sonny
Eagle Member
This whole "drive for show, putt for dough" anthem is getting old. I feel too like people only see distance as the main thing when comparing "driving" to putting. I break it down to throwing and putting. So drives off the tee and approach shots are throwing. If you think about it that way doesnt it change your perspective? The easiest courses out there are par 3. That means 2 throws and 1 putt for par. So 2/3rds of the game is throwing not putting. Harder courses with higher pars are even more reliant on good throwing. In terms of strokes off your game, putting will save you 1 stroke on any one hole (unless you get a roll away,etc.) but throwing accuracy can save you more than that.
Nobody ever takes a 7 or 8 on a hole because of bad putting.
You're certainly free to believe whatever you want, but I believe it's nearly impossible to overstate how important a strong putting game is in disc golf.
Of course your other throws are important. Every toss counts towards your score after all. But look around at your next tournament. The guys with the low scores are all good putters. Have you ever seen a lousy putter win? It's quite likely you may know a guy who doesn't really throw all that far but is still competitive because he's a great putter.
Ever wonder how some guys seem to hit a lot more of those 70' shots than the other guys? When you're confident with a 25' putt, you'll run at the basket on approach shots. But if you get a little nervous 20' out, not so much. Even if you think you're trying to can a 100' shot, if you're not truly confident in your putting game; I bet you're laying up.
Being a good putter opens up the game in a lot of ways - some you probably won't even realize until you have a strong, confident putting game yourself. It's not just the one stroke on a hole you mention above (although if you're like most of us, you've lost a match by just a stroke or two). It's picking up a birdie on a mediocre tee shot. It's saving par on a recovery shot from the schule because you could get within 30' of the basket.
Practice your putting kids!