Section 5: Rules of Play
The Tee Shot
The first throw on each hole is the tee shot. The player must establish a legal stance entirely within the tee area before releasing the disc. The disc is in play upon release and remains in play through its flight and any subsequent slide, roll, or skip until coming to rest.
Marking the Lie
After the tee shot and on every subsequent throw, the lie — the position from which the next throw is made — is marked. Two methods are recognized:
- Marking with the thrown disc itself, with the disc remaining where it came to rest (the leading edge of the disc closest to the target defines the lie)
- Marking with a mini-marker disc placed on the line of play between the disc and the target, directly in front of the thrown disc
Stance for the Throw
The player establishes a legal stance at the moment the disc is released:
- At least one supporting point (typically a foot) must be in contact with the playing surface within 30 cm directly behind the marker disc, on the line of play
- All other supporting points must be in line with or behind the marker disc
- No supporting point may be in contact with the marker disc itself or with any object in front of the marker on the line of play
Falling Putt Rule
Within 10 meters of the target — the "putting circle" — the player must demonstrate full balance after releasing the disc and before stepping forward. The player must not advance any supporting point closer to the target than the marker until full balance has been demonstrated. A breach of the falling-putt rule is a stance violation and the throw must be re-thrown without re-marking.
Holing Out
A hole is completed when the disc comes to rest fully supported by the basket or by the chains assembly above the basket entry. A disc that strikes the chains and falls outside the basket is not holed and must be played from where it comes to rest. A disc that wedges in the chains above the basket but is not supported by the basket is similarly not holed.
Throw Limits and Time of Throw
- The player must release the throw within 30 seconds after taking position at the lie and after the previous player has thrown — failure to do so is a time violation
- A player who takes excessive practice swings or otherwise unreasonably delays play is subject to the courtesy provisions of Rule 804
Flex Starts and Order of Play
Competition Manual Rule 1.15 (Flex Starts) permits a Tournament Director to run a flex start — a staggered, continuous tee-off format without fixed groups — at one-day, one-round C-Tier events and at Leagues. Rule 802.02.G (Order of Play) ordinarily bars one group from playing through another; for 2026, Rule 802.02.G was revised to exempt flex starts from that restriction, so that a faster group in a flex-start event may play through a slower group ahead of it, provided a majority of the group being played through agrees.
Lost Disc
A disc is declared lost if it is not located within 3 minutes after the group reaches the area where the disc is believed to be. A lost disc carries a one-throw penalty, and the lie is established at the previous lie (or at a designated drop zone where applicable).