Importance of the Upshot

[TheBeardedFatGuy]

I have a few friends that i play with regularly and, unless I'm having a particularly bad day and one of them a particularly good one, I usually win. That's not bragging, most of you would kill me on the course, badly, I'm sure. I say it because it's relevant to this post. After months of this happening we started analyzing why I was always winning and realized it was the accuracy of the upshots. Most of the discussions I've seen have been about debating drives vs putting as the most important part of the game, but the upshot has seemed to make the most difference for us. Obviously if your drive is good enough it becomes your upshot, but we're not there yet. While the guy I play the most often has a drive comparable to mine, maybe even a bit more accurate, and his putting is comparable to mine, on the upshots we differ in accuracy. Where I can usually get within 20' of the basket on any upshot under 200', he is often outside 50' after his upshot, which means I'm making a lot more of my first putts than he is. Even if my drive goes disastrously wrong, like smacking a tree or whatever, my recovery upshot often puts me back in the lead on the hole. I'd like to know how much importance other players place on the upshot in their game. Do you think it's critical, or do you prefer to think in terms of drive, then whatever's left is a putt of varying distance?

 

[Aim For The Chains]

If you can park a disc under the basker from 200' and under with consistency you are a very good player. Big drives have very little to do with getting birdies on your average DG course.

 

[Jukeshoe]

@ OP. I think I see what you're saying.

When I started off I was somewhat similar in that I'd have poor drives, a lot of decent to good upshots, and quite a few gimme putts as a result of those quality upshots.

As I got a little bit better over time, my drives started getting me closer to the pin, to the point where now I was taking long putts vs. short upshots. Being aggressive as a putter, I ended up blowing by chain-high a lot more often than I did when I began, largely due to increased confidence in being able to hit the return putt. It hurt my scores initially but in the long run shaved strokes off.

So, to answer your question...now I prefer to think in terms of "drive needs to get me down there for a putt (even if it's an 80'-er)" on most par 3's. But that's just my preferences based on my playing style and skill level. I think you need to figure out for yourself whether or not the "upshot" mentality works better for you than the "drive for birdie" mentality. Is it important to you that you continue to beat your friends? Then stick with it. Do you strive to better your game? Then maybe you need to explore a different playing style.

Just my 2cents.

 

[Pbmercil]

Upshots are the easiest way to save strokes, and I would even go far as to say that the average Am looses more strokes on poorly placed upshots then any other facet of the game.

It's not sexy, and it's not going to make a highlight real, but getting up and down in 2 strokes from 200 feet and in is huge in this game.

I'm kind of the opposite from the OP. when my drives are on point I don't really throw upshots very often. I earn most of my bogeys with a bad drive on a hole I in can reach in one, follow it up with a poorly placed upshot and a missed putt. One of my best playing friends is like the OP; a total par machine who never leaves himself long putts after a second shot. He's got a much more consistent game. Where my scores can vary on the same course by a lot, his are always close together

 

[blackcatsmith]

Yeah, one day I'll be parking my drives/hitting my putts, and one day I'll be shanking 'em/bouncing them off the cage, but my scores stay the same for the most part... When my approach game is failing though- all bets are off...

 

[Jax11]

I've found that the course is the most determining factor in what aspect of my game I need the most.

The second determining factor is the quality of my drives.

I agree with jukeshoe, that on a good driving day on most courses I want a look for two on most holes. At a longer course with several holes that are out of reach for the 2 I know I will need my approach shots working. Also, on a bad driving day, my upshots better be on or else I'll be taking a lot of bogeys.

 

[blackcatsmith]

Of all the disciplines we as disc golfers practice- upshots, and the conditions under which they are taken on the course during a round are the hardest to replicate on the field imo. The best advice I've heard regarding this subject is "Practice your bad shots(bad lies)."

 

[blackcatsmith]

Also: forehand.

 

[runningDoc]

the best warmup before a tourney is playing catch with a putter with a friend. start at 50 until 250ft, my friends and I will even start side arming putters at that 200ft zone.

that way when you have that 100-200ft up shot and your hesitant. you can just imagine your friend in that 20ft landing circle.

 

[Pbmercil]

@ OP. I think I see what you're saying.

When I started off I was somewhat similar in that I'd have poor drives, a lot of decent to good upshots, and quite a few gimme putts as a result of those quality upshots.

As I got a little bit better over time, my drives started getting me closer to the pin, to the point where now I was taking long putts vs. short upshots. Being aggressive as a putter, I ended up blowing by chain-high a lot more often than I did when I began, largely due to increased confidence in being able to hit the return putt. It hurt my scores initially but in the long run shaved strokes off.

So, to answer your question...now I prefer to think in terms of "drive needs to get me down there for a putt (even if it's an 80'-er)" on most par 3's. But that's just my preferences based on my playing style and skill level. I think you need to figure out for yourself whether or not the "upshot" mentality works better for you than the "drive for birdie" mentality. Is it important to you that you continue to beat your friends? Then stick with it. Do you strive to better your game? Then maybe you need to explore a different playing style.

Just my 2cents.

This is a very good point. On a well executed hole if you're consistently leaving yourself 100-200 foot upshots you're probably not getting very many birdie looks and therefore limiting your potential to score well on that hole. There are very few par 3s or 4s (and even fewer GOOD holes) that a perfect drive will leave you with that kind of shot consistently.

For me, the key to scoring well is to
A) Not leave myself a lot of short upshots because that means I'm not getting birdie looks
B) Make sure that on the occasional time I DO have a true upshot that I nail it every time

B is my big hang up in this system

Jukeshoe makes a great point too. As your drivable range and puttable range grow, the opportunities to make these shots regularly become less and less frequent. Rec/INT level players throw these shots all the time, Adv and up players don't see them nearly as much. For the Adv and up crowd I think it makes them that much more important; you're not going to see them very often, so you BETTER nail it when you do.

 

[DavidSauls]

This is very dependent on the course. Obviously, longer courses involve more upshots. But also, a lot of wooded courses, especially where the rough isn't too dense, you can save a lot of strokes if you can craft an upshot around trees and to the green.

I recently shot a personal best on a course that I play a lot---in a round in which 11 of my drives were awful. A day of great upshots, and good putting, saved me.

 

[LastPageDG]

Simple question here: Would you rather get good at throwing 150' to 200' or banging 40' putts. Personally, I work on both but I'll take the drop in putt any round of the week! With that being said, the upshot is my weakest point of my game. I usually throw a Zone scoop shot if possible because I hate trying to baby a putter backhanded or forehanded. I'm working on it more and more but a tight wooded 150' upshot still scares me a little.

 

[TheBeardedFatGuy]

Is it important to you that you continue to beat your friends? Then stick with it. Do you strive to better your game?

While I won't pretend it doesn't feel good to win, I prefer my friends to do well, too. If they're having a crappy game, my enjoyment goes down as well. It's a shared experience, after all, and it's no fun when nobody else is enjoying themselves. Ultimately my goal is to improve my own game, but each individual game I play with others I want them to have fun, too. Being the only happy drunk in a room full of sad drunks sucks big time.

 

[sisyphus]

Personally, I believe the importance comes in these ratios: 1 part for the drive, 2 parts for the upshot, and 3 parts for the putt. Now that will vary widely, depending on the length and foliage on a hole. But half the game is accurate, confident putting, whether your drive or your upshot got you there. I truly believe that most of us benefit next most from the get-out-of-trouble, accurately carved upshot that gets you there.

...but then again, I'm still pretty new to the game, in the grand scheme of things...

 

[ru4por]

Yup, game of the old man. I like to refer to it as being a crafty veteran. This is how you hold your own with those young big guns. But, really all parts of the game are important.....and being good at any one of them can improve your score.

 

[rocthecourse]

If you can throw 200' accurately you should be able to 3 most holes under 400', doing that you will beat most casual/rec players.

 

[Binky Yutz]

I've only been playing a couple of years and I learned early on the 2nd shot is the most important.....a nice drive is helpful, but not critical....your upshot, if placed properly, will either
result in a deuce or any easy par (assuming the hole is a Par 3).

Of course, parking your drive inside the circle will result in many more birdies, so an awesome drive is great, but it is still your 2nd throw that is the most important, because, if you miss, you now have a 3 on your card.

I try to keep calm after a lousy drive, because I know if I can park my 2nd shot, a par will be the end result...and Par is good.....especially for a Newb.

 

[Halcón]

This is very dependent on the course.

Absolutely. Not all tight wooded courses leave you with 300' approaches, like longer open courses can.

One thing I have noticed is that many pros struggle with the approach. The exception is a certain dude named Paul McBeth. And this is a key reason why he wins so much.

 

[corin_brown]

Great thread. Great points.

The upshot couldn't be any more critical. Your putting %'s and therefore your score depend on it completely.

The upshot is the area in disc golf that requires the most creativity & strategy - aspects of the game that I love. A tough upshot can be the biggest technical challenge in an entire round. Executing a difficult upshot is the biggest test in the sport, in my view.

It's for these reasons why I really love watching pro women play. Because they don't throw as far as the men, women necessarily throw more upshots. and for the reasons stated above, I'm highly entertained by the cunning & nous involved in planning & parking a difficult upshot.

 

[Pbmercil]

One thing I have noticed is that many pros struggle with the approach. The exception is a certain dude named Paul McBeth. And this is a key reason why he wins so much.

That is not true at all. McBeth's whole game plan in attacking courses is predicated on eliminating the short upshot. He has supreme confidence in his comeback putts, so he never has to try and lay it up, and the range he can make jump putts from extends out to about 200 feet. McBeth HATES upshots and avoids them like the plague. I've never seen McBeth intentionally land a drive in area that is in that no-man's-land where it is no longer a jump putt but isn't a full throw either. Here is a great example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KBSQYwUCr0

Playing this hole by the book is to take a stable hyzer to the mando. Play an easy 250ish up and down from there and take the three. EVERYONE 3s that hole. Paul, seeing other players taking 250 upshots as an opportunity to maybe nab a free stroke, throws OVER the tree behind the mando and gives himself a jump putt. He won't make all of those long putts, but its a free stroke on the field every time he can nail one of those puts. That math ads up in his favor as long as he doesn't miss comebackers.