[Putters] Baseline VS Grippy Premium

[MikeTheBlueCow]

Quick Q for y'all. I have always preferred premium plastics for all discs, and just recently got a grippy premium putter (my first grippy premium disc). I have only been able to practice indoors with it, but I notice now in the colder temps it is much less grippy than when I got it in the warmer temps. To the point that it might as well not be a "grippy" premium plastic. So, realizing that this will affect my putting based on temperature, and seeing how people pretty much stick to baseline plastics for putting, I was wondering if the baselines are more consistent in their feel, and "ignore" the temperature more?

 

[jcassidy1990]

I'd say in most cases, yes.

Premium plastic usually isn't the best when it comes to cold weather play.
The advancement of gummy premium blends (Elasto, K2, ArmorFlex) goes a long way in making a disc usable in freezing temps but I still would only ever want to putt with a baseline plastic in the cold.

That said, cold weather has a way of making even the grippiest discs feel slick, regardless of how it feels at room temperature.
I've found that I like to cut my bag down when it gets frigid and just carry discs that still grip in a decent manner.
Supersoft Wizards, ArmorFlex drivers, etc.

 

[bballr4567]

Only company that has this down pat is Vibram. The firm, especially older firm, is grippy during summer and then you have soft to use during winter.

We have the worst of both with regards to temps. During the summer we will see above 90 and during winter I still play when it gets into the teens but just switch up the rubber compounds.

 

[ranger]

It's probably best to always use baseline plastic for putting if you have the option.

 

[MikeM]

What grippy premium did you get? This does tend to be the case. But everything slicks up to some extent in the cold. I play more in the spring/summer/fall, so I use Plasma plastic to putt year round. I just can't stand shelling out new money to cycle weak putters. To make matters worse, everything is more brittle in the cold, so that somewhat grippier baseline beats even faster. Two throws and she's dented up. I would assume I am not the norm though, I'm just cheap. And money is more important than those 1 or 2 putts every few rounds which maaaaaay have stayed in the basket had I had a grippier plastic.

 

[SD86]

Quick Q for y'all. I have always preferred premium plastics for all discs, and just recently got a grippy premium putter (my first grippy premium disc). I have only been able to practice indoors with it, but I notice now in the colder temps it is much less grippy than when I got it in the warmer temps. To the point that it might as well not be a "grippy" premium plastic. So, realizing that this will affect my putting based on temperature, and seeing how people pretty much stick to baseline plastics for putting, I was wondering if the baselines are more consistent in their feel, and "ignore" the temperature more?

Can you tell us which specific "grippy premium" plastic you're referring to? Some companies are making plastics they advertise as grippier in cold weather, such as GStar for Innova and Frost for Lat64. DD's Classic Hard gets brittle in the winter, necessitating (for me anyway) going to Classic Blend or even Classic Soft.

In the absence of that info: here in Atlanta it can be 95 to 100 degrees F in the summer afternoon, and 40-50 degrees F in the winter afternoon (or even colder), so let's just say that's a 50 degree differential in Fahrenheit temperatures (or 25 or so centigrade degrees difference). That's a lot of temperature change for most plastics that discs are made from, so one would expect some change in their firmness and feel (and grippiness). You may just have to plan for different putters based upon weather and temps.

 

[Jimb]

I love the feel of JK Pro Aviar plastic regardless of the weather/temperature. It is soft, but not stupid soft. Since I use them strictly for true putting duties, the slow break in works great for me. I do cycle several and have about 15 to practice with. You'd really think that my putting would be better. :doh:

 

[MikeM]

What grippy premium did you get? This does tend to be the case. But everything slicks up to some extent in the cold. I play more in the spring/summer/fall, so I use Plasma plastic to putt year round. I just can't stand shelling out new money to cycle weak putters. To make matters worse, everything is more brittle in the cold, so that somewhat grippier baseline beats even faster. Two throws and she's dented up. I would assume I am not the norm though, I'm just cheap. And money is more important than those 1 or 2 putts every few rounds which maaaaaay have stayed in the basket had I had a grippier plastic.

I should mention the MVP overmolds seems pretty much just as tacky between plasma and electron, so I don't have to worry as much. Only difference is the overmold on electron is not anything near the durability of a plasma. That's my very limited experience though with electron.

When I putted with Pures, I used Opto for everything and Gold for putting. But the gold definitely wasn't as tacky as Zero. And I was fairly impressed with Zero's durability at close ranges.

Like JimB said, some of the base plastics, you'll have to cycle steadily. And that's not in my budget.

 

[Kodachrome]

What grippy premium did you get? This does tend to be the case. But everything slicks up to some extent in the cold. I play more in the spring/summer/fall, so I use Plasma plastic to putt year round. I just can't stand shelling out new money to cycle weak putters. To make matters worse, everything is more brittle in the cold, so that somewhat grippier baseline beats even faster. Two throws and she's dented up. I would assume I am not the norm though, I'm just cheap. And money is more important than those 1 or 2 putts every few rounds which maaaaaay have stayed in the basket had I had a grippier plastic.

Think you are underestimating the durability of base plastic used for strictly putting as well as how slick premium plastics get in the cold... It's not about staying in the basket, it's about the handfeel. You live in IL, you should know, homie.

It's not bad as long as you keep your hand very warm, but that isn't always feasible.

Op wasn't talking about sticking to chains.

 

[Quinum]

I don't have experience putting with premium plastic, so can't really comment there. Definitely heard some good things about a few of them (mostly the Ion and Anode). But like Koda said, base plastic can actually last a long time - especially if it is a disc used for nothing but putting. Some would argue (myself included) that base plastic putters only improve as they beat in, and can stay in the sweet spot for several seasons if you aren't abusing them.

 

[DamtheMan]

I only use premium plastics (Pinnacle or Icon) apart from one disc in my bag, and that includes putters. Currently using Icon Hunter for longer putts and Sparkle (I think it's Sparkle Icon or close to that) Prowler for everything else, Icon Clutch before I got the Prowler. Have played in temperatures as low as -10C (14F) and haven't had any issues with lack of grip. Oddly, the Sparkle seems to have somwhat improved grip when it's slightly wet/moist.

 

[grotto]

I tried premium plastics, the grip feel changes too much across the temperature range for me.

Base plastic from here on out.

 

[DiscinFiend]

Baseline plastic all day everyday. I putt with KC Aviars & when it gets really cold out I bust out my JK Aviars. They firm up nicely on cold Wisconsin winter days. I prefer hard putters & my JKs surprisingly only come out once in awhile in the winter. I carry 5 KC Aviars in my bag (1 for putting, 1 for approaches & 3 for driving). I drive with KC Aviars pretty much all year round as well. People who say baseline plastic putters get beat up to quickly to be useful are wrong. One of the most used discs in my bag is my overstable driving KC Aviar. I've hit plenty of trees with it & it still fades out on a full rip backhand. I play at least 2 rounds a week & I replace my overstable KC Aviar about once a year.

 

[Mike C]

I've putted with both premium and baseline. About 2.5 years experience with the latter, and 4 years putting different premium plastics.

In optimal conditions, they both work fine.*

In poor conditions, like rain, snow, cold, really hot and humid rounds where your hands are sweaty....the difference in much more drastic. Baseline works better in those situations.

Either can work, but having a birdie bag and good towels is much more essential if you putt premium.

With the recent release of Electron Ions I've gone back to putting baseline after using a Soft Proton Ion for years. It's been working well for me in the colder weather.

*Something to consider is most premium plastics don't grab the chains well. There are a few exceptions, like MVP's with their overmolds (Especially true when seasoned), Discrafts FLX, and a few other softer, grippier premium blends. But a stiff champ aviar will never grab the chains as well as a DX or seasoned Pro.

 

[Three Putt]

So far as the baseline plastic variations in the cold, I've always noticed baseline plastic stiffening in the cold. That goes all the way back to the first really soft putter, the SS Omega. When those came out I hated how sticky/floppy they were, but when it got cold they lost a lot of that and became a very usable putter for me. At different times I've used putters like SS Omegas and R-Pro Aviars in the winter that I wouldn't touch in the summer due to that variation in feel and stiffness cold vs. warm. So I think that goes for all plastics.