Beginner disc golfers often struggle with distance putts. Common problems arise from either weak-arming the disc to the basket and coming up short, flinging it accurately but too much past the basket, and/or loosing accuracy by taking a more fairway stance and approach. Building up your putting distance and accuracy mainly takes practice, repetition, and confidence. Here are the Dojo’s tips to speed up the process of increasing your putting distance!
- Do some push ups
- Elevate your practice basket
- Shoot beyond the basket
- Practice your jump putt
- Aim higher
Do Some Push Ups
In other words, more muscle will allow you to access more distance with less effort. In reality I’d say workout or get on a strength and flexibility program that will improved your total game, but since that can be a big ask, push ups are quick and easy and you don’t need equipment or much time. So knock out a couple rounds of 20 or 30 and feel the difference. In general you should be keeping flexible and strong if you’re playing consistently. Check out Disc Golf Strong for some exercises and programs (and great instructional videos).
Elevate Your Practice Basket
Uphill putts take more effort/muscle/strength so if you have a practice basket at home, move it to an elevated spot. The added elevation will help you build up that muscle memory faster as you practice. If you live on a fairly flat area, you could get creative with how you elevate your basket. Haystacks? Truck Bed? Roof? Deck?
Shoot Beyond the Basket
If you’re coming up short, consistently, aim a little beyond the basket. Remember it’s practice don’t worry about your overshooting, chaining-out, or accuracy.
Practice Your Jump Putt
A jump putt can give you some explosion to your putting strength, but if you don’t practice it, you’re likely not going to execute it as effectively. When you’re outside circle 1, you are allowed to jump with forward progress as long as you release the disc before stepping down. Try it and find what works for you. James Conrad, takes a running forward approach. Matt Bell takes a frog leap. There are lots of ways to execute the jump so experiment to find what works for you.
Aim Higher
A common thing I see is people driving the disc right into the ground and shorting. Try aiming higher. It sounds simple, but aiming higher give the disc more time to cover ground. Take notice that some discs fade more at the end of their flight so you may need to adjust your line. Aiming higher can also serve as a good alternative to “laying up” as the disc will lay down smoothly and give you an opportunity to land in the basket.
Above everything else, practice is everything. Setting your intention when you practice will help you focus on getting more distance, by allowing for perhaps accuracy to relax a bit while you build muscle memory. Finally, trust will come. All of the above tactics will help you build the foundation for increasing your distance, but when you’re out there playing trust is what will get the disc to the basket. Good luck!
