[Drivers] How many distance drivers do you bag?

[etdefender19]

I'm relatively new and still very much experimenting with and learning every disc in my bag (which is seemingly always in flux) all while cruising along the disc golf learning curve.

I currently carry eight different distance drivers! On my home course, there's a 401' hole with a phalanx of trees about 30' in front of the basket but which, otherwise, is very wide open. Every time I play a casual/solo/practice round, I empty my bag of its distance and fairway drivers on that hole to see what they will/can do. Every time I'm about to eliminate one disc from my bag, it will do something during this exercise that will make me want to keep it (i.e "Oh, I might be able to use that as a roller" or "If I could learn to control that massive turn over" or "So THAT'S what happens when I throw that correctly"). There's only one of the eight distance drivers (my go-to 169g Champ Boss) that stays for sure if I had to cut back, but I'm also reluctant to get rid of any of the others.

Is this a function of my new found addiction to the sport? Is it a function of my OCD/micro-managing personality (simplifying/de-cluttering any aspect of my life is not easy)? Would it be completely wrong to carry that many different DDs going forward, even after I settle on a couple more favorites? Is it ultimately a personal preference thing?

How many DDs do you carry and why?

 

[Kodachrome]

It's both. Nothing is "wrong" since we're all just having fun. unnecessary? Maaaaybe. I think we all did it at some point. Some still do.

I carry 4 distance drivers.

Pd2, very understable for max d and big turnovers.
Pd2, good turn and reliable fade.
Pd2, not much turn at all, solid fade.
Pd2, no turn ever, complete beefcake.


I also carry speed 9 control drivers and speed 6 fairways.

 

[ranger]

3-4. I have no need for more.

 

[Jules B]

I used to carry a lot as I'm pretty new too, as I go along I see what works for me and either pass down the rest or add them to a stack in my closet.

Now
Discraft surge for the holes where I need that certain left glidy fade. Like high hyzer around/ over groups of trees.

Innova mystere for the long straight with nearly no turn.

Tern for turns and hyzer flip long distance straights in the open.

Lat 64 diamond for the hyzeer flip in smaller area like tunnels and low ceiling and forehand flick

leopard3 as a fairway hyzer flip, flat turn, and forehand flick

Dynamic disc escape in prime plastic for super straight long glide nearly 0 fade shots, also holds most lines its thrown on like its a long range roc or truth.

Also bag an avenger SS but never use it any more

Star plastic destroyer don't use it much, the Tern, Mystere and the Diamond all get about the same distance with less effort and are all more controllable. I keep it to toss just so its gets beat in, hopefully better for my needs

 

[Jules B]

I'm relatively new and still very much experimenting with and learning every disc in my bag (which is seemingly always in flux) all while cruising along the disc golf learning curve.

I currently carry eight different distance drivers! On my home course, there's a 401' hole with a phalanx of trees about 30' in front of the basket but which, otherwise, is very wide open. Every time I play a casual/solo/practice round, I empty my bag of its distance and fairway drivers on that hole to see what they will/can do. Every time I'm about to eliminate one disc from my bag, it will do something during this exercise that will make me want to keep it (i.e "Oh, I might be able to use that as a roller" or "If I could learn to control that massive turn over" or "So THAT'S what happens when I throw that correctly"). There's only one of the eight distance drivers (my go-to 169g Champ Boss) that stays for sure if I had to cut back, but I'm also reluctant to get rid of any of the others.

Is this a function of my new found addiction to the sport? Is it a function of my OCD/micro-managing personality (simplifying/de-cluttering any aspect of my life is not easy)? Would it be completely wrong to carry that many different DDs going forward, even after I settle on a couple more favorites? Is it ultimately a personal preference thing?

How many DDs do you carry and why?

IF you ever get out there take a pic of the hole, we have a few like that on a course here, the answer for most with decent arms are high hyzer bombs that go to the upper right of the trees and fads back left to the basket, that allows you to skip the hassle of perfect lines through the trees

 

[hugheshilton]

Welcome to the sport! I think this is what a lot or even most new players do their first couple years of playing. I certainly did. I bagged most of the discs that owned for at least a year (and had to buy a bigger bag a couple times to continue doing so). I think experimenting and trying a lot of discs is just part of starting out. It's a fun part too, so enjoy it! I remember I always had that optimism when I bought a new disc that it would do something new and wonderful for me (very occasionally it even did).

I also had a similar experience to you where I had a 405 foot hole on my local 9 hole course that I would always empty my bag at each round. I remember the first time I broke 400 feet. It was on that hole throwing a FR blizzard boss (bubbles in the flight plate) on a flex line, and it literally landed under the basket. Made me feel like a "boss" I can tell you. The course had sort of "amateur" pars written on all the signs, so I thought I had just eagled a hole since the sign called it a par 4.

Anyway... at some point you'll have collected a whole bunch of random discs and you'll start trying to actually figure out how to build a bag that makes some logical sense rather than just carrying around a random subset of the discs you own. For example, many experience players only carry 1 or 2 different molds of distance driver in different stages of wear or different plastics to cover their distance lines. I think there is a good thread on how to build a bag on these forums somewhere that you will find useful at that point. However, I wouldn't shortchange yourself on the stage where you try a lot of different discs. You'll never figure out what you really like and what works best for you without trying things.

 

[etdefender19]

unnecessary? Maaaaybe.

That made me laugh!!

 

[McCready]

I'm also pretty new to DG (1 year) and did the same thing -- bought an insane amount of discs and changed out my bag frequently. Reading this forum will make you want to try a lot of different discs. I don't think there's anything wrong with this approach at all, assuming you're having fun first and foremost.

My bag still changes frequently but I'm set with drivers. On my home course I throw a gummy champ Tern on the majority of holes. I also bag a Mamba, Roadrunner and Thunderbird. I've bagged at least 10 other molds over the past year but settled on these 4 as my most useful and versatile discs.

I've also learned that slower speed discs are better in a lot of circumstances where I used to try to overpower the shot with a distance driver. The Leopard3 is an insanely awesome disc for laser-straight hyzer flips that glide for days. That's probably my favorite disc right now. I also bag a Teebird and I'm experimenting with Teebird3's and TL3's. I think the speed 7 & 8 discs are really useful for a newer player and I've been improving a lot recently as I've employed these more in my rounds. Assuming you're not bombing your high speed drivers 400'+, how much distance are you really sacrificing with a Teebird or a Leopard3? You can throw these with much better control and learn a lot of different types of shots.

I say keep experimenting and eventually you will settle on the best discs for you. Try different plastics and especially weights. I've learned that low to mid 160's is my sweet spot for distance and control. And in many cases the same mold in the same plastic flies completely differently at 175 compared to 165 or 155. Maybe for certain slots in your bag you can cover overstable, stable and understable with the same mold in varying weights/plastics/wear. With so many variables why wouldn't you want to experiment as much as possible? For me that's been a big part of the fun of learning the sport.

 

[Kevdude82]

I'm definitely in this phase myself of experimenting & bagging all sorts of drivers. I currently bag 10 total drivers. 8 fairway, and 2 distance, though those two distance drivers are Valks, and I know a lot of people consider Valks fairway drivers. I do feel though that I need to get to the point and figure out what one or two molds I want to use, and remove all the clutter. It is hard though, because I do like all the discs I bag, and each one is very useful for the shots I use them on. I think once my form and distance gets much better, and I can start throwing over 400ft, my bag will find itself being a bit more organized. Right now, I can barely break 300ft, so I have a very, very long ways to go. Until then, I'll enjoy the ride of experimenting and bagging lots of different drivers.

 

[mattc]

I carry zero.
Nothing faster than 8/9 speed in my bag.
I currently max out at approximately 300' of distance
250'-275' on a controlled golf shot.
Anything faster doesn't do anything for me.
So i don't carry them

 

[SD86]

I carry a Tern, and I might carry an overstable driver... but I've also put the Saint (speed 9) in that position, so I'm only carrying the one high speed driver in the Tern. It also depends on course and weather. After you (the OP) determine what works best for you, you can consider your bag's needs based upon the course and conditions...

 

[armiller]

I carry around 5, though it varies. Lately, I carry an overstable Nuke for headwinds and hyzers, a Z Crank for distance FH and BH drives, a Champ Tern, and a Champ Valkyrie. Then I also have a well-used Z Predator primarily for forehand drives.

Sometimes I carry a lot more, especially if there's water or I'm not sure what conditions to expect. I also play a lot of loner rounds, so it's nice to carry some extras if the course is quiet enough for me to practice by throwing multiple discs. This weekend I played some new courses and carried a bunch of extra drivers, a few of which were sacrificed to Cliff Stephens and Picnic Island. But those were mostly discs I had found elsewhere and wasn't too sad to part with. One of the discs was a blizzard TeeDevil which I wish I would have lost earlier!

 

[pjhayes7]

I carry zero.
Nothing faster than 8/9 speed in my bag.
I currently max out at approximately 300' of distance
250'-275' on a controlled golf shot.
Anything faster doesn't do anything for me.
So i don't carry them

I think more people would benefit from doing this, I know my buddies would. I bag 3. Tern, Trespass, and Enforcer, but sometimes multiple discs of each mold. I am throwing the Tern less and less these days, but have a hard time kicking it out completely.

Incidentally mattc, how have you been a member since 2012 and only playing for less than a year?

 

[FrontRimBanger]

5 Destroyers

 

[Strauss]

I bag 3-4 Destroyer's, along with one S-line DDX. Three of my Destroyer's are in Star plastic in different stages of wear, and I carry one Pro that is very flippy. I just added the DDX this season, as I found it gives me a specific flight that my Destroyer's can't do. When thrown full power, the DDX will turn a bit to help get big distance, but it always fights back and finishes with a healthy fade at the end. Very helpful for holes that I need big distance on, but absolutely need to finish left (OB right etc). My beat in Destroyer's that I use for max distance have a good amount of high speed turn as well, but sometimes they will stay turned over and/or not come back. Obviously I always keep a fresh Star Destroyer in the bag that brings the beef, but I can only get that disc out to 350' give or take, so it's more of a situational disc for me.

 

[Halcón]

The Orbital is the only consistent one. Wave and Photon have recurring roles. Catalyst may work it's way in eventually.

 

[DiscinFiend]

The number of distance drivers I bag depends on the course I'm playing. My home course is a short wooded course so I don't bag anything faster than a Firebird there.

In general

Backhand
(New) Star Destroyer - Overstable with no turn
(New) Star Destroyer - Overstable with turn
(Seasoned) Star Destroyer - Stable
(Beat) Star Destroyer - Understable

Sidearm
(New) Champion Destroyer - Overstable
(Beat) Champion Destroyer - Understable

Depending on what you consider a "distance driver"

Sidearm & Backhand
(New) C-PD - Overstable with no turn
(Seasoned) C-PD - Overstable with turn

Domey Champion Firebird
Flat Champion Firebird

 

[Armus Patheticus]

2. Champ Beast for backhand rollers, Enforcer for forehand rollers.

 

[RomServo]

I carry 9 drivers, although 4 of them i really only throw for very rare shots and could normally do without . So, 5 really. 4 mids and 4 putters.

 

[JamesXC]

Depends on how you define "distance driver". I have 3 Outlaws in the bag as the only thing faster than speed 10, but I have another 7 that are speed 9 (Sidewinder, Bandit, Escape, 2x Thunderbird, 2x Firebird). I feel like the Outlaws cover most of the stuff I need for max distance and if I need any kind of control, then I have something else in the bag that'll work.