If there’s one thing disc golfers are obsessed with, it’s throwing far. Three-hundred feet is nice. Four-hundred feet is a legit milestone. Five-hundred feet earns you eternal bragging rights. And anything beyond that means you’re a flat-out freak – everyone hates you for it, by the way.
But while throwing far is cute, the ultimate in disc golf wizardry is doing it with the slow stuff. Putters, midranges and Polecats – you’ve seen this black magic on YouTube a time or two:
You’re not Simon Lizotte, though. Or James Conrad. Or any touring pro who hucks putters like they’re attached to mini jetpacks. Forcing yourself to play like them won’t lead to success.
In fact, forget Lizotte and Conrad …
Let’s focus the envy of your disc golf talent on someone more realistic:
- The best guy at your next C-tier.
- The best guy at your next C-tier who’s in your division.
- The best guy at your next C-tier who’s in your division and on your card.
Which finally brings us to the topic of today’s piece …
Want to get in your own head at your next tournament?
Here’s how:
- Step No. 1 – Forget what you feel comfortable doing on the course.
- Step No. 2 – Pay close attention to what others do, instead.
- Step No. 3 – Screw your game plan – do what they do.
Rest assured, you’ll fall flat on your face – Every. Single. Time.
If you normally throw a fairway driver on a 200-foot hole, do it. Let everyone else throw a putter off the tee. If you would rather lay up from 45 feet to guarantee yourself a stress-free par, go for it. Let the rest of your card force themselves to make knee-knocking, 25-foot comebackers.
You know your game. You’ve (likely) played the course in practice. Stick with what works.
Which brings me to my point: Stop comparing your game to those of other players.
Take Gregg Barsby, for example. While most MPO golfers push their midranges well past 350 feet, Barsby sticks to what he knows best – bypassing ‘em altogether for more Eagle shots.
Don’t believe me?
During a 2020 in-the-bag interview with GK Pro, Barsby said the following:
“If you’ve followed my game for a while, then you know that I don’t throw too many midranges. I won the 2018 World Championships and didn’t throw a single midrange shot the whole tournament.”
Just to clarify, that’s a five-round major – and he threw a total of 270 shots to take it down.
For most amateur divisions, bogey-free golf wins tournaments.
Those endless streams of birdies you see on JomezPro?
That’s a different level of competition. You can get there one day. But there’s not a chance in h*ck of it happening if you don’t first learn to golf within yourself. Know your strengths – not somebody else’s on your card. Then, play to them over and over (and over) again …
Do this and winning disc golf tournaments will happen on its own – it’s that simple.
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