I’ve got a pretty long fuse.
And that’s not just me tooting my own horn …
Close friends and family would agree with that statement.
But if there’s one setting in which I frequently feel my blood boiling, it’s the disc golf course. Such is the yin and yang of the sport, I suppose. When I’m happy and at ease, my game exists in a flow state of sorts. When I’m furious and anger-fueled, I’m about as much fun as a root canal.
Can you relate?
Serving as an emotional Band-Aid of sorts, might I suggest the rage putt? In disc golf, a rage putt is a second (or third) attempt at a putt that instantly follows the crap putt that actually counted.
Upon realizing how embarrassing of a putt was put forth, the guilty part will grab the stabilizing putter in his off-hand and launch it at the basket. Another solid option is the mini marker. Or my personal favorite, the disc that was originally thrown, especially if it’s a high-speed driver.
An important characteristic of the rage putt is that the additional effort be filled with fury. Leaving the hand, it needs to be traveling at or near warp speed. Also, bonus points to the dude who’s so ticked at the sorry state of his short game, he’s chosen to sidearm his rage putt. Because remember: The point of the rage putt isn’t to prove you can make the putt, by any means …
It’s to blow off steam.
Forget C1X. What’s your RPP (Rage Putt Percentage)? @UDiscApp & @statmando feel free to incorporate this into your data pic.twitter.com/SldkeTSIf8
— Another Round (@AnotherRound_DG) November 29, 2023
In my experience, however, adding further insult to injury, the blow-up attempt frequently smashes chains – and sticks. So when you’re trying, the basket refuses to lend a helping hand when you need it most. And when you’re not trying, all of a sudden it’s Randy “Freaking” Moss.
* Note #1: To clarify, the rage putt is only for casual play. Otherwise, penalty strokes galore.
So, with all of the above in mind …
As the headline suggests, why exactly do I “love” a good rage putt?
Simply put, it’s a quick, harmless way to let out the lava within.
* Note #2: So as to avoid a manslaughter charge, make sure nobody’s behind the basket.
If my disc-golf buddies didn’t know I was fuming, they sure as heck do now. It’s amazing how effectively a cage-shattering Star Destroyer from point-blank range gets that message across.
I do have a rule for this, though:
One and done.
That’s it.
After four, five or six missed putts in a row, I get the rage putt out of my system in a single go, and I’m ready to rock. From that point on, to cope with the pain, I declare to anyone within earshot how I’m “not keeping score anymore” and how I’m “just here to have fun.”
Does your C1X putting percentage have you considering Ultimate as your go-to pastime?
[Insert Audible Gasp]
Don’t slaughter your social standing with such a move.
Rage putt. Then, get on with your round.
You’ll feel better.
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