I've written two previous articles on putting ("Putting Made Easy", and "Putting For Show"), but I recently changed my putting style slightly. The results have been very pleasing, so I thought I would share with everyone. Plus, one simply can't write too many articles about putting. It is such a crucial piece of the game. Putting is another name for disc golf.

In "Putting Made Easy", I described how golfers could putt successfully, yet have the disc approach the basket in one of three ways: hyzer, anhyzer, or flat. My preferred style had always been with anhyzer... until my recent change. Now, I'm trying to putt with the disc flat and aimed at the right side of the hanging chains on the basket. With this style I can make putts, if I achieve my goal (disc flat at basket) , and also make a few if I'm a bit weak (disc hyzers at basket). More on this later.

I call this method, based on my mental imagery, "Playing the slots", and it has nothing to do with my recent (first time!) trip to Las Vegas (where I was treated royally by Mike Cloyes and Vince Gardner). However, the gambling that goes on in Vegas is pretty similar to our search for a great putting style. It's all a matter of percentages. We're constantly trying to be more successful. Do I make more putts with this method than with another? Most great players that I know experiment quite a bit with new styles. There's a reason they're great players. They're not afraid to try something new. It's important to give new methods and techniques an adequate trial period. Every change feels weird at first. At the end of the experimentation though, we've got to settle on a style in which we have confidence.

A word on confidence. I can't stress enough how important it is to THINK that you're going to make a putt BEFORE you step up to it. Doubt is the mind-killer. If you don't have confidence in your putting style and your brain gets all cloudy when you putt when it counts, then move all of your practice to within 20 feet of the basket. Just before a round, keep all of your practice putts even shorter than that. Keep it easy. Keep successful and build some confidence. Sometimes you've got to trick your brain in order to improve. Putting lots of very short putts can help you do this.

At this point in my career, I've tried practiced putting so much that I find it hard to believe that I don't make them all. Ah, but life is cruel like that, and putting successfully and with consistency is very difficult to do. That's why I constantly recommend that folks adopt a simple "system" for successful putting. With "system" I mean the use of a consistent pre-putt routine; clearing a stance, getting your feet set, attaining proper balance and an identical warm-up motion (just like a basketball player striving for perfection from the free throw line!). I find that this really helps me to put them in the basket more consistently. On those days when my putting is not so hot, sometimes I can "trick" myself into putting decently simply by sticking to my routine. That's also why I continue to experiment with new putting styles, I'm constantly looking for a method that is easier to do consistently.

My new system involves what I call "slot imagery". I'm visually picking a flat slot just in front of my target area (the basket), and then trying to simply slide the disc through this slot. I don't think of the disc as having any flight characteristics at all. I don't think of it as a flying disc. (Think bowling ball, sliding it down an alley, or a Skee-ball being rolled up the ramp. You don't throw either of these objects in the traditional "ball" sense). I imagine that this thing I'm sliding into the slot is a disc that sliding down a shuffleboard table or a sheet of ice. I'm trying to fully extend my arm and slide the disc (on release) across an imaginary surface straight into my "slot". I actually am trying to slide the disc past my target area, through the slot and past the basket. (This helps me to avoid being weak or short with my putts).

Another good way to visualize this is with a little exercise you can easily try on your own (or with friends!). Set a soda can on a bench or table. Then back up 20 feet and try to knock the can over with your putter. You don't think at all about the disc sliding by (or cutting through the chains) or even that the disc is flying towards the can. You're just trying to knock that can over. That's the secret to great putting. Just knock the can over.

I mentioned percentages earlier. The key to this style is getting a very consistent release point. If we do that, then our percentages of successful putts can go way up. I do this by always finishing with my putting hand fully extended on release, with my thumb pointing to the right-side edge of the chains. (I'm right handed). This is a motion that is easy to groove. (But, please let me repeat for emphasis because it is so important: full extension of your putting arm is the key to great putting). Once you can get it down and then release the disc so that it's flat and aimed at the right side of the chains, then a whole bunch of putts are going to go in. I find that with this method I almost always never miss to the right side of the basket. This eliminates one "leak point" for me when putting. I've virtually eliminated missing on that side of the basket. Now, I can only miss left (which still gives me a chance to hyzer in!) or be a bit short or a bit high. Contrast that with my old anhyzer style, I could miss putts four ways (right left, short or high). removing one of these "miss" opportunities from my putting stroke equals a lot more made putts.

What stance should one use? Quite frankly, any style stance will do. So, you can use whatever is comfortable here. I always recommend being very square to the basket (where is your belly button pointing? It should be pointing towards the basket!) and having one's knees bent as much as comfortable. The two predominant stances are (one) foot forward and straddle putting (where both feet are side-by-side, approximately parallel to the basket). Both are used by countless players successfully.

Putting is an extremely crucial part of disc golf. Fortunately, it's something that is relatively easy to improve. One just has to practice. (If your putting is really poor, you'll have to practice a whole lot. Remember, keep 'em short until they're almost all going in). The nice thing is that it doesn't take a lot of time to practice, one just needs a good target, a little bit of space, and four or five putters. Practicing with friends can make it more fun. See your local course pro for more tips on Winning Disc Golf and when you see fallen limbs (and trash) on your local course, please pick them up and drag them out of the fairway (or put them in the trash can). We can all make a difference- and we should!