Rules & Etiquette

Marking Your Lie

Mark and play your lie by the book.

Why it matters

Marking is the most frequently performed rule in the game — you do it on every throw after the tee — and doing it loosely is how a few centimetres of advantage creep in without anybody intending it. Doing it properly is also how you avoid a dispute in a round that counts.

How to do it

Place your mini marker on the line of play, directly in front of the thrown disc, touching its front edge.
Alternatively, play from the thrown disc itself, which is perfectly legal and often simpler.
Then throw with a supporting point within 30 centimetres directly behind the marker.
Mark before you pick the disc up, so the position is not a matter of memory.
If the lie is unusual — on a slope, against an obstacle, above the ground — agree it with your group before moving anything.

Common mistakes

Picking the disc up before marking it.Mark first, every time. Once the disc is in your hand the exact lie is a reconstruction.

Placing the mini a little further along the line of play.Touching the front edge. The creep is small, usually unintentional and completely avoidable.

Marking inconsistently depending on how much the shot matters.Same every time. The habit is what protects you when it does matter.

Key points

Mark with a mini or the thrown disc.
Place your mark on the target-side edge of the disc.
Play within 30 cm directly behind the marker.

The drill

Drill · Mark every lie — 1 full round marking all lies with a mini, including obvious ones. Mark every lie precisely for a whole round, even the ones where it plainly makes no difference. It is slightly tedious for nine holes and automatic thereafter, which is the state you want it in before a round that counts.

Watch: Disc Golf Rules School - Episode 3: Marking Your Lie — PDGA