Hail to the old men

[PA_Disc]

I need some disc recommendations. My father in law wants to start playing DG with me and my Bro-inlaw. I would like to get him a 3 disc set, driver/MR/P&A. What are some good "old man discs"?

Thanks for the help.

I was thinking Beast, BuzzD, Crossfire(as putter/water hole)

 

[borndasaur]

Try a Sonic putter if he was on old Frisbee thrower. Archangel is a good multi-purpose disc for beginners.

 

[basmith42]

my thoughts...

all 150 class...
Leapord or Dragon (the dragon floats)
Roc- everybody's go to disc...
Polecat- very much like a frisbee

 

[PA_Disc]

I will look into the sonic, thanks. I was debating on the archangel. I kinda wanted to give it a rip myself.

 

[PA_Disc]

all 150 class...
Leapord or Dragon (the dragon floats)
Roc- everybody's go to disc...
Polecat- very much like a frisbee

Is that from experience?

my kids throw 150's. I guess you need less arm speed for the 150's?

 

[garublador]

I'd go:

Wizard
Roc
Cheetah

but the more general answer I'd give is:

stable, beaded putter
neutral or stable midrange
slow driver with some turn and fade

 

[landon77]

I'd go for a soft aviar putter, a mid range shark, and an archangel is easy for beginners to throw

 

[Aaron D'Angelo]

I would agree with landon77 for starters, if not an archangel then leopard or something similar, for innovas. I would say Banger GT, Buzz and a hmm... xpress? Nice and straight, for Discraft.

 

[JR Stengele]

I would use a leopard (something understable since first timers tend to drop their shoulders a lot and you need a disc to counter balance), a roc in dx (beats up quickly and teaches them straight shots), and an aviar bb or wizard because anything else just sucks! These three a very appropriate for beginners.

 

[litespeed]

As an official "old man" let me offer a suggestion based on what I use. My son-in-law got me hooked on DG so I am on the other side of the situation. I started with a Monarch champion, Shark DX and Aviar P&A since I had no idea what to get and this is what was available. I mistakenly got a light putter and heavy driver and mid. I made it work. I have since added a heavy Birdie putter, which I like, and 165 range Cheetah DX, Star Teebird and Star Sidewinder.

 

[PA_Disc]

As an official "old man" let me offer a suggestion based on what I use. My son-in-law got me hooked on DG so I am on the other side of the situation. I started with a Monarch champion, Shark DX and Aviar P&A since I had no idea what to get and this is what was available. I mistakenly got a light putter and heavy driver and mid. I made it work. I have since added a heavy Birdie putter, which I like, and 165 range Cheetah DX, Star Teebird and Star Sidewinder.

Excellent. Thats what I was looking for some real "old man" experience... J/K.

I was thinking about getting discs on the lighter side to compensate for the reduced throw speed/power. Thanks for your insight.

 

[gcoghill]

I got my Dad into DG this summer, and he's been having good results with a Comet and a 150 Impact. A Whamo-esque putter is always a good starter disc.

I personally think the disc that fly flat & straight (like a catch Frisbee) are the best starter discs as most people will try to throw a DG disc that way. Just about every person I know who tried out disc golf got frustrated with the "starter kits" because the discs all fell off to the left (RHBH).

I don't think many noobs will use or even know about the Power Grip, snap, etc. and any disc that flies similar to something familiar (i.e. a Whamo type Frisbee) is the way to go. In fact, I think all the starter kits are poor choices for beginners. And at the least there should be some information about the fact that the discs fly differently than a standard catch disc, and why.

I never used any of my long-range drivers until I learned (forced myself to learn) the Power Grip, and then I totally understood why those discs had the flight characteristics they did. Up to that point I just thought they sucked and stuck with my flat, stable midrange discs.

Beginner discs should ease the transition, most are not going to geek out and just need a stable, flat, straight flying disc IMO.

 

[garublador]

It does depend on how seriously you think the person is going to take the sport. If they're going to go to the trouble of learning proper form then they'll grow out of the really flippy stuff or lid like putters rather quickly. If they just want to go out and throw some discs and walk around, then the lid like stuff is a better idea.

 

[gcoghill]

I agree, it definitely depends on how serious the person might get with DG as far as disc selection.

 

[McMarkD]

As an old Frisbee player, I liked the Aero (180 gm) over the Roc, because as it slows down it kind of settles to the ground instead of fading. When I was just starting that was a great feature. Now, I like the Roc for its fade... But for a beginner the straight approach is great!

 

[tomschillin]

the prime discs October Starter pack is a great deal...it's got a rogue, buzz and wizard plus a bag for 30 bucks...
http://www.primediscs.com/proddetail.asp?prod=oct-starter-pack

 

[Kentuckian]

As an official "old man" let me offer a suggestion based on what I use. My son-in-law got me hooked on DG so I am on the other side of the situation. I started with a Monarch champion, Shark DX and Aviar P&A since I had no idea what to get and this is what was available. I mistakenly got a light putter and heavy driver and mid. I made it work. I have since added a heavy Birdie putter, which I like, and 165 range Cheetah DX, Star Teebird and Star Sidewinder.

I started with the same discs! a 150g Aviar, 175 Champion Monarch, 179 DX Shark, but also had a 169 Elite Z Xpress. I couldn't throw the Monarch so I used the Xpress. I could rip the Xpress and realized right away that I needed a lighter discs. Except for the putter: 150 was way too light. I ditched it immediately and started putting with the Shark until I found a 175 putter I liked, Millenium Omega SS. I also added a 169 DX Wolf.
From my limited experience (4 mo.) I'd suggest a heavy, soft putter and light to medium weight mid-range and drivers, like 160-170. I have since learned to throw the Monarch well and added a 172 Predator. Arm speed and strength builds faster than you think, but start light.

 

[discinator]

As an old Frisbee player, I liked the Aero (180 gm) over the Roc, because as it slows down it kind of settles to the ground instead of fading.

I would second this. My 10 y/o son really likes and has much success with his aero. Really anything that is not too radical, that is slower and has good glide is what I would recommend for any beginner whether they are young or old. If they like the game and decide to get better then you can introduce them to the myriad of choices in discs.

 

[magictenor1]

How old? I am 49 and I don't use anything special. I like a wraith in the 170 range and use an Aviar putter. Also use a champ shark for mid. His age, health, strength etc will all be factors in what he feels comfortable with.

 

[Jimb]

I was 39 and badly out of shape when I started playing again after throwing frisbees growing up. I got a heavy set of discs off of ebay. It included a 175 Aviar P & A, a 170 Roc and a 175 Valkyrie, all in DX plastic. The Avair was really easy to learn and the heavy weight helped it stick in the chains really well. The Roc was OK too. As others mentioned, it really took me a while to get the hang of the Valkyrie because the shape and flight of a driver is so different than anything I had ever thrown before.

For me now, I still use an Aviar P & A for anything 200' and in. So if you do go with just one disc for now, the Aviar or the Aero would make excellent choices. And when I got a 150 Leopard, it was easy to learn once I had started using the power grip. And a Roc belongs in everyone's bag.