You don’t hear this all the time …
Jeremy Koling made the phrase popular in recent years, though.
So much so, it’s not uncommon to hear it when locals talk strategy during casual rounds.
Outside of disc golf, Plinko is a vertical game of chance featuring balls, pegs, points and gravity. You’ll see it at trashy, pop-up carnivals. It’s even made appearances on “The Price Is Right.”
But what does it have to do with disc golf?
To “play Plinko” is to follow the structure of the original game, but on a disc golf course.
Here are the basic materials you’re working with:
- Balls are discs.
- The board is the course.
- And the pegs are tree limbs.
And gravity is gravity …
It changes for nobody.
To make this happen, throw a disc (intentionally) high into the trees surrounding a basket or landing zone. It’s a scramble-centric, roll-of-the-dice move, but the idea is that the disc will slow, filter down through tree branches and come to rest near where you’d intended. Though not at all required, popular Plinko throws include grenades, thumbers, tomahawks and spike hyzers.
As crazy as it might sound, on occasion, there are benefits of playing Plinko with golf discs. For starters, the sky’s the biggest fairway of ‘em all – it’s always open. And as opposed to an island, tight fairway or tough-to-access green, groups of trees make for BIG targets. Lastly, there’s zero power control required to successfully play Plinko, as the up-and-down line eats up all energy.
Of course, there are downsides, too.
Biggest of ‘em all is that the end result is entirely out of your control. Yes, you can deliver a disc to the top of a tree. But beyond that, sap, sticks and squirrels are determining what ultimately becomes of your throw. Oftentimes, you’ll discover rollaways are the tragic end result.
* Note: During a tournament, if the two-meter rule is in effect, proceed with caution.
Still, the tactic is a good one to have in your arsenal. Play disc golf long enough, and you’ll undoubtedly find yourself in a situation where it’s your best bet. When pulled off, playing Plinko is a genius-level thing of beauty. And when it fails miserably, you’ll look like an idiot …
That’s half the fun of it.
Live a little: Go for broke.
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Good to know. Never thought about it.
Thanks for reading, JD!