In today’s post I present a general disc golf strategy that I think will help to lower your score. It is the one I have chosen to use, and I’m really starting to see the results. Give it a look and see if you think it’s a fit for you!
As a teacher, one of the things you get mighty leery of is buzz words. Every year there is a new “initiative” that will help everybody and that every teacher should do… Then, years later, after “newer and better” initiatives roll through, you wonder what you’re supposed to do with all this material you devoted a lot of energy to 3 initiatives ago.
If you’ve ever watched the Simpsons, this concept can easily be encapsulated by the monorail song/episode. Give it a look below…
And now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I’m going to go ahead and tell you one such initiative, that is steeped in logic but has fallen by the wayside as these things tend to do…
The concept I speak of is called “backwards design.” The simple idea was that you first thought of the learning objectives you wanted the students to learn, and then you work backwards from there to figure out what to teach and how to teach it.
Makes sense. I even like it. I just sometimes question how often it’s practiced when I get a new shiny curriculum…
For disc golf, it works quite well. What is the ultimate objective in disc golf? I’m sure you could answer many things, but would anyone fault me for answering that it’s to get the lowest score possible?
So, with that in mind, today’s post centers around the backwards design of your practice strategy so that you can achieve the lowest scores possible on the disc golf course. It is the plan I am following, but I almost went astray until someone in disc golf media righted my ship and set me back on course…
Let’s have a look…
Backwards Design Disc Golf Strategy
By my way of thinking, I believe the best way to get the lowest scores fastest is to learn how to putt, then perform upshots, followed by longer approach shots, and finally drives. I have one caveat, however, that I quickly came to understand. Somewhere in there, an emphasis has to be made on accuracy of your shots as well.
I recently got back into disc golf after an 8 year hiatus. Then it was a hobby. Now, I’m in! But the very first thing I did was to buy some putters and order a basket (I have a page dedicated to baskets if you’re in the market for one right here).
If I’ve learned nothing from ball-golf it’s that there is a lot of truth in the saying “putt for dough, drive for show.”
It was cemented when an 85 year-old wiped the floor with me in a round and never hit it over 180 yards. He would hit it straight a few times, chip it close, and 1-putt almost like clockwork.
Meanwhile, even though I was 23 and give the ball a good ride, it didn’t do me much good to take drops out of the woods (hence the accuracy part of my strategy) and 3-putt on the green. The whole experience was like a twisted version of “The Tortoise and the Hare,” and I was the damn hare…This is why putting and accuracy are going to be my main focal points.
I almost strayed from this strategy 3 weeks ago. Here’s how…
Seductive Distance
I was out playing a new course near me the other day. It was an old golf course that was converted to disc golf(Here‘s my review of it). In essence, it was wide open and very long!
As I write, I can probably throw 250 feet on a good day. Usually it’s in the 225 range though. As a result, I found myself throwing as far as I could multiple times on the same hole and still not feeling close.
“How nice would a 4 hundo drive be?” I asked myself.
“Real nice,” I replied.
Later that night, I was on Youtube looking up distance. My putting was good enough, I reasoned. Hint: It was not!
Luckily, however, I lost a disc that round. That one simple act would alter my life forever…
The Lost Disc
I may have exaggerated. I’m reading a lot of crime novels these days and damned if they don’t get me reading the next chapter with their hooks. So, when I say it “changed my life forever,” what I really meant was that “it slightly altered my strategy in a favorable way…”
So, it just so happens a guy in Connecticut found my disc and accidentally took it home with him. We exchanged texts and this past weekend we met in the middle to play a round.
You can read about that experience in my post Lose a Disc, Find a Friend.
He was better than me in every aspect of the game except one. Do you know what that one aspect was? Yup, it was putting!
And he loosely kept score. I was just having fun, but he tells me I beat him by a handful of strokes.
Later on in the round we paired up with 2 other guys. They too remarked on my putting(Here’s a page of posts dedicated to putting for you to browse). One such fellow could double my distance off the tee (not an exaggeration). I didn’t beat him on the few holes we played, but I tied him.
This experience strongly fortified my resolve to stick to the plan. Then, later that week as I was stacking wood and catching up on old episodes of my favorite disc golf pod (Disc Golf Answer Man) I further strengthened my stance.
Youtube’s Robbie C. Agrees with me!
Actually, I agree with him. He said it first. No need to split hairs though… And like me, Robbie C. will be the first to tell you that he’s no expert. Nevertheless, he has a lot to offer all of us. If you don’t know him, I encourage you to check him out. He’s both entertaining and informative. A natural teacher as well. Here‘s a post he made on putting to get started. You can take it from there.
And Here’s the episode of Disc Golf Answer Man (scroll down to the Robbie C one) where Robbie cemented this idea in my head.
Bobby, the hosts, asks at the 25-minute mark, “What is the biggest mistake you see beginners make when it comes to disc golf?” At first Robbie gave a quick nod to the fact that beginners throw discs that are too fast. But he also wanted to give an answer that was different as well. Here’s what he had to say…
“I would say the biggest mistake beginners make is they start at the tee box, and try to work their game from there… start at the basket and work your way backwards…”
Robbie C. (on Disc Golf Answer Man podcast)
Robbie C. went on to reinforce the same logic that I am using. Here’s what he said: “If you are confident on the putting green, then your upshots (approach shots that get close to the basket) don’t have to be as good… If you get good at your upshots then when you are on the tee box you’re not really worried about your drives because you know your upshots and putting can save you nine times out of ten…“
Hearing this is what finally put me back on track. Putting and accuracy will be my chief concerns. And secretly, I’m hoping that my accuracy work will translate into better distance as well.
I keep hearing that it’s all about “timing and footwork” among other things like the “power pocket”. But really, when I watch a pro throw it 500 feet, it looks effortless! They’re not pulling their arms out of their sockets like I’ve done. So, I’m hoping as some of the other aspects iron out, the distance will come little by little as well.
Be Careful of this Part!
If you follow this plan and you decide to putt exclusively, there’s one major pitfall I want you to consider. Basically, don’t get let it get stagnant and stale. Taking it further, if you find yourself just getting frustrated with the entire process, then take a break.
As a teacher, I never want to get my students to that exasperated stage. I might be able to squeeze an extra ounce or two of work out of them in that moment, but it may cost me later on when they refuse to take it up again.
Similarly, if you get to a point where it’s becoming a complete drag, then I say that you take a break for a few weeks with the idea that you will get back to it again.
The last thing you want to do is to lose the passion. So, if you feel yourself losing interest then go stoke the flames for a spell and come on back later. There are numerous putting games and strategies that can also help keep it interesting for you as well. I have a drill that I like here. Give it a look and see what you think.
Personally, being a somewhat competitive person, I want to get better at the game. That’s what will keep me invested. If I feel this backwards design (along with learning accuracy) is going to get me there, then that’s what I’m going to do.
You make it fit for you in a way that keeps you coming back! The repeated trips are what will accumulate over time and make you better (this post on the book Atomic Habits reinforces this idea as well…). Whatever keeps you coming back to that putting practice is what I endorse!
Get Yourself a Basket
If I could very respectfully pick one little nit with what Robbie C. had to say in that podcast it would be this: He says if you don’t have a basket, just jam a shovel in the ground and aim for that. The shovel pole would act like the pole on the basket. So, in essence, if you hit the pole, you made the putt. It totally makes sense. And to be fair, I don’t think he was thinking it’s a long term solution. I just have my doubts that people will actually get the reps in this way.
As you may know, I’m not one to spend frivolously. I wrote a post on disc golf, saving and investing that I think you may find both interesting and helpful… I’ve tried this method that Robbie discusses myself and it just didn’t stick. I just never went out to practice, and so I never got any better. And maybe that’s why I ultimately dropped the sport my first time through (Or maybe I got married, bought a house in disrepair and had a kid? We’ll never know)…
Finally, one more nod in favor of getting a basket is the idea that a made putt is one less time you have to bend over and pick up your disc.
Seth Munsey, of disc golf strong, went out of his way to make a video (below) on how to pick up a disc off the ground. He knows that people sustain long-term, overuse injuries from activities like using poor form to pick up discs.
If you want recommendations on baskets, I’ve got a page for you here dedicated to the subject for you to check out.
Backwards Design – in Summary
In my very humble opinion, as a relative beginner, I think the best use of my disc golf time is to practice my putting and work backwards to distance driving. I think this will give me the best bang for my buck and lower my score fastest over time.
Realistically, because we’re all busy, I also think it’s the easiest to practice because for most of us, you only need 25 feet somewhere near your home.
I almost strayed from this way of thinking but chance and Robbie C. put me back on track.
For you, it may be worth considering as well. Finding success and lowering your scores on the course, might give you that extra incentive to keep building on your achievements and stay with it.
But, if you do adopt this strategy, make sure you do it in such a way that it doesn’t get stale. Get yourself a basket and find ways, like putting games, to keep it interesting. Ultimately, we want to find something that keeps getting us more practice and more reps. If you feel yourself sliding away, take a break from that aspect and keep the joy alive.
In the end, I really don’t think you’ll regret spending your efforts on backwards design. I’m already seeing the results and I know you will too. “Smashing drives” is amazing and I really do want to be able to do it some day (Please! I’ll give anything!). But for now, I’m tapping into my hard-earned wisdom and working backwards for lower scores on the course!
Thanks for reading everyone! Your thoughts and comments are always welcome below. I’m sure you all have a lot of experience that everyone can benefit from… And while you are here, don’t forget to subscribe. I’m new to this online writing game and looking to take as many of you along for the ride as possible! I have big plans for disc golf and welcome you to join me in the journey. By subscribing you are just agreeing to get my posts delivered, spam free, to your inbox completely free obviously. In the meantime, keep disc golf’n around your local courses!