How To Build a Frisbee Golf Basket for Your Backyard
Updated: Jun. 06, 2023
Why buy a commercial (and pricey!) disc golf basket when you can build your own? Satisfy your DIY urge with this upcycled bike wheel and tire project.
Time A full day
ComplexityIntermediate
Cost$100 - $150
Introduction
Since its humble beginnings in the 1970s, disc golf (aka Frisbee golf) has evolved into a juggernaut, with an estimated four million people playing worldwide. Whether you're a regular at the local course or just getting started, having your own backyard disc golf basket means hours of practice without fighting the crowds.
Sure, you can buy a backyard basket, but where's the fun in that? I built one, and you can, too.
To keep costs down, I used an old tire (free), a bike wheel ($10) and umbrella stand ($20) from Facebook Marketplace, and some plywood and sheet metal I found on the curb. Rounding out the purchases are PVC pipe ($10), which is sturdy but cheaper than metal conduit, and various fittings and hardware (approximately $40, but this will vary depending on what you have stashed in your garage).
Finally, let's talk about the chain. You need about 40 feet for this project. While there is no official regulation size for the links, many devotees on the web recommend 2/0 or 3/16-in. galvanized steel chain. That would have cost more than $100! Because I am not a professional, I chose a smaller gauge zinc-plated chain to keep the chain cost at less than $40.
Tools Required
- Band saw (optional)
- Clamp
- Drill bit set
- Drill or impact driver
- Hacksaw
- Hammer
- Handheld sander (optional)
- Hole saw kit (optional)
- Jig Saw
- Lineman's pliers
- Socket wrench with 9/16-in. socket
- Tape measure
- Tin snips
- Tongue and groove pliers (2)
- Utility knife
- Waterproof felt-tip marker
- Wood chisel
Materials Required
- 1-1/2-in PVC male adapter
- 1-1/2-in PVC pipe (5 feet long)
- 1-in sheet metal screws with neoprene washers
- 2-in. x 1-1/2-in PVC reducing bushing
- 2x4 scrap wood
- 3/8-in. x 6-in lag screw and washer
- 40 feet of exterior-grade chain
- Aluminum sheeting
- Bike wheel
- Eye protection
- Gloves
- Outdoor-rated duct tape or stucco tape (optional)
- Plastic tubing (optional)
- Plywood the size of tire
- S-hooks or quick links
- Shower drain (2-piece)
- Umbrella base
- Used tire
- Wood screws
- Zip ties
Project step-by-step (11)
Step 1
Cut the tire
- Draw or find a line on the tire between sidewall and tread you can follow with the jigsaw.
- Drill a hole in the sidewall next to the line with a 1/2-in. drill bit or hole saw.
- Use the jigsaw to circle the tire, removing the sidewall. Keep for later.
- Always wear eye protection when using power tools.
Step 2
Cut the plywood and sheet metal
- Set the uncut side of tire on the plywood.
- Trace a circle around the circumference.
- Cut the plywood inside the line with the jigsaw. Make the circle large enough so you can attach the tire to it without leaving excessive overhang.
- You could also use a piece of rectangular scrap wood, like I did, large enough for tire to sit on.
- Cut aluminum sheeting into a circle the same size as your tire or plywood circle. Wear gloves.
- This protects the wood from rain and creates the bottom of the basket if your plywood isn’t circular.
Step 3
Mark the centers
- Find the center of your plywood circle by measuring in two perpendicular directions across the circle and marking the halfway points.
- If using square or rectangular wood, place the tape measure on the two diagonals and mark the halfway points.
- Mark an X where your two center points meet.
- Repeat on the other side of wood.
- Repeat the process on one side of your aluminum circle.
Step 4
Assemble the basket
- Place the tire on the workbench or ground with the bottom side facing up.
- Layer aluminum, then plywood, centered on the tire. Orient the aluminum so the center mark will be visible inside the basket.
- Drive a few screws through the plywood, sheeting and tire to tack it in place.
- Separate the two-piece shower drain by unscrewing the bolts.
- Attach the threaded drain piece to plywood with wood screws. Center the opening on your plywood X.
- Measure the height of your tire basket assembly, including the drain piece. Write down this number.
Step 5
Prep the base
- Insert 1-1/2-in. PVC into the umbrella base.
- Measure from the ground and place a mark on the PVC at 32-1/4-inches. Draw a small arrow at your line, pointing to the ground.
- Remove the PVC from umbrella base and set it on the table.
- Measure back from your line, in the direction of arrow, the number you came up with in the previous step to accommodate the tire basket.
- The top tire rim should be 32-1/4-inches (approximately) off the ground when basket is complete.
- Make a new mark. Cut the PVC at this new line with a hacksaw.
Step 6
Finish the base
- Put the PVC pipe back into umbrella base and tighten the set screws.
- Thread the 1-1/2-in. PVC male adapter into threads of drain piece on the tire basket.
- Flip the tire basket over and fit pipe into adapter.
- Push down to ensure PVC is seated.
- Drive multiple 1-in. sheet metal screws with washers from inside the tire through the sheeting and base.
- Use a 1/2-in. drill bit or hole saw to make a few drain holes around edge of tire base.
- Retrieve the reserved top of the tire you cut off earlier and place it inside the tire, rounded side up, to cover the screws and deflect rain.
Step 7
Cut PVC for the deflector assembly
- Hold the second drain piece centered on the aluminum X. With a waterproof marker, mark where the screws will go and remove.
- Tack a second drain piece onto the workbench.
- Insert a reducing bushing to use the rest of your 1-1/2-in PVC. (I had a scrap 2-in. PVC piece, so that’s what I used.)
- Measure the depth of your tire basket and add 20 inches. Cut the PVC pipe at this length.
- The opening from the top of the tire rim to the bike wheel should be 20 inches.
- Adjust the length of pipe to accommodate the drain and bushing, if necessary.
- Put the pipe into the drain and tap into place on the workbench.
Step 8
Attach the bike wheel
- Use a jigsaw or hole saw to cut a plug of 2×4 wood slightly larger than the diameter of your pipe. Taper one end with a sander or chisel.
- Hammer the plug into the end of the pipe so it’s really tight.
- Drill a pilot hole in the wood at the end of pipe with a 1/4-in. or 5/16-in. bit.
- Disassemble the axle of the bike wheel with tongue and groove pliers.
- Slide a washer onto the lag screw and drop through the bike axle opening.
- Drive the lag screw into the wood plug with a socket wrench and 9/16-in. socket. Tighten.
Step 9
Build the deflector assembly
- Cut lengths of chain with lineman’s pliers or a band saw:
- Twelve at 24 inches;
- Six at 21 inches;
- One at 14 inches.
- Encircle the pipe with the 14-in. chain and attach the ends together with an S-hook or quick link.
- Hang deflector chains from the bike spokes with S-hooks or quick links, spacing equally:
- Twelve 24-in. chains around exterior rim;
- Six 21-in. chains around interior hub.
- Arrange the chains around the hub at desired distances from the hub.
- Pro tip: I put the outer chains on the spokes that angle downward so gravity helps keep them in place.
- Secure with zip ties and plastic tubing to prevent sliding.
- Carefully slice small sections of plastic tubing lengthwise with the utility knife and press onto the spokes.
- Rest chains on the tubing and tighten zip ties around chains and tubing. Trim excess zip tie.
- Wrapping duct tape around spokes would work, too, to give zip ties something to grab. (I had tubing in the garage.)
- Attach ends of the interior and exterior deflector chains to 14-in. chain circle with S-hooks or quick links.
Step 10
Finish
- Unscrew the deflector assembly from your workbench.
- Place on your marks inside the basket.
- Drive sheet metal screws with washers through drain holes, aluminum and wood, taking care not to crack the drain.
- Apply outdoor-rated colorful duct tape to spruce up any visible plywood, or to cover the PVC.
- Grab some discs and play!
Step 11
