This page is follow-up material from my in-class coaching sessions done through the Town of Penfield Recreation. This is not a full summary of how to putt in disc golf. It is only meant to explain how my style of putting – spin putting – is performed.
PUTTING MENTAL CUES
For both styles, my setup thoughts are to keep my chest pointed at the target line. I visually imagine a path or tunnel no wider than my shoulders going to the basket (thank you Philo Brathwaite #26416 for that cue https://youtu.be/nn-5OGJFnMw?si=4CmwK… I want my putt to go down this tunnel. I even think of walls on both sides no wider than the width of the basket. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL – I always want the back of my hand to move up and down the pole of the basket as I load and unload the putt (or “paint the pole with a brush”). Before I throw, my eyes are focused on a chain link or some other spot I want my disc to hit. I try very hard to not think about how I release. I try to only think about my hand moving forward on that straight line to that chain link or other spot I’m targeting.
PUTTING POWER
Use that wrist! Don’t be afraid! The bottom line is the disc has to spin to fly, so make it spin. Spin makes it more effortless and uses fewer body parts which in turn can yield more repeatable accuracy with practice. Spin is how most putts over 25+ feet are made. There isn’t a top tour pro on the planet that doesn’t spin the disc when putting. Weight shift – discussed below – from back to front does help with throwing farther as you move farther away from the basket, however, when you’re within 33 feet, it’s more about keeping your balance while using your arm and hand to stay on target. Much of the power in a spin putt is generated from a quick motion of your fingers, wrist, and forearm.
PUTTER GRIP
Use a very light but not too loose fan grip, meaning your fingers extend out across the flight plate under the rim of the disc, but never grab onto the rim. The index finger must always be relaxed and unused. It just lays there, under the rim. It’s the last three fingers and the palm that support and propel the disc. The thumb on top can vary with comfort, but it must also be relaxed. I want the disc to slide out of my hand.
PUTT SETUP – STAGGER
My feet are staggered front and back. I’m right-handed, so my right leg is forward for bracing, and my right foot is pointed slightly to the left of my target line – yours may vary. My feet are also not perfectly in line. Instead, they are only inline enough to maintain balance at all times. I want my chest to be facing straight at the basket, or intended putting line. Might right arm (for right-handed people) is bent 90 degrees at the elbow with the back of my hand facing the basket. This hand placement allows me to preload the wrist, but many people like to load as they move the arm. My way eliminates another variable is all.
PUTT SETUP – STRADDLE
The only difference here is with the legs and feet. I want my feet to draw a line perpendicular to the line going to the basket. Think of your footline being the line that crosses the top of the letter “T.”
LOADING THE PUTT – STAGGER
When I begin my putt, I sink down into my back leg while tracing my hand or disc down the pole of the basket. How low or high you bring it down is a personal preference, but if you want to utilize the spin method, don’t bring it down lower than your belt buckle.
LOADING THE PUTT – STRADDLE
When I begin my putt, I “bow” to the basket or line of throw and lower my hand and disc tracing down the basket pole, or target line. This pushes my butt out behind me with my knees bent slightly. How low or high you bring it down is a personal preference, but if you want to utilize more spin than an arcing toss of the putter, don’t bring it down much lower than your waist. Most straddle putters like to load the disc down between their legs. NOTE: the more you bend your knees and the lower you sink into your “bow,” the more upward push for power you will get. Time your throw with the leg push.
THROWING THE PUTT – BOTH TYPES
The stagger putt throw begins with a weight shift from the back leg to the front while the back of my hand is still facing the target and pulled into my gut. The straddle putt is a just a simple push upward with my legs, like jumping. Either way, I want the back of my hand to move straight to the spot I’m focused on – usually a chain link. For long putts from say 40 to 50+ feet, my target is a space in the air high and right of the basket instead. I allow my wrist to quickly unfold with a light grip and use the palm and middle fingers under the disc to spin the disc at the target.