Hello & appreciation!

[armiller]

This is a good place for disc golf, for sure. Welcome!

Alongside the 200' upshots, make sure to develop a serviceable forehand in a similar range. It gives so much more flexibility with a release point away from the body and in situations with difficult footing. Make sure you give it a try with more neutral discs (e.g. Buzzz, Undertaker, Teebird) instead of just sticking with overstable stuff (e.g. Zone, Firebird, Justice).

[raceface59]

^^^ I just learned my "serviceable" forehand late this summer and it really DOES open up another door, even if it's only good enough for utility shots that get you out of trouble. On our local course there's a wooded hole with a totally blind right hand alcove on a downgrade that the basket sits in. Meteor or Fierce RHBH with some praying was all I had before. Now? My Teebird 3 on a forehand parks it every time. Game changer for me.

[Brychanus]

Originally Posted by raceface59

The threads in the Discs section on the then-upcoming new Innova Destroyer were fun to read.

Still paging through some of these, it's incredibly fun. Seems like there was a lot of positivity early, and it's cool to see that it exploded after that.

Originally Posted by BogeyNoMore

Welcome. Make sure you learn the secret DGCR handshake.

Thanks! Awaiting my initiation.

Originally Posted by armiller

This is a good place for disc golf, for sure. Welcome!

Alongside the 200' upshots, make sure to develop a serviceable forehand in a similar range.

I still play the most rounds on the short tees nearby (mostly ~200-250' holes) because I figure until I'm birdieing every one of them all the time, I have a long way to go. I only throw fairly neutral putters and mids on these shots. I'm starting to get decent C1 accuracy on different lines, but my putting isn't converting past 20'. When I putt, I've started to notice that if I let my arm dangle and feel the weight of the disc as if I was throwing a bean bag, I have more control and my swing is getting more consistent. But I'm still not sinking them as often on the course. I always appreciate any insights here. Putting is hard!

For forehands, I have a few Buzzzes and Undertakers (and already love them for BH). Any favorite resources for newbie FH advice to get up to 200' safely w/ good technique? I have a minor shoulder issue and I want to take it slow. I've seen the Stokeley vids, Ulibarri, and similar, but I really need help as someone who never learned to throw a sidearm baseball or similar technique properly. I always feel like my lower and upper body aren't connected and it puts weird torque on my body. Can move it to a form review once I get a bit underway w/ beginner best practices.

[armiller]

Originally Posted by Brychanus

I still play the most rounds on the short tees nearby (mostly ~200-250' holes) because I figure until I'm birdieing every one of them all the time, I have a long way to go. I only throw fairly neutral putters and mids on these shots. I'm starting to get decent C1 accuracy on different lines, but my putting isn't converting past 20'. When I putt, I've started to notice that if I let my arm dangle and feel the weight of the disc as if I was throwing a bean bag, I have more control and my swing is getting more consistent. But I'm still not sinking them as often on the course. I always appreciate any insights here. Putting is hard!

For forehands, I have a few Buzzzes and Undertakers (and already love them for BH). Any favorite resources for newbie FH advice to get up to 200' safely w/ good technique? I have a minor shoulder issue and I want to take it slow. I've seen the Stokeley vids, Ulibarri, and similar, but I really need help as someone who never learned to throw a sidearm baseball or similar technique properly. I always feel like my lower and upper body aren't connected and it puts weird torque on my body. Can move it to a form review once I get a bit underway w/ beginner best practices.

I agree that putting is hard. Practice is the number one thing. Things like figuring out weight (sounds like you're getting this) are important, and then eliminating herky-jerky movements. Weight shift with your feet is big. It's easy to miss the top players doing this, but you need to find a good way to transfer energy from back to front, usually from back foot to front. Keep working at it. For me, practice with 30 putters and a practice basket is never the same as on the course practice. It's a good idea to keep at least two putters in the bag at all times, then putt twice on each hole. That makes for more realistic practice.

As for forehand, I would have you look through the forum threads because there will be links to videos, etc. However, you'll occasionally find some things that are less helpful or occasionally even wrong. You're right that a lot of players with naturally strong forehands came from throwing sports, but it shouldn't be that tough to incorporate a short forehand. 200' will be a stretch at first. I think the biggest thing is to start getting comfortable with the proper wrist action at lower speeds. One of the best practice discs is actually a Discraft Ultrastar or other ultimate frisbee lid. Part of why it's beneficial is 1) it's so neutral so you need good wrist action and it will expose poor form and 2) the grip is really awkward so it forces you to figure out how you should hold forehand discs. If you don't have something like an Ultrastar, then even a Comet or Polecat or other lower speed and neutral disc can be good for practice.

Those are some early morning musings. Hope they help.

[Brychanus]

Originally Posted by armiller

I agree that putting is hard. Practice is the number one thing. Things like figuring out weight (sounds like you're getting this) are important, and then eliminating herky-jerky movements. Weight shift with your feet is big. It's easy to miss the top players doing this, but you need to find a good way to transfer energy from back to front, usually from back foot to front. Keep working at it. For me, practice with 30 putters and a practice basket is never the same as on the course practice. It's a good idea to keep at least two putters in the bag at all times, then putt twice on each hole. That makes for more realistic practice.

This is helpful & reassuring. Just this week I started to feel like I was rocking weight back from the front leg as I let the disc pendulum toward me, then pendulum back up as I transfer weight into my arm and then the disc. When I feel the weight of the disc the whole way through, I get much better putts and am thinking a lot less about things like angles, wrist position, etc. It's a much cleaner motion! I'll keep working on that and double-putt on the course more, even when I make the first one.

Originally Posted by armiller

As for forehand, I would have you look through the forum threads because there will be links to videos, etc. However, you'll occasionally find some things that are less helpful or occasionally even wrong.

At risk of being boring, that's why appreciate any direct advice. I'm entering that age where bad movements can lead more easily to tweaks & injuries that pile up, so I'm being especially careful now.

Originally Posted by armiller

You're right that a lot of players with naturally strong forehands came from throwing sports, but it shouldn't be that tough to incorporate a short forehand. 200' will be a stretch at first. I think the biggest thing is to start getting comfortable with the proper wrist action at lower speeds. One of the best practice discs is actually a Discraft Ultrastar or other ultimate frisbee lid. Part of why it's beneficial is 1) it's so neutral so you need good wrist action and it will expose poor form and 2) the grip is really awkward so it forces you to figure out how you should hold forehand discs. If you don't have something like an Ultrastar, then even a Comet or Polecat or other lower speed and neutral disc can be good for practice.

This is great. I do have one Ultrastar, a Comet, and a couple Pures I can use to practice FH. Last weekend I had a friend with a baseball background simplify my stance so that it's more neutral and with less movements, which instantly worked and felt better too. Will page through forums a bit and get started!

Originally Posted by armiller

Those are some early morning musings. Hope they help.

They do, thank you for taking the time!

[Flyguy46]

Welcome to the forums. There is so much to learn and so many really cool people to hang out with.

[adlacro]

Welcome! Do you strictly play Sedgley or do you travel a bit? There are lots of great courses not too far from Philly.

[Brychanus]

I do Sedgley most often b/c that's the central location for my rec gang. Love it & it's still teaching me plenty at my skill level, but it does limit distance and line variety.

I've tried these others in the area so far:

-Stafford (probably fav. overall so far due to its beauty & balance of wooded and open lines)
-AGA Farms (Owner told us $80,000 worth of work went into this course, and it shows. Worth the trek & the $10. My word, bring your cannon!)
-Ft. Washington
-Alcyon

Any faves?

[gwsmallwood]

Originally Posted by Brychanus

For forehands, I have a few Buzzzes and Undertakers (and already love them for BH). Any favorite resources for newbie FH advice to get up to 200' safely w/ good technique? I have a minor shoulder issue and I want to take it slow. I've seen the Stokeley vids, Ulibarri, and similar, but I really need help as someone who never learned to throw a sidearm baseball or similar technique properly. I always feel like my lower and upper body aren't connected and it puts weird torque on my body. Can move it to a form review once I get a bit underway w/ beginner best practices.

I've only been at this since late August, but I played baseball for 10 years as a kid, so I'm far more comfortable with my forehand than my backhand. When I first started working on it, though, I had a bit of discomfort, and it always felt jerky. I found these videos, and particularly the field work suggestion in the second vid, helpful for smoothing out my motion and getting rid of most of that jerky feeling. It seems like a waste of time while you're doing it, but I do think it helped me. I return to it every once in a while when things start to feel out of whack again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekIj...ndex=13&t=633s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64Xd...ndex=22&t=436s

I like Stokely, too. In one of his videos, he talks about the elbow only needing to be just barely in front of the wrist. Don't kill yourself trying to make your arm look like Eagle's. The more you can get the elbow to lead, the better, but it's not all that important to us mere mortals.

[adlacro]

If you can manage a trip to Tyler State Park, do it.

There's a few courses just off 95 in northern DE worth a day trip. Lums Pond (meh), Iron Hill (you'll need the arm and precision for that one!), White Clay Creek, Bellevue, and Brandywine are all within 20 mins or so of I-95. (most of those are DE state parks, so you might want to see about fees)