Disc golf targets are composed of a metal basket supported by a center pole, with chains hanging from an upper band.

[7] The game is played in about 40 countries, and as of 2023, there are 107,853 active members of the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) worldwide.

Students at Rice University in Houston, Texas, for example, held tournaments with trees as targets as early as 1964, and in the early 1960s, players in Pendleton King Park in Augusta, Georgia, would toss Frisbees into 50-gallon barrel trash cans designated as targets.

In 1968 Frisbee Golf was also played in Alameda Park in Santa Barbara, California, by teenagers in the Anacapa and Sola street areas.

Headrick left the company to start out on his own to focus all his efforts on his new interest, which he coined and trademarked "Disc Golf".

Course designers use trees, bushes, elevation changes, water hazards, and distance variation, along with out-of-bounds zones and mandatory flight paths (often referred to as "Mandos") to make each hole challenging and unique.

In rare instances, there are no tee boxes and players begin from a general location based on the course layout.

Signs may depict a simple map of the hole including the tee, target, expected disc flight, out-of-bounds areas, water hazards, trees, and mandatory paths.

[17] Each hole includes a tee position for starting play and a disc golf target some distance away, often with obstacles such as trees, hills or bodies of water in between.

Each course is unique, and so requires a different combination of throws to complete, with the best players aiming to shape the flight of the disc to account for distance, terrain, obstacles and weather.

Some courses also include Mandatories (also called "Mandos") which require the path of the disc to be above, below or to one side of a specific line indicated by a sign.

Drivers are recognized by their sharp, beveled edge and have most of their mass concentrated on the outer rim of the disc rather than distributed equally throughout.

They are typically used for tight, controlled shots that are close to the basket, although some players use them for short drives where trees or other obstacles come into play.

"Turn" references how the disc will fly at high speed during the beginning and middle of its flight, and is rated on a scale of +1[25] to −5, where +1[25] is the most overstable and −5 is the most understable.

For example, a disc with a turn of −5 and fade of 0 will fly to the right (for right handed, backhand throw) the majority of its flight then curl back minimally left at the end.

Most companies also offer a line of plastic that is much lighter than the maximum throwing weight (normally filled with air bubbles) which is conducive to beginners or players with less arm speed.

For prototyping and small-scale offerings 3D printing is a growing option with the PDGA approved designs currently available for purchase from company's such as NSH custom discs.

3D printed discs are typically produced using different plastics than traditional production methods, utilizing the printability characteristics of polymers such as TPU or specialized proprietary blends.

Their understanding and mastery can greatly improve a player's game and offer diverse options in maneuvering the disc to the basket with greater efficacy.

Due to the high level of potential spin generated with this technique, it often results in greater distance than with a forehand throw.

Power is created by initiating momentum from the feet and allow it to travel up the body, hips, and shoulders, culminating in the transfer of energy to the disc.

On the course, it is a "best-disc" scramble, meaning both players throw their tee shot and then decide which lie they would like to play.

The PDGA provides international, professional, and amateur disc golf tournaments as well as communicates event results, opinions and other information beneficial to the sport via electronic and printed media.

As a show of the year-round sustainability of the sport, annual winter tournaments, known as Ice Bowls, are held at courses around the world.

Using the motto "No Wimps, No Whiners", Ice Bowls collectively create sport awareness and are considered charity events that typically benefit a local food bank.

The official website reports that the 2010 Ice Bowls raised over $250,000 and donated over 67,000 pounds of food in the 222 tournaments for the year.

[35] During the COVID-19 pandemic, as shutdowns and social distancing forced people to avoid indoor gatherings, disc golf experienced significant growth.

Jomez Productions, Gatekeeper Media, and Gk Pro all film events the day of, and then air them the morning after.

The PDGA Women's Committee is "Dedicated to Attract, Encourage, and Retain Female Participation in Organized Disc Golf Events".

The Women's Global Event was expected to take place every two years from 2014, with hopes of increasing the number of participants.