Suck it up: Spit-outs are part of disc golf

By: Lucas Miller

Here’s something I can’t quite wrap my head around …

There’s a not-so-small slice of disc golf fans who think that – at the highest level of the sport, at least – putting is way too easy. And because of it, something should change: The baskets should be smaller, the circle should extend out a bit further or a few rows of chains should be removed.

With torches and pitchforks in hand, however, that SAME group of people often lead the way, demanding that Jeff Spring “standardize” baskets as soon as humanly possible. Simply put, there are far too many spit-outs in today’s game for the sport to be taken seriously – it’s embarrassing.

But is it?

DGPT: Jakub Semerád

I’m not one of “those people,” but my guess is that they’d argue the difference between a quality putt and a spit-out is faulty equipment – in this case, the basket. But if ALL competitors are putting on the same baskets, and ALL baskets are exactly the same, who’s really to blame?

  • Culprit No. 1 – The basket.
  • Culprit No. 2 – The disc golfer.

Think about it …

Every course on the Disc Golf Pro Tour is different – that’s a good thing. Some are long, while others are short. Some are OB-heavy, while natural OB is enough of a punishment on others. Even the weather differs from place to place and season to season – that’s a good thing.

The best players on tour are able to adapt their style of play to meet the demands of the course they’re attacking. Another facet of the game, if the make and model of baskets vary from event to event, why would it NOT be the responsibility of professionals to adjust the way they putt?

Nobody throws a hissy fit when a push putt-dominant Kevin Jones finds himself having to spin putt through heavy winds at the Dynamic Discs Open, right? I don’t see the difference between that and having a cow when a Veteran basket doesn’t catch the 15-foot putt Anthony Barela laser-beamed at it. Yes, untimely spit-outs are a thing. They exist. And they suck, too.

DGPT: Simon Lizotte

“Perfect putts” DON’T result in spit-outs, though:

  • The speed was off.
  • The angle was wrong.
  • The point of impact was bad.

SOMETHING wasn’t right.

Baseball bats break. Three-pointers rim out. Officials get in the way.

Welcome to sports.

* Note: Let it be known, however, that THIS is completely unacceptable – it can’t happen.

If the PDGA and DGPT decide to create a single basket for all Pro Tour events, great. If they’re fine with different baskets, but choose to mandate what constitutes a “pro-level” target, sweet. Or, if they think it’s best to continue as we’ve done for years, I’m not losing any sleep over it.

Go buy a DiscDot or something – maybe that’ll help.

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Lucas Miller

Lucas Miller is the founder and editor-in-chief of Green Splatter. When he’s not out tossing a Champion Rhyno in his native Utah, he’s watching true-crime documentaries with his wife, wrestling his twin boys and praying the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rebuild passes quickly.

2 thoughts on “Suck it up: Spit-outs are part of disc golf”

  1. This article is trash, you make assumptions like there is “no way a good putt spits out” as if that’s a remotely reasonable statement to make. You haven’t seen what baskets are capable of if you truly believe this and I do a lofty push putt that still occasionally reaches all the way to the pole and bounces out on a putt dead center (not high). There is no shame in accepting that baskets are an imperfection we can change and allowing truly faulty equipment to effect tournament scores is not only avoidable, but a no brainer, and the equipment is faulty. Why would there be so many different baskets if it was already figured out? Ultimately this article reads as someone who is equally as biased as the group you are attempting to attack, doesn’t come across as anything based in fact, facts that should be used when deciding a standardized basket for the tour

    Reply

    • Thanks for the comment, Ben!

      But if it’s a good putt, doesn’t it ALWAYS come to rest in the bottom of the tray?

      The difference between a “good putt” and “bad putt” might be microscopic at times, but still …

      It’s there.

      Again, appreciate the difference of opinion – thanks for reading, Ben!

      Reply

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