Tired of the ups and downs, fed up with blowing up/sucking

[Ted Bratton]

Hello I'm Ted. I'm 23 years old with no previous athletic experience, and I've been playing roughly 3.5 years now. I love disc golf and I play pretty often, usually at least a couple times a week. Sometimes alone, sometimes with a variety of players who are equal to or better than I am and my courses are challenging. When I first started I couldn't throw 300', and I was about as far away from natural talent as possible. Now almost 4 years later my decision making+shot selection, mental strength+ability to handle pressure, athleticism (also dropped 110-120 lbs in the last 5 years), accuracy+precision, and power have all drastically improved and I am proud of myself.

However, I am still not where I want to be. I want to shoot as low of scores as possible as consistently as possible. More specifically, I would love to reach a true 950+ average rating through every round I play. I recently joined the PDGA for the first time and played my first tournament on a 9000 foot course with a lot of ob+water and strong winds and shot a 62 (par) and 58 for a 935 rating per round. I was happy considering the wind and felt I stepped up and played decent, but I think that I too rarely play to what I think that my abilities allow and I too often shoot rounds that I consider far too poor. That is I'm streaky, my scores vary too widely, and I'm fed up with it.

At my home course Stuart Nelson where I now have one season under my belt the record is a 48, the course pro shoots about 51-54 pretty regularly, but my record is a measly 56 which is not ok by me. Technically I have the bare minimum requirements to tie the course record without any ambitious shots/throw ins if I could channel McBeth and play "perfectly". So I know that I can do better if I can put it all together in one round. So for this season my secondary goal is to increase my accuracy and precision enough to break my measly previous record and put together a 50-52. My primary goal is to increase my consistency/precision/baseline scores dramatically. I have grown weary of being streaky and feeling complacent when I shoot mediocre scores on a regular basis. I want to act more competitive, and compete at a higher level. Can any of you offer any insight? Or do I simply have to go out and accomplish it? So far this season, I haven't been able to...how can I eliminate having so many "off days" where I simply do not play the same way fundamentally as when I play well?

 

[MNthrow]

Putting practice is something that I found was really helpful to my game. I can do the 250-300ft drive with some decent accuracy (sorry for interwebs I mean 400ft right where I want it each time), but that 50ft and under game is where I overlooked my skills. Learn to bury the longer putts and it can help you take a shot or three a round off.

 

[btothej89]

To me it´s all about the mental aspect of the game.
i played two different courses this past weekend. The first one on saturday was completely new to me, never played it before.

so i started the round of with a bogey and a double bogey, bummer. :wall:
BUT here is the deal, i said to myself i still have 16 holes to make up for it, it´s the first time playing this course so i dont expect to shoot a crazy good round.
I kept playing and improved, at the end of the day i was pleased with my score and had a great time overall. :thmbup:

Yesterday though i played one of my homecourses, which i played way more then 100 rounds on, i know every hole by heart, so shooting par or worse seems like a failure to me, all i could think about was keeping my score below par, that´s why i failed, i tried so hard and got so frustrated that i didn´t enjoy it at all.

Keep your spirits high and enjoy what you are doing, forget the ratings, just go out there and throw.

 

[mattc]

I play very inconsistent also.
I think it will get better with time.
I also need to work on my short game, this seems to really determine what kind of day I am having.

 

[JC17393]

Putting practice is a great suggestion. Consistent putting, in my opinion, is where players can derive the most confidence on the course. Confident players are better players.

But for the mental game, nothing beats experience. Keep playing tournaments. There are aspects to tournament play that you just can't replicate in practice.

In the meantime though, I think you need to set your sights a little lower than perfection. Perfection on the disc golf course is impossible. If you are striving for perfection, you're always going to be disappointed and thus frustrated. You should be setting a goal for yourself that's achievable. You say 56 is your best at your home course and you want to put together a 50-52 round. Start by shooting for a 55. Get that and aim for a 54. Get that and aim for 53. And so on. Small improvements here and there will eventually add up to big strides.

 

[Johnny_Crunch]

Spend the 1.5 hours you would normally use playing a round throwing 54 shots in a field throwing 300 shots. Obviously don't replace every round with practice but at least one a week. Practice practice practice.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Weak decision making, weighing percentages, can be a significant reason for inconsistent scoring. You actually do have some of the shots when you're on. When you're slightly off you still think you have some of the shots but the risks are too high to make that choice from that lie. Some examples are trying to hit a gap that's too tight, trying a type of throw you don't really have in your bag yet (and get in more trouble) or trying a risky, longer downhill putt and not making the comeback.

So when you go back through your round shot by shot, it's one thing to look at the shots you didn't throw as well and try to improve those skills. But also look back to see if making a different throw in certain situations may have been a better percentage choice.

 

[Stardoggy]

Weak decision making, weighing percentages, can be a significant reason for inconsistent scoring. You actually do have some of the shots when you're on. When you're slightly off you still think you have some of the shots but the risks are too high to make that choice from that lie. Some examples are trying to hit a gap that's too tight, trying a type of throw you don't really have in your bag yet (and get in more trouble) or trying a risky, longer downhill putt and not making the comeback.

So when you go back through your round shot by shot, it's one thing to look at the shots you didn't throw as well and try to improve those skills. But also look back to see if making a different throw in certain situations may have been a better percentage choice.

In other words, don't try to be the hero on every shot.

 

[pmorgan1214]

I have been focusing on field work instead of going to just play rounds on my days off. After work almost every day i go throw for 1-2 hours of accuracy and drive power. Once i get my car i will be able to go the course and practice putting other than my days off. I noticed i am playing a lot better since the winter is over.

 

[brian j]

it's also good to try and lighten up on yourself. bad days are going to happen and there is nothing you can do but smile and move onto the next shot. also i've found most things people learn by taking two steps forward and one step back. don't beat yourself up over daily progress and instead look at the bigger picture.

 

[smyith]

i think it might help then if you try going side to side.

 

[regularjoe]

Putting practice is something that I found was really helpful to my game. I can do the 250-300ft drive with some decent accuracy (sorry for interwebs I mean 400ft right where I want it each time), but that 50ft and under game is where I overlooked my skills. Learn to bury the longer putts and it can help you take a shot or three a round off.

Amazing post.
I advise you purchase a cheap practice basket (or something nicer if you can afford to).

 

[jrawk]

it's GOLF... very few players are ever happy with their performance.

 

[demoneyeone]

One thing that has really helped my scores be more consistent is to stop keeping everyones score. I know what I'm shooting in a round. But when I know the other peoples score I start trying to force things instead of just playing my game.
When I do have one of those blowup rounds where I can do nothing right I try to use it as a learning moment. Once the score becomes unsalvageable I will just start throwing shots I wouldn't normally throw on holes or using discs I wouldn't normally for shots. Just to see what happens. One round I played the last 9 holes throwing nothing but forehand for every shot.

Another thing I have noticed is almost every time I have a blowup round I usually come back the next time and play one of my best games. I guess its one of those you have to take a step back to take two steps forward type things.

 

[Halcón]

I stopped reading the OP after "I'm 23....I dropped 110-120 lbs over the last 5 years." How has nobody else mentioned this!? You saved your own life, Ted. Congratulations!

 

[PhillyMatt]

I agree,

Sucking all the times is much easier.

 

[cubeofsoup]

Hello I'm Ted. I'm 23 years old with no previous athletic experience, and I've been playing roughly 3.5 years now. I love disc golf and I play pretty often, usually at least a couple times a week. Sometimes alone, sometimes with a variety of players who are equal to or better than I am and my courses are challenging. When I first started I couldn't throw 300', and I was about as far away from natural talent as possible. Now almost 4 years later my decision making+shot selection, mental strength+ability to handle pressure, athleticism (also dropped 110-120 lbs in the last 5 years), accuracy+precision, and power have all drastically improved and I am proud of myself.

However, I am still not where I want to be. I want to shoot as low of scores as possible as consistently as possible. More specifically, I would love to reach a true 950+ average rating through every round I play. I recently joined the PDGA for the first time and played my first tournament on a 9000 foot course with a lot of ob+water and strong winds and shot a 62 (par) and 58 for a 935 rating per round. I was happy considering the wind and felt I stepped up and played decent, but I think that I too rarely play to what I think that my abilities allow and I too often shoot rounds that I consider far too poor. That is I'm streaky, my scores vary too widely, and I'm fed up with it.

At my home course Stuart Nelson where I now have one season under my belt the record is a 48, the course pro shoots about 51-54 pretty regularly, but my record is a measly 56 which is not ok by me. Technically I have the bare minimum requirements to tie the course record without any ambitious shots/throw ins if I could channel McBeth and play "perfectly". So I know that I can do better if I can put it all together in one round. So for this season my secondary goal is to increase my accuracy and precision enough to break my measly previous record and put together a 50-52. My primary goal is to increase my consistency/precision/baseline scores dramatically. I have grown weary of being streaky and feeling complacent when I shoot mediocre scores on a regular basis. I want to act more competitive, and compete at a higher level. Can any of you offer any insight? Or do I simply have to go out and accomplish it? So far this season, I haven't been able to...how can I eliminate having so many "off days" where I simply do not play the same way fundamentally as when I play well?

Develop muscle memory for safe, consistent shots via repetition. Easiest to do is putting. Practice putting from a range you will make 9/10 or 10/10 (ideally 15-25 ft, its ok if it's shorter).

Throw 30 or 40 putts at that range every day for a while. You'll end up feeling very confident in your putting motion. What this does for the rest of your game: any time you are shooting at the basket, all you have to do is hit a 25ft circle. That's a big landing zone. Less stress and more room for error when approaching/driving. This also allows for safe, confident course management. (you're stuck in **** and can't make an attempt on the basket, pitch out for a 25ft putt and have the confidence you can hit it for the easy up and down.

 

[bobmcnelly]

Practice putting and keep a positive attitude.

 

[smyith]

try reading this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Golf-Mastering-Mental-Game/dp/0385504462

honestly its a quick read and great life advice in general.

 

[Shamis]

My suggestions:

1. practice putting more often
2. focus on your mechanics when throwing. I think inconsistencies must mean you unconsciously change something about your routine, or your release, or your grip etc. Maybe get a video camera and film yourself throwing and look for things you do well/not well, or just things you change a lot.