Putt the Winter Blues Behind You
Cold hands, stiff discs, and snow that can swallow a drive whole have many players shelving their bags until spring. Indoor putting leagues are a warm, snow-free way to keep disc golf in your weekly routine. Get some friends together, set up a few baskets, maybe have a beer or two, and putt the winter blues behind you.
Charlotte Putting League
Banging putts at Lenny Boy Brewing
Did you know some putting leagues average 70–80 players a week? Matt Cheney and Brandon Reed run one of the largest weekly indoor putting events in the world: the Charlotte Putting League. On a good night, they’re close to 100 players.
The league has been running for over 10 years, moving venues several times as attendance grew. After trying out multiple formats, they landed at Lenny Boy Brewing Co. in Charlotte, NC, with a random-draw doubles, cornhole-style system that keeps the night social and competitive. Their bracket sorts teams by record as the night goes on, eventually narrowing down the top eight. As Matt says, the format “takes a lot of pressure off new players and makes the event ultra social.”
Start Your Own Putting League
Ask for Help
Running a league alone can be a lot. Ask a friend from your local disc golf club to team up so you can split the work — and keep things going even if one of you misses a week.
Find a Venue & Pick a Night
Breweries are the go-to choice: big spaces, supportive owners, and slow weeknights (usually Monday or Tuesday). Pitch it as mutually beneficial — they donate space, your league brings in customers.
Other options include rec centers, small music venues, or someone’s basement or garage. Anywhere where you have permission and enough space indoors will work.
Reach Out to Your Local Community
Once you have a time and place, spread the word. If baskets are an issue early on, ask players to bring their own portable targets. The number of baskets — and the number of early participants — will help determine your format.
Pick a Format
Choose a format based on your space, basket count, and group size. Here are three strong options:
Cornhole Style
This is how the Charlotte Putting League is run. Set up two baskets a given distance away from each other (say 30 feet). Create a bracket, either for individuals or doubles teams. Players get five chances to take two putts at the opposing team’s basket. Each putt made is worth one point. Make both and it’s worth three points. Total the scores. The winning team moves into the winning bracket and the losing team moves into the lower bracket.
Putting Stations
This option works well if you have fewer available baskets. Set up your baskets with marked lines of tape 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 feet away from the target. Each player gets five putts from each station. You can either make each putt worth one point regardless of distance, or make longer putts worth more points. The winner is the player with the most points at the end of the night.
Sudden Death
Set up your basket with marked lines of tape on the ground every 3 feet. Create a bracket. Players face off against each other one v one. If both players make their putt, they move back three feet. Once one player makes a putt that the other player misses, they have won that battle. This form of match play recreates the pressure of on-course putting. Every putt is must-make with no second chances.
Grow Your League
Once things are running, focus on bringing new players in. Charlotte didn’t pull 80–100 players right away. Encourage regulars to invite friends, and welcome curious onlookers at the venue to try a couple putts. Growth comes from consistency and a friendly atmosphere.
A Few More Tips
- Make it a learning experience for participants. Help newer players with their putting technique. Offer prizes for the most improved putter from the first week to the last week. Use incentives to encourage players to become regular attendees. Anyone who comes to at least five league nights gets a free custom disc.
- Have a winner for each night, but also a winner for the player who does best for the entire season. Collect seven dollars a night from each player. Five for the nightly league, one into a pot for the season-long competition, and one for a creative, ace-pot equivalent. In the putting station style, for example, any player who makes all ten 30 and 35 footers wins the pot.
- Offer up additional prizes each night by raffle that everyone who shows has a chance to win. This will encourage new players to keep coming back instead of feeling like they are donating money to the best putters at the league.
Indoor leagues keep your putting sharp and your community connected. Winter might push you inside, but it doesn’t have to push disc golf out of your routine.
