Rollers

[DiscinFiend]

Recently I've been experimenting a lot with different types of rollers. What type of roller has the potential to be thrown the farthest? Which type of roller is the easiest to be the most accurate with?

 

[dmk1978]

I been using forehand rollers a lot for some local courses have dense tree growth but open floor. I usually use my flat top FB 12x for forehand rollers. If I throw a backhand I use my first driver I ever bought a Valk dx 175, it is beat to hell but it will always go into a nice roll with a high release.

 

[Druid]

Backhand sky rollers are my longest by far, and also the most accurate. I haven't thrown a heck of a lot of FH rollers though. Maybe less than 100 total, so it's hard to compare with any certainty.

I think I tried a thumb roller once...I don't think it turned out well. I saw some dude throwing them on YouTube recently though, and he was getting some crazy good distance. I didn't even know that was possible till I saw it.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

There is just something about a FH roller which is very easy to work IMO because you have a lot more control over the angle of the disc as well as landing area etc in a FH shot than backhand and its a lot harder to throw a BH roller than FH for accuracy. BH rollers often are for low ceilings, long drives more than accuracy. I have witnessed wayyyyyyy too many BH rollers get super off line compared to any air shot that I cant imagine using it for its "accuracy" and I love throwing BH rollers.

 

[kerplunk]

Accuracy = FH, distance = BH. Watching vids of the pros, you will see BH rollers for distance (especially at the USDGC with "classic" rules) and FH rollers for approach and get out of trouble shots. I don't think you will see many BH rollers under 250 feet, or many FH rollers over that distance, although it is of course possible.

 

[aPfaff]

It all depends on the person. People like Geoff Bennett probably throw forehand rollers further. I personally like backhand rollers for distance and forehand for accuracy. I also occasionally throw a thumber roller. Thumber rollers are extremely useful to learn.

 

[ThrowinGhost]

Backhand rollers can generally be thrown farther. If I catch a backhand roller just right, I can get it 25-50' farther than my max distance air shots.

 

[justactnormal]

I can't throw b/h rollers for shiz b/c of bad shoulders... it's too risky to "open up" that much with any kind of power. I can flick a disc with a lot of snap and get it to stand up predictably, though. I can't throw it very far b/c of aforementioned shoulders, but it's a useful shot and I can generally judge the roll and where it will curl up and stop. Also useful is the low ceiling, intentional f/h skip shot. That's fun and way more predictable than b/h, for me anyways.

FWIW, Nikko threw a b/h roller at Blue Valley #6 farther than I thought was humanly possible. Got it down on edge through the tree lined fairway and put it about 700' out, with the middle third of the fairway being steeply uphill and last 3rd with big moguls that the pin was on top of. It was so dumbfounding. Seeing it roll uphill like that was amazing. I would've never thought that shot was possible on that hole, but that's just how much better the top guys are than the rest of us.

So yeah, BH for distance but FH is more accurate.

 

[Ballingerj44]

Can someone post a video of a thumber roller

 

[notBOB]

backhand rollers are huge, forehand rollers more of a utility for me.

 

[kutz167]

Can someone post a video of a thumber roller

This month's disc golf monthly has craig gangloff doing two of them in it.

 

[DiscinFiend]

Can someone post a video of a thumber roller

It shows a thumb & thumber roller

 

[aPfaff]

This month's disc golf monthly has craig gangloff doing two of them in it.

He's doing an old school shot that probably doesn't have a name. I know it is not a thumber roller though.

 

[kutz167]

He's doing an old school shot that probably doesn't have a name. I know it is not a thumber roller though.

It's a roller thrown overhand with his thumb in the rim = thumber roller

He just modified the grip to what he wanted from it. The very definition of a thumber is an overhand shot with your thumb in the rim.

 

[mashnut]

I use backhand rollers for distance, forehand rollers for getting out of trouble and pinpoint shots.

 

[jhgonzo]

If you ever play LTC Cleveland (and please let me know if you are in the vicinity!), you'll find a RHFH roller (properly executed) is the ideal tee shot on Hole #3 (some folks even open their round with a roller on #1!). I've been working on RHBH rollers, but the heavy arcing motion makes it tougher for me to pull off while getting the same distance.

I DO, however, feel that a gentle RHBH roller holds its line better, and as such I will use it on shorter approach shots where nothing else seems feasible. But when it comes to a roller off the tee, it will have to be FH or I'm looking for a different route/method.

 

[GripEnemy]

I don't throw distance rollers, so primarily FH for me - which I throw all the time for approaches or recovery shots.

 

[roclover]

I love rollers. Rollers are great for low ceilings, getting out of trouble, super distance, finishing on a hillside and shot shaping angles that aren't possible in the air. There are several holes at local courses that I've heard labeled as "stupid" or "impossible" that are actually just awesome roller holes. For backhand rollers watch some videos of Feldberg and Nikko at USDGC. They both throw a lot of rollers at that course. One of my favorite rollers is a cut roller that later stands up and finishes to the right. You need a lot of practice and the right disc, but this is an awesome trick shot! There's a video of feldberg using that type of roller in Europe somewhere... I think it's hole 18. I don't remember exactly, but it's like a 450 ft lefty double curve shot that Dave parks with this sick cut/stand-up roller.

 

[knettles]

I throw some backhand and forehand rollers, but every now and then find a putter scooby/thumb roller to be really useful. If I've got just a short approach that dog legs hard to one side, I'll throw my putter medium power with a scooby or thumb roller. It'll go straight for about 50-75 feet, then curve about 30-50 feet to the right/left. Don't need it too often, but when I do it's handy.

 

[aajpity]

I hardly ever use rollers. I don't think it's overly useful but they are cool. You can get some mad distance.