If you’re a Hoosier, you’ve been waiting for this season all year! Finally, Summer time is here! We get to go out to enjoy our evenings and weekends outside. It’s time to get the family together and experience everything our counties offer around this time. Speaking of getting outside, did I tell you we had an idea?
United Way Whitewater Valley’s Disc Golf Fundraiser
Your pals here at United Way of Whitewater Valley have been dying to get all of our friends in the community together to have some fun outside.
Since COVID we haven’t had our annual Wolverine shoe sale fundraiser and we thought, let’s do something different! Have you ever tried disc golf? It’s kind of an awesome sport once you get out there. You might even find yourself getting a little competitive. Never played? Don’t worry! Let me tell you what you need to know.
Getting Started With Disc Golf
You may be surprised to hear that most disc golfers start playing the sport casually. It’s something fun, relaxing, and healthy to do outside with friends and family.
The first thing to know is that there are Sanctioned and Unsanctioned tournaments. Sanctioned are for players interested in scoring points and ranking for formal disc golf competitions. Unsanctioned is for any player.
However, most rules apply whether you are playing sanctioned or unsanctioned tournaments.
Rules of Disc Golf
Before we get you ready for the United Way of Whitewater Valley’s Disc Golf fundraiser, here are some rules you’ll want to know before you go. We are using the information found in a blog post on Udisc.com, a leading online platform for disc golf connections across the United States.
Order of play on the tee
On the first hole of your first round, the throwing order is set by the order of names on your scorecard (paper or digital). After that, the tee off-order is based on each player’s results on the previous hole. The player with the best result goes first, next-best second, etc. If players complete holes with the same score, the order is determined by who went before whom on the last hole.
At the start of subsequent rounds, teeing order is based on the overall score.
Order of play on fairways and greens
The player who is farthest from the basket is always the first person to throw or putt.
How scoring works
Scores should be taken after completing each hole, usually at the tee for the next hole. The person recording scores typically says each player’s name, and players respond with the number of throws they took to complete the hole (so “two” or “three” and not “birdie” or “par”).
Rules about searching for discs
Keep a good eye on where your disc is headed during tournaments. If you can’t find your disc when it’s your turn to throw, you have to throw from your previous lie and take a one-throw penalty. The official rules are that you have three minutes to find your disc once it’s your turn to throw. Your group must help you search for your disc, and you must help someone else search for theirs if it’s lost.
That’s the start of the rules, to learn more about check out these resources:
- Legal stances, visit “Disc Golf Rules Explained: Foot Faults & Legal Stances.”
- Being out of bounds “Disc Golf Rules Explained: Out Of Bounds (OB).”
- Mandatory restricts how you can play a hole “Disc Golf Rules Explained: Mandatories (Mandos).”
- You land somewhere that’s impossible or too dangerous to play from, check out “Disc Golf Rules Explained: Relief.”
- To learn what experienced tournament disc golfers will typically expect out of people they play with, check out the ‘Playing in Groups’ section of “Stay Classy, Disc Golfers: Rules Of Disc Golf Etiquette” and our other post, “How To Be A Great Disc Golf Card Mate.”
What Can You Expect at a Tournament?
The rules and expectations explained here are generally speaking and not specific to the United Way of Whitewater Valley Disc Golf Fundraiser.
Registration & Players’ Meeting
Registration opens well before the players’ meeting starts. You must register, or a tournament director will assume you’re not at the event.
You find out which hole you start on. This may happen during registration or via an electronic format. If you’re not sure where you start the tournament, make sure to ask during registration.
Learn how scoring will work before leaving registration. Some tournaments still use paper scorecards, while others are completely digital. If the tournament uses paper scorecards, it could be your responsibility to take them for your card if you’re listed first. Don’t forget to ask!
If you arrive well before the players’ meeting (highly recommended), you can warm up and practice before it begins.
The players’ meeting will start (make sure you know the time and location of the meeting before finishing registration if you’re unsure). The tournament director will explain important aspects of the competition and clarify rules that could confuse players. Competitors can ask questions during the players’ meeting if anything is unclear.
At Your Starting Hole, Playing, and Scoring
After the players’ meeting, go to your starting hole. Greet and introduce yourself to your card mates. This would be a good time to let them know it’s your first tournament, and they should tell you if they notice you doing anything incorrectly.
Up until two minutes before the start of a round, competitors can still practice throws or putts. If you intentionally throw/putt a disc within two minutes of a round’s start, your score in the upcoming round can be penalized. Typically, an air horn will sound, or people will start yelling, “Two minutes!” at the two-minute mark so you know when to stop.
Once just two minutes are left, go to the tee and decide with your card mates who will keep score (if this wasn’t taken care of earlier).
Once the round begins, be respectful when others throw. Scoring for a hole is usually recorded once a group has reached the tee for the next hole.
What Can You Expect at a United Way Whitewater Valley’s Disc Golf Fundraiser
If you read those rules and thought – WHOA! Please don’t worry. This tournament will be fun for everyone and will be unsanctioned and forgiving. We are there to have fun and not worry about everything being perfect. This disc golf tournament will be the first time we’ve played for many of us! If you are a seasoned pro, please have patience with us newbies if you tend to move at a quicker pace. We will ensure there is a flow of traffic on the course. You do not have to have a PDGA membership to participate. Feel free to bring family, friends, and coworkers!
Here are some common questions we’ve received:
When is the United Way of Whitewater Valley Disc Golf Fundraiser? August 19th
Where is it located? Glen Miller Park
What if I don’t have any discs and have never played? That’s OK! We will have discs for you and your team to use and people that have played there to help you get started.
Where can I play before August 19th to try it out? We have many great, local places to play. Glen Miller Park, Cambridge City’s Creitz Park, and there are more in the Disc Golf in East Central Indiana article.
When should I arrive? Arrive at least 30 minutes early to familiarize yourself with the process. We will host a Players’ Meeting, where you can expect to receive the most details on our tournament-specific rules. You will receive more information on the starting time of the meeting as the event approaches.
Will a Sanctioned Tournament be offered? We are working on that. Watch our social media for more information.
Want to give but unable to join? GREAT! You may also text United2023 to 41444 to support us.
I hope all of this information has eased any worries, and our hope is that you are now excited to play. These resources have taught us a lot, and we feel much more prepared to play our first round of Disc Golf. Even if we are not the best ones on the course, this is going towards a great cause!
How To Register for fundraiser
Please refer back to this section later in July so we can keep you up to date on all the details on our upcoming extravagent event for the United Way of Whitewater Valley’s Disc Golf Fundraiser.
The United Way of Whitewater Valley stands for economic mobility, early childhood development, youth success, and access to health for friends and families across Wayne and Union counties. We proudly support the organizations in these communities fighting for those same beliefs. We will see you on August 19!
Learn More About United Way Whitewater Valley
Much work must be done, so we need your help to make positive changes in our community. Let’s get out for a great cause!
Learn more about our program partners working in our four focus areas: childhood success, youth success, economic mobility, and access to health. Read more about their stories here, or sign up for our newsletter to learn more about what we do at United Way of Whitewater Valley.
