Quick Tip: Disc Choice

Hey guys, my name is Robert McCall. I’m the Team Manager for Dynamic Discs, and I’ve been playing disc golf for around 10 years. I’ve played with players from all over the world, and I’ve been doing my best to learn from as many of them as possible. In the Quick Tip series, I’m going to share something I’ve learned over the years from a combination of personal experience and expertise from other players.

This week's Quick Tip: Disc Choice on the Course

How is your bag set up? Do you have one disc or group of discs that can perform several types of flights? Or are your discs so perfectly organized that you have one disc for 250' shots and a different disc for 280' shots?

I've heard tall tales of people who knew the distances of their discs down to a few feet, but even those people often encounter disc choice dilemmas on the course. Disc golf is drastically different from golf in this way - golfers know the distance of their clubs down to a few yards, but disc golfers must contend with different obstacles on the course that force us to consider factors beyond distance alone. For example, here in Emporia, hole 2 on Jones East provides a perfect example of a hole that can be attacked with multiple types of discs. Hole 2 is around 300', slightly uphill, with one large cedar tree to the right and a couple of smaller trees between the tee and the basket. Most disc golfers can reach this pin with a midrange, fairway driver, or distance driver, and with a variety of shot shapes. How do you choose the best disc and line for the hole?

Here are the factors everyone should consider when facing a hole that's in between disc speeds and distances for you:

1. Ceiling

Are there trees or branches that force you to throw a lower line than you'd like to? If so, faster, slightly understable discs are great for throwing lower lines with greater distance potential. On lower ceiling shots, I like to throw the Dynamic Discs Biofuzion Trespass. The Trespass has good glide and responds well to a smooth release, so it's great for slight hyzer flips that get to flat and can remain lower to the ground.

2. Wind speed and direction

Every disc golfer's first time playing in the wind is an eye-opener. All of your discs that typically finish left are now traveling straighter, your shots with a higher release tend to fly farther off line than normal, and your tailwind shots slam down quickly and rob you of distance. In general, if I'm throwing into a headwind, I'm stepping up the speed and stability of my disc while maintaining the same 80% release. I really like the Dynamic Discs Enforcer for headwind shots because they still want to finish left, even when they face a stiff headwind. Tailwinds are the opposite - I like slightly slower discs and less stability. I'll often choose a Dynamic Discs Escape in a tailwind, because it wants to stay in the air and doesn't deviate much off of a straight line for me.

3. Slope and surface of the landing area

If you're throwing on to a severe slope, discs have more potential to roll away. As a general rule, matching the landing angle of the disc to the slope of the hill decreases roll aways. Conversely, if you're throwing to a slope angled high left to low right, throwing a right hand backhand on a spike hyzer angle that lands perpendicular to the slope is likely to cause a roll away. Another factor to consider is thickness of the grass and/or other landing surface. A disc finishing on hyzer is likely to skip on shorter grass or dirt, but won't travel much past its initial point of contact in thick grass.

4. Which disc/shot shape do you feel most comfortable throwing?

On a hole like hole 2 on Jones East with few obstacles, you should probably throw your most consistent angle and disc, because if you feel more comfortable over the shot, you'll be more likely to execute the shot. Most of the time, I throw a Dynamic Discs Lucid Criminal on hole 2 with a 30-40 degree hyzer. The hyzer release is very comfortable for me, and the overstable Criminal just wants to get to the ground and stick, which makes it a perfect choice for pinpoint hyzers and approaches.

Once you've considered all these factors, the most important part follows: commit to the shot. In general, I like throwing my most predictable disc on my most predictable angle. If I can throw a Warden, I will - I like the flights that I can achieve with the Warden, and it's very forgiving if I miss the angle or line by a few degrees. That's what I like, but what works for you? I'd love to hear back on your experience with disc and shot selection. We'd love to hear from you on the Disc Golf Answer Man podcast or Facebook page, or you can reach me via my social media links below. See you next week!

Robert McCall
Dynamic Discs
Team Manager
Facebook
Instagram

Ep 184 Disc Golf Answer Man

In this episode we discuss we discuss the Dynamic Discs Deputy and when it will be available, our thoughts on throwing multiples of the same mold, how do you bounce back after a bad putt, and much more. 

New Disc Golf Answer Man Episode

Have You Tried A Trilogy Challenge Yet?

Regular competitors and casual players alike can agree on one thing when it comes to disc golf - summertime is an amazing time to play the game we love. If you're traveling around the country or are just looking for more events to play in around your local area, have you considered playing in a Trilogy Challenge?

Run by local players, not Dynamic Discs, these events are one-day tournaments that give players the opportunity to get their hands on exclusive discs and the chance to compete in a low-key and fun round. The format can vary, with some people preferring to host flex starts, shotgun starts, or even doubles.

Putting on a Trilogy Challenge is super easy - all you have to do is visit this link and fill in a few pieces of key information. We send you everything you need for a successful event, including sweet players packs with three discs, a t-shirt, mini, and more.

Looking to play in a Trilogy Challenge to test your skills or just get the chance to throw some of our newest plastic? You can find a full list of registered events here, and remember that they run through October so there's plenty of time left this summer season!

The 2nd Annual Pocono Raceway Disc Golf Experience Has Some Surprises In Store

We’ve all probably played disc golf in some unusual places - some of us might have had to create an object course when no baskets are in sight, while others could share some stories about rather odd locations they’ve competed at. But nothing takes the cake like playing disc golf at a racetrack, and DD team member Mike Solt first planted the seed for this idea over 10 years ago.

His hard work and creative mind gave birth to the Pocono Raceway Disc Golf Experience, and the inaugural event held in 2016 was a huge success. We chatted with Mike to find out a little more about his event and what people can expect next month at the track's second annual showing.

It’s Practically In His Blood

Mike grew up about 25 minutes from the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. He’s attended races there as far back as he can remember and has long lasting friendships with many of the individuals who work at and manage the track. The idea had been brewing for a while to somehow integrate disc golf with the raceway, and once Dynamic Discs started their stadium experiences, Mike felt he had a platform to run with his concept.

Why the race track? Aside from utilizing an atmosphere that’s so close to his heart, Solt wanted to “give disc golfers the opportunity to have an ‘urban experience’ at a place that’s otherwise unavailable. It only makes sense to put that in the realm of imagining throwing a disc off the tower at Pocono - it’s just different. It’s still disc golf, but it’s a whole other atmosphere,” he shared excitedly.

A Snapshot Of Last Year

Mike had an amazing turnout at his first Raceway Experience, with over 300 disc golf lovers in attendance. People traveled from Ohio, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and more to play 18 holes of golf that weaved in and around the triangle shaped track. Many of them were local tournament players, yet Solt estimates that about ⅓ of them were first-time event people.

When asked how Mike is improving upon last year, one clear point came to mind for him: “[Last year the] aesthetics were deficient,” he said. Although patrons had a great time, Mike said he noticed a lot of small issues that he’s planning on addressing for 2017’s event.

Excitement For This Year

Now that he’s had an entire 12 months to marinate on new ideas, Solt is thrilled to offer a few major changes for this year’s event. He’s doubled the number of holes for 2017, so players will now have 36 baskets to play on. He describes some of the course layout: “One course [will be] on the road using turn 3, [while the] other course starts by playing under the start/finish area. They will play holes through the grandstand, play across the top of the grandstands, and finish with the 18th hole teeing from the flag stand down to a basket in victory lane.”

The day prior to this year’s event, Mike will be hosting a flex C-tier as well, making the weekend of September 23rd and 24th one to be remembered. Depending on your budget, you could get the chance to play these unique 36 holes while taking home 2 discs, a custom polo, or even a custom Recruit basket. There’s still room to register, so head over to Disc Golf Scene before it’s full.

A big thank you goes out to Mike Solt and his team for putting together an incredible and exciting event - see you at Pocono!

Putting Lessons From The Pros - Paige Pierce and Ricky Wysocki Share Their Secrets

Last week we held a fun event that gave local players a chance to compete with some of our top pros at the Luck of the Draw Skins match. Held at Peter Pan Park, tickets were sold beforehand and names were pulled at each hole to determine the cards for the day.

Prior to the start of the event, Paige Pierce and Ricky Wysocki put on a relatively brief putting clinic to demonstrate various styles and educate locals about how they can improve their own game.

Check out part 1 of the putting clinic.

Practical tips about shoulder alignment and general body movements started things off as the pros showed players how they can adjust their stance to achieve better results.

Part 2 of the clinic continues with great tips.

Audience members had the chance to ask questions about specific portions of Ricky and Paige's putting form and were able to take their tips and apply them to what works for their body and putting style.

Finish up the series with part 3 here.

Other than how we position our bodies for the type of putt we're after, Ricky and Paige also emphasize focusing on timing, wrist spin, and a whole host of other elements that can help you become a better putter.

What tips would you add to their suggestions? Let us know in the comments below!

Adding To His Collection Of Wins, DD's Ron Convers Jr. Takes First In Grandmasters At 2017 Pro Masters Worlds

When you’ve been playing disc golf for over 30 years, there’s a good chance that you have your game finely tuned and you know what it takes to win. Thinking back to his first place finish at Pro Masters Worlds in 2016, Ron Convers Jr. knew what he had to do in order to repeat his success - and he executed beautifully. We caught up with Ron to find out more about his victory at Pro Masters Worlds and learn a little more about how this veteran of the game prepared for the big event.

He’s No Stranger To Success

Ron has made a name for himself in the disc golf world, with accolades that include winning the first annual Glass Blown Open, landing a sponsorship with Dynamic Discs right when they got into the disc market (and subsequently finding his rating jump up 13 points), and absolutely dominating each division he plays in. When asked about his trajectory with disc golf, he recalled fondly:

“I played my first sanctioned event in 1991. I remember I got to watch people play who were actually good! Seeing ‘Crazy’ John Brooks play made me want to get better, so I played Advanced for one year and then when I moved up to Open the following year I took 3rd in my first event.”

While he usually competes in the Open or Masters fields, Convers chooses to play in the Grandmasters division for Pro Masters Worlds. His first year resulted in a 4th place finish, and now with two first place titles under his belt, he’s feeling pretty comfortable.

How Did He Prepare?

“I really really wanted it,” Ron said when asked if there was pressure for a repeat win this year. Residing in Oklahoma, he spent about 6 weeks prior to the tournament practice putting in his yard and doing a lot of field work. Since he knew that he needed to play smart instead of pushing himself to run puts, he focused a lot on his approach game.

This strategy served him well, as one of the courses he competed on, Black Falcon, was very wooded with treacherous OB and narrow fairways. Although his midrange discs were his go-to for much of the event, Ron said one disc, in particular, came through for him a lot.

“I actually went down in elevation since we played right by the Great Lakes,” he said. “I started flipping a few things that would be my standbys at home, so I really relied on my Enforcer.”

Finishing The Year Strong

What’s next on the horizon for his 2017 season? Ron is looking forward to competing in the Masters division at the Tim Selinske US Masters in Des Moines, as he tends to favor the courses he’ll be competing on.

Convers wants to continue playing at a high level for the rest of the season and noted that his rating has dipped below 1000 for the first time in about 16 years. His performance at Pro Masters Worlds will probably correct that, but he wants to push himself to finish out the year strong.

Congratulations on the win Ron! The Dynamic Discs team is proud to have you represent us on and off the course and hope you have a great rest of the year!

Bobby interviewed on Big Daddy Disc Golf Podcast

Dave Tucker from the Big Daddy Disc Golf podcast interviews Bobby about life and other cool stuff.

New Disc Golf Answer Man Episode

Ep 183 Disc Golf Answer Man

In this episode we discuss how to get started with running events, do people lie about how far they can throw, our strengths and weakness, and much more.

New Disc Golf Answer Man Episode

Dissecting A Pro Player's Casual Round

"There is no casual when you play professionally - everything is a bet," says Paige Pierce before playing a fun round with Zach Melton and Eric McCabe. After spying a tire swing on a nearby playground, Paige said the loser has to stay on for 60 seconds without throwing up.

A few weeks ago, the trio headed to Sanders Ferry Disc Golf Course in Hendersonville, Tennessee to enjoy their day while Bobby Brown filmed and asked them questions.

While the video shows its fair share of goofy antics between team members, it also gives us a look into how professionals play disc golf "casually" compared to your average recreational player. One of the first things we noticed is that signed discs were stashed around the course, as McCabe says it's his way of giving back with the hopes that a newbie might find one.

This casual round really doesn't show many differences between the focus the players have while in tournament mode versus how they execute their shots on a fun day off. They're still strategic, they're still competitive, and they still think through every shot they take. It's very evident that disc golf is a love as well as a science both when they're on and off the clock.

What do your casual rounds look like? Are your focus and intensity just as high as when you're competing in a tournament, or do you take the word casual more literally? Let us know how you approach casual rounds in the comments below.

Interview with Josh and Matt of UDisc

Bobby chats with Josh and Matt about some of the new features of the UDisc App.

Be sure to use the promo code DGAM in the app to get access to the pro features free for one month!

New Disc Golf Answer Man Episode

What's It Like To Run A Disc Golf Store? Dynamic Discs Carrollton Owner Steven Storrie Tells All

Once we become obsessed with disc golf, it’s natural to want to implement it into every aspect of our lives that we possibly can. We watch post-produced coverage at night after work, and maybe we listen to a disc golf podcast on the way to our day job each morning. Weekends are filled with as many rounds as possible, and yet it can sometimes still feel like it’s not enough.

The idea of running a disc golf store might be a dream come true for many, as you’d have the opportunity to immerse yourself in your passion while making a living at the same time! We recently chatted with Steven Storrie, owner of the Dynamic Discs Carrollton store, to find out if the reality of owning a disc golf retail establishment is as dreamy as it seems.

The DD Carrollton Background

Steven’s store is a franchised location, meaning that while it sells many similar products and operates like the other DD retailers, it’s actually privately owned by him. Storrie has a background as a managing partner for Sonic Drive-In and was able to transfer his success and experience there into opening his own DD location.

It was certainly a leap of faith in a lot of ways, as Steven explains: “I started out sponsoring DD events in small ways here and there. Jeremy approached me about opening a Dynamic Discs store in Texas. After many conversations and weighing out my long-term options, I decided to quit my job.” With the support of Jeremy Rusco and others, Steven has the freedom to make all of his own business decisions as 100% owner, yet obviously, makes sure he keeps everything in line with DD as a whole.

The Unexpected Challenges

“You better come up with a much better business template than the one you started with!” Steven said when asked what advice he would give himself if he could do things all over again. Just like with anything else in life, opening and operating a disc golf store brings its own fair share of hurdles that we can’t even begin to imagine until they’re right in front of us.

Storrie mentions that growing as a person as well as a business owner is mandatory if you want to be successful: “Adaptation is a way of life in this sense. Some days you can feel tested, mocked, torn down, congratulated, insulted, praised, and thanked all at the same time. After a certain amount of time, you learn to take in the good and brush off the not-so-good.”

Amazing Experiences

While any job can be tough, Steven knows he’s pretty much living the dream with his Carrollton location. Their store actively sponsors and hosts over 60 events per year, and gets to stay up to date on all of the latest DD products - it’s not uncommon to see several stock shipments show up in any given seven day period.

Perhaps one of the best things that have happened as a result of opening up his store is that Steven has become a better player! “Somehow I have improved since we have opened though,” he said. “I firmly believe it is a product of becoming a smarter competitor.”

A big thanks go out to Steven and his staff at the Dynamic Discs Carrollton location for all of their hard work and dedication to the sport we love. The next time you’re in Texas, check out Steven’s shop and say hello!

DD Events Coordinator Doug Bjerkaas Awarded TD Of The Year

Joining a host of other Dynamic Discs team members who have organized events over the years, Events Coordinator Doug Bjerkaas is being honored in 2017 with the TD of The Year award. Those of us who work closely with Doug know just how much heart and soul he puts into the events that he runs, and the record attendance at the 2016 GBO is proof that he knows how to organize a great tournament.

Doug shared with us a bit about his experience in running events, why he’s so passionate about being a tournament director, and some of the times he’s learned a lesson the hard way.

Starting Off Small

Having played disc golf for about twenty years, Doug quickly saw the need and opportunity to help run events early on when he lived in Texas. Running weekly minis and larger events in the late 1990s, he found that he loved the atmosphere of organizing gatherings for the sport he loves. “I have always enjoyed the community that is created by organized disc golf events and jumping in to help with making them happen seemed like a natural fit,” he said.

Doug’s experience as a tournament director has run the gamut from large to small, with his smallest sanctioned event taking place in 2011. Organizing the inaugural Rocky Mountain Women’s Disc Golf Championship brought about 60 women to the competition and has since grown to one of the nation’s premiere women’s only tournaments.

Doing What It Takes

Doug commented that he often gets asked what kind of a person it takes to be a successful TD, and he believes it’s a combination of three essential skills: organization, communication, and caring.

Since the nuts and bolts of a tournament can easily become scattered or overlooked, “organization skills are critical to running a great event,” Bjerkaas says. It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway - being a clear and effective communicator is required if you want to keep your players happy and you want your event to be well-attended now and in the future.

Lastly, a passion for the sport and caring about the event is a prerequisite for being a TD. Doug’s sage advice is applicable to many of us: “Like anything in life, a passion for doing what you do sure improves the results. A TD should be passionate about the event or events they are running. If not, they should quit TD-ing that event.”

Insider Secrets

If running a disc golf tournament seems easy, there may be a few surprises in store for you along the way. One item that Bjerkaas notes is imperative is not messing with tee times in a way that will negatively affect players. He recalls an instance in which this lesson was an important, yet difficult, one to learn:

“A handful of players saw a posted tee time, went to bed, and showed up to the course the next day after their revised tee time had already started. This was a very painful and difficult situation to sort through. A decision was made after that event that we would never adjust a tee time again that caused a player to show up earlier than originally posted.

TDs will make mistakes. TDs should not make the same mistakes over and over again though. We all need to learn from these difficult situations to better improve the tournaments we run in the future. I have found that disc golfers are generally understanding of a mistake when it is made the first time. Disc golfers tend to not sign up for events again when the same mistakes are made over and over again.”

Doug also makes an important distinction between the level of involvement in running a weekend B-tier compared to a massive undertaking like the Glass Blown Open. Without his dedicated staff and amazing volunteers, Bjerkaas would single-handedly have the task of managing players at six different courses and running extra events throughout the week.

A Gracious Recipient

Never one to take the credit all for himself, Doug recognizes that the people who devote countless hours toward running events each deserve a piece of the pie too:

“This award was really won by several folks including the entire staff at Dynamic Discs, all of the volunteers that worked these events, and the entire Emporia, Kansas community. Course TDs like Stevo Storrie, Tyler Searle, Mike Solt, Scott Reek, Brian Lamoreaux, and Matt Loyd are as deserving as I am for this award.

A guy like Dustin Leatherman who has stepped up to lead our junior GBO events deserves this award. Jackie Morris who serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for our events deserves the award. Jeremy Rusco and the entire staff at Dynamic Discs deserve part of the award.  Emporians like Chris Walker, Don Schrack, Susan Rathke, Bryan Williams, Mark McAnarney, Casey Woods, Jess Buckholtz, Kim Redeker, and scores of others have also won a piece of the award.”

Congratulations Doug - we appreciate all that you do at Dynamic Discs and know that players across the country are thankful for the incredible events you put on!

Ep 182 Disc Golf Answer Man

Our thoughts on Latitude 64’s overmold discs, out of production discs, should you get a favorite mold in different plastics, and much more.

Quick Tip: Tournament Day

This week’s Quick Tip from Robert McCall: Tournament Morning Warm-Up

I’m going to describe a situation to you. I’m hopeful that it’s not a situation you’ve encountered, but it’s likely that you’ve felt this way before:

On a tournament morning, you’ve planned to be prepared, so you set your alarm fairly early. However, when the alarm blare catches you mid-dream, you snooze it a few times, because you’re still tired. No big deal, right? You get up, get dressed, and drive toward breakfast from McDonald’s. The McDonald’s line is a little longer than usual, so you waste 10 minutes or so waiting on your food. When you arrive at the course, around 30 minutes before the players’ meeting, you realize you don’t have all of your discs in your bag, so you dig around your car for a few minutes to find your discs and ensure your arsenal is ready for battle. You head toward check-in, but see a buddy of yours, so you guys chat it up for a few minutes before you arrive at Tournament Central. You sift through the available plastic for a few minutes, and before you know it, it’s time for the players’ meeting. After the meeting, you head toward your assigned hole, the two minute horn blows (TWOOOOOOO MINUUUUUUUTES), and you’ve thrown zero discs.

If you’ve been there before, you know how unsettling your first few holes can be as you’re trying to catch your stride. I’ve experienced this situation a couple of times, and it’s my absolute nightmare. In order to combat that awful feeling on the first tee, I’m going to share my pre-tournament routine in hopes that it might help you form a routine (or at least help in some small way).
The night before the tournament, I do everything I can to be ready for the next morning: I lay out my clothes, pack my bag with my usual discs, towels, mini, Whale Sac, water bottle, and anything else I might need for the day. I set my alarm to plan to arrive at the course an hour and 15 minutes ahead of the players’ meeting. I do my best not to stay up too late. I drink quite a bit of water in the days leading up to the tournament. If I’m leaving the place that I’m staying for good that day, I completely pack my bag that night.

The morning of the tournament, I NEVER snooze my alarm if at all possible. I’m a notorious snoozer during other times, but not during tournament days. My goal for the morning of the tournament at the place I’m staying is to get ready, get dressed, and be out the door in 15 minutes or so.

I eat breakfast quickly and as early as possible, because there’s nothing worse for me than standing on the first tee box and feeling as if I’ve eaten too much. If the line is too long at the breakfast restaurant I’ve chosen, I’ll head to the next one. Wasting time waiting for breakfast is one of my least favorite tournament morning activities.

If possible, and this may be oversharing, but I stop to use the restroom and get any last minute snacks or drinks before I get to the course. I don’t want to ever have to rely on a restroom at the course.

Once I arrive at the course, I try to follow the same routine if I can. Walk to check-in first, greet the people I haven’t seen in awhile, and chat briefly with friends there. Once I’m at an hour before the players’ meeting, I begin my warmup.

I’ll do a few jumping jacks, arm circles, or a brief jog to get my blood flowing a bit.

Stretching is next. I stretch both arms, shoulders, hips, legs, and back as thoroughly as I can. Even though I haven’t thrown any shots yet, stretching makes me feel ready to compete.

I’ll find a field or more open hole and throw some of my discs. I usually throw all of four my throwing putters, a midrange or two, a couple of fairway drivers, and a few distance drivers, if space allows. As I move up disc speeds, I increase my arm speed.

Once I’ve retrieved my discs, I like to play at least 5 holes of the course. Usually, these are the holes nearest tournament central, but I’ll sometimes choose a stretch of holes on which I generally struggle if I really want to hone in my tee shot or landing zone. I putt out both of my putters on each hole.

After the warmup holes, I putt for 5 minutes or so, beginning close to the basket and moving back slowly. My focus is remembering my putting stroke properly and feeling a good follow-through. I’ll throw a few putts outside the circle to stretch out my arm and feel that extra bit of commitment, then make a couple of short ones, and then I’m off to the players’ meeting.

I try to make it to every players’ meeting I can, because I don’t want to be in the dark about any course-specific rules, and I like to respect the tournament director’s time - they pour a lot of effort into making their events happen, so I like to express gratitude for that.

Once we have hole assignments, I head to my hole as quickly as possible, throwing a couple of tee shots as time permits along the way. As time winds down before two minutes, I putt inside the circle to increase my confidence from that range.

While I don’t get to warm up in this exact manner at each tournament I’m lucky enough to attend, I like to stick to this plan pretty closely if possible. After the warmup, it’s the most fun part - competing. I love it.

What is your pre-tournament routine? Is there anything that I do that you’ve never tried? Have you had success with other methods? I’d really like to hear from you. If you want to reach out with some ideas or feedback, you can contact me through the Disc Golf Answer Man podcast or Facebook page, or you can find my social media links below. See you next week!

Robert McCall
Dynamic Discs
Team Manager
Facebook
Instagram

Mental Composure In Disc Golf - The Mind and Body Connection

Like many sports, disc golf is a multifaceted game that requires practice and determination to improve your skill set. The physical aspects of executing a putt or tightening up your driving form are important, but just as essential is developing your mental composure.

One’s mental game can truly make or break a round, or tournament for that matter, even if your physical skills are on point. Letting the pressure of a bad shot or a spit out get into your head can create some devastating results, so let’s explore some various aspects to practice when you’re out on the course.

What’s Your Style?

Some players push putt and some prefer the spin, and just like the variations in our physical styles, mental games can look differently too. Are you the kind of player who has ice in your veins? One can only think of 4x World Champion Paul McBeth when we imagine a competitor that isn’t phased no matter what happens on the course.

How about those who are expressive, whether it’s putting on a show for the crowd or experiencing some rage on a difficult hole? If wearing your heart on your sleeve is your style, you might question how those ups and downs affect your overall mental composure. While we see certain players take the win from time to time, it’s usually the calm and consistent ones that find the most success.

Home Course Disadvantage

Another element that seems to have an effect on one’s mental state is during competition at your home course. There’s something about knowing each hole like the back of your hand that perhaps gives players too much confidence in their game. Approaching each hole with this attitude can sometimes lead to poor performance, despite your experience and certainty.

When this phenomenon occurs, it’s tough to shake it from your brain. You tell yourself: “I play here five days a week - what’s happening?” and once that thought permeates your mental game, it’s hard to refocus.

A Mental Routine

 The last element of mental composure that can make a huge difference in the success of your game is creating and executing a mental routine during both your casual and competitive rounds. The putting green is usually where this comes into play, as we have our own mantras that we repeat in our head.

Sometimes our mental routine is largely associated with our physical actions, and if we don’t have an extra putter in our other hand, spin our disc a certain number of times, or emulate any other motion we usually do, we can’t get into the proper headspace to execute.

Improving our mental composure takes time just like developing any other element of our game, but it’s almost harder for a lot of people, as casual rounds just don’t simulate the same mental state as tournament play.

If you’re looking to beef up your mental game, playing in local competitions just might be what you need to strengthen this muscle. What are some of your tricks for keeping calm under pressure and maintaining a positive state of mind during your rounds? Let us know in the comments below!

When Disc Golf Is Life...

We're all pretty obsessed with disc golf around here, and if you've ever seen one of our Disc Golf Is Life videos you know that we take the sport very seriously. When it comes to parking, dating, or even visiting the restroom, the terminology we use on the course can often easily translate into our daily lives.

But in all seriousness, disc golf is life for many people out there, and we're curious how that relates to those of you who don't work in the industry. Do you find that your co-workers think you're nuts when you sneak out of work half an hour early so you can make it to a weekly doubles event?

Or how about the fact that your vehicle is decked out in stickers declaring your love of the sport? Does your spouse give you a look when you try to hyzer your dirty laundry into the washing machine or are you a disc golf family that celebrates these attempts?

If you're not sure if disc golf is life for you, then check out our list of quick Disc Golf Is Life videos and see for yourself. You just might find yourself using terms like par, out of bounds, and foot fault in a business meeting if you aren't careful!

What's In Your Bag? A Look At How Some Of Our Pro Players Approach This Important Question

It can be daunting for any new player to figure out what discs work for them, and seeing others with a selection of multiple molds can make you question if you're stocking your bag "correctly." The truth is that every disc golfer from the casual aficionado to the touring pro takes a different approach when it comes to what's in their bag.

Some like to carry a full arsenal of discs, with various types of putters, a wide selection of midranges, and drivers that number into over a dozen. In his recent In The Bag video, Zach Melton explains why he uses certain discs and gives us pretty convincing reasons to have a lot of different types of molds in one bag.

Others like Eric McCabe find a mold they love and stock up in various types of plastic and wear to give them enough variety for the shots they need on the course. One of his favorite midrange discs is the EMAC Truth (what a coincidence!) and he carries 5 of them in his DD Zuca cart. He takes the same stance with his fairway drivers as well, keeping 5 Defenders on hand as each one flies a bit differently.

Taking another approach to stocking one's bag, Paige Pierce employs a unique plan for creating variety by sticking to her favorite plastic in many molds. As a huge fan of the BioFuzion and Lucid plastic, you'll see a wide variety of discs in her bag that offer a well-rounded assortment of shots in a material that she loves to throw.

How do you like to stock your bag? Do you take the approach of having a ton of molds for each shot you need, or does it feel more comfortable to dial in just a few types and rotate various levels of wear and tear? How does your favorite plastic factor into things?

Let us know in the comments below!

Quick Tip: Putting Duel

Hey guys, my name is Robert McCall. I’m the Team Manager for Dynamic Discs, and I’ve been playing disc golf for around 10 years. I’ve played with players from all over the world, and I’ve been doing my best to learn from as many of them as possible. In the Quick Tip series, I’m going to share something I’ve learned over the years from a combination of personal experience and expertise from other players.

This Week’s Quick Tip: Putting Duel

If you play competitive disc golf, you’ve probably experienced this scenario:

Late in your tournament round, you and another player are jockeying for position, trading birdies and pars on your way to the last few holes. You throw a fantastic drive on hole 17, landing around 20 feet away from the basket. Your opponent throws a decent drive but lands 60 feet out. You think to yourself, “I’ve got another one. I’ll be up 1 going to 18.” As you approach your lie, you begin counting all of the dollars (#discgolfrich) you’ll get or all of the discs you’ll be able to choose from for winning this tournament. Then, in uncanny fashion, your opponent jams their 60 footer. You incredulously walk to your shot, look up to the basket, and all of a sudden, your routine 20 footer feels like a 40 footer with a lot more pressure than you had anticipated.

I’m no expert, but I believe the scientific term for this phenomenon is getting “big-putted”, or alternately, “playing any round of disc golf with Ricky Wysocki”. I’m unsure of which is more correct. Either way, unless your mental game is perfectly steady, watching a long putt go in can cause you to feel more nervous about your putt.

At a recent tournament, I had some extra time to warm-up because of how the tee times were set up, so I was just putting to stay warm. While I was putting, Spencer Ling from Nevada asked me if I wanted to have a putting duel. I didn’t know what a putting duel was, but I agreed. He paced off 30 feet or so and set down a marker for us, and then he explained the premise of the game: we trade putts one by one. If he makes and I miss or vice versa, the person that made the putt gets a point. If we both make it or both miss it, no points are awarded. If Spencer makes a putt and I miss, he goes first again. However, if he misses and I make it, I get a point and take the box, putting first for the next putt. We played to 10 points.

At first, I was just having fun putting, because I really enjoy putting, but after a few makes and misses, we both became slightly more competitive and focused, because even if nothing is on the line, no one likes to lose. Though we weren’t playing a competitive round, this format allowed us to feel some pressure on our putts, and by the time the round was about to begin, both of us had our putting stroke grooved in fairly well. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I putted well during the round that followed because we’d both had an opportunity to feel some nerves while putting before throwing putts that actually counted toward tournament scores.

I will definitely try some more putting duels before tournament rounds, but also during putting practice sessions to mix it up a bit. Thanks so much (and full credit goes to) Spencer Ling for sharing the game he created with me!

I’d love to hear what kind of competitive putting games you’ve created or tried! If you have some suggestions that work well for you, I’d really appreciate if you submit a question to the Disc Golf Answer Man podcast, call into Disc Golf Answer Man on the Anchor app, or post in the Disc Golf Answer Man Facebook page. You can also reach me via my social media links below. See you next week!

Follow Robert McCall on Facebook and Instagarm.

Hints for Handling the Heat of Summer on the Disc Golf Course

The heat and humidity of summer can be daunting. You are outdoors and susceptible to dehydration, heat exhaustion/illness, and heat stroke. Especially on days when you play two rounds, learning how to manage the heat can be the difference between scoring well and tanking, if you’re able to finish at all.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has good information on its website related to managing heat. I have combined that research with my own experience to give you these suggestions to manage heat. Earn your PHT – Prepare, Hydrate, and Trust.

Prepare

At least three days before your competitive event, begin the process of prepping your body. If you are playing a warm-up event on Friday before the actual two-day event on Saturday and Sunday, that means begin on Tuesday. Acclimate by getting outside in similar weather if that’s not a regular part of your day. Adjust your diet and fluid intake – cut out fast food and eat lean meats, healthy starches, and a strong dose of bright-colored fruits and vegetables. But feel free to load up. And especially begin drinking water – plain water. A good rule of thumb leading up to the tourney is that for every drink you take leading up to your tourney, drink an equivalent amount of pure water. And consider adding supplements (like potassium or magnesium) to enhance water retention the day before and the day of the events.

Check weather and air quality reports, and know your own personal health history. Know how your body responds in the expected conditions and adjust additional preparations accordingly. Sunscreen, regardless of your skin-pigment color, is a must. On a hot day you should wear lighter fabrics, preferably of a moisture-wicking material and white or light colors. Have additional full sets of clothing to change into between rounds and then after a second round.

Hydrate

Outside of sunburn, most heat-related issues are caused by the loss of body fluids and salts/sugars through perspiration. So having plenty of water in your bag to drink is a must. I recommend a full 32-oz bottle that can be refilled if you know there is plenty of water on the course. If not, find a way to carry 96 oz during the round. Obviously, you should take a drink anytime you feel thirsty. Get sufficiently hydrated before the round. Personally during the round I take a couple swallows of water after my drive on each hole – whether I feel thirst or not. This is to be sure you get enough hydration. I do not recommend sports drinks during the round; it is better to drink water during the round, and replenish your electrolytes with sports drinks AFTER the round or BETWEEN rounds.

I also try not to drink ice cold water too fast as that can cause other problems. Water that is close to room temp (not outside temp) can be taken at a normal pace.

Trust

There are several things you need to trust; remember that simply standing in the sun on a hot day, even if you weren’t playing disc golf, is still zapping your body’s energy.

• Don’t be macho; there’s nothing “wimpy” about not carrying your bag on your shoulders. Use a rolling cart if the course is conducive; or even better, get a caddy. It saves energy.
• Umbrellas were originally created for shade not rain, so use one. You’d be very surprised how much better you will feel at the end of a hot day having shaded yourself with an umbrella all day.
• Buddy up with someone in your group and have him/her watch you for signs during the round. Tell them your key health issues or “look fors” and have them keep an eye on you.
• Monitor yourself. The best way to check your hydration is through urine color. (Sorry) If you haven’t pee’d at some time during the 18-hole round or right after, you ought to be concerned. You know you’re hydrated enough if your color is closer to clear or light yellow. Bright yellow color means you need to get water immediately. And if your urine has become dark yellow to a honey- or tea-color, you might need medical intervention right away.
• A moist towel dipped in cold water and wrapped around the back of your neck can assist in keeping your body temperature from getting too high.
• Your body will give you warnings. Muscle cramps or spasms seemingly for no reason, throbbing headaches, confusion or nausea, overly heavy sweat, feeling weak, or accumulation of small blisters are all symptoms of a heat-related illness.

Earning your PHT will help you solve the issues of heat. If I were to choose the most important of these, it would be prepping your body beginning three days ahead of time, using the umbrella, and drinking water constantly throughout the day. Do that and don’t let the heat control you!

A Ray
Team Dynamic Discs

Perfect practice makes perfect

Putting 01: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

You grasp the Trilogy branded towel hanging from your belt strap, the sweat wicks away easily. The towel is fresh, your clothes are crisp and breezy, your comfort level is at the highest its been stepping into any tournament this year. After a month of practice you know exactly what to do on green, and on the first hole of the day you’ve got a perfect tester. This 24 footer is exactly the shot you’ve been practicing for at home, right down to the Veteran basket matching the one mounted in your backyard. Stepping up to your lie you set your front foot down, perfect. Sitting on your back foot you’re sure to draw your disc in and then drive through your arm slot. 

A dull metallic thud.

Okay, top side off the bogey bar. But you know what happened. You followed through high. You’ll make sure to focus on following through on chains next hole, it’s fine – 53 holes to go, 62 if you count the Final 9 you’re sure to slide right into. But you don’t, and it isn’t fine. Hole after hole to follow you feel like you’re executing perfectly only to experience failure on top of failure. By the midway point you’re only sure of one thing: this is not what you prepared for. By the time you walk off of the course after three rounds of brutality your heart feels like it has fallen into your bowels.

What is it that leads even the most dedicated practice putter to fail when the time comes to putt for the money? In short: it isn’t the amount of time spent on the green but how you spend that time that matters. To borrow a quote from the sport of American football and legendary coach Vince Lombardi: “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” There are varying interpretations of this quote, and to my eyes it is often misinterpreted as a need to practice until mistakes are no longer made. I believe that this interpretation is flawed, and so what we need to answer is: what constitutes perfect practice?

While for decades in athletics there has been intense debate regarding the efficacy of various practice strategies, it appears that we have entered a golden age in sports training. For the longest time various strategies were built on research and the pure reputations of experts. For example: in weight training the mere presence of research by experts in the field of power lifting led to a definition of a proper half squat for all – power lifters and all athletes – as parallel to the ground. However these training methods were not based on evidence of efficacy. In recent years a new definition of a proper half squat has appeared as evidence has demonstrated that the fulfillment of a 90 degree angle at the knee is what is necessary for all of the benefits of a half squat (long story short: angle of ankle bend was ignored in earlier research). In all athletic endeavors – evidence demonstrating results is emerging to help us practice better, to develop “perfect practice.”

In the sport of disc golf I’ve found that following evidence from thought science and learning science are both necessary in developing an appropriate training regimen. From the world of learning science I’ve found particularly poignant the compilation of evidence done by Brown, Roedigger III, and McDaniel in their 2014 book “make it stick: The Science of Successful Learning” which covers a both counterproductive yet widespread tactics as well as strategies that encourage retention of information and skills. From the field of thought science I am not the first to find the work of Kahneman, particularly in his work “Thinking Fast, and Slow” useful: much of his work is paraphrased in the work of athletics trainer Peter Gallwey, the author of the “Inner Game …” series of sports training books.

Over a sequence of two articles to come I am going to work to synthesize the work of these authors to develop a theory of practice that will allow you to both analyze your game and then disengage from analysis when executing a throw on the course. Next up will be a focus on theories of learning, followed by theories of thought.

Putting 02: Putting as Learning

Your eyes are bleary by the end of each day, every single morning you’ve been out early putting before work. Your routines are becoming habit. After a few months of this these habits are your new normal as a person. Your friends now know you as an obsessive. And yet your numbers never improve. Every week ends the same as the last: no improvement from 18, no improvement from 21, no improvement out to the circle’s edge. Each day the routine is mind numbing, all you’ve ever heard is that practice is the key to success – but it just isn’t happening. After a summer of work you come to a personal realization: maybe those guys who say you shouldn’t practice too much are right...

I’d like to begin with one important statement: successful learning is, on the whole, difficult and slow. There is no shortcut to successfully developing a new skill. The best putters in the world improve incrementally over the course of multiple years. Each new plateau in skill exhibits the next year’s plateaus in its hot streaks, and so it continues through the limits of your own body’s capabilities in terms of muscle memory. It takes months of practice to reach each of those new plateaus in skill, and earth shattering improvements rarely happen in a single season. The strategies I’m going to elucidate on are not likely to improve your game overnight, but they will improve your game.

Let's begin with the types of practice most common among developing putters: massed practice and repetition. One of the more common complaints that pops up in disc golf’s social media outlets are along the lines of: “I’ve been taking hundreds of putts per day, but ...” Commonly these competitors are chunking their repetitions into massive groups. A new player feels like 15 footers are giving him trouble, and so he repeats those 15 footers for an hour, dropping a couple of hundred putts on the basket from that range until he can mindlessly zip the putter into the basket without thinking about it. By the end of a session the putt feels easy, but when a tournament rolls around the skill seems to wash away like a sand castle at high tide.

There’s nothing wrong with taking hundreds of putts per session. But the practice needs to be varied. Evidence shows that repetition from a single range must be interleaved with practice that varies the range. Taking 50-100 putts at a time from a single range before moving to another range is beneficial, but the benefits are stronger when one also implements a routine that involves moving putt by putt closer and further from the basket. Contemplate for a moment what tournament golf is like: a golfer does not often take 18 putts on 18 holes all from 25 feet. The body needs to be able to adjust dynamically up and down from 15 footers out to the limits of range. A recommendation would be to set stations up at varied distances from the basket allowing you to move putt by putt in and out in small increments. When out on the practice green take 50 putts from 18 feet, and then break it up by moving in and out for the next 50 before moving to another set of massed putts from a single distance.

The benefits may not be as obvious: where you were finishing your massed sets at a single range by zinging in putt after putt and feeling confident and successful, you may find yourself missing quite a bit more often as you move up and down your “ladder” of stations. This is not a bad thing, learners often interpret difficult practice as indicative of an unsuccessful day, but that is rarely the case. Difficult practice is more in line with the mental challenges one will encounter on the disc golf course and develops the resilience necessary to maintain focus on the course through a day of competition.

You’ll note that I still recommend sitting back on a single distance and working that distance to perfection. At first glance those sets appear counterproductive, and on their own they are. In one study of children throwing bean bags at a bucket the children practicing a single range (3 feet) were far less successful on tests from 3 feet than children who only practiced from the ranges shorter and longer than that range. When interleaved with varied practice, however, there are definite positive results. These positive results come from the use of those massed sessions as retrieval practice: by using those sessions as ‘pop quizzes’ for your body you improve your ability to recall the muscle memory in the future.

Research into learning demonstrates that frequent low stakes quizzing on a particular skill improves retention of the skill over time. This is why, when taking those massed sets, you’re going to want to keep track of how many putts you make. By tracking your numbers you turn every individual putt into a true test of your skill as a player (this is especially true as you build toward 100% numbers at shorter ranges, where a single moment of lost focus means not hitting your target goals). This frequent practice with something small on the line develops the ability to focus when it counts. By making each of those 18 foot putts a must hit, you are again improving your resilience on the course. By coming back to a certain range every couple of days to quiz on it you develop your body’s ability to recognize that it will be called upon to perform a task and perform it successfully.

Putting 03: Developing Your Mindset

The drive leg is the problem. You’re sure of it.

Your lead has been evaporating for the past six holes. Ever since the missed birdie on hole 10, you’ve been hemorrhaging strokes on the green. Low off the cage. Focus on the leg, focus on the leg. High. Low. Low again. It has to be the leg. And then chaos. This isn’t what your putt is supposed to look like. This isn’t what its supposed to FEEL like. Where did that feel you’d held for 29 holes go? It was so natural for so long, how could it go so very wrong...

Now that we’ve taken the time to develop the rough outline of a routine for practicing – it’s time to look at how to approach those aspects of the routine from a mental standpoint. Both Kahneman (in “Thinking Fast, and Slow”) and Gallwey (in the “Inner Game ...” series) like to use the numbers “1” and “2” - with Kahneman referring to them as “systems” and Gallwey referring to them as “selfs.” Although I am going to use Kahneman’s work to explain much of what these numbers mean within the realm of thought science, I’m going to focus on referring to them as “self 1” and “self 2” as Gallwey does in his work. This is intended to align more closely with the fact that as competitors we often ‘hear’ the conscious and analytical self as an inner voice instructing our actions.

The first of the two selfs, self 1, is the automatic and intuitive you. It uses your learned experiences to perform tasks without much conscious thought. In the everyday world self 1 is used to inform your conscious decisions, guiding you toward the conscious thoughts that you have. In an interaction with another person self 1 would guide you toward immediately recognizing the attitude of that person at a glance before entering into a conversation. While driving self 1 is going to allow you to unconsciously turn the wheel first right, and then overturn the wheel back to the left during a lane shift (to prevent that shift stalling out as a total alteration of direction… into a median). When disc golfing you want self 1 in control whenever engaging in any sort of throw.

Self 2 on the other hand should be avoided during the throw in competition. Self 2 is responsible for conscious tasks. Counting scores after a round requires self 2, as does comparing the value of your prize discs with your voucher total, or determining whether it is worth it to enter a basket toss. It is a very energy intensive way of thought, and as such it blinds a competitor to tasks that would otherwise be unconscious. We often disengage from tasks that engage self 2 without even thinking about it – a good example being when a passenger in a car. When the driver of the vehicle has to pass a large truck in a narrow construction zone, as passengers we often quiet ourselves without recognizing it to allow the driver to focus more consciously on driving as opposed to interpreting our words. On the course, self 2 is going to want to take control of our actions. When putting: self 2 is going to tell you to get your fingers under your putter and pop through; to drive through with the rear foot; to follow through after release. These conscious tasks interfere with self 1’s ability to unconsciously perform in coordination all of the other bits of muscle memory required to successfully make a putt.

Despite all of these flaws with self 2, it retains a very important role in practice and rounds if not within a competition throw. This is where I see all routines as requiring a division into two halves. One half of the putting routine should be focused purely on engagement of self 1, and the other half of the putting routine should be focused purely on engagement of self 2. This is because self 2 is the one responsible for mechanical analysis, and without mechanical analysis it is impossible to understand where mistakes are being made. On the course self 2 should be engaged when in between throws, and during the set-up aspect prior to a throw. To go back to learning theory: self 2 is in control of reflection, without which true learning is significantly delayed.

During a practice routine it is preferable to engage self 1 during massed practice that is done for the purpose of quizzing and retrieval of muscle memory. When focused on a set of 50 putts from 18 feet, for example, self 2 needs to be completely discarded. What you are practicing when you are attempting to hit 50 out of 50 from the edge of your 100% range is the ability to completely recall your muscle memory without conscious thought. Therefore: there should be absolutely no focus on the vagaries of form. This is the time to learn to trust your muscle memory just as you will in competition. You use these large sets of putts to develop trust in the practice routines that you’ve spent countless hours on.

The time for self 2 comes when you’re not engaged in counting makes and misses. For example: when working yourself up and down the ladder of ranges. If you are simply moving deeper and closer based on making or missing putts, you’re going to find that counting makes and misses is almost without a point aside from getting a personal ‘feel’ for your putt. This is a great time to focus on form. If your putts seem to be coming out soft, take the time to analyze and “listen” to your body as you go, noticing whether or not you’re following through or driving off of your rear leg. Use the energy intensive analytical skills of self 2 to your advantage during this part of your session. By necessity engaging in this sort of mental focus is going to make it difficult to make your putts at the high rate of consistency you’ll want for tournament golf, so never count makes or misses while doing it. It is a surefire way to ruin your self confidence as you’ll convince yourself that every aspect of your form has been thought through and you’ll struggle to recognize that by actively thinking it through you’re in essence preventing the sort of muscle memory retrieval necessary for all of those pieces to work with automaticity.

To translate this work to the course in competition you’ll want to use self 2 between shots, and discard when performing a competitive action. Competitors with self-confidence problems are often told to not “think so much” when on the course. There are seeds of truth in that, but they ignore the value of setup and reflection in proper execution. The practice with self 1 during the frequent ‘quizzing’ of the muscle memory teaches you to slide into a mental state where your only focus on the green is ‘throw it at that link’ when the time comes to execute. The practice with self 2 allows you to realize in between shots that maybe due to fatigue you started that last putt from your hip instead of your middle abdomen, or failed to get down into an athletic stance to drive off your rear foot. Engagement of self 2 is also vital in pre-shot setup: making sure your toe is pointed in the correct direction, lining up your shot to engage the proper shoulder slot, and so on.

By learning to use both of these forms of thought in practice, through a split putting routine that on one hand allows you to totally engage self 1 without thinking about form at all for the purpose of results and on the other hand analyzing your form while not worrying about the outcome you will learn to switch each form of thought “on” and “off” on the course. This will make you both a more prepared player, as well as a more natural and comfortable player.

I hope that this sequence of articles has been helpful for you as a player. Remember that at no point is any of this intended as an edict on exactly how to structure your routine down to the finest detail. This is meant as a guide to what the evidence regarding learning and thought tell us about developing our routines. It is intended to guide you toward developing the routine that best fits your day, your attitude, and who you are as a competitor.

See you on the course.

Chris Wojciechowski