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Fairway driver suggestions

RightAJ

Birdie Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2010
Messages
403
Location
Philadelphia
I looked around for this but didn't find a definative answer...

I got a river recently that I love but it is a bit understable to be my sole fairway driver. I'd like to get a similar speed and feel disc that will be straight/stable but not overstable (I have a Z Pred for that). Basically a 'straight with a bit of fade' fairway that will be easy to move back and forth with my River. So far it looks like th TeeBird might be the answer, but I'd love to hear opinions about different molds/plastics... Looked at Lat cause the plastic is great but not sure they make a disc like this

aj
 
DX teebird. Or an ESP cyclone (not cause they are that straight, but I like them)
 
As the other 'Poth said, Striker is the closest that Lat makes. I used Teebirds for years and now use Strikers instead. They are a touch less high speed stable out of the box when compared to Teebirds. For instance, my new opto striker flew almost identically to my slightly used CE Teebird. However, the Striker gets me about 20 extra feet because its a marginally faster disc.
 
Straight with a bit of fade is what the T-Bird does. Other discs that can fly similarly include Eagles, Gazelles, Cyclones, and even maybe an Avenger in Elite-X, also the Tracker can do that. Personally, I throw Eagles. They can be easily had in three different plastics, and are pretty common discs, so you don't need to break the bank to get that one run they did in that plastic that one time. They're great for shaping lines, especially DX EX's, when they get beat in a little.
 
I like the Elite X Trackers and 2005 Player's Cup Trackers. They are both becoming harder to find but I like them more than any other Fairway Driver that I have tried.
 
I pair my River with a 174 champ EX. I have not thrown any other champ EX discs but I know mine is pure money. When I picked it out I looked for a flat top with a high PLH and it turned out beefy. I had to throw it for a bit but now that it's breaking in I don't think it will ever leave my bag.
 
Teebird or gazelle. Tls are nice but will be more of a turnover disc. eagles and cyclones are more of an s shot disc
 
Because you asked for something similar to your River, I may have the perfect answer for you. Depending on what weight/plastic your River is, you might be able to fill this slot with another River.

160-168g weight Rivers in Gold Line Plastic are understable new, or beat in very quickly. 170+ Rivers are very Eagle/Teebird like. I throw 350' golf D, and have to get 100% power behind my 175g River to get it to turn over at all.

If your current River is too understable, buy one in the same plastic, but 5-6 grams heavier. It'll stabilize it quite a bit.

If you want to try something other than the River, here are the most popular options:

Teebird: straightest, most reliable driver ever made. A perferct compliment to the River. But unless you're throwing 400' or more, a new Teebird in Star or Champion plastic will act overstable for you. After it beats in, it'll be money. If you want to try a driver that's a lot like a beat in Teebird, a Champion TL (discgolfvalues.com has CAL Champion TLs that are great.)

Eagle: There are two different discs that fall under the Eagle name. The Eagle-X and the Eagle-L. X being more overstable than the L. The Eagle has less HSS than the Teebird, so if you tend to put a slight hyzer on your drives, the Eagle will flip to flat, where a new Teebird will tend to hold that hyzer angle. A max weight River will mimic the stability of an Eagle in a lot of ways. So the Teebird may be the better option if you want to avoid overlap.

Z/Glow Stalker: Not as long as the Teebird, Eagle or River (for me) but dead-nuts straight once you learn how to throw it. Handles low-ceiling shots exceptionally well. The issue with a Stalker/River combo is that neither disc handles headwinds very well. The Teebird handles better into headwinds, especially in the premium plastics (Champ, Star, Glow, etc.)

PD (Freak): All of the good things about a Teebird, but longer. The worst thing about PDs is that, unless you have a decent store near you that carries it (it's made by Innova's Euro branch) you'll have to risk ordering it online. If you do that, find a store that you can order over the phone, and request a flat PD. The higher the dome, the more overstable. And when I say overstable, I mean OVERSTABLE. You'll notice it comes in "P" plastic (which is Innova Pro plastic) or "S" plastic (Star). For your first PD, I'd recommend a 170g in P plastic. If you've not broken the 350' barrier yet, try one in the 164-167g range.

Striker: Great disc. In a way, where the PD is a longer Teebird, the Striker is a longer Eagle. The issue with Strikers is similar to the PD, but worse. Some are domey, some flat, some overstable, some stable, and some understable. And unless you have a store near you that carries Lat64, you'll be trying to explain PLH (parting line height) to a guy on a website over the phone.

Because I don't know what you power level is, I'll say this. If you throw:

250' - DX 170g Teebird
300' - Star/Champion TL, Eagle-L or Z Stalker
Above 300', you'll be able to control any of the other discs. But who are you kidding, you're going to eventually try all of them anyway! :p
 
Last edited:
Wow, fantastic post! Also, some great comments, this is exactly the feedback I was looking for.

My current River is a 173 Opto, and though I can keep it straight if I hyzer flip or throw at less than full power, it usually turns over a bit when I throw harder... I love that though, as I wanted something that would fly this way. After reading all the posts, I think with my current power level (avg around 325-350, flirting with 400 on bombs) that a TB, Eagle or Striker would work, now to oggle plastics/colors and make a decision:p Thank you guys so much!

aj
 
Because you asked for something similar to your River, I may have the perfect answer for you. Depending on what weight/plastic your River is, you might be able to fill this slot with another River.

160-168g weight Rivers in Gold Line Plastic are understable new, or beat in very quickly. 170+ Rivers are very Eagle/Teebird like. I throw 350' golf D, and have to get 100% power behind my 175g River to get it to turn over at all.

If your current River is too understable, buy one in the same plastic, but 5-6 grams heavier. It'll stabilize it quite a bit.

If you want to try something other than the River, here are the most popular options:

Teebird: straightest, most reliable driver ever made. A perferct compliment to the River. But unless you're throwing 400' or more, a new Teebird in Star or Champion plastic will act overstable for you. After it beats in, it'll be money. If you want to try a driver that's a lot like a beat in Teebird, a Champion TL (discgolfvalues.com has CAL Champion TLs that are great.)

Eagle: There are two different discs that fall under the Eagle name. The Eagle-X and the Eagle-L. X being more overstable than the L. The Eagle has less HSS than the Teebird, so if you tend to put a slight hyzer on your drives, the Eagle will flip to flat, where a new Teebird will tend to hold that hyzer angle. A max weight River will mimic the stability of an Eagle in a lot of ways. So the Teebird may be the better option if you want to avoid overlap.

Z/Glow Stalker: Not as long as the Teebird, Eagle or River (for me) but dead-nuts straight once you learn how to throw it. Handles low-ceiling shots exceptionally well. The issue with a Stalker/River combo is that neither disc handles headwinds very well. The Teebird handles better into headwinds, especially in the premium plastics (Champ, Star, Glow, etc.)

PD (Freak): All of the good things about a Teebird, but longer. The worst thing about PDs is that, unless you have a decent store near you that carries it (it's made by Innova's Euro branch) you'll have to risk ordering it online. If you do that, find a store that you can order over the phone, and request a flat PD. The higher the dome, the more overstable. And when I say overstable, I mean OVERSTABLE. You'll notice it comes in "P" plastic (which is Innova Pro plastic) or "S" plastic (Star). For your first PD, I'd recommend a 170g in P plastic. If you've not broken the 350' barrier yet, try one in the 164-167g range.

Striker: Great disc. In a way, where the PD is a longer Teebird, the Striker is a longer Eagle. The issue with Strikers is similar to the PD, but worse. Some are domey, some flat, some overstable, some stable, and some understable. And unless you have a store near you that carries Lat64, you'll be trying to explain PLH (parting line height) to a guy on a website over the phone.

Because I don't know what you power level is, I'll say this. If you throw:

250' - DX 170g Teebird
300' - Star/Champion TL, Eagle-L or Z Stalker
Above 300', you'll be able to control any of the other discs. But who are you kidding, you're going to eventually try all of them anyway! :p

This is good info. I am rocking the Teebird/River combo. So if I was to get a lighter Teebird, would it fly like my River?
 
I don't think a lighter Teebird would fly like your river unless its beat in a bit. The one caveat there is that if you don't have a lot of power, they may fly similarly.
 
I don't think a lighter Teebird would fly like your river unless its beat in a bit. The one caveat there is that if you don't have a lot of power, they may fly similarly.

Right now I see a big difference in the way they fly. 171g pro teebird and 168g gold river. They sort of overlap but I use them both just cuz.
 
Champion eagle L. Does it all with more control than the Tee bird imo. Why champion? Because a fairway driver is supposed to be reliable and dependable. Champion plastic takes so long to age that the disc you get to know will actually stay that way long enough to enjoy it.

What ever you get doesn't really matter as much as getting 2 or 3 of the exact same plastic (champ), mold and weight to practice with . That, combined with hours of field practice will result in a disc that you know for lots of shots. Play a round or 20 with that as your only driver and throw 3 off each tee. Can't do that with DX or PRO unless you want to by a s load of discs.
 
Between a Z Pred and an opto River?

ESP Pred a little lighter than your Z or some X Preds.

Just my completely biased opinion.
 
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