More public disc golf courses need practice baskets

Practice baskets are great.

Mine sees constant action in my backyard.

I’m not amazing at disc golf, but my putting’s not horrible.

I owe that woefully uninspiring accomplishment to my own set of portable chains. In fact, I’m so committed to the efficacy of a personal practice basket, I’m convinced no disc golfer can “make it big” without one. That’s not my goal, but if it’s yours, there’s simply no getting around it …

You need a practice basket.

However, there’s another place I’d like to see more of ‘em: public disc golf courses. If you’ve got one (or two) at a course close to your home, you’re already familiar with the following:

• They’re usually near the first hole or parking lot.
• They’re most commonly used for putting practice.
• They see lots of action from ultra-serious disc golfers.

The problem?

They’re not regularly featured on the courses most amateurs play.

Me no likey.

On-course practice baskets are important for a host of reasons. First, the one part of your disc golf game that needs the most time to “warm up” is your putt. Yes, throwing for distance is more physically intensive – that’s a given. But it’s your short game that shaves actual strokes. Before every round, you need to see the chains rattle a few times to dial-down your C1X routine.

Next, when there is no practice basket, guess where disc golfers go to get their practice putts in? The closest basket – which again, is usually the first one. This is dangerous, but for someone as self-centered as me, what I hate most about it is that it slows down the course’s pace of play.

And not only on the first hole, either. It’s not uncommon for guys to practice-putt on every hole before wrapping it up. I hate the living daylights out of this. Grab your putter, saddle-up the ol’ frisbee tote and head for the next tee. Practice baskets help eliminate this madness, as well.

Believe it or not, though, my favorite benefit of the public practice basket is a social one. On the rare occasion I play a course with one installed, it’s where I meet my buddies. It beats waiting for ‘em in my car on my phone, aimlessly scrolling through Facebook as my mind turns to mush.

Also, on more than one occasion, I’ve randomly paired with another solo disc golfer at the practice basket. The solo round is great, but I prefer to share my shots with someone – even a total stranger. The water cooler of the disc golf world, the practice basket makes this happen.

It doesn’t need to be nice.

And it doesn’t need much space.

But it does need to be present.

The practice basket.

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