Your Most Important Putting Stat

Today we talk about the ONE statistic you should know by heart regarding your putting percentages. This not only will help us better organize our practices by giving us a focal point, but will also inform our decision making on the course! It all flows from this concept.

0:00 - Intro
0:25 - Track this stat
1:20 - Why?
2:17 - Confidence
2:56 - Decision Making
6:24 - Managing Expectations
7:11 - In closing
7:36 - Right?

[NathanAus]

I remember a McBeth vlog where he went for a long putt and it hit the front rim and he commented "That doesn't bother me because I didn't do anything wrong. I putted for the wind I expected, and it changed, which is outside of my control, so the miss doesn't bother me."

[Arodynamics]

I read somewhere that C1X exists bc pros rarely miss inside 3M so I knew I was losing TONS of strokes on the green and after I topped the Disc Golf Valley World Rankings in May (true story 🥳), I was curious to see how good I could get at disc golf irl if I gave it a similar effort (spoiler alert: dg irl is exponentially harder than DGV 😂). First thing I did was commit myself to 1k< putts/wk. Then I set up shop at 4M until I could make 100 putts in a row. Once I did, I was able to make 100 more (for a total of 200 in a row) and that’s when I knew it was time to move back to 5M. Pretty soon, I started documenting personal bests for every single distance between 4M-20M and knowing my exact percentages when I’m at my absolute best, in ideal conditions (grooving a stroke at a basket on flat ground, with no/low wind, no obstruction, no nearby water/OB and my preferred stance) has DRAMATICALLY improved my decision-making for all situations. And better decision-making, coupled with 25k+ practice putts, dozens of hrs of field work and approach practice, and enough discipline to limit myself to 1-2 actual rounds/wk = going from a previous personal best of +2 at my local course to a current personal best of -6 for the exact same layout. 🤷🏻‍♂️

C1X PUTTING
4M/13’ - 100% (6/29/21) Streak: 200
5M/16’ - 99% (10/27/21) Streak: 92
6M/20’ - 94% (11/1/21) Streak: 45
7M/23’ - 89% (10/19/21) Streak: 26
8M/26’ - 80% (10/19/21) Streak: 24
9M/30’ - 79% (10/18/21) Streak: 14
10M/33’ - 65% (11/4/21) Streak: 11

C2 PUTTING
11M/36’ - 45% (10/19/21) Streak: 4
12M/39’ - 36% (10/28/21) Streak: 4
13M/43’ - 29% (10/28/21) Streak: 3
14M/46’ - 22% (10/31/21) Streak: 3
15M/49’ - 20% (10/31/21) Streak: 2
16M/52’ - 18% (10/31/21) Streak: 3
17M/56’ - 16% (10/31/21) Streak: 2
18M/59’ - 12% (10/7/21) Streak: 3
19M/62’ - 11% (10/31/21) Streak: 2
20M/66’ - 7% (10/7/21) Streak: 1

[HazardGaming]

This is close to how I have been practicing my putting. I start at 2 meters with 5 putters. If I make all 5 I move back 1 meter, if I miss 1 I stay, if I miss more than 1 I move forward 1 meter. It really does build confidence. I start at 2 meters even though that's way within my 100% range because just seeing the disc go in the basket sets you up for a better practice session than starting at 5 meters and missing the first three putts.

Great video.

[bsartias]

Now that I've just watched more than 10 of your videos, I realize I can just automatically hit the thumbs up when the video starts because they're all so helpful.

[alitabattlechicken]

You’re a great coach, dude. Simple, succinct explanations that just make sense. I’ve learned a ton from this channel.

[NickCarroll]

Thank you for making this. I actually started doing this a little more than a year ago when I got fed up with missing point-blank putts. I needed to build the skill and self-assurance to putt on the course. So I would start at 10 feet, putt 25 times (5 sets of 5), then move back a foot, and repeat that process until I got to 15 feet. If I had more time I'd go back as far as 20 feet. What this did was allow me to properly teach myself to putt, through trial and error, and give me options to make adjustments over time (in power, release angle, nose angle, etc) so I could get the confidence based on competence. Now that I know my limitations, it lets me know that 20 footers and beyond are not as upsetting when I miss, just as when I miss the occasional point-blank putt. Later I added straddle putts to this, so 3 sets of 5 staggered putts, followed by 2 sets of straddle putts (left foot behind the lie, followed by right foot behind the same lie).

[micah_lee]

This is a tip eagle had a long time ago and I stuck with. I worked on 15 footers until I got so confident that I moved to 20, and now I usually practice from 25.

[penrose]

Quickly becoming the best disc golf channel on youtube.

[Chris-qqcu]

this takes "learning from your shortcomings" to a whole different perspective

[arhshields]

"We just neglect the process of getting to the longer puts."
Damn, Josh, why you gotta call me out so directly?

[SLPDiscGolf]

Excellent insights! Knowing that 100% putting distance also impacts your upshot practice as now you focus on getting those upshots into that "100% circle" vs. aiming at the basket or being happy with circle 1. You're helping us increase our deliberate practice...thank you!

[Andrewryansnyder]

So thankful to you guys for taking (at least) 5 strokes off my local courses. Started playing again after about 4-5 years, you guys really got my game together. 🤙

[Vanbulance]

Nice Vid! Good tips on confidence, I heard it said somewhere, if your not making more then 50% of your practice putts, then your training yourself to miss. That led me to start practicing more at closer range, and I have felt that increase in confidence that you speak of. Keep up the good work fellas!

[desverre]

I now know what to do to endure trough this cold, dark northern winter. You will find me and my basket in a local school gym-room or whatever its called. 😂
Thank you for taking the time to teach, inspire and bring a warm happy feeling to all of us freezing our asses off here up north ❤️🥶

[calebking]

I love the idea of letting your practice sessions give you concrete information to guide you when making game day decisions. I see how this could alleviate some of the unnecessary pressure I put on myself and give me more confidence. Thank you for the clear explanation of this useful concept. Now I'm ready to go discover my 100% putting range!

[kruksog]

I struggle to make a 350ft drive, but I've pushed my 100% putt range to 20 ft, which I know isn't that impressive, but I mention it to say: I score about as well as my bud who can throw 500 (and if I may also say, is a bit of a loose cannon). The point is that putting makes such a huge difference, seriously. If you struggle to get big distance, work on your putting, because that can get you equivalent scores. Everybody wants to throw far, but putts can do the trick too.

[rumpt]

Great video, I am now a better putter. Just set up my basket in my apartment at a distance that felt automatic and sunk 100 in a row. That was 9ft. Moved back a foot and made 59 in a row then sunk a bunch more after that. Moved back to 11ft and missed the 2nd one. I now know exactly how to approach getting better and knowing my game. Would have helped so much at my last tourney.

[zackp]

I really liked the explanation of how you should not beat yourself up about misses that are outside the range where you are automatic. Because you need to realize you are not gonna make 100% of them and that’s ok.

[nothingnamed]

Another fantastic and straightforward video that was beautifully shot and entertaining to watch. Keep up the great work folks, we all appreciate it greatly!

[markuskoivumaa]

I don't think many players have a set 100% range and I think that's where the problem is for many, who've already played several years and tried putting in a solid practicing effort. For me the 100% range varies a lot depending on the day, and even more from practice green to a green on a course. Also, I've found that trying to put long putts close doesn't always get you shorter putts than running them. At least here, in the wooded courses of Finland, targets are quite often placed on uneven ground and hillsides, which results in a lot of roll-aways and other unexpected outcomes. But I'm not trying to say you should never lay up, I just feel it's way more complicated that this video makes it up to be. Aaand, it could just be me and it works for everybody else. Thank's for the videos, I enjoy the content and have learned a lot from them.