Putters=Awesome or I=not so awesome

[gfellerjm]

Okay so when I was in college and starting disc golf my lab partner informed me that putters were awesome. I thought "yeah for putts" but I couldn't throw very far so I figured I needed a huge driver so I could at least have fun and get to the basket. Well fast forward and I've read tons of threads here about the beauty of putters/driving with putters/throwing your putters until you can hit 250+ then throwing mids, etc and again thought I need a driver so I can score at all low.

So now we get to today, I went out to play the more challenging course in Kearney Cottonmill with my standard discs. While I was playing for some reason I decided to through two shots from each lie, one with the standard disc I would use and one with my putter, including my drives. Well over the course of 18 holes I used my regular discs lie maybe 5 times and all the others I used my putter's lie, including only using maybe 3 drives from my regular discs all of which had a miraculous bounce off a tree. I'm by no means good but scored on par with how I usually score using basically only my putter...

I wanted to test this further so I stopped by Centennial on my way home and got out with only my putter. Low and behold if it weren't for a missed 6' putt I would have scored my best round ever instead of just tying it.

I guess there is something to these putters. I have a couple of ideas on why I did better today.
A. My putter simply flies buttery straight. Cottonmill is pretty technical and I could through my putter better down the tight fairways and not have to go looking for it as much as my other discs.
B. My putter could hold any line I wanted. Need a curl right simply put a but of hyzer and through lighter. Need a curl left put a littl anhyzer and through hard.
C. My upshots were much closer then they ever were with mids or fairway drivers.
D. Really I only out throw my putter with my drivers by about 10-20' so I'm not actually loosing much distance.

BTW: The putter I was using today was a Gateway Magic soft.

 

[Hampstead]

Slower discs tend to give you more control and accuracy and with good form, you can still get plenty of distance out of them.

 

[bobmcnelly]

Putters are magical. My home course's average shot is around 225'. Half of my bag is putters, and the other half is just drivers to throw on the one long shot.

 

[Halcón]

...if it weren't for a missed 6' putt...

If you do anything as far as practice goes, make certain that a putt within 10' is never missed. Then stretch that to 12'. Then 14'...etc...etc.

 

[tomte]

Putters are magical. My home course's average shot is around 225'. Half of my bag is putters, and the other half is just drivers to throw on the one long shot.

One half is putters, the other half is midranges. Not entirely true, but putters and mids make up 80% of my bag. Only trouble is deciding which putter and mid to settle on...

 

[Bamm]

You missed a 6' putt? j/k Putters are cool for one disc rounds on a shorter shot making course.

 

[ThomasOrion]

Yeah for sure. Using putters is important. That's why I have 5-6 Pa1's and 5-6 Pa4's Putting practice....always have a good condition one, same weights....getting comfy with your putter is probably the most important part of the game.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

D. Really I only out throw my putter with my drivers by about 10-20' so I'm not actually loosing much distance.

I expect this is the case for most golfers. And one of the reasons I don't use drivers very much.

 

[scotnt73]

Also on tight wooded shots putters don't bounce off trees nearly as far as drivers usually.

 

[Nemmers]

I need to try this....

 

[coupe]

I expect this is the case for most < 935 rated golfers.

FTFY.

 

[The Mad Cow]

" just put it in the deer feeder " .... lol
" putters " get a bad rep just because of the name....
" DRIVER " sounds just a bit more sexy.

tbh, the BEST disc you can ever throw: the one in your disc bag you can actually CONTROL :thmbup:

 

[biodarwin]

tbh, the BEST disc you can ever throw: the one in your disc bag you can actually CONTROL :thmbup:

This is dead on. I golf with some folks that have been playing for more than a decade that can power down a driver to hit lines I could never would think about because I am proficient with throwing mids / putters.

 

[AndyJB]

FTFY.

Not true. I'm an 860 rated golfer and I still get much more distance out of any other type of disc. I'm no slouch in that department.

Too bad I fold like a poker table come tournament time.

 

[coupe]

Not true. I'm an 860 rated golfer and I still get much more distance out of any other type of disc. I'm no slouch in that department.

"Most" =/= "all." (Or maybe you're just "special." )

The point being, contrary to dthunderchicken's expectation, most players who've been playing long enough to develop reasonably good form, which includes virtually all players rated 935+, can throw drivers significantly farther than putters.

Back in the late 1990s/early '00s, a (very rough) rule of thumb for disc selection floating around was that accomplished players typically could expect to throw midranges 10% farther than putters, and drivers 10% farther than midranges. That's assuming good form and the power/arm speed/snap to make the disc fly as intended.

I suspect that the advent of wide rimmed discs and Blizzard/Lite/Air technology has created another level of differentiation between fairway and distance drivers: I haven't lost any distance with my midranges or fairway drivers over the last 10-15 years, but these days I'm routinely parking or overthrowing, holes with wide rimmed and Blizzard/Starlite/Air discs that I need a driver and a 100-125' upshot to reach back in the day, and I ain't gettin' any younger.

 

[Timeetyo]

tbh, the BEST disc you can ever throw: the one in your disc bag you can actually CONTROL :thmbup:

Most definitely this. Interestingly enough I'm finding that I'm using my mids less now and my teebird much, much more especially since I've seasoned it a bit (dx). It is just so straight for tight wooded shots and even powered down a bit it is I still use my Nova a lot for approach but after throwing multi disc rounds which forced me to use my teebird on holes I was previously using mids on (since I was out of mids) I found myself hitting my line much more often with the teebird and it has subsequently received much more use.

 

[Moose33]

I had tried this once with a Wizard and bit went horribly awry. It was probably the wrong putter for my style though, as I threw 75% of shots at brickyard last week with my Harp and scored well.

 

[Brodysseus]

Yeah, putters are awesome.

ThomasOrion, you really need to put a space somewhere in that signature, it's ridiculous!

 

[Questatement]

Back in the late 1990s/early '00s, a (very rough) rule of thumb for disc selection floating around was that accomplished players typically could expect to throw midranges 10% farther than putters, and drivers 10% farther than midranges. That's assuming good form and the power/arm speed/snap to make the disc fly as intended.

Although I start dropping weight after speed 7 for a solid stable disc (4 grams each speed increase), I get about an additional 10-12' for each step up in speed for an equally stable disc starting with a putter avg. at 260' and ending with speed 11 avg. at 370'. I don't get any more avg. distance from speeds 12-14.

I'm glad that I can't throw a putter 400' because I greatly appreciate my disc selection limting the range of my shots. Anything past my putting stance's reach and under 260' that does not require an OS putter (which ranges shorter) requires me ranging based on a lower arm speed alone.

I guess that it's time to perfect the high, hyzer spike so I can start using mids and fairways instead?

 

[gfellerjm]

Thanks for all the feedback. What I'm pulling from the comments is A. Putters do indeed rock and B. I do indeed need some work.