Bullseye style baskets

[Dr.Smooth]

as an afterthought.. I can see now that after nearly a ten year hiatus of not dg ing as much, that the technology today for disc baskets will certainly improve the next generation of golfers.

Like I said, wish it had been available when I was green... and maybe I would have never dropped out of the sport for such a long period. but that is life... the journey..

 

[F. Howl]

Totally disagree with that. Imop I think the key thing is, you want your putt to come in level to maybe very little hyzer (and if possible, slightly nose down)...

Maybe as a push putter. But even then, I've seen more bounce outs/near bounce outs from Nikko then any other pro player, and he putts hard, nose down. I also think Ricky would have had more bounce outs with the dead center, high velocity style he putts, if he wasn't so consistent about hitting low chains. The kid is accurate!

I find that spin putts, nose up (like Lizzotte) buckle into the chains. Where a level putt would have glanced out, I've had many a nose up putt just catch a single chain and fold in. Because of that, I aim center pole, putt fairly hard. Even with my inaccuracy I rarely glance out or spit through if I hit any amount of chains. (Missing the basket entirely is something I need to work on...)

 

[F. Howl]

Having a full sized practice basket is where it's at. You can practice a variety of putts on it and find the sweet spot for whatever style of putting you use. You'll still know if you missed your mark and you won't have to bend over as much to pick up discs that would catch in a full size and not in a Bullseye.

 

[pjhayes7]

Having a full sized practice basket is where it's at. You can practice a variety of putts on it and find the sweet spot for whatever style of putting you use. You'll still know if you missed your mark and you won't have to bend over as much to pick up discs that would catch in a full size and not in a Bullseye.

I used to disagree, but now I have come around. Also, with there being decent full size baskets for the price of the bullseye type, why not get full size? You can always bungee the chains to simulate the bullseye.

 

[PBokor]

I just listened to the 2 Pros and an Average Joe episode 2 podcast. Koling had a lot to say about baskets and really ripped up the concept of Marksman/Bullyeye type targets. I certainly understand the reluctance of the top touring pros to embrace something that might decrease their separation from the field, just makes good business sense.

My question, though, is what's so wrong about having one top tier event, sanctioned or not, that forces everyone out of their comfort zone? I really enjoyed watching the 2014 Japanese Open because every major player had to empty his/her bag and start fresh with 150 class discs. The outcome didn't really change much, the usual names were at the top, but the novelty angle was interesting.

 

[JC17393]

Having a full sized practice basket is where it's at. You can practice a variety of putts on it and find the sweet spot for whatever style of putting you use. You'll still know if you missed your mark and you won't have to bend over as much to pick up discs that would catch in a full size and not in a Bullseye.

IMO, the one downside to practicing on a full size basket and "finding the sweet spot" is that sweet spots vary from target to target. If you're finding the sweet spot for your style of putt on a particular model basket, it might not translate to every basket you see on a course. Does that impact 99 out of 100 putts? Probably not. But those cut throughs and spit outs of what you consider "perfect putts" tend to get blamed on poor targets when more often than not, it wasn't as perfect a putt as you think.

Whereas, with a Bullseye/Marksman type practice target, the "sweet spot" on those tend to translate universally. If a putt sticks on a Bullseye/Marksman, it's not cutting through or spitting on anything.

 

[F. Howl]

^^^I guess I haven't witnessed any putts that hit a few inches right or left of the tape (center pole) spit out more or less on any particular basket. I think the hyzer putters aiming pro side (or reverse for the rare anny putter) wouldn't have much of a challenge changing their aim a few inches left or right when playing on certain baskets either, if there was indeed a variance in sweet spots from target to target. Anyway, with a full sized target you can still practice your precision dead center putt, and you have the benefit of the basket catching all your "missed" putts so you don't have to collect them off the ground.

The only thing I can see a Bullseye being useful for would be if you couldn't tell where your disc was hitting exactly. Even 60ft out, most I'd wager, can tell if they hit dead center, am side, or pro side.

 

[DanJon]

I personally love my Marksmen basket. Part of it is due to what JC mentioned. When I practice on the skinny chains, I throw better putts. It forces me to think about all aspects of the putt and not just rely on a big catching area. If I'm hitting the sweet spot on that, I can hit the sweet spot on any basket.

On my full size basket, I sometimes get lazy with putts, but they generally still stay in. That and when I go to the course, the baskets seem giant. Since a huge part of putting is mental, I'll take any edge I can get.

I have a feeling that most top pros don't like them because they can't blame bad putts on the basket. As Lyle mentioned in a different thread, our sport has gone out of its way to make every putt stick in the basket. He used the example of a basketball player rocketing a ball off the backboard, thus missing the shot. They wouldn't blame the backboard, yet in our sport, we usually blame the basket.

 

[Dr.Smooth]

"My question, though, is what's so wrong about having one top tier event, sanctioned or not, that forces everyone out of their comfort zone? I really enjoyed watching the 2014 Japanese Open because every major player had to empty his/her bag and start fresh with 150 class discs. The outcome didn't really change much, the usual names were at the top, but the novelty angle was interesting. "[/QUOTE]

It makes great sense. The only way our sport evolves is by tweaking things from time to time. Continious improvement certainly happens with some experimentation.

I would theorize that the jap open (past ones) helped push the technology of making lighter discs not only go farther but that would actually work on windy days too.

 

[Dr.Smooth]

Lastly,

The DGA fall/holiday sale of the mach baskets allowed me to purchase a mach two basket.

Considered to be the finest practice basket money can buy. This thing is galvanized, looks good on the course or in your favorite practice putting area.

Two years ago, I did a lot of research on what basket to buy. Having spent years in the sport putting at a variety of baskets I kind of had an idea on the worst and best case scenarios of catch ability. The newbs have no idea-from the old mach ones, pole hole baskets I could keep going on and on.

What kept me from buying the DGA basket after all the research and thought was the price. So I settled for the marksman two years ago.

Now, that I have both baskets and can confidently talk about both scenarios of a putting a basket.

All, in all I'm still glad I have my marksman (practice) basket. I spend more time putting at my Mach two because it is a close scenario of what one sees on a course.

But the marksman practice basket helps me redial in every so often. As one comment made you sometimes get a little sloppy on a good catching basket simple because it allows for me error.

If you ever go out and put in the wind, you realize the wind greatly exaggerates your error.
Yet another reason why the practice basket style helps.