Kat Mertsch and the Forehand Wobble

Kat Mertsch preparing to tee off with a forehand.

I’ve written about the disc golf forehand at various times. I have a sort of love-hate relationship with it because:

1. I never threw a forehand when I was growing up;

2. I only started to learn the forehand when I took up disc golf;

3. It’s a hard throw to learn—and doesn’t come naturally to many of us;

4. It’s helpful to have a forehand in one’s repertoire;

5. It feels great to throw a good forehand.

For some reason, after all the sweat and toil I’ve put into learning a forehand, I enjoy the throw—or the challenge of it. And I love the feeling (and accuracy) of a good forehand drive.

I like to study the forehand techniques of various pro disc golfers. In particular, I think Ella Hansen has an impressive, powerful forehand. (If I could successfully copy any one forehand, it would probably be Hansen’s.)

There are probably a number of different ways to throw a forehand, though. As a good example, look at Sarah Hokom. She’s won two disc golf world championships—and with a forehand-heavy game. However, her forehand technique is rather unusual—though it works for her.

Or, consider round three of last weekend’s Northwest Disc Golf Championship. Kat Mertsch teed off on the 590-foot, par-four, first hole with a forehand. Her drive started out a bit wobbly, but faded nicely on a hyzer line. (You can see it at 11:02 into this DGN coverage.)

Playing on the same card was Ella Hansen. After Mertsch launched her drive, Hansen teed off a minute later with a strong forehand. (You can see her drive at 12:32 into the DGN coverage.)

In comparing the two drives, we see very different techniques.

Mertsch is basically “arm-throwing” her forehand. In contrast, Hansen is spinning the disc much more aggressively.

If you look carefully, Hansen releases the disc far more forward in her stance. That allows her to drive through, and snap the disc when she’s fully extended.

Mertsch does something different. She cups and releases the disc when it’s next to her—not forward in her stance. That makes it harder to rotate through and get leverage. (It can also make the disc wobble a bit at the start of the throw.)

Mertsch is still finding her forehand. But she’s already incorporating it into her game. As she explained to commentator Nate Perkins while walking down the first fairway (at 13:44 into the DGN coverage): “Yeah, stoked about my little sidearm, my little wobble-wobble. I’m glad I’m throwing it, and trusting it.”

A few weeks ago, Mertsch threw an 88-foot forehand into the basket for a birdie during the opening round of the 2025 PDGA Champions Cup. It was a nicely carved throw.

Forehands are good for approach shots. But they’re harder to throw for distance. With time, Mertsch will likely develop a stronger forehand drive.

Something to keep in mind about the forehand is that it’s helpful to release the disc forward in our stance—to help drive the disc through. But it takes time to learn that kind of balance and extension.

And so we keep working on our forehands…