giving up on drives

[treethacker]

How do you deal with realizing that you will never have a good drive? My drives are about 230ft if I am real lucky and I have come to the conclusion that that is as far as they will ever be. I have tried everything from the silly "X" step to the goofy forehand and usually end up with sore ankles,knees,hips etc and a nice big helping of discouragement. What makes it worse is that I really love this game and want so bad to play really well but it just isn't there. Whatever "it" is for a good drive I don't have it and probably never will.
So my question goes out for those who are in my shoes...How do you deal with trying to play with others who's drives are 300ft or more and you know you ain't never gonna make that kinda distance.
I have been working on my putting to compensate for my God awful drives hoping that will help. My putting has become pretty good.
My question is for those whose drives suck. How did you finally come to terms with it and let it go?
And for those of you who can drive a quarter of a mile,great! But if those of us who can't drive it that far are on your team how about a little patience?
We love playing just as much as you.

[discflinger]

All I can say is to stick with the X- step and power grip until they feel second nature and wait for something to click.

[DannyM]

Well I really don't think my drives SUCK...but I'm NOT a long-arm thrower. Occaisonally I will put a 300' drive out there, but not consistantly. But yet I can still keep up with some of the better players. The trick is to have a good all-around game. Approaches and putts are JUST as important, approach shots can mean all the world to your game. Does that mean on giving up trying to better your drives?. Absolutely not. But going and working on your "short" game and making THAT your strength, is not a bad option. If you consistanly put your drives say 200' on a 300' hole. Practice where you usually land at and try and put it at the basket from there. As I said on another thread, if you can be precise, a lot of times you can be right with the long arm guys unless you play wide open ball golf type holes all day. What good does throwing 400' do you if the fairway is only a few feet wide and you can't control the disc???

[ptsawyer]

I can relate.

I have 2 friends that throw 330-360 off the tee. I throw about 220-240consistently, 280 if i SMASH one. However, they dont always beat me. Here is some advice.

1. Work on your drives to max out your potential. You need to go to a field, and throw drives for an hour or two. You can get 40-50 drives in, that is several rounds worth. Dont worry about being the longest driver, just make sure you are driving as far as YOU can. Try to spend equal time practicing and playing rounds.

2. Master the upshot and putting. I can consistently shoot under 60 at all but the longest courses, because my upshot game is very good. I rarely have to putt, because I can park my second shot under the basket very often. That is the biggest key to my low scores.

3. Excel at course management. All the distance in the world cant help if you make dumb choices on the course. Play tough holes to get 3, go for 2s on the easy ones. Make it a point to play safe, and try to never take a 5 on anything but the longest holes.

4. Have lots of shots in your bag. Be able to make the disc curve left, curve right, throw high hyzer shots, low tunnel shots, etc. The more options you have that you can do consistently, the more options you will have. Your goal on all but the shortest or longest holes should be to park it under the basket in 2 shots. If you can do that, you will fill you scorecard with lots of 3s (with an occasional 4 or 2) and you will be shooting in the 50s for 18 holes. There are a lot of disc golfers that cant shoot that.


Remember, its golf, not discus. Focus on accuracy 1st, then putting, then course management, then distance.

Here is a concrete example: My "home course" is Carter Park in Bowling Green, OH. The first hole is an open field dead flat, 375 feet. My drive is usually 240 feet (+-25 ft) but it is always very straight down the middle. My buddies throw around 300 (+- 60 ft) but they tend to miss more to the right or left. On the second shot, Very often I throw my trusty Shark and park it 2 feet from the pole. Often times, I am closest to the pin after 2 shots.

Distance will take strokes off your game, no question. But there are a lot of other ways to improve as well. Focus on maximizing your strengths as well as minimizing you weaknesses.

Good luck, hope that helps.

[Texconsinite]

I dont know how or when, but if you focus on perfecting one piece of your drive, somethign will eventually click. I used to have no backhand, but now i just focus on one thing, the speed at the moment of release. X step, all that other stuff, im not there yet, I dont even try to do it, but I know someday I will be there, and Ill incorporate it. Now, i drive almost 300 with my backhand. just be patient, and dont try to force it, and eventually, something will just click. It may add 15 ft to your drive, it may add 50.

You dotn have to drive 400+ ft to be good. The top pro in the UK, I believe his first name is Dell, doesnt drvie very far, but is super-accurate. He gets first in every tournament on the island. Thread those gaps, and park it. Distance isnt everything, so until and if it happens, work on accuracy and consistency. Have fun!!

[magictenor1]

Acurracy is more important than distance on most courses. I don't throw very long but I usually know where my disc will end up. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I would not give up on getting longer but I would not let it consume me and I would work on getting better in all phases of your game.

[jgentry]

As mentioned above, driving is not everything. I've played with a couple people that only throw around 300ft that consistently outscore me. But, if you are only throwing 220-250 something is wrong with your technique. Pretty much anyone that is heathly can throw 350 with the proper technique no matter how strong or weak you are. You mentioned you tried silly X steps and such. The X step is a vitale part of gaining distance along with grip, spin, release, and follow through. No one simply grabs a disc and can instantly do an X step and bomb in 500ft. You have to spend hours working on each part of the throwing motion.

You need to learn the X step and watch pro players from there run up to the follow through and try to mimic there techniques. If you are having trouble with one part find a good player and ask them to help you. Most are more then willing to help you out. But you have to put in the practice to learn every part of a drive.

[JR Stengele]

It is all about the second shot!

[nosajeel99]

It is all about the second shot!

My friends and I used to say, "It's all about recovery." which I think falls in this category. I think being able to put your second shot close to the basket from anywhere is a better asset than throwing one 300+'. Throwing farther may help sometimes, but not all the time. Accuracy is something you need all the time.

[RustyP]

Maybe this isnt' the reply you're looking for, but you should try hooking up with a pro from your area, or at least the best driver in your area, and have him or her watch you drive and analyze it. OR, take some footage of your drive and post it on the DiscGolfReview.com Video Critique Forum (http://www.discgolfreview.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=17). I can personally say that the knowledge of Blake T and others at DiscGolfReview helped my game a TON!

[iDisc]

some of my longest drives have been effortless. my max drive is around 300' but i have put some 350 ft drives out there that everything just clicked with little or no effort.

i adjusted my x-step and practiced it with my drives so i took roughly the same distance in my steps each time. i also seem to get more distance with faster discs. some people get max distance with speed 9ish discs but i get the max distance with speed 11s and 12s,

[gcoghill]

I can tell you that I used to be in your shoes a few months ago. I have been playing casually for 6 years and got a bit more serious in the past two. I always thought I was "decent" (with nothing to really gauge myself).

I met some players this year that were new to the sport, and I mean 2 months new. I played some rounds with each of them and they were consistently out-driving me. It was really frustrating, believe me. My accuracy and my putting was better than them, but I was just blown away that someone who never used these types of discs before could out-throw my drives.

Anyways, I made it a point to make some changes, and these forums helped out a lot. I was like you, throwing in the 200-250 ft range for the most part. I discovered that I was using a mid-range grip on the disc (the "Fan Grip"). I had heard about the "Power Grip" before but it seemed so alien that I never tried it. In fact I couldn't imagine how you could actually throw a disc, holding it in that fashion.

Well, as other posts here have mentioned doing, I went out and spent a whole day practicing the Power Grip. To my surprise, in about 45 mins. I understood it. I wasn't great at it, but I knew what was supposed to happen. I have stuck with it since, and saw my drives immediately jump to 275 - 325 ft. (more towards the lower end).

What I also discovered (after purchasing a LOT of discs since then) was that the discs will also play a part. Most of the drivers I use right now are either neutral or slightly overstable. These are drivers right above the midrange/approach discs, nothing at the top end. The top end discs require too much power which I currently do not have.

In the past I never understood why the stable long-range drivers still turned hard left; once I got the Power Grip down, it made sense. the PG puts so much more spin on the disc that you need the left-pull to balance it out. I used to throw those drivers with the Fan Grip, and they just veered hard left on me.

Also, try lighter discs as well. I picked up a Surge 150 driver (much less overstable than the full-weight Surge discs) and it has become "the disc" for me. Less power needed and has lots of glide, it's already adding a few extra feet to my drive in the week since I snagged it.

Believe me, I thought I was stuck at 215, just like you. Maybe it's not the Power Grip, but there's something in your technique that needs changed. Perhaps the discs as well, maybe you can mention what you're throwing and we can help out.

And the same snap from the Power Grip can be applied to a sidearm throw as well.

[gcoghill]

On a side note, I just finished read the book Mastery (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0452267560/coghilcartooi-20) by George Leonard. He's an author and Akido martial arts instructor.

One of the first things he discusses in the book is how learning a new skill has this pattern:

Relatively brief spurts of progress followed by a slight decline to a plateau somewhat higher in most cases than that which proceeded it.

I found this fascinating when I first heard this (before reading the book) because it seemed to be so true when I thought about it, whether it was learning the guitar, teaching myself new graphics software or improving my disc golf game. Just knowing about this pattern can prepare you for the fact that if you do improve your skills, you can expect a slight decline and then stasis for quite some time until the next spurt.

You may be in a 'plateau phase' right now, and perhaps don't even realize you had a recent breakthough in your game in the recent past.

The book has some other good stuff in it, but the above concept just in itself is enough.

[mike_riewer]

Its all about the second shot...Nuff said

[dangitboy]

It is all about the second shot!

Yeah!.....The PUTT for BIRDIE!!

[dangitboy]

My friends and I used to say, "It's all about recovery." which I think falls in this category. I think being able to put your second shot close to the basket from anywhere is a better asset than throwing one 300+'. Throwing farther may help sometimes, but not all the time. Accuracy is something you need all the time.

Is this is what the am players say to each other? If you are always recovering an errant shot then you need to get in a field and work on your timing.

Screw those birdies.....GIVE ME A PAR!!!

[DirtyMittenDG]

some people just cant throw very far, ive been playing for about 5 years and I can only throw around 350 on a PERFECT throw. Practice your mid-range, play some heavily wooded courses where you dont have to throw down a 500ft. open fairway, master threading the needle, then take your power throwing friends to a tech course and watch them cry about every tree, lol, thats what I did!! I personally dont even find open courses fun, if I want to throw a disc as far as I can I'll go to a random field and bomb some discs, wooded courses add extra challenges like deciding what path to take or what tree is where, instead of just hoping your discus throw will go as planned! Plus ace opportunities are never a bad thing :)

[brokenfixed]

Maybe Im alone here but I like sucking at this game. I think it'd be boring if I could throw each hole in 2 shots. I love ending up in the bushes throwing from no mans land. And I think that if I was throwing 300' consistantly every single time....the throws would be meaningless. Dont get me wrong, I love progression and I think its pointless to do something for 10 years and have nothing to show for it.

If it was easy then it would be NO FUN!

The bigger problem here is your insecurity around better players. Youre not playing for THEM youre playing for yourself. Be content with who you are. You can quit your job and spend everyday practicing....eat, sleep, and **** disc golf...lift weights, run on a treadmill, be all you can be, and be THE BEST PLAYER IN YOUR TOWN!!!





its just a game dude...haha

[Donovan]

1 quick point to make here:

An approach shot from 100 ft is a whole lot easier than from 200 ft.

I would love to add 100 ft to my drive to make this so!

[Camgolfer]

Ptsawyer has some great advice I will use next time I am out playing!

[tomn8r]

"RustyP has good advice"! See your local course pro if you have to, he will be happy to help you! "Your never too old to learn"..."ive been playing this game for over 10 years now & still learning"!! I'm going to try one of those power grips myself. One mistake newbee's make is getting heavy disc's. I thow 150 class whenever possible & there are plenty of disc's available, both understable & overstable!! The only disc's i don't throw in 150 are putters. "I know i'd like to reach the basket in a single throw"...better chance for an ace too!

[DannyM]

One other thing that has helped me in the same situation, not having a long drive, a few years back I read an article in Disc golf news, they talked with a tour pro about how he handled pressure, etc... One thing he said and it stuck with me....Don't play against your opponent, play the course. If you play the course the best of your ability, and get beat, then you just got beat by a better player, but did your best. But if you try and play your opponent, match drive for drive, shot for shot , etc..., you are more likely to make mistakes because you are trying too hard to play THEIR game not yours.

[ERicJ]

One other thing that has helped me in the same situation, not having a long drive, a few years back I read an article in Disc golf news, they talked with a tour pro about how he handled pressure, etc... One thing he said and it stuck with me....Don't play against your opponent, play the course. If you play the course the best of your ability, and get beat, then you just got beat by a better player, but did your best. But if you try and play your opponent, match drive for drive, shot for shot , etc..., you are more likely to make mistakes because you are trying too hard to play THEIR game not yours.
For casual play that's fine, but when you're in a tournament there are definitely times when you want to play against your opponent. In a tournament you're not (necessarily) trying to do your best... you're trying to win the event.

I was playing a tournament just last week where I had a two stroke lead going into the final hole. My tee shot landed 40' from the basket, and the guy behind me lands 20'. I'm "out" so I'm throwing next. I'm looking at a slight downhill putt with mild wind. Knowing that my opponent is throwing after me and has a legit shot at a birdie putt... I have two options here: (A) make a run at the basket for the birdie attempt, with the possibility of the wind kicking up and sailing my disc away, or hitting metal and getting a bad roll, either event although unlikely could leave me with a long comeback putt that I might miss as well resulting in a '4'. If my opponent hits his birdie putt we'd be tied. Or option (B) toss a nice, safe, low layup under the basket for a drop-in '3'.

Since I normally want to log the best round I can it hurt me to do it but I went with option (B) and... easily won the tourney.

ERic

[Lewis]

Donovan has the right of it. Or as I'm fond of describing the same idea, a 20 foot putt is preferable to a 100-foot approach. If you drive it 330' on a 330' hole, you're going to be putting (unless your aim sux), but if you can't get it past 230', you're definitely NOT going to be putting. I'll take the putt any time. Here's how I see it: distance creates opportunities, and accuracy cashes them in. You can't discount the value of one or the other.

To those who haven't yet found their "snap," don't worry. It's not as much about strength as it is about coordination and grip. I have to agree with others that switching to the power grip from the fan grip adds huge buckets of distance. In my case, it has added maybe 50 feet to my full-strength drives. For those of you who have always had the "big arms," let me tell you, there's a huge difference between 270-300 and 320-360. My concern now is remembering how to throw it with the fan grip when I need that reliable approach shot. :)

[treethacker]

Wow! Thanks for all of the advice and encouragement guys!
I have to admit I wrote that thread after coming back from a game and I was really discouraged about my drives(did that show just a little?:rolleyes:)but I never expected this much response! It is much appreciated though.
I was ask what drivers I use and before I name them I must tell you that no one told me to use these ones they are really just ones I took a chance on for better or for worse.
Drivers -
Innova Champion Beast (175)
Innova Star Firebird (172)
Innova Star teebird (150) my favorite (some distance with it)
Quest A technologies T bone (165) Given to me by a friend
Discraft flick elite z (probably not for beginners!)
just a side note -has anyone heard of the Innova Hydra(175)? I use one for my putting and it works very very well for accuracy,imo.
Thanks for any input on my drive disc and recommendations are welcome on any other drivers.
Thanks again!

[magictenor1]

For casual play that's fine, but when you're in a tournament there are definitely times when you want to play against your opponent. In a tournament you're not (necessarily) trying to do your best... you're trying to win the event.

I was playing a tournament just last week where I had a two stroke lead going into the final hole. My tee shot landed 40' from the basket, and the guy behind me lands 20'. I'm "out" so I'm throwing next. I'm looking at a slight downhill putt with mild wind. Knowing that my opponent is throwing after me and has a legit shot at a birdie putt... I have two options here: (A) make a run at the basket for the birdie attempt, with the possibility of the wind kicking up and sailing my disc away, or hitting metal and getting a bad roll, either event although unlikely could leave me with a long comeback putt that I might miss as well resulting in a '4'. If my opponent hits his birdie putt we'd be tied. Or option (B) toss a nice, safe, low layup under the basket for a drop-in '3'.

Since I normally want to log the best round I can it hurt me to do it but I went with option (B) and... easily won the tourney.

ERic that's what golf is all about, risk/reward. You always have those decisions when you play. In order to get a 2 sometimes you risk a 4 or you can play it safe for a sure 3. If you are in a tourney or just playing against someone you make your decision accordingly as you described. I think in a casual round sometimes it comes down to personality and style of play. Are you agressive with your shots or are you more conservative? You see these ideas in play all the time on the PGA tour. Ball golf and DG share the same types of strategy and on many shots you have those risk/reward decisions to make. the best layouts force you to make a lot of them. in the situation you described laying up under the basket was absolutely the right strategy and I would not have hesitated to do likewise.

[garublador]

Wow! Thanks for all of the advice and encouragement guys!
I have to admit I wrote that thread after coming back from a game and I was really discouraged about my drives(did that show just a little?:rolleyes:)but I never expected this much response! It is much appreciated though.
I was ask what drivers I use and before I name them I must tell you that no one told me to use these ones they are really just ones I took a chance on for better or for worse.
Drivers -
Innova Champion Beast (175)
Innova Star Firebird (172)
Innova Star teebird (150) my favorite (some distance with it)
Quest A technologies T bone (165) Given to me by a friend
Discraft flick elite z (probably not for beginners!)
just a side note -has anyone heard of the Innova Hydra(175)? I use one for my putting and it works very very well for accuracy,imo.
Thanks for any input on my drive disc and recommendations are welcome on any other drivers.
Thanks again!I'm not sure what you have for putters or mids, but those are very important in learning to throw farther.

Pick up a stable putter (Wizard, Aviar Driver, Challenger, Banger), a stable mid (Roc, Buzzz, Wasp) and a slower fairway driver (Ace, Polaris LS or Cheetah are my favorites for learning) all in the lowest end plastic (Polaris only comes in Pro) and focus on throwing those discs smooth and far. The Firebird is OK to keep around for hyzer shots and the Teebird won't be bad for your distance shots, but you'll learn the most from the discs I just recommended.

If you need techniuqe help ask here and/or go to Discgolfreview.com and read the articles and ask questions there.

If you do all that you'll be throwing your putters farther than you throw your drivers now.

[martinb]

Wow! Thanks for all of the advice and encouragement guys!
I have to admit I wrote that thread after coming back from a game and I was really discouraged about my drives(did that show just a little?:rolleyes:)but I never expected this much response! It is much appreciated though.
I was ask what drivers I use and before I name them I must tell you that no one told me to use these ones they are really just ones I took a chance on for better or for worse.
Drivers -
Innova Champion Beast (175)
Innova Star Firebird (172)
Innova Star teebird (150) my favorite (some distance with it)
Quest A technologies T bone (165) Given to me by a friend
Discraft flick elite z (probably not for beginners!)
just a side note -has anyone heard of the Innova Hydra(175)? I use one for my putting and it works very very well for accuracy,imo.
Thanks for any input on my drive disc and recommendations are welcome on any other drivers.
Thanks again!

dx 150 gr wraith.
dx 150 gr destroyer.

i have both of these in my bag and they go a ton. you dont need to be a big arm to throw them far. one of those two should help you get more distance. if you drop down in weight with the beast you might like it better, star plastic 165 maybe? the firebird is a hyzer disc at that weight, though ive never tried the star plastic. put that one away for long distance, the teebird is an awesome disc and should make you a better disc golfer. the difference between the two i mentioned and the teebird is that you should be able to grip and rip the dx plastic better than the star plastic.
the only time you should be throwing max weight drivers is into a headwind, and distance shouldnt be what your striving for in those conditions. lots of the top pros dont throw max weight discs on a regular basis.
good luck.

[DannyM]

Eric.....Nice job on the tourney! Yes, there are times during tourney play that you do have to know what your opponent is and where you stand as to what throw you make, especially at the late stages <final 3-4 holes>. But overall, if you go in with the mindset of playing the course, especially tougher,tighter courses, you should come out with generally an overall good score IF you play the course and not your opponent. Last weekend I played a par 62 course <pro par that is> in a tourney, and generally I don't play it well enough to come out with a lead. There are a LOT of the holes that I do well on, but there are 3-4 that really hurt my score. So I went out and practiced JUST my drive on each and every hole, just to see what disc worked, which gave me the most consistency to give me the best upshot. Well, my first round I shot a 59. A lot of times especially the longer holes, I had my card outdrive me...BUT....I was in the place where I felt most comfortable with my upshot. I had several par drop ins, where my opponents scrambled to get par, or worse got bogeys. I in turn got in THEIR head, because I was in my "zone" playing the course, not them, and they were watching me pull away to a 3-4 stroke lead when it was all said and done. Sadly though the next day when we played the course again I gave it back...shot a 66. Took a 7 on my first hole when the wind put me in a tree 40' off the teedpad, and it kicked 60' into thick woods. Then followed up the 2nd hole with a nice 5.