150 bag for an old fart

[Monocacy]

I switched to 150s when I passed 50, and I love it so far (the discs more than the age). I particularly enjoy flicking 150s; much less wear and tear on my creaky shoulder.

Backhand distance is around 300', maybe more if I'm feeling frisky. Forehand distance is a little less, but working its way back up again after an injury. I throw pretty much everything in the bag forehand and backhand.

I am particularly interested in your thoughts on the stable control driver slot, but any comments, suggestions, or witty ridicule will be appreciated.

Stable control driver: The perfect disc would weigh 150 grams and fly like a more durable, mildly-seasoned 165 DX Gazelle. I hope to audition two lovely contestants this weekend:
150 gummy Champ Gazelle or 150 TP / Pro-D Cyclone
If those discs don't work, I may try a 150 Q or SJLS or 150 Q PLS, but I worry that they may overlap with the Leopard and lack stability for headwinds. If all else fails, I will try to find some elusive 150 DX Gazelles or use beat-up 150 DX Teebirds or Eagles.

Understable driver:
154 Champ Leopard: This is my main driver in the woods, works well for uphill shots, and absolutely bombs downhill.

Distance driver:
150 Star Valkyrie: Main distance driver, backhand and forehand.
150 Champ Valkyrie: Well-beaten, for distance turnovers and hyzer flips. I traded for this one used – are Champ Valks normally more understable than Star?

Moderately overstable driver:
150 P PD: This is becoming longer as it breaks in. On windy days I carry a 150 Star Eagle or Champ / Star Teebird.

Very overstable driver:
154 Champ Banshee: This has been getting a lot of use lately, and has taken over mid-length forehands that I used to throw with heavier DX Rocs. I have even started fooling with get-out-of-trouble forehand rollers.

Midranges:
150 DX Rocs: I was worried about throwing Rocs in the 150s but except for my less-than-pristine forehand (see Banshee), Rocs seem to fly like Rocs regardless. I am working on beating up a Roc to test against the Comet.
150 KC Pro Roc: I hope that the extra stability will help with flicks, at least until I can clean up my forehand. I will test this weekend.
163 Z Comet: Cheater "heavy" disc, at least until I can beat up a 150 Roc and compare.

Putters:
165 - 168 SS Magic: Putting putter and understable approach shots.
162 - 165 SS Wizard: Short flicks, stable approaches, and windy putts.

 

[mike]

i think your bag is solid. My uncle throws all drivers under 165..and its very similar to your setup.

 

[fairweather_fan]

those 150 star TBs i traded you didn't make the cut? i'm still beating up the dx 150 TBs i got to replace them for that slot in my bag.

i've also found the same thing as you re: the usability of 150 rocs, although with my knee getting better and the winds picking up i've moved back to heavier discs (160-170g) for most of the slots in my bag. i'd just stick w/ the banshee for most mid/short length FHs, probably- but i don't have much of a FH to speak of, so you may have more specialized needs there.

how much longer are you finding the PD than your f'way drivers or valk? i've been toying with the idea of testing out a 150g PD and would be interested to hear your take.

in terms of molds/overlap/whatever, it looks like a good bag to me- i'd feel comfortable using that setup in anything short of high winds.

 

[BrotherDave]

150 P PD bombs. It really does.

 

[Monocacy]

i think your bag is solid. My uncle throws all drivers under 165..and its very similar to your setup.

Sweet, thanks!

 

[mike]

Sweet, thanks!

he's 55....throws 150 valks alot...also flicks a 150 flick. He prefers max wt putters tho. I am giving him a 150 10x banshee for xmas....so im sure hell be using that for fairway shots...

mike

 

[Monocacy]

those 150 star TBs i traded you didn't make the cut?

Teebirds have a way of tagging along, even when they are not in the bag. The 150 Star Teebirds seem more stable than their heavier brethren, but they probably just need a little breaking in.

how much longer are you finding the PD than your f'way drivers or valk? i've been toying with the idea of testing out a 150g PD and would be interested to hear your take.

The PD and Valk fly similar distances for me, but the different flight paths are useful. I have not thrown drivers in the field for a while, so it is difficult to compare in numbers.

in terms of molds/overlap/whatever, it looks like a good bag to me- i'd feel comfortable using that setup in anything short of high winds.

I played two blustery rounds last weekend. The 150 bag did surprisingly well, and your 150 TBs came in quite handy. Thanks!

 

[Rip Van]

I switched to 150s when I passed 50, and I love it so far (the discs more than the age). I particularly enjoy flicking 150s; much less wear and tear on my creaky shoulder.

He's a bit older, but Dr. Rick Voakes seem to do quite well throwing mostly 150 class discs.

 

[Monocacy]

He's a bit older, but Dr. Rick Voakes seem to do quite well throwing mostly 150 class discs.

989-rated Senior Grandmaster? That's inspiring.

Nice, simple bag, too – Sidewinder, Teebird, Leopard, Banshee, Aviar. Strangely, no midranges listed, though. Hmmm.

 

[hangwind]

Couple of weeks, I will be fifty.

I enjoy the 150g class, you are spot on with your choices.

Sidewinder, TeeBird, I throw back hand on the inside and use really light ROC DX's. ION med and soft for putting duties. For wind and other things, I use a beat up Banshee that is 160ish, love Banshees, have four or five in various states and plastics. The Sidewinder I use a lot as I can control the way it finishes a little better than others.

Thanks for posting your bag, I'll get around to posting mine one day soon.

 

[Monocacy]

Couple of weeks, I will be fifty.

Get outta here, ya punk kid!

I enjoy the 150g class, you are spot on with your choices.

Thanks!

For wind and other things, I use a beat up Banshee that is 160ish, love Banshees, have four or five in various states and plastics.

Banshee is an underappreciated disc, and the best meathook I have found for those of us with less-than-cannon arms. DX Whippets are fun, too, but more as a utility disc.

The Sidewinder I use a lot as I can control the way it finishes a little better than others.

I threw Sidewinders for many years, and they can absolutely bomb. I switched to Valks because they give similar distance, but the higher LSS makes them somewhat more predictable (for me, anyway) and more reliable when thrown forehand.

Thanks for posting your bag, I'll get around to posting mine one day soon.

Please do!

 

[medicinalfunk]

reading threads like this makes me happy to know i'll still be playing this game in 30 years

 

[Jay Dub]

989-rated Senior Grandmaster? That's inspiring.

Nice, simple bag, too – Sidewinder, Teebird, Leopard, Banshee, Aviar. Strangely, no midranges listed, though. Hmmm.

Can't go wrong with Dr Rick. In the '88 Worlds he was 35 (which was the age for Masters at that time) and decided to play Masters division instead of Open.
John Ahart won the '88 Worlds Open class, but he didn't shoot the best score that week, Dr Rick did.

I would think Dr Rick considers his Aviar a mid range.

 

[Monocacy]

reading threads like this makes me happy to know i'll still be playing this game in 30 years

And reading that makes me with I had started playing regularly 30 years ago . . .

Can't go wrong with Dr Rick. In the '88 Worlds he was 35 (which was the age for Masters at that time) and decided to play Masters division instead of Open.
John Ahart won the '88 Worlds Open class, but he didn't shoot the best score that week, Dr Rick did.

Pretty amazing player.

I would think Dr Rick considers his Aviar a mid range.

Ah, that makes sense.

I do have a question about 150 Champion vs. Star Valkyries. I traded for a beat-up 150 Champ Valk, and find it very useful for hyzer-flippy distance drives. I need a back-up. Are new Champ Valks flippier than Star Valks?

If not, I will keep beating up my Star Valk until it gets flippy and then start a rotation.

 

[Monocacy]

After a blustery weekend, gummy 150 Champ Gazelles earned first crack at the stable control driver slot. The gummy 150s seem to fly like my beloved 165 DX Gazelles, but should maintain their stability longer. I look forward to further testing in calmer conditions.

The 150 Star Valk is breaking in to be long and workable on a variety of lines. I need to get a fresh one and start a rotation.

The 150 KC Pro Roc didn't like my crappy forehand any more than did regular 150 DX Rocs, so I see no reason to carry both.

Next step is to decide whether to use PDs, Teebirds, and / or Eagles as the moderately overstable driver. In just a few rounds, the P PD beat-in to overlap with the Star Valk. Perhaps the S PD will hold the sweet spot longer. I need a disc with enough high-speed stability to handle headwinds and my wobbly forehand drives.

 

[Monocacy]

I lack the arm / technique to throw PDs consistently well, so Teebirds beat out PDs as my moderately overstable driver. 150 Star Teebirds are remarkably stable, though, so I plan to order a few DX and Glow Teebirds to use while the Stars are breaking in.

Leopards and Teebirds cover straight shots and fades, but I would like a complementary driver to handle controlled curves. The Eagle-L seems like a plausible option, so I may order a few in Champ and DX.

Question: For a 300' thrower, would the Eagle-L complement or overlap with the Champ Leopard and Teebirds?

I will also be trying out a 165ish X Comet. I love the Z Comet, but would like something a little less stable to make certain shots easier.

Otherwise, I am pretty happy with the bag so I will be ordering a few back-up discs.

 

[prerube]

when you turn 70, I have some 119 Rocs

 

[BrotherDave]

Question: For a 300' thrower, would the Eagle-L complement or overlap with the Champ Leopard and Teebirds?

When new, Champ EL's are deceptively beefy, about as stable as Teebirds but when they are broken in really good they're like faster Leopards.

If you're looking for something for controlled turnovers out of the box I'd look elsewhere like a Leopard, XL, or light River.

 

[Monocacy]

when you turn 70, I have some 119 Rocs

Sweet! Now I can't wait to turn 70.:gross:

 

[kdogokc]

989-rated Senior Grandmaster? That's inspiring.

Nice, simple bag, too – Sidewinder, Teebird, Leopard, Banshee, Aviar. Strangely, no midranges listed, though. Hmmm.

I have a 150 leopard that is a great mid...I have more than once considered dumping my champ shark/champ gator combo for mids & sticking with my 150 pearl Ch leo/aviar combo instead. the 150 Leo holds hyzer, anny, & straight (w/minimal fade) on most mid distance throws.