Coldsweat's 2015 ITB and Confessional

[coldsweat]

Ok so a little background. I started discgolfing about 5 years ago. It started when I was working at Sleepy Hollow State Park in charge of upkeep on the course. That summer I played countless rounds, found/lost countless discs, and had a lot of fun doing it with some of my closest friends and new friends I met at the park. I can't remember all the discs I used but I remember that the three most used and never lost were: Champ Eagle-X (thrashed), Z Buzzz (new at the time), and an R-Pro Aviar (Me and my friends thought these were the bees knees due to floppiness).

Fast forward to 2 years ago when I moved from East Lansing to Ann Arbor. I discovered so many new courses and CJ's party store. This also coincided with me hiring into a machine opperating position near by (which made me feel like a failure because all I could focus on was my engineering degree). Having fun still but it wasn't quite the same, playing with new friends and new courses. Found and fell in love with the zone early. That is about the biggest highlight of this period.

Than the worst time in my life happened. I was bumped to 2nd shift. And saw absolutely no one I cared about. This compounded with the winter of last year lead to a little bit of depression. I bought way too many discs and gained way to much weight. I lost my love for the game. Improvement was all I cared about, and I forgot how to have fun. All of this coincided with a huge slip off in my game play and my want to play. Also spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars I should have been saving on discs that will "make me better".

Finally in the now. I was promoted off the machines and off of second shift. I am still not making what I know I should/could. But I am in a much more comfortable position of Assistant Tool Room Manager. I also have come to the realization that I don't really care if I get better so long as I am having fun and at least competitive with the people I play with.

Backstory out of the way. This year I am focusing on improving my balance, flexibility, and overall health. If I lose weight that will just be a happy side effect. I have been doing a workout plan including Qi Gong/Yoga, body weight training, and Interval training. I figure the biggest way to improve my distance off the tee by next season is to improve my overall athleticism and health.

My second focus is to stop trying to do shots I know I can't and just to play my own game. I am not a pro, not even a high level amature. I am a rec player and prob always will be. There is no shame in playing for par and I have come to realize that.

Onto the Bag:

Putters (100-150 avg, 200 max)

2 x Classic Hard Judges (First Runs)- 1 beat for outside circle, 1 chains only circle
1 x Classic Soft Judge - most BH approaches
1 x GBO Fuzion Judge - S/US Putter drives and longer approaches
1 x ESP Zone - thrashed (flies like envy with a little more bite) do it all disc. Most strokes in a round are on this disc.

Mids (150-250 pending on line needed)

1 x Z Comet - "S/OS Comet", can put it on any line and it holds, holds up in the wind.
2 x X Comet - 1 thrashed for BH Rollers, 1 worn for annies/hyzerflip to turnover.
1 x Champ Roc3 - Most OS midrange, fh mid shots, heavy winds.

Drivers (200-300 pending on line)

2 x Teebirds - 1 champ "os" teebird shots and main fh driver, 1 dx "s" teebird and main driver.
2 x Leopards - 1 pro "s/us" leo used for annys and turnovers, 1 thrashed dx for utility and rollers.
2 x Wraiths - 1 pro for us distance driver shots and max d thumbers, 1 star for skips, fh rollers, and big flex shots.

So that is my bag, I know most will say not to carry the wraiths but I am going to keep them in there. I seldom use them and they are mostly utility discs. I will generally pull them out for stiff headwinds, fh distance rollers, and all OH duties. Seldom bh them (most of that work goes to the birds and the comets).

Any insight into the bag would be great. Any workout or cheap healthy recipes welcome. Any insight into how to attack the course most efficiently with a weenie arm would be welcome. And if you just want to chat feel free. Thank you for those of you that read this and enjoy your day.

 

[keltik]

I like everything you've said.

 

[coldsweat]

Thank you sir. The feeling is mutual.

 

[sjberry2017]

Dude, right on. I dig the bag setup, and applaud you on getting healthier (something I REALLY need to get around to). I'm guessing you're done with your degree?

Anyways, onto the bag. I'm kind of the same way with distances, although when I really have my form on I can get a little over 300. One disc is just a suggestion as a replacement; if you ever lose your beat to heck Leopard, get an Underworld. It's uber-flippy and glides for a freaking mile; it's just a really fun disc. I don't use mine as much as I wish because I have an FD that is also super fun, but the Underworld is a really great flippy fairway.

Two, have you played around with any speed 9 drivers? The disc I'm most glad I added back to my bag was the Avenger SS. I had a pro D one that got super beat super quick so I gave it away. I finally picked up a 167-169 Z one about a month ago and it is basically perfect for my arm speed. If you really get a good crank on it it can hyzerflip or get some turn, but it can also handle a bit less power and not just be a meathook. I'd recommend picking one up in that weight or slightly heavier in Pro D to mess around with. It's super cheap and not a big investment, and I think you'd really enjoy it. It would probably sit down between the Teebirds and Wraiths as a manageable distance disc.

However, if you don't add that, the bag still looks solid. Keep Calm and Disc On man

 

[coldsweat]

Yeah I finished my degree in 2012 and got caught up in an abusive manager situation before I quit for the operators position. It is all good now though and I have learned an awful lot about myself from everything that has happened.

I have messed around in the speed 9 to 10 range. I have had really good luck with a beat X-Avenger and I am assuming that is how a fresh Avenger-SS would fly. I have also had pretty good luck with the DD Escape and the MVP Inertia. I've also thrown the PD, Saint, Sidewinder, and Timberwolf but none of those ever really stuck. I could go back to the 9 or 10 range and drop the wraith. My problem I was finding was that I wasn't really getting the greatest skip and max D OH shots suffered without the thicker rims.

 

[AndyJB]

Not on your bag (which honestly looks pretty solid) but if you're already doing a little yoga, check out DDP Yoga. Don't know if you're a wrestling fan, but Diamond Dallas Page was one of the biggest stars of the 90s, even though he was quite a bit older than the other guys. After getting beat up for so long, he needed a way to stay in shape so developed his own Yoga program that features dyanmic resitence and body weight exercises along with the yoga to get you a great stretch as well as cardio. It's a great program to look into and can be easily done at home.

Best of luck to you, and it's great to see that you are back in a good place!

 

[sjberry2017]

I could go back to the 9 or 10 range and drop the wraith. My problem I was finding was that I wasn't really getting the greatest skip and max D OH shots suffered without the thicker rims.

So why not both? Bag one Wraith and then get a neutral to slightly understable speed 9 disc to go with it? Heavier champ Sidewinder, Avenger SS, Valkyrie, Heat, or anything else along those lines. That way you keep the massive skip shots and max overhand, while having a workable complementary disc alongside. Or if you want to keep both discs on the overstable, there's the CD2, Saint, or a disc like that which can be workable but won't overlap too much with the Wraiths

 

[coldsweat]

So I just shook things up and traded a lot of discs for backups and multiples of molds I plan on throwing. Played a ribbon round and absolutely killed it.

Putters:

2 x Classic Hard Judge (Putts)
1 x Lucid Judge (Drives and Upshots)
1 x ESP Zone (Drives and Upshots, Utility)

Mids:

3 x Roc3 (S/OS, S, S/US)
2 x Flying Squirrel (150 class for stand and delivers, max weight for understable utility)

Drivers

3 x Teebird (S/OS, S, S/US)
3 x Orc (S/OS, S, S/US)
2 x Flick (150 class for OH shots, 170g for utility)

I decided to drop down a speed from the wraith to the orc. I also noticed that this lessened the gap from the teebirds to the distance driver so I don't think speed 9's are needed. I still get skip shots and forehand out of the orcs but feel like I can actually use them effectively more consistently. I also dropped the leopards because they overlapped a decent amount with the squirrels. I went with the squirrels instead of the comets because they offer a better US midrange and I traded for a roc3 that was beat in to fly very similar to my X Comet. This setup makes sense to me, and I feel like I can learn to wield it effectively this upcoming season. For any of you who care.

 

[Annakin SkyHyzer]

I didn't like speed 9, and traded for an Orc and couldn't have been happier. I use Teebirds a lot and the Orc felt like a natural jump. I can push my DX Teebird almost as far as an Orc, but it takes a few seconds longer.

 

[sjberry2017]

The new setup looks good; I have two Orcs, a PFN Star (but with the website) and a Champion. I can grip the rim but don't find it to be the most comfortable experience in the world, so I stick with speed 9 right now. And I say all that to say I think dropping down to Orcs is a really good idea; they're still great drivers, but a speed slower they'll be easier to throw and control.

 

[coldsweat]

Sorry for all the bumps. Been over a foot of snow and three straight days under 0 degrees here. I have lots of time to change my mind. Hoping to have a bag all locked up by spring though.

Putters:

Only minor changes here.I dropped the zone and added in a Classic Soft Judge. I also put a lid back in my bag. A Discraft Rattler Seldom use a lid. But love having one for when I do need it. They are capable of lines no other disc is.

Mids: Going to toll without a OS or an US mid this year. Want to reteach myself adjusting the angle of the disc.

4 x ROC3 (Champ cycle [S/OS, S, S/US] and Gstar for grip and most OS)

Drivers: This is where the biggest changes are. Dropped down to baisically just speed 7's. The one round I did get in I was splaying Orcs all over the place. Had much better results just tossing the teebirds. So here is the final.

3 x Teebirds (2 champ one thrashed, one new; 1 gstar is the most true stable bird)
2 x River (Both 168, 1 fresh Opto and 1 beat GL)
2 x XXX (Really like this over the flicks. I tried the flicks but they just never clicked. So far so good with these. Also since they are slower. I am using them to cover my OS mid duties as well. 1 fresh opto, and 1 6/10 gold line)

So as of now those are the changes. 16 discs total and only 6 molds. With one of them just an uber utility lid. I think this bag is simple enough for me. Even sitting here I know exactly what I would take off the tee on almost all the courses around me weather pending. That is a really good feeling. I think my biggest enemy last year was never knowing what to throw. The indecision led to bad choices and not a whole lot of confidence of the tee.

 

[coldsweat]

One quick question for anyone that cares. I have some speed 9 discs available and I could bump down from the Orc without spending a dime. However. I would likely drop the River's before I dropped the Teebird. My question is, is there too much overlap between the Escape and the Teebird or can they live in the same bag? And as an Escape breaks in, does it become valk like?

 

[coldsweat]

Went out into the snow and absolutely killed it with the following setup. I played Independence Lake and shot a +2. Was in about a foot of snow but I have been meaning to get out for a long time and I figured might as well. Either way:

Putters: (Stripped down the number of putters I carry a little bit. But over all they are the same.)

3 x Judge (1 x classic hard for putts, 1 x classic soft for jumpers, approaches, and shaped putts, 1 x Lucid for drives)
1 x Pro D Rattler (Lid Shots)

Mids: (Tried the Roc3's and I loved the flight but I really prefered the base plastics. Like the feel and find them easier to range. I leaned heavily on mids as I played a lot of placement shots.)

3 x Ranch Roc (1 x OS KC Roc, 1 x S/OS Glow DX, 1 x 150 class DX Roc for floaters and weird shots)
2 x Comets (1 x Freshish X Comet S/US, 1 x Thrashed X Comet Rollers)

Drivers (Just sticking with the fairways. I know I said I didn't care that I wasn't going to be pro and just wanted to have fun. But am killing it with fairways lately. Playing way more approach shots and just trying to improve course management)

4 x Teebirds (1 x S/OS Champ Teebird for winds and skips, 1 x S Gstar for straight drives, 1 x US Champ Teebird for turnovers, 1 x 168g DX Teebird for max distance)
2 x Leopards (1 x DX Leopard [working in for rollers], 1 x Pro Leopard turnovers and between rocs and teebirds)
2 x XXX (1 worked in goldline for BH OS duties, 1 x Opto for Utility (FH Rollers, skip shots, OH shots)

So there she is. Bag worked out really good for me. I still might throw an Orc or Wraith in if I know I am going to a course with bomber holes. But for the most part that won't be part of the core bag, just depends on the course. I have a huge focus on general health and course management this year. It is already starting to pay off. So yeah pretty excited it is all shaping up.

 

[coldsweat]

I think I am finally ready to give up on the Roc. I have been trying to force it because of popularity and all the championships. Though I am just not getting the consistency that I used to get with the buzzz. I am moving back to the buzzz. The only reason I ever went away from them is these forums had me convinced they don't cycle at all and are not great in the wind. I was out in the wind today and they for the most part were unaffected. I was really jiving with it today. And glad to be bagging them again.

Putters:

1 x Classic Hard Judge (All Putts, jumpers and otherwise)
1 x GBO Fuzion Judge (Most upshots, shaped putts, putter drives)
1 x ESP Zone (OS Utility, skippers, FH utility)

Mids:

2 x Gold Flying Squirrel (Turnovers, rollers, hyzerflips)
1 x Z Buzzz (Heavier, first disc I bought, bagged for 5 years stored the last 2. Nice and striaght)
1 x Big Z Buzzz (169g, all the heavy ones were picked over. Handled the wind find, nice and stable)
1 x Champ Shark3 (Longer OS approaches, main FH Mid. Easier to range. Between buzzz and drone)

Fairway Drivers:

2 x Champ Teebirds (1 fresh for hyzers and winds, 1 beat for nice turnovers)
1 x Gstar Teebird (Dead straight high power lazer beams)
1 x DX Teebird (For turnovers until a premi plastic one gets there)

Distance/Utility:

2 x Champ Orc (1 S/OS for FH distance, 1 S for BH field distance)
2 x Z Flick (1 super heavy one for utility shots, 1 x 150class for OH shots)

So this bag has been pretty solid on the courses around me. I used it for the last couple weeks. I can't wait for this melt fto finish. In the supper skip shots and rollers are a big part of my game. Taking that away in the winter is rough. I switched back to the Z Flick because the snow gobbled up my XXX's so I will wait to past judgement till I test them on some FH cut rollers and skippers.

So yep. There she is, not overly minimal but also still feels pretty simple. I know all of these molds pretty well (with the exception of the Flick) as they have all been workhorses in the past. I am liking this setup and feel it has a lot of shots covered. I would feel confident with this bag at any course I could come to.

Drivers - 3 molds - 8 discs
Mids - 3 molds - 5 discs
Putters - 2 molds - 3 discs

 

[BuzzzChief]

Nice, simple bag. I am jealous of setups like this, I just can't seem to drop all the specialty molds.

 

[sjberry2017]

Really like the setup, looks like you have everything covered

 

[coldsweat]

Got a gift card to my local disc shop for my birthday and went by to pick some stuff up.

Got a new GL XXX (167g) and now will be using 2 XXX instead of the Flicks. Also bought a Hornet to test out. Wondering if it will fill the shark3 slot. I heard it is a little faster. It is a lot flatter. Like the way it feels FH a little more. So I will be testing that out.

Finally I lost confidence in the Judge. I don't know what happened. I have just been clanking the tops of the baskets non stop. I cannot dial it in. It has also started to feel a little off in my hands (too shallow). I honestly don't know what happened for the last two years I thought I was set for life. Looking to can everything 100 in. It was like a switch flicked. The last 6 months have been SHAKY. So for the time being I have moved back to the Wizard. And I am really liking it. Has made a big difference for me for the time being.

 

[coldsweat]

I have been absolutely killing it lately. In the past 15 days or so I have set new PR's at 4 of the courses around me (Hudson mills Monster and Classic, The Gulch, and Independence Lake). My bag has also not changed this whole time. Here is what I have been carrying and what I think I have finally settled in on...

Putters: (Wizard has taken over almost every shot 200 and in.)

2 x SS Wizards (One for chains only (about 45 and in) and one for most putter tee shots) [175g]
1 x RFF Wizard (Jump Putts, most BH approaches, spin putts, shaped putts, turbos) [176g]
1 x Cryztal Z Zone (Most FH approaches, short flexers, fh rollers, utility) [176g]

Mids: (Been lights out with the Rancho Roc lately, idk why but I could never get the ROC3 to click, and haven't been that consistent with Buzzz's for anything but drives lately and the Roc came in to save the day.)

1 x KC Pro Roc ("OS" Roc, hyzers, some FH work, tight flexers) [177g]
2 x Glow DX Roc (One is workhorse mid, the other is its matching backup) [176g]
1 x DX Roc (Yammered up, flies like a slightly seasoned X Comet. Gave it to a friend when he was just starting 2 years ago, just traded a champ Roc3 for it back) [171g]

Drivers: (Teebird has completely changed my game, tons and tons of confidence both BH and FH. Gets taken off most tees.)

1 x Pro Leopard (US utility, not thrown much. Thumbers, short straight shots, turnover FH shots) [171g]
2 x DX Teebird (These are my main distance discs. Carry a heavier one and a 150 class. Will use the heavier one most of the time, and the 150 when I have a somewhat constricted run up or want to throw a lower power shot and still get the disc to sail.) [171g and 150g]
1 x E* Teebird (This is my main workhorse teebird. Straight with fade, can manipulate it on to a lot of different lines) [167g]
1 x Champ Teebird (Main FH teebird, also most OS teebird. Hyzers and FH's for the most part. Some OH work) [175g]

Utility Drivers: (Love the XXX. For me it has the firebird flight at the Banshee speed. It is a little more OS than the banshee, but has the glide to make up for it. Been great for me.)

1 x Gold Line XXX (This one has a decent dome and kind of a see through flight plate. This gets most air work both BH and FH.) [165g]
1 x Opto XXX (Super concave, amazing plastic. Gets most utility work. OH's, scoobies, aggressive flex shots, fh rollers) [177g]
1 x Pro Wraith (I think I have only thrown it once the past half a month. Doesn't ever hardly see use. I like it for big high forced oat shots. Nice flex lines. I don't really have the arm for it, but it handles that shot better than the teebirds, and goes farther than the XXX's. I mostly play the straight game, but sometimes I need a flex shot. Or for real gusty tee shots.) [170g]

So thar she blows. Mostly off the tees I am just taking a wizard, roc, or teebird. The rest are all kind of utility. The support staff if you will. I have been playing some very consistent golf with this setup lately.

 

[coldsweat]

The pro wraith was switched out for a couple of Orc's. I am able to get them to speed a little better than the wraith. Still wont get thrown much, but will offer me other lines than the teebirds.

 

[coldsweat]

Been on an absolute tear lately. My bag has remained for the most part unchanged for the last 10-15 rounds. Played a lot of disc golf this past weekend and may have finally fine tuned my bag. Finally throwing around 300 consistently with my teebirds. I know that isn't great distance but I have been at the 250 golf distance plateau for a little over 3 years now. So either way this is what the bag looks like...

Putters: Wizards won out over the judges. Been really really killing it with them

2 x SS Wizard (1 for putts only, 1 for tee shots)
1 x RFF Wizard (Approaches and spin/shaped putts; canned a fairway ace with it from 180 out last weekend on a stand still shot. What an amazingly predictable disc)

Mids: Liking the Rancho Roc a ton

1 x KC Pro Roc (This is my OS Roc, hyzers and approaches)
1 x DX Glow Roc (Workhorse Roc)
1 x Beat DX Roc (Super stable, like a worn in Z Comet with more wind resistance. Money.)
1 x X Comet (This one is worn in for hyzer flips and turnovers. Some roller work.)

Drivers: A little clunky, but have no problem knowing what to throw when.

1 x DX Leopard (Max weight, turnovers, straight shots between roc and teebird, thumbers, rollers)
2 x DX Teebird (171g workhorse off the tee getting straighter and straighter, 150g low power straight shots)
1 x E* Teebird (Hyzers and Flexers. Forehand fairway.)
1 x GL XXX (168g with a dome, this gets most BH and FH OS work)
1 x Opto XXX (Max weight and concave, goofy approach shots, FH rollers, skip shots)
1 x Lucid Escape (Max flex distance)
1 x Biofuzion Escape (Straight distance)

So what do ya'll think? I know it isn't the cleanest setup where it comes to drivers but I don't generally have any trouble knowing what to take off the tee. And if I am ever in doubt I usually end up just reaching for the DX Teebird. Just super versatile off the tee.