Throwing from Uphill Tee pads

[Dookville]

My game is solid for the most part and I am working hard to improve everyday. I play a lot of hilled courses and run into the situation of teeing off on pads that are at an uphill angle. For some reason I struggle with my normal 3 step crossover run up. I don't make my full plant and turn to keep my weight over the front foot, I seem to stall out and end up throwing with too much weight back. I am fine on shorter holes that I can shoot from a standstill, and on uphill approaches I am fine as well.

[keltik]

I just use a flippier disc. wait are you saying the pad is sloped upward too?

[Dookville]

I just use a flippier disc. wait are you saying the pad is sloped upward too?

Yes....the pad is sloped up as well.

[JR]

My ankle can't take heel pivots but i'd imagine that it is easier to not have the sole dragging on the ground with ball of the foot pivots. Very high heel at that and excessively much weight forward perhaps even leaning more forward from the hips. Using no to minimal fade discs helps with distance.

The incline of the tee needs to be accounted for in the step distances and heights. You need to raise the knees more throwing uphill. The ground meets your foot earlier so that is gonna influence step lengths, timing and weight shift. That is why it's a good idea to make a slow speed practice run before throwing to calibrate how high the needs need to go etc.

[Mark Ellis]

An uphill pad for an uphill shot is not a big problem. Take smaller steps in your run up, concentrate on your balance (making sure your arm motion is parallel to the angle of the hill) and don't be greedy.

An uphill pad for a flat shot, or worse even, a downhill shot is harder. The rules are the same (small steps, arm angle and no greed) but the difficulty is greater.

We all have a long distance drive with an amount of power we are comfortable with, our STANDARD LONG DRIVE, so to speak. This drive is unique to each of us in terms of how much power we generate and far the disc flies. Whenever we have a long shot in front of us, it is this drive we want to pull out because it will give us the maximum distance we have. But this shot is not always the wisest choice. In fact it is being too greedy at times.

If you have a poor lie then throwing with maximum power is very risky. Yes, you might throw the best shot of your life but you are far more likely to shank it.

If you dial back your power and concentrate on your balance and throwing smoothly and hitting a clean line you are more likely to throw a good shot. A smooth clean shot, even with less power will fly almost as far as an all out rip.

[Sean40474]

I struggle with this issue myself at a course I play a few tourneys at every year. Thankfully not all tee pads are like this, but there is enough of them that it causes me some pain. I usually have to take a few run ups before I can even get the rhythm semi correct. Even when I feel like I've gotten it right, I still don't usually throw a good tee shot. I end up thinking about my feet/run up and not the shot I need to execute. I've done what Mark suggested and take quick small steps, but the F's with my timing and I execute poorly. I try to stand still and throw, but I don't get the same power. Basically, I just have to resign myself and take a placement shot and go for par.

The other option is finding a place in a field and work on it....which is the better option as you'll face these shots more as you keep playing over the years.

[Dookville]

Thanks guys, picked up a few nuggets in there. I'm going to shorten up my steps, stay balanced, and make a few practice runups before the actual shot. Thanks JR, like the idea of keeping my feet up and lively, I usually glide my steps on the runup.

Mark- A few of the holes are tight long fairways that go up hill and then desend off the other side a bit. My home course is La Mirada.

[JHern]

I recall playing courses like Zephyr Cove, Napa, Stafford, and DeLaveaga for the first time, and being defeated by the uphill holes. The only thing that cured my ills was tons of practice, and moving to Santa Cruz. Now I can birdie a lot of extreme uphill holes that I could never have dreamed of birding when I was less experienced. Go and practice really steep shots some place steeper than La Mirada, throw hundreds of discs, and then when you come back to your home course, you'll think that hole is very easy. Take a camping trip up at Lake Tahoe, and throw multiple rounds at Zephyr Cove, holes 1-8 are all uphill, some are pretty extreme, but the view at the top is truly spectacular to behold (one of the best bowl holes in California).

My throw is a bit more conservative on uphill drives. My footwork is shorter and quicker, like Mark Ellis described. My arms and shoulder swing in a hyzer plane, and I really focus on releasing way out in front, holding onto the disc as long as possible, such that the disc is coming out as my arm is extending in the uphill direction. Almost like a grip lock, except grip locking it in the throwing direction instead of shanking. That's my aiming mechanism. I usually throw a beat up Proline Hurricane for my uphill drives, or a stabler Star Destroyer if I need a left fade at the end. If the hill is steep and landings are perilous, throw an understable driver and flip to flat. The flatter you land, the less likely you will experience a rollaway. Hyzering out into the hillside is a sure way to card a bogey after chasing your disc back downhill.

[Dookville]

I recall playing courses like Zephyr Cove, Napa, Stafford, and DeLaveaga for the first time, and being defeated by the uphill holes. The only thing that cured my ills was tons of practice, and moving to Santa Cruz. Now I can birdie a lot of extreme uphill holes that I could never have dreamed of birding when I was less experienced. Go and practice really steep shots some place steeper than La Mirada, throw hundreds of discs, and then when you come back to your home course, you'll think that hole is very easy. Take a camping trip up at Lake Tahoe, and throw multiple rounds at Zephyr Cove, holes 1-8 are all uphill, some are pretty extreme, but the view at the top is truly spectacular to behold (one of the best bowl holes in California).

My throw is a bit more conservative on uphill drives. My footwork is shorter and quicker, like Mark Ellis described. My arms and shoulder swing in a hyzer plane, and I really focus on releasing way out in front, holding onto the disc as long as possible, such that the disc is coming out as my arm is extending in the uphill direction. Almost like a grip lock, except grip locking it in the throwing direction instead of shanking. That's my aiming mechanism. I usually throw a beat up Proline Hurricane for my uphill drives, or a stabler Star Destroyer if I need a left fade at the end. If the hill is steep and landings are perilous, throw an understable driver and flip to flat. The flatter you land, the less likely you will experience a rollaway. Hyzering out into the hillside is a sure way to card a bogey after chasing your disc back downhill.

Thanks JHern, I went out for a little dawn patrol action early this morning before work. Actual uphill shots are good, it's just when the tee pad is angled up hill as well. I worked on keeping my steps short and my feet lively; I was able to expload on my last step. This worked really well, brilliant simplicity guys, thanks so much. I have a tourney tomarrow and will let you know how it goes on the uphill teepads. Thanks again.

[JHern]

...Actual uphill shots are good, it's just when the tee pad is angled up hill as well...

At DeLaveaga, teepad 2 is angled upward, while teepad 26 is level. Same strategy applies for me in either circumstance, although I do take note of the slope I need to throw on in either circumstance. Funny enough, I often throw slightly higher than I'd like on 26 (dangerous if it stalls, hyzers out, and rolls), and lower than I'd like on 2 (no danger, just a tougher upshot for an already murderously perilous upshot). Go figure.

...I have a tourney tomarrow and will let you know how it goes on the uphill teepads. Thanks again.

Quite welcome. Good luck!

[Dookville]

Saturdays tournament was a success, but also a little bit of a mess. The first 18 went fantastic; the use of shorter, quicker steps on the uphill teepads worked great. I lost nothing in accuracy and only a little in distance. I finished the first round of 18 2 under par, and leading the division. After a quick lunch they reseded the cards and sent us out for the second round on the back course. All went well and I increased my lead to 4 strokes until we reached the 8th tee. It is an uphill teepad shot, about 260' with the fairway cresting off the back side. I shortened my steps on the runup and caught my plant foot on a broken piece of the pad and blew out my knee. I really need to get that blown ACL repaired, hell, it's been 5 years already. I limped out the last 10 holes, dropped my lead, and finished in fourth. All in all, I know I can control my game though several rounds with the tools I have, and compete with anyone in my flight. I just have to wear my knee brace next time.

[Sean40474]

Right on, I'm glad that worked out for you before you blew your knee. I had to practice it a lot so I didn't think about my footing during my throw and mess up. The only thing I want to to be thinking about is my shot.

[Dookville]

Right on, I'm glad that worked out for you before you blew your knee. I had to practice it a lot so I didn't think about my footing during my throw and mess up. The only thing I want to to be thinking about is my shot.

I use a similar technique to control smoothness on a few tight shots and a crazy double mando tunnel shot at Lami. The difference is I don't use as explosive of a final step to get the hips turning. I worked on it since you and Mark gave the advice up until the morning of the tourney and one thing really stood out to me. If I concentrated on the foot speed only during the practice runup, then switched to thinking about shoulder position and arm slot for the actual throw, the feet just did their thing. Just kinda fell into place. Thanks again Sean.

[JR]

So sorry to hear about your injury. Take care. In the meantime before you can play again please mull over this: I've heard again and again from many pros that practice putting like you play in competition. Wouldn't that also count for pre drive routine? Shouldn't you practice the throw only at a slower rate taking care of every part in practice and then throwing at real speed? My experience so far has been that once your form has become automated you only need to remind yourself. That means that in the actual drive you don't need to think of the footing, step length, shoulder positioning etc. Only aiming. And maybe timing of the finger pinch. But that ain't totally automated for me so far to the extent that i could trust it so i usually take the power degradation of not having a stronger automated pinch and instead pinch milder consciously a little earlier. I still get micro slips anyhow. The times i don't i usually miss with the conscious pinch but manage to autopinch.

[Sean40474]

JR

I'm not sure I'm getting the concept of micro slips. Would you mind elaborating or pointing me to a thread that explains this? I'm not sure I remember reading any particulars even though I've seen it mentioned over a few threads. tia