Decision Fatigue choosing Putting Style

[genefish]

I am super conflicted and want to nail down a putting style and stick with it. Every time I watch a pro push video I'm convinced that's the best style...then I see a splush or a spin and am again convinced. lol.

I want to pick something and stick with it so I can spend this year practicing and getting better and stop bouncing around.

How do I choose? How many reps is enough to know something isn't for me? There has to be a best one based on my body type / shape / natural abilities...but I have no idea how to go about deciding.

tyty

 

[seedlings]

I started out putting staggered, from belt buckle to basket. After a while I noticed quite often that obstacles near the green demanded a straddle putt. Paying attention to how often I was forced to straddle, I eventually went straddle-push as my normal putt. You know what? I have never experienced an obstacle that forced me to use a staggered stance. That worked until I realized I can't putt in wind with a push putt. So then I practiced stagger spin putting. Now I straddle push when I want to and stagger spin when I want to.

I believe the best all-around putt would be a nose-up straddle-spin. I get no power doing that though.

 

[Doofenshmirtz]

I am super conflicted and want to nail down a putting style and stick with it. Every time I watch a pro push video I'm convinced that's the best style...then I see a splush or a spin and am again convinced. lol.

I think I foud your problem. Stop watching videos. Pick a putting style and stick with it.

 

[ru4por]

I think I foud your problem. Stop watching videos. Pick a putting style and stick with it.

Yeah, I agree. Putting styles don't make putts....you do. Find a comfortable putter and style and get to work practicing, then practice some more, and then some more......

 

[genefish]

what if I have the inborn gift to become the world's best push putter of all time and spin putting is "comfortable" right now.

just wondering how much practice / reps is enough to know if one style is working for me and I should keep practicing...or scrap it and start something fresh?

(agree I am way overthinking this...sometimes my OCD gets me stuck in situations like this...once I figure it out though I'm good...ty for any comments / suggestions)

 

[Dingus]

You know what? I have never experienced an obstacle that forced me to use a staggered stance.

This is especially true with the new(ish) stance rules.

 

[gooberau]

I am super conflicted and want to nail down a putting style and stick with it. Every time I watch a pro push video I'm convinced that's the best style...then I see a splush or a spin and am again convinced. lol.

I want to pick something and stick with it so I can spend this year practicing and getting better and stop bouncing around.

How do I choose? How many reps is enough to know something isn't for me? There has to be a best one based on my body type / shape / natural abilities...but I have no idea how to go about deciding.

tyty

I'm on that journey too. I think it's just lots of trial and error.

I have somehow morphed into a Kristin Tattar straddle/spin putt that's about 95% solid out to 20 feet. I didn't realise this until I noticed her putt was similar to what I was doing. I find I never miss left/right doing this, but sometimes short it or hit the band, but rarely. Outside 20 feet I lose power and switch to an inline putt. I'm putting a lot of work into this. The Jonathan / Johannes putting video from Latitude 64 really helped me where they are putting in the warehouse. It taught me about all that free power coming off the back leg, combined with a more relaxed stroke, works well for me.

I have learned that putting is about timing - the lower body has to be in sync with the stroke, otherwise everything goes downhill quickly.

I've also learned the putt can feel amazing when you practice at home, then you totally forget everything in a meaningful round

 

[ray1970]

Everyone has to find what works best for them. Trial and error is probably the best way to find out what you're most comfortable with. Each style has its pros and cons so there really isn't one that is inherently better overall.

If you can find it on YouTube, Scott Stokely put out a good video recently that explains some of the pros and cons of each style.

 

[ru4por]

what if I have the inborn gift to become the world's best push putter of all time and spin putting is "comfortable" right now.

just wondering how much practice / reps is enough to know if one style is working for me and I should keep practicing...or scrap it and start something fresh?

(agree I am way overthinking this...sometimes my OCD gets me stuck in situations like this...once I figure it out though I'm good...ty for any comments / suggestions)

I am going to go out on a limb and say nobody has a genetic disposition to putt better one way or another. Comfort, confidence and practice.

Stop overthinking it and get to your basket.

 

[nothinbuttree]

Try 100 spin putts from 20' and 33'. Then 100 push putts from the same distance. Winner wins. No sense forcing a style that is inherently worse for your physique and natural form.

Not to confuse you more, but I push putt 20' and in, and switch over to a spin putt from 25' and out--in between depends on the wind, lie, etc.

But start with what you are naturally better with, and go from there.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Try 100 spin putts from 20' and 33'. Then 100 push putts from the same distance. Winner wins. No sense forcing a style that is inherently worse for your physique and natural form.

Not to confuse you more, but I push putt 20' and in, and switch over to a spin putt from 25' and out--in between depends on the wind, lie, etc.

But start with what you are naturally better with, and go from there.

I can get with this. It's finding out what works. And what works at 20' may not be necessarily be what works at further out. Just gotta find out what your body wants to do.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I used to be not very good at straddle putts. Then two years ago in my winter basement practice I added 100 of them every day. Now I can do both well, whenever I need each. My advice is to practice all kinds of different putts just like the great players practice throwing all the different shots and angles. Why pick one?

At putting league, if I'm not feeling it with my staggered stance, I have "gone to the bullpen" and switched to straddle putts and gotten hot with them. Glad I have the option to do that!

 

[Dingus]

Try 100 spin putts from 20' and 33'. Then 100 push putts from the same distance. Winner wins.

I would say grab a friend and play catch from 30'. See what you would throw like if a basket weren't involved.

 

[hawgdriver]

I disagree with the idea that the kind of analysis you are doing is time misspent. But I agree completely that your putt will choose you rather than you will choose it.

Maybe someone can correct me, but I believe putting is essentially two things: 1) recruiting momentum from the lower body, and 2) using the upper body and eyes and brain to release the disc with spin so that it intersects the chains near the pole in the pocket.

How much you rely on your wrist or arm or fingers will develop naturally as you become aware that certain things undeniably feel more natural to you.

For a long time I thought I was doing it all wrong because, after release, my palm was turned upwards much more than in some technique videos I saw (e.g., there's a Ricky and Paige video, and also if you watch Eagle, they do the hand arrow to the pole as a release swing thought). But I was doing this bowler wristy-snap thing (I'm not a bowler). But for me, I felt like I really needed my interior fingers to be that active and forceful, and it led to this kind of bowler-flick motion.

So I deny what felt right and tried to have 'proper technique'. And results were still fine, really. I didn't revolutionize my putting stroke, I made tweaks.

But then later, a homie shared another putting guru who described how the best putters use this bowler-flick action! I went right back to my old style and embraced the flick, and instantly loved the extra ... traction? torque? idk. It feels good for me.

I'm not saying one is right and one is wrong. I'm just saying that the quest for perfect putting technique is really a quest for *you* to make as many putts as you can *right now*. Do play the field in terms of seeing what might work, it will only help develop your touch.

But to get really good at putting, like I hope to be one day (I've cashed the local putting league twice in two outings, but I'm not where I want to be), it's really all about mindful reps. This is one area of the game where work in = results out. Putt your ass off, pay attention to the things you did that allowed you to be the most mentally attuned to the subsequent disc flight, and the results will come.

 

[txmxer]

what if I have the inborn gift to become the world's best push putter of all time and spin putting is "comfortable" right now.

just wondering how much practice / reps is enough to know if one style is working for me and I should keep practicing...or scrap it and start something fresh?

(agree I am way overthinking this...sometimes my OCD gets me stuck in situations like this...once I figure it out though I'm good...ty for any comments / suggestions)

How long have you been working on putting?

I'm sure there are those that just click with putting quickly, but IMO it's finicky. You go through streaks.

I prefer to stagger/spin putt, but have definitely found you need a straddle putt and you need to be able to generate some velocity from a straddle on a low line. This is a spin straddle for me. On shorter putts, I like a push putt because it's stays on line. It's harder to spin putt a soft short throw on a straight line for me.

I don't think you ever master putting. You have to keep doing it over and over to maintain.

 

[biscoe]

I used to be not very good at straddle putts. Then two years ago in my winter basement practice I added 100 of them every day. Now I can do both well, whenever I need each. My advice is to practice all kinds of different putts just like the great players practice throwing all the different shots and angles. Why pick one?

At putting league, if I'm not feeling it with my staggered stance, I have "gone to the bullpen" and switched to straddle putts and gotten hot with them. Glad I have the option to do that!

I do both as well. For 20+ years I was primarily stagger with straddle for backup. This past winter i came to realize that practicing straddle is easier on my body than practicing stagger so I switched to primarily straddle. (I have a disc issue in my lower back which affects my push leg when staggered.) I still have to go stagger pretty much anywhere beyond the circle though.

 

[Nick Pacific]

A big game changer for me was realizing there is no such thing as putting in disc golf and that it's actually a short throw and you want to aim for and hit the pole. I don't think about mechanics at all or "putting" style, I just throw the disc at the pole and let my body's natural athletic motion do the work.

 

[biscoe]

A big game changer for me was realizing there is no such thing as putting in disc golf and that it's actually a short throw and you want to aim for and hit the pole. I don't think about mechanics at all or "putting" style, I just throw the disc at the pole and let my body's natural athletic motion do the work.

I could not disagree more with the bolded.

 

[discerdoo]

I could not disagree more with the bolded.

Gotta agree, putting definitely ain't throwing.

 

[mostlynorwegian]

What may work really well at 45', might be functionally useless at 20'.