Disc golf: Do this to avoid a three-putt from circle two

By: Lucas Miller

Did you catch the final round of FPO action at the 2022 PDGA Champions Cup?

If you didn’t, buckle up: It was BRUTAL …

With the rest of the field out of contention, Kristin Tattar stepped up to the tee on the 18th hole with a one-stroke advantage over Paige Pierce. One of two par fives at W.R. Jackson, the hole’s tough, but it’s clearly got more bark than bite – eagle’s in play, if you get off the tee properly.

Up first, Pierce piped one straight down the fairway, setting herself up for a good look at eagle. Tattar’s drive landed short, as well as off the fairway – eagle was out, but the birdie wasn’t.

Uncharacteristically, both golfers proceeded to throw wayward approaches — Paige was left with a 60-footer for eagle, which she’d fail to convert. Out of position, it’d take Kristin two throws to get close enough for her birdie bid. She was close, but NOT close enough …

Below, you’ll see Pierce’s drive, approach and missed eagle bid.

You’ll also see:

  • Ouch – Tattar’s missed 45-foot birdie putt.
  • No Way – Tattar’s missed 35-foot par comebacker.
  • Oh My Gosh – Tattar’s missed single-bogey bid – she’d lost it.

Kristin would card a double-bogey and gift Paige another major title – watch, if you dare:

What can YOU do to avoid the same circle-two fate?

Well, for starters, do what feels most comfortable from distance. I’m not about to pile on Tattar with some dumb, Monday-morning-quarterback take about “what she should’ve done” in the moment to avoid an embarrassing, unprecedented train wreck on the final hole of a major …

She’s built a career out of sinking lengthy, high-speed straddle putts – and from a standstill, if you can believe it. There’s LITERALLY nobody else in the FPO field who does it better …

She went for the win. She failed miserably. She’ll bounce back.

But you’re NOT Kristin Tattar – or Paige Pierce, Paul McBeth, Ricky Wysocki, etc.

Because of it, you’ll need a safer, more “amateur-friendly” approach to real-life, circle-two attempts that 1) give your putter a legitimate chance of going in the basket, and 2) don’t laser past the pin, giving you an uncomfortably long knee-knocker to save your par or bogey …

DGPT: Kristin Tattar

Trust me on this one – here’s the solution:

  • Step No. 1 – Address your lie from a straddled stance.
  • Step No. 2 – Note the ceiling between you and the basket.
  • Step No. 3 – Lob the disc gently in the air towards your target – give it height.

You want the disc to FALL into the basket – NOT smash the chains.

* Note #1: Jump, step or fall, if need be – I prefer the “jab-jump,” as does Drew Gibson.

* Note #2: I highly recommend bagging a softer putter for these bids – they tend to hit and sit.

This technique may seem silly, but it does something VERY important: It allows your disc to burn its energy moving from up to down, as opposed to from your hand towards the basket. You kill two birds with one stone: You attack the basket, while simultaneously laying up, as well.

This is a skill that takes time to master, but the more familiar (and comfortable) you become with the stability of your long-distance putter, the more you’ll see yourself draw meaningful metal.

And don’t feel silly about using this method from far away, either. While “amateur-friendly,” one of the best big-distance putters on the planet uses it for nearly all of his circle-two putts …

Gregg Barsby, ladies and gentlemen – observe:

Just like you, I’m an amateur disc golfer. Round after round, I make the same bone-headed mistakes. In spite of all that, though, this is the one part of my game I’m pretty confident in. So much so, in fact, I prefer the circle-two look to the 27-foot putt any day of the week …

Yes, I’m one of “those guys.”

Could this advice have saved Kristin Tattar from the choke job we witnessed yesterday at the Champions Cup? Nope – she knows what she’s doing and certainly doesn’t need my help.

It could easily keep you in the running at your local C-tier, though – that’s a guarantee.

Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.

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Lucas Miller

Lucas Miller is the founder and editor-in-chief of Green Splatter. When he’s not out tossing a Champion Rhyno in his native Utah, he’s watching true-crime documentaries with his wife, wrestling his twin boys and praying the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rebuild passes quickly.

2 thoughts on “Disc golf: Do this to avoid a three-putt from circle two”

  1. Exactly. I think of it like a free-throw arced lob. Practice it though, and just hope you don’t almost make it at Delaveaga or birdy to a down the ravine oak bogey can happen in the blink of an eye, why do they make them shaped like wheels?!!!

    Reply

    • Ryan, dude …

      Feel your pain, brotha!

      Do you play much out at DeLaveaga?

      Can’t even begin to imagine the rollaway potential …

      Thanks for reading, man – means a lot!

      Reply

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