Did you just sign up for your first glow tournament? Or maybe you've been playing glow rounds for years now, but you just don't play as well in the dark as you do in the light.
Surprisingly I and many of my buddies have played some of our best rounds at night! If you're struggling to play well in glow tournaments our glow disc golf tips will show you just how we overcome the darkness!
P.S. If this is your first round at night you might want to learn how to play glow disc golf. Come back here afterward to learn how to improve your scores.
Glow Rounds vs Glow Tournaments
Simply playing a round of disc golf at night can be a little different from playing an entire tournament! While rounds can be laid back, tournaments do have a slight competitive edge to them!
If you want to succeed in a tournament we suggest playing a few night rounds first, to get some practice playing in the dark!
Tips To Help You Score Better At Night
As mentioned earlier players often score better at night, my fellow disc golfers and I included. We've collectively devised several ways to improve our playing at night, and I thought I'd share them with you to help you do the same.
1 - Preserve Your Night Vision
I can't see at night so I don't play very well. Have you ever focused on letting your eyes adjust to the darkness? You can actually see pretty well.
The trick is to use artificial light such as torches and phones as little as possible.
Scoring on your phone? If you're on Udisc switch to dark mode. Every time you put down that horrible bogey you're increasing the chances of your next!
Walking between holes can be tricky at night. Especially when the course is built on tricky terrain. This can make it very tempting to use a bright torch.
Unfortunately, when you arrive at the next tee, switch off your light, and step up to throw... guess what? You can't see a thing.
While it's important to stay safe, you'll be amazed at how much you can see without light if you give your eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness. If you do find you need light, use something dim, and keep it out of your and your cardmates' eyes.
If you have a UV flashlight, use it to illuminate the ground as you walk. It won't have such an effect on your night eyesight.
2 - Slow Everything Down And Focus
You've probably heard this tip before regarding traditional disc golf. Unsurprisingly it is even more effective when playing glow disc golf.
Slowing down makes you more consistent, and will give you more confidence when running up on the tee pad.
Glow rounds, leagues, and tournaments are most commonly played on courses with shorter hole distances. This means you don't actually need to throw like you're trying to make it 400 feet down the fairway.
Switch To Discs That Are A Little More Understable and Slower
Slowing down doesn't only have to do with how you throw. It also means adjusting your disc choice.
Using slower discs brings consistency, accuracy, and confidence. Tossing discs that are more understable will help you compensate for slower throws.
Putters and mids are my personal go-to's when glow disc golfing.
3 - Play Smart Disc Golf
As they say work smart, not hard. Well, when it comes to chucking round pieces of plastic at night we say: play smart, not hard.
This relates very much to the last tip. Slowing down your game is one way to play smarter. Using slower discs is the smart play.
The other way to play smarter is how you plan to attack the course. Once you've played a course once or twice you'll know which holes are easy to birdie, and which often end in bogies.
When playing at night, attack the holes that are easy to birdie, with a low risk of bogeying. There should be plenty on shorter courses.
On the holes that you've often bogeyed, play for par. Throw a conservative shot, and accept the layup, or longer putt.
By using these strategies you'll never be caught in a spiraling dive of bogies again!
4 - Dress Right: Stay Warm
Glow disc golf is most popular in winter due to the shorter days. Winter is cold. Especially at night.
To bring your A-game dress warmly, in a way that restricts your throwing motion as little as possible.
To do this wear a flexible, athletic, windproof, and waterproof jacket. Use flexible under layers such as thermal wear. Put on your waterproof shoes, and even socks if you have.
Wear leggings that are warm, yet flexible. To put it simply - not jeans.
Wearing layers is recommended. If you start to warm up from the physical activity of walking and throwing, just shed. Bring a disc golf bag that has a little extra room for layers no longer needed.
5 - Put Glow Tape On Your Putting Putter
Here's a quick and easy tip for you; Put glow tape on your putting putter.
But why? You won't lose it when you're putting from 20ft in the dark.
Actually, it can be tricky to find. This in turn will get in your head every time you step up to putt. I found I was worrying just enough to put me off my putting stride. Having the glow tape eased this worry and allowed me to focus entirely on making the putt.
Don't use a putter in glow plastic, they're not at all grippy unless it's base glow plastic. Even so, switching from your regular putter will have some impact on your game.
6 - Practice Putting At Night
If you find putting in the dark more difficult than in the light there's a simple solution. Practice.
Yep, the usual "tips to do X better article" that just tells you to practice. I mean come on, I knew that already. I just want to know how to be awesome today.
Hopefully, this is a little different. I'm not trying to say practice, practice, practice. What I'm saying is to simulate the exact putting scenarios you'll be in. For glow tournaments, this means practice putting at night.
If you don't have a practice basket at home you can get them through the link. Out of budget? No worries. Just send Mr. Musk a dm asking for $1 mil, or you can use a basket on your local course.
MVP's Lunar Module is a cool way to illuminate baskets, although an ordinary LED lamp will do just fine.
7 - Use Discs Or Tape That Glows Well
Disc golf discs are often released in glow plastic for marketing purposes. Many of the latest base glow plastics and color glow discs do not have a strong or lasting glow.
In almost every case premium plastic glow discs outperform the others.
The quality of glow plastic also varies depending on the manufacturer. For instance, MVP's Eclipse is the best you'll get, while Discraft's new Seasonal Glo is somewhat disappointing.
If glow discs aren't bright enough for you add some glow tape. Some players' games rely on several discs that they throw all the time. If these discs aren't made with glow plastic their scores at night will suffer. The problem is easily solved by sticking a length of glow tape onto them.
Using discs with proper glow will boost confidence, as you won't be worrying about losing one. Instead of searching for lost glow discs, you'll have more time to focus on your game.
8 - Ensure You Have A Proper Glow Disc Golf Charger
You may have excellent glow discs, but if you can't charge them what good are they? Not much.
If you play disc golf at night often, a disc golf UV flashlight is well worth the money. They charge discs fairly quickly.
[product=mvp-compact-uv-flashlight-1]
[/product]
If you're a glow round enthusiast then you'll be delighted to hear there's a new glow charger on the market that is even better than UV torches. That's the Halo Red disc golf charger.
[product=halo-red-disc-golf-glow-charger]
[/product]
It can charge two or more discs in a matter of seconds. The design allows it to sit in your bag between two discs. This way you don't even have to charge them yourself, just pull them out and throw them!
Once again using the right glow chargers for disc golf will help you to focus on your game, and not on preparing your disc.
Warning: Do not shine a UV light into your own, or someone else's eyes. Doing so can cause permanent vision loss!
9 - Use Fewer Discs
This strategy is very effective in daylight, but it's even more powerful in the darkness. I wanted to write "sounds a lot like stealing" but I have to watch what I say on this blog.
Using fewer discs allows you to adjust based on shots you've already thrown in the round. This in turn gives you confidence.
I personally throw almost every tee shot in a glow round with my driving putter or my forehand approach disc. Of course, if the course is longer you may need to disc up a little.
10 - Don't Think About The Trees
Want to hear a lame joke?
What's the difference between an enviromentalist and a disc golfer? The enviromentalist loves trees.
You asked for it.
You might think that you're more likely to hit trees when you can't see them, but actually, it's the opposite. If you know the course well enough, just aim to hit the correct line.
This tip is all about your mental game. When you stop worrying about the trees, you actually reduce the chance of hitting them. Not being able to see the trees helps you to ignore them. Out of sight, out of mind.
Out of tips... sorry : )
Key Takeaways
Okay, so now you have a bunch of tips to help you play better glow disc golf. Test these out next time you play. Some might not work for you, while others will be game-changers.
To recap here are all 10 glow disc golf tips in a list.
- Preserve your night vision.
- Slow everything down and focus more.
- Play smart disc golf.
- Dress warmly.
- Use glow tape on your putting putter
- Practice putting at night.
- Use only discs that glow brightly, otherwise, add glow tape.
- Use a powerful disc golf glow charger.
- Use fewer discs.
- Ignore the trees.
FAQs
Why do disc golfers often throw better at night?
Not being able to see trees actually helps your score. Instead of worrying about them you can keep them out of your mind and focus on hitting the correct line. This is the most common reason for better scores at night.
How can I find disc golf glow tournaments near me?
If you know anyone big into your local disc golf scene ask them. If you don't know anyone use Udisc. It's a great app for finding courses, tournaments, and leagues.
How do I improve my putting in glow rounds?
To improve your putting in glow rounds do two things. One, practice putting at night to become familiar with it. Two, put some glow tape on your putter so you don't have to worry about finding it.
Why are disc golf glow tournaments so popular?
Glow tournaments are popular because of how much fun it is to play in them. The atmosphere at night with a card of fellow discers is great. Glow tournaments are also popular in the wintertime when days are shorter and the only way to play after work is with glow discs.
