This is the single-most awkward throw in disc golf – it’s not even close.
You’ve been in this situation before: You’re somewhere between 150 and 225 feet from the pin. You’re too close for a backhand run-up, but too far for a standstill, as well. As a result, you either blast your approach putter well past the basket or come up super short of your target …
That “middle-ground” backhand approach is hard to find.
And it makes sense: If you’re an amateur, most of the courses in your area are probably of the par-three variety. If you get off the tee relatively well, at worst, you’re jump-putting a bid for the basket. And if you don’t, a standstill forehand or backhand approach should do you just fine.
Today, we’ll focus on the short backhand approach – it’s the more delicate of the two: Your back’s to the basket, you take your eye off the intended target and there’s an X-step, as well.
Follow these three tips to improve this aspect of your game:
1. Do the ‘twinkle-toe’ walk-up
I’m not talking about whatever you call what Josh Anthon does when charging a teepad – click here to see what that looks like. Instead, I’m referring to two parts of the walk-up sequence …
- Part No. 1 – The pace with which you move towards your lie.
- Part No. 2 – The size of the steps you take when doing just that.
Notice I used the term “walk-up” instead of “run-up.”
Move slowly.
I call this the “twinkle-toe” walk-up, because EVERYTHING you do is careful and controlled. Think of what James Conrad does when tossing a disc 500 feet – do the complete opposite.
Doing things this way, your goal is to 1) maintain the same walk-up routine you do when throwing for distance, and 2) minimize your X-step to account for a shorter approach.
If confused, check this out – here’s how Calvin Heimburg does it with his Rhyno:
And though not quite the talent Heimburg is, in this clip, you’ll see Nikko Locastro’s little brother, Jeremiah Dwyer, do the same thing – he REALLY cuts back his footwork here:
Work at this – your feet will help you dial-in shorter distances.
2. Shorten your reachback
The more people learn about how to throw a disc, the less important that intense, mega-straight reachback becomes. It’s not evil or anything – it works for Eagle McMahon. At the same time, guys like Seppo Paju don’t do it, and he’s got more distance than 95% of the entire Pro Tour.
Regardless, when you’re looking to “baby-hyzer” a Zone 175 feet, you don’t need to reach WAY back – not even close. Check it out – Philo Brathwaite demonstrates exactly how this is done:
Similar to chipping onto a green in ball golf, a full swing’s not needed – a half-swing will do.
It’s the same thing in disc golf.
3. Go with a fan grip
One of the tougher concepts for new disc golfers to grasp is the idea of “snapping” a disc, instead of actually throwing it. Think about it: When you play Kan Jam or catch with a beach frisbee on vacation, to a certain degree, you voluntarily let go of the disc – you look, throw and release.
When you do a short-ish approach, finding that “happy medium” between snapping the disc (off the tee) and manually releasing it (standstill) is tricky business: The fan grip can REALLY help.
It’s a snap, but a controlled snap at that – and one in which a few of your fingers are “fanned” out across the underside of the flight plate to manipulate the angle of release. When you’re going for placement over power, these are the kinds of competitive advantages to give yourself.
To learn how to fan grip a putter or midrange, click here – we’ve got you covered.
It’s time to get to work …
Hit up your local “pitch-and-putt” with a stack of putters and midranges – practice this.
Danny Lindahl says it all the time on Youtube when teaching distance: “Slow is smooth, and smooth is far.” With respect to what we’ve discussed today, however, the motto can be changed:
“Slow is smooth, and smooth is controlled.”
I like the sound of that.
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