1. Speed of play Be aware of groups around you. Are you playing slow? Kindly invite faster groups to play through. Catch up to a larger group? Respectfully ask to play through.

2. Honors, farthest away throws first Lowest score from the previous hole throws first on the next hole. As you play the hole, the person farthest away from the target throws first.

3. Is everyone (far) out of your range? Make sure everyone is well out of range before you throw. If there’s even a chance you can reach someone ahead of you, DON’T THROW. If you accidentally throw toward another group, yell loud and clearly… FORE!   It’s also good to remember that disc golf courses are often in public parks, and if disc golf begins to be seen as a danger, the course is likely to be removed.  Don’t let one person’s impatience be the reason a whole community loses a course.

4.  Remove your disc from the basket.  Because discs in the basket could affect whether other players’ stay in, it’s common courtesy to remove your disc from the basket as soon as it’s securely in.  When you do this, you “clear” the basket.  If you forget to do this, you might hear “Could you clear that?” from a more experienced player.

5. Don’t be a distraction When others are throwing, get out of their line of sight, don’t move and be quiet.  Keep music at a reasonable volume. Most players accept that some people like music when they play and others don’t. If you’re a music person, make sure it’s just loud enough for you to hear it so your personal preference doesn’t make non-music people’s rounds less pleasant. If you let someone play through, it’s also polite to offer to turn off music while they tee.

6.  Hold your compliments until after a shot lands. This one is admittedly a little weird, but there is a common superstition in disc golf about “getting niced.” It’s the belief that if someone says “Nice!” or any other compliment before a disc lands, the shot will somehow turn out badly – hit a branch, roll terribly, catch a gust of wind, be carried off by a bird of prey, etcetera. Really, few people will really mind if a kind word slips out early, but it’s a good little bit of disc golf culture to know if you play with experienced groups.

7. Help your cardmates Watch your cardmates’ throws. Help search for lost discs. There are no referees, most decisions are made by a majority vote of your group.

8.  Try to return lost discs. If you find a disc, look to see if there is any way you could possibly contact its owner. Often, people put phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses on discs. Always call or e-mail. Sometimes there’s just a name. In this case, ask players you see who appear to know the course well whether they know the person whose name is on the disc. If so, see if they can contact the player and return it.

You may also want to see if there’s a social media group (likely on Facebook) dedicated to the course or area you’re in and ask if anyone there has lost a disc on the course you found it on. Generally, posts like this ask people in the group to describe the lost disc rather than providing a description.

When there’s nothing to identify a disc’s owner, you can ask other groups you see if they’ve lost a disc.

9. Obey park rules Be aware of park rules. If it’s a public park, disc golf shares the park with everyone. Be courteous to all park guests.

10. Don’t damage or remove trees or branches. The location of certain trees and their branches can really alter how people play a hole. Breaking any of them to give yourself a better throw is both against the rules and could greatly alter what the course designer intended a hole to be like.

11. On a golf course? Obey posted signs and golf course rules. Using a golf cart? Absolutely DO NOT drive on greens or teepads; keep carts on designated cart paths when possible.

12. Pack in, Pack out Pack out any trash you bring on the course. If you see trash, pickup and properly dispose of it (leave the place better than you found it). 

13. Sportsmanship Generally, be kind and courteous. Swearing, throwing tantrums, behaving in a rude manner, and anything of the sort is not fun for anyone and in sanctioned competitive play is considered a “courtesy violation” which can lead to penalty strokes.

14. Learn the official rules Take your game to the next level. Learn the official rules of disc golf.