I feel like I could write 1000 pages about my putting but I'll keep it short and simple.

On some days I can't miss a putt from 40 feet and in. On most days (when it counts at least), I can't make a putt from 10 feet out.

I have a Skillshot practice basket and I've utilized the putting confidence program. I basically did the putting confidence program for six months this winter. Every day...20 minute sessions...measured putts from 15 to 60 feet.

When I play a round I typically leave every putt from longer than 10 feet either extremely short or extremely to the right. I never miss to the left...period.... From shorter than 10 feet my putters actually tend to wobble so much in mid air that they flip upside down by the time they reach the basket.

I feel like it's nerves but I feel like it's deeper than that. I don't know how to throw a putt. Every single time I practice I feel like a new form is finally "the form."

When I throw a drive I know that the disc is going to do what I want it to do. When I throw a mid-range I know the disc is going to do what I want it to do. When I putt, I feel like I get absolutely no spin and no snap. I don't know how to make a short a shot.

On my local courses I'm looking at a birdy putt from 20-40 feet on most holes and I miss all but one of those during the round. My rounds would be 10 strokes better if I made all of my 20 foot putts. So I'm working extra hard on making those "why am I so stupid?!" misses.

So at this point I'm working on developing a wrist snapping putt but I don't know if it's going to hurt my overall scores. I need some advice from people who know a thing or two about putting.

My putting grip has always basically been a driving fan grip...much like you'd grip a mid-range disc when throwing it from the tee. I've recently started putting my index finger on the rim of the disc, letting my outer most knuckle grip the rim. I feel like putting that finger on the rim has stopped the spraying a lot. However, I don't feel like I have any power with that grip so I put way too much loft under my putts lately and they rarely find the basket.

So...I've moved on to a finger on the rim and cocked wrist putt. I've analyzed myself and what I'm doing wrong and I figure I'm pitching discs instead of spinning them. With my wrist cocked I can put appropriate spin on the disc so I can putt without throwing a "rainbow putt."

I still can't hit my putts in a round though and get nervous when I have to putt. I also get nervous when I drive but I don't have any problem throwing those.

I can hit putt after putt in practice but when throwing in a round I ALWAYS miss short and to the right. I have no confidence in my putts even though I know I can make them from 40 feet 20 some odd times in a row.

720p videos of me "putting" coming soon....

Edit: Oh and by the way...during a round I make far more 30 foot putts than 10 foot putts. 90% of my birdie putts that go in are from 30+ feet.

okay, i used to do the same thing except i grip-locked all my putts so they all went right.
this is what you do:

1) execute any pre-putt routine. whether it be words that you tell ur self or practice motions.

2) get your footing.

3) i do this personally- practice putt without letting it go. visualize how the disc should fly. if it keeps going right, put a hyzer on it. if your short putt the disc higher or push your arm harder.

4) putt...

- if you need help with your snap try practicing some staddle putts. you need snap/spin to get a straddle putt to fly flat.


gl m8, NoLoWpUtTs

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Here are two putts from 15 feet with "pressure" because I was determined to make it on the first take. I wish I could edit .mov files so I could put it in slow-mo but it is very obvious when you see it in slow-mo that the putts wobble horribly in mid air. They seem to be lacking spin...even though they somehow managed to find center chains...

good putts. your doing nothing wrong. it doesn't matter if it wobbles as long as it goes in. for the finger on the rim put the side of the finger on the ridge. it helps. but ur confidence looks good.

I didn't see any weight shift. It doesn't necessarily need to be front to back. If you're straddle putting there still should be a weight shift from low to high (watch Barry). If you don't shift your weight at all, you're counting on your arm to do all the work. That is probably what's causing the last second jerking motion. Hence you're missing to the right or low. Also, I would try to get a couple of the same exact putters to practice with. Hope this helps.

I had disc golf league last night and I showed up a couple of hours early so I could spend an hour putting and then an hour doing everything else. During putting warm-up I was hitting most of my putts pretty solid because I was focusing intensely on cocking my wrist and ending with my finger pointing at my target.

I didn't change much else besides going from being one of the best in my group last week to being one of the worst in my group this week...so maybe the pressure of playing with better players helped me this week.

I broke my own personal record on the course and that's with three putts that nailed center chains but blew through (**** old school baskets...) and three putts that nailed chains that should have dropped but shot out right or left. I should have had around 10 birdies if all of my putts had dropped. I was making 75% of my putts from 30 feet and in. I was extremely happy with that.

Next week that all might change though and I really want to build some consistency with my putts. I think I'm going to make a more complete and thorough video of me putting from different distances so I can figure out if I am shifting my weight at all when the distance becomes longer. Somehow, making this video helped me, so I'll see if making another one helps more :D

Thanks for the suggestions and input guys...I'm listening with wide open ears ;)

If it is possible get to a Jay "Yeti" Reading Putting clinic. His clinic helped tweak my form and has improved my putting greatly. As it was mentioned above you have no weight shift from your straddle position. Spin is not entirely a good thing, this may be why putts are getting spit out of the chains. The leg muscles should be doing most of the work and your arm should act as a pendulum with a slightly bent wrist for a small amount of spin.

Matt,

If you can make putts in practice but miss them in competitive rounds then the problem is not your form, it is your head. Good form and technique can help anybody on any type of shot but you are missing the shortest, easiest putts. That is not form, it is a lack of confidence.

You need to learn to transfer the confidence you have in practice to rounds. I have two suggestions to try.

First, when you are practicing, play a little game with yourself called, The Fifth One Counts. In this game, once you are warmed up, focused and in a groove hitting putts, choose a location (close enough so you should make putts from there) and drop a mini. You will attempt 6 putts from this spot. You are competing against a hoard of imaginary opponents who are playing the same game from the same spot. Each of you is risking your life on the outcome of the game.

If you miss the fifth putt you die. If you make any putts in addition to the fifth putt, then each made putt will increase your rewards from the game. You can create any rewards you can imagine. Make some special reward for hitting all six putts.

This game creates pressure to perform. So your practice is not just going through the motions, it forces you to concentrate and deal with pressure. Every few minutes while practicing putting, play another game of The Fifth One Counts.

When you can make the fifth putt then there is absolutely no reason you cannot make a putt during a round. You will earn your confidence under pressure then transfer that confidence to the rounds.

Once you are finding success during rounds, next ratchet up the pressure during practice rounds by playing a format known as Lizard Abuse. In Lizard Abuse, no putt counts until you make it twice. So when you hit a putt, in order for it to count, you must repeat it. This format creates a larger burden on you and adds pressure. Once you can handle Lizard Abuse, a tournament round will be comparatively easy.

Good luck. Practice well. Play well.

Like Mark said, what you are battling here is anxiety. One thing you can do to help with putting anxiety is to make your practice putting routine the same as league putting and tournament putting. If you have a stack of discs in your left hand when you are practice putting, hold a stack of discs in your left hand for competitive round putting. If you mark with a mini in competitive rounds, mark with a mini for practice rounds. You don't want to develop anxiety cues, things that you only do during tournament and competitive rounds.

One of the things that may be going on in a tournament or competitive round that is not going on in a practice round is internal verbalization. "Man, I really need this putt for a 3" is not happening inside your head during practice. It is a physiological fact that when the verbal part of the brain is active, the hand coordination part of the brain is not as effective. Ron Russell advocates thinking a positive thought before every putt, and practicing that during practice too.

And remember to breathe.

It is a physiological fact that when the verbal part of the brain is active, the hand coordination part of the brain is not as effective.

I think you hit the nail on the head. During my league round that went really well I wasn't thinking about my score or thinking words like "aim left". For some reason all I needed to do was focus on where my hand was going to be at the release and how much power it was going to take to get there. It was all mental visualizing instead of mental verbalizing. I'm about to play a casual round with some friends who play pretty well...I'm going to focus on visualizing and see how it works.

"The fifth one counts" is going to be my regular putting practice. I've fallen out of a practice routine lately because I'm getting a lot of hours at work so my "practice" has become just playing rounds on courses I'll be playing in tournaments this summer.

I think I'll be winning my division on Saturday (Am3)...because I'm the only one in it right now because of the CCR Open :p

I couldn't have asked for a better video than this in response to my original post.

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As far as an update on my progress with putting, I think I've made leaps and bounds. I turned in my best score for a league round last Monday and I was more upset with my round than ever. It was my worst night of driving I've ever seen but absolutely average and steady putting. Average putting and terrible driving gets me better scores than terrific driving and terrible putting. I was happy about the score but I kept thinking what if I had left myself with all of the putts I had practiced.

A friend of mine recently sold me his Mach V basket and I've got it firmly planted in my back yard with markers planted at 20, 30, and 40 feet. Practicing on a "real" basket has improved my confidence significantly. "The fifth one counts" has proven to be a real challenge to me. I feel like I'm actually practicing how to overcome the anxiety I feel when I step up to a shot that I normally hit all the time in practice. I usually start by sinking a few 20 footers to get my muscles warmed up then I move to 25 feet to make the putts that we should all never miss.

My practice regime consists entirely of putting for the rest of the tournament season. I play rounds for exercise and fun at least once a week but I am putting five times a day for 20 minutes at a time. Some days my schedule doesn't allow it but I'm an early riser and a night owl at the same time so I make it work.

Again, great video with lots of helpful hints for people like me who are struggling with such an essential part of the game.

Matt,
What i have found very helpful just like some of these guys have said is pre putt routine. visualize your shot and how you want it and always walk up to a putt with confidence even if its a drop in putt walk up and say "Youve got this matt" I find that taking to much time on your pre putt routine also increases the chance of talking yourself out of the putt. and we all know where that can end up. and as i play more and more i find that im not focusing on the basket as a whole anymore im focusing on a single chain link. Like that is my bullseye and if i dont hit i dont successfully make my putt. So i drive myself to hit the exact chain i want. and as for your putts going to the right focus on something slightly to the left of the center mark. compensate for the extra movement. and as the guys have said previousley use ure weight to your advantage in your straddle that i saw your stationary. have a shift from low to high it creates energy that flows from your feet to your hand as you let it go. and it also gives you the little bit of extra momentum needed for those stronger putts your looking for.

so to some it up.
Focus on a singular chain link.
Weight shift.
and CONFIDENCE! (which in your putting video you seemed to have alot of. but not in your words.)
and play with better people it only helps you.

i need help with my putting. when i put i keep releasing my putt so it misses the chains to the right. could i avoid this by changing plastics? right now i'm between a r-pro aviar, and a D magnet.

try shifting your tailing leg to the side of the basket that you disc is consistantly going.
this should change the angle of your shoulders thus allowing for the tendacy to fly right to change to flying straight at the basket.

I read your initial post and watched the video. I did not read the following post so I may be echoing others comments.

First I would recommend buying 3 putters in the same mold same weight and same color. You can get more if you like but three works for me. You can't expect to be consistent if you have to throw each practice putt differently because you are using different molds. Consistency creates confidence.

Make sure your body is aligned to put the disc at the target. Line up and aim off of your throwing shoulder. I notice you stand in a strattle position. From a strattle it is easy to throw to the right if you do not rotate and almost push your throwing shoulder and point at the basket after your release. To make this easier at first try pulling your off shoulder backward pointing behind you. This will help with body rotation. Don't overdue it or focus more on your back arm than your front just make sure it is moving in line with your upper body rotation.

Add a preputt routine. Move your arm on the line you want the disc to travel on with the correct angle of flight concentrating on a straight line from your body to the target. Keep the disc on this line. Be loose but lock into that line. While doing this add a little weight transfer by pushing you weight up on your toes but stay on the balls of your feet do not rock back onto your heals. Keep your movements compact until you are ready to putt.Rise onto your front toes upon release and follow through straight at the basket. Your warm up or preputt practice line needs to be the same line as your throw. Be smooth.

When I really started to practice putting everyday I would go a month in a strattle stance until it felt funny then I would move my left foot back 45 degrees until that felt funny then I would move it back another 45 degreed so my feet were in line with each other. Once that felt funny I would move my foot back behind my body once that felt funny I would reverse the process until I had my left foot forward and do it again. I did this for about a year almost two until I realized as lond as I were aligning myself properly it didn't matter how my feet were positioned. Kind of irrelevent but I recommend this because there isn't a putting stance that I don't feel comfortable in and. Any lie can happen during a round.

From the putts in the video you look like you have a decent grasp you just need to add some movement and loosten up. Confidence is key. After every round or practice session I make myself make three 35-40 foot putts in a row before I allow myself to be done for the day. Pick a distance that you feel pushes your ability but is something you feel comfortable with. Don't set youself up for failure build confidence. This has helped me practice with a bit of preasure. I can't tell you how many times in a row I will make the first two and blow the third. It really makes you focus.

Scotts video is a good one, he is a local in my area and had helped me a bit when I first started playing. Find someone in your area and pick their brain offer to play them for a buck and you will have yourself a very cheap lesson. Watch as many videos as you can of pros putting and try to recreate their shots. Search youtube for barry schults he uses the strattle putt. I would also recomend watching ken climo, dave feldberg, avery jenkins. They all have a push putt. If you want to put more spin on the disc watch nate doss and eric mccabe. Steve rico has a putt that flutters but always finds its way to the basket ( I feel like a huge disc nerd right now) I have rambled enough and hope I wasn't too confusing if you need anythig clarified let me know. I will probably go back and get caught up with what everybody else had to say. Enjoy!

Also, make sure you practice with the same hair color you intend to have at the next tournament in which you play. :D