Field Practice Time

[Smigles]

I started a year ago, and i have been practicing alot. We have a soccer pitch with baskets around it, great for putting and driving practice. There are two rugby goals that are exactly 100 meters apart, great for precision driving practice. I go there at least 3 times a week, and i have been improving from a 700 rated player ( a year ago, not knowing how to throw a golf disc ) to a 920 rated player ( with still alot of room to go up ).

I have a routine which consists of 50 puts, 100 meter precision driving practice, 50 more puts, max D driving practice, and then 50 more puts. Then i play around for the rest of the time, maybe play a few holes or go to the nearby forest and play the course there.

I get the feeling that technique is only secondary. What matters most is how many time you spend practicing.

[Sean40474]

I suck equally at driving and putting
I know I don't do near enough field work on driving but I do a fair bit of putting practice

how much should be devoted to each?

it is easier given light issues and free time for me to practice putting as I can do it in my basement
I think my putting is getting better but I am still only 50% (probably)

I know that if I could get to the point of driving to 375-400 (from current 300-325) I could probably have a lot of pick up birdies
but getting that additional 75 to 100 feet isn't really looking likely at the moment

so if I am doing 2 to 3 hours of putting a week is that reasonable?

drive for show putt for dough and all that

if a person has 4 hours a week to practice should it be 50/50 or greater on putting than driving or greater on driving than putting???

If you want to see your game improve I'd spend at least 3 hours of that putting. The other hour I'd work on your game 200' and in with putters and mids, it will behoove you to learn how to line shape at this distance with a mid and putter.

[ManU]

so after a tournament this weekend and given what happened to me in another one a few weeks ago although I could use some work on my driving it is NOT my driving that I properly need to work on.

I have not field driven with my OLFs but with teebirds and leopards I was getting 300-330 range...not consistently and not great. I think, but will have to check, that I get my OLFs out a bit further than that.

Yes it could be improved and adding another 75 to 100 feet will be a goal.

In the tournament last weekend in my division (Advanced up here but likely Intermediate in the U.S.) I was for the most part outdriving my competitors by at least 25 feet. So let's say my driving is decent. It is not significantly better than my competitors that it gives me a direct advantage in the game as we then have to upshot and then putt.

If I add the distance I can perhaps be looking at putting next rather than upshoting.

Where I fail is my putting...call it a lack of confidence, ability, technique or what ever.

I practice and it seems to go well but in a tournament I am crapola at putting and lose strokes on my competitors (big time!!!!).

So my plan will be to work on driving but maybe only 1 day a week for an hour or so.

But I am going to try as diligently as possible to practice my putting 3 to 4 nights a week using a pitch putt finger spring technique. Each night I will aim for 150 putts (50 from 14 feet, 16 feet and 18 feet respectively).

Once I am CONSISTENTLY for sure making those I will add distance.

Obviously not all of my putts will be that close as I am not driving that far but I absolutely have to stop missing from those distances.

So as much as I want to be a better driver I first must become a better putter.

[what'shisname]

Seriously, around here you don't need a 400' drive to be competitive, you need to be able to putt. If I could putt, I'd be playing in the finals tonight instead of random dubs.

[JHern]

Seriously, around here you don't need a 400' drive to be competitive, you need to be able to putt. If I could putt, I'd be playing in the finals tonight instead of random dubs.

This is true almost anywhere. The median hole length out there seems to be around 300'-350'. You can get in the circle at 320'+1", which is something that most players can learn to manage in the earliest years of their learning curve. If you have a putting game, you win.

That's why many are advocating for an overall lengthening of all new courses to make distance (w/control) a more regular part of the disc golf game. I support all practical lengthening of any holes at all courses, and setting aside perhaps 50% more acreage per new course to accommodate an increase in average/median distance to over 400'.

One of my local courses has recently done this, and the regulars have had a lot of success increasing their distance, but not always controlled distance. This kind of thing forces people to learn to throw farther, while simultaneously making higher level skills that only the most practiced players possess be once again an important element of most courses. It allows truly superb players to distinguish themselves from the mediocre-player-with-a-lucky-putting-streak.

[Smithji]

your list hasn't been updated in years

[mshelton]

I've tried practicing in the park near me, used to go about 3 times a week for 90ish min at a time and work on my form (Teebirds and Eagles mostly) and hitting my aim line not worrying too much about the flight but more on focusing on the 2-3 things I was working on and did the disc leave in the intended direction, vertical and horizontal.

Problem was that everyday someone would come up to me in the park, bearing witness, looking for a dollar, random conversations or asking what I was doing and of course I took the time to talk to them all. That plus my uncanny ability to always misplace a disc leaving me searching for it for 15+ min (yes, I lose discs in fields) has stopped me from going. We have a few courses around here and I try and mix up which ones I go to then usually throw 2-4 shots per hole trying to hit a specific line for that day and hole. I know it's not the full benefit from field throwing but works out a little better for me.

[Sean40474]

I owe all my progress to field work and this site. I know it can be hard to practice in a field because of some of the distractions, but it'll be worth it in the end if you want to elevate your game more quickly.

[Peot]

In our club I would guess about 30% of the regulars are putting in serious practice time on the field. They tend to improve a lot faster. Especially the 'newer' players (myself included) who have played for 2 years or less. I've started out with scores around 85 last fall, now I am consistenly scoring in the low 60's (par 57, I've still to break par on our course, though ) But I guess the importance is really what to focus on when you field practice.
I find it hard to stand on a flat soccer field and throw 150 feet anhyzers as practice. In an open field, I tend to practice throwing accurately, throw soft and hard, and with good form - just empty my bag, go collect and throw back again. In my opinion field practice is great for form, accuracy, consistency and learning how your discs fly. All of these tings will benefit your overall score a lot, and people who do that here show faster improvements. For the finesse shots, I prefer to practice them in the situation on the course. I sometimes throw 5-6-7 shots from the same lie and try to execute the throw as good as possible. Throwing a finesse anhyzer shot in an open field is easy, but throwing it in between trees on the course is a different matter.

This is about where I am, I think. I'm among the few who devotes a lot of time to disc golf and my scores have gone down dramatically in the 15ish months I've been playing. I putt a ton, which keeps my scores down, but I'm beginning to break through with the rest of my game too. I attribute most of that to the stuff I've read on here and some good quality practice.

[Dbuntu]

I owe all my progress to field work and this site. I know it can be hard to practice in a field because of some of the distractions, but it'll be worth it in the end if you want to elevate your game more quickly.

I can agree on all of these points. I go to the field by my house almost every night after work to throw. I've made some real strides in my game, but truth be told not much puts my mind at ease like tossing discs so I don't always have focused practice. A lot of nights it's just me tossing all my discs back and forth until it's dark.

[Sean40474]

I owe all my progress to field work and this site. I know it can be hard to practice in a field because of some of the distractions, but it'll be worth it in the end if you want to elevate your game more quickly.

I can agree on all of these points. I go to the field by my house almost every night after work to throw. I've made some real strides in my game, but truth be told not much puts my mind at ease like tossing discs so I don't always have focused practice. A lot of nights it's just me tossing all my discs back and forth until it's dark.

I hear you loud and clear.