Putting: What's Your "Trouble" Range?

[Kodachrome]

hey guys. since i bought a basket i've been working a ton on my putting. i've definitely gotten better, changed some things up. it doesn't always translate to the course - i tend to get inside my own head and forget to putt like i practice - but that's beside the point.

it's starting to save me strokes on the course. i feel comfortable anywhere 20' and out. i just pop it in and i don't have to think about it for the most part.

the problem is once you get inside that 20' range, which for me should be at this point "gimme" range. but it's not and i don't know why. even in my basement, all of a sudden i'm so close to the basket and i forget how i should putt. i've tried different variations, i've tried doing silly things like putting with a driver, anything to alter my mental state and just hit the putt, but i can't. it's ridiculous. as my approach and driving game gets better i'm faced with more of these 10-15' putts and i screw them up. it's to the point where even 5' tap-in putts make me nervous.

honestly i'd say i'm probably 70% from 20-30' in my basement. i'd say i'm about 50% inside 20' and even worse on the course, probably 40%. i've practiced and practiced just those short putts and i can't figure it out. the best thing i can think of is, in my head, to pretend i missed the putt and then pretend that my current putt is the "desperation putt" that everyone nails after they have already missed their putt. for some reason this seems to work for me and my body naturally responds a bit better to what it's supposed to do. anny putting also seems to help. i tend to completely flub my putts to the left and release early, afraid to put it into the chains. anny putting corrects it to some degree.

what's your "trouble range" and what do you do to squash it? i'm interested to hear. i think i am unique in that my nerves kick up on the "easier" putts. what about you? it's been pretty frustrating; i've been working on it for several weeks, spending time each day.

 

[BirdieMachine]

I know the feeling, it's that point where you should make it, it's basically a gimme putt right? You start worrying about missing. It can throw your mental game off. It's all mental and confidence.

Whatever you can do to build it up and not think so much. I can't say I have a magic answer it's one of those things you just got to work through to get out of a slump.

Maybe work on 15 footers so they are automatic then start creeping back. Thats what I would try.

 

[DikenCider]

My trouble distance is outside 20 feet. I'm not bad from 20 to circles edge but if I had to pick a trouble distance that would be it. If you're having that much trouble I would say just take a few days off of golf completely. Try not to think about your trouble putting as much as possible. This is just my opinion though. What I do when I practice putting I usually practice with 5-10 putters that are the same weight and model. I will actually start putting at five feet. Practicing the same way I would putt on the course. If I make all my putts from five feet I take a step back. From the step back if I make them all I take another step back and so on. If I miss one from a distance I will finish out the set and take a step forward. It's hard to get to a longer distance for me with this way but it seems to work. It's easier with less putter. If I'm having trouble getting outside 20 I will still practice som from twenty to the circles edge. I practice at home and out at the course. I feel practicing at the course helps a lot. I hope this helps and good luck! One more thing I feel that once you're confident at a close range it makes putts from a longer distance easier. Putting has a lot to do with confidence.

 

[Budman2012]

I do the same thing on the short ones and I see a lot of other people do it too. So we're not alone. I think the problem is that when you are that close to the basket you tell yourself that it should be a "gimme" but yet in the back of your mind you know you are capable of missing it because you have done it before. At this point I think people start putting "not to miss" and try to just baby it into the basket, where I think a lot of short arming comes into play, rather than walking up and being confident and putting "through" the basket so the chains do their job and catch it.

 

[knettles]

Damn, that sounds like your mental game is messing with you hard. I'd say just try and relax and not overthink it. Get used to putting casually and comfortably without really caring about it.

As far as me, my "problem distance" isn't a distance but just making myself practice. If I make myself practice once or twice a week my putting does pretty well out to 25 or even 30 feet. When I slack and don't practice for a while, it's like my body almost forgets the intricacies of the motion and I can have trouble with 15 footers.

 

[Jay75]

I'm in the same boat. It's weird, but I'm more comfortable outside 15 than I am in. I used to be super confident putting and now not so much. It all started when I got a basket and started practicing almost daily. Just in tbe last couple weeks I've started practing at the 15' and in areas. It's not as fun but I'm forcing it to get over the hump. The last few sessions I've just stepped up and put it in rather than thinking about it, seems to be helping me. Been a serious issue though, my last tourney I drilled a hand full of putts outside 40, but missed like six inside 12. Frustrating, and kind of embarrassing.

 

[Stover]

The putting zone that has been causing me the most issues over the last year has been the 40-70. Obviously I don't count on making a good percentage of these. But I want to give them a chance. This is the range between my normal putting stance and my just throw in range. I have switch between hyzers, walk through, and jumps. Just seems no matter what I try it doesn't feel very comfortable with a consistent chance at running it.

 

[Broken Shoulder]

Sounds like you've got the yips, Koda. Sucks, and there's probably no one single cure. Dikencider's suggestion of no golf at all for a couple days may actually be a great idea. If you're fixated on this, it may be best to clear your head.

You say you're missing early/left, so it's also possible you just need to tell yourself to follow through. Missing like that indicates you're short-arming and aiming, not throwing and following through. When practicing at home make sure your short putts look just like your longer putts - don't alter your mechanics.

I have a couple of other thoughts on this also:
The thing about putting is that it isn't really that hard. We tend to think, and therefore make, it harder than it really is. You and the disc are here - the basket is there. Throw it in. Done. A lot of people talk about confidence or lack thereof in putting; positive vibes, putt from close so your putter has a lot of makes and few misses, believe you can make it... and all that. But to be honest, if your mind is thinking about making or missing the putt then it's not thinking about the right things. If you're truly in your routine it should become automatic and there should be no doubt or need for telling yourself you're going to make it before you putt - it should be assumed, sub-consciously, that the putt will be going in. The end result should be a foregone conclusion. I don't ever think I might miss a putt, and I never pep talk myself before a putt. I just putt, because I know if I do everything correctly then it goes in the basket.

From fifteen feet out, you literally could toss the disc in the basket any old way. It's super easy to get a disc to go fifteen feet. When I was narrowing down my "style" earlier this year, I started sort of screwing around from about that distance just tossing the disc at the basket. No set up, no routine, but literally just goofy tosses. Behind the back, super soft and lobby, bent way over and flinging it up there, forehand, turbo, back to basket turn and toss in one motion...just really goofy stupid stuff to clear my mind. What I found was that it didn't really matter how I did it. Your brain forces your body to get the disc there. This basically taught me that it didn't matter what my set up was, or what style I ultimately chose because I could get the disc there. It also taught me how I most naturally and comfortably wanted to address my lie and square off at the basket. So I made my putting style work from that. It was also kind of entertaining and eliminated some of my frustration.

Lastly, the two things that I believe are the most important parts of putting in disc golf:
1) Keep the disc on the line. Do not pull the disc off the line (disc-to-post) either coming back or going forward. Staying on the line increases your margin for error.
2) Follow through. For me, I've decided that when I'm putting I'm "just giving the disc to the basket." Which means if I short arm it, or flail my arm way high, I can't give the disc to the basket. So my follow through is straight ahead to the post and finishing with an open hand out in front of me. Just give the disc to the basket.

Sorry for the novel, and I hope you figure it out.

 

[A rod]

Koda.. Man I feel like you're in my head right now. Probably every round I'll have at least one really good drive on a tough hole and I'll be ten feet out. I'm the only one on the card looking at a birdie and I front rim bang the basket 8/10 times.

Taking time off hasn't helped. I haven't been able to play for weeks at a time and it's still there. I started trying a nose up technique and try to aim just a little above the basket, about waist high. Its kept me from missing some of them.

I think the problem is more about not taking it very serious. I'll line up a thirty footer for ten seconds. I won't even really hesitate before just firing off a ten footer.

 

[JFibeZZZ]

Definitely seems like the longer you line up the putt, you psyche yourself out. Find a good rhythm and do it every putt for consistency. I think that's the key, it's the best way to play like you practice.

 

[B3NDER]

Anything 6' or more and I'm already probably missing :wall:

 

[Indy21]

Really good advice from you guys so far, enjoying reading.

Not to hijack the thread but something that I've struggled with while practicing is sticking with one form and routine. I'll go out one day, do my normal thing for 30 minutes and make most of my putts and feel good about it, then the very next day using the same exact techniques for 30 minutes it seems like I can't even hit metal!

Surely this is purely mental, could be that I'm rushing it a bit more than I did the day before, not sure but where I make my worse mistake is I feel like I need to change something so I change styles or form until I'm making everything again and build my confidence back up, then same thing happens all over, I go out the next day and can't tag metal to save my life.

My struggle is sticking to the same routine every time no matter what and just accept that I will have days where I'm ON IT and days where I just need to go back inside and relax.

Sorry for the long post and OP, hope you are able to start making those shorter ones again real soon, I feel your frustration, I can make those 15 footers all day in my back yard on perfectly flat ground with no wind and nobody watching but as soon as it's go time in a tourney I flubb them at the ground, lol.

Broken Shoulder, great advice, thanks for that.

 

[zgmc]

You do need a routine. Its like shooting free throws. Every good free throw shooter has a routine, and its the same every time. I think everyone putts better during practice, but the more you compete, the easier it is to just relax, focus, and make the putt.

 

[Nicko D]

The most important thing for me when practicing putting is that I make the putt. Im pretty good from 8m on the course, but when I Train I also do alot of putts from 3-4m, just because I need to throw putts that og in. I learn very little from missing putts. And if you are unsure from Shorter distances, make sure you putt througt the basket and not turn Down Your Power that much. Try to make it more like a 20 ft putt.

 

[HybridZombiw]

My trouble distance is 10' and out. I can't putt too well, but got good approaches

 

[Nasty Nate]

Ah, the psyche-out. We all tend to do it and it always ends up getting us on those short putts. The problem is all in the mind... when you start thinking about something then it becomes over-analyzed and clogs up your thoughts which in turn messes up your shot. You must be zen in disc golf. Don't think- feel. It's all muscle memory and you just have to do it without thinking.

Over-thinking over-analyzing separates the body from the mind

 

[Peter 127]

I practiced two ways last summer and improved greatly. As long as I am mentally focused, I find a traditional fall off of success, the farther away from the basket. There was a point where 20' to 25' was a very difficult area. At 15', I would be 10/10. Move out to 20' and it would plumet to 3/10. Part of it came down to a putter change, part of it came down to transitioning to needing more leg spring to push the disc. The rest was just work, some just solid practice and the rest mental.

A key to keeping the practice fun was a iPhone App called 'Driven 1025'. There have been some not so nice words about the PDGA rag on this forum so I hesitate to mention it. There was a good article last year by Mr. Papas about putting. I used many of his ideas to continue to mix it up. I will work hard again this summer to improve further.

Purely my two cents and what worked for me.

 

[Halcón]

I have a basket at home that I haven't used in months. Now my putting has suffered. Go figure.

I'd say +20' is trouble.

 

[Old Dog]

I start to be concerned when the putt is 20 foot and beyond. I make the majority of anything inside of that if I have a clear shot at he basket.

I only wish my drives were as accurate as my putting.

 

[DeadEye]

If you can hit 20 footers but have problems with 10 footers, I suggest practicing only 10-15 footers for a week or two. It is the Yips, and totally mental. I had the same problem for a month or two, but got it out of my system.

Personally, I do much more of a push/lob putt for those gimme ranges. 15 and out I do a modified spush putt, but for the gimme range I'll often just push putt to take the right and left out of it.