Dear Scott,
I play in the advanced amateur division. I want to go pro, but I don't throw long enough. I'm an athletic guy but I max out at 350 feet. Should I be bending my elbow on the drive or not? Some people say not to, some people say it should bend like starting a lawnmower. What do you think?
Dan Playfair
Ellison Park
Rochester NY
Dan,
You do bend the elbow on the drive, but don't think about it this way. Rather think about pulling the disc in a straight line from the furthest point back in your backswing to the release point. You will pull it in a straight line and your elbow will bend, but don't do this on purpose. Only think of pulling it in a straight line and the rest will fall into place.
Dear Scott,
The biggest flaw to my tournament game is a tendancy to blow up on a hole because of water or other out of bounds hazards -- which affects my mental game and I'll string two or three more bad holes after that. At Bob West this year I was -2 after 14 holes, then I took a double-circle 8 with two drives in the water.
What is your mental mindset when you're staring down a drive with trouble about? Do you ignore the o.b. and just shoot for the chains, or do you adjust your approach to minimize the damage?
Topher Toring
Acorn Park
Minneapolis, MN
Topher,
On every shot, and especially those with out of bounds nearby, I use what I call the base ten method. What this means is I decide what would happen if I played the shot one way ten times, another way ten times, and possibly a third way ten times. I figure out what my average would be for each of those three shots. I then choose the one that results in the best average. I always play the shot that works best for me in the long run.
This is one thing that you will need to do based on your own personal skills. I am occasionally criticized for taking dangerous shots, but that shot is not necessarily dangerous when based on my own skills. Similarly, a shot that seems safe for somebody else might be quite a bit harder for me.
Once you make the decision and commit to it there is no looking back. Throw the best shot and deal with whatever result comes up. If you throw one bad one it is no big deal because -- in the long run -- as long as you're playing the smart shot you're going to have the best average possible.
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Bending Your Elbow and the Base Ten Method
