Putting: What do ‘pro side’ and ‘am side’ mean in disc golf?

Ever heard “pro side” or “am side” uttered on the putting green?

And if not, perhaps during a round of Central Coast Disc Golf coverage?

Years back, courtesy of Ian Anderson, that’s where I first encountered each phrase.

If this is all news to you, both terms deal with putting. More specifically, where a putter comes into contact with the chains. First thing’s first, though – these terms can be used interchangeably:

• ‘Pro Side’ = ‘Strong Side’
• ‘Am Side’ = ‘Weak Side’

To define them, let’s assume you’re a right-handed, backhand-dominant (RHBH) golfer. Ninety percent of disc golfers are right-handed, so it makes sense. And most putts are backhand shots.

Should your putt hit the chains right of the pole, you’ve hit the “pro” or “strong side” of the basket. It’s called that, because – again, RHBH – the disc is spinning clockwise. As such, after hitting right of the pole, it’s likely to push left off the chains. But since you’ve entered the basket on the right side of the pole, there’s more real estate to the left for your disc to move and stick.

Furthermore, most putts hit chains with some degree of hyzer angle. Yet again, taking into consideration the most popular angle of entry, the disc is more likely to come to rest in the tray.

On the flip side of things, a RHBH putt that hits left of the pole is seen as hitting the “am” or “weak side” of the pin. You can already see where this is going: The spin and (likely) angle of the disc still push it left off the chains. Only this time, left of the chains are no more chains …

So if the basket’s not catching like Randy Moss that day, you’ll see a spit-out.

The whole point of putting is to give the basket the best chance possible of catching your putter. This is what Pro Tour professionals do. And it’s what amateurs have to remind themselves to do.

Lastly, there’s an up-and-down aspect to the pro side vs. am side conversation, too.

Most putts that smack the front of the cage DON’T go in …

They’re merely morale-boosting layups.

However, it’s totally possible you hit the band of a basket and still convert the putt. It’s hardly  the best way to go about doing things, but it happens somewhat regularly. As I see it, hitting high is of the pro or strong variety: You’ve given the disc a chance. Clearly, going low is the opposite.

Baskets aren’t perfect …

Help them help you.

And we’ll all get along just fine.

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

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