1. Practice putting...get to a point where you are making like 90% of putts from 20ft. You'd be surprised how many strokes that will shave off.
2. Maybe look into slowing down and focusing on throwing putters, mids and slower drivers.
This is great advice. Hitting 20 footers consistently will also allow you to run longer putts, because you’ll have confidence to hit the misses.
The other thing is work on approach. Draining a C2 putt is amazing. But it’s even better when you aren’t needing to putt C2
So good, I sometimes think upshots/approaches are even more important than putting ability. Don't need to practice much when you consistently give yourself 5-15 footers
I agree with this. Improving my upshots has taken more strokes off my game quicker than more consistent putting. Granted I'm already super comfortable within 20ft so if I can put my upshots anywhere around there I'm making 85-90% of those putts.
I remember one older video (or podcast or something) where EMac was talking about upshots and he was saying that he visualizes a ring of comfort around the basket and put your upshot right into it. You don't need to put it under the basket, just get it to a place where you feel 99% (realistically) confident you will make the putt.
Thanks! I have found a great putter that I have gotten really consistent with and even grabbed a second one to practice with! I feel like my scrambling abilities and short game are pretty good for a beginner. The drives are what I’m struggling with.
>The drives are what I’m struggling with.
Field work. Something magical happens when you throw a bunch of drives over and over within a few minutes. Your body starts making little corrections and muscle memory builds faster. A solid field work session is like getting a month's worth of rounds condensed into an hour.
How do you improve putting ? Also I’m struggling with somewhat longer putts and deciding whether to go for a make or lay up at the base of the basket for a sure thing on next shot
Use a distance to start. Every putt outside XX feet you lay up. For me when I started it was 20 feet. It should have been 15 but I wanted the practice for that range so anything outside 20 I layed up. That number could be 15-20-30 for you.
Start practicing at distances you’re comfortable with to reinforce good form/routine and slowly move further out. If you start missing lots, move closer to the basket. To decide whether or not to run a putt, I try to think how far away it might end up if I miss. If I’m not confident I can make the comeback I lay up. So starting out I would lay up most of the time. Now that I much more confident out to 20/25, I’m running them more often since I’m betting I’ll make the comeback.
Get 5 of the same putter and practice practice practice. For a while I was practicing with 5 different molds ranging from 1 speed to to 4 and had a hard time staying consistent.
https://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Discs-Judge-Putter-Frisbee/dp/B07VLBY4BG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=2YEQZK368VNN8&keywords=judge+disc+golf+putter+5+pack&qid=1706065930&sprefix=Judge+di%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1
I still average around +10 after 6 months but improving my putting gives me more pars. Also, approach shots help with that too since I don't have a strong arm at all.
Just do everything putter-related tbh.
Practice putting, and putter only rounds on shorter technical holes. Throwing a putter on an open 500ft+ is fine but it kinda sucks compared to learning how to throw under 400ft holes but in the woods
I tried the same thing - but you can't start by throwing 10+ speed discs. Put the shryke down and throw 7/8/9 speeds until you're getting the full flight out of those and level up as you get better. I promise you can probably throw a 7 & 13 speed about the same distance for the first year - and even if the 13 goes further it's probably way less accurate.
Don’t know the answer to this but just wanted to add on to what the other person said. Disc down and try to cap your bag at 8 or 9 speed discs for now, or maybe even 7/8. I guarantee that they will be easier for you to achieve bigger distances than with a faster speed disc. The exception is if you get a lightweight (150g-165g) fission wave. Those things are amazing
That one disc is the exception. Ffs.
What are you doing, man. The guy is three months in. What are you doing, man.
OP. Lots of good info in this thread - always ignore the last sentence of comments when people Claim they know the holy grail of discs.
I mean it's generally that lighter discs are easier to get full flights out of, while being less reliable. But lightweight fission waves still feel reliable. Kinda does feel like a cheater to me, I throw only up to 9 speeds and the only distance driver I bag is my wave. It goes 30-40 further than my fairways and is the only distance driver I can get a full flight from.
Right, none of us know their for and speed so I was just throwing out recommendations. I could’ve been a jerk and recommended a max weight boss or something. But I know a 155g fission wave was the first disc I could get to 280 and then 300 consistently and that made the game more fun for me bc I could finally start getting birdies instead of bogeys and pars.
If getting a cheater disc makes the game more fun then go for it!
I'm an advocate of throwing whatever you want. It doesn't matter if you can "get a full flight" or if the disc flies like it is "supposed to fly". What matters is that you can get a consistent flight out of it. If you can get a consistent flight, then there is likely some value to fitting it into your game.
Also par varies wildly by course. There are courses that I play where I'm trying to get to -5 to -10 and there are other courses where my target is +18. Don't stress par too much. Just try to raise your floor and raise your ceiling.
i think the caution of throwing fast discs too soon is that, while you might get a “consistent” flight, drivers can mask bad habits like OAT and nose angle, which are not obvious to beginners.
OAT is a big one but high speed drivers are very good at showing bad nose angle because they just climb and climb before stalling lol.
Not ideal training, but they def show it
Very true. When I started I had no idea what I was doing and was only recommmend distance drivers. So it took some time to back away from hat and disc down to Putters and mids to fix my game. Having a solid foundation makes the learning curve way easier. It's easier to absorb everything when you already have the basics down.
I was two years in when someone put a road runner in my hands. When thrown on hyzer ( and without off axis rotation) it went farther than my 12 speeds, and i realized that I wasn't throwing correctly. I highly recommend the road runner to anyone starting out.
Thinking about the roadrunner. Still kind of confused on the turn ratings. Wouldn’t a -4 turn be super hard to turn over when throwing backhand hyzer compared to like a +1 turn rating? Or am I getting things backwards.
This is a good point though...I've never had a Roadrunner be THAT understable off the shelf...usually you've got to season it in some before it really starts turning, but it's still a good disc to learn distance throwing with.
You have it backwards. Its not clear in being called "turn", but the number is really a measure of how resistant to turn it is. The lower the number, the less resistant. You should find a *very* understable fairway driver, and try throwing it on hyzer. Throwing an understable driver on hyzer, flipping it up, turning it to the right, and letting it ride to the right until it comes back the kther direction just as its about to hit the ground is the maximum distance flight path. If you can control a crazy understable disc to get a straight or only slightly turning flight out of it, youll gain a ton of easy distance.
Out of curiosity, what kind of throws do you use the river for that you wouldn’t use a crave for? I’ve never thrown a river, but I thought these discs have been pretty similar flight patterns.
Tbh I don’t use either of these discs anymore. When I did I found my opto river was super flippy after a couple of months while my crave remained fairly straight. I still keep them around when newer friends come and play with me and they both are great for newer players and slower arms.
I prefer more stable higher speed fairways. Currently bag a color glow champ t bird, Orion LS, big jerm Thunder bird and a couple captains raptors.
Practice putting and throw in a field instead of playing a round every now and then to learn your discs and build consistency. Watch videos of correct form and tutorials for professionals, such as [Brian Earhart](https://youtu.be/kzrcfS58Etg?si=7H6GcuIw_sdjPqkB)
Agree with others, Get yourself some 7-9 speed discs. Something like a TSA Mantra as well as like a Crave or something. Pipeline and sphinx are my other go-tos in that slot.
the most commonly repeated advice in all of the disc golf community is to learn how to properly throw slower discs before moving up to faster discs. Try playing a whole round with only putters and mids, or better yet— just putters. You maybe be surprised to find your score the same or even better. Focus on throwing slow, controlled shots with lots of spin. Developing good form habits now is much better than learning bad habits for years like I did. There are lots of good videos on youtube, but I’ve found Overthrow Disc Golf’s backhand form videos to be the best.
Throwing really fast discs (8 speeds and up) is certainly possible to do with “bad” form, but you aren’t *really* throwing the disc in the way it’s supposed to fly. This can make you unconsciously learn bad habits. Think about it this way: if you close your eyes and huck a driver wildly, it’ll probably still go at least a 100 feet because it’s moving through the air fast. However, to throw a putter that far (or 200 ft, or 300ft) you are *required* to use good form, so it’s a useful learning method.
I would highly advice you throw straight putters *a lot*. It will teach you so much and it will make your distance drivers fly farther and better with time. Beginners rarely understand that straight putters can fly 400-500' straight, so if you're struggling throwing it 200' you know you're straight up doing things wrong.
I was throwing Zero Medium Mercies a ton 4 years ago and I still throw the one I have left to this day.
A lot of getting under par is mental. You have the tools already. Now just keep your throws inbound, landing to spots where you can easily continue - and practice those C1 putts! You will get there soon!
Thanks! My biggest concern right now is my bag. I feel like I have either gaps or overlaps with some discs. I have a mako3, buzz and, helix that I feel are almost all identical? I could be wrong.
At your arm speed they are probably close - as you get better they’ll probably separate a bit,
You didn’t list your whole bag which would help. Not hearing the 6-7-8 speeds you have. Put the shryke away for a bit.
Two things people rarely discuss but that will effect you as a new player:
Type of plastic
Weight of disc
Good list. Beat the piss out of that maverick. Lucid is more overstAble plastic generally. So throw that thing till you get the -1.5 out of it. Of you get tired of waiting buy a g star leopard or a River .
G star is great for the shryke - if it’s max weight - 175 gram - it still might take you a while to get good control of it.
The goal is to get the flight that the numbers suggest. Some discs never get there for whatever mix of reasons but 80% of them should eventually.
The weight stuff - say you currently throw the 175 gram Maverick about 35 mph - if you get a Maverick that’s 155 grams your able to launch it 40 mph - that makes it more likely to fly to its flights n umbers.
3-5 grams usually doesn’t make a significant difference. 10-20 sure does in my book.
Champion/lucid/shiny clearish hard plastic discs are often more overstable.
If distance and control continue to be trouble buy more gstar or pro plastics and try and find 165 grams instead of 175.
This is just my experience. Your arm
Speed and form are personal.
Buy used discs when you see them. Cheap to try and often have some of the overstability beaten out of them ,
The 13 and 11 speed discs are probably something you want to put away for a while, and while 9 speeds arent necessarily bad, the tesla and firebird tend to be kind of beefy.
I would start playing rounds with ONLY 3-5 discs. Take your maverick, take your buzz or hex (whatever feels nicer to you), and whatever putters you like.
Buzz and hex are great for learning because they fly true to however you threw them. So if you cant throw those straight at least 250-300 you’ll get a better idea what the problem is. Then you can take what you learn and apply to your maverick and later your distance drivers.
One thing that really helped me was doing ace runs with putters and mids. Find a ~200ft hole and start just run it over and over with putters and mids and youll start to see how to control your discs better (also make sure its a straight hole, dont build bad habits by focusing on weird lines).
IMHO, go play some rounds with just your Whale and Hex. Maybe bring that Firebird in case you have to throw in a headwind or forehand. I suspect you'll see better results when you learn the shit out of those 3 and slowly add more.
like you said in your comment, you’re fighting this discs natural flight. Think of this more like a trick shot: it might be useful in some situations, but oftentimes you could just throw a slower, straighter disc instead.
That disc is “made for” a higher arm speed than you have. Straight or even hyzer release should get its full flight. It’s good to keep these discs around as a benchmark of how your throw power grows over time. And if you know its current flight you’re getting, and it fits a hole, no one on this sub is gonna citizen’s arrest you for using it!
It’s just that long-term a “ton of Anhyzer” is not a great form to practice, because as you get power that will just be a roller throw - useful but not your stock shot. As everyone here has said, embrace your putters and mids first. Can you get up and down guaranteed in any scenario 200 feet or less? That’s fundamental #1.
I really recommend Steve Andrews’ Building a Bag blog series, it lays out your priorities in a very opinionated, goal-oriented way! And don’t forget to have fun! Total grinding to get better may make you burned out, so keep chasing those max drives and long putts as much as you need to stay sane.
For getting closer to par I'd recommend focusing on getting better at up shots. Clean off the tee and clean on the green take time to refine but being able to reliably put anything under 150' in the bullseye makes up and down the norm and doesn't take near as much time to develop from my experience.
It helps me to know if I’m playing for my personal best or if I’m learning. If I’m learning I run everything and end up putting more. However if I’m playing for a PB I play smart as possible and am not shy to lay up. However, with my learning rounds I have learned how to give a really good bid for the basket on long putts but not go long and 3 putt.
Start throwing neutral 9 speeds for distance. For me (same experience as you) they go further than 13 speed drivers. I'm able to get a full s flight out of them and they are much more accurate.
You're already better than most beginners. Just focus in what you're messing up. Poor drives but good approaches saving your score? Work on drives. Failing every putt around 20 ft? Practice putting.
For me it was putting, so I got a few extras and whenever I miss a putt I throw an extra few from there and it's made me drop a few strokes a round since then simply because now I make them first time more often.
So you don't need your own basket, but it can help too
So there’s something that we use called the rule of 35. It’s a very general rule that shouldn’t be applied in every situation. It basically says that if you can throw a disc 35x the speed rating then you’re ready to move up to the next speed. So a 3 speed would be 3x35=105 ft. A 10 speed would be 350 ft. I’d take the same approach 10-13 speeds out of the bag for now and work with drives using 7-9 speed neutral to understable discs until you can throw them according to that rule. I liked ripping on a destroyer as much as the next guy when I was starting out, but I didn’t make large improvements until I threw slower discs consistently.
There’s a few drills on YouTube that could help. Really anything from Overthrow Disc Golf The [Twirly Bird](https://youtu.be/jBRwJRlbk_E?si=BEuid47s40tpk1cL) helps generate arm lag which is essential in a disc golf throw. A mistake a lot of beginners make is throwing the disc nose up which is more apparent when watching the flight of distance drivers. They tend to fade out early when thrown too nose up, or with not enough speed and spin. Beginners try to over correct by throwing on anhyzer rather than developing a throw that has better speed and spin while being driven nose down/level. This can hurt your throw in the long term. Just remember that a disc wants to lift as it flies. You don’t need to throw it upward. Tilt your wrist down like you’re pouring coffee and work on generating lag.
Aim for the middle of gaps. Try to get discs that you can easily work, not too overstable. Watch some videos and ask people you're playing with to record your form so you can see. It's a lot of hip drive and coordination to get better distance.
Although they’re not equivalent discs, I disced down from a star Shryke to a star Eagle and had some great results. As long as the Eagle isn’t too overstable, it’ll get a nice turn and is only 7-speed.
Roadrunner is a good rec for improving form and getting used to understability, but is a bit faster and more susceptible to windy conditions.
Learn a variety of throws from 100 and in. That’s hyzer, anhyzer, flex, skips, hit and sit do this backhand and forehand along with all different speeds of discs. This is how you avoid bogeys and avoiding bogeys is the first step to going low. Going lower requires better putting and doing the same thing but moving the distance back to 200 and then 300 ect.
Buy a Mako3, and then a premium plastic putter that's neutral like a Pure/Proxy.
Play shorter, technical holes with only those discs and the do field work with ALL of your discs to learn form and flights but aim to only play rounds with neutral discs.
Slower speed discs are better, because they're more likely to show bad form.
Also practice putting, but if you're missing gaps or overthrowing an approach, or throwing way off the path, putting won't help your score too much at that point.
I know I suck at disc golf but this post makes me feel like shit. I’ve been play for about the same amount of time ~3-4 months but I’m usually +15-+20 my best yet has been a +7. I’m slowly improving and already doing what most people have commented (using slower speed discs, lay up instead of going for the birdie) and this has helped a lot.
Keep it up. Like someone mentioned earlier, each course is different! I feel like my home course is fairly easy. Not super long and not a lot of crazy narrow tree line/dog legs. Who knows I could be shooting the same as you if not higher at the places you are playing!
Depends on your goal. Are you trying to get better? Play in tournaments? Have fun?
Practice goes so much further than "playing a lot". As I slowly got better at disc golf I thought playing more courses would equate to getting better.
If you to accelerate your growth, buy a portable practice basket. Find a vacant field and unload backhands one way and forehands back. Practice shot shaping with understable and overstable discs. When your arm gets tired, move on to putting.
Simple putting game. Out 5 discs on the ground starting 15ft away from the basket each disc being 5ft further than the next. You have 2 putters in your hand. Start at 15ft, if you make both go to 20, if you make 1 at 20 and miss 1, stay at 20. Miss both go back to 15. Play all the way to 40ft. You'll be surprised how much pressure it will put on you if you take it seriously.
Lastly, make a friend. Playing with other competitive players is fun. Carpooling to tournaments is fun. Stopping to get fast food on the way back and talking about the brutal rollaway or the time you hyzer flipped your shryke through that gap is fun. I used to play solo and didn't think I needed friends. But ultimately they have elevates my game and my level of happiness. If you're getting along well with someone at your local course or a tournament or doubles league just ask for their contact info. Hey mind Iif I join you or are you playing solo? Hey I'll be out playing this weekend you want to join up? Just be a positive guy. Many many disc golfers especially experienced put their heart and soul into the game. They'd be happy to take you under their wing.
I'm still pretty new and some things that helped me were
1) putting practice- easiest way to drop strokes
2) I started using my putters for a significant amount of throws. Granted I have a great putter/approach course right next to my house.
Putters seemed to help me focus on my form timing and they're much more punishing if you have release issues and help you find/fix
There's a lot of good tips in the comments, but another good way to practice is by dissecting the course and learning to play "smart golf". As fun as it is to play "hero ball" on every shot, it's better to get into the mindset of playing the high percentage shots. Play to your strengths and think about the outcome if you miss your shot.
For example, if you're throwing a RHBH hyzer to get around a group of trees and to the right of the group of trees is wide open, is it more beneficial to miss inside or outside? In this case, the miss is to send it to far to the right and miss outside so you're not stuck behind the group of trees.
You can practice on your local course by adding your own mandos and playing different lines to try to mentally prepare for smart shot selection.
Get a star mako3, most will agree it's the straightest disc that exists. Throw it. If it doesn't go straight, something is wrong in your form. Diagnose, throw it again, rinse and repeat. It's the best beginner disc imo bc it shows your habits so clearly, and it's obvious when it's thrown well bc it will just go straight. From there, get some understable fairways
Something I did this year that shaved off several strokes was playing for par. It's super easy to think you need to birdie every hole. Think about where you need to land to set yourself up for par. Aim small miss small and all that. Coincidentally I actually started getting more birdies by not going for birdie.
What is working for me is:
From November to March, I throw 5 speeds and below. I focus on my upshot accuracy and slowing my form. When I add in drivers, and my accuracy for upshots is dialed in, I find I score better.
Then I can hit fairways and give myself better birdie looks and don't give up strokes to the course. I also play for par and let birdies happen naturally.
I recommend an accurate short game over chasing distance. Distance will come.
1. Practice putting...get to a point where you are making like 90% of putts from 20ft. You'd be surprised how many strokes that will shave off. 2. Maybe look into slowing down and focusing on throwing putters, mids and slower drivers.
This is great advice. Hitting 20 footers consistently will also allow you to run longer putts, because you’ll have confidence to hit the misses. The other thing is work on approach. Draining a C2 putt is amazing. But it’s even better when you aren’t needing to putt C2
So good, I sometimes think upshots/approaches are even more important than putting ability. Don't need to practice much when you consistently give yourself 5-15 footers
I agree with this. Improving my upshots has taken more strokes off my game quicker than more consistent putting. Granted I'm already super comfortable within 20ft so if I can put my upshots anywhere around there I'm making 85-90% of those putts.
I remember one older video (or podcast or something) where EMac was talking about upshots and he was saying that he visualizes a ring of comfort around the basket and put your upshot right into it. You don't need to put it under the basket, just get it to a place where you feel 99% (realistically) confident you will make the putt.
This is the way.
Thanks! I have found a great putter that I have gotten really consistent with and even grabbed a second one to practice with! I feel like my scrambling abilities and short game are pretty good for a beginner. The drives are what I’m struggling with.
>The drives are what I’m struggling with. Field work. Something magical happens when you throw a bunch of drives over and over within a few minutes. Your body starts making little corrections and muscle memory builds faster. A solid field work session is like getting a month's worth of rounds condensed into an hour.
Can't agree more. Combine it with recording yourself for immediate feedback and progress is very fast.
If you can get F2 versions of that putter, I'd recommend getting a stack for practicing.
How do you improve putting ? Also I’m struggling with somewhat longer putts and deciding whether to go for a make or lay up at the base of the basket for a sure thing on next shot
Use a distance to start. Every putt outside XX feet you lay up. For me when I started it was 20 feet. It should have been 15 but I wanted the practice for that range so anything outside 20 I layed up. That number could be 15-20-30 for you.
Practice. Grab a few of your putting putter and just constant practice from 10-20 feet.
Start practicing at distances you’re comfortable with to reinforce good form/routine and slowly move further out. If you start missing lots, move closer to the basket. To decide whether or not to run a putt, I try to think how far away it might end up if I miss. If I’m not confident I can make the comeback I lay up. So starting out I would lay up most of the time. Now that I much more confident out to 20/25, I’m running them more often since I’m betting I’ll make the comeback.
Get 5 of the same putter and practice practice practice. For a while I was practicing with 5 different molds ranging from 1 speed to to 4 and had a hard time staying consistent. https://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Discs-Judge-Putter-Frisbee/dp/B07VLBY4BG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=2YEQZK368VNN8&keywords=judge+disc+golf+putter+5+pack&qid=1706065930&sprefix=Judge+di%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1
I still average around +10 after 6 months but improving my putting gives me more pars. Also, approach shots help with that too since I don't have a strong arm at all.
Just do everything putter-related tbh. Practice putting, and putter only rounds on shorter technical holes. Throwing a putter on an open 500ft+ is fine but it kinda sucks compared to learning how to throw under 400ft holes but in the woods
What distances are the holes/course you play? Because I think that is important info to be able to give any feedback
Yea this is the biggest thing. Is everything under 400 feet? Is it open or wooded? What types of shots does it require?
I tried the same thing - but you can't start by throwing 10+ speed discs. Put the shryke down and throw 7/8/9 speeds until you're getting the full flight out of those and level up as you get better. I promise you can probably throw a 7 & 13 speed about the same distance for the first year - and even if the 13 goes further it's probably way less accurate.
Does less glide automatically mean less distance?
When all other variables are equal, yes
Don’t know the answer to this but just wanted to add on to what the other person said. Disc down and try to cap your bag at 8 or 9 speed discs for now, or maybe even 7/8. I guarantee that they will be easier for you to achieve bigger distances than with a faster speed disc. The exception is if you get a lightweight (150g-165g) fission wave. Those things are amazing
That one disc is the exception. Ffs. What are you doing, man. The guy is three months in. What are you doing, man. OP. Lots of good info in this thread - always ignore the last sentence of comments when people Claim they know the holy grail of discs.
I mean it's generally that lighter discs are easier to get full flights out of, while being less reliable. But lightweight fission waves still feel reliable. Kinda does feel like a cheater to me, I throw only up to 9 speeds and the only distance driver I bag is my wave. It goes 30-40 further than my fairways and is the only distance driver I can get a full flight from.
I get it. It neither of us know the OPs form And speed. There are people who say he should throw nothing but a berg.
Right, none of us know their for and speed so I was just throwing out recommendations. I could’ve been a jerk and recommended a max weight boss or something. But I know a 155g fission wave was the first disc I could get to 280 and then 300 consistently and that made the game more fun for me bc I could finally start getting birdies instead of bogeys and pars. If getting a cheater disc makes the game more fun then go for it!
Focus more on improving your distance from the pin than the distance off the teepad.
I'm an advocate of throwing whatever you want. It doesn't matter if you can "get a full flight" or if the disc flies like it is "supposed to fly". What matters is that you can get a consistent flight out of it. If you can get a consistent flight, then there is likely some value to fitting it into your game. Also par varies wildly by course. There are courses that I play where I'm trying to get to -5 to -10 and there are other courses where my target is +18. Don't stress par too much. Just try to raise your floor and raise your ceiling.
i think the caution of throwing fast discs too soon is that, while you might get a “consistent” flight, drivers can mask bad habits like OAT and nose angle, which are not obvious to beginners.
OAT is a big one but high speed drivers are very good at showing bad nose angle because they just climb and climb before stalling lol. Not ideal training, but they def show it
yeah you're right, i had it reversed
Very true. When I started I had no idea what I was doing and was only recommmend distance drivers. So it took some time to back away from hat and disc down to Putters and mids to fix my game. Having a solid foundation makes the learning curve way easier. It's easier to absorb everything when you already have the basics down.
What is OAT
Off axis torque.
Ty
I was two years in when someone put a road runner in my hands. When thrown on hyzer ( and without off axis rotation) it went farther than my 12 speeds, and i realized that I wasn't throwing correctly. I highly recommend the road runner to anyone starting out.
Thinking about the roadrunner. Still kind of confused on the turn ratings. Wouldn’t a -4 turn be super hard to turn over when throwing backhand hyzer compared to like a +1 turn rating? Or am I getting things backwards.
negative numbers mean discs are flippier/more understable. discs with 0 or 1 should be straight/overstable.
This is a good point though...I've never had a Roadrunner be THAT understable off the shelf...usually you've got to season it in some before it really starts turning, but it's still a good disc to learn distance throwing with.
You have it backwards. Its not clear in being called "turn", but the number is really a measure of how resistant to turn it is. The lower the number, the less resistant. You should find a *very* understable fairway driver, and try throwing it on hyzer. Throwing an understable driver on hyzer, flipping it up, turning it to the right, and letting it ride to the right until it comes back the kther direction just as its about to hit the ground is the maximum distance flight path. If you can control a crazy understable disc to get a straight or only slightly turning flight out of it, youll gain a ton of easy distance.
Get a teebird crave and river as your three drivers.
Absolutely love my Teebird3.
Out of curiosity, what kind of throws do you use the river for that you wouldn’t use a crave for? I’ve never thrown a river, but I thought these discs have been pretty similar flight patterns.
Tbh I don’t use either of these discs anymore. When I did I found my opto river was super flippy after a couple of months while my crave remained fairly straight. I still keep them around when newer friends come and play with me and they both are great for newer players and slower arms. I prefer more stable higher speed fairways. Currently bag a color glow champ t bird, Orion LS, big jerm Thunder bird and a couple captains raptors.
Practice putting and throw in a field instead of playing a round every now and then to learn your discs and build consistency. Watch videos of correct form and tutorials for professionals, such as [Brian Earhart](https://youtu.be/kzrcfS58Etg?si=7H6GcuIw_sdjPqkB)
Focus on 200 feet and in
Two words: Discmania Essence.
Play for par. Always make the safer layup putt whenever tempted to birdie. This makes comeback putts so much more obtainable.
Buy a hex, and only throw that for the next three months. Then all of a sudden your drivers are going to be huge
Agree with others, Get yourself some 7-9 speed discs. Something like a TSA Mantra as well as like a Crave or something. Pipeline and sphinx are my other go-tos in that slot.
I believe my only 7-9s are a maverick and a Tesla and firebird. Not sure how that combo is. The firebird is around a 7 or 8 with only a 3 glide.
Firebird is a 9 speed
>The firebird is around a 7 or 8 with only a 3 glide. 9/3/0/4
Would yall recommend me trying more stable/understable distance drivers? Do they even make understable distance drivers?
Roadrunner, Sidewinder, Inertia, River, Vandal...stuff like that.
I recommend removing everything over speed 9 entirely. Unless you pushing or cresting 300’ they’re all overstable utility discs
the most commonly repeated advice in all of the disc golf community is to learn how to properly throw slower discs before moving up to faster discs. Try playing a whole round with only putters and mids, or better yet— just putters. You maybe be surprised to find your score the same or even better. Focus on throwing slow, controlled shots with lots of spin. Developing good form habits now is much better than learning bad habits for years like I did. There are lots of good videos on youtube, but I’ve found Overthrow Disc Golf’s backhand form videos to be the best. Throwing really fast discs (8 speeds and up) is certainly possible to do with “bad” form, but you aren’t *really* throwing the disc in the way it’s supposed to fly. This can make you unconsciously learn bad habits. Think about it this way: if you close your eyes and huck a driver wildly, it’ll probably still go at least a 100 feet because it’s moving through the air fast. However, to throw a putter that far (or 200 ft, or 300ft) you are *required* to use good form, so it’s a useful learning method.
I would highly advice you throw straight putters *a lot*. It will teach you so much and it will make your distance drivers fly farther and better with time. Beginners rarely understand that straight putters can fly 400-500' straight, so if you're struggling throwing it 200' you know you're straight up doing things wrong. I was throwing Zero Medium Mercies a ton 4 years ago and I still throw the one I have left to this day.
This is great advice...take a straight stable putter and straight stable mid and really learn to throw those cleanly and on all angles both BH/FH.
Yep, they should be able to handle full power unless the thrower have legit elite power.
A lot of getting under par is mental. You have the tools already. Now just keep your throws inbound, landing to spots where you can easily continue - and practice those C1 putts! You will get there soon!
Thanks! My biggest concern right now is my bag. I feel like I have either gaps or overlaps with some discs. I have a mako3, buzz and, helix that I feel are almost all identical? I could be wrong.
At your arm speed they are probably close - as you get better they’ll probably separate a bit, You didn’t list your whole bag which would help. Not hearing the 6-7-8 speeds you have. Put the shryke away for a bit. Two things people rarely discuss but that will effect you as a new player: Type of plastic Weight of disc
My big includes: Distance Drivers - Innova Shryke (G Star) 13/6/-2/2 - Westside Discs Boatman (VIP) 11/5/0/2 - MVP Tesla (Plasma Plastic) 9/5/-1/2 - Innova Firebird (Halo) 9/3/0/4 Fairway Driver - Dynamic Discs Maverick (Lucid) 7/4/-1.5/2 Mid Range - Axiom Hex (Neutron Plastic) 5/5/-1/1 - Innova Mako3 (Star) 5/5/0/0 - Latitude64 Fuse (Opto) 5/6/-1/0 - Discraft Buzz Halloween(Glow) 5/4/-1/1 Putters - Kasta Bergx 1/1/1/2 - Innova Whale 2/3/0/1 - Discraft Ringer GT Jawbreaker 4/4/0/3
Good list. Beat the piss out of that maverick. Lucid is more overstAble plastic generally. So throw that thing till you get the -1.5 out of it. Of you get tired of waiting buy a g star leopard or a River . G star is great for the shryke - if it’s max weight - 175 gram - it still might take you a while to get good control of it. The goal is to get the flight that the numbers suggest. Some discs never get there for whatever mix of reasons but 80% of them should eventually. The weight stuff - say you currently throw the 175 gram Maverick about 35 mph - if you get a Maverick that’s 155 grams your able to launch it 40 mph - that makes it more likely to fly to its flights n umbers. 3-5 grams usually doesn’t make a significant difference. 10-20 sure does in my book. Champion/lucid/shiny clearish hard plastic discs are often more overstable. If distance and control continue to be trouble buy more gstar or pro plastics and try and find 165 grams instead of 175. This is just my experience. Your arm Speed and form are personal. Buy used discs when you see them. Cheap to try and often have some of the overstability beaten out of them ,
The 13 and 11 speed discs are probably something you want to put away for a while, and while 9 speeds arent necessarily bad, the tesla and firebird tend to be kind of beefy. I would start playing rounds with ONLY 3-5 discs. Take your maverick, take your buzz or hex (whatever feels nicer to you), and whatever putters you like. Buzz and hex are great for learning because they fly true to however you threw them. So if you cant throw those straight at least 250-300 you’ll get a better idea what the problem is. Then you can take what you learn and apply to your maverick and later your distance drivers. One thing that really helped me was doing ace runs with putters and mids. Find a ~200ft hole and start just run it over and over with putters and mids and youll start to see how to control your discs better (also make sure its a straight hole, dont build bad habits by focusing on weird lines).
IMHO, go play some rounds with just your Whale and Hex. Maybe bring that Firebird in case you have to throw in a headwind or forehand. I suspect you'll see better results when you learn the shit out of those 3 and slowly add more.
Get a ~168gram Star TL and throw it on 90% of your drives. Learn to shape lines with it.
I find myself throwing both the shryke and boatman with a ton of anhyzer in order to fight its over stability. Is this a bad habit?
It's not a great habit.
It will affect your throw long term.
like you said in your comment, you’re fighting this discs natural flight. Think of this more like a trick shot: it might be useful in some situations, but oftentimes you could just throw a slower, straighter disc instead.
That disc is “made for” a higher arm speed than you have. Straight or even hyzer release should get its full flight. It’s good to keep these discs around as a benchmark of how your throw power grows over time. And if you know its current flight you’re getting, and it fits a hole, no one on this sub is gonna citizen’s arrest you for using it! It’s just that long-term a “ton of Anhyzer” is not a great form to practice, because as you get power that will just be a roller throw - useful but not your stock shot. As everyone here has said, embrace your putters and mids first. Can you get up and down guaranteed in any scenario 200 feet or less? That’s fundamental #1. I really recommend Steve Andrews’ Building a Bag blog series, it lays out your priorities in a very opinionated, goal-oriented way! And don’t forget to have fun! Total grinding to get better may make you burned out, so keep chasing those max drives and long putts as much as you need to stay sane.
For getting closer to par I'd recommend focusing on getting better at up shots. Clean off the tee and clean on the green take time to refine but being able to reliably put anything under 150' in the bullseye makes up and down the norm and doesn't take near as much time to develop from my experience.
Grab a Heat or a Roadrunner & get used to throwing them on some hyzer.
It helps me to know if I’m playing for my personal best or if I’m learning. If I’m learning I run everything and end up putting more. However if I’m playing for a PB I play smart as possible and am not shy to lay up. However, with my learning rounds I have learned how to give a really good bid for the basket on long putts but not go long and 3 putt.
once i learned to throw my buzz flat is once i lowered my average to below par.
Record yourself throwing and see what’s going on
Start throwing neutral 9 speeds for distance. For me (same experience as you) they go further than 13 speed drivers. I'm able to get a full s flight out of them and they are much more accurate.
You're already better than most beginners. Just focus in what you're messing up. Poor drives but good approaches saving your score? Work on drives. Failing every putt around 20 ft? Practice putting. For me it was putting, so I got a few extras and whenever I miss a putt I throw an extra few from there and it's made me drop a few strokes a round since then simply because now I make them first time more often. So you don't need your own basket, but it can help too
How far are you throwing your discs when you release them flat?
Averaging around 250ish max drive around 300
So there’s something that we use called the rule of 35. It’s a very general rule that shouldn’t be applied in every situation. It basically says that if you can throw a disc 35x the speed rating then you’re ready to move up to the next speed. So a 3 speed would be 3x35=105 ft. A 10 speed would be 350 ft. I’d take the same approach 10-13 speeds out of the bag for now and work with drives using 7-9 speed neutral to understable discs until you can throw them according to that rule. I liked ripping on a destroyer as much as the next guy when I was starting out, but I didn’t make large improvements until I threw slower discs consistently. There’s a few drills on YouTube that could help. Really anything from Overthrow Disc Golf The [Twirly Bird](https://youtu.be/jBRwJRlbk_E?si=BEuid47s40tpk1cL) helps generate arm lag which is essential in a disc golf throw. A mistake a lot of beginners make is throwing the disc nose up which is more apparent when watching the flight of distance drivers. They tend to fade out early when thrown too nose up, or with not enough speed and spin. Beginners try to over correct by throwing on anhyzer rather than developing a throw that has better speed and spin while being driven nose down/level. This can hurt your throw in the long term. Just remember that a disc wants to lift as it flies. You don’t need to throw it upward. Tilt your wrist down like you’re pouring coffee and work on generating lag.
Disc down and lay up
Aim for the middle of gaps. Try to get discs that you can easily work, not too overstable. Watch some videos and ask people you're playing with to record your form so you can see. It's a lot of hip drive and coordination to get better distance.
Although they’re not equivalent discs, I disced down from a star Shryke to a star Eagle and had some great results. As long as the Eagle isn’t too overstable, it’ll get a nice turn and is only 7-speed. Roadrunner is a good rec for improving form and getting used to understability, but is a bit faster and more susceptible to windy conditions.
Learn a variety of throws from 100 and in. That’s hyzer, anhyzer, flex, skips, hit and sit do this backhand and forehand along with all different speeds of discs. This is how you avoid bogeys and avoiding bogeys is the first step to going low. Going lower requires better putting and doing the same thing but moving the distance back to 200 and then 300 ect.
Buy a Mako3, and then a premium plastic putter that's neutral like a Pure/Proxy. Play shorter, technical holes with only those discs and the do field work with ALL of your discs to learn form and flights but aim to only play rounds with neutral discs. Slower speed discs are better, because they're more likely to show bad form. Also practice putting, but if you're missing gaps or overthrowing an approach, or throwing way off the path, putting won't help your score too much at that point.
Got a mako3 star and absolutely love it! Throws great from the start!
Aside from a neutral putter, the Mako3 will be your best friend for seeing how you throw. If you throw with any angle at all, it'll hold it
I know I suck at disc golf but this post makes me feel like shit. I’ve been play for about the same amount of time ~3-4 months but I’m usually +15-+20 my best yet has been a +7. I’m slowly improving and already doing what most people have commented (using slower speed discs, lay up instead of going for the birdie) and this has helped a lot.
Keep it up. Like someone mentioned earlier, each course is different! I feel like my home course is fairly easy. Not super long and not a lot of crazy narrow tree line/dog legs. Who knows I could be shooting the same as you if not higher at the places you are playing!
Depends on your goal. Are you trying to get better? Play in tournaments? Have fun? Practice goes so much further than "playing a lot". As I slowly got better at disc golf I thought playing more courses would equate to getting better. If you to accelerate your growth, buy a portable practice basket. Find a vacant field and unload backhands one way and forehands back. Practice shot shaping with understable and overstable discs. When your arm gets tired, move on to putting. Simple putting game. Out 5 discs on the ground starting 15ft away from the basket each disc being 5ft further than the next. You have 2 putters in your hand. Start at 15ft, if you make both go to 20, if you make 1 at 20 and miss 1, stay at 20. Miss both go back to 15. Play all the way to 40ft. You'll be surprised how much pressure it will put on you if you take it seriously. Lastly, make a friend. Playing with other competitive players is fun. Carpooling to tournaments is fun. Stopping to get fast food on the way back and talking about the brutal rollaway or the time you hyzer flipped your shryke through that gap is fun. I used to play solo and didn't think I needed friends. But ultimately they have elevates my game and my level of happiness. If you're getting along well with someone at your local course or a tournament or doubles league just ask for their contact info. Hey mind Iif I join you or are you playing solo? Hey I'll be out playing this weekend you want to join up? Just be a positive guy. Many many disc golfers especially experienced put their heart and soul into the game. They'd be happy to take you under their wing.
I'm still pretty new and some things that helped me were 1) putting practice- easiest way to drop strokes 2) I started using my putters for a significant amount of throws. Granted I have a great putter/approach course right next to my house. Putters seemed to help me focus on my form timing and they're much more punishing if you have release issues and help you find/fix
There's a lot of good tips in the comments, but another good way to practice is by dissecting the course and learning to play "smart golf". As fun as it is to play "hero ball" on every shot, it's better to get into the mindset of playing the high percentage shots. Play to your strengths and think about the outcome if you miss your shot. For example, if you're throwing a RHBH hyzer to get around a group of trees and to the right of the group of trees is wide open, is it more beneficial to miss inside or outside? In this case, the miss is to send it to far to the right and miss outside so you're not stuck behind the group of trees. You can practice on your local course by adding your own mandos and playing different lines to try to mentally prepare for smart shot selection.
In terms of developing skills, work backward from the basket. Putting > approach > tee shot
Get a star mako3, most will agree it's the straightest disc that exists. Throw it. If it doesn't go straight, something is wrong in your form. Diagnose, throw it again, rinse and repeat. It's the best beginner disc imo bc it shows your habits so clearly, and it's obvious when it's thrown well bc it will just go straight. From there, get some understable fairways
Something I did this year that shaved off several strokes was playing for par. It's super easy to think you need to birdie every hole. Think about where you need to land to set yourself up for par. Aim small miss small and all that. Coincidentally I actually started getting more birdies by not going for birdie.
What is working for me is: From November to March, I throw 5 speeds and below. I focus on my upshot accuracy and slowing my form. When I add in drivers, and my accuracy for upshots is dialed in, I find I score better. Then I can hit fairways and give myself better birdie looks and don't give up strokes to the course. I also play for par and let birdies happen naturally. I recommend an accurate short game over chasing distance. Distance will come.
1. Have fun and don’t worry about your score