Breaking Down An Unorthodox Shot - The How And Why

We’ve all been there - you throw what looks like an amazing shot off the tee box only to find that your trusted driver has landed squarely behind a massive tree. Whether you’re playing a casual round or you’re on track to set a new course record at a local tournament, you want to have every shot in your bag to avoid extra strokes when situations like this arise.

There are a ton of shots out there, some that don’t even have names (think “Patent Pending”), but today we want to review just a few of them in the hopes that they’ll help you out in a sticky situation one day.

The Grenade

Although some might argue that it’s not an incredibly popular shot, throwing a Grenade could pay off every now and again. The basics of the shot are simple enough: essentially, you’re throwing a spike hyzer with the disc upside down. It sounds ridiculous, but there’s a reason for it.

A Grenade shot generates a lot of backspin and forces your disc to spike straight into the ground without getting much forward progress down the fairway. When might this come in handy? Let’s say you’re on a downhill hole, and if you throw a regular backhand shot you’re going to blow past the basket. With a Grenade shot, you’ll advance about 100 feet or so and then dive straight down, putting you in perfect position.

The Thumber

Seen often amongst the amateur circuit and by the pros here and there, a Thumber is a great shot to have in your bag. With this approach, you’re going to hook your thumb around the edge of the disc and have your four fingers rest on the flight plate. Now, throw the disc like you would a baseball pitch.

Thumbers get their fair share of grief as it’s typically the way many new players learn how to throw, but the corkscrew action you get in the air can be really handy if you need to get up and over a bush or around a tree that’s directly in your flight path.

The Horseshoe Putt

We’re all impressed when we watch someone pull off this type of unorthodox shot, as a Horseshoe Putt can be super tricky. Instead of using your usual putting stance, imagine you’re throwing a horseshoe toward the basket. Bring your arm to the side of your body and use this motion to connect with the chains. Simple, right?

Like the other unorthodox shots we’ve mentioned, this type of putt works best when you have something directly in your way and you’re blocked from using your typical putting routine. There’s certainly a time or two in recent history that we’ve seen a Horseshoe Putt on post-produced coverage and were completely in awe of this unique type of shot.

A Bag Full Of Tricks

There are so many random ways to throw a disc that we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg. Have another suggestion for getting around obstacles on the course? Let us know what your favorite kind of unorthodox shot is in the comments below!