Disc golf: Always enforce this rule on yourself (thank you)

Gamesmanship is a thing.

I don’t completely hate it, either.

Athletes try to bait calls all the time.

LeBron flops. Neymar dives. Pierzynski frames pitches.

In their sports, there’s a designated official, so if he can’t catch it, that’s on him. I don’t love the move nearly as much in disc golf, though – the deception bit. It doesn’t feel quite as clever. Ours is a self-policing game. During sanctioned play, it’s literally your job to enforce the rules. Naturally, you should expect the same level of professionalism from your cardmates.

Still, rarely will you see guys taking their honesty to such an extreme level that they call foot faults or excessive-time violations on themselves. Incredibly, it does happen, though …

I’ll never bash on somebody for not following in Paige Pierce’s steps. That level of integrity is uncommon these days, regardless of whether others on the card are paying attention or not. And oftentimes, it’s not so much a question of integrity, as it is focusing on other things. When you throw, you’re worried about the result – not monitoring the placement of your plant foot.

I get it.

However, there is ONE rule in disc golf you should always self-enforce …

Unlike the aforementioned issue of the “plant foot,” should a situation arise in which this rule kicks into gear, making sure it’s followed should be at the forefront of your mind, because trust me: It sure as heck is on everybody else’s, but nobody wants to be the first to say anything.

Here’s PDGA Rule No. 805.03A:

“A disc is declared lost if the player cannot locate it within three minutes after having arrived at the area where it is thought to be. Any player in the group or an Official may begin the timing of the three minutes and must inform the group that the timing has begun.”

Again …

Three minutes.

That’s what you’ve got.

My advice?

When YOU lose a disc and the hunt begins, YOU do the following:

• Make it clear you’re aware of the three-minute rule.
• Volunteer to start the time on your watch or phone.
• If it’s lost, continue with a penalty stroke.
• Be pleasant about it.

It hurts to lose a disc.

It hurts even more during a tournament.

But the game’s much bigger than your misplaced flier. Obviously, your need to find it isn’t greater than maintaining the natural, unencumbered flow of the event – backups suck. Ten-plus minutes of illegally looking for a wayward disc is a great way to guarantee they happen.

In my experience, there IS good news, though …

If ever there was a time to have a lost disc (quickly) returned, it’s at a tournament. Generally speaking, the kinds of disc golfers who pay to compete in PDGA-sanctioned play respect the game, its players and their frisbees enough to return them to their rightful owners. Should you have to leave one of yours behind, check with Tournament Central at the end of each round.

There’s a dang-good chance it’ll be waiting for you.

Put good karma out into the world; it’ll find its way back to you.

Just like your disc.

Fingers crossed.

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