Level one
How Far Should a Beginner Throw?
150 to 250 feet is normal and completely fine. What matters is what that distance tells you about which discs will fly for you.
By Selena H. Published October 4, 2026 Updated October 9, 2026
Hyzer & Chain is reader-funded. We earn a commission when you buy through a link here, at no extra cost to you. Picks come from published manufacturer specs and current retailer availability, never from who pays most — here is how we pick.
Most new players throw between 150 and 250 feet, and many throw less than that for their first few months. That is entirely normal and it is not something to fix before you start buying discs — it is the number you should be buying discs around. Your throwing distance is the single most useful piece of information for choosing equipment, and this page turns it into recommendations.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Key spec | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Latitude 64 Diamond If you throw under 200 feet | a true beginner, a junior player or anyone with a slow arm who wants their first taste of driver distance | 8 / 6 / -3 / 1 · Fairway driver | |
| 2 | Innova Leopard If you throw 200 to 280 feet | a beginner taking their first step beyond a putter and midrange — at speed 6 it is slow enough to actually fly for a new arm | 6 / 5 / -2 / 1 · Fairway driver | |
| 3 | Latitude 64 River If you throw 250 to 320 feet | a beginner or intermediate player who wants the most distance available per unit of arm speed | 7 / 7 / -1 / 1 · Fairway driver | |
| 4 | Innova Teebird If you are past 300 feet | an intermediate player who has outgrown understable drivers and wants one fairway disc that goes exactly where it is aimed | 7 / 5 / 0 / 2 · Fairway driver |
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1. If you throw under 200 feet
Latitude 64 Diamond
- Flight numbers
- 8 / 6 / -3 / 1
- Speed
- 8
- Glide
- 6
- Turn
- -3
- Fade
- 1
- Disc type
- Fairway driver
- Stability
- Understable
- Plastics
- Opto, Opto Air, Gold
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At this distance almost nothing else will reach its designed flight, and the Diamond will. -3 turn and 6 glide means it flips to flat with very little power, especially in lightweight plastic. Buying anything faster at this stage is buying a disc you cannot yet use.
How it flies
-3 turn at speed 8 with 6 glide is a deliberately easy-to-throw combination: the disc flips up to flat almost regardless of how little power you give it, then rides the glide out with barely any fade to bring it back. It is often sold in lightweight Opto Air plastic, which makes it even easier for a slow arm. The trade-off is that there is almost nothing in the flight to resist a strong throw.
Best for a true beginner, a junior player or anyone with a slow arm who wants their first taste of driver distance.
Look elsewhere the moment you are throwing over 280 feet — at -3 turn a developed arm will roll this over and lose it right every time.
What works
- About the easiest driver in the sport to get airborne
- Lightweight Opto Air versions suit juniors and slower arms
- Big distance gain for a player still under 250 feet
What does not
- You will outgrow it — this is a disc with a shelf life
- -3 turn is unusable in any headwind
Specs read from Latitude 64’s own published product page.
2. If you throw 200 to 280 feet
Innova Leopard
- Flight numbers
- 6 / 5 / -2 / 1
- Speed
- 6
- Glide
- 5
- Turn
- -2
- Fade
- 1
- Disc type
- Fairway driver
- Stability
- Understable
- Plastics
- DX, Pro, Star, Champion, GStar
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This is the bracket where the Leopard is exactly right: enough power to get speed 6 up to flight, not enough to turn -2 into a problem. For most people reading this page, this is the disc.
How it flies
-2 turn with only 1 fade is the classic beginner driver shape. At modest arm speed the turn gets the disc moving right and the single fade point brings it gently back, so the result is a long, shallow S that reads as straight. The low speed 6 means you do not need power to get it up to flight — the most common reason a new player's drives go nowhere.
Best for a beginner taking their first step beyond a putter and midrange — at speed 6 it is slow enough to actually fly for a new arm.
Look elsewhere once you are throwing over 300 feet; the -2 turn will start rolling the disc over on you.
What works
- Genuinely flies at beginner arm speed, unlike a speed-11 driver
- The shallow S-curve adds real distance without demanding technique
- DX plastic is cheap enough to lose
What does not
- Turns over once your arm speed grows past it
- 1 fade gives nothing in a headwind
Specs read from Innova’s own published product page.
3. If you throw 250 to 320 feet
Latitude 64 River
- Flight numbers
- 7 / 7 / -1 / 1
- Speed
- 7
- Glide
- 7
- Turn
- -1
- Fade
- 1
- Disc type
- Fairway driver
- Stability
- Understable
- Plastics
- Opto, Gold, Opto Air, Retro
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Once you are consistently past 250 feet you can take advantage of the River's 7 glide, which is where it becomes the longest disc here for the effort. At only -1 turn it also will not flip on you at this power, unlike the more understable options below it.
How it flies
7 glide is the highest number in this registry and it is the whole story: the River stays in the air far longer than its speed suggests, which turns a modest throw into a long one. Latitude 64 describe the speed-7-plus-7-glide pairing as making it one of their furthest-flying fairway drivers for players with any arm speed, and the -1 turn gives just enough flip-to-flat to hold a laser-straight line through a gap.
Best for a beginner or intermediate player who wants the most distance available per unit of arm speed.
Look elsewhere in a headwind — 7 glide with -1 turn is exactly the combination wind exploits.
What works
- Exceptional glide converts modest power into real distance
- Only -1 turn, so it is far less flippy than most beginner drivers
- A genuinely straight gap-shot disc
What does not
- That much glide makes it unreliable in wind
- Easy to overshoot a target with
Specs read from Latitude 64’s own published product page.
4. If you are past 300 feet
Innova Teebird
- Flight numbers
- 7 / 5 / 0 / 2
- Speed
- 7
- Glide
- 5
- Turn
- 0
- Fade
- 2
- Disc type
- Fairway driver
- Stability
- Stable
- Plastics
- Champion, Star, Pro, DX
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Included as the marker for leaving this page behind. At 300-plus feet a 0-turn control driver finally works — it holds a flat line rather than fading out early — and that is the moment the intermediate recommendations start applying to you.
How it flies
0 turn and 2 fade at speed 7 is the definition of a control fairway driver. Given enough power it holds a dead-flat line for most of the flight then finishes left with a predictable, modest hook. It will not flip over on a hard release and it will not need you to aim right. This is the disc that teaches most players what a repeatable drive feels like.
Best for an intermediate player who has outgrown understable drivers and wants one fairway disc that goes exactly where it is aimed.
Look elsewhere if your drives are under 250 feet — without enough power the 2 fade takes over early and you lose distance to the left.
What works
- 0 turn means no surprise flips, in any wind
- The most repeatable fairway line in the registry
- Champion plastic holds these numbers for years
What does not
- Needs genuine arm speed to show its straight line
- 2 fade costs distance at lower power
Specs read from Innova’s own published product page.
What the numbers actually look like
- First few rounds: 120 to 180 feet is common, and plenty of people are shorter. Technique, not strength, is the limiting factor at this stage.
- After a few months of regular play: 200 to 280 feet, mostly from learning to use your body rather than your arm.
- A year or two in: 280 to 350 feet for most players who play weekly.
- Advanced amateur: 350 to 420 feet, which is where speed-12 distance drivers begin to make sense.
Those are honest ranges rather than targets. Plenty of people enjoy the sport for years at 250 feet, and course design accommodates it — most layouts have alternate tees for exactly this reason.
Measure it once, properly
It is worth knowing your actual number rather than your estimate, because people are consistently wrong about it in both directions. Find an open field, throw five or six times with your best disc, walk to the middle of the group, and pace it out — a normal walking pace is close enough to three feet per step for this purpose.
Do it on a calm day, and use the middle of your throws rather than your best one. The number you want for buying discs is what you do reliably, not what you did once.
The cheapest ways to add distance
In rough order of how much they give you per unit of effort:
- Throw a lighter disc. Free, immediate, and the single biggest equipment lever at this stage. See beginner weights.
- Throw a slower disc. Counter-intuitive and true: a speed-7 disc you can power up goes further than a speed-12 you cannot.
- Throw a higher-glide disc. Glide is distance you do not have to generate. The River’s 7 glide is the clearest example in our registry.
- Release it flat. Most beginner distance is lost to a nose-up release, which stalls the disc. The Innova Mako3 is the best disc for diagnosing this because it adds nothing of its own.
Why distance matters less than you think
Scores are lost inside 100 feet far more than they are lost on the tee. A player who throws 230 feet accurately and putts reliably will beat a player who throws 330 feet into trees and three-putts, almost every round.
If you want to improve your score rather than your drives, buy a practice basket and two more putters. It is less exciting than a new driver and it works considerably better.
Ready to move up?
Gear that suits you depends far more on how far you actually throw than on how long you have played. If these picks are starting to feel wrong in either direction, the matching page one level away is the better place to shop.
Common questions
How far should a beginner throw a disc golf disc?
Most new players throw 150 to 250 feet, and many throw less in their first rounds. That is normal, and it is the number you should choose discs around rather than something to fix first.
How far does the average disc golfer throw?
Players who play weekly typically reach 280 to 350 feet within a year or two. Advanced amateurs throw 350 to 420 feet, which is where speed-12 distance drivers start to make sense.
How do I throw a disc golf disc further?
In order of effort: throw a lighter disc, throw a slower disc you can actually power up, choose a higher-glide mold, and release it flat rather than nose-up.
Is 250 feet a good disc golf drive?
It is a perfectly normal drive and enough to play almost any course enjoyably. Accuracy and putting lower scores far more than raw distance does.
Every flight number and spec on this page was read from the manufacturer’s own published product page, linked beside each pick. We do not throw these on a course — here is how we pick.
Sources
Read next
Disc Golf Discs by Arm Speed
Disc speed matched to throwing distance, bracket by bracket, with molds for each.
What Disc Weight Should a Beginner Use?
Why lighter flies further for a developing arm, and the ranges worth asking for.
Best Disc Golf Drivers for Beginners (2026)
Drivers slow enough to fly for a new arm, ranked by how forgiving they are.
How to Increase Your Disc Golf Arm Speed
Where distance actually comes from, in order of return, with the discs to practice on.