100% percent. What’s that? Easy. My goal for hitting putts on the disc golf course.
Now I understand that hitting every single disc golf putt you take is impossible. Eventually, you’re going to miss. But why not set high standards?
You see, I played a round yesterday and got really frustrated. As I was writing a disc golf putting tips post and this disc golf putting technique post, I realized that, while I’m on top of tips, knowledge, and knowing how to improve, my own short game has been lacking lately. So it was time to take it to the next level.
So, if you’re sick and tired of putting like sh*t, and you want to be the player that hits almost 100% percent of your putts, keep reading. In this post, I’m gonna’ teach you how to perfect your disc golf putting technique and then how to practice to become an elite putting expert.
Alright, disc golfers, time to get to work!
7 Simple Steps to Perfect Disc Golf Putting Technique!
Step 1 – Mark your lie
This is such a simple step, yet most disc golfers completely overlook it. For step 1, you’re simply marking you lie to get you closer to the basket.
Now, when I say closer to the basket, I’m not talking feet or even a foot closer, but merely 8 inches (roughly the size of most discs). I find it funny that sometimes even I overlook this step. But I highly encourage you to add this to your putting routine, if you haven’t already.
Technically, per PDGA rules, your thrown disc marks your lie. With that being said, you don’t have to do this first step. But when competing, every inch matters, so that extra few inches could mean the difference between a made putt and a missed putt, which could cause you to win or lose a tournament.
So make sure to always have your mini marker on hand to help give yourself a few extra inches toward the basket. It could really help.
Step 2 – Pick your stance/Get comfortable
Now, the next step will depend on whether you’ve chosen a putting stance or not. I’ll assume you haven’t.
If you haven’t chosen a putting stance, you can choose between either the straddle stance or the staggered stance. This is the first part of step 2:
- Staggered: this stance will require you to have one foot in front of the other, in a staggered manner. The straddle stance is regarded as the easier stance of the two main stances and can help you get more power on your putt when done correctly. Beginners will definitely find this stance easier.
- Straddle: this stance is a bit harder than the staggered stance, primarily because you need more balance and more spin when putting this way. It also usually takes some time to learn, but you can choose which one you’d like to play with.
Try some putting practice to figure out which stance you like better. If you’d like to watch a great video on these stances, check out JustDisc’s video on the topic down below:
If you’ve already chosen a stance, step 2 will only require you to get set and get comfortable.
Next up, once you’ve picked the stance for you, start looking at your surroundings to get as comfortable as possible with your shot. Gauge your putting gap for obstacles and find alternate angles to the basket if need be. Just check around you and make sure you’ve got enough room to putt. If not, adjust accordingly and try to get as comfortable as possible.
Step 3 – Stay relaxed
Step 3 simply involves you de-stressing and relaxing before you take your putt.
This can really be more difficult than it sounds. Once you’ve gotten into your stance, gotten comfortable, and studied your unique putting situation, try to keep your whole body, including your shoulders, as relaxed as possible. I mean, it’s just a putt, right? Take a few breaths and don’t overthink it.
Step 4 – Disc nose up and forward
Step 4 is to make sure that you’re putting “nose up,” or with the disc angled slightly upward as you go through the putting motion.
This part of the putting technique is fairly simple. The overall idea is nose up and forward. But it can be difficult to keep your disc nose up, especially if you’ve developed bad putting habits.
Keeping the disc nose up can help your disc stay in the air just a little bit longer, allowing for more distance on your putt. But this also might cause the disc to hyzer just a little bit more. So I’d practice nose up a little bit to make sure you’re putting correctly.
The awesome video below, from Disc Golf Teacher on YouTube, shows a quick 1-minute demonstration on nose up with a few things to think about.
Step 5 – Rock into or step into your putt
Once you’ve mastered steps 1-4, step 5 requires you to learn how to rock into or step into your putt, with a steady transfer of motion and balance from your back leg to your front leg.
Rocking into your putt or stepping into your putt is an interesting concept that I recently was made aware of. For this, first off, you’ll probably have to putt with the staggered stance. That’s because you’ll rock from, or step from, your back leg and transfer weight to your front leg.
It’s fairly tough to do with a straddle stance, but you’ll still have a fairly prominent rocking motion. There’s no stepping with the straddle stance. Just a rocking motion while maintaining balance after you putt.
Next, if you use the staggered stance, you’ll have to choose which motion you’ll be using – rocking into the putt or stepping into the putt. Practice with both and pick which works best for you. And that’s it.
This quick pro tip emphasizes the importance of weight transfer in putting.
In the video below, pro disc golfer Jonathan Baldwin shows us how pros rock their weight when putting but takes it a step further by actually stepping into the putt – further showing us how important that weight transfer can be once you start playing at a higher level.
Proper weight transfer can really make or break a longer-range putt, allowing for more power behind your putt attempt, and an overall greater chance of success. Jonathan states that staying motion while putting will also help break nervous tension and promote good short game habits.
Step 6 – Grip, commit, and “pop” the disc
Once you’ve marked your lie, chosen your stance, gauged your unique putting situation, and stayed relaxed, and made sure you’re keeping the disc slightly nose up, we hit the next step.
In Step 6, you’ll get a good grip, perform your rock or step forward, commit to the putt, and slightly “pop” the disc for a nice, stable putting action.
The “pop” is fairly simple. When you commit to the putt, “pop” the disc up using your last 3 fingers (middle, ring, and pinkie). Spring the disc upward using those fingers for more putting power and efficiency.
The quick video below from Overthrow Disc Golf should show you exactly what I’m talking about.
Step 7 – Vertical hand after release
After you’ve completed steps 1-6, the last step is a fairly easy, yet often overlooked part of the process. Similar to when people don’t completed the follow through in their throwing technique, most won’t complete their putting technique with a vertical hand.
Step 7 requires you to complete the entire putting process to finish with a “vertical hand,” or allowing your hand to finish in a vertical manner after your release the disc.
The “vertical hand,” otherwise known as the “handshake,” resembles what your hand should look like if you were reaching out to shake someone’s hand. Very simple, underrated concept in disc golf.
As you’ll hear in the video below from JustDisc on YoutTube, this is a huge part of the putting technique that a lot of pros use to make sure they’re putting properly. If you finish a putt and your hand is vertical, you’re putting correctly.
Check out the video below from JustDisc as he describes this in detail.
3 quick putting tips to improve your disc golf short game
Now that you’ve got the technique down, it’s time to start putting in the real work and get to practicing. But don’t just putt until you get better and make most shots. Putt until you CAN’T miss. Practice putting until you’re a confident player determined to hit 100% every time you putt. With that being said, here’s a few tips to help you with that putting practice:
1. Find the right disc: if you’re reading this post, you’ve probably already found a disc that you like to play with. If not, find a putter that looks, good, feels good in your hand, and putts even better for you. Having the right disc is extremely important for your putting game.
If you’d like to check out a great list of awesome putters, check out this post – The Top 5 Best Disc Golf Putters!
2. Buy a personal practice basket: one of the all-time best putting tips is to get yourself an at-home practice basket. They’re awesome because they’re fairly inexpensive, around $150 bucks, and they offer you the opportunity to practice anytime from the comfort of your own home.
For a complete list of the best disc golf baskets, check out this post – The 17 Best Disc Golf Baskets!
3. Practice an hour a day every day: this final tip is for the players who want to be elite in their disc golf game. Find the right disc, grab a personal practice basket, then set up a routine so that you can practice your putting for an hour a day every day. Yes, I said it, an hour a day every day. If you can do that, your putting game will be phenomenal in just a few short months.
For more on the 3 tips above, check out this post – How to Quickly Improve Your Disc Golf Putting: 3 Simple Tips!
How good do you want to be?
Notice a trend in this post? Almost all of the tips that we’ve talked about help to generate more power, behind the throw, a more efficient throwing motion, and more overall accuracy once you master them all together.
But whether you master putting technique is up to you. I guess the real question is, “how good do you want to be?” If you’re just a casual player, I’d still encourage you to set high standards. We all want to be good.
But if you want to become a great player, advanced in all areas of disc golf, you’ve got to study the technique and practice putting until you can’t miss. Only then can you become an elite player.
Thanks for reading, disc golfers!
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Don’t forget to check out the book!
If you’re looking for more tips and tricks on how to play disc golf, check out my book, “The Disc Golf Player’s Manual.” This ultimate beginner’s guide is loaded with over 200 pages of content, helping you to improve your game AND lower score on the disc golf course. Check it out here on my site.
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