Another Newbie question.

[Rickcin]

Ive just started playing and my distance driving is horrible, probably in the 100 foot range or so. I've only played alone so far so I haven't had any input from others.

Should I be throwing the disc while trying to keep it completely level since my throw seems to gain height and always hook to the left?

I also haven't noticed any discs that don't hook left, regardless of the numbers.

 

[jupiterboy]

You are throwing nose up. Don't do that

 

[PastorofMuppets]

It'll take some practice, but you are throwing nose up. Forget trying to smash and muscle a distance driver to get more distance. Grab a slow speed putter or midrange and work on standstill while making sure you are releasing the disc with just a slight downward angle beyond flat. It'll feel weird at first, like you are throwing into the ground. But the putters and midranges will be more forgiving to nose angle, and you'll quickly get feedback on your form improvements. Once you can throw putters straight you'll start to see big leaps in distance, move on to midranges and keep doing the same thing and go from there.

 

[HyooMac]

Welcome! Look around the forums and you'll see a lot of helpful advice.

Without knowing anything about you or your form, I'll jump to the conclusion about what discs you're throwing. For the time being stay away from distance drivers. In fact, don't throw anything faster than midrange discs. Maybe even stick to putters.

With good form, you'll be able to throw putters considerably farther than you're currently "distance driving" with whatever you currently have. And putters are excellent at teaching you proper form (there's plenty of form advice here, and demoed on YouTube..). As your form improves and you can shape lines with putters (left, right, and most difficult: straight), you can stretch out the distances with some mids.

With good form, you can play almost any course close to par with nothing faster than a mid.

Again, welcome. Use this site for more than advice: read the course reviews, and encourage reviewers with "Helpful" votes!

Most important - enjoy this sport!

 

[jupiterboy]

The grip is key. Search the forum for more info.

 

[txmxer]

My guess is you are throwing like it's a frisbee.

Do yourself a favor and get a personal lesson or two from a local. A few in person pointers will change your game.

 

[Rickcin]

Welcome! Look around the forums and you'll see a lot of helpful advice.

Without knowing anything about you or your form, I'll jump to the conclusion about what discs you're throwing. For the time being stay away from distance drivers. In fact, don't throw anything faster than midrange discs. Maybe even stick to putters.

With good form, you'll be able to throw putters considerably farther than you're currently "distance driving" with whatever you currently have. And putters are excellent at teaching you proper form (there's plenty of form advice here, and demoed on YouTube..). As your form improves and you can shape lines with putters (left, right, and most difficult: straight), you can stretch out the distances with some mids.

With good form, you can play almost any course close to par with nothing faster than a mid.

Again, welcome. Use this site for more than advice: read the course reviews, and encourage reviewers with "Helpful" votes!

Most important - enjoy this sport!

Just curious, why would a new player be able to throw a putter or midrange disc further than a driver?
I understand the dynamics/design of the discs must be vastly different but I'm wondering how that difference effects distance but it must be determined by the speed at which it's thrown.
If that's the case, how much further would a distance driver gain over a fairway driver if they were both thrown by an advanced player, would there be a significant difference ?

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

So you may get 15 or 40 ft further with a driver, best results somewhere around a 9 speed.. you think that (insert distances) 240' I wicked awesome with a driver and think that you are ready for a speed 13 boss or force etc to hit 300. In reality if you figure out how to get that putter to 240' maxing out technique and angles your speed 9 will fly that 300' faster and easier. Something faster teaches you OAT.

Smooth is far.

 

[Rickcin]

So you may get 15 or 40 ft further with a driver, best results somewhere around a 9 speed.. you think that (insert distances) 240' I wicked awesome with a driver and think that you are ready for a speed 13 boss or force etc to hit 300. In reality if you figure out how to get that putter to 240' maxing out technique and angles your speed 9 will fly that 300' faster and easier. Something faster teaches you OAT.

Smooth is far.

So essentially, until the proper throwing technique is used, a driver will not be able to land much further than a 7 speed or even a putter, so the recommendation is to start learning how to throw with a moderate or slower speed disc?

I've also read that it's best to learn to throw from a standing position first before moving on with the footwork?

 

[jupiterboy]

Run up will not add power and can decrease accuracy if you don't have time etc. right. Easy to check out for yourself

 

[jenb]

So essentially, until the proper throwing technique is used, a driver will not be able to land much further than a 7 speed or even a putter, so the recommendation is to start learning how to throw with a moderate or slower speed disc?

I've also read that it's best to learn to throw from a standing position first before moving on with the footwork?

Most players, even ones throwing 300+ feet, only get about 20 more feet out of a driver compared to a putter or mid. Players throwing drivers 500+ feet are throwing putters 400 feet and mids 450, or so I've heard. GG famously threw a putter over 500 feet over a lake in an ace run competition. My highest rated rounds in competition were all putter rounds.

To some degree, putters and mids reward nose up, so they are easy button compared to drivers. But drivers can still be useful for things like headwind and downhill and certain cross wind situations where the disc fades into the wind.

 

[HyooMac]

Just curious, why would a new player be able to throw a putter or midrange disc further than a driver?
I understand the dynamics/design of the discs must be vastly different but I'm wondering how that difference effects distance but it must be determined by the speed at which it's thrown.
If that's the case, how much further would a distance driver gain over a fairway driver if they were both thrown by an advanced player, would there be a significant difference ?

A couple of different questions/issues here...

why would a new player be able to throw a putter or midrange disc further than a driver?

The best answer I can think of is not that the mid/putter is being thrown better, but because the distance driver is being thrown worse. Here's what I mean (and it doesn't apply to ALL distance drivers). Distance drivers have wider rims, which require more speed to fly the way they're designed. If you're a right handed player throwing with too little speed, the driver will tend to go to the left, and because of that hard left turn (and crash into the ground), they don't go as far as mids and putters - which don't require as much speed to go straight. The second reason is the much narrower edge on a distance driver makes is much more susceptible to flying offline because of the angle it's thrown. It's common for new players to throw "nose up" - which results in a weak climb, and a stalling fade to the left (for right handers. reverse for lefties). Again, the stalled shot often lands shorter than mids and putters which are are "blunter" and aren't as squirrely.


If that's the case, how much further would a distance driver gain over a fairway driver if they were both thrown by an advanced player, would there be a significant difference ?

Yes - depending on the advanced player's power. I can't give you a distance or a percentage, because it differs. But - at the risk of overly simplifying - assuming the discs are thrown at the speed necessary to get them to fly as designed, higher speed (distance drivers) will go farther than fairway drivers. This also assumes that "fly as designed" means that they're not overpowering the disc.


The best advice I received is to use mids and putters to develop my form, and to try to avoid drivers until I can make putters and mids perform (straight, hyzer, anhyzer, flip up, flex, etc.).

I've bought a lot of drivers. I've bagged some, I've given some away, I've lost some. I've beaten some in until they were "perfect." Ultimately, I found a few that felt great and performed reliably for me - and a focused my efforts on experimenting with different plastics and weights of those few molds - instead of continuing to try new molds and brands. But it's ALWAYS a work in progress...

 

[Rickcin]

So I start out exclusively using a 7 speed until I master the technique?

 

[Countchunkula]

So I start out exclusively using a 7 speed until I master the technique?

I don't think there's really a consensus on this.

Some folks will tell you to start with putters and mids only.

Some will tell you to also include a slow, slightly understable fairway driver (like a dx leopard). The fairway driver will help tell you if you're developing a nose up release by lifting and fading quickly. Putters and mids tend to fly closer to normal when thrown slightly nose up, but that type of throw doesn't translate well to faster discs.

 

[jupiterboy]

So I start out exclusively using a 7 speed until I master the technique?

You are going to have a normal arm speed and some off-axis tourque (you'll see people talk about OAT). Any disc rated faster than your real arm speed is going to have less than a full flight, so you are better off not bagging anything faster than your real arm speed. Any wobble, or OAT, is going to make the disc turn more and have less stability.

If my arm speed is 50 mph, I can get a true flight out of a 7-speed disc. Faster discs will simply not go as far as their intended flight and will fade very hard. I can throw neutral, overstable and understable 7 speeds and get different flights from those discs. If I take a neutral, overstable and understable 12 speed disc they will all come up short and fade pretty hard. If I'm throwing directly into a steady wind, I might need a neutral 9 speed because the wind will cause the disc to fly like it is going faster than it is.

What people commonly do, which is problematic, is to bag discs that are too fast for them. They do everything they can to get a flight out of them, like throwing on anhyser. Still, they could take an appropriate speed disc and get as much distance with less effort and they would be learning correct form at the same time instead of trying in vain to get a good flight out of a disc that is too fast.

 

[BillFleming]

Just curious, why would a new player be able to throw a putter or midrange disc further than a driver?
I understand the dynamics/design of the discs must be vastly different but I'm wondering how that difference effects distance but it must be determined by the speed at which it's thrown.
If that's the case, how much further would a distance driver gain over a fairway driver if they were both thrown by an advanced player, would there be a significant difference ?

Speed and throw.

I have been measured with a 42 MPH RHBH throw. My instructor told me that 7 speeds are my max discs to throw and have them fly like they are intended. I can still throw faster speed discs, but I need to use lighter weight ones (my 9 speeds are 165-168 grams, my 11 speeds are 155-160, and I have one 12 speed that is 137)....or I have to accept the discs won't do what they are intended to do. A 9 speed in 175 gram will not fly as far for me as it does for someone who can throw at the proper speed. The heavy 9 speed will also dump (fade to the ground) quicker. That might be a shot I need and can be happy with that outcome, but I'm not going to get decent distance/performance unless I use lighter weight discs.

If you have poor throwing form (especially nose up throws), it doesn't matter how fast you throw...discs aren't going to perform as expected.

I'm currently working on just using 5 speed and below as I work on my form and accuracy. I hope to be putting higher speed discs in my bag soon.

One way to know what distances a disc should (strike that - could) be getting is to look at the charts disc brands or resellers have. Take a look at discs on InfiniteDiscs.com. Pick a disc and go to the specs about it and it will show you the expected flight and distance. Some will even show flight and distance for a beginner, advanced, and pro player.

 

[HyooMac]

My instructor told me that 7 speeds are my max discs to throw and have them fly like they are intended. I can still throw faster speed discs, but I need to use lighter weight ones (my 9 speeds are 165-168 grams, my 11 speeds are 155-160, and I have one 12 speed that is 137)....or I have to accept the discs won't do what they are intended to do. A 9 speed in 175 gram will not fly as far for me as it does for someone who can throw at the proper speed. The heavy 9 speed will also dump (fade to the ground) quicker. That might be a shot I need and can be happy with that outcome, but I'm not going to get decent distance/performance unless I use lighter weight discs.

^^^^^^^^^
This. Gold.

The one point I'd add is to consider the effects of headwind/tailwind (headwinds make your disc "faster" through the oncoming air, tailwinds the reverse - so you're throwing "faster" or "slower" depending on the direction of a significant wind).

I bag a couple of overstable (for me) discs that are 10g - 15g heavier and/or in different plastics, than my "normal" throwers. They're lifesavers on windy days. And as much as I depend on my lighter weight discs, they get pushed around on gusty fairways.

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

Personally I do think there is some benefit to having a moderately stable lightweight driver. Something just above your throwing class but not too far above. It does help you develop extra spin as well as OAT. As long as you know what you should be doing messing around doesn't hurt

 

[random guy]

Probably shouldn't be throwing anything over a 9 speed. Feel free to bag higher speed discs, they'll come in handy on occasion, but you aren't to get noticeably better results throwing them over lower speed stuff.

 

[Naenae]

So I start out exclusively using a 7 speed until I master the technique?

I think two things are true here:

1. It's better work initially with much slower discs (which doesn't mean that the discs themselves are slower but rather that they don't have to be thrown as hard to fly right. Throw lots of putters (and buy a practice basket for actual putting).
2. Honest folk will often admit that they ignored this advice at first, bought some fast discs, then went back to slower discs when the faster stuff was flying all wonky.

Personally, I've only been playing since late May. I started with a few mids and putters (good), bought a practice basket (very good), and then started accumulating drivers (hella fun, but not so good).

I've been working pretty hard on my game, and now I'm going back to the beginning a bit. I'm still bagging some understable drivers, but it was pretty obvious to me that the mids and putters where more likely to land on the tighter fairways, whereas the drivers only made sense on holes where being 60 degrees off target wasn't too inconvenient.

You'll probably find out that the putter you like to putt with will also fly reasonably well. Get a few of them. You'll find a mid that gets you out of trouble once or twice a round. Go there. Take those discs to an open field and throw them a lot.

The slow stuff can be great fun. My 2 latest acquisitions are a 1-speed (Glitch) and a 5-speed (Tursas). Experienced players find the latter too understable but for older/slower arms it fills a need (plus I'm playing a tournament next week with 2 sequentially more overstable mids in the player pack, so I'll have a good spread).

I spent this afternoon working on the nose down thing these folks are telling you about. It makes a big difference.

May the odds be ever in your favor.