distance record questions

[tigel]

I was wondering what the current world record was? Also, I've seen the video of throwig a disc off some mountain, whatever... I'm talking at an event held by pdga or some form of a tournament environment. Also, when was said record held, and with what driver.

 

[Timko]

From Innova's website.

Innova Team Champion member, Christian Sandstrom, of Sweden, shattered the distance record April 26, 2002 at "Big D in the Desert. His record throw of 250 meters (820 feet) was made with a 164g DX Valkyrie. Former team member Ken Jarvis was first to break the record with a throw of 247 meters. Ken's record lasted a mere 45 minutes! The previous record of 217.05m (712 feet) had been set by Chris Voigt of Germany.

Ken, for the record, threw a dx Teebird on his throw.

 

[cali]

I wonder if they were throwing off of a dune or on a flat :?

 

[abcd]

Dry lake bed I believe.

 

[cojsmith08]

Another question, what is the forehand distance record? In regular conditions and Big D in the desert type conditions?

 

[Chris A1]

Ive argued this over and over again on the PDGA forums.

OK

Distance records are not PDGA or kept by "disc golf" people. Its kept by WFDF (World Flying Disc Federation) http://www.wfdf.org

WFDF World Record Regulations
Distance

The throw must be made over level ground. No noticeable degree of slope is acceptable. There is no restriction on wind level for the outdoor record. Measure to the nearest centimeter.

For roller distance attempts, the throw must roll on the ground for at least half of the total distance covered.

Open: 250.00 m Christian Sandstrom (SWE) 4/26/02 El Mirage, CA
Women: 148.00 m Valarie Jenkins (USA) 4/6/08 Prim, NV
Men (55 and older): 180.00 m Jeff Stoops (USA) 4/03/09 Primm, NV
Men (35 and older): 208.00 m Jack Cooksey (USA) 4/6/08 Prim, NV
Boys (13 and younger): 224.00 m David Wiggins, Jr. (USA) 4/3/09 Prim, NV
Boys (12 and younger): 176.00 m David Wiggins, Jr. (USA) 4/5/08 Prim, NV

Problem #1
Lets take for example the location {Prim NV} Its main use is for Windsurfing.. El Mirage is also used for "landsailing" due to the wind.

I would argue a set regulation for wind location etc..

David Wiggins Jr set 13 and younger with a toss of "224m" or 734.908 ft.. Yes a 13yr old kid 735ft.. Come on.. David is a great disc golfer, but 735ft? Realistically I would like to see world record kept by PDGA with possibly regulations on wind speed, altitude.. etc.. Maybe for a true "World Record" you would need to be indoor to take away all the elements.. I dont know, but I dont think we would see 700+ feet indoor. We would probably see a more realistic representation of what a real distance record would be.

All my post at the PDGA forums on this topic have been deleted, O-Well.. I guess what is frustration is, I can throw 400+ on a good day, but give me a 150g R-pro Boss with a 30 mph tail wind on a dry lake bed and I would bet $$ I can add 250+ ft to my drive.. Dose that mean I go arould telling people I can throw a Disc over 650ft? No cause I cant.


[/rant]

-Chris A

 

[banzai7]

I can throw 400+ on a good day, but give me a 150g R-pro Boss with a 30 mph tail wind on a dry lake bed and I would bet $$ I can add 250+ ft to my drive..

I wouldn't be so sure.

 

[Timko]

I can throw 400+ on a good day, but give me a 150g R-pro Boss with a 30 mph tail wind on a dry lake bed and I would bet $$ I can add 250+ ft to my drive..

I wouldn't be so sure.

Wiggin's Sr. spoke about this on the pdga forums a while back. While conditions may give you an extra 200+ feet, it's one thing knowing that, but it's an entirely different thing actually being able to pull it off.

 

[Dogma1]

I think real records should be flat ground with no wind. Elevation drops, tailwinds, etc. are just novelties. Yes, it takes skill to play the wind, but it makes it impossible to compare the record (or skill) to someone else throwing in other conditions.

 

[Jesse B 707]

Playing the wind is part of the challenge
and no, you can not tack on 250 feet just like that, catching the wind right is hella hard

 

[Dogma1]

Doesn't that just make it a wind catching contest?

 

[MandShowI1]

would it be so difficult to book an indoor driving range for a weekend for distance events? they are already marked off for distance and there would be no noticeable wind. pretty simple solution i think. itd also be a good mingling of the disc golf and ball golf worlds.

 

[tigel]

I agree on wind being a huge factor in distance. Do you honestly not think wind is the main reason a 13 year old throws almost 800 ft? I can throw 450 on my best drive. Add a tailwind and that disc will EASILY with out a doubt go at LEAST 200 ft more, maybe more.

It's hard to argue though. I don't know anywhere indoor thats 800 ft long, and tall enough to throw a disc. Which makes me believe there will never be a "real" distance record. Until than wind will be a factor. We also have to keep in mind this is an object in the air. So I can understand people saying wind isn't a factor, but a part of the sport. However, I don't think that makes a "distance record" a true measurement.

If someone threw a baseball as far as they could and it somehow found a gust of wind strong enough (unlikely) and it carried a mile away, would it be safe to say that PERSON threw that baseball that far? No. He threw it X while the wind carried it X. Big difference. This is the same here. Yes, a disc has better flight characteristics than a baseball and the winds it's friend, but that doesn't show how far said person himself threw it.

 

[tumpsi]

imho the fairest way to set records would be like this:
1) pick a direction
2) throw 5 times into that direction
3) throw 5 times back from where you just threw
4) calculate the average of best throws to each direction
5) set records


5 throws into tailwind, 5 into headwind.

 

[keltik1]

well i just looked at the WFDF site and they already have an indoor distance record which was set in the magazine of an aircraft carrier.....only 470 ft......so maybe they need to revisit this one.....although i think they may let that one stand since it was done by a guy fighting in the Iraqi/Afghan wars (i think).....but they even have records for throwing upside down and from a wheel chair and for women over the age of 100.....i don't think i would take this record too seriously....it's just a marketing tool.....and Chris Max Voight (the guy who held the record before Sändström) did it with an XS.....and we don't even mention that disc.....nor the Viking.....but Sändström also has the MTA record for Open men.....but F it.....they list the record of 9.76m as thrown by a farkin Sea Lion at the St. Luis Zoo......i think if you start looking into any "record" you start seeing all kinds of special pre-requisite conditions that end up making the feat not so amazing after all......thank god the pre-season has started

 

[garublador1]

I don't see why it matters. Any record will have a set of rules. The rules for this record allow for wind. It's not like the rules are kept a secret and they only allow certain people in on the real time and place for setting records.

If the wind adds so much extra distance, how come I've never thrown 450' with a big tailwind? That's adding less than 60' of D to my normal max in calm condidtions. I thought the wind added super duper amounts of D to your throw. If it automatically adds 200' to a throw in perfect conditions then I should get at least 60' in good conditions, right? Playing those heavy winds is part of the skill in throwing that far and part of the record.

 

[Smoke62]

I agree on wind being a huge factor in distance. Do you honestly not think wind is the main reason a 13 year old throws almost 800 ft? I can throw 450 on my best drive. Add a tailwind and that disc will EASILY with out a doubt go at LEAST 200 ft more, maybe more.

It's hard to argue though. I don't know anywhere indoor thats 800 ft long, and tall enough to throw a disc. Which makes me believe there will never be a "real" distance record. Until than wind will be a factor. We also have to keep in mind this is an object in the air. So I can understand people saying wind isn't a factor, but a part of the sport. However, I don't think that makes a "distance record" a true measurement.

If someone threw a baseball as far as they could and it somehow found a gust of wind strong enough (unlikely) and it carried a mile away, would it be safe to say that PERSON threw that baseball that far? No. He threw it X while the wind carried it X. Big difference. This is the same here. Yes, a disc has better flight characteristics than a baseball and the winds it's friend, but that doesn't show how far said person himself threw it.

How real do you want? When we go out and play, are we are not also battling the wind? When the wind pushes you that extra 50ft down the fairway and drops it in birdie range of a hole that you know you normally can't reach, do you count it? Of course you do. Wind is a part of disc golf as much as wind and terrain are a part of ball golf. What separates people like Sandstrom, Wiggins and Voigt from the rest of us, is their ability to use the wind like it should be used. Like what was stated many times, anyone can throw a disc into the wind. However it takes skill, knowledge and experience to be able to hit the wind just right and make it work for you instead of against you.

 

[Jesse B 707]

Add a tailwind and that disc will EASILY with out a doubt go at LEAST 200 ft more, maybe more.

:lol: clearly you have never actually tried this, first of all a tailwind is not what you want, ideally (for RHBH) you want a L to R wind with a bit of tail angle on it. when my form was at its peak 6 months ago or so i had my longest throw ever, my regular max D at the time was around 400 and i came up to a hole with some perfect max D wind, after probly 5 or so throws i hit my 175 champ RR just right and caught the wind and rode it out to around 470 or so (this wind was 20+ MPH). so you tacking on 200 ft without some serious knowledge of max d lines and probly a bigger arm is plain old ridiculous........and please post some vids of your 450 throws so i can learn a thing or 2 from your form

 

[Chris A1]

Add a tailwind and that disc will EASILY with out a doubt go at LEAST 200 ft more, maybe more.

:lol: clearly you have never actually tried this, first of all a tailwind is not what you want, ideally (for RHBH) you want a L to R wind with a bit of tail angle on it. when my form was at its peak 6 months ago or so i had my longest throw ever, my regular max D at the time was around 400 and i came up to a hole with some perfect max D wind, after probly 5 or so throws i hit my 175 champ RR just right and caught the wind and rode it out to around 470 or so (this wind was 20+ MPH). so you tacking on 200 ft without some serious knowledge of max d lines and probly a bigger arm is plain old ridiculous........and please post some vids of your 450 throws so i can learn a thing or 2 from your form

I was on a soccer field 2 months ago and threw a pro destroyer in a 15-20 mile an hour tail wend and it carried 2 soccer fields.. I tossed my whole bag that day and only "hit the line" 2x... Dose it take skill and luck to hit the correct line and wind for max distance.. YES.. Hats off to David Wiggens for this world record.. Could I get 200+ ft extra with a 25+ MPH wind on the flat lake.. Yes.. Given that the world record is taken over 3 days I would bet my next paycheck that I can add 200+ feet to my drive.. Not the point!

Point being..

A true world record for longest throw in disc golf needs better standards than what we currently have. That is all i am saying... I would like a better representation of what can be done with a PDGA standard golf disc. Even if a 20+ MPH tail wind only adds 20ft.... Can you grasp what I'm saying?

-Chris

 

[PhattD]

Distance Records and Long Throws
With the distance record standing at an astounding 820' (thrown by Sandstrom in 2002), I believe that people's perspectives of what a long throw really is has gotten fairly skewed. The majority of the longest throws since Stokely's 656' throw in 1995 have been very wind assisted, in areas that often had 15-35 MPH winds to catch as well as other factors such as altitude, thermal updrafts, etc. In fact, the five longest throws of all time (820', 810', 761', 748', and 738') were all performed on the same day and 16 of the 18 longest throws of all time have all been performed at the same location.

The first official 600'+ throw occurred in 1987 at 613'. The 700' barrier was not broken until 2001. In 14 years leading up to Voigt's throw of 712', the distance record had increased by about 80' (Stokely held the last distance record before Voigt at 693'). I have found with certain newer players, a 650' throw just doesn't seem to impress them as much as it probably should. The honest difference between a 650' throw and a 725' throw is basically a little bit of luck, catching the wind just right to get that extra carry at the end. Nearly every throw that breaks 600' looks almost identical for the first 2/3 of the flight (assuming you are comparing anhyzer to anhyzer and hyzer flip to hyzer flip) and it's the behavior during the latter part of the flight… with everything happening just right… is where the factors that boost the record breaking throws reside.