Disc Golf Frequently Asked Questions

Below are a list of common questions we receive about disc golf and our leagues:

When does registration open?

Registration typically opens in late February or early March.

How much does it cost?

You must purchase an EDGA membership to participate in an EDGA league. The membership cost is $20. This membership fee goes towards building and maintaining our courses, hosting events for members, and covering the costs of the association. Your membership fee also includes a bag tag, which allows you to compete on the bag tag ladder.

Leagues are broken into three price categories, based on their format:

Recreational Leagues: $40. This money pays for weekly prize draws.

Competitive Leagues: $65. This money goes towards cash payouts at the end of the season.

Rundle: $100. This money goes towards cash payouts at the end of the season.

How many leagues can I enter?

As long as you have an active EDGA membership, you can join as few or as many leagues as you would like. You only pay the EDGA membership fee once, regardless of the number of leagues that you play (i.e. If you sign up for three leagues, you pay your $20 membership fee, then each individual league fee)

Can I join mid-season?

Players can join recreational leagues at any point in the season and be eligible for prize draws. Players need to score ten rounds in a competitive league to be eligible for cash prizes, so you can join a league as long as there are still ten weeks left in the season.

How can I pay for my league fees?

EDGA accepts Interac e-Transfers for membership and league fee payments.

Can I buy a membership without registering for a league?

Absolutely. You still get the benefits listed in the next question.

What do I get for my membership fee?

Your membership fee includes:

• Free or discounted access to EDGA events for the year
• Member discounts with our sponsors
• Bag tag
• We’re hoping to announce additional benefits soon!

How does competitive league play work?

Competitive leagues track your scores over the course of the entire season. Once you record ten rounds, your average will place you into a tier. Once you are placed in a tier, you will be competing against the other people in your tier for the cash payouts. Your final standing will be based on the best ten rounds that you record. 

Example:

You shoot 59 each week for the first ten weeks. Your first ten average is 59 and this would put you in tier 4 for Rundle League. Your best ten average is also 59 at this point.

On your 11th round, you score a 55. You are already in tier 4, so that cannot change. Your best ten average goes down to 58.6.

On your 12th round, you score a 65. You are already in tier 4, so that cannot change. Your best ten average stay at 58.6, because you did not score better than one of you previous best rounds.

How does recreational league play work?

Recreational leagues provide a no-pressure environment to practice your skills and meet other disc golfers. These leagues have prize draws for the participants, and playing a round on league day gives you one or more entries into the draw. Scores will be tracked, but will not count towards any prizes.

What are tiers?

Tiers are groupings of players with similar scores competing with each other for payouts. There can be up to five tiers in a league.

How do cash payouts work?

Cash payouts go towards the top 45% of players within a tier. The total pool of cash is made up of the number of players in that tier. 

Example: If tier 1 has ten players, and tier 5 has 20, there will be more cash paid out in tier 5. The top 5 players in tier 1 will receive a payout, where the top 9 in tier 5 will receive a payout.

How do prize payouts work?

In Recreational leagues, you must record a round during the specified time to be entered for a prize.

Example: If you are playing in Tuesday night Northwest league, you must play on Tuesday night between 4 PM - 630 PM to be entered into the next prize draw.

What if I miss a night?

If you miss a night in a recreational league, you may not get an entry in a prize draw. This depends on how long the draw is open for.

If you miss a night in a competitive league, it does not count against your best scores. You do still need to score ten rounds to be eligible for payout.

What if I don’t play enough rounds?

If you do not play enough rounds in a competitive league, you will not be eligible for payouts. Your league fees will be distributed between the payouts for the other tiers.

What if my partner (for doubles league) doesn’t show up?

You have two options. Option one is to find a substitute player. You can only use a substitute for three of your best ten rounds to be eligible for payouts. Option two is to play the round solo. You can only take one shot per lie, but your score can count towards your best ten.

What do I do about bad weather?

For recreational leagues, your participation each week is your entry into prize draws. So if you score a round during a week with bad weather, you might have a better chance of winning the draw because fewer players are playing.

For cash leagues, you have to play at least ten rounds to qualify for payouts. So if you’re worried about reaching ten rounds, gear up and play the round as long as it is safe. If you’ve played your ten rounds or are confident that you’ll be able to make up the rounds, it is okay to miss a week. Your final standing is determined by your best ten rounds, so if you play during bad weather and have a bad round, it won’t lower your final score.

What time do I play?

Each league follows one of three time structures:

Any time/all day - These leagues allow you to score a round at any time on league day

Flex Start - On league day, rounds can be started anytime between a designated start and end time. This is usually 4 PM - 630 PM.

Set/Shotgun Start - On league day, rounds will be started at one or two designated times. Players will spread out between different starting holes and start playing at the same time.

Who do I play with?

We ask that you try to play your cash league rounds with at least one other EDGA member. We understand that this may not always be possible, so it will be at the discretion of the league director whether or not solo rounds will be accepted for final payouts.

What discs can I use?

EDGA leagues require the use of PDGA approved disc golf discs. There should be a stamp on the disc stating that it is PDGA approved. If you cannot find the stamp, the PDGA maintains a list of approved discs here: https://www.pdga.com/technical-standards/equipment-certification/discs 

How do I score my round?

EDGA uses the UDisc app to record all league scores. You can follow the instructions here: https://udisc.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/14000117476-udisc-leagues-beta-player-guide to join the leagues you have registered for.

What is an Ace Pot?

In our competitive leagues, part of each league fee goes towards the ace pot. At the end of the season, the total pot is split between all of the players who scored an ace during a league round in the season.

What is a CTP?

CTP stands for Closest to The Pin. This is usually an extra prize draw during a league round where players compete to see who can get the closest to the pin that night. There will usually be a marker near the basket where players can mark their shot if it is closer than the previous closest shot.

What is a mando?

Mando stands for mandatory. This is an obstacle on the course that players must navigate over, under, around, or between. These are usually indicated by a sign with an arrow pointing in the direction that the disc must travel. If the disc fails to pass the obstacle on the correct side, the player takes a penalty stroke, and either retakes the shot from the original lie or moves to a drop zone and takes their next shot from there.

What is OB?

OB stands for Out of Bounds. These are areas of the course that your disc cannot come to rest in. If your disc comes to rest in an OB area, you take a penalty stroke and play your next shot from the last point that your disc was in bounds.

What is a drop zone?

A drop zone is a designated area where a player must play their next shot if they miss a mando or go OB. Not all holes with mandos or OB have drop zones.

What is a bag tag?

A bag tag is a numbered metal tag that members will receive with their membership. It will be important for members to keep their tags on them when attending EDGA events. Please see our bag tag page for more information.