Putting - practice at home doesn't make difference at the course

[Jay Dub]

It doesn't matter how much you practice at home. Always practice at the course before your round. You need to get dialed in to the conditions. Try to move around the basket too.

Yup, put in some practice time at the course as well.

Very important.

 

[rocthecourse]

You should also move the basket around so the "background" looks different.

Results on the home basket do transfer to the course. Even if you don't make as many putts at the course as you do at home, as long you as are making more putts than you used to you are going good. Keep at it.

 

[banknwank]

Range distance is greater than course distance and practice putting is higher percentage than course putting. The routine, how loose/warm you are, subtle adjustments are all easier when throwing one after the other in same conditions with same look. When putting a million times in the back yard you start to use little crutches that help with consistency, that you may not even be aware you are using. Like nestling your foot on the same little clump of crab grass at your 20 ft mark. Starting your 30 footer level with the height of the close line..... Little visual indicators that help you put the disc where you want, and you may not be aware you are using them. And those crutches certainly aren't there on the course. Others have mentioned the random practice where you put from all over the yard. Up hill, side hill, down hill, 13.5 ft, 17 ft.......random puts will replicate putting in a round better. One fun putting practice is to play "disc" with a partner. Puts more pressure on the one put, and puts will be random.(like playing pig or horse in basketball). I have also found that spending a good half an hr putting before round helps me make more putts, and has me loose for #1tee shot.

 

[HyzerUniBomber]

Range distance is greater than course distance and practice putting is higher percentage than course putting. The routine, how loose/warm you are, subtle adjustments are all easier when throwing one after the other in same conditions with same look. When putting a million times in the back yard you start to use little crutches that help with consistency, that you may not even be aware you are using. Like nestling your foot on the same little clump of crab grass at your 20 ft mark. Starting your 30 footer level with the height of the close line..... Little visual indicators that help you put the disc where you want, and you may not be aware you are using them. And those crutches certainly aren't there on the course.

Really true. In my small back yard I have one good spot to hit a 28' putt. I can hit 5 for 5 from it, but if I move 3' closer and into a lumpier spot where I don't have a good range of motion... all hell breaks loose.

I'm absolutely in the same boat as the OP. An absurd amount of putting, still miss from spots that are in my backyard comfort zone. Working on it - but no question it's a frustrating part of the game that's hard to love.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I practice at home in two different manners. (a) Repetition for muscle memory with a stack of 10 identical putters at 30', and (b) grabbing a putter and walking to a random distance to replicate the uniqueness of each putting situation on the course, often out of the blue when I haven't touched a Disc all day.

Not a pro, but a decent putter, better than 50% at 10 big paces, 33% at 12. Use the Birdie (lid) with spin for putts at 50' on in before using faster putters outside that range.

 

[FriedInTheDesert]

I agree with every post.

Take the time to take notes on the advice that has been given so far.

Before I read the posts, I already knew what I was going to reply with. Two main points, based off of my experience.

First is the pre-shot routine. Are you following your routine or are there distractions? I actually say the steps in my head as I do it. Works great for me.

Second, the practice basket and the course are different environments. It takes time to develop confidence but you will get it.

 

[tomdizzlefizzle]

Make a video of you making putts thats hours long and watch it twice daily while masterbating. This will increase your confidence and release aggression. Post results.

 

[joecoin]

Make a video of you making putts thats hours long and watch it twice daily while masterbating. This will increase your confidence and release aggression. Post results.

DO NOT POST RESULTS!

 

[zrxchris]

Thanks for all the great advice.
Except for fizzle....

 

[wildwing]

I was actually going to post and ask about this myself. I just recently figured out what I was doing differently at home. I putt indoors though. I would start from inside through a door, into my garage. I kept my knees bent throughout the putt to clear the door and was solid coming out of my hand. When I putt outdoors, I would straighten my knee before the disc left my hand instead because I didn't have the door in front of me. I would lob my putts, miss high, and/or barely get there.

If I had videod myself both indoor and outdoor, I probably would've seen this along with other hitches in my putts.

Making a video of yourself like you mentioned may help a lot.

The other tips here are solid, especially this:

Make sure you're only putting once from each spot, like a real putt. This helped me greatly, and hopefully it can help you too.

Thanks for this tip BigSky.

 

[DiscJunkie]

The best advice I can give anyone who cannot replicate your practice success at the course is to practice differently.
Here are a few things that I do to help me putt with success at the course:
1. Practice 1 throw at a time.
Putting 100 times in a row is great for your form, but may not translate to Tourney play. Go out to your basket at random times, at random distances, and putt once - maybe twice. This will tell you how well you set up and putt with no practice - just like playing.
2. Practice like you play and play like you practice.
Throwing multiple putts from the same stance is good for practice, but that's not course conditions. Putt one disc at a time, maybe two, using the full pre-shot routine. Then go get your disc(s) out of the basket and do it again. Over and over. This will help you duplicate course conditions.
3. Visualize, visualize, visualize.
When you start your pre-shot routine at your practice basket, imagine you are at your course and putting at a course basket. Imagine different baskets in different positions at different lengths. Imagine yourself making the putt to win your card, or tourney or bag tag.

These steps will make your home practice more difficult, but your course success will improve.

Hope this helps.

 

[Halcón]

Thanks for this tip BigSky.

No problem.

 

[DiscFifty]

Yep, just sounds like you have a bit of performance anxiety. Just keep at it, confidence will come eventually. At the home front though, still throw those 100 putts from the same spot to work on muscle memory, but also before you're done, throw 10-20 markers all over your putting area and close out the session with some random putts. That will go a long way.

 

[UP Mountain Man]

Distract your mind so your body can go ahead and putt! Try counting to yourself,backwards from 10, in your head, while you are putting.

One of my coaches uses a silent 3 beat cadence, that he says to himself while putting ... ta, ta, ta. Weight shift forward, ta, weight shift back, ta, weight shift forward and release, ta. Bang bang

 

[zj1002]

The only secret is you have to fail and succeed enough to gain the mental confidence to make putts. I could always place drives where I needed, but when it came to putting I could never figure out how to execute things. Playing competitive rounds with good players where I failed at hitting putts for years has just now started to help me embrace putting. I see the flight path(you get this from home practice) and then tell myself I will make it on that line(this is the mental confidence). You just have to believe in what you are doing and learn from your mistakes. I hated putting for the first 5 years I played disc golf and just wanted to throw. As I embraced putting it has become my new obsession and I would much rather be known as a great putter than some dude that throws far.

I think a lot of people that do well at putting early on in the process already have a solid background in solo sports where they have built up mental confidence to execute a shot needed to win.

 

[jrawk]

Yeah, i was (still am just a little) right there with the OP when putting on the course. It's all confidence and focus. I am comfortable in my back yard. I am not comfortable on the course, especially when in some sort of competitive play. A lot of times i notice myself not focusing on the chain-link i'm aiming at and notice my peripheral vision focus on the environment and/or people around me. As soon as i remember to zero in on the chain link, i start hitting putts again.

 

[sonoray]

Get some neighbor's stupid dog to BARK incessantly and growl at you through your fence or something as equally bothersome and distracting for you while you practice. Did wonders for my confidence. Now all I hear are dog's barking when I putt.

 

[Bamm]

Lots of great info in here guys. I can easily say my putts improved dramatically when I started practicing at home 50 - 100 putts a day/every other day.

 

[Questatement]

Really true. In my small back yard I have one good spot to hit a 28' putt. I can hit 5 for 5 from it, but if I move 3' closer and into a lumpier spot where I don't have a good range of motion... all hell breaks loose.

My yard, already of mixed elevations (+/- 2') has been ravaged by golphers for decades and I love the combination of hard, loose, grass, dirt, and potmarked soil for putting practice.

The only thing I can replicate is steep up, down, or sideways hill stance putting which no practice baskets at any courses I know of provide either.

 

[bsnone]

Someone mentioned earlier pacing off steps from the basket - after several months of working 1025 I started doing that and it really helped my confidence. 8 paces? Okay, somewhere between 20 and 25, I need this type of throw, boom, chains. Keep at that 1025, I practiced daily for a month before the AZ State Championships and threw rounds that were 60-80 points above my rating on two courses I had never played before the event. It's nice to be 100% solid from 15' and in and know you can hit 75% from 20-30, 50% from 30-35... etc. Keep at it.

I've also added working the Scott Papa exercise that was in the PDGA magazine a few issues ago. I try and keep a running total of how many consecutive putts I've made which can start to build pressure once you hit 50-60-70, whatever is approaching personal records.