Disc golf: What should you count as an ace?

I greatly suck at disc golf, but to date, I’ve got 17 aces to my name – and yes, that’s a real number. I didn’t fabricate it for the sake of impressing faceless people online. In similar news, I’m also able to throw 550-plus feet – from a standstill, blindfolded and with my left hand …

[Insert Laugh Track Audio]

If that number seems improbable for a woefully amateur disc golfer like myself, remember: A blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while, but an army of blind squirrels finds ‘em that much more often. Weekly, I play LOTS of holes of disc golf – there’s strength in numbers.

Joel Freeman’s responsible for me thinking about aces. It was his one-throw effort on the 13th hole at Milo McIver East. This single drive pulled Freeman within one of Garrett Gurthie’s lead:

Joel Freeman with a 400 FT SKIP ACE to pull within one of the lead! 🍓#SCTop10 @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/T5gyugSXzD

— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) June 13, 2022

BTW, that’s over 400 feet with a Champion Firebird – nutty stuff.

Which (finally) brings me to the topic of today’s article …

What counts as an ace?

And I’m not talking about an ace you manage to nab in the middle of a sanctioned round of disc golf – that one’s easy. Instead, I’m talking about how you count ‘em in your “personal” record book. In other words, when somebody asks for your ace total, the number you give them …

As I see it, here’s what fits the bill:

• Sanctioned or unsanctioned, tournament aces 100% make the cut – duh.
• Scored or unscored, should you hit an ace during a casual round, that works, too.
• The casual-round ace is fine, regardless of whether somebody is there to witness it.
• Second- or third-throw aces work, also – but ONLY if your ace total is less than five.

* Note #1: Admittedly, one of my 17 aces was a second-throw drive with a KC Pro Roc.

* Note #2: If your personal record book of my personal record book has me at 16, I’ll live.

And now for the OPPOSITE end of the spectrum …

Friends don’t let friends count these “aces” towards anything:

• If you’re going “ace-hunting” with a tripod, nothing’s valid – think Simon Lizotte.
• Unless part of an actual tournament layout, safari holes don’t make the cut, either.
• Beginner courses are fine, but anything less than 125 feet is a glorified jump putt.
• Congrats: Once you cross the 50-ace threshold, you’re just showing off …

Stop counting.

You’re too good for this level of plastic-driven pettiness.

These are the rules as Green Splatter sees them. Of course, there’s room for debate …

But not much – go tell your friends.

Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.

Editor’s Suggestions:

• How to trick your wife into loving disc golf
• Garrett Gurthie is ‘drive for show, putt for dough’
• This page exists on Infinite Discs (you should bookmark it)

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