Disc limit?

[Sadjo]

If you must compare this facet to ball golf then what does the disc relate to, the club or the ball? If its the club, then there is a limit of 14. But generally speaking there is no limit to the number of balls a golfer can carry.

I like the references and associations to ball golf. Hell in all honesty that's where the idea for this sport came from. But like softball vs baseball, there are differences. So in this instance I say carry whatever you want. And if there is a need to for the sake of variation limit the number of discs then it should be done on a case by case tourney by tourney basis.

Actually there is a limit to the amount of golf balls players can carry in PGA play. I'm not sure of the limit.

 

[bigghigg]

What about setting a limit on the number of molds (plastic dependent) and not the actual number of discs. A champion boss and pro boss would count as 2, but 5 rocs would count as 1. This would theoretically (doesn't account for wear of individual discs) limit the number of "club" options without limiting the number of "balls" available.

 

[jimbosprint]

Official answer from the PDGA (Conrad):

It's never been seriously considered. My guess is that when the rules of disc golf were originally formulated, there were very few different discs available, so imposing a limit wouldn't have made sense. Currently, I think it's reasonably self-limiting. Unless you have a caddy (very rare), you're going to have to lug all those extra discs around. Often, the better players carry fewer discs.

 

[bettsjc]

I have not seen a single logical argument for a limit to the number of discs you can carry.

^^2nd this.

Pros for unlimited discs;
-Obviously the bigger selection of discs for
-FH, BH, Tomahawk, Thumbers, Rollers, Putts
-Wind Variation
-Reserves for possible lost plastic

Cons for unlimited discs'
-Takes a while to decide a disc to throw
-More fatigue from carrying more plastic
-May cause you to overthink a shot

But...
none of these are good enough to sway my opinion either way. Personally, I carry anywhere from 8 discs on a short course, to 14-16 on a longer, more technical course. League/Tourney rounds always add a disc or two as backups. Average I carry per round is 13. Familiarity of a course can weed out a disc or two, knowing that I won't use certain discs at all. I know all the discs in my bag like the back of my hand, so if I were to carry 30 discs I wouldn't have any problem finding the proper disc and tossing it within an allotted time.

I'm not exactly sure that allowing a player to carry more discs is necessarily an advantage. You still need excellent technique to make excellent shots. Its not like a disc is going to make a gap, just because its a __________. And just because there's a limit on clubs in ball golf shouldn't have any bearing on a limit on discs. The limit of 6 balls in ball golf is a little different, as each ball is supposed to do the same thing. So the only way this rule could translate into disc golf is that you could only carry a certain amount of a certain mold, which still doesn't quite translate because of wear levels, plastics, weights, etc.

 

[SpyderPride]

The 14-club limit in ball golf is imposed for a very simple reason, to make tournament play more difficult. I'm not sure how they came up with 14, but the PGA decided that 14 is enough to have a full repertoire of shots but it forces you to make substitutions for very specific shots or ranges. With the technology halt on driver rim width, we shouldn't be seeing any huge technological distance increases in the near future, so in a way our yardages are now "set". Courses need to be made longer to get up to speed with disc technology, but there is a funding and space roadblock on that in most areas.

I think a logical method for a carry limit would be to look at the various "slots". Understable, stable, and overstable for distance drivers, fairway drivers, midranges, and putters. That's 12 discs. Add two spares or specialty discs (read: very specific shots/ranges) and you have 14. But, I think it would be even more interesting if the disc limit was something like 8 so you really have to specialize for the course you are playing and make do with discs that aren't exactly what you need for each shot.

However, the fact is that Innova and Discraft want you to have 20+ discs in your bag. Hell, they probably want you to have like 50 so you need a bag with wheels on it.

So my logic is this: it makes tournaments more difficult across the board. Player performance would need to take a step forward and equipment selection would take a step back. I would like to see an 8-10 disc limit. In ball golf, you don't get to have 3-4 of each club that is weighted differently to make different shot shapes easier. You shape shots with each club. For all the people that complain about the ridiculously low scores in open class, this will certainly help that a little.

 

[SpyderPride]

If you are wondering how the multitude of discs you can carry would relate to ball golf, consider this: on the clubhead, more heel weight makes a draw or hook occur more predictably. More toe weight can make fades and slices easier to accomplish. Shorter or longer shafts can be put on clubheads of different lofts to get higher or lower trajectories at the same distance. Perimeter weighting yields straighter, more forgiving shots. Uniform weighting makes the club more workable and less forgiving (cavity back vs blade). As you can see, the possibilities are endless. You could have a bag of 100 clubs where they all do something a little bit different. Such is the case with discs today.

 

[scarpfish]

I don't think an 8-10 disc limit would affect most players that much, as probably the only advantage that anything over that provides is redundancy in the event of disc loss. It might affect players who stock multiples in different weights or states of wear.

Here's a question I might pose that ball golfers seldom if ever have to deal with. If a player does lose a disc during the round, should they be allowed to replace it during the round? Or between rounds if there are subsequent rounds?

 

[rocthecourse]

If you really want to compare disc golf with ball golf then it would be 14+6=20 discs, since disc are club and ball in one. Also, you would have to increase the lost disc time to 5 minutes which is how long you have to find your ball.

 

[NothinButChing]

of course there should be in tourney play too many discs gets ridiculous

 

[wolito]

I would like to play in a tourny with a limit of say 5 discs or less. It would seperate those whom have really good fundamentals from those whom rely on their discs to do everything for them.

 

[Cory]

If you're all worried about disc numbers, just play in superclass tournaments.

 

[Sadjo]

When I play different course, I will change what I carry. When playing a course with more wide open long holes, I carry less discs and more under-stable discs. When playing a tight course, I carry more stable discs.

I think a limit should be implemented.

I've got a 4, 6 and 14 year-old that play. I normally allow my oldest to only carry 3 discs and my two younger boys carry two each. I always play my rounds with them with one disc only. My best rounds at our home course were accomplished with just one disc.

 

[garublador]

The 14-club limit in ball golf is imposed for a very simple reason, to make tournament play more difficult.

That's my point. That's not a logical argument, it's just a reason. It's like saying that they should make all discs white because they like white better than other colors.

 

[DavidSauls]

I would like to play in a tourny with a limit of say 5 discs or less. It would seperate those whom have really good fundamentals from those whom rely on their discs to do everything for them.

This would be really exciting at places like Trophy Lakes, where you could easily lose some, if not all, of your discs in a round. The tournament would be like a demolition derby---last person with any discs remaining, wins.

The idea of limited-disc tournament is interesting.

The idea of a rule limiting discs, though, strikes me as a solution in search of a problem.

 

[Elderberen]

I say it is up to the player How many disc to carry. But it would be fun to have a tournaments where they were limited the disc and not super class. Just a fun tourny.

 

[Three Putt]

In 60 Years of Golf it said

Golf became a caricature of a game, the law-making authorities scratched their heads; there seemed no cogent argument for limiting the number of clubs except that carrying so many was ridiculous and inartistic. The criticism of the over-burdening of caddies was countered by the player saying he would engage two instead of one.

Finally, in 1935 and 1936 the authorities in Britain and the United States conferred together and a maximum of fourteen clubs was agreed upon as a compromise likely to suit all parties. This was passed without the why and wherefore of only fourteen clubs being questioned or debated. This was fortunate as there were many prepared to argue with great conviction that some greater or lesser quota would be more suitable.

Basically it sounds like 30-club bags were getting pretty common in the 30's, and some "purist" thought that was too many clubs for no definable reason. The purists got their way and now we have a 75 year-old rule limiting golf clubs at a purely arbitrary number. I really don't think a random and illogical rule used by another sport can be used as the basis of an argument to do the same thing in our sport.

 

[Pete Kwaz]

Hell, no. Its my goal to have to have a golf cart just to carry my discs. I'd bring out 100 if I could.

 

[wkelly42]

Here's a question I might pose that ball golfers seldom if ever have to deal with. If a player does lose a disc during the round, should they be allowed to replace it during the round? Or between rounds if there are subsequent rounds?

Ball golfers are allowed to replace damaged clubs if they are damaged during the round, so a similar rule would have to apply to disc golf if disc # were ever limited.

I remember reading somewhere about a new classification where you would only use standard Frisbee-type discs (think old-school disc golf, before specialized golf discs were made). I'm guessing this would technically limit the number of discs used in that class to one (unless you were allowed to carry a spare or two).

 

[SpyderPride]

That's my point. That's not a logical argument, it's just a reason. It's like saying that they should make all discs white because they like white better than other colors.

I don't know... to me it just seems like a disc limit rule would make our sport look more "professional" and legitimate and less like a bunch of hippies screwing around in the park . Really the only difference between a bunch of people screwing off and a sport is rules. And you're absolutely right about there being no true logical argument for a set limit. However, what is the logical argument for most rules in sports? There usually isn't one. Some governing body or inventor of the sport just decides what is good and what isn't. Don't you think it is slightly ridiculous that there is no regulation size for a soccer pitch? It just has to be between 90 and 120 meters (or something like that) to be legal for tournament play. But soccer (or futbol, or whatever) is the most popular sport in the world, excluding the USA as a major potential market. Maybe its an American thing... maybe we tend to like our sports reigned in in terms of rules so they are as fair for everyone as possible. I'm just rambling now... but I think my point has been made.

 

[drickanderson]

I remember reading somewhere about a new classification where you would only use standard Frisbee-type discs (think old-school disc golf, before specialized golf discs were made). I'm guessing this would technically limit the number of discs used in that class to one (unless you were allowed to carry a spare or two).

It's called Super Class