Long Putting

[todvan]

I'm looking for any advice, reference, videos, clinics, whatever - for long (25-50ft) putting. The putts that are too long for my normal putting technique - I seem to get these quite often and I'm just getting weak fluttering attempts most of the time. Thanks!

 

[black udder]

okay - maybe you fall into some great groove like Masterbeato, and start sinking stuff from 100' out, but if you're like the rest of us mortals, you find a way to reach the basket from 30' out *easily*. Then you work on making as many from 30' and in as you can. You do that and you'll take strokes off your game on a regular basis.

Now - as for those 30'+ putts - if you can make 30' easily - that means without straining, you can put a shot over the top of the basket - then you should be able to make reasonable shots on flat ground up to around 50'. Probably not many going in, but they should all leave you with 20' or *less* for the next shot (and those should all be 100%).

Outside of 50', they're great, but so hard to predict that you really are fighting an up hill battle to get great at those distances.

What will happen if you improve the 30' and in is that your aim and touch will improve dramatically and that will increase your percentages in the 30'+ range. The more confident you are at making everything inside 20', the better your shot will be from 50' out.

Edit: check out the discraft website, they have a "putting challenge". Go through that - it's 30 days of putting - I think 30 minutes a day in 2 15 minute swatches. If you're not better by that, I think Mark says he'll give you your money back (hahaha).

 

[Beetard]

I'm a hack at putting, but recently, I've been able to take my putts out farther thanks to Blake's instructional article. Here's what you need to do.

Shorten your pitch. I know it sounds backwards, but you should be trying to eject the disc well before your arm is fully extended. This is called short arm putting. It takes time to convince yourself that it works. You will get more D.

Stand in the "forward balanced position" That means if you're right handed, when you're lining up for a putt, all of your weight should be on your right foot. Your left foot should barely be touching the ground. You will get more D.

At some point, maybe 30 or 40 feet you will have gotten most of the distance potential out of shortening and quickening your pitch and standing on your right foot. This is where the weight shift comes into play. I'm not utilizing it well yet, but Blake's article says that it must happen at the beginning of the pitch or it will be too late to do anything. So you rock back, rock forward, then pitch.

See article.
http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/articles/shortarmputt.shtml

Some people don't bother learning to pitch well. They instead use a very refined approach shot as their putt. Unless they're on their game they miss right and left a lot and blow past 10 feet at least when they do. Hit or miss? I'll say!

 

[seanzerelli]

One of my weaknesses at the moment is my standing approaches from 150-200 feet. To compensate I use a jump putt approach as far out as I can. I'm not sure how far out I can get it but I'd like to think over 100 feet at least. I'm more accurate looking at the basket the whole time, and I'm still working on not turning my head away on approach throws.

I liked the video of Feldberg jump putting from like 150 feet. Basically a perfect example of getting power out of a jump putt, and I use the same technique as far as I can tell. I lower myself to a crouched position just before I throw. I employ a straight line at the basket if I'm going for it, but if it's a bit far and I'm unsure I can reach it chain high, I'll play it out right a bit and let if fade back to the pin. It feels like I get a lot of power from my wrist, and I'm usually taking a few jogging/trotting steps forward after I release. Kinda funny sometimes when there's a downhill slope in front of me or some other obstacle, I usually just throw my throw either way and see if I end up tangled in a bush or running down a hill watching my throw at the same time. A good follow through seems to help with most any throw. If I'm just flat out overpowering a jump putt my arm will fling out almost like a full throw during the follow through.

 

[JR]

Putting is about accuracy not maximum distance ability unless you're Barry Schulz and putt with a hyzer from the tee. That may sound harsh because when you're trying to put 100 % power in your putt you'll lose accuracy and consistency big time unless you've got really powerful tiny arm muscles able to maintain correct angles. I've jump putted past 200' a couple of times with mids. Lighter ones help because they glide well.

That kind of distance has little to do with putting form because I can't get to those kinds of distances without throwing the disc. Which means a hybrid form between a laser line putt and a short reach back approach shot. I bring the rear of the disc behind my side and twist my hips back pre throw. The funny thing is that it's still quite accurate. So much so that I jump throw/putt most of the time when I'm more than 40-60' out. Unless the distance calls for a real approach shot. Depends on many factors where the change from jump throw/putt to approach throw happens.

Edit: Real advice: Look at Des Reading. You don't necessarily need to kick the rear leg that high up and raise the throwing arm as high as she does if you can live with a more laser putting like style. That push with the left leg gives you momentum towards the target that is in my limited experience with it more useful in aiding aiming than generating power. Thus taking power off your arm stroke helping controlling that. It's really easy to feel the momentum of the body and aim with it for me. It feels very natural and my make rate shot up the first day I tried it. Gotta practice it more !!! :-D

That's brought a definite interest for me for putting practice. Lowering my score wasn't incentive enough for me although I had a spell of tremendous success two winters ago when I putted for three months. Not being a competition player yet makes putting practice boring for me. Discs are made to fly long and beautifully. Not like leap frog from your hand to the basket. Where's the beauty of that? Unless it's 80'+ ;-)

 

[plastic_fondler1]

The putts that are too long for my normal putting technique /quote]

Try jump putting. It takes awhile to build up your timing/power, but I'm surprise how many putts outside the circle I hit. You could also try a lighter putter for more glide...but I don't think it a great idea to have putters in different weights.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm looking for any advice, reference, videos, clinics, whatever - for long (25-50ft) putting. The putts that are too long for my normal putting technique - I seem to get these quite often and I'm just getting weak fluttering attempts most of the time. Thanks!

Much like Drives, the key to getting "power" on your putts is speed/acceleration, not muscling it. If, on longer putts, you feel like you are tensing up and really trying to muscle the disc to the pin, you will get the weak fluttering results you mentioned.

My advice would be to stay loose and keep your pitch light and quick. Combine this to what Beetard said about shortening your pitch. To elaborate, releasing the disc earlier while your arm is accelerating will in turn acclerate the disc. If you were to release too late, your arm will be decellerating and I guarantee your putt will be weak and the disc will land short.

Its a similar concept to martial arts where you see guys punching through pieces of plywood or whatever. They arent focusing on the plywood itself, theyre focusing on a spot 6 inches beyond it thus accelerating right through it.

 

[sleepy1]

The putts that are too long for my normal putting technique

Try jump putting. It takes awhile to build up your timing/power, but I'm surprise how many putts outside the circle I hit. You could also try a lighter putter for more glide...but I don't think it a great idea to have putters in different weights.

I agree. I was never a big proponent of jump-putting until I tried it with some regularity. Even when I miss, which is quite often , the putts outside of 30' that I jump-putt usually either hit metal or have a much better chance of going in vs. the ones I try to putt with a stronger version of my regular putting stroke. It will take some time to get your power dialed in, and it's fairly easy to send a short jump-putt (32' 10") flying past the basket at first. But the practice is worth it!

Watch Dave Feldberg. He's the friggin' Jump-Putt Masta.


sleepy

 

[todvan]

Much like Drives, the key to getting "power" on your putts is speed/acceleration, not muscling it. If, on longer putts, you feel like you are tensing up and really trying to muscle the disc to the pin, you will get the weak fluttering results you mentioned.

I think that must be it. Over-muscling. If I conciously try to add wrist snap, I pull the putt (hanging on too long). Maybe this earlier release thing is the ticket.....

Are there instructional DVDs out there somewhere?

 

[Anonymous]

Much like Drives, the key to getting "power" on your putts is speed/acceleration, not muscling it. If, on longer putts, you feel like you are tensing up and really trying to muscle the disc to the pin, you will get the weak fluttering results you mentioned.

I think that must be it. Over-muscling. If I conciously try to add wrist snap, I pull the putt (hanging on too long). Maybe this earlier release thing is the ticket.....

Are there instructional DVDs out there somewhere?

No but all of this is in Blake's putting article on the main site

 

[zealot]

jump putting is cool

 

[CJ1998]

I think the most important point from that Discraft video is the confidence you'll develop simply by making the short putts. Mark Ellis actually stresses that you should forget about the 30-50 ft stuff for while and get used to making putts from about 15 feet -- whatever is comfortable for you in terms of consistent makes. During that time, your own form will begin to develop and you'll get stronger.

I'll use myself as an example. After seeing that video and listening to Mark Ellis talk about putting and how he recommends practicing, I decided to give it a try. I made sure I did nothing but 15-foot putts for two or three days. It got to be kind of monotonous, but I made sure I went through the routine of setting my feet, gauging the wind, picking a link, getting mentally prepared, and letting it fly. By the end of the third day or so, I began to move around in terms of distance. Everything was easier. 15, 20, 25, 30 etc all began to fall more consistently. I even sank a couple from about 50 just for the heck of it. That was kind of an anomaly, I don't make 50 footers routinely, but I will sink them more often now. It's a great feeling. Whenever I practice, though, I stick to the short stuff just to build confidence.

I just shot par on the Monster course at Hudson Mills this past Friday. 2 months ago, I was +13. I didn't play the course at all between May 3rd and and July 11th.

 

[BenKrishman]

I agree with CJ on this, that Mark Ellis putting video has definitely helped me out by giving me a new outlook on putting and putting practice. Now when I go out to the course and practice my putting I do 10-15 footers only instead of doing 30 footers like I used to. As CJ said, it can be monotonous but when I do this I'll make 18/20 putts and it definitely helps build my confidence. When I start a round after having made a lot of short puts i feel much more confident in all of my putts. Even when I have a 30-50 footer on the course I feel better about it and often come a lot closer than i would nomrally(and don't worry about making the comeback putt). It's also helped my scores out a lot as I don't miss 10-15 footers regularly like I had before.

 

[Beetard]

Much like Drives, the key to getting "power" on your putts is speed/acceleration, not muscling it. If, on longer putts, you feel like you are tensing up and really trying to muscle the disc to the pin, you will get the weak fluttering results you mentioned.

I think that must be it. Over-muscling. If I conciously try to add wrist snap, I pull the putt (hanging on too long). Maybe this earlier release thing is the ticket.....

Are there instructional DVDs out there somewhere?

I don't know how you can have early or late release on a putt. You should be opening your hand and flicking the disc off your fingers as you pitch. (just like flicking water at someone) It's not like you're gripping it and making it rip out like on drives.

 

[ryankilgore]

I'll add my 2 cents here with the short arm style for the 25-50' range.

When you eject the disc from your hand before your arm is extended, you have two sources of power: your arm motion forward, and the snap of your wrist. By the time your arm extends, your arm speed is slowing down and all you get is your wrist. Then you try to snap it really hard or even throw it with your wrist only, and it's unnatural and comes out wobbly or way off target.

Instead, focus on snapping (pitching) it out way before your arm is extended, and you'll get a cleaner release. This has helped me tremendously with that 25-50' range. I use a straddle put for that range with no jump. I use a jump put outside of 50'.

If it's had for you to imagine this, a basketball analogy might help. If you're jumping up for a shot, extend your arm fully, then try to snap your wrist, you'll be way too late. Instead, you'll start the wrist extension while your arm is still extending.

Anyway, that's my thought. Blake's short-arm putting article is good. Read it if you haven't already.

-Ryan

 

[todvan]

Thanks for the replies.

I have been doing some practicing and checking distances and 15-20 feet is good - over 20 feet is where the problem is.

The Discraft putting clinic video was very good - I now have a practice plan. But I want to make sure I practice with proper technique.

Blake's short-arm putting article is also good. I'm thinking of changting my grip to fanning my underneath fingers (currently I use my 'approach grip' which has the index finger along the outside of the rim, with the other fingers curled under). "I do not recommend grips without the index finger under the rim as they often lead to consistency problems with off axis torque and not generating enough rotation to keep the disc flying without wobble. " Bingo!

Question: When Blake refers to 2:30 -3:30 grip - does he mean the clock location on the disc?

 

[garublador1]

Question: When Blake refers to 2:30 -3:30 grip - does he mean the clock location on the disc?

Exactly.