The short answer: If you are completely new, go for Starter Pack 1. You get three discs, a shoulder bag and a mini marker in one box, so you can head out to the course as soon as it is unpacked. If you want more discs from the start, plastic that lasts longer, light discs or just the cheapest way into the sport, you will find our picks further down.
Disc Golf Starter Pack 1What to look for
Two types of disc will take you a long way: a putter for short throws and putts at the basket, and a fairway driver for your drives. A midrange is nice to have for the in-between throws, but you do not need one for your first round.
Hold off on distance drivers. They need a lot of speed to fly the way they are built to, and early on you will usually throw further and more accurately with a fairway driver. Look for low-speed discs that fly straight without having to be thrown hard. What the numbers on a disc mean is covered in What do the numbers on a disc mean?, and why discs turn different ways in What do understable and overstable mean?
Weight matters too. Lighter discs of around 150-160 grams need less power to go far and stay in the air, which makes them a good choice for kids and for anyone who wants distance without putting everything into the throw.
Finally, the plastic. As a new player you will hit more trees and rocks, and that wears discs down. Base plastic is cheap and fine for learning the game, while premium plastic lasts longer.
Our picks, by what you need
More discs from the start
Starter Pack 2 has the same bag and mini marker as Pack 1, but five discs. Alongside the putter and the two fairway drivers you get a midrange for the in-between throws and a distance driver to grow into as your throw gets faster.
Starter Pack 3 has eight discs, three of them putters, plus a towel to wipe your discs during the round. With that many discs the set is easy to share if there are two of you who want to play together, and with three putters you can both putt on the same hole. Playing alone, you can use the putters to practise putting without walking back and forth after every disc.
Discs that hold up to trees
Our premium sets are made in Streamline's Neutron plastic, which lasts much longer than base plastic and feels good in the hand. Premium 3 has a putter (Pilot), a midrange (Echo) and a fairway driver (Drift) that flies straight and gives easy distance. Premium 5 and 7 build on it with more drivers, so you have a full set to grow into, or enough discs for two of you to share. No bag is included.
You will find the whole range under Premium Disc Golf Set.
The cheapest way into the sport
Discmania's Active set is the cheapest way to get a putter (Shogun), a midrange (Maestro) and a fairway driver (Magician). The Magician is stable and flies straight with a reliable fade at the end. A three-disc set is meant for one player, so if there are more of you, the bundle offer gives you 2 to 5 Active sets at a lower price per set. That way the whole family or group of friends gets one each.
Light discs that go far without full power
Latitude 64's Starter Set Light has a putter (Ruby), a midrange (Pearl) and a driver (Diamond) at 150-160 grams in Retro plastic. The low weight makes them easy to keep flat and in the air longer, so they give good distance without hard throws. That makes the set an obvious choice for kids and new players.
Starter Set LightA step up from the manufacturer
Discmania's Evolution set has a putter (Notion), a midrange (Origin) and a fairway driver (Function) in Geo plastic, which is soft with good grip. They are the same molds you will see in the bags of many experienced players, just in other plastics.
Evolution Disc Golf Set