My putting needs some serious help!

[walkersfriend-sd]

Like i said my putting needs some improvement. I putt with a SSS wizard inside the circle and a SS wizard outside. My putts 30 ft and out are pretty good, and surprisingly my putts 25ft and in are what need improvements. I know it may be hard to give advice when you havent actually seen me putt but im open to anything, any tricks that have helped you or styles that work for you.
Any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[steveo69]

I always tell people not to aim for the chains focus on one chain link in the center. The saying goes Aim small, miss small and it still goes in.
Aim big, miss big and you have anouther 20' er to make.

 

[Stud Muffin]

Push putting with a Wizard, I get in an athletic but comfortable position, weight on front foot (I am right handed, so it would be my right foot), I fan grip my putter, no wrist or elbow action, all shoulder. I move my shoulder up and down in as straight a line as possible. My right 'trigger finger' where my finger joint bends going underneath my putter, I make the line where it is running into the heart of the chains, lower right. I putt with my disc on a a hyzer. With this set up I only concentrate on 'distance' since the line is set. Generally, when you release, you will see the disc fly above the basket, then drop into the basket. This has been a consistent success for me, to have it slowing down going into the basket. Aim for a link with the trigger finger as ^ posted, heart of the chains, but distance wise, just try to loft it into the basket. The momentum of your shoulder will keep the disc on line, just work on release point, and releasing without any hand action. Sometimes it is hard to just 'let go'.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw0cKXKkC5E&feature=related is a good informational video with the champ and below is another decent one also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtO3pwFesZ0&feature=related

Stay relaxed, CONFIDENT and practice practice practice!

 

[biscoe]

how do you tend to miss? short? long? off line? all over the place?

 

[scottritta22]

I always tell people not to aim for the chains focus on one chain link in the center. The saying goes Aim small, miss small and it still goes in.

you sound like my old basketball coach

 

[joesouthfla]

Get a practice basket in the back yard and practice 30 minutes a day everyday.

 

[walkersfriend-sd]

i normally shoot high and i am working on getting a basket

 

[B3NDER]

I just ordered a basket today online, and just like you seem to suffer in the putting department. Im really hoping to improve even over the winter indoors with the basket.

 

[Mr. America]

Switch to a straight putter, and whichever style/styles feel good to you, learn to throw relatively straight, not much change in elevation, lazer beams from 30-40ft.

Everybody says practice close and work your way out, but I think I've learned more about mechanics and how to get a putter to the basket from putting further away. It takes almost no effort to get a putter to a basket at 10ft, but 30-40ft or more things change. Want to learn what people are talking about with weight shift, acceleration, timing, release, etc? Practice from 40ft. Don't be as concerend about making the putts, just focus on trying to get the disc to the basket in a compotent manner. No, I don't mean throwing mile high big hyzers and hope for the best. Work on keeping the disc somewhat low, not much over the top of the basket, and relatively straight, with only a minimal hyzer angle. Once you begin to better understand weight shift, timing, acceleration, release, when you practice at 20ft, you'll be drilling the chains with authority.

Not that I am great, it's just that the things I was doing at 30ft and under, were not as close to right as they should be, and it wasn't till I backed up, that I really began to understand things that people say and that I read.

 

[Chain Wrangler]

Balance is key. Take your time. Point your toe towards the target (basket). Draw a straight line with your putter in hand from the basket to your toe and aim and throw. Works for me.

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

I find myself concentrating on the mechanics of it way too much. *point your toes/wrist action/no wrist/pendulum/square up the body/weight transfer/balance/blah/blah/blah* Personally, I find that my body knows what to do, my mind will tell it on a subconscious level. I visualize the matrix "clear your mind" like a flash bulb going off, I think of nothing, except maybe that single link on the chain. Stare down the link, clear your mind, shoot, ching.

 

[Icculus]

"I find myself concentrating on the mechanics of it way too much. *point your toes/wrist action/no wrist/pendulum/square up the body/weight transfer/balance/blah/blah/blah*"

This is most likely what you are doing. It's what I did (still do sometimes). It's what most players do in fact. Have you ever noticed that when you hyperfocus and try to remember every detail you'll short it (usually) or pull it and just plain miss. Yet, after that throw you can pick up your previous throw and putt it real quick out of frustration and a lot of times it goes in? I have for sure, so the advice about clearing your mind and letting muscle memory do the job is money. But in order to get that muscle memory you have to do the same thing over and over and over and over and over. So if you get on DGCR and ask people how to fix your putting and get a thousand "The key is to..." or "All you have to do is..." you're pretty much shooting yourself in the foot by changing your throw so much. It's like the new player that putts with an Aviar all the time and one day manages to sink a 60ft putt one day with a friend's Birdie. They will go out and buy a few Birdie's and completely change their putt and have to start from square one and then later wonder why they can't sink that 60ft everytime (true story). So in summary, the best advice I can give you is simple:
1. Pick a putter and stick with it. I use a yeti pro aviar but the wizard is a great disc. Make sure you have a couple that are identical in every way (Model, Mold, Plastic, Weight) and maybe one more thats about 6-10g lighter for longer loft putts when there is no wind.
2. Obtain some sort of disc catching device by any means. Buy it, build it, cut a square out of a piece of plywood, whatever. Just make sure you have something that you can throw discs at anytime of the day without having to leave your house.
3. Putt, putt, putt, putt, putt, putt, putt, go inside for a snack and then putt some more. You can try one of those "Improve your putting in a week just by..." but honestly as long as you're outside throwing discs and NOT drastically changing your form or discs, YOU WILL GET BETTER. The tip about starting short and slowly getting farther away is great for boosting confidence (which does help your putting) but isn't necessary.

It really doesn't take long either. If you are dedicated to improving and practice some amount (15 min or 4 hours) everyday you will quickly see improvement (took me about 3 weeks to notice improvement but there's still A LOT of improving to go). The best part is when you're 60 feet out after decent drive you won't get that feeling of dread as you pull out your putter and pray. You'll be thinking "Here's another chance for birdie". Putting will be fun! It is for me at least. I invite friends over all the time just to hang out and putt in the backyard. And that's really what it's all about, right? Having fun.

 

[notBOB]

face the basket, not straddled, keep you arm practically straight and "paint the pole", this way you dont have to worry about left or right, its always on target. this is the way people pitch put(no spin) but ive adapted spin and snap still "painting the pole"- my putting is my strong pt bc of this. try it

 

[notroman]

Here's a Feldberg lesson, if you're into that sort of thing.

http://www.vimeo.com/19847946

It all comes down to practice, really. I always sucked at putting and never spent quite enough time practicing it because I really did not know what I was doing. I kept switching it up. Last winter I figured enough was enough and I brought the basket inside my apartment and decided to start from scratch. I first paced off about 20 feet and tried different ways of getting the disc in the basket that required LEAST EFFORT. Once I found what took least effort on my part to get the disc in the basket, I started tweaking that stroke to improve consistency. That's how I finally found my putting stroke. Everyone has their own style, and it's all a matter of comfort.

A buddy sent me this Feldberg video about a month ago and I was surprised to find that a lot of my putting form is actually very similar to his. I always thought Feldberg's putting was goofy looking until I saw this video, and now I realize that our mechanics are a lot alike. I'm guessing everyone that push putts has the same basic mechanics that are described in this video, but the reason everyone's style looks so different is because that's what they are comfortable with. So again, find a stroke that is comfortable for you then use the tips from this video to identify different parts of your stroke so you can really iron out your putt.

Don't forget that putting inside the circle is mostly mental. When you're practicing putting then by all means think all you want about your mechanics, weight transfer, etc. When you're actually playing all you should be doing is clearing your mind, picking your target, and throwing your putt. Assuming you spent the adequate time practicing, your body knows what to do to get the disc in the basket. Introducing thoughts about mechanics only increases the chances of you missing because you give your brain other things to think about other than just "get this disc in that basket". This is a reason some people feel they are higher percentage from 30 feet and out. At that distance they figure they are probably not going to get it in the basket, so they don't think about anything - they just aim their putt, maybe visualize the line, and throw. They don't think about mechanics. They just putt. And the end result is they're pretty damn accurate most of the time. The same people then get inside the circle and really over-think everything. They start thinking about the wind, the mechanics of their stroke, their stance, their balance, everything but getting the disc in the basket. And they miss the putt. Again, save all those thoughts for when you practice. When you actually play you should trust your stroke and just clear your head and focus on the basket. Zone in on that chain link. Then throw your putt. Don't think about any mechanics of your stroke. Just trust it. Don't think about that last putt that you missed low or left. Just think about getting the disc in the basket. And throw it there.

 

[Gonnagal]

Wow!! You just described me. So it will get better? I'm seriously on the verge of quitting Disc Golf my putting is so atrocious.

Here's a Feldberg lesson, if you're into that sort of thing.

http://www.vimeo.com/19847946

It all comes down to practice, really. I always sucked at putting and never spent quite enough time practicing it because I really did not know what I was doing. I kept switching it up. Last winter I figured enough was enough and I brought the basket inside my apartment and decided to start from scratch. I first paced off about 20 feet and tried different ways of getting the disc in the basket that required LEAST EFFORT. Once I found what took least effort on my part to get the disc in the basket, I started tweaking that stroke to improve consistency. That's how I finally found my putting stroke. Everyone has their own style, and it's all a matter of comfort.

A buddy sent me this Feldberg video about a month ago and I was surprised to find that a lot of my putting form is actually very similar to his. I always thought Feldberg's putting was goofy looking until I saw this video, and now I realize that our mechanics are a lot alike. I'm guessing everyone that push putts has the same basic mechanics that are described in this video, but the reason everyone's style looks so different is because that's what they are comfortable with. So again, find a stroke that is comfortable for you then use the tips from this video to identify different parts of your stroke so you can really iron out your putt.

Don't forget that putting inside the circle is mostly mental. When you're practicing putting then by all means think all you want about your mechanics, weight transfer, etc. When you're actually playing all you should be doing is clearing your mind, picking your target, and throwing your putt. Assuming you spent the adequate time practicing, your body knows what to do to get the disc in the basket. Introducing thoughts about mechanics only increases the chances of you missing because you give your brain other things to think about other than just "get this disc in that basket". This is a reason some people feel they are higher percentage from 30 feet and out. At that distance they figure they are probably not going to get it in the basket, so they don't think about anything - they just aim their putt, maybe visualize the line, and throw. They don't think about mechanics. They just putt. And the end result is they're pretty damn accurate most of the time. The same people then get inside the circle and really over-think everything. They start thinking about the wind, the mechanics of their stroke, their stance, their balance, everything but getting the disc in the basket. And they miss the putt. Again, save all those thoughts for when you practice. When you actually play you should trust your stroke and just clear your head and focus on the basket. Zone in on that chain link. Then throw your putt. Don't think about any mechanics of your stroke. Just trust it. Don't think about that last putt that you missed low or left. Just think about getting the disc in the basket. And throw it there.

 

[throwfromthewoods]

Wow!! You just described me. So it will get better? I'm seriously on the verge of quitting Disc Golf my putting is so atrocious.

I actually putt sideways. It was all about finding my most comfortable release. Push putting, toe pointing, all that stuff gave me no snap, no power, and little accuracy. It wasn't necessarily the form, it was that I had zero confidence in that stance. I played tennis, so I always attributed my arm movements to tennis shots. (just like some DGers who play basketball putt like they're shooting a free throw, or baseball players translate a lot of the same arm motions into their game). Putting for me was just like a backhand drop shot. Soft, smooth, lots of spin. Slight knee bend, and lead foot parallel to the basket, not pointing at it. From 10ft-70ft, if it's not in, it's usually only a tap in after. But that's me. Again, it's all about finding the release that you feel comfortable and confident with. Maybe do what a lot of us do and adapt another sport or skill you have that is similiar in design to putting.

 

[chris717]

I actually putt sideways. It was all about finding my most comfortable release. Push putting, toe pointing, all that stuff gave me no snap, no power, and little accuracy. It wasn't necessarily the form, it was that I had zero confidence in that stance. I played tennis, so I always attributed my arm movements to tennis shots. (just like some DGers who play basketball putt like they're shooting a free throw, or baseball players translate a lot of the same arm motions into their game). Putting for me was just like a backhand drop shot. Soft, smooth, lots of spin. Slight knee bend, and lead foot parallel to the basket, not pointing at it. From 10ft-70ft, if it's not in, it's usually only a tap in after. But that's me. Again, it's all about finding the release that you feel comfortable and confident with. Maybe do what a lot of us do and adapt another sport or skill you have that is similiar in design to putting.

Great advice, I just figured out that my front foot has to be sideways like you said to help my angle.
It has improved my putting a whole bunch, like you said it's either in or hitting basket 90% of the time:thmbup:

 

[Gonnagal]

I must just suck, because I played baseball and wrestled and nothing translates into putting. I'd rather just help run tourney's anyways. I'm never going to get any better nor be rated over 900, what's the point? Casual here I come.

 

[throwfromthewoods]

I must just suck, because I played baseball and wrestled and nothing translates into putting. I'd rather just help run tourney's anyways. I'm never going to get any better nor be rated over 900, what's the point? Casual here I come.

Well, I'm not sure what baseball skills would translate directly to putting, lol. Most baseball players I play DG with can forehand drive pretty damn well though. And throw thumbers/tomahawks that put me to shame.