So it all comes down to the 25-45' putts....

[RAHfrolfer]

I've been playing a little under two years and I'm at the point where I can make par on most community course holes. On a good day I'll shoot under par, sometimes even a pretty respectable score.

I find the difference between my rounds gets down to the longer putts. Under 25' I'm pretty solid but over is totally hit and miss. I know everyone will say practice practice practice - naturally. What I'm wondering is if anyone has any tips that helped them develop their longer range putts?

 

[biscoe]

More leg is usually the solution for putting farther. Practice approaching more is usually the solution for missing a bunch of circle 2 putts.

 

[glassila]

I recommend practice putting from beyond your normal putting range. So if you use a putting motion from 40' but more of a throwing motion from beyond 40, I suggest working on using your normal putting stance and motion from 45-50-55'.
This will force you to use more legs, more disc spin, more wrist snap.
At first it will seem impossible, but as you get more leg pop, disc spin, etc. it will become much more comfortable.
There is definitely a limit to using a regular putting stance and motion. To me it's around 50-55'. From beyond 55' I use more of a combination of a regular putt with more arm swing. And instead of my shoulders being square to the basket for a short putt, my right shoulder will be closer to the basket for longer putts.

 

[Serious-OLD]

Ya, good question. It really does all come down to 25-45 foot putts. I believe that's the biggest separator even at the pro level. They have arms, but Gannon and Calvin win because they have some of the highest C2 % in the game. No matter how well I'm throwing, my scores are lowest when my putting is on.

As Glassila describes, practice your normal put at distance is the way to go. Personally, I warm up at 15-20 for a couple cycles, but most of my putting practice is 30,40,50. When you're hitting well at 40, you're automatic inside the circle.

I think the reason this method works so well is because it trains your body to maximize your mechanics and timing.

At 15 feet, you can mess up your timing and your form, and still make the disc go.

At longer ranges you start having to get your timing perfect to get all of the momentum possible out of your controlled putting swing. You realize you have to push with your legs, and swing at exactly the right moment and follow through all the way to get 50+ with any accuracy and power. When you go back to 15, you have clean maximized form, and you dont miss.

 

[RAHfrolfer]

Thanks for the advice.
When you practice at 50, do you step put or just regular inside the circle technique.
I take it you use regular technique, so do you also practice step putts separately?

 

[RowingBoats]

 

[DG Fanatic]

You drive for show, but putt for dough. – Bobby Locke

Here's a tip I have for longer putts:
It's completely OK to run long putts and go over the basket, at least you gave it a chance. But if you are missing short, hitting the pole or hitting the cage, it didn't even have a chance.

The best way to get better at putting from long distances is to practice, just like one practices from inside circle. Work on your release, timing and where to aim.

 

[EllEstar]

Here's a tip I have for longer putts:
It's completely OK to run long putts and go over the basket, at least you gave it a chance. But if you are missing short, hitting the pole or hitting the cage, it didn't even have a chance.

The best way to get better at putting from long distances is to practice, just like one practices from inside circle. Work on your release, timing and where to aim.

Meh, a miss is a miss, one was too high and the other too low, assuming they were as far from hitting they had the same chance.

If you consistently miss low then I'd rather see you missing high, but the reverse is true too.

 

[Dcinmd]

Here's a tip I have for longer putts:
It's completely OK to run long putts and go over the basket, at least you gave it a chance. But if you are missing short, hitting the pole or hitting the cage, it didn't even have a chance.

The best way to get better at putting from long distances is to practice, just like one practices from inside circle. Work on your release, timing and where to aim.

It is only ok if one can consistently hit 30 foot comebackers. If one is not comfortable with this, their time is better spent practicing 30 footers. Otherwise they are living in 3 putt land.

 

[glassila]

Thanks for the advice.
When you practice at 50, do you step put or just regular inside the circle technique.
I take it you use regular technique, so do you also practice step putts separately?

I used to step forward after I released the putt (not a step putt), but the more I practiced my "regular putt" from longer distances I got to the point where I no longer step forward.
My left leg will come up off the ground and I'll go up on the ball of my right foot, but I rarely step forward after the putt is released.

 

[RAHfrolfer]

Ya, good question. It really does all come down to 25-45 foot putts. I believe that's the biggest separator even at the pro level. They have arms, but Gannon and Calvin win because they have some of the highest C2 % in the game. No matter how well I'm throwing, my scores are lowest when my putting is on.

As Glassila describes, practice your normal put at distance is the way to go. Personally, I warm up at 15-20 for a couple cycles, but most of my putting practice is 30,40,50. When you're hitting well at 40, you're automatic inside the circle.

I think the reason this method works so well is because it trains your body to maximize your mechanics and timing.

At 15 feet, you can mess up your timing and your form, and still make the disc go.

At longer ranges you start having to get your timing perfect to get all of the momentum possible out of your controlled putting swing. You realize you have to push with your legs, and swing at exactly the right moment and follow through all the way to get 50+ with any accuracy and power. When you go back to 15, you have clean maximized form, and you dont miss.

Super helpful advice. Gave that a go today. I always figured I should practice step putting outside 30'. Today I spent a while practicing 45-60' without the step. It really helped me hone in my timing. Inside the circle definitely felt way better afterwards.

Thanks for the pointers

 

[glassila]

Honestly, don't even worry about making putts at first. Just concentrate on getting leg drive and wrist snap to get the disc there comfortably. You should strive to have the same putting technique for a 45 footer as you do for a 25 footer.
As you get farther out you simply won't have the power to use your normal putt and will have to add more throw motion so it will become a putt/throw combination.

 

[Casey 1988]

I've been playing a little under two years and I'm at the point where I can make par on most community course holes. On a good day I'll shoot under par, sometimes even a pretty respectable score.

I find the difference between my rounds gets down to the longer putts. Under 25' I'm pretty solid but over is totally hit and miss. I know everyone will say practice practice practice - naturally. What I'm wondering is if anyone has any tips that helped them develop their longer range putts?

More and more leg push off/kick around starting with minimal leg kick for distance of 15--20 feet. When past 33--35 feet, some people switch to a putter like midrange/midrange like putter most of time on leg kick staring over as people are using a faster disc.

For my choice on longer putter I normally go putter like midrange having used since 2016 use a Shark around 175 gramsnow in Star but G-Star would be another option for disc and bonus a Shark mold works for windy putter as well as an approach disc/short putter. I do his second disc becuse a jump putt is impossible for me at 33 feet on up without foot faulting (even 90% of Pro players do not get a jump put righ on throw and I can use sooner where a jump putt needs to be 33 feet on back. Prior to a Shark in 2014 I was using a slightly rubbery/bouncy putter in a Classic Roc design I still use same 166 gram Classic Roc like disc for non windy approach putts where I am running a putt. In wind I use an old 2014 Pro Shark around 175 grams for running putts. I used my Pro Shark in 2014--2015 and only got cheap online one Sar Shark as nobody wanted disc where plastic for mold was not used since 2014 and later in year tail end of Star being sold got a few more rather cheap where one is almost G-Star wondering if Innova production crew messed up mixing old Echo Star/old Pro and G-Star plastic together.

Also having a solid replicable putt you can do over and over 95--98% the same each time.

 

[Casey 1988]

Super helpful advice. Gave that a go today. I always figured I should practice step putting outside 30'. Today I spent a while practicing 45-60' without the step. It really helped me hone in my timing. Inside the circle definitely felt way better afterwards.

Thanks for the pointers

If ever going to PDGA tournaments do note at 33 feet or past 10 meters is where you can steep put, good tournaments will have a 33 foot thin cord on a stake or a sprayed on ground 33 foot circle for each basket.

 

[Thereitgoestoday]

I've been playing a little under two years and I'm at the point where I can make par on most community course holes. On a good day I'll shoot under par, sometimes even a pretty respectable score.

I find the difference between my rounds gets down to the longer putts. Under 25' I'm pretty solid but over is totally hit and miss. I know everyone will say practice practice practice - naturally. What I'm wondering is if anyone has any tips that helped them develop their longer range putts?

I just get my upshot's closer

 

[itsRudy]

I've been playing a little under two years and I'm at the point where I can make par on most community course holes.... Under 25' I'm pretty solid but over is totally hit and miss. I know everyone will say practice practice practice - naturally. What I'm wondering is if anyone has any tips that helped them develop their longer range putts?

One thing that might be overlooked is that practice will not just develop aim... but also arm strength. I don't practice much, so it took me forever is my arm strength for putts took years to develop for putts and I'm way stronger now in year 7 than I was even in year 4-5. 40 foot putts that used to take all my strength are like nothing now other than aim. Makes it so much easier.

Now that I see that, I've been practicing more the last three months.

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

I don't know if it's a tip, but a lot of putting motions that are good up close for accuracy can mean a limited range.

I throw a spush putt kind of thing. What helped me was realizing past a certain range I needed reachback, so I turn my body out of the way more for room and turn my back foot/leg a little further back to compensate.

TLDR: Get your body out of the damn way..

 

[Casey 1988]

I don't know if it's a tip, but a lot of putting motions that are good up close for accuracy can mean a limited range.

I throw a spush putt kind of thing. What helped me was realizing past a certain range I needed reachback, so I turn my body out of the way more for room and turn my back foot/leg a little further back to compensate.

TLDR: Get your body out of the damn way..

Mine is a Push Put with spin and back leg pushing off ground. where I only use more and more power from 15--20 feet and leg kick from around 12--13 feet. I used to do back leg kick when putting but I was doing actual backwards kick in air more and more after initial push as idea was never fully explained to me watching an older cousin who has an improper back leg movement even my dad does odd leg but his is due to being 6 foot 1 inch and long legs. When I was finally watching pro players in late 2000's around 2008--2009 when YouTube really took off kick is wrong word and a push off ground is proper term using more and more push.

Also, around 30--35 feet I am using other discs like my Shark Star mainly, Pro if wind but need a more neutral shot where both are around 175 grams or my 166 gram #2 Upshot Prostyle, U--2 in Prostyle from Lighting and with these disc I am sort of starting over on putt like I am doing a minor back leg push like I do around 15--20 feet unless winds are a factor and I was using said discs in closer already because switching I am switching to a Shark 3 as a nearly flat top midrange disc is why I am using over a Shark midrange due to top helping a very similar disc have less of a profile in winds. Reason I am switching discs around 30--35 feet is because mold of putters I am using, have my back leg maxed out in back leg push

I find a Push on back leg gives power you are missing closer and I have to switch discs at X distance using same discs for approach where most other players do not use a disc outside of a lower profile putter where disc could be used in close as well. My main problem with a push put adding spin at 11--13 feet is my release up and down from further away is harder o

 

[seedlings]

I recommend practice putting from beyond your normal putting range. So if you use a putting motion from 40' but more of a throwing motion from beyond 40, I suggest working on using your normal putting stance and motion from 45-50-55'.
This will force you to use more legs, more disc spin, more wrist snap.
At first it will seem impossible, but as you get more leg pop, disc spin, etc. it will become much more comfortable.
There is definitely a limit to using a regular putting stance and motion. To me it's around 50-55'. From beyond 55' I use more of a combination of a regular putt with more arm swing. And instead of my shoulders being square to the basket for a short putt, my right shoulder will be closer to the basket for longer putts.

This sounds like great advice. However, I feel like I'm practicing MISSING putts. Can that be a thing? Reinforcing how to miss?

 

[Nick Pacific]

One thing that might be overlooked is that practice will not just develop aim... but also arm strength. I don't practice much, so it took me forever is my arm strength for putts took years to develop for putts and I'm way stronger now in year 7 than I was even in year 4-5. 40 foot putts that used to take all my strength are like nothing now other than aim. Makes it so much easier.

Now that I see that, I've been practicing more the last three months.

I've been saying this for years, and your experience mimics mine. There is a reason why the biggest arms are the best putters.

And I think you need a combination of strength training and practice putting. I think for the strength training I'd just go with whatever you like and tend to stick with over time. Reps reps reps.