Long to Short or Short to Long?

[ForTheGlory]

Playing on a course with multiple tees and pins.

As a rookie I'm playing short tees to short baskets.

Now I want to bump up my game. Do I move back to the longer tees and throw at the closer baskets or stay on the short tees and throw at the longer baskets?

 

[bergdawg]

It's all relative. Short to Long may be harder than the long to short and vice versa.

 

[MNcyclone]

Long to long. Why wouldn't you want to play as much disc golf as possible? Swallow your pride and take the higher scores.

 

[TheStray]

Probably depends on the difference between teepad to teepad distance and basket to basket distance. If the baskets are only 50 feet apart and the teepads are 200 feet apart I'd probably shoot from the short pads to the long baskets.

 

[Brall]

i've always played the longest possible tee/basket, but i think i'm in the minority on that.

i found that out here.

 

[Technohic]

Well, if you are trying to step up gradually, figure out which is shortest. You could just jump to long to long as it will give you more throws as well.

I often just play the ones that give me the shot which looks like the most fun.

 

[MNcyclone]

i've always played the longest possible tee/basket, but i think i'm in the minority on that.

i found that out here.

I can't understand it. In the Twin Cities nobody plays shorts unless you literally are a beginner (10 or less rounds played) or there is a water hazard. We call those Madison tees. We had a few guys from Madison bragging about the scores they put up and then after a while admitted they were all from the shorts. We were like, wtf? How do you brag about scoring well from the shorts?

 

[ForTheGlory]

Thanks.

I guess long to long is the best opportunity to throw more discs. So I might as well man-up and watch my score jump into triple digits and then slowly get better.

Regardless of opinions on what makes a 5 star course, this site is a great resource with so many active members.

 

[Longliveguitar]

I wish i had these options in my area....just 1 tee 1 pin placement on my local courses....

 

[MNcyclone]

Thanks.

I guess long to long is the best opportunity to throw more discs. So I might as well man-up and watch my score jump into triple digits and then slowly get better.

Regardless of opinions on what makes a 5 star course, this site is a great resource with so many active members.

I shouldn't frame these things so sharply. Its not unmanly to throw shorts, and shorts are fine if they present a line that you want to practice. Just don't think it is bad to throw for 4's from the long to long placement. There is no shame in throwing an extra fairway drive to reach the longer position, you will learn more and get more reps in.

 

[Dsplayname]

I have always played long tees to long pin(if available. Got to play to whichever pin position is set for the day), and all par 3s. I think that is what drove me to get better-going from shooting ten over ever round to being able to keep par on pretty much any course.

I remember playing with a buddy of mine at East Roswell park, and hearing murmured from a group passing by "Oh wow, they're playing the black tees!" We both went ahead and parked shots for birdies while they watched. To me, it's about playing as hard as possible and making it look easy.

 

[IHearChains]

Long to long. Why wouldn't you want to play as much disc golf as possible? Swallow your pride and take the higher scores.

Yes! More disc golf = better.

Even when I was brand new to disc golf, I always played long unless I was doing two rounds, then I would do both long and short for the variety. Even at the very beginning I knew I liked throwing discs A LOT, and wanted the layout that would demand the most throws, most challenge.

I don't understand why anyone would choose to never play long tees, unless they don't really like disc golf. To me it is kind of like people who choose Bud Light, I assume they are people who don't really like beer.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Beginners will get better faster if they play holes within their current distance range because they have a target to shoot for off most every tee. On longer holes, many times throws can land anywhere and it doesn't matter because you're not in putting range anyway. If you're playing holes outside your current range, there may be no premium on accuracy so you don't hone your power AND accuracy skills. I like to make the pros and Advanced play the short tees sometimes in events because some are weaker on those skills. The pressure can be higher because they know they can reach the holes and need to birdie them.

 

[optidiscic]

Beginners will get better faster if they play holes within their current distance range because they have a target to shoot for off most every tee. On longer holes, many times throws can land anywhere and it doesn't matter because you're not in putting range anyway. If you're playing holes outside your current range, there may be no premium on accuracy so you don't hone your power AND accuracy skills. I like to make the pros and Advanced play the short tees sometimes in events because some are weaker on those skills. The pressure can be higher because they know they can reach the holes and need to birdie them.

:hfive:
I agree with this x 1 million
playing a championship course as your primary/learning course is a lesson in futility. You actually retard your growth as a player

 

[IHearChains]

Beginners will get better faster if they play holes within their current distance range because they have a target to shoot for off most every tee. On longer holes, many times throws can land anywhere and it doesn't matter because you're not in putting range anyway. If you're playing holes outside your current range, there may be no premium on accuracy so you don't hone your power AND accuracy skills.

But they will not get better at approaches and fairway drives because they will rarely need them. Par-3 golf is just not a complete game IMO.

I like to make the pros and Advanced play the short tees sometimes in events because some are weaker on those skills. The pressure can be higher because they know they can reach the holes and need to birdie them.

Can't disagree there, some par 3 holes are great to balance out a long course and give a different type of mental challenge!

 

[IHearChains]

:hfive:
I agree with this x 1 million
playing a championship course as your primary/learning course is a lesson in futility. You actually retard your growth as a player

Only if you believe that more throws, from a variety of different lies, is bad for your growth as a player. Why would more practice retard your growth? It is completely illogical.

 

[scarpfish]

Play them all I say. I often will play alternating sets when I can so I can get a mix of both. Of course, on courses where the short tees are "stupid short" tees, I just prefer to play the longs.

 

[optidiscic]

Only if you believe that more throws, from a variety of different lies, is bad for your growth as a player. Why would more practice retard your growth? It is completely illogical.

because you will not develop a short game as putting is not as much of a premium on championship courses.
On a par 72 course 1/4 of designed throws are putts......in 3 hrs on a conventional course you can play the course 2x and get 2x as many putts and on a pitch-n-putt you will likely get 3-4x as many putts.

Everything in disc golf is about putting.....if you are a good putter you will have a more forgiving approach area as you don't need to park the approach, you can take a safer approach as you will make the putt from beyond 15-20ft. The game works backwards from there back to the tee.

For years I played a par 67-68 beast and I constantly tried to hit lines that were beyond my ability....it was a gold level course and I was far from gold. I regularly played bogey golf (still do to be honest)....when I went to shorter courses I did even worse as I had zero short game and to this day I am still catching up.

My advice is to play shorter less epic courses if you are serious about improving your game......I did some research and noticed many of the top players started on short easy courses and many still claim short courses as their home courses.

Would you recommend a beginner to start at the penultimate in his sport (go climb Everest before you hit the climbing wall at the gym, play Augusta before you play your municipal course, go drive a 225 mph race car to train for your drivers license test/)

In disc golf, playing a champ course taught me nothing.......I was either attempting to throw a shot beyond my ability and just be losing discs and starting all over again or I would be trying to save discs and keep my score respectable and laying -up....neither did me any good as a player.

 

[MNcyclone]

@optidiscic

So because you tried to play beyond your level means other people can't play within their level throwing long holes? That makes no sense. How about he learn from your mistakes and NOT try to hit lines he is incapable of. Instead, how about he hits the lines that make sense for his game.

I posit that throwing holes that you can always reach is bad for your game. When you step up to holes outside of your range you will try to overextend yourself and fall into the trap you previously explained. Why doom him to be a "short tee" player? If he learns to lay up and play within his ability consistently he can go out and play leagues and tournies with success from the get go.

And what crap about putting. If you want max reps putting go to a basket and putt. Most people go into a day knowing they will play 1 or 2 rounds, and that will not deviate because of the length of the course. If I get done with the 1 round early I hit the road and get some errands done.

 

[deBebbler]

In terms of difficulty, I have found multiple tee/multiple pin courses usually go like this:

(Easiest to hardest)

Short tee-short basket
Long tee-short basket
Short tee-long basket
Long tee-long basket

The long basket is usually the heaviest guarded or most elevated

-2 cents.