Intermediate Player Bag Critique

[MANBURGARLAR]

Hey all, just wanted some speculation / feedback on my current bag setup. I've been playing for a year now, and have about 300-325ft of consistent RHBH driving power, along with 250-300ft forehand driving power.

Bag = DD Sniper

Contents: -Aviar XT (main putting putter)
-Evo Magic
-Champ Rhyno
-Z-FLX Zone
-ESP Comet
-Big Z Comet
-FLX Drone
-Neutron Resistor
-ESP Archer (super flippy)
-Big Z Mantis
-X Heat (beat in, flippy tomahawk/thumber disc)
-Z Heat
-Z 150g Flick (distance overhand shots / uphills)
-Ti Flick
-X Thrasher (flippy tailwind driver)
-ESP Force (headwind driver)
-Z Nuke OS (big skip shots / power forehands)

Anything that seems missing, or something new i should try out. Feel free to nit-pick away. I know there is probably some overlap in some slots, but i'm unsure which molds to take out of the bag to simplify. Appreciate any constructive criticism!

 

[slowplastic]

I would look into a Champ Thunderbird. At your BH/FH range that should be a sweet spot for stable-OS control driver when it's not too windy and you don't need to throw your Force or Nuke OS. I haven't thrown a Mantis, but it looks like you don't have a true stable-OS driver in your arm speed range right now. You could also go with a Teebird as well if you'd prefer to not have to throw it super hard all the time.

 

[MANBURGARLAR]

Thanks for the disc reccomendation. That is a hole in my bag that I haven't quite figured out yet. The mantis is a speed 8 stable-under stable fairway; like a glidier teebird. But the thunderbird would be a good fit because it would be useful BH/FH and preform well even in windier conditions (without having to disc up to something warp speed) Definitely will try to find a champ X-out somewhere and try it out!

 

[Moose33]

It seems like you probably have a lot of overlap. It looks a bit like my bag from years 2-3 that I played.

It was better for me to do a smaller selection of molds at the time with a couple of each rather than try to have one each of 12 molds.

That could be a way to move in the future.

 

[F. Howl]

I like the Thunderbird pairing with the Mantis. Besides one being concave and the other straight, they've the same rim width, same notch on the wing.

At 300-325 though, I think the Mantis should cover all your fairway duties. Get a heavy Z and add a bit of hyzer. My Big Z required a hyzer release but that was trying to push it out to 380.

 

[MANBURGARLAR]

It seems like you probably have a lot of overlap. It looks a bit like my bag from years 2-3 that I played.

It was better for me to do a smaller selection of molds at the time with a couple of each rather than try to have one each of 12 molds.

That could be a way to move in the future.

That is a motto I would like to adapt the more i play. Simplicity seems to go a long way with not having to second guess your disc / shot choice.

 

[MANBURGARLAR]

I like the Thunderbird pairing with the Mantis. Besides one being concave and the other straight, they've the same rim width, same notch on the wing.

At 300-325 though, I think the Mantis should cover all your fairway duties. Get a heavy Z and add a bit of hyzer. My Big Z required a hyzer release but that was trying to push it out to 380.

I love the Mantis. Mine is 170g, It's got a decent amount of stability, but you can still get some turn out of it. It's been working so far as my primary stable fairway driver, but on the PNW in the woods, the wind is rarely an issue at my local courses. However I would like something more beefy for those "what if" moments.

 

[EROPPER]

lat 64s Culverin is what replaced my Thundy, It seemed to have a bit more glide/seemed more controllable- for me

still has a dependable fade and does ok in the wind

The Culverin/Escape or Saint pairing works great for me in that Fairway/Control Driver slot

just thought you needed more Trilogy to go with that DD sniper bag

 

[MANBURGARLAR]

I have a buddy who swears by his Culverin / Saint combo. He seems to do well with them. I just honestly haven't had much of a chance to test out much DD, doesn't have much exposure out here. You have a solid point though!

I'm wondering if a Predator would suffice as an OS fairway as well (or do i need nate doss power for that)?

 

[F. Howl]

Predators have a lighter, penetrating fade compared to a Firebird. I think you could just anny flex your Flick on windy days, though.

You don't need to bother with anything shipped from the other side of the globe. If anything, mix some Daredevil in your bag. A Wolverine should do it. Or stick with Discraft. They're kind of Canadian in spirit.

 

[armiller]

I'm wondering if a Predator would suffice as an OS fairway as well (or do i need nate doss power for that)?

The Predator will be a little more OS than the Thunderbird slowplastic recommended. It feels different too, with a kind of bead. You could try a ESP or Big Z instead of Z to see if it's less beefy. I do like Predators, since they're consistently beefy but still have very good glide.

I'm not good at looking at your bag and finding gaps. If you're pretty new, I think it's fine to try lots of different stuff, try some new stuff based on what you think would benefit your game and what people recommend, and then just let your bag grow with you. I'm barely new anymore, but I still notice plenty of throw-to-throw variation which reminds me never to "blame the disc."

Just some observations, based on liking Discraft myself: for one thing, give an ESP Surge a try. At your distance it might even bump the Force as a headwind driver. Great glide and forward fade, but very little high speed turn. Have you thought about trying DGA stuff? Tsunami's are kinda OOP but they're basically a slightly less beefy Predator (old Pred mold) and are magic if you find a good one. I've been tempted to pick up one of these but have resisted so far.

Also, someone above mentioned a Teebird. They're not Discraft, but they're awesome and worth a try. There's a reason they've been around forever and aren't leaving anytime soon.

 

[joecoin]

I can't give you any constructive advice, but I do have a question.

The Z 150g Flick (distance overhand shots / uphills) - how are you throwing that when you throw it uphill?

Thanks.

 

[MANBURGARLAR]

The Predator will be a little more OS than the Thunderbird slowplastic recommended. It feels different too, with a kind of bead. You could try a ESP or Big Z instead of Z to see if it's less beefy. I do like Predators, since they're consistently beefy but still have very good glide.

I'm not good at looking at your bag and finding gaps. If you're pretty new, I think it's fine to try lots of different stuff, try some new stuff based on what you think would benefit your game and what people recommend, and then just let your bag grow with you. I'm barely new anymore, but I still notice plenty of throw-to-throw variation which reminds me never to "blame the disc."

Just some observations, based on liking Discraft myself: for one thing, give an ESP Surge a try. At your distance it might even bump the Force as a headwind driver. Great glide and forward fade, but very little high speed turn. Have you thought about trying DGA stuff? Tsunami's are kinda OOP but they're basically a slightly less beefy Predator (old Pred mold) and are magic if you find a good one. I've been tempted to pick up one of these but have resisted so far.

Also, someone above mentioned a Teebird. They're not Discraft, but they're awesome and worth a try. There's a reason they've been around forever and aren't leaving anytime soon.

Funny thing you mentioned it, I spotted an ESP pred + surge on amazon for cheap. Will for sure give those a try, the Surges flight numbers seem pretty ideal. I'm still at the stage where i enjoy trying new molds from other companies occasionally. But i seem to be more biased towards Discraft because it suits my style of game play a little more.

I have tried a champ teebird, it flew well, but i didn't quite like the feel in my hands (was pretty domey for a teebird). I also have tried an S-FD which was more like my Mantis. I have yet to try any DGA stuff, but will keep my eye out in the future.

 

[MANBURGARLAR]

I can't give you any constructive advice, but I do have a question.

The Z 150g Flick (distance overhand shots / uphills) - how are you throwing that when you throw it uphill?

Thanks.

Usually throwing it as a thumber, at least it feels the most comfortable that way. Pans out real wide. You can do tomahawks aswell, but feels a little awkward in hand for me. I use my beat up X-heat for tomahawks.

 

[Stardoggy]

You probably don't need a Zone and a Drone. I was guilty of carrying both for a while as well, and found they were just too close to each other.

 

[MANBURGARLAR]

You probably don't need a Zone and a Drone. I was guilty of carrying both for a while as well, and found they were just too close to each other.

I feel like you are right. I'm at a crossroads with my rhyno, zone, and drone. It's awkward because the zone flies faster than a putter, but i can get my drone out farther still and fills my OS mid slot. And the rhyno is nice for backhand and forehand approaches where I don't need as much dump as the zone... tough choice.

 

[Stardoggy]

I feel like you are right. I'm at a crossroads with my rhyno, zone, and drone. It's awkward because the zone flies faster than a putter, but i can get my drone out farther still and fills my OS mid slot. And the rhyno is nice for backhand and forehand approaches where I don't need as much dump as the zone... tough choice.

I doinked around with a Rhyno for a minute as well. I ended up settling on Zones. The different plastics help a bit and can do different things.

 

[MANBURGARLAR]

I doinked around with a Rhyno for a minute as well. I ended up settling on Zones. The different plastics help a bit and can do different things.

Totally. I blame market oversaturation. And I haven't even tried a pig yet. The zone is real solid. But it's almost closer to a mid. I just like how slow the rhyno is, and it doesn't skip or do anything funny that the zone does sometimes.

 

[c0nehead]

I have a buddy who swears by his Culverin / Saint combo. He seems to do well with them. I just honestly haven't had much of a chance to test out much DD, doesn't have much exposure out here. You have a solid point

Now is the chance for you to dominate the scene. I ditched Axiom, discraft and innova a few years back for the Trilogy and never looked back. I prefer lat gold line plastic to any other plastic out there. Stag and river for fairway, which i rarely use. My main discs enforcer, destiny, havoc, anchor and judge. I bag 13-18 but those are the stitching that holds the bag together.

 

[BenHaavisto]

Depending on the culverin you get, (weight and plastic) you might end up with a decent amount of overlap. For the most part I only carry sparks and culverins when it comes to fairways. I use 3 culverins, 172 opto, which is for straight shots, and some softer hyzers, 170 GL which is for tight tunnel shots with a little turn and lastly, I carry a 166 beat GL that I can use for hyzerflips, and long turnovers. If you get one thats 173+ it shouldn't have much overlap but I would suggest at least trying one out!