Tee time vs. Shotgun start: Which is better for disc golf?

Disc golf tournaments.

They kick off in one of two ways:

• The tee time.
• The shotgun start.

* Note #1: Yes, disc golf borrowed these concepts from ball golf.

If these terms are new to you, allow me to explain.

What’s a tee time?

To have a tee time is to have a “date” with the first hole. Along with your cardmates, you’re assigned a start time – it’s the same start time for all of you. You show up at that time, exchange high-fives and get going with your round. Every disc golfer at the event has one. The same four (or five) times constitute a card. Just like you, they arrive, throw 18 holes and head for home.

Depending on the size of the field, there are usually five to seven minutes between tee times. In principle, this is enough time for the first hole to be played and for the next hole to be started.

What’s a shotgun start?

On the other hand, with a shotgun start, everybody begins their round at the exact same time. The difference is that everyone starts on a different hole. For a full event at an 18-hole course, you’d have four or five guys on each hole. Disc golfers start at the same time. They end together, too.

In an ideal world, of course.

So, which is better for disc golf?

Get ready for a lame answer …

It depends.

The pros and cons of the tee time

You might’ve noticed the Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) goes the tee-time route at all of its events. That’s because the field is frequently larger than the 72 to 90 disc golfers an 18-hole course can accommodate with a shotgun start. Not every tournament is nearly as big, but to put things in perspective, on the MPO side, the 2023 PDGA Worlds had a field size of 216 disc golfers.

That’s a lot.

And when the field size is small enough for a shotgun start to work, tee times are still given the nod, because they make for less-crowded disc golf. Gaps happen. Lengthy backups do, too.

*** Gannon Buhr + Nikko Locastro ***

But a card at least starts without a logjam in front of it, as – in theory, at least – the previous group of disc golfers should already be off the tee on the next hole when a new group begins.

Furthermore, tee times work great when there is nothing else going on that day at (or near) the course. For example, at the MVP Open, disc golf is the day’s activity – that’s it. The same can’t be said for a public park at which an early-morning disc golf tournament is soon followed by a Boy Scout jamboree later that same afternoon. The tee-time structure simply takes too long.

See what I mean?

The downside of tee times, though, is that Mother Nature can have a BIG impact on outcome. Sunny and 65 in the morning could quickly turn into wet and windy three or four hours later.

As is the case with most things, you take the good with the bad. Tee times are clean; tee times are official. For the Pro Tour, this is standard stuff. For amateurs, it’s more of an A-tier occurrence.

The pros and cons of the shotgun start

Speaking of amateurs …

If you are one, you’re likely familiar with the shotgun start. This is because the shotgun start is great for getting people on and off the course – and fast. It also brings everyone together at the same time after a round for standings, new card assignments and end-of-tourney awards. 

Remember: People with kids, careers and responsibilities don’t have much free time.

If I had to give one complaint about the shotgun start, though, it’d be that not all starting holes are created equal. I’d rather begin a tournament with a stock, 250-foot hyzer in an open field than on an island hole with 300-plus feet of water carry. Should things go south, recovery is brutal.

And again …

The first hole.

It’s a luck-of-the-draw situation.

Pray you catch a good break.

* Note #2: It’s pathetic, but some will cry about having to walk to a starting hole, as well.

To summarize, for big fields with ample time and a location on lockdown, tee times are great. If you’re looking to wrap things up quickly and effectively with fewer headaches as a tournament director, the shotgun start is probably your best bet – assuming the math checks out, of course.

BOTH have their place in disc golf.

Without a “weepin’ and a moanin’ and a gnashin’ of teeth,” regardless of start method, make the most of what your tournament director has chosen to do. His is a thankless job – support him.

You’ll play better for it.

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