Approach & Upshots

Building an Approach Routine

Practice approaches like putts — with a repeatable routine.

Why it matters

Approaches get practised like drives and played like putts: one shot, one chance, consequence attached. Most players have a careful routine for putting and none at all for the shot immediately before it — which is why approach distance is so inconsistent compared with putting distance.

How to do it

Stand behind your lie and decide the landing spot, the disc and the shape before you step in.
Rehearse the exact throw once, at the pace you intend to use. Not a vague practice swing — the actual shot.
Step in the same way each time, the same foot first.
Take one breath, then throw. No pause between the rehearsal and the shot.
Use it on every approach, including the easy ones, so it is automatic when the shot matters.

Common mistakes

Walking up and throwing because the shot looks straightforward.The easy ones are where the routine gets built. If you only use it under pressure you have never practised it under pressure.

A rehearsal at a different speed from the real throw.Rehearse at the pace you will use. A gentle practice motion before a hard throw rehearses the wrong shot.

Deciding the disc after stepping in.All decisions happen behind the lie. Once you are in your stance there is nothing left but to throw it.

Key points

Same setup and read every approach.
Rehearse the exact shot, then commit fully.

The drill

Drill · Routine every one — 20 approaches from mixed distances, full routine on each. Twenty approaches from distances you pick at random between 80 and 200 feet, one disc at a time, with the full routine on every single one — including walking back and resetting. It is slow. It is also the closest thing to an actual round that field work ever gets, and it transfers far better than throwing twenty from one spot.

Watch: Practice like a Pro: Disc Golf Approach Routine — The SpinTV