Some Great Backhands in Pro Disc Golf

There are players whose backhands jump out at me. Sometimes it’s the power they generate, sometimes it’s the distinctiveness of their technique. Here are a few.

Rebecca Cox

In the novel ‘The Great Gatsby,’ F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the character of Jordan Baker in this way: “There was a jauntiness about her movements as if she had first learned to walk upon golf courses on clean, crisp mornings.”

Something about that captures Rebecca Cox’s backhand. If you aren’t paying careful attention when she throws a backhand drive—if you were to sort of glance quickly out of the corner of your eye—you might get an impression of a college tennis player. There’s a certain energetic precision in her movement.

Cox generates a lot of power in her throw. But the muscle strength never overcomes the overall rhythm. There’s a certain confidence in her release, too—an emphatic finishing snap.

Take a look at Cox on the women’s lead card during round two of the 2025 Discraft Supreme Flight Open. On her opening drive on the first hole, Cox is probably a bit nervous—everyone gets first-hole jitters. (On the same opening drive, her card mate, Macie Velediaz, stops her run-up and restarts her throw.)

On that first drive, Cox throws a bit low. But the great overall mechanics are immediately apparent.

And then, her drives on the third hole and fifth hole show just how strong and focused her backhand is. Take particular note of her drive on the fifth hole—which tracks almost all of the way to the basket.

Paul McBeth

Citing Paul McBeth’s backhand is like mentioning Tiger Woods’ golf swing. Both are the epitome of technical perfection. It’s just a no-brainer to talk about McBeth. His backhand, his forehand, his approach shots, his putting—he has great skills across the board.

I point to McBeth’s backhand, though, because it’s such a pleasure to watch—the absolute definition of “smooth.”

As in most sports, the ideal technique comes from a relaxed, fluid motion. Rather than trying to “muscle it,” the goal is rhythm…ease. That’s certainly the case with McBeth. He generates a lot of distance, but his backhand usually seems fairly effortless.

Check out his drive on the opening hole of the final day of the recent 2025 Music City Open. It’s a 280-foot par three. McBeth’s drive launches cleanly, with perfect spin, and settles just feet from the basket.

Part of McBeth’s skill is that there’s really no wasted movement in his drive. You can even see it in his left arm. In his run-up and launch, he distills the overall motion down to include a perfect counter-balance with his left hand. Everything is being focused into the most precise possible release.

McBeth also exudes a lot of authority in his backhand. There’s rarely ever a rushed effort. That sort of confidence comes through in his motion.

Gannon Buhr, Anthony Barela

Something that stands out in both Gannon Buhr’s and Anthony Barela’s backhand drives is the very easy, loping gait in their motion. Part of it is that they’re very tall, and they throw very far. But again—and the same as with Paul McBeth—it all comes down to seemingly effortless technique.

Watching Buhr and Barela, there’s almost an offhand casualness to many of their backhands. Check out Buhr’s tee shot on a 710-foot par-four in 2024. He’s throwing hundreds of feet—in complete relaxed fashion. Same with Barela; he throws a 500-foot drive in 2024 with minimal effort.

Holyn Handley

What comes to mind in watching Holyn Handley’s backhand is “assertiveness.” She has a strong backhand, but what I really enjoy is the follow-through and finish. It seems as if, even after releasing the disc, she’s still shaping the shot.

At the 2025 Discraft Supreme Flight Open, Handley led for most of the tournament. She seemed to be relaxed and having fun. Any competition—any tournament—has to be nerve-wracking. But Handley seemed unhurried throughout each round.

She had a particularly impressive drive on the 15th hole in the final round. Look at the high, outstretched finish of her left arm after she’s thrown the shot. A perfectly crafted backhand.

Calvin Heimburg

Calvin Heimburg is known for throwing absolute bombs with his backhand. He runs up and uncorks long, powerful drives. But what stands out is the way he physically casts the disc across a fairway. And similar to Holyn Handley, Heimburg’s left arm often finishes up high, as if he’s still riding through the motion and directing the disc.

Interestingly, there’s a slight bit of “rounding” in Heimburg’s backhand. For those of us who come from an ultimate frisbee background, rounding is a typical, ingrained part of our backhand technique. However, in disc golf, pros typically “pull through” on their backhand—they pull the disc forward along the target line. However, Heimburg has a large sweeping motion in his throw that helps to add extra distance.