even I hang up my bag when it’s raining. One of the most enjoyable ways to learn is to watch pros play. Their technique is incredible but they too have moments of humanity and can miss an “easy” putt or hit the first available tree. Watching the FPO (Female Pro Open) division is just as compelling, exciting, and educational as the MPO division, too. You will see throws you didn’t think were possible, and begin to understand the term “shot shaping”. I will often slow down playback to analyze mechanics of their drives. How can I learn how to throw 500+ feet?!? It’s probably too late for me, but not for you! 

A wide range of ages and physiques are often represented. At the 2021 WACO tournament, March 12-14, on the second round of the 3 round tournament, a 35 year old and a 15 year old, Gannon Buhr , were on the lead card. (WACO 2021 Round 2 Back 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9ReTdRZ8dY) The final round is very exciting. Here is an edited round. If you have the time, start with the Front 9 because it makes the back 9 so much more compelling. Front 9:https://youtu.be/PtxOG2eFZtM Back 9: https://youtu.be/p9ReTdRZ8dY 

Like the WACO tournament? Check out the Texas States tournament! Tough wooded course! 20 year old Casey White of Shirley, MA is on the lead card on the final round, too!

YouTube is full of tournaments mostly from 2017-present, when the very popular Jomez Productions started covering tournaments and providing post-production videos free on YouTube. GKPro, GateKeeper Media, Par Save Productions also have very impressive productions. Just last year, Disc Golf Network started their subscription service for live pro tournament coverage.  Watching pros play reminds me of another reason I love this game. You can play against other players, but you are really trying to beat the course. With money and prestige on the line, you will hear pros commend each other for a great drive, or clap for an impressive putt by one of their competitors. It’s a sport for both the super shy and super competitive, and every personality in between. 

Getting Better

So you like the game but you want to get better. It’s easy to make improvements in your throw and putt when you know how you are supposed to throw and putt. I’ve shown you most of the basics in PE but I learned by watching youtube video tutorials. I’ve included some links below to some of my favorite and best tutorials. After watching and trying out what you watched, set up a camera or ask a friend to record video of you throwing and putting. You will be surprised at what you notice about your technique when you slow it down and watch yourself. I immediately learned that I was “rounding” my reach back and my timing was way off, costing me significant distance. The “windmill drill” helped me improve my timing and distance dramatically. There are also videos on YouTube where pros analyze and critique driving form. Watch a few of those. You can even send your video to some websites, like Dynamic Discs, and someone there will offer you suggestions to improve your drives. 

There are local leagues and tournaments, when you are ready. You can also find friends and make arrangements to play, or just enjoy some alone time. You can also join WHS Disc Golf Club through Google Classroom code: zd5gew2. We haven’t done much as a club since Covid but I hope to start up again, soon. The Disc Golf Club will practice new throws like “rollers” and “thumbers”, maintain the Wildcat Woods Course and carve out additional holes to eventually have 18 on our property. There is a group of schools looking to start inter-school league play in the near future, too. 

Thanks for reading all this. I hope it made you curious and that you try disc golf again after PE. Maybe you will be asking me to borrow discs next week, or maybe in a few years a friend in college will invite you to play with them. Or maybe, like me, you will see some baskets in the woods while driving by, randomly buy a disc and find a new pastime. Anyhow, I hope to see you playing our very own Wildcat Woods course during free blocks or after school. I made it for you to enjoy! Stop by the Clay Room 23 to borrow discs whenever you want to play. I’ll include some links below to help you get started in your own lifelong enjoyment of this awesome sport! 

Best,

Mr. Chris Fehl

fehlc@weston.org

- - - - Links below! - - - -

USEFUL LINKS

Sports Illustrated article, March 2021 - The recent explosion in disc golf caught the attention of SI. This article provides a little of the history of disc golf and features the career of GOAT-candidate Paige Pierce. 

Udisc- app for courses near and far, course maps, keeping score, tracking distances, pro tournament scores, and more!

https://www.udisc.com/

PDGA

https://www.pdga.com/

Disc Golf Valley- free App Store game for your iPhone or iPad! I find the physics of the disc flight in this game to be pretty accurate. 

My Favorite Video Tutorials: 

Latitude 64- Fun, entertaining series takes a Norwegian nube through the basics

Throw better: https://youtu.be/NIlYGRahKvQ

Putt Better: https://youtu.be/btkV2QgA0gw

Side arm: https://youtu.be/M9EcILx2BrU

Loopghost- Old guy (not me) teaches timing the throw with various drills. Very helpful!  https://youtu.be/pleUjYKwf0g

Danny Lindahl- Dynamic Discs kid has some great tips for every part of the throw https://youtu.be/FKaFDq_7UNI 

*Just found this YouTube Channel: Overthrow Disc Golf- Outstanding breakdown of all throws and putts. This channel has become my new go-to for ways to improve my own technique. With the growth of disc golf, we’re starting to see things emerge that are established in other more conventional sports like form coaching, player agents, and fitness coaches (Disc Golf Strong).

FOR WOMEN (and guys, too)

This sport is just as enjoyable for women and the PDGA and many other DG orgs, like Diversify Disc Golf, are trying to get more women to play. These tutorials were made by or of women disc golfers for everyone,not just women. 

Paige Pierce (5X World Champ) teaches backhand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyV8411dObw

Kona Panis teaches forehand: https://youtu.be/CO_IL-2I-ZY

Kona Panis teaches midrange: https://youtu.be/hYw0N6mRYOw

Kona Panis ASMR Disc Golf: https://youtu.be/3g98YG5zszU

These videos were made 3 years ago but I just found them while creating this document. They are outstanding. Kona’s field work has paid off and she is now emerging as one of the top female disc golfers this year. 

Disc Golf 4 Women website- great articles by women for women (but guys will learn, too!)

Want your Own Discs? Of course you do!

Places to buy discs- Online and in-store 

• Disc Golf 978: Fitchburg, MA https://discgolf978.com/ (store open for physical sales, great service!) Also, 978 is about ½ mile from Coggshall Disc Golf course.

• Marshall Street: Leicester, MA https://www.marshallstreetdiscgolf.com/ (Marshall Street store closed for Covid, but taking online orders. Perhaps the best prices for discs anywhere, sales change monthly, and an overwhelming selection of discs. When it reopens for in-store customers it is definitely the best DG retail store in New England and worth the drive. Plus, you can play Pyramids while you are there.)

• Maple Hill Pro Shop: not the best prices but good selection of new discs and impressive selection of used discs @$5 and $10 ea. I always find something to add to my bag.

Online only: 

• Throw Pink: discs designed and/or selected for women https://discgolfunited.com/partners/throw-pink.html

• Infinite Discs - Probably the largest online retailer of discs, huge selection, good prices

• OTB Discs

• Ladies First DG- apparel discs and more!

• Amazon: I recommend- Divergent Discs Starter set, Discmania Starter Set, or Dynamic Discs Starter Set

WHS School Store??- Maybe in the next year or two discs specifically selected to help your throws in Wildcat Woods will be sold in the WHS School Store! 

There’s about 25+ other online retailers, too. The ones listed above currently have the best prices and selection, in my opinion. Disc Golf 978 and Marshall Street will help you select the best discs for you if you ask for suggestions. Of course, you can always ask me for recommendations, too. Here’s a short list of discs I would recommend considering for your first bag:

Putters: Really helps to try these out and see how they feel in the hand. Don’t get lightweight putters. Ever. Get 178-185g. Gateway Wizard, Latitude Pure, Discraft Fierce, Latitude Keystone, Innova Aviar, Dynamic Discs Warden. I put with a Kastaplast Reko.

Mids: Discraft Buzzz, Latitude Fuse, Prodigy M3, Dynamic Discs Truth. I've recently added a Kastaplast Svea to my bag. It is a little understable and will drift right on a RHBH throw unlike the others that will fly straight with a little fade to the left at the end of the flight.

Fairway Drivers: lighter weight is okay to start (160-170g)

Lat. River and Diamond, Innova Leopard, Discmania Essence

Distance Drivers: Innova Valkyrie, Discraft Heat, Dynamic Escape

Marshall Street Flight Guide: Here is a chart that shows most (but not all) discs currently manufactured, and how they should fly, based on their numbers. Prepare to be overwhelmed! You will notice I recommend nothing faster than 9-speed and almost all are “understable”. Trust me: this is where you want to start. It is very discouraging to purchase a 13-speed disc thinking it is going to go SO FAR...and instead it hooks hard to the left and spikes into the ground 100 feet away, 50 feet shorter than your speed 2 or 3 putter.

Well, you have made it to the end of my long letter to you about disc golf. I hope it excited you enough to click on some links and think about playing again, soon. Enjoy!