What I learned About Putting From Ricky Wysocki

A few years ago now, I had the incredible chance to learn from two of the top pros in the sport today, Gannon Buhr, and Ricky Wysocki.

During the event, Ricky Wysocki gave a seminar on putting, and it was nothing short of amazing!

He gave his tips on ways to make your putting game better, and then asked for volunteers to demonstrate their putting routine for him to give feedback.

Over the course of the weekend, the information they provided was invaluable and immediately allowed me to evaluate my own putting ability to make major improvements.

Of everything I learned, these were my takeaways!

Does Form Matter?

Ricky gave feedback to approximately 10 players and their putting routine that I got to witness.

As you could probably expect, all 10 players had their own unique putting style.

One thing that was notable to me however was that Ricky did not change anything in that player’s form when evaluating them.

He made changes and suggestions for them to improve within their style, like grip and other items that we’ll discuss, but he didn’t change their form.

Some players were push putters, some were spin, and others were spush. Additionally, some were natural hyzer putters and some were anhyzer.

He did offer insight as to why someone may hyzer or anhyzer putt if he felt it was a compensation, but otherwise did not make suggestions to putt one specific way.

The takeaway I saw from this was simply reinforcing the idea that there is no right or wrong way to putt.

He didn’t change anyone’s specific form, which goes to show that putting is unique and there is not a form that is “right or wrong”.

There are things we can do within our individual styles to improve consistency, but putting ultimately comes down to comfort, and we all have our own cues to achieve this comfort.

As you read through this article, remember that you don’t need to necessarily change your form to be a better putter, but you should be evaluating things that you could do within your form to make you more consistent, especially inside the circle.

Grip

Similar to form, Ricky did not make a point to grip the disc a certain way over another.

However, there was one point of emphasis that he touched on, and that was having a firm grip with adequate finger pressure on the bottom of the disc.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should be death gripping the disc, but it should also be firm in your hand so that you are able to add “pop” on the disc upon release, adding more spin.

When it is too loose, it is very difficult to generate spin on the disc which is ultimately will help you with distance and accuracy.

Grip should be set first before any movement takes place.

He noted that several of the players he observed today and many players in general have a “loose” grip when lining up their shot, but then tighten the grip during the drawback phase of their putt.

Because they’re tightening their grip on the fly, their grip becomes inconsistent and can lead to errant putts.

He recommended setting your grip firmly first, and not changing it throughout the entire putt.

Wrist Action

Another way that you should be generating spin, regardless of putt style, is by getting your wrist involved.

He recommended all players “cock” or “curl” their wrists so that their hands were on top of the disc.

Upon release of the disc, your wrist should uncurl and generate spin.

He did note that you don’t want to over extend the wrist upon the release, that your wrist should go from curled to neutral to ensure a clean follow through directly towards the basket.

Just like grip, the wrist should be curled first and not done so in the middle of the putting process so that you can be more consistent in your movements.

Spin

This was already touched on with wrist action and grip, but I wanted to emphasize that Ricky was very clear that creating spin was vital for putt accuracy and increasing your effective putting distance.

Without spin, the disc will hyzer out quicker and will make every other part of the putt more difficult than it already is.

Legs

As your distance increases, the legs need to be used to generate the power needed to maintain speed throughout the put.

Timing is just as big of a factor as how much you’re using your legs.

Simply bending the legs during the drawback phase of your putt and extending them towards the basket is all that is needed to keep things nice and smooth while generating increased power and ultimately, spin.

Extra movements

Extra movements that are unique to your style is okay, as long as the movement is towards the basket.

If it’s repeatable, and towards the basket, it’s okay, especially if it helps you in your timing.

Everyone has a unique style, and that’s okay!

Aiming point

Aiming points will differ slightly for everyone based on the amount of power you can generate, spin rate, and hyzer vs flat vs anhyzer releases.

Generally speaking, you should be aiming for the pole or just right of the pole at the top 1/3 of the basket for putts 20-25ft and in.

As you get out closer to circle’s edge, 25-35ft and up to about 40ft, your aiming point will change to the edge of the chains and the top of the basket.

Beyond the 40 foot mark and your aim spot starts to work out beyond the basket and will vary based on your putt speed and spin rate.

He stated that aiming points from farther distances comes from lots of practice due to variations in abilities from player to player.

Learn What Your Misses Are Telling You

The last tip that Ricky touched on is to learn what your misses might be telling you.

Misses that are left and low often mean that you’re not generating enough spin in your throw and the disc is dumping speed/energy too quickly.

This isn’t always the case, but is often a common culprit.

Misses that are high and/or right are often due to something in your grip or over extending the wrist.

Misses that are dead left or right but good on height can frequently be associated with movements or arm swings that are not in line with the basket or your aiming point.

Final Thoughts

All in all, it was very interesting to hear these talking points from a professional player and all of his tips were super helpful.

They won’t help everyone, but they all gave me really good things to think about during my practice sessions and help me think through problems that I encounter from time to time.

Hope they help!

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