Putting slump

[ray1970]

So, not that I'm the best putter in the first place but lately I've kind of been in a slump.

I made a trip a few weeks ago and opted to not take my normal putter and instead just used an Envy and Harp and didn't putt as well as I would normally do. When I returned from my trip I figured going back to the Judges that I normally use would fix that but apparently it is me more than the discs.

Besides the obvious fix of just hitting the practice basket, is there anything else I should be doing to get back on track?

 

[ru4por]

Stop searching for magic in a putter. Find a disc that is comfortable in your hand and get to work. Putting is 15% physical and 95% mental. Build a putting routine and use it religiously. Find confidence, seek an inner calm and putt through the chains.

Archer>Arrow

 

[ray1970]

Stop searching for magic in a putter. Find a disc that is comfortable in your hand and get to work. Putting is 15% physical and 95% mental. Build a putting routine and use it religiously. Find confidence, seek an inner calm and putt through the chains.

Archer>Arrow

Oh, I'm not looking for some sort of magic putter. The Judge is my putter. Played roughly ten rounds without it when I was traveling and struggled putting with the Envy. Figured it was just the hand feel that I wasn't used to and that after the trip when I got back on my regular bag and putters all would be right again.

I know putting is more mental than physical and that's the hurdle I'm currently trying to overcome.

 

[jupiterboy]

I went through something like this at the start of this season. Not that my situation will apply, but I started to recognize a small difference in intensity when I was off. I can usually feel this in my hand, and it relates to my fingers on the bottom of the flight plate and how they can give some rotation and lift to the disk. I was getting lazy with my hand and starting to use more arm, which took my accuracy down. I was working on that, then I started looking at my grip. I had always used a fan grip the same as when a kid for touch and putting shots. This meant my index finger was on the front of the rim. Watching some video I noticed that their putting grip put the index finger under the edge of the rim so the rim sat in the first knuckle of the index finger. I tried this out and immediately started getting much more lift and distance and accuracy on my putts. I've been slowly refining and dialing this in over the season and am better than I've ever been with putting now. Maybe that will help, but when I start putting sloppy now it usually is because I'm putting more arm into the shot and being lazy with my fingers and that quick release.

 

[ray1970]

I always like to make excuses for my poor performance.

I was blaming putting with the Envy during my vacation as I chose to keep my traveling discs to a minimum and omitted my Judge.

Yesterday, I was blaming cooler weather, wet snowy conditions, and the fact that I hadn't putted my Judges in a couple of weeks and just needed to reacquaint myself with them.

I did take my stiff Judges out of the bag last night and put a couple of softer, classic blends in my bag. It's something I have typically always done in the winter months as I like the grip of the softer plastic in the winter months.

Heading out for a quick round in a bit so I'll see if I can get my putt dialed back in. My misses yesterday were high, mostly hitting the band. Part of the way through my round I was trying to compensate for that and then I was missing low and hitting the cage.

I need to sort it out before my tournaments this weekend. Lol.

 

[discerdoo]

You can tweak your mechanics - slightly. I straddle and sometimes a foot placement adjustment feels better for some reason. Like you say, putting is mostly mental. If you can convince yourself that a small adjustment feels better, your confidence goes up.

 

[txmxer]

I've been struggling with this quite a bit this year. Most frustrating has been putting well in practice and not being able to recreate it on the course in an event or even in casual rounds.

I think I've managed to improve my putting on the course in the past month or so. Still missing some putts I shouldn't (IMO), but the feel is a lot better.

The thing I would focus on in practice is your routine. Intentionally recognize each step of your putting routine such that you duplicate it on the course without having to think about it.

 

[bryantlikes]

I need to sort it out before my tournaments this weekend. Lol.

After my last tournament I spent some time looking at my drives, upshots, and putting. I quickly realized that putting was my weakest link and if I were to improve that it would improve my score the most. So I started the confidence in putting program that I'd seen on the heavy disc blog.



It is pretty old but I think it is still relevant. I'm about 2 weeks in and already seeing some great improvements. Main thing is I'm get super consistent inside 22' and slowly working outward. Spent most of my time today at 25' which used to be around 33% or less, now getting more like 75-80%.

 

[BillFleming]

So, not that I'm the best putter in the first place but lately I've kind of been in a slump.

I made a trip a few weeks ago and opted to not take my normal putter and instead just used an Envy and Harp and didn't putt as well as I would normally do. When I returned from my trip I figured going back to the Judges that I normally use would fix that but apparently it is me more than the discs.

Besides the obvious fix of just hitting the practice basket, is there anything else I should be doing to get back on track?

I've had this issue. I think it is partially due to the disc change.

You've been putting with disc A for a long time. Now you go somewhere and take disc B (maybe you don't want to take a chance of losing A, or you have to limit your discs and take B as it can fill two spots). With B, you aren't putting as well....so you end up changing little things in your putting style to make B work. Then the trip ends and you are back using your trusty A. But now it's not working because you are still putting with the style you had to develop to be able to use disc B.

So it isn't totally YOU....it's a combination of you and the disc. You need to work on getting back to your original putting style that you used with disc A.

I suggest that when travelling you have a 'travel' copy of your normal putter.

 

[ray1970]

I've had this issue. I think it is partially due to the disc change.

You've been putting with disc A for a long time. Now you go somewhere and take disc B (maybe you don't want to take a chance of losing A, or you have to limit your discs and take B as it can fill two spots). With B, you aren't putting as well....so you end up changing little things in your putting style to make B work. Then the trip ends and you are back using your trusty A. But now it's not working because you are still putting with the style you had to develop to be able to use disc B.

So it isn't totally YOU....it's a combination of you and the disc. You need to work on getting back to your original putting style that you used with disc A.

I suggest that when travelling you have a 'travel' copy of your normal putter.

I think you might have nailed it. And I did leave disc A at home to cut down on the number of discs that I traveled with. Disc B made the trip because I lean on it as a thrower and figured I'd just putt with it since I was just playing for fun and score didn't matter. I think I might have adjusted to it somewhat throughout my trip and now I just need to put some more time in with disc A again. Thank you!

 

[Countchunkula]

For me, when I'm not putting well, it's because I've lost the timing for the finger push/spring. Getting it back is all about spending time with the practice basket.

I don't love practicing and when I was getting the most in it was because we made it fun. Me and a couple of friends used to play a ton of horse. Either in my unfinished basement in the winter or in the backyard while the grill was heating up in the summer.

While those putts weren't the competition style putts that many like to practice, they did build muscle memory and confidence. Both of which occasionally need a tune up, but it doesn't take me long to get them back with a bit of practice.

 

[ChrisWoj]

So, not that I'm the best putter in the first place but lately I've kind of been in a slump.

I made a trip a few weeks ago and opted to not take my normal putter and instead just used an Envy and Harp and didn't putt as well as I would normally do. When I returned from my trip I figured going back to the Judges that I normally use would fix that but apparently it is me more than the discs.

Besides the obvious fix of just hitting the practice basket, is there anything else I should be doing to get back on track?

More specifically, with regard to putting practice strategies, I would say that beyond just "putt your way out of it" - try to divide your practice into two halves: practice for form and practice for mental.

When you do reps for form - don't keep track of numbers. Focus on what little tweaks to form get a comfortable feeling pop into the chains and then just do reps from varied spots without counting makes/percentages to groove the feel of the putt you are looking for (or in your case: looking to recover).

When you do reps for mental - keep track of numbers. Whether you do massed putts from a single spot or from varied spots, you need to not think about the form at all and focus only on letting yourself perform. The greatest extent that you want to focus on feel is identifying after the rep whether it felt correct. But overall you're just trying to let yourself empty the mind and perform.

https://blog.dynamicdiscs.com/2017/08/perfect-practice-makes-perfect.html - Here's a fuller synopsis of my thoughts on putting practice that I wrote a while back (sorry its a bit long, it was meant to be 3 parts but got posted all at once).

 

[lee76007]

I don't slump in my putting, when I'm missing it's something I'm not doing, and I'm quick to find it. When it's not busy and if I have the time a few holes into the round, I like to spend a few moments with my pig, prism envy, and R2 nomad putting from 5 feet and work my way back to 15 feet, play a few holes and finish C1 starting at 20 feet, it keeps me sharp, and I consider putting my strongest part of my game. When I have unusual C2 putts like this morning rounds at a wooded course a few overhanging branches, and tree blockage to get around to the basket, same thing practice with all three putters. Missed all those with the first putt, but did sink a pig under some branches, the pig didn't count for score, but good for the experience.

My home course mostly open and can be very windy is at a remote location, and hardly ever busy. When the wind is up and nobody behind me, I'll spend time on the first hole basket practicing, because I know when I reach the river holes, the wind will be blowing harder.

Putting for myself is primarily mental. I keep my form simple with lead foot out, arm extended at the release point aiming left center (lefty) ramming it in. I spent my first year playing far more on the practice basket to find my form putting, than field work throwing disc. But now stop on a few holes to remind those muscles. I think my routine practicing on the course for a few short moments, keeps putting practice from getting stale.

 

[Sheep]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-oNtFrMB3M

I actually made a putting video today.

 

[gooberau]

I like the Sexton putting Ferris Wheel analogy that he uses. Every car riding around represents some part of his technique, and if he has an off day, it's one of these cars that's the problem. Bit weird, but I like it.

I try and putt for 30 mins a day and wow has it helped. But I still have off days and that's usually missing high (the fix ... my weight is shifting up not forward through the putt), or I'm missing right (the fix ... keep my right putting arm in line with my right leg through the stroke).

The rest is becoming muscle memory ... start back, move forwards, arm extends as part of the forward movement, nice spin off the fingers ... chains hopefully. Keep the moving parts few and simple and repeatable.

 

[ray1970]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-oNtFrMB3M

I actually made a putting video today.

Bravo. Your putt and mine look a lot alike.

I wish my misses were left or right because as you mentioned in your video that's a pretty easy fix by just making sure you are lined up right with the basket.

My misses are mostly high. Not over the basket high but if I had a nickel for every time I've hit the band in the last couple of weeks I could probably buy myself a fancy, Eagle McMahon tour series disc.

I guess me and my practice basket are going to get better acquainted soon because obviously I'm releasing higher than I intend to.

 

[jenb]

After my last tournament I spent some time looking at my drives, upshots, and putting. I quickly realized that putting was my weakest link and if I were to improve that it would improve my score the most. So I started the confidence in putting program that I'd seen on the heavy disc blog.



It is pretty old but I think it is still relevant. I'm about 2 weeks in and already seeing some great improvements. Main thing is I'm get super consistent inside 22' and slowly working outward. Spent most of my time today at 25' which used to be around 33% or less, now getting more like 75-80%.

I was going to post this! Shakes fist

 

[biscoe]

Bravo. Your putt and mine look a lot alike.

I wish my misses were left or right because as you mentioned in your video that's a pretty easy fix by just making sure you are lined up right with the basket.

My misses are mostly high. Not over the basket high but if I had a nickel for every time I've hit the band in the last couple of weeks I could probably buy myself a fancy, Eagle McMahon tour series disc.

I guess me and my practice basket are going to get better acquainted soon because obviously I'm releasing higher than I intend to.

I disagree on the missing left and right thing. IMO missing high or low is simply a speed problem while missing left or right indicates something more screwed up with your form.

 

[Sheep]

Bravo. Your putt and mine look a lot alike.

I wish my misses were left or right because as you mentioned in your video that's a pretty easy fix by just making sure you are lined up right with the basket.

My misses are mostly high. Not over the basket high but if I had a nickel for every time I've hit the band in the last couple of weeks I could probably buy myself a fancy, Eagle McMahon tour series disc.

I guess me and my practice basket are going to get better acquainted soon because obviously I'm releasing higher than I intend to.

I hit the band a LOT honestly.
And the way I look at it is like this.
If I'm hitting the basket. Who cares if I miss. That means I'm 90% there.
It's easier to fix 10% with a little effort vs just outright bad putting in general.

I can adjust through a round if I'm hitting metal.
Its harder to dial in airballs.

 

[Sheep]

...missing left or right indicates something more screwed up with your form.

Yes and no.

A lot really depends on your putting style.

Generally missing left and right is 2 things.
Your form sucks and isn't consistent because you were not practicing properly. As in you stand in one spot and make arm corrections vs body corrections.

If your stroke for the putt is consistent, then its as simple as turning your feet to aim it in.


This is one of the main reasons to practice putt if you do.
To make sure where your stroke is coming out for the day and take note of your foot position to aim at the basket.