New to Disc Golf

How Scoring Works

Par, birdie, bogey — keeping score without confusion.

Why it matters

Scoring itself is simple arithmetic. What catches people out is the vocabulary, and not knowing it is the thing that makes a first round with strangers uncomfortable. Ten minutes here means you can keep a card for a group on day one.

How to do it

Count every throw you make on a hole, and add any penalty throws, to get your score for that hole.
Par is the number a competent player is expected to take. On most disc golf holes that is 3: a drive, an approach and a putt.
Your score is usually spoken relative to par. One under is a birdie, two under an eagle, one over a bogey, two over a double bogey.
Holing out from the tee is an ace — a hole in one.
Add every hole together for a round total. Scorecards normally also show your running total against par, so +4 after nine holes means four throws more than par.
Lowest total wins. There is no scoring advantage anywhere for throwing further.

Common mistakes

Forgetting to add the penalty throw after going out of bounds.Write the hole score down before you walk to the next tee, while the penalty is still fresh.

Not counting a short throw that only travelled a few feet.Every release counts, including the one that hit a tree two metres away.

Comparing your total with a professional’s score on television.They are playing a different course at a different length. Compare your total only with your own previous total on the same layout.

Judging a round by par when par is set for far better players.For your first season, ignore par entirely and track your own number. Going from 72 to 65 on your local course is real progress whatever par says.

Key points

Count every throw plus any penalties on a hole.
Under par is good; the lowest total wins.

The drill

Drill · Keep the card — 1 full round, writing each hole score down before leaving the tee. Keep the card for your whole group for one round, on paper or in the app. Writing somebody else’s score forces you to actually watch and count, and after eighteen holes of it the vocabulary is yours permanently.

Watch: How to Play Disc Golf | Everything You Need to Know — JustDisc