Are overstable putters overrated?

[Keller]

8 year bump!

Now it's a craze! Every manufaturer has overstable putters and they're churning out more.

What say you?
Is it the current fad, or are they here to stay?

 

[jakebake91]

I think its the trend of players throwing the "throwing putter". I personally like the idea, as i always want to throw the slowest disc i can for the shot. So an overstable putter is as useful as an os mid ,fairway, or dd imo.

 

[hugheshilton]

I think 8 years ago, there weren't nearly so many forehand-predominant players, definitely not as many at the top levels of the sport. Pretty much every forehand-dominant player I know of throws SOMETHING short and overstable, whether it's a Zone, Harp, Mortar, etc. It doesn't really matter if you classify those as putters or mids; they all fly pretty much the same lines. Since forehands produce a little more torque and less spin, even with a relatively clean release, you need some more overstable disc options. I think they're here to stay.

 

[Moose33]

I think they are properly assessed by the DG community.

I have used Harps since the first run, and can't see playing a round without them. I have a couple that I use for different things and throw both FH and BH on many lines.

With guys like Big Jerm and Ricky making hay with some of these discs it's made them possibly more popular with guys who's game doesn't necessarily dictate the need for one, sure. I'd concede that.

I can FH a stable or even understable putter fine. But no matter how I flick my Polecat, Atom or Wizard they don't do the things I'd want a Harp or Zone for.

And I'll almost always have a Stego lurking in my bag. Don't care what you jokers say about that.

 

[Baseballadp]

Is the stego for making bets that you can win to buy more discs

 

[BuzzzChief]

I've always liked throwing putters when there's enough available height. It's really common for me to pull out a Wizard when everyone else is throwing mids or even fairways on some holes. Having an overstable option just makes sense if putters are going to be your main throwers for 250ish shots. Sometimes you need a left fade, or more wind resistance. Sure you could throw a Gator or a 1/2 speed Firebird, but you'll also have a lot more skip.

I remember when I was first getting into competitive DG in 2005, it was really hard to find a decent OS option because I didn't care for the feel of the Rhyno. Nowadays there are so many options it's crazy. But I rarely see others actually throwing them.

 

[armiller]

What I learned from this thread is that the Ion was already around back in 2010.

 

[SD86]

I think its the trend of players throwing the "throwing putter". I personally like the idea, as i always want to throw the slowest disc i can for the shot. So an overstable putter is as useful as an os mid ,fairway, or dd imo.

The 'throwing putter' a.k.a. the 'approach disc' is now a niche that used to not really be there. From the Prodigy A1-A4 series to the Stud and Colt to the Proxy and Envy ('tis what I use 'em for) to the Zone, Harp, and AviarX3, this new niche of putters is really good. The OS approachers are great in the wind and for hyzers; ergo, they're not overrated.

 

[Jimb]

I throw putters whenever I can. My bag always has at least three throwers, normally four.
Beat DX Aviar P&A
Star Aviar P&A
Star Aviar Driver/Big Bead

And to address the thread...
ESP Zone... least used putter but invaluable for some shots that need max beef. Although for more max beef that Stego sounds interesting.

 

[F. Howl]

We had some 30mph gusts at our weekly last night, and my puddle topped Soft-X Zone saved my round. Upshots and putting duties.

 

[@iDiscGolf]

8 year bump!

Now it's a craze! Every manufaturer has overstable putters and they're churning out more.

What say you?
Is it the current fad, or are they here to stay?

They're fun to throw. Important in wind. Great for upshots or slow flex lines.

Why the hell not?!

 

[Keller]

They're fun to throw. Important in wind. Great for upshots or slow flex lines.

Why the hell not?!

Just having some fun and thought I'd bump it.
Was looking for the are Overstable mids pointless thread and found this, so . . . .bump.

 

[Alexplz]

I think all overstable discs have to sort of prove their worth over just throwing a firebird or distance driver... after all, a firebird ends left too, right??

I think stuff like a harp gets the nod because it's something I can overpower to straight, and there's no flamboyant skip at the end.

 

[GripEnemy]

As an overstable mid advocate, why do these get love yet Drones and Gators get hate?

 

[Casey 1988]

Oh no he di-int. Yep, I went there. In the spirit of the legendary, are overstable mids pointless thread, I've decided to throw down the gauntlet on you Rhyno, Pig, Bulldog, Zone, etc throwers.

I found a Champ Rhyno a few days ago and was literally aghast at how glideless and short it was. What's the point of a putter like this if it can't be put on finesse oriented lines? "But BroD, it gets windy here." Okay, couldn't you throw a mid instead when it's really gusting? Sometimes I think some of you guys need to man up and learn to throw a regular putter (Wizard, Aviar, Magnet, etc.) with hyzer instead of chucking some glideless hunk of plastic at the basket like some sort of crutch.

Prove me wrong DGCR faithful.

I use a Magnet until too windy then a Shark in either Star or old Pro Plastic both 174 grams a disc that Dave Dunpace has said is one of the better all around discs he has used. I that regard I am like you BrotherDave. Then I know people that one has a Harp as winder putter though has the Clutch in the R-Pro like plastic and another person my brother who uses a Stud in DX, a overstable disc as his putter now, used a Gator before, He putts hard enough to warrant a Stud being used. My dad has what was Innovas most overstable putter until 2008 when he needed such a disc, The Rhyno in old Pro plastic 175 grams as a windy Putter to his Superame Juju, at 174 or 175 grams, a disc that gets tossed in the wind due to its tall profile. All the players I mentioned live in Pierre (pronounced Pier) South Dakota that use such discs.

 

[BrotherDave]

Rhynos are still dumb. Harps, Zones, etc are okay though, they're baby mids. :|

 

[Keller]

One thing that I have noticed is, guys who never had one now feel the "need" for one.

I play with a guy that every few weeks he shows up with a new overstable putter, He's on a quest to find the perfect meathook putter.

There's one hole in particular that he keeps throwing with these new putters and he can't seem to dial them in. Last week he was so frustrated and I asked him[
What did you used to throw on this hole?
I just threw an easy Roc.
So why don't you go back to a Roc?
Because I should be able to throw a putter here!
Why?
Because it's too short for a mid!
:wall::doh::wall:

I guess for some, overstable putters are causing more problems.

 

[Casey 1988]

One thing that I have noticed is, guys who never had one now feel the "need" for one.

I play with a guy that every few weeks he shows up with a new overstable putter, He's on a quest to find the perfect meathook putter.

There's one hole in particular that he keeps throwing with these new putters and he can't seem to dial them in. Last week he was so frustrated and I asked him[
What did you used to throw on this hole?
I just threw an easy Roc.
So why don't you go back to a Roc?
Because I should be able to throw a putter here!
Why?
Because it's too short for a mid!
:wall::doh::wall:

I guess for some, overstable putters are causing more problems.

I agree that for some the Overstable putters are causing problems, something I would look for a overstable putter that is very low profile for if I had a need for something that overstable Like a Stud or something like that, as where I live we get huge gusts of wind.

I am the type that uses a midrange, Shark in those situations at 174 grams for both. The disc especially the Star one flies slow enough it is a good disc for short midrange/long approach shots. Also when thrown slower the Shark will be more like a overstable putter in terms of flight shape but with a bit more glide to it.

 

[Casey 1988]

As an overstable mid advocate, why do these get love yet Drones and Gators get hate?

Gators get hate? Not that I have seen, unless the player has never touched an Innova disc before. I suspect that overstable putters do not get hate as much as overstable midrange discs simply because a number of the top pros use those discs for there game. That being said also quite a few top players from some brands use a overstable midrange disc that is putter like for the same shots. It is like 50/50 for top pros using a overstable putter or overstable midrange for the same shot. Then the rare set of pros that do not use either.

 

[BrotherDave]

I think 8 years ago, there weren't nearly so many forehand-predominant players, definitely not as many at the top levels of the sport. Pretty much every forehand-dominant player I know of throws SOMETHING short and overstable, whether it's a Zone, Harp, Mortar, etc. It doesn't really matter if you classify those as putters or mids; they all fly pretty much the same lines. Since forehands produce a little more torque and less spin, even with a relatively clean release, you need some more overstable disc options. I think they're here to stay.

I see where you're going with this, especially the more torque/less spin part, but part of me really wonders if the FH dominant guys of today are like the BH dominant guys of yesteryear. Backhanders like to mask their OAT with a little overstability too but to really master line-shaping you gotta learn to finesse the neutral or stable stuff. Likewise, some of the best forehanders I've seen did work with a Teebird more than a Firebird. But those guys seem to be in the minority.

As an overstable mid advocate, why do these get love yet Drones and Gators get hate?

A big difference is the smaller diameter. They feel better to putt with (duh) but also the wider diameter of mids makes them kind of counter-intuitive for super OS since one of the main uses of super OS is to fight headwinds. It's like making a fast bus, yeah you can make one but it's kind of like playing the game on hardest difficulty.

One thing that I have noticed is, guys who never had one now feel the "need" for one.

I play with a guy that every few weeks he shows up with a new overstable putter, He's on a quest to find the perfect meathook putter.

There's one hole in particular that he keeps throwing with these new putters and he can't seem to dial them in. Last week he was so frustrated and I asked him[
What did you used to throw on this hole?
I just threw an easy Roc.
So why don't you go back to a Roc?
Because I should be able to throw a putter here!
Why?
Because it's too short for a mid!
:wall::doh::wall:

I guess for some, overstable putters are causing more problems.

More and more courses and a greater variety of course design might be making these discs a lot more appealing than before. Meathooks are generally less necessary on older courses that suffer from pitch & putt disease or lots of straight holes. Extremely angled (up and down as well as left and right) fairways seem to call for more extreme measures though.

That guy needs to learn how to play the percentages though. If you don't need to power up a putter or power down a driver, well, that's exactly what mids are for.