Disc Golf vs Ball Golf

[Moify]

Alright, alright, relax. Before you jump on this thread for a bad topic, hear me out.

I'm not interested in which people think is better. We're on a disc golf forum, I think we all know the answer there. I'm looking for things about equipment, what (ball) golfers usually think about disc golf, etc.

OK, so that's pretty vague. We'll let this thread go where it may, but I'll start it out...

I believe the different types of discs rival, if not surpass, the amount of variety ball golf clubs vary. For the most part, all irons are meant to fly the ball in the same, general flight. While you can slice a ball on purpose, there aren't clubs specifically designed for the action. In disc golf, not only are there discs that cover different distances, but they vary in severity of fade. There is also only one swing for golf. In disc golf, you've got BH, FH, tomahawk, thumbers, rollers, etc.

leading into...

Recently speaking with a golfer who admitted that he was surprised at how difficult disc golf actually was. He commented on how the technique even seems more difficult to grasp than that of ball golf.

If you happen to play both competitively, I'd be interested in knowing your thoughts on the difference in atmospheres and whatnot.

Get like Lat64 and let it Flooooow. (Sorry for the pun)

 

[Organicvoodoo]

Disc golf> Ball Golf

The crap we deal with, snakes, holes, tree branches, hills etc
Is just way more difficult then some sand bunkers.

 

[rd.bittle]

Ball golf is disc golf without the imagination.

 

[The Hammer]

Disc golf> Ball Golf

The crap we deal with, snakes, holes, tree branches, hills etc
Is just way more difficult then some sand bunkers.

You obviously don't know what you are talking about. Traditional golfers deal with all those things you listed.

 

[77586]

The biggest difference I've noticed while playing both is in ball golf you hit a ball with a stick and in disc golf you throw a disc.

 

[Johnny_Crunch]

Ball golf is much harder than disc golf. The practice time it takes to shoot par regulary at ball golf vs disc golf is not even close. I really don't think they can be compared. It takes people years to shoot in the 10-15 over range in ball golf. You can do that in 3 weeks in disc golf.

 

[Organicvoodoo]

Old reliable hammer to the rescue.

And no they don't at all compared to disc golfers.

Those slacks would be ripped apart in DG.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Ball golf is much harder than disc golf. The practice time it takes to shoot par regulary at ball golf vs disc golf is not even close. I really don't think they can be compared. It takes people years to shoot in the 10-15 over range in ball golf. You can do that in 3 weeks in disc golf.

Not necessarily true. If you're talking about Gold level par ratings and a DG course like Winthrop to compare with ball golf courses, you're not coming very close to par for many years unless you're a phenom like Wysocki. Wiggins took years to get there but started young. The primary difference from a scoring standpoint is putting is more difficult in ball golf.

 

[Moify]

Ball golf is disc golf without the imagination.

Very nice. I do just enjoy watching a disc fly through the air.

The biggest difference I've noticed while playing both is in ball golf you hit a ball with a stick and in disc golf you throw a disc.

Seemingly sarcastic, but a good point. I like that I can directly affect the path of the disc with my hand. I don't need an extremity to help me.

Ball golf is much harder than disc golf. The practice time it takes to shoot par regulary at ball golf vs disc golf is not even close. I really don't think they can be compared. It takes people years to shoot in the 10-15 over range in ball golf. You can do that in 3 weeks in disc golf.

I think getting to the professional level in disc golf is just as hard. It was mentioned above, but I also think that throwing consistently below par is the real challenge. Making par on most courses isn't a feat of miracles for me, but when I can shoot 10/18 holes under par, that's something impressive and consistent.

It was said above, but it's a good point that Gold level DG courses are more difficult than your average local park course.

 

[teemkey]

First point to make is that in ball golf a player can only carry 14 clubs. Each club has a shaft of a different length (shafts are also available with different flex ratings and material). A good player will make a stance adjustment for each club (generally opening the stance as the shaft length decreases). With the 14 clubs you need to be able to shape shots (straight, fade, draw, hook, slice), hit that shape at specific heights (wind, obstacles, terrain), and adjust the spin to control the ball's action when it lands. All these adjustments are done between tee & green with the ball lying on variations on slope, grass length, sand, dirt, whatever (ice plants are particularly tough to deal with).

While the rules and general goals are the same, the execution of the two sports are different. Other than etiquette and strategy, skill in one doesn't automatically translate to skill in the other.

 

[trifocal]

The spirit and tactics of the games are very similar.

Its harder to consistently strike a ball properly. It is.

 

[Psicko]

I actually just kinda started messing around with ball golf. I have a buddy who has played gold since he was a kid. I took him out disc golfing twice, and he is already throwing almost as far as I can, with some good accuracy as well. His condition of him playing dg was to teach me how to play golf. Ive come to realize that there are some similar techniques, but applied differently if that makes sense. Or it could be all those golf videos that sidewinder has posted. I can hit the ball straight, but not that far. My approach and putting game in ball golf is pretty good for only playing once and 2 practice sessions. I could never play ball golf often, as I would rather play disc golf, but ball golf seems to be fun on occasion.

Obviously the have their differences, such as one uses a club to hit a ball into a gopher hole, and one uses a disc to put into a basket. I do think that it is easier to be decent at disc golf than it is at ball golf. Getting to pro is hard in both, but I would think it is much harder in ball golf. Both ball and disc golf have the easy courses and the super hard courses. So if you are going to compare courses, dont compare the gold level dg course to a municipal ball golf course, because the gold level ball golf courses are very demanding as well.

 

[drblam]

I like both sports, but the biggest difference from ball golf is how discs can fly on lines that change in flight, pass this tree on the left, flip up flat, turn, pass that tree on the right, fade back to the hole to the left. It can be incredible! In ball golf, the talent alone to get the ball to consistantly leave the club with out vearing left or right is as much of the sport as selecting lines in disc golf.

 

[trifocal]

The feel of hitting an iron inside ten feet with a wind in play is far beyond the feel of an ace that is basically just a long long Frisbee throw. Throwing to a basket is a lot like playing catch....purists will disagree, but playing catch gets you close almost all the time.

A golf swing on the sweet spot is a lot different.

 

[DavidSauls]

One big difference is the far greater variety in hole design and courses. Think of how very different disc golf courses are from each other, and the vastly different holes you might find on the same course.

 

[Jukeshoe]

Ball golf is much harder than disc golf. The practice time it takes to shoot par regulary at ball golf vs disc golf is not even close. I really don't think they can be compared. It takes people years to shoot in the 10-15 over range in ball golf. You can do that in 3 weeks in disc golf.

^2nd this emotion.

 

[Discwrangler]

Climo said it years ago, our game is more dynamic in terms of things we can do with the disc...backhand, forehand, thumber, tomahawk, rollers etc.

Golf you primarily try to hit it high and straight. Some very very technical shots when you get close and putting is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more difficult.

Disc golf is easier than ball golf. Disc golf is more dynamic. Both great reasons why disc golf will thrive.

 

[Teebird Elvis]

I play both competitively.

The two sports are not in competition with each other, so lets get that out of the way. If you like ball golf, you will probably like disc golf. If you like disc golf, you will probably like ball golf. Golf is a great sport.

First, ball golf is much harder. Stand a noob ball golfer on a teebox, give him 20 discs, and tell him to throw drivers into the fairway. I will say he gets 10 of them into it.

Put a noob disc golfer in a teebox, put down 20 balls, I doubt the noob gets 5 in the fairway.

So much more mechanics in hitting a ball instead of throwing a disc simply because a 3rd element is presented, the club.

People who play ball golf and say things quoted in the OP are actually being surprised there is 'any' challenge to disc golf, and there is, just not on the level of ball golf.

Second, there is so much more competition in ball golf. Becoming a ball golf pro winning tournaments makes you a millionaire. I know everyday plumbers that make more money than the top money earners in disc golf. So the competition follows the money. There are so many more ball golfers than disc golfers it is sick.

Third, mental attitudes. You really deal with different social classes when you play ball golf. Doctors, Lawyers, Bankers, successful business owners. It takes a decent income to keep up a decent ball golf game. In disc golf, the majority of players are kids, college/hs kids, and very few professionals. So you have to carry yourself in a better manner playing ball golf. People take notice. In disc golf, you can be a bum and no one would care... which is why a lot of bums play disc golf. No offense, but you think you could get away with leaving garbage all over the park at a local country club? They would throw you and your cannabis smelling attitude out on your ear.

As far as game play, the games relate more than one would ever realize. One time a reporter asked Ben Hogan which club was his 150 yard club. Ben hit the pw 150, then the 7i 150, then the 3i 150. It was the height of the flight that changed. Same with DG, I can throw a putter 280', I can throw a mid 280', and i can throw a driver 280', all having different angles of flight. Putting consistently well results in the use of the least amount of muscles in the technique, with both sports. Course strategy in both sports are practically mirror image. Really, I believe either sport can convert success to the other with a general understanding of their own game. (...meaning a disc golfer can take what they know about dg, and be successful in ball golf, and vice versa)

The major difference in the sports is ball golf costs $, big $. The courses are nicer, the scenery is nicer, you don't have to walk, you can ride a cart, and all in all, the experience is much richer and fulfilling, ESPECIALLY after a good round. Disc Golf is basically free. So you get to enjoy the sport, just not as well.

I prefer disc golf because it is free, and the friends I choose are not bums, and our competitive rounds with each other is a blast. Ball Golf I play basically to keep my business contacts.

 

[dashiellx]

The major difference in the sports is ball golf costs $, big $.

This is what I was going to say.

Many public golf courses cost $35 a round. Plus for the price of on top of the line putter, you could probably get half dozen top of the line discs, if not a full bag (and the bag too).

I agree with what others have said too that it is harder to be proficient in ball golf than disc golf. Being a pro I feel probably takes the same amount of dedication.

 

[parrothead57]

In both sports a lot of players throw money into equipment thinking thats the thing that'll improve their game. But like Lee Trevino said, "It's not the arrow, its the indian. "