Disc golf isn’t yet big enough for all fans to have had the opportunity to attend a DGPT event in person. It’s an unreal experience. It’s one thing to see the game’s best players on JomezPro. It’s another to witness for yourself how far they throw or how deadly they are inside the circle.
Covering the sport, I’ve attended a number of tournaments. The big drives are great. The clutch putts, too. But the thing that still drops my jaw after all these years is watching a world-class player launch a forehand 400-plus feet. That potential is so far from me. I have to respect it.
Newer players see this and respond in one of three ways:
- They hit the field, work at it and develop a true power flick.
- They hit the field, work at it and develop a fairly respectable forehand.
- They hit the field, work at it, fail and opt to style their game after James Conrad.
One by one, as you make your way through each of the above three outcomes, the percentage of players in each group grows from microscopic, to sizable to the vast majority of newbie golfers.
If you take nothing else from this article, please note the following:
You don’t need a world-class forehand to compete at a high level, but you do need one.
If your forehand is a mess, don’t give up on it. Instead, alter your expectations. Shoot for the second bullet point – respectability. Not everybody played baseball in high school. Not all elbow and shoulder joints are made of Silly Putty. Work with what you have. It’ll get the job done …
Seriously, though, it will.
Those massive 450-foot forehands Eagle McMahon busts out are far from the norm – even on tour. What you need is a confident, 150- to 250-foot forehand you can approach the basket with in the woods. Or out in the open. You can look at the target throughout the entire throw.
If that forehand approach develops into a 300- to 350-foot drive, great. If not, don’t lose sleep over it. Concern yourself with the simple putter, midrange or overstable fairway driver approach.
The game will get easier. Tournament play will improve. Your stress levels will plummet.
Hyzers are no sweat. Forehand or backhand, the more often you can throw one, the better.
And no, technically, you don’t need a forehand. Sticking with slower, more workable discs, you can become a “Jedi Master” of form, control and release angles. James Conrad is living proof of this. He’s won USDGC. He’s a World Champion, too. Take my word for it, though …
You’re not James Conrad.
And though it’s possible, you’re not likely to become the game’s next James Conrad. And lastly, for what it’s worth, learning to play the game the way James Conrad does is unbelievably harder than taking an hour or two a week to dial-down a utilitarian flick.
A workingman’s forehand is well within just about every disc golfer’s reach …
And that includes James Conrad.
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