Help me get better in 2016!

[thirtydirtybirds]

Title says it all. Starting an improve my game thread. Big questions to start it off:

1. How do I translate my success putting in the yard to the course? I have been putting well practicing in my yard lately. About 90% 15ft and in, and about 80% out to 35 feet. On the course I miss. Not everything, but much more than at home. What tips have you guys got to translate practice success to on the course?

2. Keeping the nose down. Lately I just can't do it. I've tried adjusting grip, standstill, putter only rounds, and lots of field work and the nose just keeps up. My distance is the same, but I just throw these weak stall shots. I'll try to do a form vid soon.

So what do you guys got in these topics?

 

[Kuantrz]

When I putt the best I focus on how I putt more then making it. Imagine the line to the basket and throw it on that line.

Driving as you said, video is nessesary.

 

[HyzerUniBomber]

Imo, putting well in the round will come easier with disassociating score from your putts. If you're thinking or worried about misses, comebacks, other people's putts, scores... Etc... It is not good.

Value your setup, routine, and confidence and NOT the make/miss. If you value those things then it was a successful putt. Eventually, assuming you're not putting with an innately unreproduceable form, your putts in the round improve in scoring.

Nose up: grip, swing plane, strong arming, slipping off the rim early. Slow motion video required from the side.

 

[Shipley]

Title says it all. Starting an improve my game thread. Big questions to start it off:

1. How do I translate my success putting in the yard to the course? I have been putting well practicing in my yard lately. About 90% 15ft and in, and about 80% out to 35 feet. On the course I miss. Not everything, but much more than at home. What tips have you guys got to translate practice success to on the course?

At home you're relaxed and there's no pressure to make putts, which equates to confidence.

Don't think about being at the course. Visualize how easy it would be to make the same putt, if you were at home.

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

I think relaxation is a big part of it, I also think the presence of others puts a completely unnecessary performance pressure on me. I had an opposite putting experience yesterday. Played a quick nine alone after work yesterday and my putting was on fire! Was hitting everything from 20' and at least hitting metal from further out, which I'll take (at least I'm on target, just a little high/low.) when I got home my wife and her friend were on the deck while I putted around the yard and I was off again.

I guess I need to gain better focus. Block out all distractions, just see the target, the path the disc needs to be on to go in, and execute.

My drives were slightly better but not great. I'm hoping I'm taking the step back currently before the few things I've been working on fall into place.

 

[rhatton1]

do the Finnish putting game (it's on this forum somewhere with apps and all) excellent way of putting pressure on your putt.

Also don't just putt from the same position and quick fire. Replicate what you would do on the course with same setup each time.

to do this doing the Finnish putting game I throw the first from the middle line then take a step to the left, reset, putt, go back to the mid line, reset, putt, take a step to the right, reset, putt and finish on the middle line. It stops you getting into the swing of making each putt from the same spot and replicates putting on the course better.

Visualise the line, see where its going to fly and then hit the chains in your minds eye, relax and do it, it's hard to visualise to begin with you have to train your brain to do it. Keep practising this and you will start to find yourself drifting into the "make it" (i'd call it the cannot miss state but for the negative connotations) comfort putting zone, the more you practice it the longer you can stay in the sweet spot. It's the spot where you know it's going in before you take the putt, you'd have felt it at some point out on the course already, maybe before banging in a long approach or upshot, just this feeling of "this is going in". with enough focused practice you can get that feeling almost on demand. I would assume McBeth walks around in a constant state of that feeling the bast%ard

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

Yeah I mix up my position every putt. I have my basket in a spot where I have uphill, downhill, level, and slightly obstructed lies to try and replicate realistic situations as much as I can. I play 1035 sometimes, but mostly just walk out the back door, throw 2 approaches and finish the putts. Then collect my 2 discs, toss them out in different spots and putt, repeat. I don't have a huge yard, but I do have a good mix of shots.

 

[uNicedmeMan]

I'm good at putting when my head isn't in the way...

I don't know if it will help you or not but what's been working for me is just making sure that I'm having the most fun ever both when practicing putting and when on the course, like to the point that I'm grinning. I've found that it 1) keeps me loose (mentally and physically) which increases my make % and, 2) it helps me stay indifferent about makes and misses so I don't carry misses along for the rest of the round.

Oh yeah and remember to breathe, I think there is an article about it somewhere in Craigger's Corner.

I'm trying to apply this mental strategy to golf and life in general. Some folks thrive off steely-eyed focus and desire to win, I'm just not that guy. My game is the strongest when I'm having fun any not worrying about anything.

 

[sidewinder22]

Come on out to Creeping Creek for Mugs & Mulligans Sun 3/20 and I'll see if I can give you some driving tips afterward.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/tournaments.php?mode=view&tid=6575

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

Hmmm, I just might have to do that!

 

[CrazieJ]

Keeping the nose down. Before you begin moving your feet on the tee pad, get your disc up. If your right handed, throwing back hand, put that disc up just above your left elbow. I see a lot of players waiting too long to get the disc up on the line while it is still in their hand. Just stick it up there and then start your motion. From there make sure your wrist is cocked. You have got to push your thumb down so that your wrist bends and the nose of the disc goes to flat. As you throw, exaggerate the downward, low, line from that high starting point to a lower point when you release. I say exaggerate because you are fighting against the natural motion of your body as well as the flight characteristics of the disc. good luck!

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

Thanks so far for the help. I've been doing better with nose angles lately. Setting the path the disc is traveling on during my swing and really pinching with my thumb has helped a lot. I'm getting pretty smooth mid throws out to 280ish feet. Drivers don't go a whole lot further, I've gotten 320ish a few times when I have a good throw but I'm not consistent. I have been forcing myself to throw a lot of Mids and putters to start pushing out that distance as I get better. I've only been taking out a fairway on really long holes, the extra 40' I get out of 2 throws makes for better putts!

As far as putting goes, I'm starting to figure out my form more. I know what good ones feel like, and I hit a lot of metal lately. Out to the circles edge I'm pretty confident, and I've just been running everything out to 50-60' to tune in for longer distance.

X step is out. I'm doing a 2 step at most. It has helped a lot with consistency.

Also sorry I didn't make the ruhlman event sidewinder! I wanted to, but I've spent the last 3 weekends keeping the car running and helping my parents move. Hopefully we can meet up some time.

 

[flowinowen]

I realized 2 key putting things at a tournament this weekend. 1. All the putting practice I was doing was on FLAT ground and 2. All my putts were paced out. There were lots of elevation putts, which I hadn't practiced a lot. And some putts were off because of my judging. I'd suggest practicing with different elevations and then practicing from unpaced shots - I throw upshots and putt them all in. Hope that helps!

 

[clard]

I realized 2 key putting things at a tournament this weekend. 1. All the putting practice I was doing was on FLAT ground and 2. All my putts were paced out. There were lots of elevation putts, which I hadn't practiced a lot. And some putts were off because of my judging. I'd suggest practicing with different elevations and then practicing from unpaced shots - I throw upshots and putt them all in. Hope that helps!

Yep. This is a good idea.

You need to have your putting mechanics solid first, but it is important to practice walking up to an unmeasured distance, lining up, and sinking the putt. This is a whole different kind of putting practice than taking a stack of 10 putters and sinking them one after the other from 15-30 ft. That kind of practice is important, but you have to be used to judging putts and having to take the time to set up, do your routine, and execute the putt.

 

[Hyzenberg]

To me it sounds like it maybe in your head, I know that sounds stupid but I had similar issues with putting.

To start I tell my self I am going to make the putt. I think about the distance, wind etc all while I am reaching for a putter, after that, shut it off. Don't worry about score, distance, weight, toppings, thin crust or pan crust. Just go through your putting motions with a clear mind. Not saying I am good, but I am consistent with my practice putting, I might even clutch more shots on the course than I would in my backyard.

I also try to apply pressure when at the course, so I'll play 2-3 discs a hole, my rule is I score the worst disc on every hole. This creates a lot of pressure on my putts specially if I parked two and have one outside the circle. Probably wont work for everyone but I have a perfectionist type personality. I don't want to score a 3 if I took a 2 on the other discs. If you have a disc catcher at home and some land the same can be done there, but I feel just being at the course can add more pressure.

Note: I typically play really early in the morning when no one is around, on normal rounds I play a single disc.

 

[hook_nuts]

Just play catch bruh.

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

Yeah, I'm convinced at this point it's mostly mental. I usually take a stack of putters out and throw them from the back door out into the yard and putt them all in. I move the basket around a lot as well so I get a variety of shots.

In the yard it gets kind of mindless, in a way, and I do better. I focus a lot less on conditions, release angle, elevation, et cetera. I usually just set my feet, swing up towards the target once to line it up, and putt. Out at the course I over think it.

beet working on smooth, built from the legs throwing as well, mostly with putters. I have developed some oat I think. The disc wobbles out of my hand, then straightens out. I feel like that is robbing a good bit of power from my throws.

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

So I just watched SW22's "bottle drill" video again. I had tried this a while back but it didn't really click. Well it did this time. Just went out to the deck after doing about 30 reps of the bottle drill, and just crushed my putters. WELL beyond my fence into the neighbors yard. I feel like my hips finally did what I have been trying to get them to do. Also my big gorilla bass player hands naturally favor a more thumb centered grip. It really felt natural. I also had way less wobble on the disc. Felt very quick and powerful.

I'm going out to a wide open course tomorrow after work to do some field work. I really am looking forward to it.

 

[Questatement]

The easiest way to lower a score in the =/> +10 range is to make avoiding obsticals the golden rule. That includes any within the range of your throwing distance until, presuming you have the distance, you get out to 200' if the obsticals are crowded and/or 300' if they are semi-crowded. At that point, it boils down to a bit of luck as a single degree release, say left, translates to 20' left when you get out to 250'. If your close obsticals are tight regardless of all route options, consider discing down, powering down, and/or choosing a disc where it flies where you want with the wing angle that is your most accurate placement.

This entails evaluating disc choice, nose and wing angles, power level, elevation, side-to-side release point, and wind if present. It's a lot but if you let your mind slip on any of those, you're bound to fail because of and in that/those same areas.

I've seen this advice shave 5 or more average strokes off a round on a +10 player after only several rounds of making this their golden rule.

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

^^This is definitely priority number one when playing a round for score. The better a line I have o the basket, the better I do. I practice upshots in my yard with this idea in mind as well. I have a big telephone pole in the middle that I use as an obstacle, but its just not the same as playing on the course. I generally play for a par on most holes, as accurate a drive as I can make, then try for an upshot within 20 feet, then putt (this plan definitely does NOT always work though

So I finally got un lazy and did a quick film of some throws. I was throwing up hill at the end of a long work day, plus about an hour of casual practice with a friend. So based on the video, what is the first thing I need to work on here to a) gain some distance, and b) dial in some accuracy? I figure if I start working on one aspect that needs improvement, get comfortable with it, and add in the next step to practice I should be able to handle it better than trying to work on a bunch of things at once.

These throws were not bad for me BTW. I got all 3 discs (Bard, DX Roc, Tursas) about 225' uphill in some swirly wind AND they all flew their correct flight paths. I had a good practice day.:thmbup:"https://www.youtube.com/embed/32_7AFypGLY"