[Drivers] Are Speed 7 Discs Necessary?

[in4d]

mid-ranges i can get out to 325 max, so Speed 7 is vital in the 325-380 range for me if i want an accurate rangeable placement.. after that i jump up to speed 12 for 400+ placement shots and then when i need absolute max distance/speed/power i use a speed 14, which really i can only get about 25' farther than my speed 12's.

If i was using a speed 10, 12 or 14 for the shots i would use a speed 7 on, then it would be much harder to plan that line around or between trees, probably just because i am used to a speed 7 holding lines longer before fading, but i would think a higher speed disc would limit the amount of time your disc is going to do what you want it to do.

 

[Kodachrome]

exactly why i thow Pd's. As they beat in they just get straighter and farther with the slight fade at the end. They never get flippy. Hence why i have to put the TD in the bag for turning shots that even my most understable PD cant do on an anny line.

fair enough.

i still maintain that the PD has more lateral movement than the teebird. if you want to hyzerflip a PPD it will not be anywhere near as straight as a dx or gstar teebird.

as for an SPD, i am still working mine in. out of the box, the two i have are considerably more OS than a fresh flat champ teebird. definitely more fade, and i tap out distance-wise around 430-440, sometimes 450-460 on a great rip. i cannot see these seasoning in to be nearly as straight as a beaten (assuming you pick up the OS teebirds, like i do) champ or star teebird.

however, if it works for you it works for you and that's what really matters.

 

[toothyfish]

after constantly hearing about how speed 7's run on a tighter line than speed 9's, im gonna invest in a star teebird to pair with my star eagle i already have. Bag them both and see if they add any benefit to my bag.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

One thing I didn't mention. If I played a lot of open courses, I would use more speed 9s.


The beauty of speed 7s is that on tighter, lower lines, the fade will be smaller. Love my Eagles, from new to beat. I did use PDs in stages, but sometimes the bigger fade got me in trouble, especially if you get the disc up a bit high.

 

[thePiRaTE]

I tend to bag by class. I have 5 putters, 6 mids and 4 or 5 each of FW and DDs and they vary by course. They way I throw, my mids sometimes overlap my slower FWs generally, so I tend to use slow FWs secondarily to fast mids. That said, I really like the Inspire for powered up anny lines and the Crave for tight quarters/wind at their respective ranges. I could get by without any given speed on any given day, but overall, all shape and size of disc might find themselves being just the ticket.

 

[crd 81]

Personally, I've found that I can push my speed 7 discs out as far as my speed 9 discs. The key is height. If I need extra distance, then I'll throw a speed 11 or 12. Beyond speed 11 or 12 distance become almost negligible (for me) because the rim is going to be too wide.

Having a smaller rim on the speed 7 disc is also going to allow more control and leverage than a speed 9 disc. Think about it: wider the rim, harder to control. In a strange way, the PD is kind of the best of all worlds, however I've found that I can throw my Eagles and Tbirds roughly the same distance, and it is because I'm able to establish more leverage on a smaller rim.

Essentially, would you rather sacrifice some distance for control or sacrifice control for distance? I've found my results between the two to be somewhat negligible and I have decided to sideline my speed 9 (PD) for my speed 7 (eagle-x, Patriot even though it is 8ish) and use a Trespass as my distance driver. I may go back to the speed 9 if I'm not satisfied with my setup.

 

[strive]

There are speed 9 discs that power down well. Some of you act like you're only able to throw a certain disc a certain distance and that's simply not true. That being said, some of the best molds in DG are in the speed 7-8 range. I personally bag several 9s (FB, SOLF, QOLF, Escape) but had recently been playing with the FD for touchier shots. I'm honestly not sure at this point that I "need" it but I always love trying new plastic.

 

[Ted Bratton]

Absolutely not. For years I threw speed 6-7 discs as my go-to, now I choose speed 9 discs. It's preference, and frankly it's quite irrelevant. I play in woods with mostly 350-400 foot holes, some more some less. I rip my discs through tight lines in the trees all the way to the basket regardless of whether it's a short distance driver, midrange driver, max speed driver, fairway driver...whatever.

 

[DanJon]

I'd rather throw the slowest disc possible for the shot.

More control.

 

[ian.]

Speed 7 for life!!!!

 

[natedg1976]

Speed 9 and up are distance drivers. Speeds 6,7,8 are true fairway drivers. 6,7 fairways are much better touch drivers. 8 I do not use. Speed 9 makes up the majority of my distance drivers. I jump from nine to 11. 11 and up are max d for me. To even ask if a certain speed disc is needed any longer is just silly. Especially speed 7. The greatest discs in the sport are in this class.

 

[steinkecm]

For a sidearm player no, you aren't wasting strokes. However speed 7 discs are essential for one thing for a backhand player and that is precision and accuracy not necessarily for distance. For some their mids are fast enough to replace their speed 7 drivers ( Mcbeth and the roc3). But whether mid or fairway for a backhand player this speed is key for accuracy.

McBeth does not replace his teebirds with roc3s. He still uses them quite a bit. He may throw roc3s on lines that others throw teebirds, but that does not mean he has replaced them.

 

[Toro71]

Is any disc really necessary?

That small rimmed driver class doesn't have a lot of utility for me, because with my hand size (or something) I'm not comfortable gripping them.

The first part of any answer to any DG question should usually be "whatever works," IMO.

Like, here's a thought experiment for that:

the Old Lady: You promised to help me with <insert activity/chore> this morning! And now your going DGing?! Am I supposed to just to <ibid.> by myself?
You: WW.

haha

 

[steinkecm]

My wife just plays along side me.

 

[PeterMonk]

Well I read the thread since I was shocked that someone wouldn't find 7 speed discs useful. For me the Eagle is my most trusted disc. Of course I max out at 340', so I do not have great power anyway. I wonder about the role hand size might have in selecting the best driver speed for yourself.

 

[NSDallin]

Well I read the thread since I was shocked that someone wouldn't find 7 speed discs useful. For me the Eagle is my most trusted disc. Of course I max out at 340', so I do not have great power anyway. I wonder about the role hand size might have in selecting the best driver speed for yourself.

i think for me personally it has to do with the fact that my first drivers were speed 9 understables. A sidewinder and a beat beat s-line pd a friend gifted to me.
I never learned the game with speed 7's so the rim always feels too slim for the distance i need out of it. if that makes sense. I feel like its gonna get squirrly, were as my speed 9's feel solid. although my form would probably get better if i replaced my 9's with 7's.

 

[HarkeyPuck]

Yeah who needs a TeeBird?

 

[DanJon]

Yeah who needs a longer TeeBird?

FTFY.

 

[B-Man]

I bag one Speed 6, two speed 7's, and one speed 8. For distance drivers I bag one 11 and the rest are 13's. I have no need for anything in between 8 and 11 actually.

 

[mattc]

just a personal observation
i think that most "speed 7 users" ie teebirds, leopards, banshee, etc
will often use innova mids typically 4 speed ie rocs, etc

and often discraft 5 speed mid throwers ie buzzz, hornet, meteor, etc. will jump to a 8 or 9 speed
because the gap is so close between a 5 and a 7

 

[Curtis_Valk]

No, my speed 7 drivers are not essential. If the selection were broader, I could make do with speed 6 drivers (I actually do bag two Leopards and a Gazelle in addition to my Banshee, two Teebirds and Polaris LS).