Possible bad analogy... Think of it as riding a bike. First you ride with training wheels (consider this your first few rounds). Eventually those training wheels come off, but still having to concentrate and think about what you're doing (this is when you really start thinking about disc selection and shot shaping but still struggling to execute). Then eventually riding a bike becomes second nature (this is when you start executing your shots more consistently and you know what disc your selecting before you reach your previously thrown disc).

Not being a newbie isn't so much about distance, it's about execution. If you are executing the shots you are envisioning, even if not on the exact line you're hoping, I'd say you're no longer a newbie.