10 Must-Have Beginner Discs

[AJ_86]

Starting from drivers:

Sidewinder
Dragon
Cheetah
Avenger SS

To Mids:

Cobra
Buzzz
Stingray

To Putters:

Birdie/Gopher(you can still get them online... they're just a little rare)
Ion
Omega Super Soft

Oddly, this is all very similar to the bag I carry now.

 

[Brall]

just judging from popularity from these boards and other sites, the teebird has been the most common driver that i've heard recommended, a buzzz or a roc for the mid, and an aviar for the putter.

i would never recommend a wizard to a new player because of what i hear about mold inconsistancy. i would recommend a newbie to get with someone that has a stack of wizards and talk to them in person. they may like them over the aviar.

as for me, i'd recommend:
z tracker (overstable)
z leopard (teebird is prob better but i haven't used them enough to reccommend)
dx xl (once beat in will be your turnover disc!)(turnover = turns right for RHBH)
z buzzz (overstable approach and shorter straight drives)
pro buzzz (once beat in will be your turnover disc!)(turnover = turns right for RHBH)
dx aviar (straight short approaches and putts)

either way, you CAN'T go wrong as a new person with a leopard or teebird or even both. i was lucky that someone put that in my hand first than a boss or something like that.

 

[RoundWounds]

1. any putter
2. Buzzz
3. a more understable mid, comet or fuse
4. teebird as an OS driver
5.leopard as a S/US driver

I don't think much else is really needed

This.

 

[nstraz]

*Sidewinder (haven't thrown this one a lot yet- it's supposed to be good for beginners with a less powerful arm. I've been using it mostly for thumbers/tommys)

This is my favorite anhyzer disc. Great for getting around long right bends.

*Champion Boss (found disc, can't throw it for crap)

*X Clone (found this one too but I like it for a lot of fade)

*Z Predator (ditto)

Found them on the course? Any ink? You should make an attempt to return them if possible.

*Soft Challenger (I use this one one to prevent rollaways on sketchy putts- it's super old, beat up and floppy. My dog customized it by chewing on one side, but that just makes it fall over and stay put even better. Also doubles as an ash tray.)

I think those dog chew marks might make that an illegal disc according to the PDGA rules. 802.01C states "Players may not make post-production modifications of discs which alter their original flight characteristics." Someone could probably hand you a two stroke penalty for carrying that disc.

 

[AJ_86]

That's only if a puncture goes all the way through.

 

[JTacoma03]

I think those dog chew marks might make that an illegal disc according to the PDGA rules. 802.01C states "Players may not make post-production modifications of discs which alter their original flight characteristics." Someone could probably hand you a two stroke penalty for carrying that disc.

Highly unlikely. Plus that rule is moot, he didn't purposefully modify it, his dog chewed on it. If that rule can be applied here than a tree taking a chunk out of a disc is illegal.

 

[BrotherDave]

Though I wouldn't give 10 discs to a newbie in the first place...

I wouldn't put 10 discs in a beginner bag. I also wouldn't put anything fast in there, either.

Yeah, 10 can be too much if you're gonna be BH or FH dominate.

1) Putter - Any
2) Skeeter
3) Leopard (Advanced Beginner)
4) Viking
5) Valkyrie (Advanced Beginner)
6) Sidewinder (Advanced Beginner)
7-10)????

That's not bad but I'd swap the SW with the Viking. A Skeeter helped me tremendously when I was starting out. The Valk was the first driver that noticeably gave me nose up issues, so I usually reserve it and faster discs for discs to grow into.

3 Soft or Medium Wizards
2 DX Rocs
1 DX Shark (until one of the Rocs beats in)
3 Millennium (their base plastic) Polaris LS
1 Champ Banshee

Your putter and mid selection isn't too bad. I'd pick either the Focus or Challenger and the Roc for when you're on the course, but they'll all be good for field practice. Stop using the Roc for putting, too. It's for drives only.

The Pred is the only driver I'd keep if I were you. The rest of those discs are either too fast, too overstable or too squirrley to be any good for learning to drive.

Garublador always with sound advice.


My ideal bag for a beginner would be:
Putter:
Something that comes in a lot of plastic varieties, that excels at putting and driving, and something that if for some reason you don't like it you'll have no problem trading off. (Wizard, Voodoo, Aviar, Challenger, Omega)
*caveat: The really DG illiterate would benefit from throwing a lid for awhile (Polecat, Gopher, Rattler, Birdie, etc.)

Mids:
Two schools of thought. You could get a couple from a stable mold and beat one to snot for an understable mid (i.e. DX Rocs). OR you can get one mold that will be fairly overstable and mold that will be more of a finesse variety (KC Pro Roc & Comet; Z Buzzz & Fuse).

Drivers:
Speed 6 & 7 only. Ideally one stable driver (Cheetah, Leopard, Gazelle, Cyclone, Polaris, Teebird, Eagle), one overstable driver that you can FH, OH, and throw into a headwind (Banshee, some Eagle-X, EXP-1), and one understable driver that you can flip and turnover (Leopard, Xpress, Polaris)

My biased picks (in technicolor):
Putter: (2) S Voodoo,
Mids: Z Buzzz, ESP Buzzz, Opto Fuse
Drivers: Champ Banshee, Glow Champ Gazelle, DX Gazelle, DX Leopard.
10th disc for schnitzengiggles: ION (I told you it was biased).

 

[scarpfish]

make that an illegal disc according to the PDGA rules. 802.01C states "Players may not make post-production modifications of discs which alter their original flight characteristics." Someone could probably hand you a two stroke penalty for carrying that disc.

That's only if a puncture goes all the way through.

Highly unlikely. Plus that rule is moot, he didn't purposefully modify it, his dog chewed on it. If that rule can be applied here than a tree taking a chunk out of a disc is illegal.

Its also nothing to worry about if he's like 90%+ of disc golfers who don't play in PDGA tournaments.

 

[ScottieZen]

i been playing for about 6 months. and so far my aviar and buzz are my favorite.
i use a leopard driver, but it just doesnt like me... im sure i can throw my putter further than my leopard.

 

[AJ_86]

Its also nothing to worry about if he's like 90%+ of disc golfers who don't play in PDGA tournaments.

Indeed. I play with a non-PDGA sanctioned disc (Defender) and anyone who tries to force strokes onto me over it will get to taste it.

 

[Snore]

i been playing for about 6 months. and so far my aviar and buzz are my favorite.
i use a leopard driver, but it just doesnt like me... im sure i can throw my putter further than my leopard.

Sounds like me except i use a shark instead of a buzz:hfive:

 

[lokirising]

I was all about the Shark until I got a Buzzz.

 

[The dude on the bike]

rename it the useless disc thread

 

[The dude on the bike]

I was all about the Shark until I got a Buzzz.

sharks are awesome, you aren't weird.

 

[FatBoy]

I am a beginner. I use a Buzzz and a Challenger. I find these are really all I need. When I throw them correctly, they do everything I need them too. I am concentrating on learning these two molds in and out, and gaining consistency in my form. Until my form is consistent, I find it useless to carry as many molds as I once did (5-7).

Having only two molds in my bag has helped, because I know exactly when I made a mistake. Before, I just didn't know exactly what the disc would do in certain situations. This hurt me because I didn't know if it was a form flaw or if that is just how the disc acts. I just couldn't learn that many molds at one time.

I have several of each disc too, in different plastics and stages of wear, so I can see the differences within one mold between the plastic types, and see how a worn disc can compliment it's newer partner.

Some would scrutinize me for not keeping a driver in my bag. It would be a good idea to keep a slower driver in your bag like others have suggested. I think learning 3 molds well could be very beneficial to your overall game, rather than having 10 discs/molds.

 

[nstraz]

Highly unlikely. Plus that rule is moot, he didn't purposefully modify it, his dog chewed on it. If that rule can be applied here than a tree taking a chunk out of a disc is illegal.

Normal wear and tear during play is specifically not forbidden in paragraph C.

I brought up the rule because he mentioned that he likes the way the dog chew marks modified the behavior of the disc. I think that would be grounds for someone to have a problem with the disc.

Can we get a picture of the disc on question?

 

[lokirising]

I like my Shark for good hyzer shots but my Buzzz is used for straight approaches and short drives.

 

[woodstock]

XD putter
Roadrunner or a Avenger SS
DX Stingray
Leopard
Leave the Boss alone for now, stick with fewer discs, good luck.

 

[AJ_86]

Normal wear and tear during play is specifically not forbidden in paragraph C.

I brought up the rule because he mentioned that he likes the way the dog chew marks modified the behavior of the disc. I think that would be grounds for someone to have a problem with the disc.

Can we get a picture of the disc on question?

Oh come on, dude. Are you this way on the course?

Because you'd suck the fun out of any group you're in. Rec players do not care about the rules for tournament play and only do this stuff for fun.

Fun... you know, the stuff everyone else isn't having when you start citing paragraphs?

 

[nstraz]

Oh come on, dude. Are you this way on the course?

Because you'd suck the fun out of any group you're in. Rec players do not care about the rules for tournament play and only do this stuff for fun.

Fun... you know, the stuff everyone else isn't having when you start citing paragraphs?

I got the rule book at a Greenhorn tournament this year but I leave it at home. I think it's important to know the rules when you start out. You don't want to learn bad habits in rec play that get you into trouble when you start playing tournaments. I don't want this guy to get used to his modified putter then get penalized for it in strokes and not being able to throw the putter he's trained with when he starts playing tournaments. That would not be fun.

Am I like this on the course? I haven't checked anyone's discs. I did correct a few guys in league this year that stood in front of their lie when putting. I haven't handed anyone strokes for a foul. When playing casual I do suggest mulligans. I'm out there for fun too.

Nate