Disc golf: How to prevent mid-fairway foot faults

This hardcore gets in my head …

First, I think about it. Then, I mess it up like mad.

This is a problem for me.

Just to clarify, the type of foot fault I’m talking about isn’t one off the tee or on the putting green. The kind that gets me comes from a second or third throw on a par four or five. Due to the length, that second or third throw often requires a run-up – here’s what happens:

• Door No. 1 – My plant foot lands well behind my mini marker.
• Door No. 2 – My plant foot lands too far to the side of my mini marker.
• Door No. 3 – My plant foot lands a step (or two) in front of my mini marker.
• Door No. 4 – My plant foot lands directly on top of my mini marker and crushes it.

That last one results in me slipping and looking dumb …

My game can’t handle more of that.

As an amateur disc golfer, most of the holes I play are of the par-three variety. Tournaments tend to sprinkle in a few longer ones. So the majority of my exposure to mid-fairway run-ups comes when it actually matters. And, in theory, at least, when my cardmates are watching my feet …

Queue the mini panic attacks.

The SIMPLEST solution is to eliminate any kind of run-up …

Just throw from a standstill.

The SECOND simplest solution is to replace that “run-up” of yours with a walk-up – slow and steady, baby. Even better, if you can make it a one-step walk-up, you’re unlikely to foot fault.

Consider the kicker.

Watch Justin Tucker kick a 26-yard field goal for the Baltimore Ravens. Then, in the same game, watch him kick a 66-yard field goal. Either way, in spite of a 40-yard difference in distance, his walk-up is the same. It’s short, simple and painfully premeditated – he walks it off beforehand.

His plant foot NEVER misses …

As a result, he rarely misses, too.

Corey Ellis is the “NFL kicker” of the Pro Tour. You might think your body needs to do more to throw farther, but most added movement is just fluff. Ellis has the best standstill game in disc golf – his lanky levers certainly help. But his (literal) walk-up is the same for a 250-foot chip shot as it is for a 550-foot bomb. Sideways stance. One-step X-step. Reachback. Explosion.

Corey Ellis takes the birdie on the challenging hole 11 at DGLO. 🐦
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@chain_antagonist #discgolf #sports #highlights #dgpt #discraft #dglo #frisbeegolf #gatekeepermedia pic.twitter.com/9Av3iK9cb7

— Gatekeeper Media (@GatekeeperMedia) July 28, 2021

If you can do a WAY crappier version of that …

You’ll rarely foot fault.

Also, try these on for size:

• Tip No. 1 – Stop thinking about foot faults. They’re not at all a big deal; nobody cares.
• Tip No. 2 – Occasionally, place a mini at the end of a regular teepad – practice this way.
• Tip No. 3 – If the teepad thing works, mid-fairway, simply imagine you’re on a teepad.
• Tip No. 4 – Screw your mini marker and leave your thrown disc – it’s easier to see.

And if all else fails …

Buy a camouflage-colored mini.

Chess vs. checkers.

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

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