Tag: disc golf school

Have you heard the term ‘diarrhea of the mouth’? It’s when someone can’t seem to prevent words from pouring out of their mouth (basically he/she can’t stop talking, whether from nervousness or a genetic flaw passed down through generations), usually leading to a detrimental result. I believe the currently accepted term for this is TMI (too much information).

Competitive disc golfers can suffer from a similar malady, and the term ‘Diarrhea of the Arm’ seems to fit. (OK, I’ve typed that disgusting word three times already, including the subject line, and that’s enough. I think you get the point). In the case of disc golf, it refers to a player’s tendency to throw extra shots after a throw or putt that doesn’t go the way he/she intended or hoped. In my experience these extra shots during a competitive round almost always have a few things in common:

• They seem to be a kind of knee-jerk reaction, unplanned until it’s clear that the original shot is obviously not getting the hoped-for results
• They are usually hastily executed- rushed, if you will
• They usually also display an exaggerated correction of whatever the player perceives to have gone wrong with the original shot.

The most common – and in my opinion, most harmful – example of this, er, affliction, is the second putter that is thrown at the basket in disgust after a missed putt. More often than not it also misses the basket, or slams the chains with the anger and distain intended. It also occurs on drives and upshots, but the follow-up mad-putt is the classic example. Every time I see a friend do this I want to tell him that all he’s doing is reinforcing bad habits.

My point is this: If you’re playing a practice round, or practice holes, with the pre-planned intention of throwing repetitive shots, that’s great. More people (including me) should practice that way more often. But, first of all, if you’re playing a round of golf you should play by the rules (even if you’re alone), which in stroke play clearly state that all strokes count. And even if you and your pals have established that such ‘practice’ shots don’t count in your rounds, don’t let such reactionary shots leave your hand unless you’re able to replicate your entire pre-shot routine with the goal of learning and getting better rather than angrily proving you coulda/shoulda made it. Treat every round, and every throw, as practice, and a learning opportunity to build on for future days.

If you have an interest in getting better, that is.

One of the most important aspects of proper disc golf putting form also happens to be counter-intuitive to the way people usually first learn to throw a flying disc. I’m talking follow-through, which in a classic putting motion means thrusting the throwing (putting) hand forward toward the target, as opposed to ‘flinging’ the disc from the side like a tossing a Frisbee at the beach.

A different set of muscles are involved, so it not only feels weird at first but also requires some time and repetition to develop those muscles. Check out this short clip on YouTube that demonstrates a short exercise developed to help players work on proper putting follow-through. If you don’t feel like watching the clip, here it is in a nutshell:

• Pick a target, preferably a basket or something else that won’t inflict abuse on your putters when you repeatedly throw them at said target.
• Get a stack of putters, preferably at least five or so
• Standing a short distance from the target (15 feet or closer), pick up the first disc, and prepare to putt at the target as you normally would. Except in this exercise, de-emphasize the ‘take-back/pull-back’ part of your putt, and over-emphasize your follow-through.
• If possible, hold the disc a foot in front of your body, and fight the urge to instinctively pull the disc back before letting it fly. Instead, try to use follow-through to get as much as possible on your putt.
• Repeat with the rest of your discs, then collect them and do it again.
• Once you get the hang of it, try to start with the disc even further from your body. Whether the disc goes in the basket isn’t as important in this exercise as a strong follow-through with your throwing arm ending up completely straight, pointing directly at the target.
• When you feel comfortable with your follow-through technique, go back to your normal take-back/pull-back but finish with the same exaggerated follow-through. If done correctly, you’ll notice that the disc goes further with less effort, and . . . .
• If you’re finishing with your hand pointed directly at the center of the target, you’ll also see another benefit: less putts that miss left or right. That part is pretty simple, really. If you pull a putter back on a straight line, and release it on a straight line, it will indeed fly on a straight line.

This exercise is all about transforming a technique that is crucial to proper putting form but can feel unnatural at first into something you do every time without thinking. It can only happen through repetition, though, and as I mentioned in the first part of this post, the muscles involved need to be developed as well. So if it doesn’t seem like you can do it at first- if the disc doesn’t even make it to the basket – just get closer and keep at it. Good luck, and let me know how it goes.

I used to over-simplify my approach to putting tempo, using the logic that the disc should have just enough on it to run out of gas and fall into the chains with just enough power left to slip into the cage. But on further examination, it’s clear that different situations require different tempos. Here’s a quick breakdown of when it makes sense to try to keep the disc on a straight line and hit the chains firmly, and when it doesn’t:

Drill that putt!

• First of all, I don’t mean to suggest ever cranking a rocket into the chains that make them explode apart like billiard balls at the break or bowling pins on their way to a strike. Anyone who putts that hard inevitably gets more than their share of spit-outs. The kind of firm putt I’m talking about is thrown just hard enough to fly on a straight line rather than curling and/or falling into the basket (see ‘True Golf Putt ‘ below).
• The premise is simply that if you thrust a putter at the target on a straight line from that distance and release directly toward the pole (do an exaggerated follow through to be sure), it doesn’t have time to veer away and will almost always go in. In this case, the firmer putt works in your favor because it minimizes the effects of wind and elevation changes. In addition, if your approach on short putts is to always be firm and follow through, you’ll come close to eliminating those times when you sleepwalk from 13 feet and come up short. Did that today, in fact. D’oh!
• Speaking of elevation changes, downhill putts deserve special attention here. Once you’ve decided to go for a downhill putt (as opposed to laying up), you should drill it if it’s within 10 meters (or a little more, if you usually shoot under par). The main reason for this is a disc’s tendency to turn into a roller when it falls off to the weak side. It almost always lands on it’s edge with spin left. Depending on the severity of the slope and hazards that await below the target the better option may be simply to lay up. But if you go for a downhill putt, drill it.
• Low ceiling putts (those with low-hanging foliage between you and the target) usually also require a putt that flies on a straight line. In this case, however, the reason you’re putting harder is to keep the disc low while still maintaining its height all the way to the basket. The lower you need to keep the disc, the harder it must be thrown to counter the effects of gravity.

The ‘True Golf’ Putt

• If you watch much ball golf on TV, you know what a lag putt is. As putts get further and further away, golfers are more concerned with leaving it close enough to the cup than making the putt. That’s because it makes sense to hedge your bets for the next shot as the odds get lower and lower for this one.
• In disc golf, we have it bother better and worse than ball golfers when it comes to putting. On the one hand, it’s much easier to nail a 15-foot put in disc golf than in ball golf. But we’re aiming at an elevated target, not a hole in the ground so we can’t really lag putt the way they do. But we can come close.
• Regular putting practice is bound to improve your accuracy and consistency in terms of percentage of putts that end up in the cage. But if you pay attention to the ones you miss and where they end up, it’ll help you get better at putting in such a way that your ‘comeback’ putts after missing are usually 15 or less.
• You want a disc that is close to perpendicular to the chains when it arrives at the target, losing elevation and moving at an angle roughly 45 degrees off the line between you and the pole. It should be losing speed when it arrives, not accelerating.
• The great thing about working on this kind of touch is that it has two benefits. You’ll generally see more borderline go in that on line-drive putts, and those come-backers will be shorter on the occasions when they miss the target altogether.

Played Black Mouse yesterday, and I got off to a nice start. Birdied 1, 2, 3, and 4. To my credit, I didn’t once entertain the possibility of shooting -18. But I did think that double digits was a given, and it got me out of a disc-ipline that I’ve worked for years to establish. I actually kept track of my score the whole time after that, and when on the teepad calculated how many holes out how many remaining I’d have to birdie to shoot -10. (For the record, I shot a bogie-free -7, but that’s not the point).

This approach is quite the opposite of my overall disc golf philosophy, ‘disc golf in a vacuum‘. Click the preceding link if you’re interested in the minute details, but it basically means that I believe we can have the most fun – and perform best – when we allow ourselves to be completely immersed in our next shot. The key is to embrace the challenge of the shot purely for the challenge of executing it perfectly. Don’t get hung up with assigning values to the shot, like, for instance “if I can this putt for birdie I’m at -8 with three holes to go!” Instead, focus on the things that will actually help you do what you’re intending to do. Or nothing at all. But anything is better than letting external noise distract you from the task at hand.

I’ve been practicing this for more than five years now, and I’m proud to say I’ve gotten to the point where most rounds I don’t know my exact score until I add it up at the end. Aside from better scores through improved focus on what I’m actually doing, here are some other benefits:

• I rarely ever have a bad round in terms of just having a crappy time out there (score-wise, yes). I’m able to appreciate even bad throws in a learning experience kind of way, and bad breaks rarely get under my skin.
• When the round is over, it’s time to add up the score. It’s kinda fun to piece it all together ‘for the first time,’ in a sense. It also helps to recount each shot and allow the good and the bad to sink in.
• If you’re in any kind of competition, and your rival keeps mentioning the score, it’s fun to watch his/her reaction when you admit you have no clue what your score is, then smile the same smile whether you’re + or -8.

So don’t count those chickens, or those strokes. The game will only get better.

Usually when you hear disc selection, you think in terms of which disc in your bag is best suited to execute your next shot. Today I’m talking about something else, a concept that could maybe be called ‘disc selection for disc preservation’. It results from one of the major distinctions between disc golf and ball golf- the fact that our discs are the equivalent to their clubs and balls combined.

If you’re a ball golf enthusiast heading off to play a challenging course you’ve never played before, you might put another sleeve or two of balls in your bag in anticipation of hitting some shots into unfamiliar OB. It makes sense, especially if it is any kind of official competition. Remember the movie Tin Cup? In it the point was raised that if a player runs out of balls he or she is disqualified. So extra balls in the bag is a pretty simple insurance policy. For us disc golfers, not so simple.

When we lose a disc, in essence, we lose the equivalent of a club. And when you lose a key disc in your bag, you usually don’t have one exactly like it waiting in the wings. Most key discs have been broken in to a point that they can’t be replaced right away with another one off the shelf, even if you happen to be carrying it with you. And if you’re like me, there is always the chance you’ll lose that one, too!

Such was the case recently when I played Pinto Lake in Watsonville for only the second time since the long upper holes were added. Most of the holes on the top area are wide open, with fairways mowed out of waist-high wild grass and weeds. Standing on the tee of the 1,280 foot par 5 hole eleven (I think), I pulled out a valued Star Destroyer. Even though I had brought along several ‘red-shirt‘ (expendable) discs, I reasoned that there wasn’t much risk in not placing my disc in the very wide, completely open fairway. Bad reasoning. As players will do sometimes when confronted with a hole several times longer than they can possible throw, I tried to be the first person ever to throw 1,000 feet and promptly chucked it into hopelessly high rough. That was disc selection (for preservation) error number one. I took a 7 on the hole, and it started a slide that had me completely off my game by the time we descended from the upper holes. Disc selection (for preservation) error number two came on hole #15, where I decided to throw my other Star Destroyer. In that case I got stubbornly defiant about disc selection, turned it over, and destroyed my inventory of Destroyers.

In the first case, my mistake was deciding to use a valuable disc based on the likelihood that I’d hit the fairway, instead of the likelihood that I’d lose the disc if I didn’t. Kind of a Murphy’s Law thing. In the second case I allowed my focus to slip enough that I made a decision I wouldn’t make otherwise. I equate lazy-mindedness and stubborn defiance with lack of focus.

Here are a few guidelines to consider when it comes to this type of disc selection:

• Have one set of discs for the course you regularly play and know the best. You likely know exactly where to look for errant shots on each hole, and even if you happen to lose one chances are decent that you’ll get it back eventually through the lost and found or from a fellow player who knows you (assuming you didn’t recently beat him on the last hole and do a 30-second victory dance around the basket). This would be your ‘main’ bag, but you may still want to carry an expendable disc for a particularly risky hole. A hole with a water hazard, for instance. A specific example is hole 12 at DeLa when you have to throw across the overgrown ravine (Fridge-Land). One early deflection and your odds are 50-50 of finding the disc.
• Have another set of discs for each of the other area courses you play. If a course has plenty of trees, bushes, high grass, steep slopes, and/or water, plan accordingly. If you have a favorite disc and you don’t trust yourself not to throw it at the wrong time, don’t bring it.
• I like this next point as a general rule, but especially at courses that have the aforementioned features, or courses I’m not familiar with: Throw neon-bright discs of one single color. Don’t throw tie-dye (high cost plus quickly lost), and avoid anything dark green or black. My favorite color since childhood is also my favorite disc color: orange!
• When you go on a road trip, stock your bag with plenty of your 2nd and 3rd-tier plastic. You’re likely playing courses for the first time, and if you lose one your chances of ever seeing it again are close to zero. This practice actually has a great side benefit as well. I like to think of my discs as a baseball organization, with my main bag being the major leagues. When I go out of town and throw 2nd and 3rd tier discs almost exclusively, it’s like giving the minor league players a shot to show what they can do. I get familiar with discs I don’t normally throw, and sometimes they ‘crack the lineup’ on the Big Team and earn their way into the main bag.

Hopefully reading this will save you some discs, if not some strokes. And if you happen to come across my Star Destroyers at Pinto, call me!

I’m not talking about the ‘adding insult to injury’ kind of double whammy, like a putt cutting through the chains, spitting out the back, then landing on an edge and rolling 50 feet away. That sucks, to be sure, but when it happens, it happens. I’m talking about shot making strategy, where you plot out exactly what kind of shot you’re planning to throw, with which disc, and how hard/soft/low/high, etc.

Sometimes, when we’re thinking about our upcoming shot, we come up with an imperative that rises above everything else in our minds. For instance, we think “I need to do this to make sure I turn my disc over on this shot,” or “I need to do this to make sure I clear that hazard.” This kind of analysis is good, but when it isn’t organized thought where a clear and detailed plan emerges, problems arise. Sometimes, instead of having a concrete idea of what we want to do, we let vague ideas marinate together right up until the disc is released. The result is what I call the disc golf double-whammy. Here’s a good example that I’ve experienced many times:

I’m on the tee of a hole that is slightly uphill, with a dogleg to the left. Think DeLa hole 18 in the short left position. Being left-handed, I want to throw a backhand shot that turns over nearly the entire time. I consider the fact that uphill throws are harder to turn over, how long the hole is, and the placement of the trees. I know I have several ways to make a disc turn over more; I can throw it harder, put more spin on the disc, make the angle of release more exaggerated, make the flight path lower, or any combination of the four. The problem arises when I don’t have a clear idea of which of these elements I want to use to craft my shot.

If my only notion is “I gotta turn this over” and I allow those four possibilities to mull in my mind right up until I release the disc, I may overcompensate to accomplish my imperative (in this case, “gotta turn it over”). So I might throw it much harder than normal AND exaggerate the angle AND, for good measure, my body might instinctively aim more to the left, resulting in a disc that turns over too much. Double (or in that case, I guess, Triple) Whammy.

Another good example I can think of is a classic. You have a disc you know is hard to throw straight very far before it begins to hyzer out, so you think of how to offset that tendency. So you end up aiming it wide AND putting turnover angle and power on it, then exclaim to your friends “I can’t believe I just turned over that Excalibur!” or something like that. Classic double whammy.

The best way I can think of to combat double-whammy tendencies is to have a pre-shot routine that allows you to plan your shot in detail every time. Make sure your mind is nowhere but in that place, at that time, playing disc golf in a vacuum.

It occurs to me that many first-time players get hung up in how different golf discs are than regular ol’ Frisbees. They simply try to propel the disc forward as instructed by their well-meaning friends, note the marked difference between their effort and that of their more seasoned counterparts, and listen to the next set of instruction.

When they’ve zig-zagged across the fairway several times with errant throws and finally find themselves within tossing distance of the basket, they’re probably thinking of the brief respite they’ll get before teeing off on the next hole. Or maybe the more competitive among them see the next hole as a chance to start fresh- which it is, sort of.

But for most new players, the golf aspect of disc golf doesn’t really register until they get much better at controlling their disc, or enter some type of competition, or both. To me this is a shame, since it was the golf aspect of the the game that had me addicted from the first time I played.

That first time was at UCSC, where the targets were 4 x 4 posts and other objects. I remember quickly realizing that if I threw a disc at a target only caring about that throw, I’d likely end up with another tough putt if I missed that throw. So I started to putt in such a way that enabled the disc to hit the target but not go zipping past if it didn’t.

I’m amazed at how many competitive players I see – players that really want to beat their PB and their friends and adversaries – that still haven’t made this adjustment. These players are also likely to make the same stroke-costing mistakes repeatedly, like throwing a driver on a tricky hole simply because it flies the farthest or fastest. I can’t help but wonder if this has something to do with not embracing the golf aspect of the sport from Day One.

For anyone that has fallen into this trap, the good news is twofold: Focusing on the golf part of disc golf is really about stepping up the mental game, and when you do that you’ll discover that disc golf now offers you twice the enjoyment you experienced before. You’ll find yourself replaying rounds in your head, analyzing each decision and using the experience to do better next time. And when you do this, of course, your play and score will inevitably improve.

So the next time you’re bringing someone out for the first time, make sure they understand they are playing the great game of golf. The discs just make it . . . greater.

Why do most players buy and throw the discs they do?

Most often for the wrong reasons, which include:

• They heard it’s the latest ‘fastest or farthest’ disc on the planet and don’t want to be at a disadvantage by not having it in their bag
• They’ve seen someone whose game they admire or aspire to throw it in a similar situation
• They subscribe to the theory that more disc choices in ones bag is better (which can be true, if you actually know what each disc does)
• Packaging- which can mean the name of the disc, the pattern (tie-dye), or even the color

So what are the right reasons? For me it all comes down to practicality, and a realistic assessment of ones own game.

• Living in Santa Cruz and playing courses that are wooded and mountainous, I always prefer brightly and unnaturally colored discs. Green, black, and multi-colored discs should be avoided at all costs- at least anywhere a disc might get lost.
• If you’re not able to generate significant arm speed in general or on a particular shot, don’t throw anything fast and overstable. It’s much better to throw something that will glide to the target rather than being forced and cajoled.
• You’ve probably heard it before, but the best strategy is to get a disc like a Roc or Buzz and throw it exclusively until you can get it to fly straight, turn over, and hyzer with good consistency. After that, you’ll be able better assess which other discs to add to your bag, and you’ll know how to adjust your form to get the most out of each.

Disc golfer’s familiar with the rules of the sport recognize the term ‘falling putt’ as an infraction that occurs when the disc is within 10 meters of the target. The rules (see 803.04 C) clearly state that a player – when inside this ‘putting circle,’ must demonstrate full balance after releasing the disc before advancing to retrieve his or her disc. This is to ensure players cannot gain an advantage by shortening the distance their disc has to travel. If this rule were not in place, putting would turn into a Frisbee-long jump hybrid, with players taking 10 paces backward to get a running start before leaping toward the target.

Of course, when this rule is broken it is much more subtle than that. Usually the player inadvertently leans into the shot, and is unable to avoid falling forward. Hence the term ‘falling putt. But outside 10 meters, no such rule applies.

803.04 A makes it clear that the main restriction in this regard is that one point of contact (foot, knee, etc.) must be in contact with the ground at the time the disc is released, directly and no more than 30 centimeters behind the marker. And I’ve discovered that outside 10 meters, the Falling Putt can be a really, really good thing.

All players are different in terms of physical capabilities, of course. But generally speaking most of us can only use our putting style to a distance of somewhere between 30 and 40 feet before the need for more ‘oomph’ robs our form of its consistency and affects our aim. At this point, players will embrace one of two different strategies:

1. Change from a putting, flip-style throw to a ‘regular’ throw, where the player stands sideways to the target and pulls the disc back behind her or his body. This method solves the need for increased power and allows the player to regain smooth form, but aim usually suffers considerably.
2. Take advantage of the fact that the rules allow players to ‘fall’ forward outside 10 meters. When it’s legal, and done on purpose, this is usually referred to as a ‘jump putt’.

I’ll usually take the second option, but not always, depending on distance, terrain, obstacles, and situation. And like most players, I initially took the term jump putt too literally. The term implies that you’re supposed to jump into the putt, or as you putt, but I learned there are two problems with that. First, if your feet behind the marker leaves the ground before the disc leaves your hand, that is a rules violation. I know it’s often hard to tell, because it’s almost simultaneous, but it’s better to avoid disputes of this nature entirely if you can.

The other problem with trying to jump as you putt is that it doesn’t work! If your feet have left the ground before you release the disc, or they leave the ground right as the disc leaves your hand, you don’t really get the power you’re intending to get. Think of a shortstop in baseball trying to jump in the air and then throw the ball. It can be done, but without feet planted on the ground the arm has to supply all the power. The same is true in disc golf. Also, aim is much less consistent without the stability of those feet on the ground.

Enter the legal falling putt.

I’m not sure how I discovered this, but it enables me to putt from probably 70-80 feet with good control and consistency. By taking the straddle-putt stance (legs apart, facing the basket), then falling slowly toward the target, and putting at the last moment before my feet leave the ground, I get the best of both worlds. The momentum adds significant power, but my arm speed is the same as a much shorter putt. And as long as I don’t get too eager and try to jump and throw at the same time, it’s remarkably accurate.

Try it, you might like it.