Can only fit 22 in the bag...

[whentherainscome]

Years playing/experience: 6+ years of DG.
Age: 32
Sex: M
What do you like/dislike about your current bag?: I have a good gradient of stabilities in each "class." I think there might not be enough distance seperation between fairways and "distance" drivers. Some overlap in my Mids at the moment.
Specific areas of desired feedback: Whatever you have or want to critique or comment on.
Immediate and long-term goals: I'd like to have more consistency in the short-term, and gain some additional distance in the long-term --- isn't that always the case!

Throwing Style: RHBH, RHFH, thumber when necessary, BH and FH rollers

Bag: Fade Tourney

Putters: Standstill putts to 50', step- or jump-putts to 100' max. Mostly hybrid putts, but straight pitch putts when I have to straddle.
Wizards 173/174g SSS - A matching pair. I use one on every other hole and I've been able to not "get mad" at my putter when I putt poorly, since I can't assign that negativity to one specific disc.

Approach: These cover short drive distances as well, 100-230'.
Classic Aviar 175g - Straight/hyzer drives and approaches. Pretty brand new, good float, good for long runs and airbounces. I was in the shop this week and though it'd be a shame to play DG for years and never try a proper Aviar.
Yeti Pro Aivar 175g - Beat. BH drives and approaches, especially light turnovers and anhyzers. FH laserbeams.
FLX Drone 177+g - It's a mid, but I rarely use it as one. It has a smooth flex and fade on short touch shots and doesn't end up too straight like some of the O/S tweener discs. Also, short FH rollers.
Alternates - Opto Pure for driving, a pair of Soft Wizards - one beat and one pretty fresh for drives and approaches.

Midrange: 240-280' with comfort and ease, but I will pump a Roc 300' when I need to go straight and longer for downhill.
Champ Roc3 176g - Straight to fade. This one is new too, fresh and stable with a pretty strong fade. I mean... not Drone-like fade, but enough to flex out ~260+. Not my longest Roc.
DX Roc3 176g - Obviously new as well. Started with some flashing, has quickly straightened out. I'm curious to see how much longer before it starts turning.
Flattop Roc 180g - Been beating this one for a few months, no fade between 280-300'. Will hold slight hyzers w/o flipping up. Beautiful sweet spot!
Star Stingray 176g - Fresh and pretty stable. Will hold a annys, hyzers, and if I want I can get it out to 340, ridiculous glide. Overlaps with the 2 straight Rocs, but the Rocs are gonna beat in long before this guy.
Star Stingray 176g - Trashed. Super flippy, good for right-drifting finesse shots, utility shots w/no room to throw. Surprisingly bad BH rollers..
Alternates - Been testing Rocs all summer, my old line up is the Stingrays + Buzzz and Wasp.

Fairways: 240-340' depending on the circumstances (and wind, haha!)
Pro Leopard 175g - BH Turnovers, tunnel shots, long drives when I'm tired and shorter BH Rollers 340' or so.
Champ Leopard 170g - Kinda beat, but still stable. Control hyzers and anhyzers
Champ Teebird 167g - higher PLH 12x and seasoned. This bird has some turn. Similar to the Champ Leo with a stronger finish. Definitely my longest fairway driver, 340 max or good control as short as 280 for low lines or simple consistency and maybe some ace runs (a few metal hits on this guy).
Route 66 Star Teebird 168g - yummy gummy perfectly stable star teebird.
CFR Sparkle Champ Teebird 175g - Domey, gummy 2012 CFR 'bird. Strong fade. Good in the wind and for flex shots. Working slowly on beating this guy to be my straight bird. I'm in for a challenge with that!
Alternates C-FDs and Rivers - both are great discs, fun to throw, but I have better consistency w/Teebirds and Leos.

Distance Drivers: 310'-360' in the air.
Champ Vikings x3 ~170g - One new, one beat and one really beat! The new one is stable with a small fade for 340'. The beat one is my go-to for distance and line shaping, lots of turn and very controllable. I can make it go straight or turn to the ground or hold a hyzer. It's also my best FH disc, hyzer flips to 250' or so. Not much, but it's my weak shot. The very beat one is for rollers. Much farther than I can throw in the air, I parked one at 380' today!
S-OLF x2 a 1.1 and 1.3. The 1.1 is for long straight shots that fade and is good at slicing wind. The 1.3 isn't as obscenely domey as most and is even better in the wind and for not-quite-Firebird-time overstable duties.
Star Firebird 175g - Very overstable. Utility shots - rollers, skips, etc.
Champ Firebird 168g - I just picked this one up. It's a pre-#'s gummy, pearly 12x with some dome. Right away it's pretty workable, and I'll be happy to have a more workable Firebird for air shots. Plus it just feels great!

 

[Dthunderchicken]

"Immediate and long-term goals: I'd like to have more consistency in the short-term,"

IMO, pare down your disc selection. Get to know your discs well. I carry two mids and I use them more than anything.

 

[cjskier]

Way, way to many discs. Try playing with 4 or 5 discs, you'll find your scores improving. Make the disc do what you want, not a disc to fit every shot.

 

[whentherainscome]

The consistency thing is copied straight off the template for these posts, disc selection is rarely an issue. Mostly my inconsistencies come down to mechanics, eg. early or late acceleration, which I'm coming to understand more (and gaining distance from what I'm figuring out there) and mental game/blood sugar fluctuations.

I do play putter-only, one disc, midrange-only and small bag rounds. This is my "ready for anything" bag that I use at my eight nearby courses and when I play brand new courses and/or tournaments on the weekends. My mold count is at 11 and I don't think that's too excessive.

I'm still undecided on the Rocs. I'm losing strokes trying to figure those out. The DX Flattop is the best of them. The Roc3s are vastly different, with the DX already developing some turn and the Champ with a strong fade. I'm considering saying "well, that was fun" and going back to Buzzz/Wasp/Stingray(s).

 

[nevets4433]

...

I'm still undecided on the Rocs. I'm losing strokes trying to figure those out. The DX Flattop is the best of them. The Roc3s are vastly different, with the DX already developing some turn and the Champ with a strong fade. I'm considering saying "well, that was fun" and going back to Buzzz/Wasp/Stingray(s).

I know exactly what you are saying about the Rocs. I got a DX roc that I cant do anything but flip over unintentionally. Then I got a gummy roc + and it was exactly the same thing. Finally I got a KC Flat Top Roc which I can throw reasonably well, but I'm not thrilled about the big bead on it.

In summary, I throw my buzz

 

[nevets4433]

And I also know how you feel about having the bag "ready for anything." I have a metric crapton of discs in my bag. Its absolutely ridiculous. But I carry about 6-8 of them because I have friends that borrow them. Another 6-8 I use for complete specialty shots that literally can't be accomplished by another disc. But I play my best when I go with about 10. Unfortunately the courses around me are strikingly different, ranging from wide open with basically no obstacles to literally 4 foot wide fairways. If I want to be ready for all the courses, I need a wider selection of discs.

Im also in a state of mourning right now because I always threw a Boss XG off the tee and I recently threw the worst shot of my life with it and lost it in a lake that isn't even in play. So I am hauling around a ton of drivers to try to replace it.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

And I also know how you feel about having the bag "ready for anything."

If I want to be ready for all the courses, I need a wider selection of discs.

When I travel or play a course that I've not seen before, I carry two bags. My primary bag and a bag of backups and discs I might like to throw. Generally it shakes out to three discs though. My fast mid, slow mid and putter.

 

[whentherainscome]

What I want from the Rocs is that hyzerflip to tracking right shot I can't get with my DC mids. And I really like the DX grip more than Z.

I know what you're saying bout the Rocs, the stock/domed ones flutter and turn for me. Working with the flattops is helping, I'm more consistent now when I try out my KC's. I have Comets too and those are even worse. Even with a seasoned Buzzz I don't get that wobble. My form's not any better when I throw them, and I can throw my Stingrays well past 300' in the field with no sign of OAT.

So I'm left with two options, and going back to buzzzes feels like the easy path. And working out the kinks w/flattop rocs, then moving to stock Rocs and Comets, that's the harder path. The hard path should make me smoother, better, cleaner with everything else in the long run.

I also need to do a huge marketplace post so I don't keep looking at my pile(s) of discs and get to thinking... "I haven't thrown _______s in a while, I wonder how they'll work for me now."

 

[whentherainscome]

When I travel or play a course that I've not seen before, I carry two bags. My primary bag and a bag of backups and discs I might like to throw. Generally it shakes out to three discs though. My fast mid, slow mid and putter.

Wait, do you literally carry two bags on the course? I might have too many but I throw them all regularly since I cycle through my local courses. A couple of which I could get by with a very small bag, at other I never know what sort of fresh hell I'll get myself into and I need to flick and flex and flip my way out of a lot of tight binds.

Some courses I won't use my Firebirds or windy drivers and others I won't throw anything that flips, but I'd still be lost without them.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

Wait, do you literally carry two bags on the course?

No I carry a spare bag of about twenty discs in the truck. On the course I usually carry eight discs. (Four drivers, two mids, a driving putter and a putting putter.) When I used to travel for work, time was always so tight that if I lost a disc and didn't have a backup I was screwed. So on my most used discs I'm usually three deep in backups. Which reminds me, I need to order some more Impacts. I'm down to one backup.

 

[whentherainscome]

Pulled the OLFs that I never/rarely throw for a couple Trespasses I picked up this weekend. I think that should help with the distance difference between my stable D driver and my fairways.

Weight shift clicked into my form last night. I don't have measurements for the field I was throwing in, but the Tresspass was 20-30' past my Vikings which was similarly longer than my fairways, etc. In the round that followed, though, I didn't throw them once. I was getting control and distance with my TB's to 360' on the holes that allowed it. I was pin deep on a 689' after two Teebird shots, one was pure anhyzer (generally not as far as hyzer/hyzerflip). I'm pretty astounded with the sudden distance gain. If my body remembers how to do it, those Tresspasses are going to go from "LOL, probably too much disc!" to exactly what I need for my next step up.

I also played the round with Buzzz/Wasp and... It was great. My 10y is perfectly stable, Wasp with that extra fade/wind tolerance and my TI Buzzz with a few degrees of flip before locking in on a line. It's really all the lines I want from Rocs, except I don't have to reassess every few rounds because they wear in so slowly. ...I still prefer the texture of DX over Z, but I couldn't argue with the results.

 

[Crazy Runner Guy]

What I want from the Rocs is that hyzerflip to tracking right shot I can't get with my DC mids. And I really like the DX grip more than Z.

I know what you're saying bout the Rocs, the stock/domed ones flutter and turn for me. Working with the flattops is helping, I'm more consistent now when I try out my KC's. I have Comets too and those are even worse. Even with a seasoned Buzzz I don't get that wobble.

When I read the first paragraph I thought a seasoned 170+ X Comet will do that (or some sort of seasoned Buzzz or Buzzz SS but I'm a Rancho Roc guy). Maybe a video for form analysis?

 

[whentherainscome]

After the good round where I was shifting my weight correctly and hitting all my lines with ease, I had a few bad rounds where I was just over-thinking and strong-arming everything and basically trying way too hard and all I got was sore!

The weather's been too nice to NOT go out, so I packed my Innova Starter bag with a fresh KC Roc and a Z Comet (+Wizards). I had a decent round today. I teed off with the Comet whenever I could, and was solid out to 250', nearly aced the first hole (~240') of the day. On longer throws it was tracking right all the way to the ground (~2:20 angle hyzer release). No one else I know throws 'em so I have no reference as to how well I'm throwing it. I did strong arm it once, it wobbled and flipped hard and I paid for it with a bogey, but only that once. A couple other shots I was just keeping it too low.

I only used the KC a couple times, when facing the wind head-on. It held up very well.

I added my HPP Wizard and my seasoned KC Roc to the bag and I'll be using this for non-competitive rounds for a while. :thmbup:

Practice/Form Check bag:
Z Comet, 177+g, lightly used
KC Roc, ???g, seasoned
KC Roc, 180g, new
Evo Wizard, 175g, new
Soft Wizard, 175g, seasoned
Soft Wizard, 174g, lightly used

 

[whentherainscome]

OH, add a 174g Proton Ion to that. I thought I sold this disc months ago, but just found it under my video card box! I just watched Mike C's Wizard v Ion video, so I'm going to do my own peer review.

That fills up the starter bag (with the accordion insert).

As for my Tourney bag, I took out the Tresspasses for now and stuffed those gaps with a super overstable 2013 CFR MF Teebird and a fresh Champ Leonard.

 

[StarFirebird]

Using something similar to my bag works pretty well if you don't like to cycle discs like a Teebird,Destroyer,Roc Aviar Ect.

I like using speed 7,9 and 12 drivers. I feel i have more of my distances covered this way.

Then with the Mids I could get away with just using 2 mids (Comet,Hornet),but the Buzzz has just the right amount of stability to fit in between them. It works well for those shots that the Hornet has too much fade and the Comet just goes too straight. Helps a ton for wooded courses.

Then just set-up the Putters the same way.

I have 26 in my bag,but could easily just use 22. If I didn't carry 5 Voodoo's and 3 Saint's I could do that lol

 

[whentherainscome]

I'm glad you're happy with your setup. It's not much different from mine, really. Vikings, fresh and beat = Saint, Fury, Volt. Firebird = Firebird. Leopard = River. Teebird = Teebirds have no equal. :hfive:

I'm a-okay with my drivers. If it's too long for a Teebird, Viking. If it's too windy for a Viking, Teebird. The Tresspasses are fun, and even when my form's bad I can get extra D with them, but I'm not too concerned with D so they're "on hold". I'm going to focus on form til I can get that good weight shift back. I've done it once, so I know I can do it again.

I need to get a Wizard beat in to 4-5/10, for a turnover, and I'll just carry Wizards + something better in the wind. I should've picked up some MED Wizards when I found them, they chunk up faster, and I actually want that.

Mids... there are so. many. good. mids. I don't even want to talk about it.

 

[whentherainscome]

I put my roller Viking into a pond. When I got up to it it was floating on its flightplate, being pushed out to deeper waters by the wind, it was well out of reach. As it got to choppier waters it sank. It was the saddest thing. I thought for sure it would make it to the other side.

A Viking funeral for a disc taken too soon. ;_;

The next Viking in line isn't QUITE ready for sky-roller duties, but it should be ready in a few months. And the next one after that is brand new... Then there's my champ RR, but I had much more consistent rollers (smooth S line ~380'. Farther than I can throw in the air) with the Viking. Might pick up a DX Viking in the meantime.

 

[B00kbinder]

What about a Zone instead of the Drone since you're using it for short range stuff anyways?

 

[Stardoggy]

I use my Classic Judge for turnovers, and it's about 7/10, and keep SSS Wizards for overstable duties.

 

[whentherainscome]

What about a Zone instead of the Drone since you're using it for short range stuff anyways?

It just doesn't fight out of a flex like the Drone. I know it's the more appropriate disc for those distances, speedwise, but the underpowered Drone bites harder. If I could get that "touch shot feel" while holding a Firebird, I wouldn't carry the Drone either.

As for the Wizard, I'm getting one of my softs pretty beat... it's just into 6/10 condition. I've been using the hell out of it the last week which has increased the wear on it as well as my familiarity with it. My first Wizard was a chunked up medium, and it was a turnover dream. It's gonna take a lot more work to get mine to match that one in flight. In a pinch I have a seasoned Yeti and a seasoned EZE Pure that will do turnovers well. I'd like to stick with just Wizards.

In the bag right now:
5 Wizards, 2 KC Rocs, 2 Comets a Drone, 3 Leopards, 3 Teebirds, 2 Firebirds, 2 Vikings and a Roadrunner in place of my roller Viking.