Every sport has its commandments. Baseball has “don’t step on the foul line,” basketball has “don’t shoot on the wrong hoop,” and golf has “don’t throw your 9-iron into the water hazard, even if it feels right.”
Disc golf is no different—except its commandments aren’t written anywhere. They’re passed along in hushed tones, like campfire stories… or completely ignored like the gym membership you bought in January.
I’ve played enough rounds to know these unwritten rules exist. I’ve also ignored most of them, so no judgment here. Let’s talk about the disc golf etiquette guide you won’t find at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Rule #1: Don’t Talk During a Putt
This one seems obvious. But apparently, obvious doesn’t count when your buddy suddenly decides to tell you about his fantasy football team while you’re lining up a death putt. (Yes, Brian, I do care that you benched Mahomes, but can we maybe save that trauma dump for after I clang this off the cage?)
The unwritten expectation: silence. The reality: everyone treating the green like it’s open mic night.
Rule #2: Respect the Mini Marker… or Pretend To
The PDGA says you’re supposed to mark your lie with a mini disc. Most casual players? They just chuck it from wherever the disc landed, as if “precision” is optional. Honestly, I get it. Half the time I can’t even find my mini. (Pretty sure it’s in my dryer with all my missing socks.)
Official rule: mark it. Actual rule: don’t be a jerk about someone else not marking it.
Rule #3: Speed of Play Matters (But Not That Much)
Disc golf isn’t NASCAR. Nobody’s getting a trophy for finishing in 23 minutes. But there’s also that unspoken agreement that you shouldn’t spend 15 solid minutes deciding between your beat-in Leopard and your “just feels right” Leopard.
Play fast enough to avoid a traffic jam behind you, but slow enough that you can still pretend your disc selection was deeply strategic.
Rule #4: Don’t Be the Guy Who Always “Forgets” His Discs
We all have that one friend who shows up with a single DX Shark and a dream. Every throw, he’s like, “Hey man, can I borrow your Destroyer? Oh, and your Roc? Oh, and your towel?” By hole six, you’re basically his personal caddie.
Unwritten rule? Bring your own plastic. Or at least bring snacks to bribe the group when you don’t.
Rule #5: A Lost Disc Belongs to the Finder… Unless It Doesn’t
Here’s the great moral dilemma of disc golf. You spot a neon pink disc in the creek with someone else’s name Sharpied across the back. Do you call them? Or do you call dibs?
Technically, the unwritten rule is: make a half-hearted attempt to return it. Realistically, most people give it two weeks on Facebook Marketplace before that disc mysteriously becomes their “new favorite.”
(I once got a disc back three years after I lost it. At that point, it felt more like an adoption return than a reunion.)
Rule #6: Clap for the Ace, Even if You’re Jealous
It’s the disc golf equivalent of a hole-in-one. Somebody in your group chains out on their first shot, and everyone is supposed to go nuts. Clap, cheer, maybe buy them a Gatorade.
But deep down, every fiber of your being is screaming: That should have been me. That’s the unwritten rule nobody admits: celebrate your friend’s ace while quietly plotting to outdo them next round.
Rule #7: Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
Disc golf is competitive, sure—but it’s also a game where grown adults yeet pieces of plastic into baskets while arguing over wind conditions like amateur meteorologists.
The most important unwritten rule? Laugh at yourself. Laugh at your shanks. Laugh when your “perfect drive” slams into the first available tree. (Because it will. Oh, it will.)
Final Thoughts: Ignore Them All Anyway
At the end of the day, the real unwritten rule of disc golf is that unwritten rules don’t matter. Play how you want. Have fun. Just don’t be the guy who throws into the group ahead of you, because that’s less “unwritten” and more “assault.”
And hey, if you really want to break the rules, at least do it in style—preferably in one of our funny disc golf shirts. Because if you’re going to ignore etiquette, you might as well look good doing it.
