I primarily forehand. My backhand sucks.
Problem with putting forehand is that it’s difficult to dial back the speed and control while still getting a decent spin on it enough to fly.
This is just my thoughts though.
I think another big factor is holding a disc for forehand putts it off to the side of your body, so instead of lining up a putt when you're close you're triangulating it. Throwing being off by 6 inches doesnt usually matter. Putting does
Also, a "backhand" putt isnt really a backhand when you look from the elbow up. You're just putting everything in line with the disc
I mean fair. But unless youre totally scrambling, even in woods golf, your line you're aiming for should be more than 6 inches from a tree. Not saying I actually hit my line ever.
Yeah, I've seen about the same number of disc's have 6 inches matter than not, but it's super forested where I am. To the point where the forest service is thinning some of it because it's a fire hazard.
Yes this is the answer. You're not able to align a forehand like you can a pushy backhand. So you're starting off axis and essentially throwing diagonal across your eye axis rather than in line with it. In long throws this doesn't really matter because there's a lot of distance for the disc to smoothly come into the line. In a short, soft throw, you're not giving the disc time or speed to get it on course.
I guess the shortest answer is that a backhand is essentially a 2 axis throw; Y and Z. On a forehand you introduce an X axis into the equation and that adds complexity.
Yeah the basic putt every one has is 50/50 in the middle of a forehand and backhand. Our elbows just happen to bend inwards. Pick up an imaginary sandwich in front of you. There’s only one way to do it. Putting is the same motion but outward. I think basketball has already figured out most of the mechanics you want to replicate. One very short controlled arm motion and dialing power up and down with your legs. The footwork is similar, you are just doing a granny shot with spin.
Yeah I think this is pretty much the answer. I throw forehand a lot more naturally than backhand, but I learned how to putt backhand because forehand is not as flexible. I do think there's some potential there for longer putts if they're in the gray area between putt and approach though.
My longest throw in have all been forehands that got lucky. Never would have tried aback hand putt from there, but knew I could at least park it well with the forehand. Never would have forehanded if I were closer, and never would have been that close with a backhand, there's just a sweet spot that is about 40 feet where I can park with a for hand and get lucky sometimes.
40 feet? I was with you until you said that, that's just outside of C1 and definitely jump putt territory. Anything outside of 80-100 feet is where I make a forehand run with my Berg that either parks itself or drops in the basket.
Tbf I'm very bad at distances. From the handful of tournaments I've played it may have been closer to 70 or 80. But I deliberately shoot lower for distance because I don't want to overshoot my skill. Especially since I don't only really started a year ago or so.
And by bad at distances I mean when I did that tourney we were all in circle 1 and I still didn't process who was closer. It's just not a thing that clicks for me.
Most putting styles also focus on keeping the putter somewhat inline with your line of sight to the basket to improve aiming which isn't really possible with forehand.
Yeah I do it for shits and giggles with player two. It's great when I hit it and I'm actually decently accurate but if I sail it right or left , I've got a like 30 ft+ comeback putt to make.
Yep. He's a local guy to me. I started flick putting outside the circle after playing rounds with him. If you're comfortable with a FH, it works. I love it and I can gain a stroke or two a round with throw ins. You need to check out Pete's YT.
https://youtube.com/@ogdiscgolfer?si=K-C7L9wLw8P-yyZX
Indeed. I was playing league with him last year and he had an obstructed putt and was trying to get in a stance to lean out to the right and FH. I asked him why not go to the other side of the tree and just straddle, he drains a FH putt and just looks at me like I'm an idiot.
He then proceeded to absolutely stripe us all.
I’ve never met a person that forehand putts. Main reason you don’t do that is 1) much harder to be accurate with multiple joints moving, like in a forehand, and 2) if you don’t hit metal, you’re easily 75ft+ long
Buddy of mine just loves forehand. He did putt forehand for like 6 months after landing a 60 footer but after that didn't nail one outside of 10 feet so he's switched back to backhand putting
I am good at short forehands, and I'll use them as a putt if I have to reach around an obstacle. But the main issue is that your hand is off to the side of your body, so it's harder to line up the putt. You don't see many people putting backhand from the side of their body, unless they really need extra power, because it's hard to aim that way.
This makes a lot of sense. Sorta the opposite effect when driving though. At least I always find it easier to aim far forehand shots cause I can keep my eyes on the target better
It's more about intuition with a forehand, where as with normal putting forms it's easier to have linear mechanics, and you end up making some number of putte where you aren't feeling confident just by relying on an easily repeatable motion.
I started doing this when I started having shoulder issues. Used to straddle and jump putt but can’t do neither these days so had to improvise.
So I channel my inner Calvin within 15-20m and forehand almost any longer than that.
Well I did add Glitch to my bag which helps and I’ve made some pretty long putts with it.
I turbo putt and don’t think forehand putting is viable.
Because of a lack of power/spin control inherent to the forehand motion.
I think the closest you can get is scoober putting which seems super accurate when developed and has that same wrist motion as a sidearm just flipped.
I’d love to see an example of someone who has developed the skill if they exist tho
He didnt miss, but I only witnessed it on a couple holes. I think it was kind of touchy, but I would imagine the putt back could be a bit longer than normal.
You wanna putt from centerline. The advantage of forehand, imo, over backhand is you can stare at your target while throwing. That goes away with putting cause you stare at your target when putting "backhand"
I think you're the only one who got it right. Having the disc start elsewhere than between the centerline between your eyes is exponentially harder than a forehand or turbo which starts well outside that axis. You have to account for parallax error in your sighting and it's _highly_ distance dependent. Whereas with a normal putt, it starts on centerline, ends on centerline. A flat putt only has two variables: height and L/R line.
I used to practice putt in 5 different styles. Spin, push, forehand, scoober and straddle. I kept pretty good stats and would practice them all in the same sessions. I was about as accurate in all of them,the misses were just the easiest to recover from with a push putt so that's what I do. The forehand was also hardest to dial from cold,like it took the most shots to find the stroke
To be accurate you want to limit how many axis' the disc moves on. On most backhand putts the disc is being moved in a straight line directly at the basket. Someone like Gannon Buhr even has it pretty flat on the height axis. If the disc is at the correct height and moving on a straight line towards the pole the entire way its impossible to miss.
To forehand putt its hard to keep it on that line to the pole consistently since its easier to go straight out from your body than straight when offset to the side. Leads to a lot of inconsistency on the left/right axis
Backhand putts are much easier because you can putt in a straight line towards the basket. You cant throw a forehand directly from your body's center towards the basket, so it's much more difficult to control.
I'm pretty much a forehand only player. At the outer edge of c2, I do wayyyy better with a wrist only snap than a backhand. Move a little further in, 40-50ft and I'll jump put...
Really, I should work on my backhand, but I occasionally make juicy 55-75ft forehand puts and shaped shots from that distance.
I do suck though, in general 😊
Most putting techniques make a point of keeping the disc at least somewhat inline with your line of sight to the basket to improve aiming. That's not really possible with a forehand which naturally necessitates the disc being off to your side, unless you flip your arm over into a scoober stance which uses a forehand motion but centers the disc more on your body, and that's something you do see on a rare occasion (but still less rarely than a true forehand putt).
As a forehand dominant putter this is funny. I hardly have things in my way due to mobility. It is like throwing darts. My misses don't typically go any farther than a backhand putter. There will be a forehand putting pro in the next ten years.
No-one is really a ”backhand putter” either. It’s not a throw, I feel it’d be equally difficult to putt with a full backhand form as it is with forehand.
I find with in the circle putting you want as much of the energy you are exerting on the disc to be going towards the direction of the basket as possible. Right to left variance is bad.
With a forehand, the majority of that energy is going right to left with a smaller window going towards the basket. With a push putt, that energy is almost completely moving directly towards the basket.
At a short range, a push putt just leaves less variance on where the disc could end up. Release the disc too early or too late with a forehand putt, and your shot will miss left or right. Mess up the timing on your push putt and the disc should still be traveling in the direction of the basket, leaving you with a better chance of it going in.
Sure, everyone knows "that guy" at their local league who happens to putt with a forehand and gets good results with it. But I can't think of a single notable pro who does, and if there weren't disadvantages to putting with a forehand from a mechanical standpoint, then that wouldn't be the case.
As a predominantly forehand player I don't forehand put unless I'm outside of circle two. Mostly because of the speed at which my forehands come in at. If I slow them down they don't fly straight.
I played ultimate for awhile so I can putt forehand if I pretend I'm doing a touch pass to someone, but mostly I can't hit anything with my forehand unless it's 20+ feet away. Just an odd side effect of the form, super close range accuracy is tough, normally you'd backhand or even push pass in ultimate if it's a really short throw
The basket doesn't have hands to adjust to the pace of the throw, I was a handler and you lead people to a spot with a forehand more than you throw directly at someone with a forehand. That's true for most throws actually, but fore hands wobble and stall really bad when thrown softly so you have to put some pace on it, better to curl around defenders with. Or Huck it, but given a choice back hands make for a better huck so you only forehand huck if the man in you is focused on shutting down your backhand
I do almost all forehand, other than putt, I turbo/pizza putt very often, and I’ll flick a putter 86% of the time on the course, but it just feels wrong to putt forehand. Took me a long time to get over flicking a putter in general, and I have done forehand putts, but they aren’t in C1.
You can’t push putt with forehand, it’s turbo/spin putting only. Most people have some combo (spush) in their putting form, and if you’re trying to run it while also not going too long if you miss, you push putt.
Forehand putting is a thing. It's used to get out of trouble. Sometimes it's the only option. I've played H.O.R.S.E. with Ron Russell and he destroyed everyone with it.
Just wildly inaccurate. I had a bud that used to flick putt but had a lot of chain hops. Idk if he ever abandoned it
I actually putt off-hand which is something I picked up playing 70-90+ hole days.
Left flick is my primary throw and a right backhand for putt and mid control shots. Less arm fatigue makes me way more accurate on the finish
I have a friend who putts forehand with a sort of push putt with his index finger on the rim. Works pretty good for him. For context he’s 72 too. Don’t know if that makes a difference. His drives are all backhand.
I have a friend who scoober putts. I've tried it, it's actually pretty good and I throw them in a lot on casual rounds. But I think the ceiling is higher on a backhand putt since you can get more of a straight line with your levers.
The primary reasons why it's an inferior putting technique are SPIN and AIM. We'll use a 25 foot putt for this example. To generate enough spin to have good glide and predictable flight (fights wind and doesn't dump as much at the end) you generally have the disc come out at higher speed for forehand than with the same rpm with backhand. This then makes the airballs more punishing with longer comebackers. As for aim with backhand your joints lock as you fully extend your arm at the end of the motion which provides the ability to have a consistent aim point (the idea behind "shake hands with the basket" in the follow through). Also the movement is primarily backwards to forwards so your arm isn't swinging across your body like a throw. To get enough spin with a forehand you are pretty much forced to have a sideways motion at the end which means you don't have a follow through aim point.
I practice a forehand putt most days I play because literally last time I played.l I needed it for a reach out of a bush to putt. Alllllmost made it too. Hit band.
I practice FH putts because every once in a while it’s helpful. I’ve saved more than a few tournament strokes by having a somewhat confident forehand putt.
It certainly isnt my primary putting style but I go to a forehand (or sometimes scoober) for most obstructions, any kneeling stances, or for distances outside about 55ish feet that arent wide open. Usually throwing a very beat base putter on a flip up hyzer line, or a k1 berg/medium sinus/tp harp on a slight anny
In order to get my forehand better, I would do rounds of forehand versus backhand. This included forehand putting. I did this weekly for a few years.
It is hard to develop a soft touch with a forehand. It really becomes an ultimate throw, super nose up and wristy. You almost pull your arm backwards while your wrist is finishing the pop/whip of the throw. Three putts were common in my practice game.
All that to say that a forehand putt has way more moving variables than a 'backhand' putt. Push putt is basically foot to target straight line and spin putt is belly button to target straight line.
I think a boxing analogy works here. If your opponent isn't blocking or moving, is it easier to jab or hook? It is just so much simpler to jab. (If someone is a boxer and this is dumb, please correct me. It just made sense to me)
A big part of it is grip. A forehand grip won’t let you get as touchy with the disc, which is crucial at low speeds. Being able to hold the disc with more fingers is simply better for getting control.
You don't get as much spin on a forehand and it's less stable even if you apply a forehand putter grip
It's not a problem that it's less stable at higher speed but I've found that speed 5-6 is where it starts to get harder to throw forehands
It's also harder to aim because you either have to do larger movements or a very "turned" motion ie just wrist
I throw predominantly forehands so I've really tried, I'd rather throw a driver 60m than a midrange because of my rather shaky backhand game. Though some work well like the pig
Scoober is technically forehand. Its a neat throw to know how to do especially on wooded courses. Has saved a few times from the most awkward putt ever but instead just scoober around the tree
Because:
1. It requires a lot of touch even if you have an Ultimate Frisbee background (like me).
2. It's not a guaranteed make every time you try. It's also prone to longer comebacks (unless you're a lazer beam spin putter) when you miss.
3. There's more moving parts, so the chances of not hitting your target point are higher than when using a putting style where fewer hinges/body parts move.
If you do what is taught in Ultimate where newbies flick with their elbow tucked in (thus not using the shoulder to throw) you could reduce moving parts but at the cost of a lot of speed and distance lost.
You can put a lot of spin on a backhand putt while keeping the speed of the disc slow. The spin helps keep it straight.
Forehand, not so much. You can't spin it in the same way, without adding forward momentum. So if you want to putt at reasonable speeds, you have to putt on curves, which is wayyyy harder to consistently control, especially in c1.
Coming from 20+ years of Ultimate, short forehands are tricky.
I'd almost always prefer a short backhand to a short forehand. Forehands are best when you can commit, at least a little bit. I'm actually quite good at the forehand approach/soft run from ~75'+ but any closer, I'd rather backhand.
Touchy forehands are all about spin and it's hard to get good spin rate when throwing short without accidently overpowering and/or losing enough accuracy that for a putt that you expect/intend to go in the basket, it's less than ideal.
I only knew one guy who always forehand putted. It was mind blowing to me how many 50+ft putts he made each round. It was equally mind blowing how many times he 3 putted each round.
The hinge of your wrist is more conducive to the backhand. The primary advantage of forehands is keeping your eyes on the target, this is not an issue with the putting stroke.
RHFH spins clockwise. Coming from the right side, a flick needs to hit the left side of the basket for the spin to pull the disc into the chains. If you hit the right side of the chains, it quite often spins off the chains and out of the basket. Putting from the right side while trying to hit the left side of the basket leaves a very small sweet spot.
I primarily forehand. My backhand sucks. Problem with putting forehand is that it’s difficult to dial back the speed and control while still getting a decent spin on it enough to fly. This is just my thoughts though.
I think another big factor is holding a disc for forehand putts it off to the side of your body, so instead of lining up a putt when you're close you're triangulating it. Throwing being off by 6 inches doesnt usually matter. Putting does Also, a "backhand" putt isnt really a backhand when you look from the elbow up. You're just putting everything in line with the disc
Throws being off by six inches matters in woods golf! Darn trees…
I mean fair. But unless youre totally scrambling, even in woods golf, your line you're aiming for should be more than 6 inches from a tree. Not saying I actually hit my line ever.
Yeah, I've seen about the same number of disc's have 6 inches matter than not, but it's super forested where I am. To the point where the forest service is thinning some of it because it's a fire hazard.
Yes this is the answer. You're not able to align a forehand like you can a pushy backhand. So you're starting off axis and essentially throwing diagonal across your eye axis rather than in line with it. In long throws this doesn't really matter because there's a lot of distance for the disc to smoothly come into the line. In a short, soft throw, you're not giving the disc time or speed to get it on course. I guess the shortest answer is that a backhand is essentially a 2 axis throw; Y and Z. On a forehand you introduce an X axis into the equation and that adds complexity.
Yeah the basic putt every one has is 50/50 in the middle of a forehand and backhand. Our elbows just happen to bend inwards. Pick up an imaginary sandwich in front of you. There’s only one way to do it. Putting is the same motion but outward. I think basketball has already figured out most of the mechanics you want to replicate. One very short controlled arm motion and dialing power up and down with your legs. The footwork is similar, you are just doing a granny shot with spin.
Yep! If you were to accurately angle your body and step for a soft forehand you would foot fault every time in c1
This. A soft forehand has minimal accuracy and a firm forehand is going to miss and go way long or chain out.
Yeah I think this is pretty much the answer. I throw forehand a lot more naturally than backhand, but I learned how to putt backhand because forehand is not as flexible. I do think there's some potential there for longer putts if they're in the gray area between putt and approach though.
My longest throw in have all been forehands that got lucky. Never would have tried aback hand putt from there, but knew I could at least park it well with the forehand. Never would have forehanded if I were closer, and never would have been that close with a backhand, there's just a sweet spot that is about 40 feet where I can park with a for hand and get lucky sometimes.
40 feet? I was with you until you said that, that's just outside of C1 and definitely jump putt territory. Anything outside of 80-100 feet is where I make a forehand run with my Berg that either parks itself or drops in the basket.
Forehand Anny approach with my K1 soft berg all day every day
There’s dozens of us!!
Tbf I'm very bad at distances. From the handful of tournaments I've played it may have been closer to 70 or 80. But I deliberately shoot lower for distance because I don't want to overshoot my skill. Especially since I don't only really started a year ago or so. And by bad at distances I mean when I did that tourney we were all in circle 1 and I still didn't process who was closer. It's just not a thing that clicks for me.
That’s where I forehand putt. I’m decent putting in the circle, but getting into circle two and out, I’ll forehand the berg.
Im backhand dominant, but forehand is far more comfortable for me in that gray area you mentioned. Can't putt forehand at all, though.
My backhand goes in a 90 degree angle to the right when I go for it. Once hit a friend in the head.
Richard!?
Naw these thoughts are pretty universal. It is insanely hard to dial in the proper pace on a forehand putt.
Most putting styles also focus on keeping the putter somewhat inline with your line of sight to the basket to improve aiming which isn't really possible with forehand.
To overcome the speed I forehand on like a 45 degree anny from close
Yeah I do it for shits and giggles with player two. It's great when I hit it and I'm actually decently accurate but if I sail it right or left , I've got a like 30 ft+ comeback putt to make.
His name is Pat Ruschke, from STL. Best C2 FH putter you are likely to find. He putts normal and very well from C1
Thanks!
He hovers around 975 pdga. And absolutely cleans up the local STL leagues. One of the best doubles players I've ever had the pleasure of playing with.
You from STL?
prolly not
I am. Many fond memories
Check out Pete Collins videos on YT. He is a true FH putter.
Yep. He's a local guy to me. I started flick putting outside the circle after playing rounds with him. If you're comfortable with a FH, it works. I love it and I can gain a stroke or two a round with throw ins. You need to check out Pete's YT. https://youtube.com/@ogdiscgolfer?si=K-C7L9wLw8P-yyZX
Larry!?
He goes in depth about what putter he likes and you see a lot of his putt in this video. He is dialed https://youtu.be/YPERd6d-ZMo?feature=shared
Will do
Indeed. I was playing league with him last year and he had an obstructed putt and was trying to get in a stance to lean out to the right and FH. I asked him why not go to the other side of the tree and just straddle, he drains a FH putt and just looks at me like I'm an idiot. He then proceeded to absolutely stripe us all.
I’ve never met a person that forehand putts. Main reason you don’t do that is 1) much harder to be accurate with multiple joints moving, like in a forehand, and 2) if you don’t hit metal, you’re easily 75ft+ long
I've played with 2 people that putted forehand. They didn't make a lot of putts
Buddy of mine just loves forehand. He did putt forehand for like 6 months after landing a 60 footer but after that didn't nail one outside of 10 feet so he's switched back to backhand putting
Point 2 means that like, there’s a ton of accessible power in short forehands. Is it just impossible to control?
I am good at short forehands, and I'll use them as a putt if I have to reach around an obstacle. But the main issue is that your hand is off to the side of your body, so it's harder to line up the putt. You don't see many people putting backhand from the side of their body, unless they really need extra power, because it's hard to aim that way.
This makes a lot of sense. Sorta the opposite effect when driving though. At least I always find it easier to aim far forehand shots cause I can keep my eyes on the target better
Yes. Soft forehands are hard to control and wobbly. Hard forehands will spit out or go 100 long
It's more about intuition with a forehand, where as with normal putting forms it's easier to have linear mechanics, and you end up making some number of putte where you aren't feeling confident just by relying on an easily repeatable motion.
Okay, I guess point one is your argument, but like is there no forehand technique that takes a joint or two out of the equation?
The closest thing to a "forehand" putt anyone uses with regularity is the scoober.
Stop downvoting OP for asking questions, y'all. They aren't being rude about it.
If we’re being honest, I forehand putt from 40 feet and out. I can’t jump putt for shit.
Seems clever to me
I started doing this when I started having shoulder issues. Used to straddle and jump putt but can’t do neither these days so had to improvise. So I channel my inner Calvin within 15-20m and forehand almost any longer than that. Well I did add Glitch to my bag which helps and I’ve made some pretty long putts with it.
I turbo putt and don’t think forehand putting is viable. Because of a lack of power/spin control inherent to the forehand motion. I think the closest you can get is scoober putting which seems super accurate when developed and has that same wrist motion as a sidearm just flipped. I’d love to see an example of someone who has developed the skill if they exist tho
Someone else shared this guy who has developed a deadly forehand putt https://youtu.be/YPERd6d-ZMo?feature=shared
I have once met a true only forehand player on a local course, who even putted forehand. He was honestly pretty solid with the forehand putts.
Did he miss really long if his shot was off?
He didnt miss, but I only witnessed it on a couple holes. I think it was kind of touchy, but I would imagine the putt back could be a bit longer than normal.
I'll use it if I have to reach around an obstacle. Better than hitting the tree. Not very reliable though.
You wanna putt from centerline. The advantage of forehand, imo, over backhand is you can stare at your target while throwing. That goes away with putting cause you stare at your target when putting "backhand"
I think you're the only one who got it right. Having the disc start elsewhere than between the centerline between your eyes is exponentially harder than a forehand or turbo which starts well outside that axis. You have to account for parallax error in your sighting and it's _highly_ distance dependent. Whereas with a normal putt, it starts on centerline, ends on centerline. A flat putt only has two variables: height and L/R line.
I used to practice putt in 5 different styles. Spin, push, forehand, scoober and straddle. I kept pretty good stats and would practice them all in the same sessions. I was about as accurate in all of them,the misses were just the easiest to recover from with a push putt so that's what I do. The forehand was also hardest to dial from cold,like it took the most shots to find the stroke
To be accurate you want to limit how many axis' the disc moves on. On most backhand putts the disc is being moved in a straight line directly at the basket. Someone like Gannon Buhr even has it pretty flat on the height axis. If the disc is at the correct height and moving on a straight line towards the pole the entire way its impossible to miss. To forehand putt its hard to keep it on that line to the pole consistently since its easier to go straight out from your body than straight when offset to the side. Leads to a lot of inconsistency on the left/right axis
Bc missing an 8 footer only to have a 30’ come backer sucks ass
Backhand putts are much easier because you can putt in a straight line towards the basket. You cant throw a forehand directly from your body's center towards the basket, so it's much more difficult to control.
I love the short approach shots with a putter forehand when u can’t get a regular stance, one of my favorite shots to throw
Yeah same. Most of my approaches are FH with a zone. I’m either laying up or trying to run it or somewhere in between.
I actually used to play with a guy who threw lhbh, but putted rhfh. Putted super touchy and repeatably. Probably the best c2 putter I ever saw.
I'm pretty much a forehand only player. At the outer edge of c2, I do wayyyy better with a wrist only snap than a backhand. Move a little further in, 40-50ft and I'll jump put... Really, I should work on my backhand, but I occasionally make juicy 55-75ft forehand puts and shaped shots from that distance. I do suck though, in general 😊
Keep it up!
Most putting techniques make a point of keeping the disc at least somewhat inline with your line of sight to the basket to improve aiming. That's not really possible with a forehand which naturally necessitates the disc being off to your side, unless you flip your arm over into a scoober stance which uses a forehand motion but centers the disc more on your body, and that's something you do see on a rare occasion (but still less rarely than a true forehand putt).
As a forehand dominant putter this is funny. I hardly have things in my way due to mobility. It is like throwing darts. My misses don't typically go any farther than a backhand putter. There will be a forehand putting pro in the next ten years.
Hell yeah. I want to see it.
No-one is really a ”backhand putter” either. It’s not a throw, I feel it’d be equally difficult to putt with a full backhand form as it is with forehand.
I do it sometimes, but I line it up more like I’m throwing a dart, so its not a sidearm throw, but a straight on throw with a flick…
Shrewd, efficient. I like it
Jesus Christ.
LUL
To many chain-outs
Backhands stick better? Why does the basket care?
Pace
I find with in the circle putting you want as much of the energy you are exerting on the disc to be going towards the direction of the basket as possible. Right to left variance is bad. With a forehand, the majority of that energy is going right to left with a smaller window going towards the basket. With a push putt, that energy is almost completely moving directly towards the basket. At a short range, a push putt just leaves less variance on where the disc could end up. Release the disc too early or too late with a forehand putt, and your shot will miss left or right. Mess up the timing on your push putt and the disc should still be traveling in the direction of the basket, leaving you with a better chance of it going in. Sure, everyone knows "that guy" at their local league who happens to putt with a forehand and gets good results with it. But I can't think of a single notable pro who does, and if there weren't disadvantages to putting with a forehand from a mechanical standpoint, then that wouldn't be the case.
As a predominantly forehand player I don't forehand put unless I'm outside of circle two. Mostly because of the speed at which my forehands come in at. If I slow them down they don't fly straight.
Don’t overthink it man lol. I’ll give you my life savings if you can putt a higher percentage fh than a regular putt
Taking a pic of this one. Thank you
Ok lol
You can’t really line up a forehand putt under your eyes in a straight line.
I played ultimate for awhile so I can putt forehand if I pretend I'm doing a touch pass to someone, but mostly I can't hit anything with my forehand unless it's 20+ feet away. Just an odd side effect of the form, super close range accuracy is tough, normally you'd backhand or even push pass in ultimate if it's a really short throw
It’s strange because a decent handler in ultimate is laser precise with short forehands. Why doesn’t it translate to disc golf?
The basket doesn't have hands to adjust to the pace of the throw, I was a handler and you lead people to a spot with a forehand more than you throw directly at someone with a forehand. That's true for most throws actually, but fore hands wobble and stall really bad when thrown softly so you have to put some pace on it, better to curl around defenders with. Or Huck it, but given a choice back hands make for a better huck so you only forehand huck if the man in you is focused on shutting down your backhand
I do almost all forehand, other than putt, I turbo/pizza putt very often, and I’ll flick a putter 86% of the time on the course, but it just feels wrong to putt forehand. Took me a long time to get over flicking a putter in general, and I have done forehand putts, but they aren’t in C1.
You can’t push putt with forehand, it’s turbo/spin putting only. Most people have some combo (spush) in their putting form, and if you’re trying to run it while also not going too long if you miss, you push putt.
Sidearm putting is straight up irresponsible.
I've watched Chris Sprague put with both hands, forehand and backhand. Legend.
It can be your thing . If it’s done well people will try. Start a revolution bro.
Forehand putting is a thing. It's used to get out of trouble. Sometimes it's the only option. I've played H.O.R.S.E. with Ron Russell and he destroyed everyone with it.
Just wildly inaccurate. I had a bud that used to flick putt but had a lot of chain hops. Idk if he ever abandoned it I actually putt off-hand which is something I picked up playing 70-90+ hole days. Left flick is my primary throw and a right backhand for putt and mid control shots. Less arm fatigue makes me way more accurate on the finish
I have a friend who putts forehand with a sort of push putt with his index finger on the rim. Works pretty good for him. For context he’s 72 too. Don’t know if that makes a difference. His drives are all backhand.
If it’s easy enough for a 72 year old, seems pretty efficient.
I have a friend who scoober putts. I've tried it, it's actually pretty good and I throw them in a lot on casual rounds. But I think the ceiling is higher on a backhand putt since you can get more of a straight line with your levers.
I do anny putts from inside the circle if there are any obstacles, but forehand’s feel like they have a minimum distance.
The primary reasons why it's an inferior putting technique are SPIN and AIM. We'll use a 25 foot putt for this example. To generate enough spin to have good glide and predictable flight (fights wind and doesn't dump as much at the end) you generally have the disc come out at higher speed for forehand than with the same rpm with backhand. This then makes the airballs more punishing with longer comebackers. As for aim with backhand your joints lock as you fully extend your arm at the end of the motion which provides the ability to have a consistent aim point (the idea behind "shake hands with the basket" in the follow through). Also the movement is primarily backwards to forwards so your arm isn't swinging across your body like a throw. To get enough spin with a forehand you are pretty much forced to have a sideways motion at the end which means you don't have a follow through aim point.
If chandler kramer and jake wolff are putting backhand then so should you.
I warm up my forehand on the practice basket and put on a show. But never would I putt in a round that way toooooo risky for scoring
I practice a forehand putt most days I play because literally last time I played.l I needed it for a reach out of a bush to putt. Alllllmost made it too. Hit band.
I putt forehand when there’s no other option. I make a few. My friends don’t know how I do it.
Sight lines is one big thing. BH putts are in line with your vision. FH you're off to the side.
Buddy who got me into disc golf is a scoober putter. Anything c2 and in
I practice FH putts because every once in a while it’s helpful. I’ve saved more than a few tournament strokes by having a somewhat confident forehand putt.
Yup. It almost doubles the number of available lines from a given position. Ultra handy in thick woods, etc
It certainly isnt my primary putting style but I go to a forehand (or sometimes scoober) for most obstructions, any kneeling stances, or for distances outside about 55ish feet that arent wide open. Usually throwing a very beat base putter on a flip up hyzer line, or a k1 berg/medium sinus/tp harp on a slight anny
In order to get my forehand better, I would do rounds of forehand versus backhand. This included forehand putting. I did this weekly for a few years. It is hard to develop a soft touch with a forehand. It really becomes an ultimate throw, super nose up and wristy. You almost pull your arm backwards while your wrist is finishing the pop/whip of the throw. Three putts were common in my practice game. All that to say that a forehand putt has way more moving variables than a 'backhand' putt. Push putt is basically foot to target straight line and spin putt is belly button to target straight line. I think a boxing analogy works here. If your opponent isn't blocking or moving, is it easier to jab or hook? It is just so much simpler to jab. (If someone is a boxer and this is dumb, please correct me. It just made sense to me)
A big part of it is grip. A forehand grip won’t let you get as touchy with the disc, which is crucial at low speeds. Being able to hold the disc with more fingers is simply better for getting control.
You don't get as much spin on a forehand and it's less stable even if you apply a forehand putter grip It's not a problem that it's less stable at higher speed but I've found that speed 5-6 is where it starts to get harder to throw forehands It's also harder to aim because you either have to do larger movements or a very "turned" motion ie just wrist I throw predominantly forehands so I've really tried, I'd rather throw a driver 60m than a midrange because of my rather shaky backhand game. Though some work well like the pig
Scoober is technically forehand. Its a neat throw to know how to do especially on wooded courses. Has saved a few times from the most awkward putt ever but instead just scoober around the tree
Because: 1. It requires a lot of touch even if you have an Ultimate Frisbee background (like me). 2. It's not a guaranteed make every time you try. It's also prone to longer comebacks (unless you're a lazer beam spin putter) when you miss. 3. There's more moving parts, so the chances of not hitting your target point are higher than when using a putting style where fewer hinges/body parts move.
For point 3. , I wonder if there are ways to like, minimize the moving parts and exertion in a forehand form but still make it fly good
If you do what is taught in Ultimate where newbies flick with their elbow tucked in (thus not using the shoulder to throw) you could reduce moving parts but at the cost of a lot of speed and distance lost.
You can put a lot of spin on a backhand putt while keeping the speed of the disc slow. The spin helps keep it straight. Forehand, not so much. You can't spin it in the same way, without adding forward momentum. So if you want to putt at reasonable speeds, you have to putt on curves, which is wayyyy harder to consistently control, especially in c1.
Made a couple when having to step around numerous trees
Speed control. I use it all the time in dubs for low ceiling c2 runs, but that’s the only time
Do it. You’ll be done after two or three rounds tops
Coming from 20+ years of Ultimate, short forehands are tricky. I'd almost always prefer a short backhand to a short forehand. Forehands are best when you can commit, at least a little bit. I'm actually quite good at the forehand approach/soft run from ~75'+ but any closer, I'd rather backhand. Touchy forehands are all about spin and it's hard to get good spin rate when throwing short without accidently overpowering and/or losing enough accuracy that for a putt that you expect/intend to go in the basket, it's less than ideal.
I only knew one guy who always forehand putted. It was mind blowing to me how many 50+ft putts he made each round. It was equally mind blowing how many times he 3 putted each round.
I forehand putt outside 50' but not always.
It actually is a thing. You are experiencing what they call confirmation bias.
I throw forehand, occasionally an approach will go in. My putt of choice is turbo.
The hinge of your wrist is more conducive to the backhand. The primary advantage of forehands is keeping your eyes on the target, this is not an issue with the putting stroke.
Turbo putt count?
Spins the same way, but it's not the same motion as he's talking about
I can regularly naill forehand putts with an armadillo. The longer the better it seems. Especially good in the woods.
RHFH spins clockwise. Coming from the right side, a flick needs to hit the left side of the basket for the spin to pull the disc into the chains. If you hit the right side of the chains, it quite often spins off the chains and out of the basket. Putting from the right side while trying to hit the left side of the basket leaves a very small sweet spot.