What do you consider a putt?

[Timeetyo]

@the OP - I went through this myself last season as I wanted to track my stats and evaluate my putting. So my answer is ONLY in context of how I kept stats to allow me to evaluate my game.

I quickly realized that what I wanted the stat to tell me is where did a failed putt cost me a stroke (opposed to a bad drive or upshot, etc). To this end I put the "blame" on the appropriate shot in my scorecard. If I score a 3 with 2 putts my drive was OK (or good) and I missed a putt. If I score a 3 with 1 putt I had a poor drive (or at least not within my comfort zone) and assign the stroke to the drive, not the putt. For example - a open 250 hole. I screw up the drive and land 45' out. Sure, I am using a putting stance and stroke and am trying to put it in the basket, but at the end of the day when you ask me where I messed up...its the drive....not missing a 45' putt.

Taking this approach has really cleared this up for me and makes it easier to evaluate when I am having an off day. Quite often when I think I'm having a bad putting day I look back and realize that I've assigned the blame to the drives more than putts that day and seemed like I was missing a lot due to bad drives putting me in poor positions.

 

[Lewis]

I have the impression that most players underestimate how many strokes are added to their score from bad driving, and overestimate the cost of a missed putt. It's very easy to count the strokes you lose inside the putting circle with misses, but the cost of a single bad tee shot will be multiple strokes far more often than missing any single putt -- but the cost is harder to quantify. And I agree with Timeetyo that missing a long putt is usually more the result of bad play before the long putt than missing the putt itself. As the pros will tell you, the best way to become a great putter is to always leave yourself short putts.

 

[MikeTheBlueCow]

I think this is the point of the 10m circle. I say this because how else can you define a putt? "In a putting stance and trying to get the disc in the basket"? Some people might be trying to get the disc in the basket from 100 feet out, and if it's a short hole even from the teepad. You might be in a putting stance 50 feet out, but are you putting... or just making a controlled approach shot? Only way to call it for me is that I'm in the circle so I'm obviously putting at that point. Anything outside the circle is ambiguous. One person might putt from 50, another might just try a soft throw that you wouldn't call a putt.

The Pro Tour has added a "Circle 2" to basically help to alleviate this same question. Now there are "circle putts" and "circle 2 putts" which are long putts. But someone may be in a putting stance from outside circle 2 and trying to get it in... are they putting or just trying for a controlled approach?

In the circle is a putt. Outside the circle is an approach.

 

[ejvogie]

No way in hell I'm considering any touring pro's 50' made putts to be approaches. There's no one distance where you can say, "This is a putt, and that is an approach." It's going to be different for different people.

Intent, stance, and throwing motion are what defines a putt vs. an approach vs. a drive.

 

[ThrowBot]

I have the impression that most players underestimate how many strokes are added to their score from bad driving, and overestimate the cost of a missed putt. It's very easy to count the strokes you lose inside the putting circle with misses, but the cost of a single bad tee shot will be multiple strokes far more often than missing any single putt -- but the cost is harder to quantify. And I agree with Timeetyo that missing a long putt is usually more the result of bad play before the long putt than missing the putt itself. As the pros will tell you, the best way to become a great putter is to always leave yourself short putts.

I've never seen such an open affront to the ubiquitous "Drive for Show, Putt for Dough" philosophy!

I agree with what Lewis said, with the caveat that it depends from course to course. On open pitch-and-putts, you can make up for bad drives with good putts. That's not true if you have a lot of risky OB on a course, or dense trees in the rough, or other driving hazards. Also, courses with legit par 4's and 5's naturally have a larger proportion of the total score dependent on drives. On the other hand, when risky greens come into play, a made putt might save you more than one throw...so many variables!

From a statistics standpoint, though, I definitely see the lure of tracking putts. Putting is a true dichotomy: you either make it or you don't. On the other hand, there are a lot of varied options for what happens to a drive, and they don't necessary have an easy to quantify effect on your score. It's tough to judge the exact throw cost of a drive that goes 5' off the fairway (vs. 20' off the fairway). Same goes for the hole-to-hole benefit of adding 30' of driving distance.

 

[bradharris]

I think this is the point of the 10m circle.

No it isn't. The point of the circle is to define a special set of rules for when players are close to the basket. It is in no way intended to be used as a statistical measure of putting accuracy.

 

[Hampstead]

No way in hell I'm considering any touring pro's 50' made putts to be approaches. There's no one distance where you can say, "This is a putt, and that is an approach." It's going to be different for different people.

Intent, stance, and throwing motion are what defines a putt vs. an approach vs. a drive.

Yup. Rec level players who have a low percentage outside the circle would consider it a layup, while plenty of us are comfortable putting beyond it.

 

[MikeTheBlueCow]

No it isn't. The point of the circle is to define a special set of rules for when players are close to the basket. It is in no way intended to be used as a statistical measure of putting accuracy.

So then what are you using to determine "is that a putt"? The player's intention?

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[bradharris]

So then what are you using to determine "is that a putt"? The player's intention?

When I count putts, I'm only counting them for myself. So it's a judgement of whatever I consider a putt. Intent is a major part of that determination.

 

[SD86]

IMHO part of the issue here is attempting to define a disc golf "putt" in the same or similar way to a golf ball golf "putt", as well as using the same or similar criteria for statistics. And IMHO this is one area where the two games do not correlate well. Ditto that for "greens in regulation"... what defines that in Disc Golf?

 

[mgamache8]

To me, I'd consider a putt when you are attempting to put the disc in the basket without needing to make a significant change to your putting form. If you do need to make an adjustment, it's not a putt anymore IMHO

 

[sumo21]

Everything past 15' for me is a throwin and I consider a fairway ace.

Funny. But I think the distance in which I change my motion from up and down to throwing across my chest would be considered that max putting distance.

I think that distance for me currently is around the 40 foot mark.

 

[sumo21]

That might be 50 feet if I square up to the basket and bring the disc deep from between my legs. It's probably going to be on an anny line, hopefully popping to flat before it bangs the chains.