What are the advantages and disadvantages to turbo putting

Disadvantage: not good in the wind or from outside 30-40ft.

Advantage: Getting over the top of shule, around trees and over any obstruction.

These are just my observations on how I use the turbo. it has bailed me out of trouble serveral times.

Well, I can't even do one but I'll chime in anyway

The putt is released high about head high so you can use it when you have something in front of you. Also the throw is like a quarterback throwing a pass so you can get a good firm throw off, an actual throw more than a traditional putt. Perhaps that could help in pressure situations where the touch traditional putt might fail you.

I saw a guy can about a 70 ft turbo putt in Bowling Green last weekend. At White Park no less. Wind and all. Funny thing is we were all watching him set up to turbo this putt and I look over and i say to the guys. " Is this guy seriously going to Turbo Putt from 70 feet???" Then sure enough CHING he cans it. Everyone In my group goes hey can we help you insert your that foot or yours into that mouth of yours. LMFAO :D

There are a few guys out there that have the putt mastered from that kind of distance. I just don't use it unless the situation is right and I'm inside of 45ft.

It is amazing when you see a guy turbo one from that far. I would have had to put my foot in my mouth also if I would have seen that.

I only turbo if i have to get around or over something. I NEVER turbo a wide open putt.

I'm an only-turbo-when-I-have-to too but one characteristic of a turbo is its fade/natural hyzer is opposite of the more conventional putt. So say a pin is tucked behind a tree and your best bet is to come in from left to right (assuming a right handed player), it will shape that way as it dies.

To me, a turbo's main benefit is getting over over chest high obstacles on or near the green and its main drawbacks are that I have far less distance potential with it and I really REALLY suck at it.

I've attempted turbo putting, and it never worked very well, but I might be getting it confused with something else, so when I have to get around or over something I will just side arm it or hold the disc the same way just have my arm higher and use some wrist flick. What's funny though is I can't drive for crap sidearm, but my putts and approaches are more accurate :confused:

if you ever get a chance to watch Mark Martin definately do it!! He is a turbo putting machine!! :D:D

I've thrown a turbo putt 100ft accurately

I'm confident throwing them under 80ft.

I prefer to use a Soft Magnet for all my regular turbo putts.

Disadvantage: not good in the wind or from outside 30-40ft.
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Turbos can be used in wind, you just need to be very good with them when your using them over 40ft and in wind.

At short ranges turbos can still be effective when it is windy. Just needs practice, so does throwing a turbo over 50ft.

Dont listen to Luke about any kind of putting. He cant make a putt outside 10ft :eek: :o

Not anymore. Your not the only one who can learn how to putt. :D


And at times last year I could make more turbos from 20-30ft than regular putts.

Lets have a putting contest :D

sounds good!!

Did anyone else realize this thread is spelled wrong and we arent even really talking about putts we are talking about turbo PUTS :confused:

i take back everything i say because luke is good at puting the disc under the basket but he can putt :eek:

I saw a guy can about a 70 ft turbo putt in Bowling Green last weekend. At White Park no less. Wind and all. Funny thing is we were all watching him set up to turbo this putt and I look over and i say to the guys. " Is this guy seriously going to Turbo Putt from 70 feet???" Then sure enough CHING he cans it. Everyone In my group goes hey can we help you insert your that foot or yours into that mouth of yours. LMFAO :D



Haha yeah i saw that dude too, i was thinkin the same thing, then i saw him bang in like 3 50 footers in a row!! I think he shot like 5 under at Lovers!!

Sorry rookie mistake

I turbo put almost everything inside 45 ft or so. As a long time baseball player it is just more accurate to me. When I miss with a turbo it's either up or down and doesn't go far from the basket (except when I skip it off the top!) When I miss with a regular put it's side to side and leaves a longer comeback.

I will put my two cents worth for the turbo. I use the turbo from anywhere inside 60-70 feet, depending on the elevation difference and wind conditions. A heavy wind compromises the actual "grip" you have on the disc because you dont actually grip the disc, it rests. I grew up throwing a lot of football and baseball and it does relate heavily to the technique. Inside 30 feet I actually straddle and will generally hit 80% inside 50-60 feet. Inside 30 feet I'm money. It is a great shot to have in your bag. It does look funny when I see other people do it
Chad

Johnny McCray is the turbo putting master. I witnessed him slam chains from about 90 on a windy day in Texas during the 2002 worlds. He made a few others from ya know, 50 or so. The dude's amazing and anyone on tour will attest to that.

I'm pretty good myself and that's actually how I used to put back in the day, and was very effective with it. I like to keep that shot in 'the bag' for when I need it to get over some shule or a fence (thanks GRANGE). I learned how to get distance with it from Craig Gangloff.

I've never given this style of putt much consideration, even though I have a strong football/baseball background. Could one of you guys supply us with a tip or two on how to properly execute the putt? :confused: It sounds like you guys are throwing the putt whereas I always thought it was more of a push like throwing darts. Do you ever reach behind your head in the 'backswing' like when throwing a football to generate more power or spin?

I like to keep that shot in 'the bag' for when I need it to get over some shule or a fence (thanks GRANGE).



Last time I turbo putted was while playing #9 (The Corral) on the sunny-side of the Grange. You better be able to turbo putt there or put your drive in the corral everytime.

That's the exact hole where I last used a turbo putt to can my 2. I basically rest the putter's center nub (or just the exact middle of the disc) on your thumb, and 'wrap' your other 4 figers on the outside of the disc. I keep my other 4 fingers tips on the rim, this should help you set up the putt. You don't need to pull it too far back to begin with, less movement is better to learn the putt, after a while you can bring it further back and get more distance. It's all bout control, and you get that by essentially (for a righty) rotating the disc to the right and getting all of your power/control off your index finger. Your index finger should basically be throwing the shot, if that makes sense. You'll have a tendency to throw it nose down when you first learn it, but everyone seems to catch on pretty quickly. Just practice and it'll work in no time.

Thanks for the explanation Mittenz!

I like kneeling and firing the putter through the gap in the fence on #9 :D

I do too...up until the fire it THROUGH the fence turns into firing it directly INTO the fence. Good times at that place.

Is a Turbo putt what Ken Climo did at the USDGC this year over the 16 foot high Bamboo Wall?

Just kinda palming the discs the tossing it over the top?

Is a Turbo putt what Ken Climo did at the USDGC this year over the 16 foot high Bamboo Wall?

Just kinda palming the discs the tossing it over the top?



What he did at USDCC would be considered more of a Horseshoe putt. A turbo putt is when your thumb is under the disc supporting it and you propel it with your fingetips from behind. Kind of like a basketball shot but kind of not. There might be a picture on Blake Ts website if you want to check that out.

DONT try to throw it with your right foot forward (if youre right handed). Just like when you throw a football you want to come more "across" your body. It is not all armspeed, try to get lots of spin with the wrist and turn your shoulders leading your arm.
Chad

DONT try to throw it with your right foot forward (if youre right handed).

I'm a righty, and if I'm behind an obstacle and a right-foot forward stance offers a cleaner or a less obstructed line to the basket, I'll turbo with my right foot forward. It's a matter of choosing the stance that is more advantageous.

I just started back playing disc golf after a 25+ year break.

I'm having problems with my drives, but I understand that they will be improved with experience.....and I also understand that the best way to shave strokes is to improve my short game.

That being said, I'm experimenting with several different putting techniques....the turbo putt is one that I recently read about and am trying to get the hang of.

Question:

I've seen two different variations on the turbo putt grip. One with all four fingers outside the rim, and one with the middle and ring fingers inside the rim...under the disc. With the second variation, are the middle and ring fingers applying any pressure to the inside rim, or are they acting as support to the bottom of the disc (more to the center)?

That comment was directed to someone who is trying to learn the shot. You can putt with your feet standing on your hands if you want to, that doesn't mean its good idea.
Its also worth trying to straddle-turbo. I do that IF POSSIBLE within 30 feet.
Turbo

That comment was directed to someone who is trying to learn the shot.

Actually, I would argue that, from a learning perspective, it's better for a RH player who is interested in learning the turbo to start with her right foot forward since that allows her to focus on and lock in the forearm extension and wrist snap, without having to think about the weight shift and shoulder turn, which are simply additional things that can go wrong, at the outset. Once she has developed a smooth, consistent technique, she can easily go back and add the weight shift and shoulder turn to gain distance.

I have never seen anyone turbo (with consistency) with their right foot forward, interesting. Im not going to argue, but when I or anyone else I have seen turbo successfully (if they use a step) the left (last) foot is forward so you can unwind. You dont have to worry about the disc coming out nose down like you do want in a basketball putt. You never see a right handed quarteback throw with their right foot forward, unless its a shovel pass.
Chad

With two fingers rather than four fingers you get more speed on the disc. The disc will come off the index finger much quicker and spin faster.
Chad

When the fingers are all on the outside of the rim, your control of the disc isn't as good. By locking your middle and ring finger under the rim you prevent the disc from falling off your hand or being blown around by wind. The advantage to all 4 on the outside is that you might have more control of the disc (it's easier to keep the disc on a level plane before release). I compromise by locking just my middle finger under....the most important thing to remember about a turbo putt is that your index finger is pushing the disc forward (and adding spin). On your follow through point your index finger towards the basket and you'll probably be snapping them off pretty well.

Thanks chad and trbn8tr....

Now....correct me if I'm wrong. The finger(s) under the rim are exerting pressure against the rim as in any other grip.

Additional questions (forgive me if I'm asking too many)....

How much of a throwing motion is used? Is it mainly a "push" throw using the arm or is a shoulder turn used as in throwing a football?

The finger(s) under the rim will exert pressure...they sort of get pressed into the disc naturally. Check out this quick movie I made, it might help:
Turbo Putt (http://www.phoenixpubs.com/disc/turboputt.mov)

trbn8r Thanks for the video, I couldn't quite wrap my head around the whole idea until I could see it. Went out to the course today and tried it a couple times and it worked quite well. I'll have to practice it more and more before I use it consistantly, but it's another throw to have.

Sweet video trbn8er! Im glad to know Im not the only turbo lover. I think its an under-rated form of putting.

no problem, I don't backhand putt at all outside of 10-12 feet. I'm working on the backhand, though, cos' I think it's important to be good at a number of shots. One thing...I said I lock my middle finger under...I don't - I lock my ring finger. I tried the middle finger and it feels funny to me.

I went out to a course today with a lot of elevation change and the turbo putt is unsurpassed for extreme uphill shots!

Locking the finger under the disc is what I was missing. Can't wait to practice it now that I have more control of the disc. Thanks for the video!

if you ever get a chance to watch Mark Martin definately do it!! He is a turbo putting machine!! :D:D



I 2nd that, I have never really tried turbo putting but i will definitely try it and practice it after watching him nail putt after putt after putt....

Uphill putts were the first attraction to turbo. I haven't tried the finger locked under the rim but I plan to this w/e.