If you read my blog about the Ledgestone Insurance Open, then you know that I struggled a lot with consistency there. Since returning home I have shifted my focus into getting more consistent with the game that I have now instead of improving different areas of my game. I feel confident that I have a solid enough game to compete with the pros, but I am nowhere near consistent enough with it. Improving consistency is something that I did not fully understand how to do until I did some research and figured out some drills that I think will help speed up the process of becoming more consistent. To improve my overall consistency, I broke my game down into 3 categories: Putting, Throwing, and Scrambling.

Putting Consistency Drills

To improve my putting, I have 3 drills that I do regularly that help build confidence and consistency. All three are designed to help build confidence inside the circle since I feel like confidence is the number one key to being a consistent putter. I also believe that being a confident inside the circle (10 meters) putter helps improve outside the circle putting as well. All that you need for these drills is a few putters, a basket, and a mini.

Pushing your comfort zone

This drill is pretty simple and will show you the area that you need to work on. Take a mini and place it at a distance that you feel like you should never miss a putt. This is your comfort zone. Putt twice from there. If you make both then flip the mini over away from the basket. If you miss one then leave the mini in the same spot. If you miss both then move the mini towards the basket. Continue repeating this process for about 30 minutes or until you feel like you cannot focus anymore. This is a great drill to help dial in your putt and become more consistent in putts just outside your comfort zone.

Building Confidence

This drill’s main purpose is to build confidence in your putt. Take your mini and mark a distance well within your comfort zone. For me this distance is 15 feet. Grab a stack of at least 5 putters and start putting. The goal is to make 50 putts in a row from whatever your starting distance is. Once you accomplish that, move back 5 feet or so and do the same thing. After you have made your set of 50 in a row from the second spot you are done. This drill is designed to help you see a lot more makes than you do misses which translates to more confidence in your putting on the course.

Big Putt Practice

This drill is made to increase your confidence outside of the circle. As I mentioned earlier I think that having confidence inside the circle is the biggest key to being a successful outside the circle putter. I like to use 5 putters for this drill, but you can mess around with different numbers and find what works for you. This drill is pretty simple yet very effective. Go to a place outside the circle and jump putt with all of your putters. The goal is to make as many as possible so make sure to give every putt a solid bid. Once done jump putting, go to the miss that landed farthest away from the basket and make 5 in a row from that spot. Repeat this drill from several different jump putting spots. This will help you be able to run big putts in a tournament with confidence because you know that you are always going to make the comeback putt.

Throwing Consistency Drills

Being able to consistently land the disc where you want it on every line is a major difference between a touring pro and an average player. I have 3 drills that I do to help with consistency when throwing on different lines. The first two just require whatever discs you normally carry and the third one uses a baseball net for rainy or winter days.

Landing Zone

This drill is something that I have started doing every time I do field work. It is a simple drill, but very difficult and works on all areas of your game. To start this drill, mark out a landing zone around a basket or just in a field. I like to use cones to mark out my putting comfort zone, but you can make this area as big or small as you like. Next, make a pile of your throwing putters around 150-200 feet from the basket, then make a pile of your midranges around 250-300 feet from the basket, do the same for your fairway drivers around 350 feet from the basket, and finally a pile of your drivers around 400 feet from the basket. These distances are what I use and should be adjusted to fit your game and throwing distance. Starting with your putters, throw every disc on a hyzer angle and try to land as many as possible within your landing zone. Do the same with all your other stacks and then pick them up and reset. You are going to do this drill with hyzer, flat, and anhyzer angles and then with a sidearm on all of those angles as well. To track progress set personal bests with how many you land in the zone and try to beat your previous best every time you do the drill. This drill also helps you learn your bag and find out how every disc reacts to being thrown on different angles.

Empty the Bag

This drill is a fun one to do on the course. Go to a course you are familiar with and try to throw lines and shots that are different from how you normally attack a hole. For example, if it is a straight shot in the woods and you normally throw a flat backhand at it, try throwing a forehand or hyzer-flip shot instead. Do this on every hole and get creative with the lines you try. This drill can help you to see new lines and make your home course feel like you are playing it for the first time.

Hit Your Line

This drill is mainly designed to be done on rainy or cold days when going to the field is not an option. It is always going to be better to see how your discs fly, but sometimes we do not have that luxury. Set up a throwing net in your basement or garage or really wherever you have room inside. I like to use duct tape to mark a target in the middle of the net so that I have something to aim at. Throw into the net and focus on your release point, release angle, and form. If you have an issue with your form, throwing into a net can be a great way to improve and get a bunch of reps in with your new form. I like to mimic the landing zone drill and throw every kind of shot that I can into the net. This is also the perfect time to film your form and critique it. Throwing in a net cuts out the time it takes to go and collect your discs which means that you can get a lot of more reps in than you do in a field. This makes it the perfect drill to do form work and hone in your release point.

Scramble Drills

If you do not already know, scrambling is the part of the game where you mess up and get off the fairway. It is important to practice scrambling so that when you do mess up it never costs you more strokes than it needs to. I have two drills that I like to do to practice scrambling and both of them should increase your scores very quickly.

This Looks Fun

This drill is one that works on your mental game as well as your scrambling. To start this drill head to a course that has some woods or at least some kind of trouble off the fairway. Walk off the fairway and find a spot that you often land or that has a tough line to the basket. Throw from here as many times as you want to and try several different shots. When I am picking out a spot I typically look around until I find a line and think to myself “this looks fun”. This helps my mental game because when I see a tough line in a tournament instead of thinking “Wow. I am so screwed” now I take it as a challenge and look for a fun way to get to the basket. I have found my off the fairway game increasing rapidly since starting this drill. It has honestly become fun for me to get off the fairway since I now take it as a challenge instead of a punishment.

Worst Shot Round

This drill is one that I do not really enjoy, but I know it is beneficial to my game. It is a simple concept and the title kind of explains the drill. This is another drill that is done on the course. Starting at hole one, throw two shots and take the worst one. Then throw two shots from there and take the worst again. Repeat this process until you make the putt or throw it in. Do this for every hole on the course and you will get a lot of practice in off of the fairways. This drill also helps me focus on hitting my line off the tee because I know if both shots are perfect then a worst shot round is easy.

My Gear Recommendations

Marksman Basket | Landing Zone Cones | Throwing Net