Ace Mentality

[iacas]

Feel free to tell me if I'm full of crap. Or that I suck. Either is fine if you've got a good reason.

I see a lot of DGers with a lot of aces, even people who have played fewer rounds than me (though probably not that many, as I'm barely a year in).

I'm sure some of it has to do with the courses they're playing - maybe they're more the older style with holes from 200 to 300 feet predominantly.

But I'm wondering, too, if there's something to the idea of an "ace mentality."

For example, the first hole at Moraine is a hole that, particularly with the basket in the A position, you could ace. But my play there is always to throw something online and about 0 to 20 feet short of the basket. I don't throw long because there's more trouble there, and the overhanging trees make throwing a high shot that spikes down near the basket if it doesn't go in impractical.

You could ace it, but I think the average score laying up beats the average score of "going for the ace."

The same is true of a few other holes at Moraine, and a lot of the courses I play. They often don't have a bunch of sky for which you can play more of a spiking shot. If your disc is still three feet off the ground at 300 feet out, it'll likely go into a bush or leave you a 40' putt coming back.

Now, there are a few ace run holes where there are trees or bushes or a hill behind the basket that aren't bad, or there's more air to play a safer "ace run" shot, but they're not plentiful.

So, do you think that some players have more of an "ace mentality" on these kinds of holes (or "eagle mentality" for the second shot on par fours), or is it something else?

 

[Kodachrome]

aces are mostly missed birdie/eagle opportunities, in my opinion. i'd rather make the shot i know i can make every time. my game is about consistency and maximizing my margin for error. an ace run is hardly consistent.

don't get me wrong, there are holes where an ace run is safe and there are ways to throw that minimize your penalty for a missed ace run, but yeah.

the ace is a big deal, so i do think some people like to run them. i don't, however, think a whole lot of people who are playing for a good score really try to get an ace too much. more of a bob ross style happy accident.

 

[bradharris]

Aces frequently are the result of bad shots.

There are some holes where going for it is safe, but I rarely think about trying to put it in the chains until I'm actually using a true putting motion.

With this mentality, I have only 3 aces in a decade of playing.

 

[Teh_Wood]

Ace's happen, especially during doubles rounds when and if you're partner is parked and you get the green light.

In my opinion an ace is a terrible shot to call. Unless it's a cool skip, act of treesus, or a disc at the absolute end of flight falling into the basket I.e Spike Hyzer or drop shot.... Otherwise the basket just happened to get in the way of a disc thrown way too hard and out of control.

To have an ace mentality is a good thing when the scenario is appropriate, but why would you risk a par or worse on a hole you should be snagging a Bird on 100%

Time to golf ~

 

[Jay Dub]

Aces frequently are the result of bad shots.

If this is true I'm going to start playing worse than I do now.
Bad shots go no where near the basket so I don't understand what this means.

 

[TOURNEYPLAYER]

I hit the top of the basket yesterday, and missed the putt.


J Dub. I hope your ready for the whoopin im gonna put on u. Im doing some serious training.

LOL.

 

[bradharris]

If this is true I'm going to start playing worse than I do now.
Bad shots go no where near the basket so I don't understand what this means.

Maybe bad shots isn't the right word. I simply mean that if it doesn't hit metal, you're likely to cruise well past the basket in a tough position for a birdie. A missed ace run likely won't be a bogey though, so it's not all bad. I would rather park a hole for an easy 2 rather than try to run it for a chance at a 1, with a likely 3.

 

[Jay Dub]

I hit the top of the basket yesterday, and missed the putt.


J Dub. I hope your ready for the whoopin im gonna put on u. Im doing some serious training.

LOL.

Ha! Them top of basket shots are serious bizz-nizz.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

I try to ace every hole that you can ace-- trying to ace the hole means I am trying to have my disc land in the basket not sure how this could ever be a "bad" shot.. maybe lucky but not BAD.

That's like saying you hit chains and splash out with a 20' roll away for nasty comeback putt is a bad shot while someone else same hole throws a worm burner 20' short of the pin for a good layup?!

Okay?

All my aces were good shots and yeah I tried to ace them wtf why would I try for a 2 when I CAN get a 1?! I have never hit ace where the disc is going 100' by the pin as those shots are BAD. Now playing a tourney you have other factors to think about but to say aces are bad shots is too funny.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

The assumption is being made that when people ace they actually are trying to shoot through the basket, not in it... Both my aces literally sat down in the basket and were so beautiful to watch.

I feel some salty shoulders in this thread.

 

[chrishysell]

I've had 6 aces this year and 4 were in tournaments. The only ace that was not a skip ace was a big spike with a Ti Buzzz through a gap. It would have only been 10-15ft away max. The other 5 skip aces were shots to the spot I was aiming. Each disc landed about 10ft away and as an added bonus they skipped in instead of skipping 10ft past.

 

[bradharris]

The assumption is being made that when people ace they actually are trying to shoot through the basket, not in it... Both my aces literally sat down in the basket and were so beautiful to watch.

I feel some salty shoulders in this thread.

Okay okay, I retract my previous statement.

My first ace was a legitimate bad shot, it just happened to hit the right tree which kicked it right into the chains.

The other two were hyzer shots right into the heart of the chains. If they'd missed, the comeback putt was not going to be difficult. Those were good shots.

I've had a number of other ace runs on very good shots, often still resulting in a two.

Some ace runs are bad golf shots, other times they are safe, aggressive plays. It really varies based on the course.

 

[Thumber]

Most of the aces I have got (8 or 9) were just lucky. I was never trying to get the ace. Most times it is a somewhat overthrown drive on a great line. I have taken more than one 4 when I smashed chains on an ace run and had terrible roll away deep into the shtuff.

 

[bhadella]

Personally I try to hit the safest spot on a green 5-10ft away from the pin. Most of the time in my area (Charlotte) throwing long gets you into more trouble than short so that's where I aim.

We played a modified League Glow Round (Bailey) yesterday that was setup for a "Ace Race" type tournament that will be hosted this weekend. I had a couple of true "ace runs" but only because the green led to it. I honestly would have trouble transitioning my brain to an "Ace Race" type tournament or trying to hit aces on every reachable hole.

 

[unknown2no1]

Been playing this game a long time without an Ace, plenty of metal and splash outs but no Ace and it totally has to do with my mentality. I very rarely go for an Ace, the only time I ever do is if there is a clear backstop or my round has already gone to hell and I don't care what I score anymore. This is where I understand the whole 'bad shot' debate because if I ever were to get an Ace it is more than likely going to come on a shot where I throw harder than I am meaning too or have too much hyzer or not enough and it just happens to hit the basket and go in. I think 'bad shot' should switched to 'unintentional shot' for the purpose of this conversation because of course any shot that hits the basket is a good thing.

On another note I hit the big yellow band dead center 4 times yesterday on 4 of 6 holes, 2 birdie putts and 2 par putts. I hate that band.

 

[RUSSELL]

...because some days it's not necessarily all about the score, it's about THE shot. throwing it EXACTLY where you aimed, hitting that perfect line.

 

[bradharris]

...because some days it's not necessarily all about the score, it's about THE shot. throwing it EXACTLY where you aimed, hitting that perfect line.

And sometimes it's just about the ace pot.

My league's ace pot climbed over $200 this year and my mentality definitely changed.

I was happy to sacrifice my score for the chance to hit a $200 shot.

 

[Thumber]

On another note I hit the big yellow band dead center 4 times yesterday on 4 of 6 holes, 2 birdie putts and 2 par putts. I hate that band.

Love the Yellow Band of Doom!

 

[Always Hyzer Lines]

A lot of my aces are on courses I am playing for the first couple of times. Once I know a hole I tend to throw short rather than long. I guess my brain wants to end up at the pole even if 20 short is the same as 20 long.

 

[sisyphus]

I frequently joke that I too often throw my shots 10% too short, when 10% long will result in the same distance putt (but give the ace a chance). If there's room for a safe comeback, I'd like to build that mentality. Unfortunately (for my ace count), I still tend to 'lay up'.

A friend of mine who's been playing for years says he's only hit 6 ever, but he's pretty much always well under par and winning rounds because he gets the deuces...a LOT. Which would you rather have, one ace in a round score of 53, or no aces, but your seven 2's net you a 47?