How to Practice Disc Golf at Home or Without a Basket
Practice! Practice! Practice! That is what you have to do if you want to be at the top of your game and number 1 in your chosen sport. Disc golf is the same. If you do not practice, then do not expect to get top results.
How to Practice Disc Golf at Home or Without a Basket: One way to practice at home or without a basket is to simply pick a target about 100 feet away from where you are standing and take aim. Then continue to throw till you work out all the bugs and your throws are almost 100% accurate.
Practicing disc golf at home or without a basket is not hard. When you practice you do not want distance. You want good form and accuracy. Working on your technique can be done at home and without a basket. Keep reading for more tips on how to practice disc golf at home.
Disc Golf Practice Putting Without a Basket
You do not need a basket to practice your putting. You also do not need to be outdoors to get some good putting practice in. It is possible to practice where you have little space as disc golf putting is any distance measuring 10 meters and under.
What you can do is create make shift targets by using masking or duct tape to mark where a real bucket would be standing. Or you can use a trash can to help you get the feel of putting your disc into a basket.
Or you can use telephone posts, fence posts and other similar objects to help you improve your accuracy. The options for you are limitless. The only other thing you need when you are at home is time.
Then when you practice, you should not be using your good disc golf putters. You run the risk of ruining or damaging them if you use them for your practice sessions. Instead spend a few extra bucks and get several practice disc golf putters.
That way your mind will not be distracted by possible damage and you can concentrate on your form and accuracy. Cheap practice putters will not ruin your game.
How to Practice Disc Golf at Home
There are several DIY ways to practice at your home. First, you can take an old basketball hoop, hang a chain around it and try tossing your practice putters inside the rim.
Mark off as many feet as you can from the rim before you make your first toss. Or keep the rim flexible and versatile by not making it permanent. Move the rim to different spots so you can proactive from all angles.
Another way to practice at home is to use a trash can or 55 gallon drum. Use the same setup as above and work on your form and accuracy. Or you can use an old peach basket to get your aim down just right.
If your front of back yard is large enough, you could also go out and by a practice basket. These inexpensive items should help you practice and make sure you get better at the game.
Again, you would want the basket to be moveable so you get lots of practice putting from different difficult spots. The key is to not make your practice target too large or your aim and judgment might be thrown off a bit.
Disc Golf Practice Drills
To improve your putting game it is a smart move to try some putting drills. Drills help you get your from and technique down so that it is permanent. They also help your accuracy.
Here are some putting drills you can do to improve your disc golf putting form:
Overload drill- start about 5 to 10 feet back and do two putts. If you make both take a step back and do it again. If you miss, take a step forward till you make both. You can also add 2 putts at a time per step back if you want.
Five’s drill- this is similar to the above drill except that you are doing 5 putts at one time. If you make them all, take a step back. If you don’t take a step forward. Keep doing this till you are accurate from longer range
50-50 drill- here you are starting at about 5 to 10 feet from the basket and doing two putts at a time. If you miss, you stay where you are till you sink both putts. When you sink both, take a step back and do it again
The line drill- same starting position as the previous drills but you are only doing one putt at a time. When you miss, take a step forward and when you make it, take a step back
Around the world drill- this is a good drill to do to practice your angles. You are only making one putt attempt per spot. When you make the putt take a step to the side and a step back. If you miss, don’t move. Stay where you are till you make it
Push your luck drill- this drill has you starting about 5 to 10 feet back from the basket. Once you make the putt you take a step back. When you miss, you have to return to your starting position and do it all over again.
Horse drill- just like the game of horse in basketball. You need another person and you take turns making putts. The first player picks a spot and makes his putt, the second player has to copy the shot. You lose if you miss enough attempts that you spell the word horse
Obstacle drill- in this drill you are challenging yourself to miss the obstacles you have placed in your throwing way. What obstacles you use is up to you. In the drill you make two putts. If only one goes in you get to move the basket one step away from the obstacle. If you miss both, everything remains the same.
None of these drills are set in stone. You cam change the starting distance, the location of the target, and even the number of putts. How you do these drills are up to as long as you get some serious practice in.
Make sure to correct any mistakes in your form, technique, grip and so on, as you practice.
Disc Golf Towel Drill
Most experienced disc golf players are well aware of this drill. If you haven’t heard of it, it is high time you found out and started using it to help improve your disc golf game.
The disc golf towel drill is not a hard drill to master or do. It is a great warm up drill t get your arm ready for the game that is about to start. What this drill does is help improve your speed and power by using your disc golf technique. The only difference you will have is that you are gripping a towel and not your disc golf driver.
Here are the steps to performing this drill successfully:
- Grip the towel and hold it in front of you
- Using your throwing technique, bring the towel back
- Then launch into your throw, if you hear a whoosh, then you did not perform the drill correctly
- If you hear a snap or a whip, then you are on target and successful
Repeat as often as you need to. The more successful your towel whipping the better your disc golf driving
How to Practice Disc Golf in the Winter
Real golfers are famous for playing in any weather. Since disc golf copies a lot from real golf, it is safe to say that this all weather attitude has been copied by disc golfers and they practice and play in the winter.
One of the keys to practicing disc golf during the winter is to make sure your dress warmly. Long underwear, wool socks, hoodie, wool cap, scarf and gloves. You do not want to make yourself sick as your practice and gloves should not interfere with your grip.
Practicing in the winter may take 2 or 3 holes to warm up but once you get used to the temperature, you should be able to practice like normal. Plus, you do not have to hurry. If you are on a course, you may be the only ones there and you do not have to worry about the pace of your game
Also, used bright colored discs to make sure you do not lose your practice disc when you toss them at your target. If this doesn’t work for you, you can always set up a practice area inside your basement living room or rec room and stay nice and warm
The key to disc golf is always going to be form and accuracy and you can practice that inside very easily.
Some Disc Gold Practice Tips
Before you start practicing at home, it pays to have a few tips guiding your time so it is not wasted. Good tips help you improve. Here are three tips to help guide your practice sessions:
Practice makes permanence- you know, like the martial art experts do. They practice the same forms over and over until it becomes natural and automatic in your mind. You do not have to think about it, you just do it
Have specific realistic goals- if you do not have realistic goals to work on, you may never improve your game. Just keep them realistic and reachable but not too easy. You want confidence not overconfidence. Also do not make those goals too general, keep them very specific so you stay in control of your game
Practice with a partner- a good partner will be able to see mistakes or other errors you are making. They have a better perspective than you do and can see things you can’t. The only thing you may have to work on is how to handle the constructive criticism. A good partner can help you fine tune your technique, follow through and so on.
How to Choose a Practice Basket
Your yard may not be big enough for you to get efficient practice time. In this case you may want to go to your local park or school yard and get better space for your practice time. When you do this a good practice basket may be the best option for you to use.
There are 4 types of practice baskets you can choose from:
The folding model- this is usually a lightweight basket that folds up for easy relocation. You can fold it up and take it anywhere.
The narrow option- this type of practice basket is designed to help you fine tune your putting. You may miss a lot of putts but that is okay,. This basket is narrower than a regular basket and those putts you miss on this model should be successful on the regular baskets
The light duty option- these baskets have fewer chains, are lighter and cheaper than regular baskets. But they still do a good job when you are just practicing. You may get more spit outs or misses o=using this basket but that is not a major problem. You are practicing your accuracy etc., not playing a real game
The heavy duty model- This is the closest you will get to a professional disc golf basket. It is good for home use and can really help you improve your game. The construction material and assembly are also top notch and durable
The price you will pay depends on the model you want. The heavy duty is more expensive but it is also the most durable, etc. What model you choose also depends on your disc golf needs.
The baskets are basic in design and are made to make sure you improve your aim, form and so on.
Some Final Comments
You may not have a disc golf course near you. But that situation shouldn’t stop you from making improvements to your disc golf game. You can practice at home and in any season if you take the right steps.
The key when you practice is not getting the distance. It is getting your technique, form, aim and accuracy down pat so you can have an enjoyable disc golf round. If you want to be one of the best disc golfers in your neighborhood, then you will need to do a lot of practicing.
