2021 In the Bag

[VictorB]

Here's to my first year eligible for Masters division, as well as a year where I can actually hopefully play tournaments with little worry.

Winter bag always starts out with a few changes from last season, or new discs to try out. Not nearly as much change from last year but a couple of older discs that I like rotating back in, at least for a bit.

My focus going into this season is to make sure to consolidate both versatility and utility with my drivers, and focus more on throwing the simplest shot available both off the tee and approach-wise.

Distance drivers
175 FLX PL Shasta Hurricane, some wear - has decent stability to it. Not a beat all headwind driver though. bombs on hyzers and will flex out of a turn.
174 PL Hurricane, some wear - flatter and fights the wind better.
171 FLX PL Hurricane, worn - hyzer flip bombs and long turning drives.

Fairway drivers
174 FR Z Raptor, newish - beat the wind. Flex forehands and skip shots
172 Uli Raptor, newish - pretty straight for a raptor. when I need to get some distance on a long hyzer shot
174 ESP Undertaker, worn - still workhorse stable.
168 Z Undertaker, worn - hyzer flips and longer turning drives.
177 FLX PL Squall, newish - tweener driver, mainly when I want a comet flight out of a driver

Midranges
177 Cryztal Drone, new - big overstable mid, basically FH utility only
177 Swirly PL Shastashock - this is my stable horse, lazer beams out to 300'
177 MJ Z Comeet, 2020, new - nice and domey, very stable for a comet.
177 FR LE ESP Comet, newish - finally decided to wear the first of my pair in. Great for locking on hyzer flips out of the box.

Putters
174 SP breaker, worn - chip shot forehand approach disc.
176 SS Wizard, newish - backhand driving putter
174 D Challenger - wearing in for BH approaches and turnovers. main one is white and I will not lose a beat throwing putter in the winter...
174 D Challenger, 2x - matching pair of putting-only putters.

 

[azplaya25]

Played my first masters tournament a couple weeks ago. Really enjoyed playing with other, more mature players

 

[VictorB]

I've barely played, and already made adjustments lol

Challenger and Wizard out, Steady will maintain all putting and throwing

Drone and breaker out, Quake will fill both of those slots for now - if I can get one beat up before spring that's even better.

 

[discerdoo]

Drone and breaker out, Quake will fill both of those slots for now - if I can get one beat up before spring that's even better.

D line Quake will beat up in short order.

 

[VictorB]

D line Quake will beat up in short order.

maybe beat up wasn't the best way to put it - more like 'get the new knocked off'. I prefer for my forehand approach discs to maintain a predictable flight pattern for long periods of time.

 

[VictorB]

Simplify the discs and diversify the game.

Been trying out a few new things but really only 1 seems to have a chance to stick. Older favorites returning and making things a bit simpler. Taking the disc I really trust as my core (hurricane, undertaker, comet) and filling in around the edges.

Distance:
167 Sirius Falcon 1.2, new - the 'easier' distance disc I've been wanting. Tailwinds and max D flex shots
174 PL FLX Shasta Hurricane, worn - long distance hyzer shots
169 PL FLX Shasta Hurricane, new - hyzer flip distance, doesn't need nearly as much L to R room to work

Fairway:
174 Z Predator, newish - the big overstable.
174 Missy Undertaker, newish - stable control driver, straight to fade
174 ESP Undertaker, worn - flips to flat, shallow s turns
168 Z Undertaker, beat - 'flippy' fairway, will hold a very long turn
177 PL FLX Matt Bell Squall, newish - hybrid driver, I use it where I'd like a comet +50ft

Midranges:
177 PL FF Quake, newish - "useless" overstable midrange. main forehand approach disc inside 200'
177 PL Stastashock, new - straight to fade mid, can power up and not flip
177 PL Shastashock, worn - losing some fade, but goes far and straight when thrown hard
177 MJ Z Comet, 2020, new - nice and domey, very stable for a comet.
177 FR LE ESP Comet, newish - finally decided to wear the first of my pair in. Great for locking on hyzer flips out of the box.

Putters:
174 MJ ESP Banger GT, newish - main driving putter. straighter than a steady but not understable
174 Matt Bell Rubber Blend Steady (x2) - main putters.

I have room to add 1 disc, which would likely be a beat up x comet or throwing putter.

 

[azplaya25]

Simplify the discs and diversify the game.

Been trying out a few new things but really only 1 seems to have a chance to stick. Older favorites returning and making things a bit simpler. Taking the disc I really trust as my core (hurricane, undertaker, comet) and filling in around the edges.

Distance:
167 Sirius Falcon 1.2, new - the 'easier' distance disc I've been wanting. Tailwinds and max D flex shots
174 PL FLX Shasta Hurricane, worn - long distance hyzer shots
169 PL FLX Shasta Hurricane, new - hyzer flip distance, doesn't need nearly as much L to R room to work

Fairway:
174 Z Predator, newish - the big overstable.
174 Missy Undertaker, newish - stable control driver, straight to fade
174 ESP Undertaker, worn - flips to flat, shallow s turns
168 Z Undertaker, beat - 'flippy' fairway, will hold a very long turn
177 PL FLX Matt Bell Squall, newish - hybrid driver, I use it where I'd like a comet +50ft

Midranges:
177 PL FF Quake, newish - "useless" overstable midrange. main forehand approach disc inside 200'
177 PL Stastashock, new - straight to fade mid, can power up and not flip
177 PL Shastashock, worn - losing some fade, but goes far and straight when thrown hard
177 MJ Z Comet, 2020, new - nice and domey, very stable for a comet.
177 FR LE ESP Comet, newish - finally decided to wear the first of my pair in. Great for locking on hyzer flips out of the box.

Putters:
174 MJ ESP Banger GT, newish - main driving putter. straighter than a steady but not understable
174 Matt Bell Rubber Blend Steady (x2) - main putters.

I have room to add 1 disc, which would likely be a beat up x comet or throwing putter.

OLF's didn't make the cut? Bummer. Looks like the Undertaker is filling the control driver slot?

 

[VictorB]

OLF's didn't make the cut? Bummer. Looks like the Undertaker is filling the control driver slot?

So far, no. The QOLF I had was basically a Uli Raptor.

I'm not really even sure what I'm doing at this point, after getting 4 rounds with that lineup in this weekend, I didn't feel very comfortable with most of the drivers.

Right now I'm leaning to a slower lineup. Something like hurricane/raptor/pipeline/stalker. I have played very little this winter (moved in Nov, and weather was not manageable most of February) so I don't have much confidence outside of aftershock/comet/quake. My game is much more hyzer flip oriented now than it was even 2 years ago, so it makes sense to me to have discs that fit in that style right now. The undertaker and falcon don't really fit (and I don't particularly like anything faster than a speed 12, even after so many years of trying them)

OLFs will probably get a longer look when all the snow is melted and it makes sense to go throw in the field.

 

[texasissouth]

No more Breaker? :\

 

[VictorB]

No more Breaker? :\

it rotates in and out. The quake is more versatile for FH shots, but the breaker + banger gt kind of overlap for BH shots.

I'm pretty twisted up on what direction I want my bag to look like this year. I like to carry fewer discs (usually 16-18) and have to adjust my loadout to fit while being versatile

 

[texasissouth]

I can see those two overlapping some. I dislike flicking mids so I either flick the Breaker or a fairway. I tried a Zone but I thought it was both too fast and too OS for chip shots so I imagine for me the Quake would be moreso.

 

[VictorB]

I can see those two overlapping some. I dislike flicking mids so I either flick the Breaker or a fairway. I tried a Zone but I thought it was both too fast and too OS for chip shots so I imagine for me the Quake would be moreso.

I've found the quake to be the sweet spot between a zone and a drone. I'd probably carry a breaker and a quake if I carried a bigger bag/loadout. I really depend on forehand approach shots though, so something that covers more range and is more versatile has a higher likelihood of making the bag. I almost never use drivers for approaches under 200' because I want to avoid the ground play as much as possible

 

[VictorB]

The trace and lift are almost for sure going to make my bag. I bought one of each on a whim, because I'm tired of not finding the discs I want in stock and Streamline is available locally (and doesn't cost like $20-30 per disc). I'll probably have to compliment the Trace with a Force or Hurricane, but the Lift might be the best 'new' disc I've tried in a while.

 

[VictorB]

So the Lift was simply too stable for what I wanted.

The Maverick seems to be an easy to find replacement for that mantis like flight I've been looking for.

Still a work in progress for this season but I think I'm getting it narrowed down a bit.

 

[VictorB]

I don't have an exact break down yet, but it's probably going to look like this:

Core 6
Trace/Hurricane (*still* no idea which works better for me)
Raptor
OLF
Maverick
Comet
Pilot

Utility
Force
Sidewinder
Quake
Aftershock
Breaker

 

[wolfhaley]

So the Lift was simply too stable for what I wanted.

The Maverick seems to be an easy to find replacement for that mantis like flight I've been looking for.

Still a work in progress for this season but I think I'm getting it narrowed down a bit.

I bag Mavericks and love them. But I also tend to tinker around with different molds just because.

I bought a Neutron Lift and a Cosmic Neutron Insanity a couple months ago to test out. They're the exact same flight numbers. The Insanity is amazing. Reminds me of a Mantis actually. Absolutely love this disc.

The Lift on the other hand is much more OS. Not a fan at all. Flies nothing like the numbers would suggest. Never thrown a Raptor, but from what I've heard about them that would seem like a decent comparison.

 

[VictorB]

I bag Mavericks and love them. But I also tend to tinker around with different molds just because.

I bought a Neutron Lift and a Cosmic Neutron Insanity a couple months ago to test out. They're the exact same flight numbers. The Insanity is amazing. Reminds me of a Mantis actually. Absolutely love this disc.

The Lift on the other hand is much more OS. Not a fan at all. Flies nothing like the numbers would suggest. Never thrown a Raptor, but from what I've heard about them that would seem like a decent comparison.

After throwing it in the field I'm really surprised that the Maverick hasn't gotten more discussion in these boards.

I mulled over trying the insanity quite a bit. In the end I'm really not looking for that speed 9/10 control driver, but a more workable fairway. That's where the Maverick came in. I have OLFs in the control driver slot along a sidewinder so I should have whatever slot the Insanity would fit in covered.

Going to throw a tentative lineup together and get as much golf in as I can the next 3 days. I already busted my ring finger open in the field (same thing happens every spring, I use a 3 finger power grip) but I'm going to tape it up and have some fun with new discs!

 

[VictorB]

Core
Trace
Predator
OLF
Crave
Comet
Pilot

Utility
Force
Sidewinder
Quake
Aftershock
Breaker

Things are starting to shape up pretty quickly. Still no idea if I even want to play tournaments this year, but I always try to build my bag in a way that I can tackle any course at any time

 

[VictorB]

OK, so courses are officially starting to open up, and I feel pretty comfortable rolling this lineup out for the start of the season.

Vital info: 39y/o (this is my masters year since I'm an '81), have a wrecked left knee, and I'm all of 5'6" tall. I can hit 400' right now, but consistently in the 370-380' range - but I'm relearning how to get back the distance I lost from 2 years ago when I was regularly clearing 425' and touching 440' backhand. Also really focusing on further developing my forehand (300'+ consistently, 350' on a distance shot) since I think it's a strong point of my game.

Distance drivers
168 Z Force, new - I use this for headwind hyzers both BH and FH
174 CN Hokom Trace, new - main over/stable driver
168 Plasma Trace, new - forehand distance disc
167 Neutron Trace, new - workhorse backhand driver, lighter weight lets me flip it up and over a bit easier than the 174. Should wear into an understable bomber in a couple months.

Control drivers
175 Z Predator, worn - big beef, flex forehands and power backhands that have to get way left or cannot finish turned over.
175 QOLF 1.16, new - this is my 'beat raptor' slot. Great stability for BH/FH
171 SOLF 1.16, new - workhorse stable control driver. Straight to hyzer disc
171 MOLF 1.16, worn - slightly less stable, works lines a little easier
172 Star Sidewinder, newish - finesse line disc, for both FH and BH. Pretty stable for a sidewinder. When the MOLF gets beat in this will probably overlap, then I can cycle sidewinders.

Fairway drivers
174 Proton Crave, new - stable straight to fade flights, very little turn out to 330'
173 Neutron Hokom Crave, new - stable but has a tick of extra turn compared to the proton, which makes holding angles a little easier.

Midranges
176 FF PL Quake, newish - this is my utility disc that slots between a breaker and predator. I don't throw it often, but usually more when it's too windy for breaker FH/BH approaches. Stability+speed is right between a zone and drone
177 PL Shastashock, worn - power midrange that is straight to fade, can push out to 300-325 with little change in it's flight. Just worn in enough where I can anny it and it will hold the angle.
178 MJ Swirl Z Comet (2020), newish - pretty stable for a comet. will hold a hyzer if I ask it to and won't change much angle in the flight.
178 MJ Swirl Glow ESP Comet (2018), worn - finally wearing in to stable/slightly understable. Perfect hyzer flip disc for the woods
17x X Comet, beat - low power straight or turning shots. beat up enough where it's not really a disc I can think about for anything that finishes left.

Putters
175 SP Breaker, worn - this is probably my favorite approach disc ever. Requires a bit more finesse than a zone and skips a lot less. If I'm inside 200' to the pin, I'm almost always going to be throwing this.
175 Electron Firm Pilot, new - I use this when I need a BH approach, or off the tee.
174 Electron Soft Pilot, newish (x3) - main putters. flat top + lower profile = small bead = finally something that actually feels natural to me.

 

[konza_kid]

:I see the MJ banger only stuck around for a bit. I'd be happy to give it a nice home if you decide to get rid of it.