For amateurs, “poke-and-pray” disc golf is enticing.
I should know, as I’m infamous for my lack of ability on the course.
And wouldn’t you know it, I fight the urge to poke and pray most rounds.
If the methodology is new to you, poke-and-pray disc golf is a “strategy” reliant wholly upon luck and indifference. Instead of looking at a gap, identifying the best tool for the job and at least attempting to execute the shot, poke-and-prayers grab a fast disc, throw it as hard as humanly possible and hope it somehow squirts through the gap and advances far up the fairway.
* Note: Poke-and-pray disc golf is most prevalent on heavily wooded courses.
Not quite sure if YOU are guilty of the practice?
One tell-tale sign there’s figurative blood on your hands is shooting 10-down one day on a fairly difficult course, only to follow it up with a 10-over the next. This, but over and over (and over) again. Your success – or lack thereof – on the disc golf course is a veritable roller coaster.
Sound familiar?
Poke-and-pray disc golf might be to blame.
Here’s why a commitment to something so dumb is harmful to your game …
First, there’s nothing calculated about the way you attack a track. You’ve got a loose idea of what you’d like to have happen. And because it’s so loose, your results tend to follow suit …
They’re flimsy.
Next, you’ve got no control of things, either. Should you choose to frequently poke and pray your way through 18 holes, you might as well buy a scratch-off sticker before teeing off to see how things’ll play out. And if that doesn’t work, maybe read your horoscope before playing.
Where there’s no accountability, there’s no improvement.
If you weren’t trying, you’ve got nothing to measure.
And lastly, most d*mning of all …
You can’t win.
For example, back to that “gap” mentioned earlier on in this post – let’s assume it’s tight. And in addition to its microscopic size, there’s one skinny tree smack-dab in the middle of it. Having set the stage, in this exact scenario, how many times have you heard a buddy say the following?
“I’m aiming for that stupid tree. That way, I know I won’t hit it.”
I don’t care if it’s said in jest or not …
This is crippling.
There are two possible outcomes:
- You pure the gap, which sucks, because you were trying to hit the tree.
- You smack the tree, which sucks, because you didn’t pure the gap.
In BOTH instances, you lose.
Naturally, the best option is to aim for the left or right side of the gap and to hit it, nevermind the annoying tree in the middle. And if you don’t hit it today or tomorrow or the next day, rest assured, with more practice under your belt, as well as a few more attempts, you’ll hit it.
And consistently, too.
For every round, hole and throw, have a plan. You don’t need to be good at disc golf to be deliberate with your play. But if you’re ever going to get good, intentionality must play a role.
Death to poke-and-pray disc golf.
Rest in pieces.
Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
Editor’s Suggestions:
- 5 of the most under-appreciated Innova molds
- Should you capitalize the word ‘frisbee’ when writing?
- The good, the bad and the ugly: What’s a ‘lid’ in disc golf?
Real quick, if you happen to buy something through a link in this article, there’s a chance we’ll get a small share of the sale. It’s how we keep the lights on. To learn more, click here.
Great article. I also play with many ball golfers who need to read this. But back to disc… Just last week a buddy said…. ”Oh so you are laying up for a par here? Not trying to make it?”. I was probably 120 feet out with trees everywhere. “Absolutely going at par.”. He’s trying to make everything and is frequently looking at 50 foot par putts. But 2x a year he makes miracle birds. But has never beaten me.
Play smarter. Play the baskets backwards.
Oh, that’s good, Fletch …
What do you mean by “play the basket backwards,” exactly?
LMK – there might be an article in there!
Thanks in advance 🙂
Play the basket backwards is a ball golf thing but it applies to us too. Let’s see if i can explain it for us disc heads. If you’re looking at a 450 foot hole (sorry, basket) and you are confident to get up and down from anywhere inside 100 feet. Your first shot goal is to get to that comfortable range of 100′. Don’t try to bomb a 15 speed driver 400 feet. Throw something 350. Then park your upshot. Move on to next basket. Play to spots on the course you are confident throwing from. I hate 200′ dead straight upshots. So i try to avoid those, even if they means throwing more or less off the tee (err pad).
Or if there’s an opening left of the basket, aim for that opening, don’t try to thread a needle and aim for the basket. Don’t play hero golf. Play boring.
Does that make sense?
(Shoot me an email if you want more explanation. Easy to explain with par 4s and 5s, not 3s which is more common for disc)
Fletch, makes perfect sense, my man!
It’s more of an issue of dissecting a hole …
Like you said:
“Play boring.”
Thanks for the explanation – appreciate it!
For the other golf if you are 300 yards out on a par 5 for your second shot, You could try to hit a 3 Woodas far as you can…. Or hit 2 easy 8 irons 150 each. The easiest club in the bag for most.
I probably get in 18 to 36 holes of ball golf a year …
So not much, but hey – good to know!
This was a terrible, insulting and useless article. Assuming that because one doesn’t throw where they “aimed” or that they didn’t aim, that they’re not trying, thus it’s “poke-and-pray.” Perhaps they just need more field work to work on consistent release points, learning which disc to choose based on flight patches (which can be different with different considers like headwinds). A more useless article would be how to aim, choosing discs for your skill level and how disc choices change as your skill level changes. More articles on fundamentals rather than insults please.
You’ll find many of those articles throughout the site, Mr. Advocate!
And rest assured, we’ll continue to write more of ’em 🙂
Until then, thanks for reading – have a great day!
I don’t see this as insulting, more of a take your time and pay attention to what works don’t just grab a disc and throw praying for the best outcome. My advice is buy some used disc (because they’re cheap) preferably the same disc same weight find an open field and just practice throwing that disc to learn it and you
Great advice, John!
The used bin contains many a hidden gem 🙂
Mr Advocate, did you read the entire article? I don’t think you understand the point. He said to play smarter. Learn your discs. If one time you laced your destoyer 425 feet on a beautiful tight S curve but every other throw bombs out to the right at 300. Don’t try to cover a 400 foot gap with your destro. Play your percentages. If you gotta tight gap to hit…. Go for it but if you miss, give yourself a bail out so you don’t make matters worse. If you’re insulted by this…. You might poke and pray too much.
Not sure what to think about this one. Woods golf is difficult and you’re going to hit trees either way. I’m certainly not suggesting closing your eyes and letting them fly but it’s not as easy as just hey I’ll hit that Gap every time. I do aim for that tree or cluster that I intend to not hit. Sometimes they are out of range and I have no risk actually hitting them other times much closer. I also pull out a disc that I know is going to turn or fade around that tree. As a former baseball pitcher it’s easier to me to pick something to aim at. I rely on the disc to do it’s job with its flight shape. Sometimes it doesn’t work but most of the time it does. Having said that I can hit a gap as much as the next guy but if it’s really tight I’ll typically throw forehand
Oh, forehands are the great neutralizer …
No idea how the pros hit microscopic gaps on backhand lines.
And even when they’re 75 to 100 feet off the teepad.
Insanity.
(and I’m jealous of it, too)