Hey everyone, I'm sure I'm not the first to think of this, but yesterday during practice I started doing something that I got immediate results out of that may help some people out there.

Basically I played the first 6 holes of my home course, but if I completely shanked something, I would do it over and over until I got it right ten times in a row.

Example: Banged an 18 ft. putt off the outside of the basket, so I stayed at that basket until I put 10 putts in a row in from that exact spot. I ended up doing the same thing later from 30 ft. (reduced it to 5 in a row) and 40 ft. (reduced to twice in a row) I also did the same thing with my drives. If I accidentally royally screwed up a drive, I would drive at the basket until I had 5 acceptable ones in a row.

Now, obviously these numbers will need to be adjusted for each individual... but I saw immediate improvement in my focus, form, and performance after just a couple hours of doing this (I also discovered that I'm a hell of a turbo putter from 20-25 ft... but that's another story)

Just thought I would share this with the community. It gets frustrating (missing putt 9 of 10) but your focus gets to be top notch after doing that a couple of times...

Have fun!

That's not a bad idea, but you just have to remember that there are no 'mulligans' or do-overs when your playing a tournament. Inevitably, you're going to shank a drive or two, or miss a putt you could've made. A good thing to practice is how to recover from a bad drive...something that you will most likely have to do when playing a tournament. Personally, I try to keep my practice seperate from my playing. I rarely ever practice on a course (not just b/c the closest one is 45 minutes away). Go to an open field and bring a basket, get the muscle memory down and it translates to the course. Just my opinion though, do whatever works.

Ah AH! Tiger Woods Golf.

I only have a course to practice on, not many open feilds in a metro area. But for practice I use all understable discs, and the longest disc I have is a beat up TL. Granted I can throw it 400ft, but when the hole is 700ft, it is still no easy 3. But inevitably I shank alot of easy hyzer (rhbh) holes that I normally birdie, but it helps me recover. And practicing with only understable discs helps learn control better instead of just chucking something overstable.

Disclaimer, while I practice with a different bag setup, when it comes time for a tourament, I pull out my tournament bag two weeks prior to get back used to them and the easy routes.

I totally agree that learning to recover is an important part as well, and as far as a big field with a basket... my home course has a few holes that are just like having a big open field with a basket in it, and I don't have my own basket, so that's about as close as I can get.

Yeah, another part of my practice is what I call "long mid-range" practice... recovering from a crappy drive basically. I get to do plenty of that while I'm playing courses all the way through :)

Seems to me like a pretty decent idea, but the thing is you'd need to have at least 6 discs that fly close to the same in your bag... You're not practicing the same drive if your first one was a roller and then you're next one is a hyzer flip with a beat up teebird or eagle and then change to throwing a flat or anhyzer shot with an orc or crush. Throwing different shots is always good practice too though. You're just not working on the shot that you messed up on though. Maybe you do have around 5 discs that fly similarly for your drives though...

I have 4 Valks (different weights, but I know them pretty well) and a Viking that I use for that... I know the Viking is a little different, but I've learned it well enough to know.

Depending on work schedules, doing that on a course can be a pain due to traffic. Of course, sometimes the traffic ahead of you gives you time for a few extra putts, but that's different.

I just practiced in an open field for the first time in my life today. It was nice. Don't have a basket to drag along, but a few large pole with a tall fence behind it worked very well. I found it best for putting practice and driving with one disc at a time. I don't have two similar enough to land together, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to lose track of one in an open field :confused:

If you do it just like you stated then it's a very good thing to teach yourself what you did wrong.

I stopped doing this practice though. All to often, I was just chucking more discs in frustration - without control. This re-inforced bad habits rather than practiced good ones.

Also, the mental aspect stays sharper.... only one chance to get it right... only the first one counts anyways... do it right, do it right now. Make sure you focus is the first time, not the fourth time you throw the shot.

To me I like the negative-reinforcement aspect of it... the "If I screw this up I'll have to do it ten more times"... causes me to focus (which, in practice, I have a hard time doing sometimes) in tournaments that focus is already there for me... so this just helps with the "practice how you play" mentality... for me anyways.

-Doug <=== (ADHD)

When I practice, I throw another drive after a shank, but ALWAYS play from the crappiest lie to throw different shots I wouldn't always have to...it really helps me make the most out of the one course in the area worth playing. **** Omaha is behind the times!!

I don't have two similar enough to land together, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to lose track of one in an open field :confused:



I hear that. I have been practicing at the local soccer and football fields. This week, I have griplocked two discs into a swamp and a field of some unknown crop that I didn't feel I should trample looking for a DX Roc.

The big open field is a great place to practice, but I find the lack of a target to be frustrating. I typically aim pro patches of off colored grass but it would be nice to have some cones or a basket to aim at.

Note to self, get some cones.

Yes, the cones are a great idea! When I was practicing seriously, I would take the cones (like the ones used to mark the corners of the DDC courts) and set them up in a straight line from the throw line. I spaced them out every 15 steps (almost 50 feet) so I would know about how far I was getting them. The line of orange cones helps with adjusting your flight path also. I normally used 10 discs that were very near the same mold, weight, and color (to avoid developing favorites). Throw all 10, go get 'em, repeat. 10 reps and that's 100 tosses. Plenty of practice for one session.

That idea with the cones is a really good one. I'll have to win 6 more valkyries and try it out! :)

I was working my way towards 10 Rocs, but as I just mentioned, it got cropped.

I won a Roc last week (my first ever, a KC Pro) and I am not having much luck with it. Come to think of it, I'm not having much luck with any of my midranges... hmmm...

Hey Doug ,

One of two things on the mid-range issue.

Either go 3 grams lighter or Max weight !!!!!

Not sure what works for you. /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Oh I think it has more to do with ME than anything else. I'm fine when I have to throw my Wasp at full strength, but mid-power with a mid-range has been a recipie for disaster for me... I think I just need to practice.

No Problem there either. Since you have the strength , Try driving with a Stiffer Putter !!!!!!! Seen alot of guys Training with their Putter type of dicsc !!!!!! WORKS !!!!!!!

It will also show you any weakness's in your driving technique.

I'm a bit older , so It takes me a while to warm up and to Drive My putter !!!!! Try it if you get a chance and let me know !!!!!

Like a DX Rhyno? That's pretty stiff... I'm used to the Pro Line Rhyno, so I may give it a shot...

Whew.........A Rhyno might be a bit much , but , yea , try it before anything else. At least you will know !!!!!