Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2020/08/14/mailbag-doubles-ratings-how-to-get-better-most-underrated-player/
Welcome to Ultiworld Disc Golf’s mailbag!
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You can email me anytime at [email protected] with questions, comments, ideas — whatever you’ve got.
Q: How about doubles ratings? There are many competitive leagues: how about updating the rating system to do this as well? It could be an additional revenue stream and easier way to get new people into tournaments.
– Matthew R.
A: I guess my feeling is: why not? Especially as UDisc starts to integrate leagues more, why not build in a tool to report the scores to the PDGA and generate a casual, fun doubles rating? I mean, honestly, I feel like this feature should exist now. UDisc should spit out unofficial round ratings based on the layout you choose on a course.
Yes, yes, I know this wouldn’t really count as any kind of official rating, but why not pool the data from players that compete at a course, compare the rounds to player ratings, and automate a rating for each round entered. They already display leaderboards at the course, so why not associate a rating with each score?
I think this would be a great way to help new players understand how a 3-under on one course isn’t the same at a different one, and it would probably push more players to seek out tournament play since it’s less intimidating signing up for the right division knowing that you normally shoot an unofficial 820.
You could easily scale those ratings for doubles (or just keep them as is and let people brag about being a 1000-rated doubles player).
If you wanted to get serious about it and the PDGA was going to keep actual records and do actual ratings, I like the concept. Make a lower tier, cheaper PDGA membership for leagues/doubles — $20 a year or something — so players can sign up to see their ratings. Get them in the door, then up-charge them if and when they take the leap into tournament play. Win, win, win!
Q: What’s the best way to get better at disc golf? I’ve been playing for a while now and it feels like my progress is stagnating. I play rounds a few times a week, but I’m not really scoring better with any consistency. What should I do?
– Jim C.
A: Well, I’m not a professional or anything close to it, but as someone who was pretty bad to start who has had to unlearn a lot of funky ultimate frisbee habits, I feel like I can help you out.
Besides actually playing disc golf, which is a crucial part of getting better for obvious reasons, the thing that has helped me the most — arguably more than even playing rounds — is to go out to a field with a stack of discs and just work on throwing them. Full power drives, forehands, accuracy challenges — all with very different discs, from putters to high speed drivers — they’ve made a huge difference for me.
When you’re on the course, you’re thinking about wanting to get a good score. You’re picking the discs you’re most comfortable with and throwing them a lot. It’s hard to get the feedback of throwing six or seven different discs all in succession in a field and noticing the different flight patterns and how to control them.
Something I’ve done a few times that’s also helped is to just play a round with a mid-range and a putter. (I will admit I’ve never done a putter-only round but I’ve heard plenty of good things about that too). You have to focus a lot more on form and less on sheer distance.
I mean, I know it’s kind of boring advice — practice! — but what else can you do? You don’t need to buy a new disc. You don’t need to watch a YouTube video. You just need to actually practice.
If you’re really looking to get to the next level, I think having someone film you (or filming yourself) throwing will allow you to get more tangible feedback about form deficiencies. Even if you know in your mind what the form is supposed to look like and the cues to get the proper form, it can still be quite difficult to get the proper proprioception.
And I didn’t really address putting here. But you know what to do.
Q: Who is the most underrated player in disc golf?
– Jay M.
A: Chris Dickerson, and I don’t think it’s close. The man gets no hype and yet is clearly one of the best players in the world.
Everyone has been going crazy about Eagle and his back-to-back wins — and rightfully so. And they’re talking about Calvin Heimburg and Ricky’s resurgence and what’s going on with McBeth?
But guess who finished in second place behind Eagle at the last two DGPT events? MFing Chris Dickerson.
Did you know his worst finish at a tournament this year is eighth? That was at the Dynamic Discs Open. He’s won 10 events in 2020. He’s only played three DGPT events this season but he’s podiumed at two of them and finished in the top 10 at all three. And still people don’t bring him up when they’re talking about the best players in the world!!
And I get it: his two biggest wins of his career are the last two DGPT Championships, but, let’s be honest, it’s a weird event with a weird format that happens after USDGC. It doesn’t feel to me even the same as winning a “regular” DGPT event, despite the idea that it should mean more.
He’s never won a Major, a regular season DGPT event, or a National Tour. And I think that’s why he is criminally underrated.
He could help himself, too. He’s a pretty soft spoken guy, which makes it harder to showcase the personality that people can connect with. He’s not a Simon Lizotte type. He does have a YouTube channel, which is a good start, but he could use a little guidance from Prodigy on making it a bit more polished.
But put some respect on the man’s name. He’s like Dame Lillard out here hitting putts from the logo.