How Elevation Affects Your Disc Golf Putting
The Midwest offers everything from beautiful rolling hills and forests to wide-open farmland. It’s also home to hundreds of disc golf courses. Some are tight, wooded technical layouts while others are open and windy. One thing many Midwest courses have in common, though, is relatively flat terrain, especially in local parks and city courses.
If you’re like me, your home course doesn’t have much elevation. Maybe a few gentle slopes that affect your drives or your walk, but you rarely see baskets placed on steep hillsides. Throwing down a big slope is a thrill, but when it comes to putting on elevation, things can get tricky fast.
That became clear during our trip to the 2015 World Amateur Championships at Timber Ridge in Gobles, Michigan. This course was built into ski slopes for the 2008 World Championships and reopened for the 2015 event. It’s a beautiful, challenging layout, and a great teacher when it comes to putting on hills.
Challenges of Putting on Elevation
The slopes at Timber Ridge were tough to walk, but putting was even tougher. Every lie forced us to rethink our stance and control. Here are a few of the biggest challenges we faced:
- Downhill putt: Do you run it from just outside the circle and risk a 50-foot comeback, or lay up safely?
- Sidehill putt: How’s your balance when you’re tilted 45 degrees? Can you stay stable through the toss?
- Uphill putt: Does your normal form have enough power to reach the chains without stalling out?
Downhill Putts
Downhill putts can mess with your comfort and confidence. My usual straddle stance felt unstable, especially on steep slopes. I found myself holding back out of fear of losing balance. Switching to a more standard stance helped me aim parallel to the slope and keep a clean release.
Tip: Reduce your power slightly — gravity will help pull the disc toward the chains. Focus on a smooth, flat release to avoid sailing long.
Sidehill Putts
Sidehill lies are where the straddle putt shines. Plant your low foot firmly into the slope and bend your higher leg to level your shoulders. Be aware that your balance might bias your putt to one side, adding unwanted hyzer or anhyzer angles.
Tip: Before you commit, visualize where a miss might land. If the hill will catch it, be ready for a roll. If it’s a drop-off, consider a soft anhyzer or even a flick putt to minimize risk.
Uphill Putts
Putting uphill is one of the hardest adjustments. You’ll often see your disc stall early and fade left (for right-hand backhand putters). That “nose-up stall” happens because your arm angle naturally tilts the disc upward, fighting gravity.
Tip: Use an understable putter to counter the early fade and add extra pop to your release. Remember — without a full weight transfer, you’ll need a little more strength than usual to reach the chains.
Wind and Rollaways
Elevation brings more than slope — it changes the wind. On some holes, we found strong headwinds pushing up the hill and dead air at the bottom. Missed putts often rolled away farther than expected, especially when the basket sat near a drop-off or hazard.
Tip: To minimize risk, consider throwing a stall shot that floats softly and lands flat. Sometimes the safest play is a controlled layup that avoids the dreaded rollaway.
Practice for Confidence
Comfort comes from preparation. Bring a few different putters and practice various stances on a hill. Experiment with how your disc reacts on each slope. The goal isn’t just to make putts — it’s to control where your misses end up.
Tip: Set up a basket on a hill and practice for an hour. You’ll learn how elevation changes your release, and the next time you face a slope on the course, you’ll be ready.
Putting on elevation takes patience, balance, and creativity. Learn from every uphill and downhill miss — those lessons stick with you long after the round.
Written by DG Puttheads — your nerdy disc golf friends who test and tinker so you can play smarter.
