I live in Oregon. It rains here from roughly October through June. Not constantly, but enough that there are long stretches where going to the course sounds miserable. Cold, wet, muddy, discs slip out of your hand weird, shoes get destroyed. Some people play through all of it. I admire those people. I am not always one of those people.
The problem is that not playing for weeks or months means losing progress. Your timing gets rusty, your putting goes cold, your muscle memory fades. Every spring I used to feel like I was starting over, spending the first month just getting back to where I was the previous fall.
So I started doing off-season stuff. Indoor work, covered areas, things that don’t require sunshine and dry fairways. It’s not as good as real rounds but it’s way better than nothing. Here’s what’s worked for me.
Indoor Putting
This is the obvious one and also the most effective. You don’t need a course to practice putting. You need a basket and maybe 15 feet of space.
I keep a practice basket in my garage. Paid like $80 used years ago. It’s not tournament quality but it catches discs fine. I can practice putting at 10-15-20 feet without leaving my house, without getting wet, without any excuse not to do it.
The routine I use: 15 minutes, same as my normal putting practice. Warm up close, money distance at 20 feet, ladder drill, pressure putts. Nothing changes except I’m in the garage instead of outside. Some days Noodle knocks the basket over and I have to reset. It’s fine.
If you’re serious about putting improvement, winter is actually the perfect time because there’s nothing else competing for your practice time. No “I should go play a round instead” temptation. Just you and the basket, building reps.
Form Work With a Towel
This one sounds dumb but it works. You can practice your throw motion without releasing anything.
Get a dish towel. Grip it in your throwing hand like a disc. Now do your full throw motion \u2014 x-step, reach back, pull through \u2014 and let the towel snap at the end. If your timing is right, the towel snaps loudly at the release point. If your timing is off, it kind of flops weakly.
The towel drill teaches you to accelerate at the right moment. You can’t muscle a towel \u2014 it only snaps if you’re generating speed through proper sequence. It’s immediate feedback without needing space or a target.
I do this in my living room during winter. Brendan thinks I’m insane. “You’re throwing a towel at the wall again?” Yes. Yes I am. It’s helping.
Mirror Work
Another no-space-needed option: stand in front of a mirror and do your throw in slow motion. Watch what your body is doing. Where’s your weight? What are your hips doing? Is your elbow leading?
Film yourself if you can \u2014 your phone propped against something works fine. Review in slow motion. Compare to video of players whose form you want to emulate. The winter is a good time to rebuild mechanics because you’re not in “tournament mode,” you can actually afford to change things.
I rebuilt my entire reach-back during a rainy January a few years ago. Watched video of myself, saw that I was extending my arm way too early, spent weeks doing slow-motion reps in front of a mirror until the new pattern felt natural. Came out of winter throwing noticeably better.
Covered Driving Ranges / Field Space
Some areas have covered facilities where you can throw. Baseball batting cages sometimes work. Some gyms have turf areas. I’ve thrown into nets at indoor soccer facilities.
You’re not going for distance here \u2014 you can’t see the full flight anyway. You’re working on release angle, snap, the feel of a clean throw. Set up 50 feet from a net and throw at a target spot. Focus on form, not power.
I haven’t found a perfect solution for this in Portland. The options are limited and often cost money. But even a few sessions during the off-season helps maintain the throwing feel.
Physical Training
Disc golf is athletic even if it doesn’t feel like intense exercise. Leg strength, core stability, rotational mobility, flexibility \u2014 all of these affect your throw. Winter is a good time to work on the physical foundation.
I do basic stuff: squats, lunges, planks, hip stretches. Nothing fancy, just maintenance. The goal isn’t to get jacked, it’s to keep the body functional and mobile.
Brendan’s a physical therapist so I get free advice about this stuff. His main recommendation: don’t ignore your legs and core. Arm strength matters less than people think. Leg drive and core rotation matter more.
I should probably do more dedicated training than I do. I tell myself I’ll start a real program and then I don’t. Do as I say, etc.
Video Study
Winter is great for watching disc golf coverage and actually learning from it. Not just entertainment \u2014 intentional study.
Pick a player whose form you like. Watch their rounds in slow motion. What do they do on tee shots? How do they approach different situations? What’s their putting routine?
I’ve learned a ton from watching McBeth and Conrad and Eagle. Not copying them exactly \u2014 I can’t throw like them \u2014 but understanding their decision-making, their shot shapes, their course management. That knowledge translates even if my execution doesn’t match.
Jomez and GK Pro on YouTube have tons of coverage. Slow it down to 0.25 speed on the throw replays. You see stuff at quarter speed that’s invisible at full speed.
Mental Game Reading
There are books about the mental side of disc golf and golf in general. Winter’s a good time to read them.
Zen Golf is the one I see recommended most often. It’s about regular golf but everything applies. Managing nerves, staying present, dealing with bad shots. I read it a couple winters ago and it helped my tournament mentality more than I expected.
Even just thinking about course management and strategy \u2014 running through holes in your head, planning what you’d throw on different scenarios \u2014 keeps your brain engaged with the game when your body can’t be.
Equipment Maintenance
Clean your discs. Organize your bag. Replace worn grips. Check your minis and towels. All the stuff you never get around to during the season.
I use winter to evaluate what’s actually in my bag versus what I throw. Usually I find 2-3 discs I haven’t touched in months that can come out, making room for stuff I actually need.
Play Through It Anyway (Sometimes)
Look, I’m not gonna pretend I never play in winter. I do. Sometimes the rain breaks for a few hours and I can get a round in before it starts again. Sometimes it’s cold but dry and that’s fine. Sometimes I just accept being wet for two hours because I need to throw something.
The off-season training stuff supplements real play, it doesn’t replace it. If you can get out even once a week during winter, that’s better than any amount of towel drills. The drills are for the days when you genuinely can’t.
What Actually Happens
I’ll be honest: my off-season discipline is inconsistent. Some winters I’m putting every day and doing form work three times a week. Some winters I get lazy and barely touch a disc for two months. It depends on life, motivation, whatever.
But the winters where I do the work, spring comes easier. I’m not rebuilding from scratch. My putting is still there. My timing comes back in one or two rounds instead of five or six. The investment pays off.
And even if you don’t do any of this \u2014 even if you just take a few months off and come back fresh in spring \u2014 that’s fine too. Disc golf is supposed to be fun. If off-season training sounds like a chore, skip it. The sport will still be there when the weather improves.
But if you want to improve year-round, there are ways to do it that don’t require standing in a mud puddle for three hours. That’s all I’m saying.