Putting

The Straddle Putt

Putt around trees and obstacles with a wide base.

Why it matters

Sooner or later your lie is behind a trunk, under a low branch, or on a slope where a staggered stance will not stand up. The straddle solves all three. It also gives you a much wider, more stable base, which is why it is worth having for long circle-1 putts where the balance rule is the thing most likely to cost you a stroke.

How to do it

Set your feet wide and roughly parallel, both pointing more or less at the basket, with the obstacle between them or outside your front foot.
Settle your weight evenly between the feet and bend both knees. The width is the point; a narrow straddle is just a worse stance.
Start the disc in front of your sternum, flat, with your shoulders square to the target.
Push the disc straight at the aim point. The hand travels in a line toward the basket — it does not swing across your body.
Keep your chest square through the release and stay balanced over both feet.

Common mistakes

A base barely wider than a normal stance, which gives up the stability the straddle exists for.Go wider than feels natural. If you can comfortably bring your feet together from where you are standing, you are not straddling.

Pulling the disc across the body instead of pushing it out, which sends a right-handed putt left.Feel the hand finish pointing at the pole, not at your opposite shoulder.

Leaning onto the front foot, which re-introduces the balance problem you straddled to avoid.Keep the weight between the feet. Pick the aim point so you do not need to lean to reach it.

Trying to generate the same pop from a base you cannot push up out of.Accept slightly less range from a straddle, and lag from distances where you would have to force it.

Key points

Use the straddle to get around trees, guardians, and low ceilings.
Widen your base and keep weight centered.
Push straight at the chains — resist swinging across your body.

The drill

Drill · Blocked lie — 20 straddle putts from 20 ft, then 10 alternating from 25 ft. Put your bag on the ground where a trunk would be, directly in front of your marker, so the straddle is forced rather than chosen. Twenty from 20 feet. Then alternate five staggered and five straddled from 25 feet, counting each separately — the gap between those two numbers is how much the straddle is currently costing you, and it should shrink with practice.

Watch: Discraft Disc Golf Clinic: Straddle Putts — Discraft Disc Golf