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Help on Windy Days

Joined
Dec 20, 2013
Messages
4
Needing some advise on what to throw on windy days. Any of you that live in Tx know what Im talking about. We get anything from a 10-15mph with gusts in the 20's to 25+ with gusts in the 40's. What are good weights to throw in the wind? Are all understable discs a nono or will a heavier understable disc work? Right now I pretty much stick to my 168g Escape if it's 10-15. Higher winds than that, the day is a beating with anything I throw. Any advise is welcome!
 
Heavier discs are affected by the wind the least. I prefer max weight putters anyway and all my other molds are in the mid range as far as weight goes. I might be able to get a little more distance if I threw lighter discs but I think I would sacrifice some control and ability to buck the wind.

My approach to playing disc golf in windy conditions is the same as for ball golf... I club up and just try to keep my shots as low as possible without sacrificing too much distance. I would rather my disc land 200 feet from the tee pad and in the fairway than 250 feet from the tee pad and 25 feet deep into the woods.

I look at it this way; Say the hole is 400', I can drive 250' (about my max. D) off the pad and a have a 150' approach shot or I can make two 200' throws with more accuracy and I'm still sitting two either way. If that initial 250' drive puts me deep in the do-do I'll probably have to pitch out and loose a stroke anyway.
 
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A wider range of disc types are required for playing in the wind than in calm conditions. For example, a light weight, understable disc is the best choice for throwing with the wind at your back. A very fast, heavy and overstable disc is the best choice for throwing directly into the wind.

Crosswinds are trickier, but as a general rule you throw understable with winds coming from your left (RHBH) and overstable with winds coming from your right. This keeps the top of the flight plate from facing the wind and forcing the disc down.

Experiment and have fun.
 
Crosswinds are trickier, but as a general rule you throw understable with winds coming from your left (RHBH) and overstable with winds coming from your right. This keeps the top of the flight plate from facing the wind and forcing the disc down.

Experiment and have fun.

I am curious about this crosswind advice. I've often been advised to not expose the bottom of a disc to the wind, and found that to be good advice in really windy conditions. While I have seen the wind force a disc to the ground when the top is exposed, I've seen it get under a disc and blow it a long, long way when the bottom of the disc was exposed to high wind.

So my practice has been to choose more overstable discs in a left-to-right wind and the opposite in right-to-left winds. Thoughts?
 
Perhaps a Mod will see fit to move this thread to the appropriate sub-forum so there's a better chance someone looking for a thread on windy days will find it... I tripped over it looking for today's HOD.

This why DGCR has a bad name. Cut this kid some slack, its his second post.

IMHO, Aim was quite civil. He didn't say anything rude or belittle the OP. He simply acted as a librarian might, pointing the OP towards several links that might be useful. Nothing was implied. What's inferred, is all in the mind of the person who reads it. Anybody who reads the first two posts of this thread and thinks it reflects poorly on DGCR forum members is seeing something that isn't there.
 
This why DGCR has a bad name. Cut this kid some slack,its his second post.

yeah because I provided him with a plethora of information instead of just spitting out some worthless comments not even relevant to the OP?!

YOU are why DGCR gets a bad name. :thmbup:

Now if he would have posted in the newbie section obviously im not going to reply with a list of links........
 
Come to think of it, I thought Newbies could only start new threads in the Newbie Forum... :confused:
 
Stop bickering, that's what gives DGCR a bad name. One person says something, the other can't let it slide, they go back and forth till the thread is ruined.

It's all pretty much experimentation on what'll work.

For tailwind, throw a slower disc than you usually do. For a headwind, throw a faster disc than you usually do. As far as the cross-winds go I usually go Overstable for left to right, so it'll fight the wind better. On a strong right to left I'll throw something understable or stable, and hyzer-flip it so the wind catches underneath the disc and carries it.

On windy days I'll also shoot for a tailwind putt. If there's a strong tailwind, I'll throw softer than normal so if I don't get right up on it, I'll end short and have a tailwind putt which to me are much easier. If there's a strong headwind, I'll disc up with an overstable disc and shoot to end up behind the basket, giving me a tailwind putt. Positioning yourself for the wind you want on the putt is pretty critical on windy days. If it's a 20-30 MPH wind, I'd rather be 20 foot with a tailwind, then 15 foot with a headwind.
 
Ive just read through all the links posted in this post about wind as well as a few I found on my own(thanks for taking the time to do that btw.). Is there a difference between just using an os disc that's faster that you'd normally throw (like a noodle arm throwing a destroyer)vs throwing an actual wind disc(I.e. firebird) into a headwind greater that 15 mph.

When someone asks what disk to throw into a strong headwind wouldn't the answer be relative to how far they throw? And for the record we are talking about very strong headwind throws only. The same disc would be a meathookmfor them in any other condition.
 
Come to KS and check out our wind, it is always a factor. And I'll say this, there are times when I would normally throw a buzz that I have to unleash the boss or havoc just to get it to the basket. You really just need to get out there and figure out what works in your bag
 
I am curious about this crosswind advice. I've often been advised to not expose the bottom of a disc to the wind, and found that to be good advice in really windy conditions. While I have seen the wind force a disc to the ground when the top is exposed, I've seen it get under a disc and blow it a long, long way when the bottom of the disc was exposed to high wind.

So my practice has been to choose more overstable discs in a left-to-right wind and the opposite in right-to-left winds. Thoughts?

This is why throwing in crosswinds are tricky. Experimenting with throwing flat with the right disc for the wind direction takes a lot of practice. A lot of it depends on how tight the fairways are. I was advising for distance.

As soon as an overstable disc turns toward the wind from the left, it's going down. If being in the fairway for sure is the point, this would be the best option. If your in the open, you want more distance. I honed my windy day driving playing in west Texas, where a calm day and trees are rare. There was a lot of blown away discs before I became accustomed to the correct release angles to keep the disc in the desired general direction with a lot more distance. My longest drives come with left to right crosswinds using Diamonds, Underworlds, Roadrunners and Katanas or Bolts (depending on whether the wind is coming from about 8 o'clock or 10 o'clock, etc.). Riding the wind is difficult to learn, but when you get it down you can get your best distance.

If any of the guys from Comanche Trail DGC in Odessa, TX are reading this, thanks for your friendship, patience and guidance. I miss you guys.
 
played smithville lake / blackthorn today. just north of kansas city )
hole 12, 645 ft, slight uphill and into a 30 - 35 mph headwind.
normally i get this hole w/ a short to mid putt for 3.
today i threw 3 full drives w/ a 173 tresspass ... the 3rd shot actually faded backwards 20 feet to leave me 5 foot behind the basket.
i'm not the most experienced player here...by far.... but heavy disc, low fast..
and more often than normal is the only way i see it.
 
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