Register

  • Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
    It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)

Getting close...

Played a tournament yesterday, pretty fatigued after playing 85 holes on the 4th of July. I had enough juice to flip up my Pro Leo but not enough to straighten out my OLF - It was a lot less Long and a lot more Fade than normal! Cashed, but that's not always saying much for MA3.

I picked out a production run Z Drone in the pinkest of pinks. My FLX Drone did me a number of favors during a blind round on a new course with a lot of blind holes. I think I'm going to keep it in for a while. I have a few other discs that I don't throw much in my bag, but when I need 'em I'm glad they're there.
 
New toys from Marshall St:
Pyramids 2013 stamp Metal Flake Teebird, 167 - Maybe I don't know how flat the flattest Teebirds get, but this year's MF CFRs are the flattest I've seen. My max weight is also one of the most stable, at least as stable as the Totems. Im hopin this one is just as stable but easier to range.
DX Teebird backup. low plh. gonna be a flippy bird right away.
HPP Wizard - my next non-league round is going to be a 1-disc round with this guy. Hoping it takes a beating and keeps it's fresh-Wizard flight. Feels nice, and "ugly pink" isn't even close to ugly at all. :D

What I'm most excited about is the couple fresh birdie bags I got. They couldn't come at a better time, the weather has been 80°+ every day and 75%+ humidity. I walk outside and all the water in my body just starts seeping out. Besides my overall discomfort and deep seated loathing for this weather, I also had some release issues this weekend. DX came out early, strangely, ESP felt extra tacky on finesse shots and came out late and my Route 66 Teebird - easily the best feeling disc in my bag - just felt slimy. Not a very exciting bag update, the birdie bag should be basic equipment in a place so humid. Idk why I didn't replace my old one sooner..
 
I added a Sidewinder (champ) for a stable/understable max D - a lot more stable than star SWs.

I'm packing 3 Teebirds, 3 Leopards, 2 Firebirds and then one of each: MOLF, Champ Sidewinder, Champ Roadrunner. I'll add a QOLF back in when we start having "weather" again. It looks like at least another month of hot, humid and still air, punctuated by weekly thunderstorms - you know: Summer.

I'm worried I'm missing out on some "D," but when I hit my lines I was throwing as far and more accurately than my MA3 peers (Terns, Destroyers, Wraiths, Prodigy) at a tournament I played this weekend.

I need to work on: power drives, especially on holes with trees close to the pad. The answer might be: fewer hyzerflips and more flex shots. But I should also be able to flip through a gap with out "swinging" my hyzer flip into a release that's heading right and not straight.

I need to work on: midrange drives. More drives with midranges. Knowing with to upshot with a mid and not a Wizard. I almost never throw my Buzzz. What's with that?
 
Using my mad cash 15th place payout I picked up an Eagle to mess around with. I played another round after ceremonies/prizes/skins match was over and done and... it's overstable. 167g 12x in the same musty, opaque champ plastic as my best/longest Teebird.

I did really like it for flex shots - not my favorite technique, it seems kind of blockheaded, the hyzerflip is harder to execute and more fun to watch. BUT, the Eagle had a much much nicer sweep on the FH flex and the huge RHBH sky anny than Teebirds do, so I'm going to bag it for now.

My bag is inching more and more to a speed 7 (and firebirds) setup. I took a rip on my buddy's seasoned Beast today, it was literally the same distance as my Star Leopard, except the Leo held a hyzer the whole way (~340').
 
Signature at this time:
Wizards | Wasp, FT Roc, Buzzz SS, *Stingray
Leonard, Teebird, Firebird, M/Q OLF, Ch. Sidewinder, Roadrunner

Putters - finally nailed an ace with a putter, 215' anhyzer dead center chains with my seasoned Soft Wizard. No way I'm retiring it, so I just marked it, "Aces: I" There shall be more! That Wizard is beat enough to where I could take my beat Yeti out and use the Wiz for long annies and drives that turn. I need to do some putter rounds/OAT check, but I'll be using my Opto Pure for that.

Mids - I got a flat top DX Roc cycling its way through my mids. I can't throw a domey Roc, but I'm loving this disc. It took my Wasp's place at first, and now has displaced the Buzzz. It's not as HSS but covers the same shots and I'm having fun working the angles with it. The Buzzz is better, probably, definately, but this disc is more fun. I am looking forward to getting it into turnover status, at which point I have a fresh one to throw in the bag.

Drivers - toyed with a wholly 7-speed bag for a few rounds, but my average drive distance wall is about 320' with the TBs/Leos, but I can crank out 360 if I'm really synced. It's just not "comfort zone" throwing. I put my "big D" drivers back in today. I'm not where I want to be in terms of mechanics, but it's nice having easier birdie looks at 350 holes.

Why are Champ Sidewinders s'damn stable?
 
Damn Marshall Street... Got a few 150 class Teebirds coming in (2 starlite and 1 champ), as well as a few flattop Rocs. :D

The Teebirds will be for dead of winter golf, when my normal discs get more stable and lose glide. I'm curious about 150 class in general for calm conditions and tailwinds. As much as I think Blizzard is, on the whole, bad for The Sport, one of my usual discing friends does great with her StarLite Roadrunner. It's very predicable and has aged well. I would've ignored it forever, but... Teebirds!

The Rocs will be for cycling. I don't know how long I'll have the patience for it, but I can go back to my Discraft mids at any time. With the flattop Rocs, there's not much of a adjustment to make when switching back and forth. One is a flat KC Pro, very curious about how that one will wear. My first DX went swimming fairly quickly, but the one I'm on now is seasoning rather slowly compared to what popular opinion on DX lead me to expect.
 
Very interesting to read through my old bag and constant changes... and constant constants. It's still getting close...

I've been playing now for 8 years? That seems like a long time, especially considering how low my rating is. >.<

January 2015 update:
Putters:
2x SSS Wizards. This will be my third season with the same matched pair.
Envy + Proxy. My driving putter combo, Proxy is pretty new but it's clicking. These are the Teebird and Leopard combo for 260' and in.
Honey. It's overstable! It's also not white like my Zones, so it's in the bag at least for winter.

Mids:
Comets - Z and X for glide, turnovers, spike anhyzers.
Buzzzes - FLX for winter grip and my 10yr Z is still more stable than any fresh Buzzz I've tried in the last 2 years.
Wasp - Z and flat. Least used disc in my bag, easily. There's a big gap between Buzzz and Buzzz OS, and a few holes out of town that are just made for a Wasp. It stays.
Buzzz OS - primary FH approach disc.

Drivers:
FD - 2 S and one C. The C is a factory second 3rd run, and is the least stable of all of them. I still switch between these and Leopards ever few months...
Teebird - 2 166g Star Teebirds. There are two because I lose more Teebirds than anything.
FD2 - my "flat and overstable" Teebird imitator. Primary FH driver.

Utility drivers:
Roadrunner - not throwin' a lot of rollers in the snow, sadly.
Firebird - 12x Champ and a FAF Star. The Star is about useless for anything but thumbers and crazy doglegs, the Champ is my "backhand Firebird".

Not currently bagged:
Tern - Star and Champ for easy distance. Generally, it's easier for me to just throw shorter than to get used to fat rims again.
PD - C, S and P. These are only out for the Winter. My armspeed is slower when I'm bundled up, and I lost like 3 of them in the snow last year! P-PDs are my primary distance driver, and I have a few seasoned up. Come spring, I will be working on beating in my S-Line some more, or maybe just popping in a 1.1 SOLF, OR trying a Thunderbird if/when they do a normal run of Star.

My goals this year are to:
Work on my mental game and general fitness. Played one tournament this year and my round ratings were: 957, 845. After lunch and a long wait, it's hard to have the same focus as I do in the morning. Second rounds are the reason I'm still okay to play MA3.

Keep working on my FH. I can get out to 250' with accuracy, and 300+ for distance but still get the occasional worm burner when going past my comfort range.

Not even worry about BH distance. 957 round with nothing faster than a Teebird (except a firebird) and coming up shorter than the other guys but getting up and down better is fine by me.
 
We had 6 players out for Winter League during Sunday's blizzard. I packed my old starter bag with a bunch of discs I don't keep in my normal bag and basically only threw 4 of them:

Chalky Wizard: The Wizard I throw when I only carry one Wizard. Noticeably more fade at the end of a putt vs the seasoned pair I normally bag.

First run Lucid Suspect: I didn't want to lose my Envys. The Suspect is similar, feels like a wider diameter and fades a bit harder. Over threw a few approach shots with it, but didn't have any trouble getting the distances I wanted off the tee.

KC Roc: Hardest Roc I own. I was hoping to shatter it but it kept getting blown away from the trees. Stopped throwing it after a couple tee shots.

G* Teebird3: I had brought other drivers, but it was windy and this was the most stable thing I had. I had good lines FH and BH, if a bit lacking in distance due to the layers and conditions. It was minimally affected by the wind. I only turned it over once, and that was due to throwing it on a slight anhyzer to begin with.

I had only thrown my Proto Stamped T3 once before, and I was drunk at the time. I was very impressed, seems like a great Teebird that's a bit more comfortable for FH grip. I will be keeping my eye out for a stock run in regular Star plastic.
 
Won a C-Tier today in MA2. Only 4 of us. A younger guy gave me a run for my money - could definitely throw farther, but I made my putt on the play-off hole and he did not. Another of the guys plays that course about every day of his life, but wasn't making any putts today. Pretty sure the MA3 winner had a lower score too. /shrug

I picked some discs out of used donation piles, actually got some decent stuff - Buzzz OS, ESP Buzzz, a backup Roadrunner, Star Leonard and a couple factory second Valks. That's what "VL" is right? I got a pile of DX discs too, gonna chop those up into tags for Winter League next year.

My FLX Buzzz was doing a lot of work today, holding anhyzers down tunnels for me and my X Comet saved my ass a couple times and I almost lost it in the snow. I went long on a few upshots which kept me from the outright win. This winter stuff is confusing, I never know when I need to disc up and when I need to .not. disc up. At least there were no OBs!
 
Finished 7th in a B-Tier, MA3. We had one of those Polar Vortexes moving in. 20-40mph wind, blistering cold, a serious threat to the health and well being of any under-geared participants. 4 DNFs and lots of low morale. Plus 3-4" of fresh powder dropped on top of 4-8" already there.

It was a foolish endeavor!

I had been psyched up to shoot 900+ golf, only to be daunted by the weather, miserable and migrained into an 830's rated 97 on 24 holes. I would not have cared if we had tucked tail and left at that point. Our ride was more determined so after a good lunch, some Two Hearted, ibuprofen and thawing my water bottle I went out for round 2 and managed to pull in the hot round in the division! 12 strokes better than round 1 and 16 strokes better than both of my cardmates, and 930's rated.

I don't often have to lean heavy on my overstable discs, which is part of the reason for my bad first round. The second round I threw a lot of Wasp, Buzzz OS, FD2, Envy and most of all my Honey. It became my primary putter, and I switched to a spin style since I was constantly faced with headwind putts. You maybe had to be there to consider any 20-footer 'heroic', but that disc held into some ridiculous winds for a few heroic putts! I also saw my FAF Firebird get pwned by at least a 45mph left to right wind and then get used as an anhyzer approach disc. Anything is possible.

I'm glad we stuck it out through the second round. It was a harrowing but memorable event and I learned a lot about windy conditions and my mental game.
 
I put up a PB today during a casual round, -5 at Fitzgerald Park. I had lots of good Proxy/Envy action, including a textbook 250' tunnel shot with the Proxy. I gave my Champ Valks a few throws too. They're flying like my seasoned PPDs, maybe with a bit more fade? It's so hard to really judge a disc in the winter. I haven't thrown Valks in about 4 years and I've managed to collect a few..

Thinking about putting my DX Leonard back in. Sometimes I just need that guaranteed turnover shot in something faster than my X Comet.
 
No changes, just wanted to talk about a few discs.

I pinged a number plate with my Proxy yesterday, but no ace. I've been forcing myself to use it as my primary approach disc. It is NOT good/resilient in the wind like my Nova, however I've had a couple 80-100' throw-ins with it at league. The one today was even on purpose and not a happy accident. I'm working on keepin my eyes on the target from 150' and in... no need to turn my shoulders back and take my eyes off the basket/landing zone.

I'm having very consistent results FH with the 175 Champ Valk. Only out to 270' or so, but for me that's improvement. I haven't been pushing my FH until I see consistency at my current FH distance, and I still disc up for it vs the same distance BH. Would love to get that up to 300' with a little hyzer-flip action. That would make a few holes a lot easier to manage.

Last honorable mention from this weeks rounds goes to my Champ and Star Terns. Because it's the dead of winter, the teepads are snowy, my limbs are trapped in layers of cloth and it's good to know I can hyzerflip these out and still get something to fly 350'.
 
In my bag today:
Wizard. Honey. Envy. Proxy. Buzzz OS. Wasp. Buzzz. Comet.
FD2. Teebird. FD. Firebird. Valkyrie. Roadrunner. Tern.

Daylight savings is -- starting? over? Im not sure. Whatever, I can play after work again!

Over on Reddit, some one posted a series of clinics from 2011. Felby covered form while Shultz got more into game philosophy, and the Champ discussed angles from so many angles that it bordered on poetic. Lots of great stuff. I really liked Barry's presentation, really first time I've seen his personality since his game face and earbuds make him seem a bit unapproachable.

Barry's "Thrower vs Golfer" talk inspired me to finally have a go at something that's been holding me back for a couple years now - changing my grip. I've been using the Climo/forked/modified fan grip for everything for about 5 years. Its great and I will continue to use it on approach and finesse shots. There are 2 flaws with it that have been affecting my game negatively:

1. There are 2 "pinch points" - one hand with 2 grips on the disc. The pinky against the rim with fingers 2 and 3 stacked against it is one. The thumb/index pinch is the other, and they're about 2.5" apart. They often don't release the disc at the same time. On finesse shots, that staged release gives good spin on the shot and is easy to control. On power shots, the difference between the disc popping out of both points at the same time and the disc getting hung up for a split sec on the index/thumb pinch point can alter the release point significantly. I know this is costing me consistency and strokes.

2. It's weaker. My attempts to reduce rounding in my throw using the stacked grip have lead to a lot of early releases. On the flip side, my attempts to adopt the power grip while continuing to round my power shots has lead to a lot of late releases.

After a couple natural feeling, clean releasing power grip shots on Saturday I decided to go with it for all my BH power shots today at league. It went very well, with a couple exceptions:

1. Under-rolling. The opposite of most OAT where the wrist rolls the disc into a turn, this rolls the disc into a hyzer. I saw it on my first throw of the day and a later drive with my Wasp.

2. Disc selection. Terns gonna turn! Champ Tern was flipping up nicely, more than I'm used to. I think it's about time to put a couple PD's back in. I'm digging the Valkyries, I even got one that flies like a Valk should - good hyzer flips right away. The others are more HSS. They will pair well with S- and C-PD's.
 
I played a few courses where I found a need for more understable options. Holes that go uphill and then to the right.

Fairways:
DX Leopard - Hyzer flip to a turn that keeps on turning.
Pro Leopard - I put in my Pro Leo for the year, it turns from a flat release and dead straight off a light hyzer. I pulled the 3rd run C-FD out. It flies like a fresh Pro Leo, but I know it'll take forever to season.
S-FD - Fresh one, flies like a seasoned Teebird w/o putting in any work on it.
Star Teebird - This guy and the Pro Leo get the most use.
C-FD2 - Overstable bookend.

The Big Melt came through last week and replaced all the snow with mud. Without the threat of losing discs in the stupid snow, I put my PD's back in. It doesn't take too long to season a PPD, but I still hate starting over.

Star Roadrunner - long turnovers and rollers. I put my white one back in, but I have a couple backup Star RRs that need to see some abuse before they fly like a RR should.
Beat PPD - some cement rash and a lot of trees on this one. My Sidewinder PPD. Laser beam at low power. Stronger throws can get it turning and it won't really come back.
Seasoned PPD - Less abuse on this one. It flies a lot like the Valkyrie that I just lost. This one is my go-to distance driver. Hyzer flip to get some turn and late fade.
SPD - I'm resolved to use this guy more. It's still a too overstable to be my go-to driver FH or BH.
Firebird - Firebird things.

Alternates for the drivers include a FAF Firebird and C-PD. They come out when its windy, or when I think I might need to do some trickshots to get out of trouble. I really want to put in a fresh PPD, but I'm going to make myself use the S-PD instead.
 
Tried a couple different configs the last two weeks. Got to thinking about the old Teebird/PD dilemma. Do I really need TBs if I have PDs? No. I don't think so. I played with mostly just PDs and mids today and I wasn't having any issues getting low straight-to-fade or wide hyzer 280-300' lines with the PDs, and getting them out to my longer range as well (~350).

Putters
Wizards I'm wondering, if these ever go all clover top on me, maybe I'll try Challenger or Judge to get a bit of that worn-in-Wizard magic right away. With 2 years of chains (and, uh, cage hits) these have lost that late cut. It means putting at pro-side chains isn't as forgiving, but they're straight on those 40-60' runs.

Approach/Shortrange Drivers
Proxy has been doing a LOT of good work on straight, tight woods holes/approaches.
Envy is about 50/50 on approach duty with the Proxy, but gets more use off the tee. I've been pushing it out a bit farther, 280 or so, though on higher lines than a Mid.
Zone got put back in. ESP Glo edition. The Honey is great, and I'll put it back in next winter when the snow hits.

Midrange Drivers
X Comet is flippy and touch-y as ever.
ESP Comet picked up some turn. I don't know when it happened, but I haven't touched the X Comet in a couple weeks. I've been throwing a lot of confident shots pretty much on a hyzer right at flood water/rivers knowing that it's going to flip over and carry right all the way to the ground. I thinking I'll shelve the X Comet and put a fresh Big Z or production run ESP in for straighter lines.
Glo Meteor goes in and out of the bag. More power hungry than a Comet and easier to turn than a Buzzz. There are a couple holes here that are shaped exactly like a flat release flight with this disc. It also gives the Leopard a run for its money.
Big Z Buzzz go straight.
10 yr Buzzz has some fade.
Z Wasp is my headwind/overstable mid for BH shots.
Z Buzzz OS is my primary FH approach disc. Easily saved me 3 strokes today.

Fairway Drivers
I'm trying to manage with just Mids and 9-speed drivers. I had a Pro Leopard and S-FD in the bag today, but I didn't throw them.

Utility Drivers
Star Roadrunner, white - BH rollers and big turnover air shots.
Star Roadrunner, blue - fresh. I've beaten some of the HSS out of it, but it's nowhere close to my roller RR. It will hold right if thrown flat, but fades out of a hyzer flip.
Champ Firebird, gummy pearly 12x with dome - BH Firebird.
FAF Star Firebird, trick shots, FH rollers and rare air shots.

PDs
Blue PPD has been lost and returned, twice. Very seasoned PPD. Flies like a good Sidewinder and powers down to have some turn and fade ~280'.
Magenta PPD had a particularly hard drive into a close tree one day. She's a littttttle bit warped, but not nearly as seasoned as Blue. This seems to have resulted in a loss of HSS but no loss of fade. She flies like a good Valk, with some turn and late fade. My favorite driver right now. Weaves through the woods and lands straight out.
Red PPD is a fresh PPD. A bit less stable than I remember them being a couple years back, but that could very well just be me.
Green PPD is a backup for Red because I plan on throwing Red near the Grand River. Green is a swirly natural beauty.
S-PD is for when I want to fly straight into headwinds, FH shots and straight up hyzers. Missing a good chunk out of the rim but has only lost a little bit of LSS.
C-PD handles spike hyzers, flicks and flex shots. Not quite as o/s as my "BH Firebird" but dependable and longer in headwinds.
 
Changes:

My special lady got me a Z Meteor with a sweet Tron-style identity disc dye. It's not as stable as I expected from a max weight Meteor. My Glo Z was pretty darn straight right away, but this guy will do a slight hyzer-to-turnover right away.

I got an Atom. Plastic feels good and it's a stable bugger. I hit a tree pretty hard and that put a bend in the rim and a pop in the flight plate, so that's not too impressive. I know the drill from my time throwing DX Rocs, so I bent it back into shape. Late in the round/day yesterday it got pretty humid and the good grip became kinda sticky. Nothing some loose dirt or a birdie bag wouldn't fix.

I've yet to come across a shot I don't have covered by Mids+PDs, except for the 300' range. I'm not 100% confident on my mid shots at that range. I can get the D in an open field, it's different when I need accuracy. My beat PPD can do 300' straight, but it can also get a little extra glide and turn and suddenly I'm 40' deep.

I figured I would need another stable/understable driver, in the 7 speed range. FD or Leo, of course. I've been going back and forth on those for years now, and still waiting for the P-FD to come along and solve all my problems.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
2024 ITB for Mostly Norwegian
Replies
0
Views
189
mostlynorwegian
M
ILUVSMGS18
Set My Driver Lineup For Me
Replies
5
Views
272
ILUVSMGS18
ILUVSMGS18
ArcheType
ArcheType's ITB
Replies
1
Views
505
thatdirtykid
thatdirtykid
sillybizz
My new tournament bag for 2024!
Replies
3
Views
281
PastorofMuppets
PastorofMuppets
VictorB
2024 bag workings
Replies
0
Views
204
VictorB
VictorB

Latest posts

Top