Evolution of your Putters

[peppermack]

I have been playing Disc Golf for four years now and I think I have switched putters five times in that amount of time. Sometimes for a good reason and sometimes for none at all, I just wanted to try something different.

What putters have you used over your career (talking about a significant amount of time), and when you switched why did you do so to what you transitioned too.

For me I started out with polecats, did not know anything about it and that was the first one I bought. Year two was the year of the warlock, felt good in the hand and I was more consistent with it. Year three was the Challenger, I was playing down in SoCal and my putting was super off, when into the pro shop and bought one on lark and killed with it. This year started out with Wizards because everyone on here seems to use them, then I tried the VP and was hooked. The VP is here to stay, but I am as you know looking to add a second more neutral one.

Tell us about your putter history, we want to know!

 

[dgdave]

I tried everything for the first few years. I didn't play serious. I started getting serious in 99-00. I used KC and BB DX Aviars pretty much until I got VPs earlier this year except when the Wiz came out and used that for about a year or so off and on. Last year I messed with a bunch of stuff trying to shake my 10x Aviar habit. Challenger for a couple months, Wiz and magnets as well. I got the VPs in March and have stuck with them as my primary putter. I just sprinkled in Magnets.

So pretty much 3 main putters over the last 10 years

 

[garublador1]

Started with the classic Aviar, switched to the X-Putt'r because I liked how it felt then switched to the Wizard because the Putt'r sucked. That all happened in the first 5 months after I started playing. I've since given the Aviar to my brother in law and the Putt'r is sitting in a bin in a closet.

 

[Jay Dub]

I started out in 1987 with a Gumputt then went to the original 86 Softie and have stayed with those ever since. I have about 15 of them for practice or in case I forget one under the basket...or in the basket.

 

[MDR_3000]

Let's see if I can remember...


XD
Z Putt'r
86 Softie
Wizard
KC Aviar
Magnet
KC Aviar
Wizard
Reef

 

[beatz1]

Started with a Aviar, It was cheap off ebay. got hooked into buying more discs. Then moved onto BB aviars, then onto a pro rhyno , then to challengers, then a warlock, then wizard, then settled onto magics. Aside from wanting to try a summit (hopefully i can soon) i thikn the magic is solid for me. Now dont even ask about putting stances. Ohh god!!!!

Tried a voodoo for about a month also when they first came out.

 

[jnecessary]

XD
1080/Warlock
Aviar PnA
Big Bead Aviar
Aviar PnA
Wizard

Only been playing a couple years and I've been putting with a Wizard for over a year now.

 

[Dogma1]

I picked 'too many to count', but it isn't entirely true. I've bought tons of putters. Probably a dozen different molds at least, and multiples of them. But I I've only carried a few. Pro Rhynos have been in the bag the longest by far. Challengers were in for a few months. Everything else has just been a passing curiosity. I still keep them around. It's nice to have a bin of putters to mess with if you're in a slump or have people over and are putting all over the yard. Every few months I pull out a Wizard to see if I can get on board with all the hype. And then I put it away and keep throwing the Pro Rhynos. I do also carry an XD, but not for putting, just for putter drives that need more anny than the Pro Rhyno likes. I almost never throw it though so it may be going back in the bin for a while.

 

[black udder]

Yah, been down that road.

Years ago I started with the polecat - I liked the stamp and knew nothing about the game.

Next was a 150g Rhyno. I liked it and it did well, but again, I didn't know much about putting and the wind killed it.

After that I think I won a disc and picked a heavy soft magnet. With that disc I putted great. i was learning something about putting and it was working well for me.

I used the soft magnet for a long time, then logged on here and, combined with other personal advice, started driving with putters. I wasn't crazy about the feel of driving with a soft magnet and hated the hard magnet, so I tried some wizards.

I liked the wizard, but it was a bit too overstable for me. I still putted with the magnet, but drove with the Wizard.

Then I ordered some JK Pro Aviars from Dave Mac and he tossed in some Gateway product. One of which was an E Warlock in a sea foam green. It's the only disc I've seen like it. It was similar to the plastic of the 1080 discs. I putted with that for a long time, a couple years, before trying the magic. I was looking for something that would stay flatter in the 30'-50' range.

I picked up some proto magics and some E magics. I liked the proto's but I tended to turn them over a tad and they'd go right. So I went back to the warlock. I did keep the magic for shorter drives and up shots. I still use it today.

When the voodoo came out, I thought it would be great for driving and have put it in and taken it out of the back several times. Currently, I'm using an organic voodoo for putting as well. I like that it has a touch more stability than the magic, but not as much as the warlock or wizard. Thus, it stays flatter in that 30'-50' range that I wanted. It will hyzer out, but not much. I've been real happy with it so far.

All that said, I still practice driving with soft magnets around my street because they're safer.

I still carry my sea foam warlock for luck, the magic for upshots and two voodoos, 1 for driving and 1 for putting.

I believe these days that much of your putting has to do with confidence and not so much the disc. I do believe that outside 30' a putter can make a difference though. A worn version of most putters will serve just as well, but a friend of mine that loved aviars, converted to magics because right off the shelf they were like a worn aviar which is what he wanted. For him, it saved him years of "wearing" in a putter and having to compensate his putting style to allow for the fade. He's a dead straight putter and now he doesn't have to worry about fade unless he puts hyzer on the magic.

 

[tigel]

5 months total playing disc golf.

Month 1: Aviar P&A driver
Month 2: XD
Month 3: Aviar Classic
Month 4: Aviar Classic
Month 5: XD
Month "Once I get my VP's in the mail and never have to buy another putter": Priceless..err I mean VP.

 

[Spike1]

I've used the following putters…

Aviar, Wizard, Spike, Rhyno, Sinus, Putt'r, Magic, Warlock, Super Puppy, XD.

…and I'm still lousy at putting :wink:

 

[Golf-Distance]

Challenger
Wizard
Aviar P & A stuck for good.

 

[Star Shark]

Aviar PnA
Sinus SP
Zeroline Spike

Also have an XD but that was just to see how comparable it was to the Spike.

 

[discspeed]

I've been playing tournaments for 7 years. Here's my breakdown as clear as I can remember:

B4 tournaments: I first threw all drivers, thought a putter was a dumbass thing. Then I used an aurora MS. I then became pretty obsessed with premium plastic and I started using Champ Aviars. Then I switched to the Qmega.

The Qmega was the first putter I actually practiced with and developed a stroke.

After that I switched to Wizards because the best putter I knew used them. I used Wizards from 2004-2006 and played most of my early tournaments with them. When I broke my favorite soft Wizard (marked 175, really weighed 172), I found that all the others I tried dropped like rocks. I moved to FL still using Wizards, but all those around me made longer putts and I simply couldn't get that Wizard to the basket from outside 30'.

2006 I first switched to the old pro plastic Omegas. They worked great as putters and gave me a considerable range increase over the Wizard. I couldn't drive them though, and that bothered me. Influenced by the man himself, I picked up KC pro Aviars for a few months. My putting sucked with those, they just didn't fit my style.

In 2007 I switched to an all Discraft lineup and I started using Banger GTs. After some initial success I found that they really just dropped like Wizards and I wanted something floatier. I switched to soft Magnets, a much floatier putter. I had quite a bit of success with them and used them through 2007.

At some point in early 2008 I was once again annoyed because I could not drive and approach with them very well, so I changed to the soft Challenger. I did alright with these and I liked them for approaches. However they still sucked for driving and anhyzer approaches and I just didn't like the plastic for throwing, but I hated the stiffer Challengers for putting. I picked up a Warlock and beat the hell out of it on purpose. I still have that disc. It was great for driving and approaches however once again it had the extreme drop which I came to loath.

In Oct 2008 I felt my first Voodoo. It was a proto that Sun King had gotten. The rounded feel was the best I'd ever felt in a putter and they did not drop near as much as the Warlock I had been using. I used them in the second day of the tournament I was playing. A month or so later my local store got in the original proto black organics and I liked the plastic so much I bought 10 max weight. This has been my putter for the past year.

Last week after a conversation with Blake I bought a 172 SS Voodoo for approaches and I have used it quite a bit this week. It floats a lot better than my 175, so I have now switched to it and it is working better without a doubt. I'm now using my Organics as drivers and in the wind. I can say with some certainty (though if you're still reading this you may have good reason to question it) that the Voodoo is it for me. I love how it drives, approaches, and putts, and I have never been able to say that about any other putter mold. 14 months and counting...

 

[disc_golfing_fool]

magnet
aviar
wizard

wizard
wizard
wizard

 

[colombo117]

Aero
Banger
Challenger

Thats it.

 

[keltik1]

150 P&A
180 Aero
175 P&A
175 BB
a plethora of Challengers
S & SS Wizards

but i'm also thinking of trying the KC Pro Aviar because i really liked the BB when i first got it. But i have still yet to get my greasy hands on some Pro-D challengers. I may try a VooDoo or a Magnet. the Wizard is really damn good. yes i said it this challenger lover has crossed to the darkside. :mrgreen:

 

[JHBlader86]

I switched several times my first two years of playing. Since April I've officially settled on the Wizard/Voodoo combo, but before then I used the following putters at some point for a period of time...

DX Aviar
DX Birdie
DX Goblin
Pro Rhyno
DX XD
Soft Magnet
JK Pro Aviar-X
SS Warlock

 

[mr.smOOOth]

grid top Aviar
soft Magnet
Magnet
Challenger
soft Challenger
Glo Magnet
CT Challenger
Challenger for the last few years now. older Pro D stamp, 173ish and 165 for long putts. new stamp for drives

 

[HeartlessCynic]

XD.............didn't really like.
Tank..........liked a lot but went OOP and I could only find 150's
Spider........yeah, I know.
Magnet.......didn't stay long
Wizards......stayed a while
Warlocks....still rock'n