Hyzer & Chain

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Disc Golf Glossary

Every term you will hear on a course or read on this site, defined plainly and grouped by what it describes.

By Selena H. Published August 21, 2026 Updated October 5, 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.

Disc golf has an unusual amount of jargon for a sport you can learn in an afternoon, and almost none of it is explained to new players. Here is all of it, grouped by what it describes. Anything marked with a link has its own page where the term needs more than a sentence.

Flight and shot shapes

Hyzer
A release where the outer edge of the disc is angled downward. For a right-handed backhand this produces a flight curving left. Also used for any left-finishing shot.
Anhyzer
The opposite: the outer edge angled upward, producing a flight curving right for a right-handed backhand.
Turnover
A shot deliberately thrown to curve right (right-handed backhand), usually with an understable disc on an anhyzer angle.
Flex shot
An overstable disc thrown on an anhyzer angle, so it flexes back to the left at the end. Produces a long S in the opposite direction to a normal S-curve.
S-curve
A flight that moves right through the middle then comes back left, produced by a disc with moderate turn and real fade.
Roller
A shot thrown steeply so the disc turns fully over, lands on its edge and rolls. Needs a very understable disc and firm ground.
Nose angle
The angle of the disc’s leading edge relative to its flight path. Nose-up stalls the disc; flat or slightly nose-down flies. The largest single distance factor for most amateur players.
Skip
The disc bouncing off the ground and continuing. Overstable discs on hard ground skip hard; low-glide discs with gummy plastic do not.

Flight numbers and stability

Speed
Rated 1 to 14. How fast the disc must be thrown for it to fly as designed. A threshold, not a distance rating — see flight numbers explained.
Glide
Rated 1 to 7. How well the disc keeps itself in the air. The number that actually produces distance.
Turn
Rated +1 to -5. How far the disc banks right early in flight on a right-handed backhand throw.
Fade
Rated 0 to 5. How hard the disc hooks left at the end of its flight, regardless of how hard it was thrown.
Overstable
Little or no turn with substantial fade. Resists flipping and finishes hard left — see overstable versus understable.
Understable
Substantial negative turn with little fade. Banks right and does not fully come back.
Flippy
Informal term for very understable — a disc that turns over easily.
Beat in
A disc worn by tree hits and use, which consistently makes it more understable. Base plastics beat in fast; premium blends slowly.
Dome / flat top
The profile of the flight plate. Domey discs tend to glide more; flat discs tend to be more stable and hold a line.

Discs and equipment

Mold
A specific disc model, such as a Buzzz or a Teebird, regardless of which plastic it is made from.
Run
A production batch of a mold. Runs of the same mold can fly slightly differently, which is why players talk about a “good run”.
Bead
A small raised ridge on the underside of the rim. Beaded putters give a defined grip reference; beadless ones feel smoother.
Rim width
The thickness of the disc’s edge. Wider rims mean higher speed and more distance potential, and a harder grip for small hands.
Base plastic / premium plastic
Base is softer, grippier, cheaper and beats in fast. Premium is harder and holds its flight for years — see plastic types.
Putt and approach
A putter thrown rather than putted, usually a more overstable one. Not a separate disc category.
Utility disc
A specialist mold for a specific shot, usually very overstable or very understable.
Mini
A small marker disc placed in front of your lie to mark it before the next throw.

Play, rules and scoring

Lie
The spot where your disc came to rest, from which the next throw is taken.
Tee pad
The marked area each hole is thrown from, usually concrete or gravel.
Circle one
Within 10 meters (33 feet) of the basket, where the putting rule applies: you may not step past your lie toward the basket after releasing.
Circle two
Between 10 and 20 meters from the basket. No special rule — used as a statistical bracket.
Falling putt
A rules violation inside circle one: stepping past your lie toward the basket before demonstrating balance after a putt.
OB (out of bounds)
An area marked as off-limits. Landing in it costs a penalty stroke and the next throw comes from a defined relief point.
Mando
Mandatory: a marked obstacle the disc must pass on a specified side, used to force a particular line or keep play away from danger.
Ace
A hole in one. Also the most-discussed event in disc golf relative to how rarely it happens.
Spit out
When a disc hits the chains but bounces back out instead of dropping into the basket.
PDGA
The Professional Disc Golf Association, which publishes the official rules and the approved-disc list.

Throwing techniques

Backhand
The standard throw, with the back of the hand leading. Produces the most distance for most players.
Forehand / flick / sidearm
Three names for the same throw, with the palm leading. Imparts the opposite spin, so it needs more overstable discs.
Thumber / tomahawk
Overhand throws where the disc travels on edge and flips over. Used to get over obstacles.
Run-up
The approach steps before a throw, used to generate speed. Ends with the plant.
Plant
Setting the front foot at the end of the run-up. Where the sideways load on your shoe happens, which is why lateral support matters.
Toe drag
The trailing foot pivoting on its toe during follow-through. Part of a free throw, and the main reason disc golfers wear out shoes.
Spin putt / push putt
Two putting styles. Spin is flat and firm with rotation; push is lofted and floated. They suit different putters.
Jump putt
A putt from outside circle one where the player jumps forward after release, legal because the circle-one rule does not apply.

Common questions

What does hyzer mean in disc golf?

A release where the outer edge of the disc is angled downward, which for a right-handed backhand produces a flight curving left. Anhyzer is the opposite.

What is circle one in disc golf?

Within 10 meters (about 33 feet) of the basket. The putting rule applies there: you may not step past your lie toward the basket after releasing until you have demonstrated balance.

What is a mando?

Short for mandatory — a marked obstacle the disc must pass on a specified side, used to force a particular line or to keep play away from a hazard.

What does it mean when a disc is beat in?

Worn by tree hits and use, which consistently makes it more understable. Base plastics beat in quickly; premium blends hold their flight for years.

What is the difference between a flick and a forehand?

Nothing — flick, forehand and sidearm are three names for the same throw, with the palm leading rather than the back of the hand.

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