Is putting really more important than driving

[Star Shark]

Both important. But throwing a perfect drive only to miss the inside the circle putt sucks. So a bad putt is more emotionally damaging than a bad drive. Additionally, it's more likely that you're leaving strokes out on the course due to missed putts than bad drives.

 

[Puckstopper]

Both important. But throwing a perfect drive only to miss the inside the circle putt sucks. So a bad putt is more emotionally damaging than a bad drive. Additionally, it's more likely that you're leaving strokes out on the course due to missed putts than bad drives.

This is a point that really resonates with me. I'm at that point in my game where I'm starting to expect to make putts from a certain distance, and when I miss one to take a bogey instead of a par it is very draining and frustrating. On the other hand I'm in the process of tweaking my driving technique, so the occasional bad drive is just part of that process, and a small price to pay for the additional distance I've found.

 

[DiscNutt123]

I think the most important shot I the game is being able to recover from a misplayed drive. If you can put it in your comfort circle every time from 100-200', you're gonna be golden.

 

[bhadella]

Good to know! Thats probably because he's rock solid inside 35 ft and puts every drive inside 35. Thats the answer i was looking for. Especially because mcbeth is the top player right now, but he isnt the best putter! I consistantly hear rico is the best putter, im sure mcbeth is top 3 though, his drives are just better so he doesnt have to be as good of a putter

From what I've seen, McBeth is the best putter in the world. His comfort zone is huge and when he has that rare miss yet you never see him leaving really long comeback putts. That huge comfort zone allows him to take smarter/easier lines when driving.

 

[bhadella]

Good putting virtually eliminates bogies. I drove horribly this weekend but was able to take safe/smart upshots and then leave myself makeable putts and then put them in the basket. But without effective driving, birdies are relatively rare on real Gold and Blue level courses.

 

[BirdieMachine]

Clearly the Teeshot is the most important. Disc golf is based on the long game and much less on putting, the opposite of ball golf. A Teeshot can put you 5 feet away for a drop in or leave you 250 away stuck deep in the woods hoping to make bogey. I don't care how good your putting is, I'll take the guy who has the long game to park vs the guy who doesn't.

 

[plastic_fondler]

It really depends on the course. As course design progresses, driving becomes much more important. You see more holes that punish mistakes off the tee vs the pitch and putt courses where you can recover from about anywhere. Par 4's and 5's, in the woods as an example, extend this principle with more changes for your driving to cost you strokes.

Park courses with slow greens due to grass minimize putting mistakes. This is good for the bad putter, but also helpful for the good putter from outside the circle. You can run everything and not have too bad of comebacks. Milo is a good example of this.

There is also the type of courses that emphasis putting based on fast greens with punishing drop offs. Norcal is a great example with many holes being easy drives but hard birds or pars due to the basket placement or fast dirt greens.

Finally, there is the root down effect. Courses like Dela force your to focus more on your approaches than anywhere else. You need to hit your landing zone and not go further. Short or long gets you a root which could cause your disc to up and roll. If Dela could be extended with some real woodsy par 4/5 holes that would be the model of ideal terrain in my mind.

 

[DiscChainBasket18]

Drive trumps putt!

You can't ever play a hole without a drive but you can play it without ever throwing a putt (Ace/hole-in-one)!

 

[ambroze]

IMO there's nothing like getting a great drive out there and get within 25-35ft and miss the putt. It's the same as a crappy drive less than 1/2 to the basket and a good upshot for a tap in par putt. Score is still 3. Also depends on the course, I play my local course here in town and I can count 4-6 missed putts within 25-35ft that drive me nuts and I think back to what my score could have been. In my world putting is the difference in advanced level and being pro like level.

 

[chrishysell]

I could be labelled as an average driver but I won most all of our winter putting league events. And I just won my 100th PDGA event last weekend. I hope this helps.

 

[Bobs DG 12]

The truth is it really depends on what the course set up is like, I have two courses here locally that I regularly play. One is all par 3's and pretty heavily wooded, if you don't make putts you just aren't going to score well. The other is very long and open, where putts are virtually meaningless...because your score is based on how well you can drive and play your upshots.

Both are equally important IMO to have a well rounded game, which is really the key to becoming a better player...do both and you are set :hfive:

 

[tbird888]

I could be labelled as an average driver but I won most all of our winter putting league events. And I just won my 100th PDGA event last weekend. I hope this helps.

If it doesn't, there's no hope for them.

 

[sidewinder22]

I could be labelled as an average driver but I won most all of our winter putting league events. And I just won my 100th PDGA event last weekend. I hope this helps.

Grand masters doesn't count.

 

[Smigles]

Both are equally important. If you cant get it into putting range off the tee, then all the putting in the world wont make you score birdies.

You will notice that the best players in our sport usually are pretty good at both.

 

[sillybizz]

What does it matter if you only ever one putt but it takes you three or more throws before you're putting?

If you have a bad drive it could end up costing you many more strokes but usually a bad putt costs you only one extra, two at most.

 

[JC17393]

I think the problem with this discussion is "driving" encompasses a much broader list of skills/styles than does "putting".

Driving can include throwing putters, midranges, drivers on hyzer/anhyzer/flat releases on a high/low/roller trajectory with a backhand/forehand/overhand through fairways that are open/wooded and turn left/right or go straight for anywhere from 150-1000 feet. Putting usually entails one, maybe two styles/stances from within 40-50 feet of the target.

Putting is a much more finite "skill" than is driving. So I think it's a bit of an unfair comparison to weigh the importance of putting against the importance of driving. Mastering the skill of putting is going to improve one's chances on any course more than mastering the equivalent number of "driving" skills will.

 

[Lewis]

What does it matter if you only ever one putt but it takes you three or more throws before you're putting?

If you have a bad drive it could end up costing you many more strokes but usually a bad putt costs you only one extra, two at most.

This is the way I feel about it. Great putting saves strokes, but mediocre driving costs you more strokes than mediocre putting ever will.

 

[coupe]

You can't ever play a hole without a drive but you can play it without ever throwing a putt (Ace/hole-in-one)!

Bull nuggets!

If the effective length of a hole is under 280' and the wind isn't doing something crazy, 90% of the time I'm throwing a putter or controlled midrange off the tee.

Similarly, if there's lateral OB (water, road/path, artificial OB) 250-300' down the fairway between between the tee and the basket, I'm throwing a layup short of the OB and then an approach to the green.

Just cuz the first throw is from the tee pad doesn't make it a drive.

 

[chain_ape7]

Gotta chime in on this... this will be my 2nd year playing this fall. 888 rated player with best round at 951 and bunch between 900-935..and some real doozies that will come off my ratings soon

I played 13 PDGA sanctioned events last year including AM Worlds in KS. Probably another 20+ unsanctioned events.

My drives are pretty accurate with good "golf distance" around 325-375" now.

Putting is everything.

Your drives and upshots are extremely important and you must do fieldwork to develop those. There is NO substitute for hard work. Excellent putting will allow you to elevate the rest of your game. More aggressive runs, wider shot selection, and general confidence for you - not to mention the mental aspect of the effect of good putting on your cardmates. I try to practice 3-4 times a week on just putting alone with lots of fieldwork and safari holes with a temp basket at a park every week. Weekends are extremely competitive tag rounds with close friends and family - training for tournament play.

Gotta become a good putter bro.....it will help your score, and improve all aspects of your game.. I promise.

 

[bogeyfreetilinfinity]

putting definitely more crucial than driving

I was fortunate enough to play a tourney with a 1040 + rated pro in april. The first two rounds were his worst rated rounds in three years, then he crushed the course on Sunday with a fourteen down. The difference was making putts.