Disc Golfers: Beware the Glory Shot!

Today we explore the hidden consequences that may result from hitting the heavily sought after disc golf glory shot. Let’s look at the factors and potential pitfalls we need to consider when deciding whether to go for it or not…

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I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 14ish and playing ball-golf with my best friend and his father. As a beginner I very much looked the part. Snap-hooks and slices. Divots halfway to China. The whole nine. We were playing 18 holes and the end of the round couldn’t come fast enough.

Nobody wants to embarrass themselves in front of their friend and father at that age. I’m sure the fact that they were each far more competent at golf didn’t help either…

Then I stepped up to the 16th hole. 200 yard par 3 (on the longer side). Slight breeze. Water in the backdrop. Sun glinting. Picturesque. Even as a 14 year-old lad I could appreciate that.

I pulled out my 3 iron. Hitting long irons as a beginner usually spells death for a new golfer. I reared back with the same swing that had been producing such poor results all day, and just went for it.

I hit it pure and true.

The ball shot straight off the tee and soared right at the flagstick. Time slowed down as my perfect shot hung in the air with that idyllic backdrop filled in the portrait now burned into my brain.

“That’s the shot that keeps you coming back,” I heard my friend’s father say as we all watched and admired my one good shot of the day.

He couldn’t have been more right. That was the moment that got me hooked. Truthfully, I don’t remember where that ball landed, or what score I got on the hole. I just remember that one shot and how much of an impact it had on me.

That single shot had me take a half credit course in college where we hit balls into a net 25 yards away in an old armory for an entire semester. Then, the next semester, I took it again! I would go on to spend countless hours playing/practicing golf for years on end.

And if one shot can have such a profound effect on this one person’s life, the same can also be true for other people.

In disc golf, I know this to be true because it has happened for me and some of my friends as well. It has made a wonderful impact on all of us overall.

But it also occurs to me that this isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes, these shots can have a negative impact on our overall game.

Today we explore both sides of this disc. Then, we’ll examine how these ideas relate to our own personal disc golf game. Perhaps, by considering these ideas, you can shave points off your score for many rounds to come…

What Pulled you (The Reader) to Disc Golf?

Before I go any further, let me just say this: Yes! This is absolutely an invitation for you to share your ideas in the comments below.

Sometimes it’s love at first sight. Sometimes it’s a slow gradual build. At other times, there is a bolt of lightning that surges through you and turns you onto the game.

What was it for you? Did you have a glorious shot early in your career that hooked you. Or did you simply need to see a disc sail in flight to be pulled in?

For me, it was more of a slow build. In fact, it was a very slow build. I talked about this in my about section, if you want to read about it. I got into disc golf about 10 years ago, and played off and on for a few years before getting married, buying a fixer-upper house, having a kid, and losing about 7 – 8 years of disc golf in the process.

But something brought me back. Maybe it was the realization that this was the best sport to play into retirement? Perhaps I just felt a void after so many years? Maybe it was written in the stars (that’s a bit much)?

Whatever the case, I can tell that I’m in this one for the long haul and I’m very much looking forward to the journey… (Subscribe for free and come along for the ride!)

Tell me. I want to know. What is it that has pulled you to disc golf? For many, it’s that one glorious shot. This, as we’ll discuss, can have positive and negative ramifications with regards to your overall game.

That one disc golf Glory shot

Go ahead! We’re all sharing today. Most of us have that one glorious shot that we remember. What was it for you?

If you are new to the game, maybe it was just a close call. Or maybe you haven’t had yours yet. You will. When you do, come back here and enter it.

I had an unexpected close call very early on where an ace bid smacked the chains and the chains tossed my disc from the basket with contempt. “Not today!” they sang.

But even the “Ohhhhh!” from my friends (also beginners) was enough to send a charge through me.

A year or so later, I did get my first ace and I just ran down the fairway to grab it without ever knowing what I was doing. This was before I had ever seen the pros do it. What is that? Is that an unwritten code or does it just sweep through them like it did me?

Both of those shots made a lasting impression. It probably contributed to that gravitational pull that brought me back…

But the power of those shots can work both ways. Once you get a taste, there’s a tendency to want more, right? Well, that’s not always good for your overall game. Let’s explore…

The Addictive Nature of the Glory Shot

I suppose it’s like any addiction really. For our purposes, I’ll use gambling. It’s probably not controversial to say that one of the worst things that can happen to 21 year-old at their first time at a casino is to win big.

By then, you may not be used to the emotional swings. You haven’t experienced the depths of despair after a bad night in the casino yet either.

So when the bells ring and the lights flash and your winnings number has a comma in it, all your body’s reward receptors get flooded and you experience a high unlike anything you have ever felt.

Then someone comps you a room and your friends look at you with admiration/envy… It’s overwhelming. It hooks you.

So what do you do? You go back and try to recapture that exact same feeling again and again. And we all know how that goes…

In disc golf, a glory shot can have a similar addictive quality and it isn’t always good for your overall game.

The Danger of the Glory Shot

Now we bring it to disc golf (at an admittedly lower level). You watch the disc fly from 100 feet out. You see it hit the chains and you hear the chains sing. Your friends rejoice. Fist bumps, pats on the back, and high fives rain down on you. For that moment you are on top of the world…

So what are you going to do the next time you’re 100 feet out? Same damn thing! And the time after that too!

But is that the best thing for your overall game? I would say it is not. Especially if you are a beginner.

If you end up going for chains from longer distances (called “running it”) then there’s a much better chance that you are going to miss by a much wider margin. This equates to much longer come-back putts which equates to many more strokes on your score.

So, it’s not unrealistic to say that that one stroke you saved by hitting that glorious shot, costs you many, many more strokes down the line.

Note: This can also apply to risky drives or cutting corners through trees on the course as well. For our purpose, we look more closely at going for the chains…

This concept is definitely worth exploring more. The end goal of the game is to finish a round using the fewest throws possible. Anything that runs counter to that, while fun, can hurt your overall performance.

Let’s see if we can have our cake and eat it too, but first let’s just take a quick look at what the pros do with regards to “running it”.

How do the Pro Disc-Golfers Handle This?

When discussing the pros and their tendencies, of course it needs to be said, that risk tolerance varies from pro to pro.

Based on what I’ve seen so far, someone like Simon Lizotte, has a higher risk tolerance than others. He might go for it on nearly every shot. He may worry about the next shot when he gets to it. If I ever get a chance, I’ll ask him about it, and see what he says…

But mostly, what I’ve observed is this: The pros only “run it” when they have to or they can. I saw Paul McBeth “run it” after he knew he had to make a shot in a playoff with Calvin Heimburg up by a stroke on the deciding hole. He missed, and the shot sailed far past (and eventually rolled back), but that was a moot point.

To watch the final hole, go to minute 36:00 of this video.

Another example is when players are playing 2 on 2 skins where each team of two plays the best shot. You see it a lot in this scenario. One player gets it close and turns to their partner and says something along the lines of “That’s close enough so you can run it.”

To me, the obvious implication with this is “It’s not a smart play to run it if you are going for an optimal score, but since we’re safe, you might as well because it gives us the best chance of holing out.”

So, if the pros are leery of this shot, I think we should be too! At the same time, if that’s what you find fun about the sport, then we don’t want to take that out of the equation either. Perhaps there is a happy medium in there as well…

Have your Cake and Eat it too?

When you “run” a shot, you have to throw it high enough to actually get the disc in the chains. Also, the more speed you have on it, the less you have to account for turn. That means you can throw it right at the basket and not have to try and bend it in. This gives you the best chance of making the shot.

It also dramatically increases your chances of sailing it well past the hole and missing the come-backer…

So is there a balance we can find? Can we still give it a go and not leave ourselves too far from the basket? I think so, and there are a few variables to consider.

Briefly: Having returned to this section, I am now officially naming my personal putting circle that I feel comfortable in my “putting circle of trust”.

1. What’s your putting Prowess?

The better putter you are, the wider the “safe zone” you have to land your putt in. The pros seem to hit nearly everything in circle one (10 meters/32.8 feet and here’s an explanation of putting circles if you want). For me, I feel comfortable within 18-20 feet. That’s a smaller circle and if I want to go for a shot, I had better be in that circle afterwards.

It’s worthwhile to figure out your comfortable putting range so you can practice accordingly. Here’s a post on a range-finding drill that I really like.

Once you know your range, you can think about this next element appropriately.

How aggressively do you want to run the shot?

Of course there are any number of variables to consider here. What’s the wind like that day? Is there a pond behind the basket? Could my disc hit and roll back down a steep hill for an even longer shot (It happens to us all!)?

But on your typical shot, after you know your putting range, you can factor in your approach (upshot) even more thoughtfully.

In essence, do you want to go for it or not. If so, how aggressively?

A lot of times, the best play is to just lay up. You throw your shot so it hits before the basket and skips/slides up closer to the base.

But if you are determined to go for it, what about throwing it in such a way that if you miss, it just drops down next to the basket?

This type of shot requires far less speed and therefore far more bend (or curve). Basically, you are trying to get it high enough to hit chains, but slow enough so that it drops harmlessly down within your personal comfortable putting circle.

Do you have less chance of making the shot? Probably. But will this strategy save you strokes? I think it absolutely will.

Glory Shots In practice

Like any good strategy, this one is best discovered while practicing. Set up your personal putting circle around your basket. Then, take these shots from varying distances.

How many of your shots go in? How many of your misses land in the circle of trust?

Try varying lofts and angles until you can give the shot a run and still have it land in that circle. I would say that you want at least 80% of your shots landing in that circle of trust.

Another good use of your time is to see how many of your shots you can land in that circle if you are not “running it”. Compare your percentages from any given distances and determine when it’s worth it to go for it, or when it’s far better to lay up.

The better you get at disc golf, the more you’ll be able to expand your ranges (for both putting and running it). I just think that this is a very valuable thought exercise that should also be tested on the practice field.

It has saved me a lot of strokes in recent rounds and I think it has the potential to do the same for you…

My Disc Recommendation

If you want a disc that helps you land in your personal circle of trust on a much more consistent basis, have I got a recommendation for you!

The disc I’m recommending has hundreds of reviews and an average ranking of 4.9 starts out of 5 at Infinitediscs.com (the site for all things disc golf!). It is overstable and fights the wind. It also allows for upshots with both forehand and backhand. Finally, it doesn’t come in too hot and sail way past the basket.

The Disc Golf Glory Shot – In Summary

It can be so electrifying to smack the chains from way out and hear the roars (at least in your head) as you run up to retrieve your disc.

These shots should absolutely be celebrated. In a lot of cases, it can be the hook that grabs you to disc golf and keeps you there for a long time.

But, like the 21 year old hitting a jackpot on their first trip to the casino, there is a potential downside to the glory shot as well.

If you end up running shots from all over the course and trying to reproduce that electrifying glory, it can seriously hurt your score as you continuously sail your shots way past the basket, well out of your personal putting “circle of trust.”

The solution to this dilemma is personal to you and can be found on the practice field. Find out which range is best for you to go for it, and when it’s just best to lay up.

“NEVER!” you say?

Well, if you don’t like the answer you found, perhaps you’ll feel better when you see your score improve? Also, be patient, as you improve your risk tolerance will naturally rise in tandem with your putting ability.

Eventually, you’ll be be able to have your cake and eat it too. You’ll be able to go for shots from longer range and hit the putts if you miss.

And won’t that just be glorious?!

Thank you as always for reading! In the comments, give us that shot that hooked you or a glory shot you made from way out. Your thoughts on the post are appreciated as well. This site was established April, 2022 and I’m going all in on it (as well as disc golf in general). Any ideas on what you’d like to read about as well as a subscription (free) so you can get the posts delivered right to you monthly and follow along are much appreciated! In the meantime, keep disc golf’n around!