In the current world of disc golf, we as players are beyond lucky to have the number of options that we do to help us play our best.
There are thousands of approved discs, hundreds of bags, tools and accessories, and a growing number of reputable coaches and form experts at our disposal to help us improve our less than professional throwing abilities.
And while all of these can and will contribute to how well we play out on the course, I would argue that besides the minimum core discs we need to play, there are few products out there that will help us improve our skill more than having our own personal portable basket.
Now there are unique situations where you may disagree, like if you have a disc golf course right in your backyard, but even for those players, I feel that owning your own basket will benefit you for at least a couple of the reasons I'm about to go through.
So hear me out as I'm going to do my best to breakdown the top 5 reasons why you should own a portable basket as soon as possible.
Let's dive in!
Increased Practice Opportunities
Not only does having your own portable basket lower the barrier to getting those needed reps in, it also will improve the quality and efficiency of those practice sessions.
As we mention in our Complete Practice Guide, intentional practice is the ONLY thing that will truly make you better.
While the discs you use will help, ultimately they will only help you so much unless you put in the work to unlock your own potential. They are just the tool being used, not the craftsman using the tool.
Having your own basket gives you the ability to literally practice just about anywhere, anytime.
As long as you have 15-20 feet of space between you and the basket, at the very least you will be able to get in putting reps that someone you're competing against won't if they don't have their own basket.
And if they do have a basket and you don't, well you'll be on the outside looking in when they're standing on the podium more frequently.
If you have more room at your disposable, even better! Then you'll be able to work on those Circle's edge putts, Circle 2 putts, and even those crucial approach shots that are needed every single round.
With these options right at your finger tips, your practice potential will be seemingly endless as you'll have the ability to design and implement just about any practice you want.
It will also make those practice sessions you are currently doing in a field or back yard even more efficient by stacking skills within the same drill.
For instance, let's say you've been struggling to land those 150 foot forehand approach shots inside the circle, which gives you undesirable putts and is adding extra strokes to your final score.
Not only can you go and set up that exact shot with your basket, tweaking the exact angle and distance you need, but you'll also have the ability to then attempt putts from where your practice throws are landing.
So while you could set up this same drill with a cone, you wouldn't have the ability to putt, therefore making your overall session valuable, but less efficient than it could be if you were stacking skills into one drill.
You can then change the drill to whatever you want. You may want to work on 150 foot forehands first, then 200 foot spike hyzer backhands, and finish off the session with 60 foot putts.
The possibilities are endless, and is as simple as moving the basket.
Now I know what some of you may be thinking, "this sounds great and all, but I literally have a course within walking or short driving distance to me, I can do everything you're saying there"
While this could be very much true, let me offer my counters to this with reason number 2.
Saves You A Trip To The Course
We all say that we want to practice or play as much as possible.
But after a long day at work or school where you've thought about nothing but getting a round in, you come home to get ready only to remember that you had an errand to run, or chores to get done, or you just want to spend a few moments simply resting and grabbing a bite to eat.
The sitting feels nice and in the meantime you start doom scrolling or watching a video on YouTube and before you know it, you don't feel like getting ready and driving to go play or practice.
You want to play and practice, but just don't feel like leaving.
Let's face it, we've all had these moments from time to time. So why not make the barrier to getting up and practicing just a little bit easier?
Sometimes, knowing that you have a basket right there will motivate you more to get up and get going, and by getting up and getting ready, you decide to end up going to the course anyways, you never know!
The other side of this argument is that while it's great to get out and practice skills and rounds on a real course, not all courses will allow you to practice all of your skills, such as max distance throwing.
You may have a full 18 hole course extremely close by, but if you can't work on your driving skills without fear of hitting trees (or people), then that part of your game will suffer.
Similarly, your favorite place to practice throwing may be an open field which is great, but open fields don't have baskets, unless you bring your own so that you can work on driving, approach shots, AND putting if you wish.
For other players, myself included, your closest course may be a good 30-40 minutes away, which makes impromptu, unplanned practice sessions tough to squeeze in.
Luckily, I do have a portable basket and a back yard to throw in, but without it I would have to do some serious planning to get any meaningful practice reps in.
This applies to many who live urban or rural settings, where no local course combined with time constraints, and sometimes even weather constraints, makes it harder to practice whenever you want, so bring the course to you.
Bring Your Disc Golf Game Indoors
Speaking of the weather, say you are the most motivated person you know and never fail to make it to the course to work on all of your skills.
First off, I hope this is true, because that would be great and you'd be well on your way to improvement!
But unfortunately, you're bound to have some days of miserable weather and depending on where you live, dreaded winter weather.
As I'm writing this, it is 5 degrees outside with ice and snow covering the ground and 20 mile per hour winds. While I could technically be out practicing, I don't have any faith that the quality of those reps would be doing me much good.
They may make me mentally tougher with the right attitude, but I'm not going to have as good of a session than I would by moving my training indoors.
And as you can probably guess by now where this is going, having a portable basket makes this easier to do.
The same would apply to miserable rainy days as well, and while I'm a believer that you should be practicing in those conditions from time to time so that you know how your game is affected, you may be better off having the ability to strengthen those skill and train indoors.
If winter weather does affect you, having a basket and throwing net, and a place inside to use them provides you with a great opportunity to not only improve your skills during those months, but also maintain other skills, and get your body back in shape before the weather breaks for spring.
Maintaining your putting form and being able to get in reps all year is going to be the main benefit of bringing your game indoors with a portable basket, but another side benefit is also having the chance to break in and try new putters.
It's always good to have backups to your discs, and even though putters don't need replaced as often, this also means that they can take longer to really get them dialed in to where you want.
Using them all winter alongside with your main putters gives you the chance to break them in before the season starts and to always have a viable back up option ready to go at a moment's notice.
Despite all of this opportunity to practice indoors, be sure to get back outside as soon as possible because indoors you don't have to contend with variables such as wind and weather, which are definitely important parts of the game to manage.
Warm Up Reps For Tournaments
Tournaments can be stressful, we get that, and you probably get that as well.
You arrive at the course with full intention to get some warmup driving and putting reps.
But when you go to do so, the available baskets are packed with other players and you struggle to warm up at your own pace if you're able to at all.
You have to take limited reps, at rushed intervals, with lots of eyes waiting for your to go so they can take their turn.
All of this extra stress and inconvenience can be avoided by bringing your own basket with you.
As portable as they are and as easy as they are to set up, you practically have nothing to lose in bringing your own to get great reps in prior to one or both of your rounds (depending on the tournament).
Of course, you should be still taking time to go through a proper warmup besides putting.
I absolutely believe that you should practice play a couple holes if possible when showing up at the course, I'm not saying this will replace that.
But I do think there is value in being able to warm up at your own pace, with your own basket away from the tournament crowds so that you can really get dialed to play your best.
They're Inexpensive!
Now that I've laid out all the reasons why you should own a portable basket, we arrive at possibly the best reason you should own one...
They're cheap!
Now, some of you may fight me on the definition of "cheap" a little bit, but at the end of the day, you can find a portable, 24 chain basket on Amazon for less than a hundred bucks!! (See HERE)
If you don't care how many chains it has, the deals get even better where you can find them for less than $100 with a little bit of quick searching.
That being said, I'd argue that no other purchase will give you a bigger return on your investment for improving your game than having a portable basket.
Sure, your core set of discs because you wouldn't be able to play without them, but outside of that, save yourself from buying your next 8-10 possible discs and grab your self a basket first, your game will certainly thank you.
Now you can certainly go more expensive than the $100 mark if you wanted depending on the quality you desire, but my point is that no matter what, you'll be making a purchase that will have a direct positive impact on your performance.
Discs, bags, cool accessories, and digital gadgets all have the potential to help, but won't help you if you don't first work on your actual disc golf skills, like putting and approach shots.
As an added bonus, if you have the means to purchase more than one basket and you have the available space of at least one acre, you would have the opportunity to design your own personal mini course!
If you're sold on why you need a basket, and you want to get one ASAP, be sure to check out THIS ARTICLE where we give you some budget friendly articles to choose from.
Now, we've given you our top reasons for why you should own a portable basket, but none of this matters if you commit to buying a basket and then never use it.
Purchasing and owning is one thing, actually using it to put in those valuable reps is another!
If you're feeling stuck and not sure how or what you should be practicing, then be sure to check out our Complete Practice Guide where we break down all the things you need to do to get on top of your game.
Last but not least, please consider checking out Infinite Discs for not only your basket needs, but any and all of your disc golf needs by clicking on the banner below.
Until next time, be sure to stay Inside the Circle!
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