Swiss Golf Simulators All venues Map By canton By city Open now Near me For business

2 October 2026 · 9 min read

Disc golf in Switzerland: rules, discs, courses and what getting started costs

A disc instead of a ball: the rules for getting started, the four disc types, starter sets from CHF 27.90 and the courses of Switzerland, with the path to golf.

Disc golf in Switzerland: rules, discs, courses and what getting started costs — post image

Disc golf is played like golf, except you throw a disc instead of hitting a ball, until it lies in the metal basket. According to UDisc Switzerland has 56 courses, and a set of three discs costs from CHF 27.90 at a Swiss retailer. This post explains the rules, the discs and the courses, whose websites I read on 2 October 2026, and shows how disc golf can turn into golf.

What is disc golf?

According to the simplified rules of the PDGA disc golf is a game played very much like golf, except you throw a flying disc instead of hitting a ball with a club. As in golf a round consists of several holes, usually 18. On every hole you start at the teeing area and finish at the target. You throw the disc and throw it again from where it comes to rest, until it lies in the target. Your score is the number of throws plus any penalty throws.

The target is a metal basket. The hole is finished when the disc comes to rest in the chains or the basket. If it only touches the chains, or lands on top of the basket, it does not count. A Swiss retailer writes that there is no restriction by age or gender and that disc golf is also for families, clubs and companies (Schiibelade). The PDGA is the worldwide umbrella body and publishes the rules; in Switzerland Swiss Disc Golf is the umbrella organisation.

The rules for getting started

The PDGA has written a rule book of its own for beginners, the Simplified Rules of Disc Golf. By its own account it is meant for events tailored to beginners, and it does not apply at most PDGA tournaments. The key points:

  • You throw from the spot where your disc lies, the lie. When you throw, a foot or another body part must touch the lie.
  • Whoever is furthest from the target throws next.
  • Everyone in the group keeps the scorecard for everyone, and the group makes sure the rules are followed.
  • A penalty throw adds one throw to the score for the hole: whoever throws three times and gets one penalty writes a four.
SituationRule according to the Simplified Rules
Disc out of boundsone penalty throw, play on from the last spot in bounds, the previous lie or the drop zone if there is one
Disc cannot be foundafter three minutes of looking it is lost: go back to the previous lie or the drop zone and throw with one penalty
Moving an obstacleone penalty throw, except for small, easily movable things like pinecones, small rocks and twigs behind your lie
Breaking off branches or damaging the coursetwo penalty throws, possibly disqualification
Following through in the putting area, 10 m around the basketno jump, no step, no falling after the throw, otherwise the throw counts and you get a penalty throw

If you know the penalty strokes in golf you will recognise the idea, Penalty strokes at a glance shows them. At tournaments the more detailed Official Rules of the PDGA apply; for a first course the simplified ones are enough.

Which discs do you need?

Swiss Disc Golf sorts discs by their speed, the first value on the disc. Almost all manufacturers describe the flight behaviour with four numbers: speed, glide, fade and turn.

TypeSpeedWhat the association says
Putter1 to 3for controlled throws with straight flight paths, mainly for approaches and the final throw
Midrange4 to 5for beginners who mainly throw backhand, the association recommends the midrange as the fastest disc
Fairway driver6 to 8the slower driver category, often good for the forehand
Distance driver9 to 15the fastest type, with exceptions only for well trained players with high throwing speed

For distance drivers it is an exception when the discs are lighter than the normal weight of 170 grams. And discs with a pronounced turn, the understable ones, help beginners and players with a low throwing speed to reach good distances, according to the association.

What does getting started cost?

The Swiss retailer Schiibelade sells starter sets with three discs. As of 2 October 2026:

SetContentsPrice
Latitude64 Starter Set LightRetro Ruby, Pearl, Diamond, up to 160 gramsCHF 27.90
Streamline Starter-SetBaseline Putter, Premium Midrange, DriverCHF 33.90
Kastaplast Starter-SetK3 Reko, K3 Berg, K1 Stig, 167 to 180 gramsCHF 39.90
MVP Premium Box SetBaseline Putter, Premium Midrange, DriverCHF 39.90

The Latitude64 set costs CHF 27.90, so CHF 9.30 per disc, the Kastaplast set CHF 39.90, so CHF 13.30. The retailer writes that a disc does not cost much and cannot be compared with the financial effort of classic golf, which is a seller's statement. Our own calculation for golf is in Is golf an expensive hobby?. Whether a course costs anything is stated on its own site: the overviews I read name no entry price.

Where do you play disc golf in Switzerland?

UDisc lists 56 courses for Switzerland, 11 of them with 18 or more holes, plus 25 leagues and 7 stores (as of 2 October 2026). Most courses are on public ground, for example in parks or on green areas of larger sports facilities. Most have fixed baskets but no fixed tee positions. They are played in safari mode: you choose the spots from which you throw at the basket. The larger courses have fixed tee areas and a course plan, and in places you can rent discs on site.

CourseHolesAccording to UDisc
Zurich Hardhof19played more than 13.7 thousand times
Disc Golf Kurs Kollegi, Stans12played more than 5.4 thousand times
Disc Golf Park Albisbrunn10difficulty easy, estimated play time 58 minutes
Düdingen8difficulty easy, estimated play time 50 minutes

More holes are found at Disc Golf Engiadina with 28, Samnaun, Vitaparcours with 18 and the Seeburgpark Kreuzlingen with 14. If you are looking for disc golf in Basel: Basel has had a disc golf club since 2005, the Merry Chains, and it names the Grüttpark in Lörrach, Germany, as its home course, 18 holes (Merry Chains). According to the club there are currently 24 disc golf clubs in Switzerland. You can play disc golf alone, the retailer writes, but many join a club in their region.

Five tips for your first course

  • Start with a putter and a midrange. For beginners who throw backhand the association recommends the midrange as the fastest disc.
  • With a low throwing speed take an understable disc, which according to the association helps to reach good distances.
  • Play in a group and keep the scorecard for each other, as the Simplified Rules intend.
  • In the putting area, 10 m around the basket, stay balanced after the throw, otherwise there is a penalty throw.
  • For questions find a club, there are 24 in Switzerland, and check on the course's site whether you can rent discs.

From disc golf to golf: the next step

Disc golf and golf share the basic idea of reaching the target in as few throws or strokes as possible, and many terms, par for example. The words that appear in both are explained in Golf terms explained. If you like the holes and want to play with a club and a ball too, the simulator hour is the smallest step. You do not need a course licence or a membership for it, and Golf without a course licence and without membership explains what is possible in Switzerland.

If you start late or with children, you find age and prices in Starting golf late and Golf for children in Switzerland. Another way to play on a meadow is described in Swin Golf in Switzerland, and for the months when little is possible outdoors read Golf in winter in Switzerland.

The directory lists 126 venues: 110 indoor venues and 16 ranges with ball-flight tracking, in 21 cantons (as of 2 October 2026, our own entries). 80 of the 110 indoor venues state an hourly price, between CHF 25 and 99, with a median of CHF 50 per bay. The map shows all of them by canton, golf simulator near me the nearest, and golf simulator for beginners is the start for the first hour.

Frequently asked questions

How does disc golf work?

You throw a disc from a teeing area to a metal basket and then throw it again from where it lies, until it stays in the basket. Your score is the number of throws plus penalty throws. As in golf a round usually has 18 holes.

How many disc golf courses are there in Switzerland?

UDisc lists 56 courses for Switzerland, 11 of them with 18 or more holes, plus 25 leagues and 7 stores (as of 2 October 2026). Most courses are on public ground, for example in parks or on green areas of larger sports facilities.

What does a disc golf starter set cost?

At the Swiss retailer Schiibelade starter sets with three discs cost CHF 27.90 to 39.90 as of 2 October 2026, for example CHF 27.90 for the Latitude64 Starter Set Light and CHF 39.90 for the Kastaplast Starter-Set.

What happens if the disc lands out of bounds?

According to the simplified PDGA rules there is one penalty throw. You play on from the last spot in bounds, the previous lie or the drop zone if there is one. If the disc is not found after three minutes of looking, it counts as lost.

Where can I play disc golf in Basel?

Basel has had a disc golf club since 2005, the Merry Chains, and it names the Grüttpark in Lörrach, Germany, with 18 holes as its home course. According to the club there are currently 24 disc golf clubs in Switzerland, and you also find courses in the UDisc directory.

Sources