I have a ton of excitement leading up to the next 12 days or so. I am heading back to Texas for the first time in a long time, I will get to see some of my family and friends, and I will be competing in two disc golf tournaments along with getting to play a ton of courses I truly miss since moving to Utah. I have been starting my preparations with a ton of putting practice, I am really trying to make my putting effortless. I have bounced back and forth a lot on how my putting style should be, this I know is bad to do but when something just doesn't feel right and it causes me frustration a change needs to be made. What I have found in my putting was adjusting where my hand is on the disc was the biggest factor in giving me a more consistent putt. I was forcing my wrist to have too much action causing me to pull my putts wide. After adjusting my hand by about an inch I found myself not only having putts go in but I was making more putts. The reason I try and add the difference was from listening to Simon Lizotte and Paul McBeth commentate on the last round at The Memorial they brought up the point of making putts rather than the putt going in. I think this is something that more players need to realize and utilize in their practice routines. With all my practice putting I haven't really played any specific games or had any routines I just get to a spot throw a putt move to adjust the angle and throw another. I usually take anywhere from 6-10 putters to practice with. I really enjoy making 6-10 in a row before I branch out and move farther back. I will only exceed 45ft or so towards the end just to have some good long putt practice and some jump putt practice. But I feel putting in the effort inside the circle will give me a greater benefit over multiple rounds.
As I was throwing this week I could tell that my timing was off on my drives and my body was getting ahead of itself and I could tell I was losing a ton of distance. I had to put a lot of work in with my footwork to find out what was causing the problem. I was trying to over throw every shot, I needed to slow down and trust the disc to fly and focus on my follow through rather than trying to murder the disc. Hopefully I can continue this trend of good footwork and let the discs fly in Texas.
I am going to be playing in the Texas Open in Fort Worth. The two courses where it is being held are two great courses that I really look forward to getting back to. They represent great challenges but if you stay in bounds or in the fairway you can really tear up the course. This for me is a scary thought since most of the courses near me in Utah are a bit more open, where at Gateway and North Park in Forth Worth they have places where you can find a lot of trouble with tight OB lines or thick foliage on the sides. So playing smart and hitting my lines will be huge. The following weekend I am stoked to be playing in another huge tournament this year at the Nick Hyde Memorial in Dallas. The two courses are among some of my favorite of all time. They represent great challenges and force you to use all of the shots in your bag. Auduban park was the place where I bagged my first ace so it always feels special playing there. Harry Myers from either tees forces you to play your shots with precision and really pick up the gimme holes. Either way I am totally pumped to be playing and competing. I want to continue to get better and this will be an awesome opportunity to prove myself and enjoy playing disc golf even more.
I will definitely be posting my thoughts after the first tournament, and do a total wrap up of the entire week soon. So be on the lookout for that next week.
To all my Discmanaics, I posted a question last week: If you have been throwing S-Line P2s but have recently tried the C-Line P2, what are your thoughts?
I will start with the C-Line P2 has some great qualities to it. It is incredibly stable but with that comes a less glidey disc which can be great but also not so great. The C-Line plastic does not have a lot of grip which is my biggest factor for moving away from this disc. If you don't have problems with grip and need a stable putter this disc is great. I can see myself holding on to a couple for special tournaments or very windy situations but for now it will be pushed aside.
The S-Line P2 has already been given such a great appeal for all players, I mean when Paul McBeth and Simon Lizotte throw them... why shouldn't you? For me I chose to throw this disc as it was my go to stable approach putter from the moment I picked up a Discmania disc. The S-Line plastic is slick but has more grip than the C-Line, giving me more control and more confidence whether its off the tee or on the approach. They break in incredibly well and I recommend them to anyone who needs a good stable putter.
I'm always up for another question so here it goes. What is your favorite shot to throw? And what Discmania disc do you use to execute that shot?
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I am a Discmaniac! Cheers
Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09TF-lpwwGo
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