Disc golf glossary

52 disc golf terms, each in one sentence: the words on the card, in the rules and on the course.

A

Abandoned throw: Taking back your last throw and throwing again from the same spot, for one penalty throw.
Ace: Holing out from the tee in one throw.
Anhyzer: A throw released with the outside edge tilted up, so it curves against the disc’s fade.
Away: The player farthest from the basket. After the tee, they throw next.

Basket: The target: a tray and hanging chains on a pole. The hole is done when your disc rests in the tray or the chains.
Birdie: One under par on a hole.
Bogey: One over par on a hole. Two over is a double bogey.

Casual area: An area, like standing water, where you may take free relief back along the line of play.
Casual obstacle: Loose debris you can easily move by yourself, like twigs, leaves and small stones.
Circle 1: The circle 10 m (33 ft) around the basket. Putts from inside it come with an extra rule, and it’s where your putting stats split.
Circle 2: 10 to 20 m (33 to 66 ft) out. Not a rule, but the next band for putting stats.

Drive: The throw from the tee.
Drop zone: A marked spot you play from after certain penalties, like a missed mando or OB.

Fade: How hard a disc hooks left as it slows down in a right-handed backhand, from 0 to 5.
Fairway: The open, intended path from the tee to the basket.
Falling putt: Inside C1 you must show balance behind your marker before moving toward the basket.
Flight numbers: Four numbers on most discs: speed, glide, turn and fade.

Glide: How long a disc stays in the air, from 1 to 7.
Guardian tree: A tree standing right in front of the basket that blocks the straight line in.

Hazard: An area marked with a one-throw penalty that doesn’t move your lie: add a throw and play it where it lies.
Hyzer: A throw released with the outside edge tilted down, so it curves the way the disc naturally fades.

Lie: The spot you throw from: the tee on your first throw, then the area right behind where your disc stopped.
Line of play: The line from the center of the basket through your marker and on behind it.
Local rules: A course’s own rules: which water is OB, where the drop zones are, which mandos are in play.
Lost disc: A disc not found within 3 minutes of reaching where it should be. One penalty throw from your previous lie.

Mando: A tree, pole or sign your disc has to pass on the side its arrow shows. Miss it and take one penalty throw.
Marker disc: A small disc you place touching the front of your thrown disc to mark your lie.

Obstacle: Anything in the way: trees, bushes, branches, rocks, signs.
Official: Someone the tournament director authorizes to make rulings. An official’s call overrides the group’s.
Out of bounds: An area you can’t play from. A disc completely inside it, line included, is out: one penalty throw.

Par: The score a skilled player is expected to make on a hole, usually 3.
Parked: A throw that lands within 10 ft of the basket, an easy putt.
Penalty throw: A throw added to your score for breaking a rule or for moving your lie when a rule says so.
Practice throw: A throw during a round that isn’t a real attempt to play. One penalty throw.
Provisional throw: A backup throw, announced first, for when a disc may be lost or OB or the group isn’t sure of a rule.
Putt: Any throw from 10 m (33 ft) or closer to the basket.

Relief: Moving your lie because a rule lets you, usually back along the line of play.
Required relief area: An area you may not play from, like a garden. It works like OB without the penalty throw.
Restricted plane: The imaginary vertical wall on the wrong side of a mando. Any part of the disc clearly crossing it misses the mando.
Roller: A throw that lands on its edge and rolls.
Rough: Anything in bounds off the fairway: long grass, brush and trees.

Speed: How fast a disc has to leave your hand to fly the way its numbers say, from 1 to 14.
Stability: How much a disc resists turning over. Overstable discs fade hard; understable discs turn.
Stance violation: Releasing the disc with your supporting points in the wrong place. One penalty throw.
Supporting point: Any part of you touching the ground or something holding you up when you release the disc.

Tee: Where every hole starts: the tee pad, or with no pad, the area 3 m (10 ft) behind the tee markers.
Tournament director: The person running an event, with the final word on rulings.
Turn: How far a disc drifts right early in a right-handed backhand, from +1 to −5. More negative, more turn.
Two-meter rule: When announced, a disc resting 2 m (7 ft) or more above the ground costs one penalty throw.

Warning: A first notice for some violations, like courtesy and taking too long. The next one in the round costs a penalty throw.

Rule summaries are based on the PDGA Official Rules of Disc Golf. Shot Lab is not affiliated with the PDGA.

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