Breaking Down the Long Holes in Disc Golf

Par 4s and 5s can feel intimidating when you’re used to aiming for the basket off the tee. The trick is shifting your mindset: these aren’t about one big shot, they’re about smart sequences of shots. Here are some simple ways to break down longer holes and give yourself the best chance to score.

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Pick a Landing Zone and “Park” It

On a long hole, it’s easy to just aim “down the fairway” and rip one. But that rarely leads to consistent results. Instead, pick your first landing zone — a very specific spot — and pretend you’re trying to park a basket there.
Aim small, miss small. Without a defined target, you’re much more likely to spray your drive. Choose a landing zone and execute.

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Know Which Miss Is Better

If the basket is tucked on the right side of the fairway, you’ll often have an easier approach from the left side than from the right. On most holes, there’s a “good miss” and a “bad miss.” Shape your shot accordingly and avoid scrambling from spots that take birdie (or even par) off the table.

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Walk the Hole Backwards

Looking at a tough hole from the tee pad doesn’t always give you the full picture. If you can, walk up to the basket and look back to the tee. You’ll sometimes see wider gaps, better angles, or landing zones you hadn’t noticed.
Even if you can’t walk it mid-round, start thinking backwards: where do I want my last approach to be from? Work back from there and build your game plan shot by shot.

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Long Doesn’t Always Mean Distance Driver

Just because a hole is long doesn’t mean you need to throw your fastest disc off the tee. Sometimes a Putter or Mid-range off the tee puts you in the perfect spot to attack. Trying to max out distance can unnecessarily bring OB, trees, and bad footing into play.
If you know controlled placement shots can get you your desired score, stick to your game plan — don’t be bated by the distance on the tee sign.

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Play to Your Strengths

Play the hole to set up the shots you trust. If you love throwing flat forehand hyzers, land in a spot that lets you do that. If you’re more comfortable with straight backhands, aim accordingly.
Even if the other three players on your card are aiming for an approach from the left, if you’ve practiced from the right and like that spot, stick to your plan.

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Be Confident Approaching from 250 and In

When attacking longer holes, it’s rare that you’ll land in the exact same spot twice. Your approach will come from new angles, footing, and distances each round. That’s why it pays to build comfort with your approach discs from 250 feet and in.
Practice touch hyzers, turnovers, straight shots, low line drives, etc. with your go-to approach discs. Being able to adjust on the fly will help you turn more pars into birdies — and more bogeys into easy pars.

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Understand Scoring Separation

Not every par 4 or 5 is meant to be birdied. Some are “gettable,” others will wreck your score if you get greedy. The key is knowing which is which.
If a hole only gives up birdie to the biggest arms, it might be smarter to play for par and avoid costly mistakes. On holes where most of the field is taking birdie, it’s worth pushing a little harder. Learn when to attack and when to ease off the gas — that’s how good players separate themselves on the leaderboard.

Smart planning beats raw power on long holes — the more you break them down, the better you’ll score.

 

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