I suck in the woods - HELP!

[Dan Ensor]

Learn a good forehand roller.

I've never been good at powering down. I just throw it hard at a spot on the ground. Slower discs don't go so far after they hit the ground.

[Throwasurge]

Dan Beato vids helped me.. the flat reverse punch release helps you get the shot straight. Look where your disc is before you throw, lean in two feet and see what your disc sees not where your head usually is.

Mids are key with a planted stance, I fall back to my Comet or Axis. Totally planted usually means a Comet I don't need to move anything but my arm to get the flight I want. A light 150ish driver is handy too for the same reasons, including short turnover OH shots. Don't underestimate the OH or thumber whatever you call it, it's a great short park shot, ridiculously easy to control with little skill.

My favorite discs in the woods.. Comet, Ion, Axis, Stalker, the Volt, Roadrunner, less stable easier to power down and they all throw very similar to each other with slightly different lines.

Firebird too 160 ish is my goto for OH (primarily), FH and stable shots in all conditions, my 174 Volt competes with a 160 FB for similar shots.

[Throwasurge]

Originally Posted by Chizult

Actually most of my shots are slight hyzers. I think it developed into that because I don't have to worry on the rip point too much: a little early or a little late, it all lands on the same line.

Someone nailed it earlier...I'm really good at hitting my target, it's the path the disc takes to get there that's questionable.

Missed this post earlier, hyzer is dangerous.. I call it Hyzer skate in my head anyways... you expect the disc to turn that way but first it skates 6 or 8 feet the wrong way at the start of the flight hitting exactly what you wanted to avoid. Stable up and lighten the disc look for the flat shot, if it's a 150' putter shot downhill something like a light driver or Stalker will fly straight and drop like a stone when its done, with less danger of putting too much spin on it and blowing by.

[Disc Fiend]

The more you play in the woods, the better you will be at playing in the woods. Also, learn how to throw understable or neutral mids on a hyzer release so that they flip up flat and just cruise. That is how I hit those tight lines in the woods.

[CaptainAnhyzer]

Originally Posted by Disc Fiend

The more you play in the woods, the better you will be at playing in the woods. Also, learn how to throw understable or neutral mids on a hyzer release so that they flip up flat and just cruise. That is how I hit those tight lines in the woods.

This^

Since you're slowing down the armspeed, you need to choose a disc to match that slower speed. Roc, Leopard and Roadrunner is all i use from tees in the woods.

You also wanna choose some durable plastic since you'll be abusing the trees as you learn.

[dukdukgolf]

id suggest practicing different run-ups. I have a one-step run-up i use on tightish drives. Its a great skill to learn and will help you in other areas of your game. Takes a little time, for me its a little harder to keep my weight going forward and follow through correctly if im using a one-step or stand still shot. good luck.

[Dsplayname]

I play mostly tightly wooded courses( part of living in the south). It is a lot of mental game, but disc and line selection are key. Play conservative, focus on staying on the fairway rather than parking it on the green, keep it fun, and you'll start improving with every drive.
As far as throwing a solid drive in the woods:

work on not running up. A lot of times, I'll only take the single x-step, or I'll stand still with just the follow-through step forwards( much like I throw mids). It helps to work on accuracy and getting a good snap and release.

Always visualize the line and the landing zone before you throw. Keep it in your mind as you throw too. A big part of this is knowing the capabilities of the discs you throw, and how you use them.

And then the disc selection. I throw mainly RHBH, but will throw FH or thumbers as needed. For this, we'll keep it to BH shots though.
I suggest something like a River. It's relatively slow for a driver, great at control/shaping lines, and has a lot of glide to give you more D. Also, it doesn't skip away like a lot of faster discs do...especially on leaves, pine straw, or other wooded terrain. It comes in durable plastics and doesn't beat in much, so you can learn it and it'll stay the same through the course of many many tree hits. Because there will be a lot of those.
Just focus on a smooth, clean throw, hitting your line- not the basket, and laying it up for an easy approach.

Then work on mid-range recovery shots from the rough. This is my strong suit in the game, and is crucial to shaving strokes as you learn the woods. This part is all about personal preference, but I like to aim for dropping the disc into the basket without hitting chains. This conservative approach usually ends one of two ways:
Either I hit that birdie without splashing the chains, or the disc drops right up under the basket for an easy par.
Be happy with pars and don't try to force any birdies -- let them come naturally as you progress.

[anborn]

if you're playing in the woods and driving with anything over speed 7, odds are you are doing it wrong. most of the time a good midrange will do. most heavily wooded holes aren't longer than 300 anyway. accuracy and hitting the line is much more important than distance.

[B3NDER]

Originally Posted by bcr123psu

Behold...my first post on DGCR:

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums...ead.php?t=9182

Thanks for the history lesson, n00b. I love digging through the archives.

As dmbrun2 said, it's all about mids and putters in the woods for me. Hope anything in this thread has helped you, I know my post hasn't.

[BrotherDave]

Originally Posted by Chizult

I've been playing for a year; my home course is wide open and my game has evolved accordingly. On that course I shoot at the better end of the advanced range. On closed courses, I shoot on the poor end of the intermediate players.

I know it has all to do with driving and upshot accuracy. My problem is powering down properly. I end up doing the same run-up that I would on my open course, slowing my arm speed and leaving my wrist completely collapsed (unsnapped) on the release. This makes all my discs extremely overstable to the point they can't hold a line even if I happen to hit it (which rarely happens). My upshot, which is accurate, is similar to this...it's almost as if I'm trying to do a longer version of my upshot off the tee. Also, I do a full body turn and take my eye off the target. So...should I open up my chest more to the target so I can see it before my release? Should I be snapping my wrist even in the woods?

I know my technique is completely wrong. Any pointers or pointing our threads or articles would be appreciated.

Do you? I'm a fairly good woods player being from NC and all, and I do a complete x-step, completely turn away from the target and always try to snap on my drives. To me, accuracy and success in the woods (in DG really) boils down to a few things:

Locate your hit (the disc ripping itself out of your hand). Once you can feel the hit and feel when the hit is coming you drastically narrow that range of spraying your drive to a much narrower, more in the middle range, i.e. not too early (disc slip) or too late (grip lock). Regardless of powering up or down, you need good timing to feel the hit so try to snap the disc on probably all but the most finesse-oriented shots. (even lids need a little zip to get going)

Visualize your line: Think about the most optimal flight path for getting past all the trouble spots (i.e. those pesky trees). A lot of this is disc selection as others have stated, as a slower and/or more neutral disc is easier to shape lines with and therefor better suited in the woods often. But the most important aspect is finding a window or gap to aim for off the tee. For example, on a gradually right-turning hole, find the most optimal window you can hit with an anny or turnover that will get you at best in putting range or at worst on the fairway and still playing for par.

Never throw through trees if you can throw around them: You'd be surprised how many holes can go from "sometimes birdie; usually bogey" to "usually par; sometimes birdie" if you can find a sneaky hyzer or anny route over or around the supposed fairway. Overhand and rollers fall into this category too. But you have to overcome your habit of thinking in strictly linear flight paths and be more comfortable with lines with big arcs.

Caveats: It shouldn't be written in stone to use mids and putters in the woods. Drivers can be a better choice on many holes with low ceilings, holes that require a good skip, and because they are usually smaller diameter (if your aim is a little too early or late, you need all the help you can get to "get skinny" and hit that window.) If you're playing strictly for placement, putters are vital. Mids are preferred b/c they're just a good middle ground for accuracy, control, and distance but be wary of using them but again the low ceilings can deter you from using them.