Much Ado about Putting

By Foster Neill / “Freya”

“Putt” is the third throwing style in the left menu (Backhand, Forehand, Putt).

Why Putt? 

It's up to you how far you want to putt from, but I prefer putting whenever possible. My reasoning can be broken into four areas: power, ease, risk, and obstacles. 

Power:

While you can lower your putt power by slow swiping, we're never doing that. We always putt full power, so not needing to adjust that means one less way we can err. There is no disc flutter effect in Putt mode like there is pulling back using Backhand or Forehand throwing modes.  

This is not to say you can’t low power a short downhill putt instead of aiming down a click or two, but that a full power putt is not only safe but also the most consistent method to use from all viable distances. 

Ease:

Putting is easier to do in strong wind than a throw-in. There’s just a lot less guess work. While you may still sometimes need to compensate for the wind (3+), the compensation is both less than for throw-ins and also easier to get a feel for. Additionally, there’s no camera wobble or disc flutter when using Putt mode, so there are fewer variables to account for. 

Risk:

You will pretty much never overthrow a putt so far you can't putt coming back. Even if you do, you'll still probably be closer than if you'd have tried to throw-in and missed. 

Obstacles:

It's really common to need to Rotate the World putt to get around an obstacle (More on this later) There are just too many places where you can't get a clean line with a throw-in. So being good at putting gives you a huge leg up in making Rotate the World putts.

Disc Selection, Distance, & Attributes:

Disc Selection:

Putter or Midrange? Many people putt with a Fuse, which works well. Additionally, a Light/Extra Glide Fuse could add 1-2’ to total putting distance. However, there are obvious flaws to putting with a Light Glide Fuse. It will be harder to control in the wind, will have more action on the ground, and leave you farther away than almost any other rational option. If you use the same disc for throw-ins as you do putting, you will either split attributes between throwing and putting, or only benefit one mode. Given we have slots only putters can fill, it makes sense to dedicate a slot to a Putt mode putter, preferably one with attributes that actually help us make putts.

Distance:

As noted above, a Light Extra Glide Fuse (or Compass or even Achor) will add just a touch more distance to a putt - maybe 1-2’. That said, in my testing, the power of the putt mechanic is pretty consistent across molds. If you try to putt with a driver, it will fade fairly quickly and therefore fall short of the distance a straighter, slower disc can achieve. A driver with the Big Skip attribute will increase the distance a putt shot will travel, but it’s all ground action. I tried making putts outside 65’ using the skip, but it seems generally too low to crest the top of the cage. For all intents and purposes, all discs essentially top out at 65’ on flat ground, so there’s little to no advantage in terms of distance when it comes to using non-putters to putt with. The exception to this is when there’s steep elevation. In those situations, it is often wise to either throw in or use a midrange to putt with. More on that later. 

Attributes:

There are only 5 attributes available on putters: Sticky, Heavy, Accurate, Extra Glide, and Beatup. 

Accurate: A must have attribute for throw-ins, it works by reducing disc flutter. However, when putting, there is no disc flutter, so this attribute isn’t useful when putting. 

Extra Glide: This attribute has a small effect on a disc’s total distance, but not enough to make putts from farther outside 65’ unless paired with other distance advantages (faster disc like Fuse, Light, tailwinds). Namely, it seems to produce more slide on the ground. A Glide Pure will not make putts outside 65’ any better than any other putter with any other attributes. 

Beatup: I almost didn’t bother mentioning this attribute. I didn’t test it, but I doubt it’s useful to putting and I’ve only ever seen it as a single attribute. 

Sticky: Seems to have a small impact on both staying in the basket and slides on the ground. 

Heavy: Seems to have a small impact by sticking where it lands. Additionally, this attribute makes our putts slightly more accurate by fighting the wind. It also makes all shots fall a little sooner. 

Conclusion:
The best disc to putt with is a Heavy Sticky putter. I prefer the Keystone, as it seems the straightest, but if you prefer a bit of fade or more, the Pure, Dagger, Hope, Faith, Link, Harp, and Razer Claw are fine, too.

Adjusting the Aim:

I think it’s good to use the calculated system below, especially when still figuring it all out, but a simpler method is to eyeball it - imagine a nearly horizontal plane running parallel and extending from your disc. Aim up so that the plane slightly clears the top of the cage. 

From 66'-67' it's still possible to make a putt, but you'll have to use the Rotate the World technique to get yourself a little closer to the basket, and a strong tailwind and a Light or Extra Glide midrange will help a bit, too. These are so difficult to make, it should only be used to show off or when there's absolutely no other way.

From 68’+ it might be possible to make a putt, but I never attempt it unless there’s no other way. I’ve made a putt on flat ground from I think 72’ away once, but I wouldn’t want to have to do it again. 

It’s worth noting there’s room for error - we want our putter to hit chains just below center in height - it’s about 2 clicks down from there before we’re hitting the cage and about 3 clicks up to hit the ribbon. That means there’s a window of about 5 clicks in which a putt will go in. In lower winds especially, being even 2 clicks off perfect height adjustment won’t prevent a putt from going in. 

Making Downhill Putts:

When putting downhill inside 49', you'll find you often need to aim down. The closer you are and the steeper the elevation drop, the more likely you get a spit out, hit the band, and in the worst outcome, skip off the top. Places where this might happen: Harrowing Woods #4 when long on hillside, Harrowing Woods #8, when long on hillside,  Windswept Fields #3 when right of the basket, and Grizzly Gulch #9 when long to the back of the cave. It can be difficult to get into the right situations to practice this, but similar shots come up in Putting Practice mode. As a rule of thumb, adjust one click down for every 1’ for elevation drop inside 49’. You really want to get a feel for this. As I said above - there’s a little wiggle room up and down, so you don’t want to over adjust, but instead keep the strike point as close to just below center as possible.

When outside 49' and putting downhill, you often don't need to adjust the aim at all!  These are some of the most fun putts to make! Great examples are going a bit long on Blueberry Thicket #1 & #2 as those baskets are in a sort of little crater and also most putts on Crow's Nest #7, as the land descends toward the basket. As a rule of thumb, if you’re putting downhill with moderate slope, you won’t need to adjust. This is true up to about 61' and sometimes a little longer. As you approach 65, sometimes it’s necessary to adjust the aim up 1-3 clicks. Outside 65' it's very rare to be able to make a putt without adjusting. Generally, for every 1’ foot of elevation drop outside 49’, your putt’s stock height distance is increased by 2-3 feet. 

If you want the ultimate long putt, you need to check out the videos on Youtube. In a dated video, OrangePie demonstrated early on how to make a putt from hundreds of feet away!

Making Uphill Putts:

Making putts uphill is probably the most difficult to get a feel for and the most difficult to accurately describe. With flat ground putts, the aim up is very consistent, and with downhill putts, the need for adjustment is minimal, but for uphill putts, the range of adjustment is much greater and the total possible range is much narrower. Basically, for every 1’ of vertical incline, you lose 1’ of distance. 

Starting with baskets that are elevated and from inside 48', like Owlwood #7 or Harrowing Woods #6 - no aim adjustment is needed, but to increase make potential, aim up 1-4 clicks, especially as you approach 49’. There’s no need to risk a make by being lazy. Err on the side of a little higher than you think. Coyote Canyon #9 is similar - you must aim up at least 2 clicks even inside 49' when you're below the final shelf. At 49’, you’re probably aiming up more like 5 clicks. For baskets that are elevated even more like Downtown #6, #7 and #9, approximately 3 clicks up from 45-49', 2 clicks up from 30-45’, and 1 click up inside 30’, but this varies a bit depending on the elevation of your lie and wind. At this point in my game experience, I go by feel for a lot of these. For baskets like Coyote Canyon #5, you must aim up just 1 if right against the base of the podium; from something like 20-48' aiming up 2-5 clicks you can make the putt. Once you get outside 48', the putt gets very difficult to make. Maybe 10-15 clicks up needed. Outside 58', or so, the elevation increase will be too great and your putt will come up short. As a rule of thumb, if you're inside 48', you can probably make an uphill putt. Outside of 48’ it just depends on how steep the incline is. 

Rotate the World Putts:

A “Rotate the World” putt is where, when your shot is obstructed, you use the joystick aim to swivel the view until you have a clear line to the basket. Drag the putter down and move it laterally until you can swipe in a vertical line to the basket unobstructed. It doesn’t matter if your putter is all the way on the side of your screen so long as you can swipe straight up at the basket. Then just swipe that line. Try to keep your unobstructed line as vertical as possible and as close to the center of the screen as possible. It gets trickier to control if making a diagonal swipe from the corner of the screen. 

When using this technique, you're essentially getting closer to the basket. The farther you rotate, the more you’ll need to adjust the height. So if you rotate the world from 51' on flat ground, you won't need to aim up at all. You may even need to aim down. Be especially careful when using Rotate the World on downhill putts. A very good example of the distance change using Rotate the World is behind the pine to the left of the basket on Grizzly Gulch #7. Conversely, if putting uphill or from far away, using RTW can get you closer. In some cases, RTW can even extend you maximum putting distance by a few feet, making it possible to make a 68 or even 70’+ putt where a throw-in was otherwise impossible. 

This is a skill you should practice as much as possible! Get good at making them from close and consistent enough to trust it out to 65’. This trick will save many, many birdies. A good place to start practicing shorter Rotate the World putts is the Spider Tree hole on Harrowing Woods, as the tree limbs/trunks often obstruct the basket. 

Compensating for the Wind:

1 & 2 winds don’t need to be compensated for when putting. It’s rare that a tail or headwind requires much compensation. 1 or 2 additional height clicks up or down at most in 3+ head/tail winds respectively, and those only outside 49’ and mostly with elevation change, too. However, a 3+ headwind usually lowers the maximum possible make distance to 63.’ (Which is probably the distance most players should switch to throw-in’s anyway)

It is necessary to compensate for 3+ lateral wind. I compensate with my swipe line by making a slightly less vertical swipe, veering into the wind. It doesn’t take much at all, and I’ve found it easy to get a feel for, but if you’re not comfortable with that, you can use the slider to move your alignment left or right and focus on making a very vertical swipe. Again it takes very little - about ¼ -⅓  either way on the slider. The trick will be getting used to swiping off-center of the basket. With a little practice, putting in 3+ wind past 50’ will feel automatic. Additionally, if you use a putter with the Heavy attribute, the wind has much less effect on your putt. There is still some effect, but lateral winds take less compensation. 

Regarding the physical action of putting: 

I'm a thumb player, but I think my principles apply no matter what. The farther away you are, the longer the line you must swipe. Since we want to make everything possible, I think it's best to always make a line from the bottom of my screen all the way to the top, straight through the basket. (accounting for wind). If you manage to go perfectly straight up the pole, you’ll make nearly all your putts so long as you adjusted height for distance. 

Using my thumb to putt, I position my pointer finger on the top edge of my phone directly above the basket, the next two fingers also on top and pinky high on the right side. (I’m right handed and have smaller hands, so 2 fingers on the right side might be more comfortable) This gives me a steady base to make a “clean swipe”. This reminds me of a billiards “bridge” in some ways. You want your putting finger to be steady and smooth. My other hand stabilizes, too of course. The important thing is that my thumb isn't free floating above the screen. It's locked to the screen by my other 4 fingers. After pulling straight back, I swipe my thumb straight up in a pinching motion until it touches my pointer finger, being careful not to press down as I drag. I want my thumb to glide smoothly across my screen. Doing this every time makes putting very consistent. 

I also find setting my phone flat on a table makes it more difficult for me to putt and throw-in. I prefer looking at the screen more vertically, so as to see over my thumb and to see how my aim is. I imagine pointer players have an advantage in this regard, but I wonder how they get consistent stabilization.

Putting Practice:

At the time I’m writing this, Putting Practice is a little buggy. It’s possible to “break” a chain, making the basket less likely to catch discs and creating the possibility it will eject your disc very far away. Also, the leaderboard is not adding new high scores. Aside from those two bugs, it’s good practice for putting and throw-ins. Interestingly, in Putting Practice, the camera never follows your shot, so that takes a little getting used to. Also, there’s no wind in Putting Practice, so it’s a good idea to play a warm up round after a lengthy Putting Practice session to make sure you remember how wind works. Overall, Putting Practice is a great way to improve your finish game. Hopefully the bugs are resolved soon. Until they are, at the very least, practice your putting there until you can consistently get past 65’ and need to switch to throw-ins. Neither of the bugs should have any effect from just putts.

Throw-ins and Final thoughts:

Throw-ins aren’t putts, but you’ll need to get good at making them consistently from at the minimum, 66’ and at the highest levels of play, out to about 200’. I’m not covering how to throw-in in this article, but it’s an important skill. No great player can get by without them. This article is intended to help players get a feel for the putting mechanic with the idea that most players will benefit from improving their putting skills. But like with great basketball free-thrower shooters - all great players will develop their own “form” - there’s no one right way to play Disc Golf Valley.