Every disc golfer goes through stages from beginner to the top level you reach. After a couple of rounds, you start to get visions of a gently turning disc as it flies around the trees and lands under the basket. In reality it takes lots of hours of practice to master the proper techniques, and disc control doesn't happen quite as fast or as easy as you want.
The reason most of us don't pick up these skills as fast as we want is because we try to push ahead too fast and don't learn the skills correctly. Patience is a big part of learning the proper techniques to become good at disc golf. Human nature is not patient. Instant gratification is something we all want and to get there you will have a tendancy to move ahead faster than you should.
Stage 1 is beginner. You start out thinking you'll give disc golf a try and see if you get any rush from the game. You play a few times and you either feel that the game is fun, or it's just not your thing. If you pick it up quickly, you start to think that all you have to do to get better is get the newest discs and throw longer drives, and get a little better control.
This is generally a mistake in the progress of your disc golf game. You should focus on using easy to throw midrange discs. Learn to control the shots. Learn to shape the disc flight the way you want the disc to fly, and learn to throw the easier discs strait and flat when you need to. Then go to the faster more overstable discs. Most things that you do in life, you start out with easier and beginner equipment to learn the skills needed for more advanced equipment, disc golf is no different.
Stage 2 is obsessed beginner. If you don't like the game you will give it up and never get to stage 2. If you go on to stage 2, which comes too soon for most disc golfers, you start to feel that your ready for all the newest and fastest discs that the top pro's use. Fight the desire at this time to buy all the new and fast discs that are being released, you're just not ready yet, remember stage 1, perfect the basics first.
Keep working with the midrange discs and get to the place you can make them do what you want them to do. If you watch the top pro's, you will see that they will use a midrange Buzzz, or a Rock for shots that are 350 ft, or more if control is critical. When you can throw over 300 ft with a midrange, then it's time to move up to the faster drivers.
In stage 3, you're starting to figure out what discs work best for you and how to control the discs you like. You have also settled on your favorite plastic, and your favorite disc manufacture. This is mostly personal choice, all of the top discs are similar in the way they fly and the discs that work for certain types of shots. You will learn that you just like the feel of some plastic better than others, and some models just work better for you.
Your confidence levels are up, you feel like you are better than a lot of other players you see. This is where you really start perfecting your shots and learning to throw longer. Now it's time to start learning how to use the faster overstable discs that will help your game go to the next step.
Stage 4 is where you are confident that you are ready to play with the big boys of the game. You may never play in tournaments, and you may never play against the top pros, but if you get to this point and prefer to keep playing with your friends and go no farther, that is fine. I personally don't like the tournament play, it's too slow, I like to play fast and keep moving.
Keep working on tweeking and improving your game and lower your scores. Even though disc golf is a game against your opponents, it is also always a game against yourself. I am always trying to beat my low score on every course I play. Continuing to improve, at whatever level you are at is the key to enjoying disc golf for a lifetime.
If you get to stage 5, a pro disc golfer. All the things you learned at the lower levels will stay with you to help you be successful. The opponents are better but the skills you learned at the beginning don't change.
Learn the basics at the beginning, practice for consistency, and always strive to be better than you were yesterday. Disc golf is a great game and one that you can play for a lifetime if you want. Try to get better, play as much as you can, and always have fun when playing.
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