Why minis to mark a disc at all?

[paulw]

Minis marking a disc don't make a lot of sense. Why bother?

If we just allowed using another disc as the marker it wouldn't change anything.

If we got rid of taking the diameter of the disc closer by using a marker disc, which seems counter to the intent of the game to me but that may be a separate question, then if the player wanted to use the thrown disc again just replace the disc with another one.

I'm sure I'm over-simplifying things and there's some reason we use a mini disc -- but I'm relatively adept with geometry and with the exception of the thrown disc that you're marking, the circle you're using to replace the disc's diameter doesn't really impact the distance of the next throw.

Seems odd that mini discs are mandated in our rules -- why? Seems like any of the discs we use could just as easily serve the same purpose.

What am I missing?

 

[jenb]

It's something else to sell, and manufacturers originated the rules.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Minis are easy/convenient to keep in your pocket during a round.

They sometimes get left behind...ouldn't want to leave a throwable disc behind.

 

[DarkAce1978]

Why are men expected to wear a tie when they dress up in a suit? It also serves no purpose....TV content used to be free and supported by advertising for many years, now most people pay out the wazoo for cable and watch 30 mins of commercials for every 30 mins of content. Why???...Why did you go and have to point out how useless a mini is? Now I will be thinking that every time I am required to use one...Good point nonetheless

 

[Future_Primitive]

Seems odd that mini discs are mandated in our rules -- why? Seems like any of the discs we use could just as easily serve the same purpose.

What am I missing?

Prior to the rule change the minis helped better identify foot faults. Previously you had to be in the exact center of your disc or mini inline with the basket. So a smaller object like a mini made it easier to see when a foot was planted by it.

Now the rule change from a thin imaginary line to a rectangular box (approx 8-1/2" x 11-3/4") behind your disc it may be easier to see a foot fault behind a full size disc instead of a mini. Previously there seemed to be a benefit to the mini now I am not so sure.

And like Bogey said, carrying mini is easy in the pocket and gets you around 8-1/2" closer to your target.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Bar Marking - you heard it here first.

 

[1978]

Sometimes its even hard to get a mini in the right spot. Way easier than dropping a disc down to mark.

 

[Jowie]

Bar Marking - you heard it here first.

Is it in discussion to make this legal?

 

[Consult20]

If a player steps 3 ft to the side of the lie it really doesn't matter what is used to mark it. :\

 

[Consult20]

Bar Marking - you heard it here first.

An open can of beer is clearly the answer! :hfive:

 

[krupicka]

Using a mini makes it easier to prevent someone from double marking their disc and moving their lie forward.

Player walks up to their thrown disc, places a disc down to mark their thrown disc. Walks back to bag. Something delays things: player is not out so someone else throws, distraction down the fairway, who knows. Player now walks up to their disc marks it with another disc. Their lie is now further forward than it should be. With mini's this double marking will not happen.

 

[teemkey]

Clearly we now need four minis to mark the corners of the lie.

 

[kenjiac]

Using a mini makes it easier to prevent someone from double marking their disc and moving their lie forward.

Player walks up to their thrown disc, places a disc down to mark their thrown disc. Walks back to bag. Something delays things: player is not out so someone else throws, distraction down the fairway, who knows. Player now walks up to their disc marks it with another disc. Their lie is now further forward than it should be. With mini's this double marking will not happen.

This^^^

 

[Monocacy]

How about this? Option to use an 8-1/2" x 11-3/4" piece of astroturf with non-slip backing to define the lie. Foot must touch the astroturf when throwing. Towel of the same size could work, too.

Might prevent injuries on slick footing.

And yeah I can think of situations where you could not put down a piece of astroturf. That's why I suggest it as an option.

 

[Steve West]

How about this? Option to use an 8-1/2" x 11-3/4" piece of astroturf with non-slip backing to define the lie. Foot must touch the astroturf when throwing. Towel of the same size could work, too.

Might prevent injuries on slick footing.

And yeah I can think of situations where you could not put down a piece of astroturf. That's why I suggest it as an option.

You can do that now. As long as you place it behind your thrown disc or a mini. And, if it's less than 1 cm thick when compressed.

 

[Innova63]

An open can of beer is clearly the answer! :hfive:

Had a guy in my first round of Worlds in Waterloo IA who couldn't find his mini for the first round of the tournament. He asked if he could use a beer can until he found his mini. The other two players said it was okay as long as the can was emptied and crushed. Guy slammed the beer and crushed it on his forehead to mostly flat. Clearly a different era, it was not the only beer he consumed during the round. He found his mini during the next hole.

 

[DavidSauls]

I've always felt as the O.P. does. I sort of got the impression that marking the lie with minis (or anything) gave us a resemblance to golfers on the green, marking their ball with a coin, and that was the purpose. When I started I thought it was silly, and a couple of decades later I resignedly think it's silly, but it's also habit.

If only we'd started with putting our foot behind the disc, instead of where the disc was, it might never have seemed necessary to mark it at all. Just replace the disc, if you want to re-throw it.

 

[Turnipseed]

Using a mini makes it easier to prevent someone from double marking their disc and moving their lie forward.

Player walks up to their thrown disc, places a disc down to mark their thrown disc. Walks back to bag. Something delays things: player is not out so someone else throws, distraction down the fairway, who knows. Player now walks up to their disc marks it with another disc. Their lie is now further forward than it should be. With mini's this double marking will not happen.

It's certainly nice that little baby discs are there to protect us from scheming double-marking sons-of-mothers. Where do people come up with this hogwash? If anyone wanted to steal a few inches here or there it could be easily done, with or without a marker. Whooooo cares?

I've never once used a mini marker and never will. Happily, everyone I've ever played pdga events with has been grown enough to understand that this is an inconsequential and entirely ignorable rule.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

What is even going on here?

 

[Aim For The Chains]

Using a mini makes it easier to prevent someone from double marking their disc and moving their lie forward.

Player walks up to their thrown disc, places a disc down to mark their thrown disc. Walks back to bag. Something delays things: player is not out so someone else throws, distraction down the fairway, who knows. Player now walks up to their disc marks it with another disc. Their lie is now further forward than it should be. With mini's this double marking will not happen.

Wut? That has nothing to do with a mini that is just cheating. Know your shots.