Let's get it going for 2019

[VictorB]

New year, new thread. Feeling pretty confident in my bag right now, and figured out somethings about why I hate putters which has led to another revisionist change to a previously used mold. Not all slots are nailed down as of this post, but pretty much down to 2 discs if there is some choice to make.

Vitals:
Years playing/experience: 13+ years DG
Right/left-handed/ambidextrous: right-handed
Throwing Style: RHBH, some FH
Golf Distance (avg/max*):
Putter: (225/275) Midrange (250/300) Fairway (300/350) Distance (350/400)

Optional:
Age: 37
Sex: M
Injuries/handicaps?: L Knee no ACL, severe arthritis
Other sport proficiencies?: Nope
What do you like/dislike about your current bag?:
Simplicity. Easy to make decisions and good discs to make my shots with. Overall comfort level is probably the highest it's been since before my son was born in 2011 and I had a huge amount of free time to practice.

Distance drivers
170 ESP Surge - new, domey. Great flight, pretty much fits my arm speed exactly right now.
174 ESP Surge - new, flatter. Slightly more overstable and less glide than the domey version.
174 Z AvengerSS - Rollers. Not currently in the bag but will be in better weather.
1 of the following to fill the headwind driver slot:
174 SP Hurricane
172 Z Force
Slowing down speeds with the Surge has been one of the better decisions I made about golf in probably the last 5 or so years :thmbup:

Fairway drivers
172 Z Predator - flat as fk. really overstable, flex forehands
174 Z Predator - some dome, some wear. general purpose overstable driver
174 Ti Undertaker - workhorse stable
168 Z undertaker - lighter and more workable, will hold an anhyzer
174 Ti Mantis - woodsy finesse turnover driver
174 BigZ Mantis - beat up and fairly flippy
The Mantis has kind of been in and out of the bag for a bit. It still has its place, needs a little less power to get a good flight than an undertaker, and less room to work left to right.

Midranges
178 Swirly PL Blend Shastashock - Nice and overstable
174 PL Aftershock - stable driving midrange
178 MJ Swirl ESP Comet - Straight finesse midrange
177 X Comet - beat up and used for low power approaches or turning shots that cannot fade out.
Pretty typical lineup except now I'm finding myself rely a little more on the aftershock and putters off the tee and comets for more finesse lines.

Putters
174 MJ Swirl ESP Banger GT - beautifully stable driving putter. stable but not overstable
174 D Banger GT - throwing putter to beat up and make understable
174 D Banger GT (x2) - matching pair of putters, as always
Honorable mention - 174 Z FLX Zone - nice to have for really windy days, but the ESP Banger GT seems to be plenty stable enough even for forehand approaches in normal conditions. I almost never throw a zone BH even when I have one in the bag.

The biggest change is going back to Banger GTs for putting (yes, I ues them years ago - in fact it's the first putter I really was comfortable with, before telling myself I needed to use a traditional putter) The GT isn't really a benefit for my thumb placement, but the bottom of the disc fits perfectly for my putting fan and throwing fan grips. Having that area on the bottom helps me with more consistent releases and getting a little more finger pop on putts. Been putting Bangers and Challengers next to each other for a few weeks now, and I'm noticeably more consistent with bangers where I almost never miss left or right with the benefit of the GT on that disc.

 

[VictorB]

Putting with banger gts was a short term infatuation. I'll still use them for throwing but I'll be putting with challengers. For throwing my fan grip still feels just fine on the bangers.

 

[VictorB]

The aftershock has been taking more and more work in my midrange slot. Very versatile disc. Right now I'm carrying 3 - a 174 PL, a 179 SP, and a 178 Shastashock. Right along with a comet I'm covering all my needs pretty easily. Also leaning more heavily on my putters off the tee, which is why comets aren't seeing so much work. FYI - Comets will always have a place in my bag, just maybe not a primary midrange these days. In better weather I might throw them more though!

 

[VictorB]

Expanding the lineup a little bit to carry a bigger bag. All utility discs included here:

Distance drivers
169 ESP Surge - beat up a bit, will S-turn out of a hyzer or hold a turn for a long time.
173 ESP Surge, Nate Doss 3x - has a little high speed turn under normal conditions. Primary long distance disc
174 ESP Surge - new, flatter. Slightly more overstable for most windy plays
174 Z AvengerSS - beat, Rollers Only. Not currently in the bag but will be in better weather.
172 Z Force - new, headwind driver or when I need to shape a long flex shot

Fairway drivers
172 Z Predator - flat as fk. really overstable, flex forehands
174 Z Predator - some dome, some wear. general purpose overstable driver
169 Z Predator - beat, has a ton of glide while still being fairly stable
174 Ti Undertaker - workhorse stable
168 Z undertaker - lighter and more workable, will hold an anhyzer
174 Ti Mantis - woodsy finesse turnover driver

Midranges
178 Swirly PL Blend Shastashock - new, Nice and overstable
174 PL Aftershock - new, stable driving midrange, a little lighter so helps it hold a turn longer
177 SP Aftershock - worn, standard faire stable midrange
178 MJ Z Comet - new, main turnover midrange, also for finesse lines in the woods.


Putters
174 Z FLX Zone - when I need the beef on approaches or short drives
174 MJ Swirl ESP Banger GT - beautifully stable driving putter. stable but not overstable
174 D Challenger - beat, used for turnover drives and approaches, and longer putting
174 D Challenger (x2) - matching pair of putting only putters.

 

[TKWolverine]

I really like your Aftershock/Comet midrange combo. I'm leaning that way myself for 2019.

 

[VictorB]

I really like your Aftershock/Comet midrange combo. I'm leaning that way myself for 2019.

It works really well, but...after having the expanded bag for a short time, I'll be re-condensing molds.

Right now I'm planning to go with wasps, in JB and Z and get a cycle going. I seem to fair better when I have one midrange that I can throw for multiple types of shots. 7 molds still seems to be my sweet spot. Might even ditch the force and go all speed 11 and down.

Quick rundown:
1 Force
3 Surges
2 Predators
3 Undertakers
3 Wasps
4 Challengers
1 Ringer GT

 

[jmdaire27]

Quick rundown:
1 Force
3 Surges
2 Predators
3 Undertakers
3 Wasps
4 Challengers
1 Ringer GT

Ringer GT instead of Zone? Curious!

And ever tried the machete? I've been debating replacing the OS distance (Enforcer) and fairway (Felon) with the Machete. $0.02.

Nicely.

 

[Jolt]

very smal diffrences in shape and measurements between the FORCE and SURGE from what i can see, how do you feel they compare in feel and flight?

 

[VictorB]

Ringer GT instead of Zone? Curious!

And ever tried the machete? I've been debating replacing the OS distance (Enforcer) and fairway (Felon) with the Machete. $0.02.

Nicely.

Yeah the zone is almost useless to me backhand, I like to have something a bit overstable to compliment challengers and when I carry a zone I almost never throw it. The Ringer GT is a bit straighter, so should be more useful overall, especially since I don't particularly like flexing short forehand approaches (was throwing FH approaches with a banger GT most of the time but wanted a disc that fit in between the zone and banger)

Never thrown a machete. From what I hear it's not really something that I'd need. I'm throwing a predator on 95% of overstable shots anyway, and the Force only comes out for max distance in the wind - but between a slightly overstable surge and a beat up predator, a Force is probably not necessary except on the windiest of days.

 

[VictorB]

very smal diffrences in shape and measurements between the FORCE and SURGE from what i can see, how do you feel they compare in feel and flight?

It's much easier for me to get the surge up to speed and get a good flight out of it. The Force is quite a bit more overstable and pretty useless to me unless I'm throwing it in the wind.

In terms of feel, the Force feels a lot deeper in the rim to me, or some combination of depth and rim width make it feel a lot larger. I tend to have more nose angle issues with it, especially throwing forehand. The Surge is nice and comfortable, especially if they mold up a bit flatter - the really domey ones are a little awkward in hand to me.

 

[VictorB]

The "Right Now" bag lineup. I have a goal this year of not fiddling with my lineup (in terms of molds) after April 1, so I still have some time to have fun.

Distance drivers
169 ESP Surge - beat up a bit, will S-turn out of a hyzer or hold a turn for a long time.
173 ESP Surge, Nate Doss 3x - has a little high speed turn under normal conditions. Primary long distance disc
174 ESP Surge - new, flatter. Slightly more overstable for most windy plays
172 Z Force - new, headwind driver or when I need to shape a long flex shot

Fairway drivers
172 Z Predator - flat as fk. really overstable, flex forehands
174 Z Predator - some dome, some wear. general purpose overstable driver
174 Ti Undertaker - workhorse stable
168 Z undertaker - lighter and more workable, will hold an anhyzer
173 X Undertaker - new, beating in to fill the mantis slot
174 Ti Mantis - woodsy finesse turnover driver

Midranges
172 Big Z Drone - not sure if I need or want it, but auditioning a very overstable mid for fun. Probably won't make the bag, would probably favor a very overstable Wasp.
178 Z FLX Color Glow Wasp - Slightly overstable mid
177 Jawbreaker Wasp - stable mid, breaking in to turnover cycle
178 MJ Z Comet - new, main turnover midrange, also for finesse lines in the woods.


Putters
174 X Soft Ringer GT - more usably overstable approach putter for me. I don't need a dumpy zone for this slot.
173 ESP Challenger - Main driving/stable upshot putter.
174 D Challenger - beat, used for short turnover drives and approaches, and C2+ putting
174 D Challenger (x2) - matching pair of putting only putters.

 

[VictorB]

Got a lot of work in this weekend.

Out:
bigZ Drone - this disc is like a justice, I don't have the arm or the desire to throw a midrange that hard and still not get it to go anywhere.

on the fence:
Surges - with these as a primary distance driver, I need to have a more overstable compliment. Hurricanes might slide back in, since they can handle wind better and since working on correcting my nose angle issues should be able to get on them harder and see more of a difference in how they fly compared to surges.

 

[VictorB]

oops

 

[VictorB]

Getting really close to my starting lineup for the season, which is good since one of my goals is to not change that lineup for the entire year, starting April 1st.

Distance drivers
170 SP Hurricane - worn in, nice hyzerflips and turning flexes
174 PL Hurricane - newish, will turn a bit but always fades back
174 SP Hurricane - newish, flat and fairly overstable, straight to hyzer drives and light wind
172 Z Force - new, headwind driver or when I need to shape a long flex shot

Fairway drivers
172 Z Predator - flat as fk. really overstable, flex forehands
174 Z Predator - some dome, some wear. general purpose overstable driver
169 Z Predator - beat and domey, great straight to fade slightly overstable fairway
168 Z Undertaker - lighter and more workable, will hold an anhyzer
174 ESP Undertaker - line working fairway, will hyzer flip to flat or tight S turn
174 BigZMantis - woodsy finesse turnover driver, or lower power hyzer flips
174 Z AvengerSS - beat, mainly used for rollers or weird low power forehands.

Midranges
177 Jawbreaker Wasp - stable mid, breaking in to turnover cycle
175 Z Wasp - worn, hard straight to fade mid shots, or forced anhyzer shots
179 ESP Swirl Glow Wasp - new, very flat, very overstable
176 MJ ESP Glow Comet - worn, main turnover midrange, also for finesse lines in the woods.
17x X Comet - beat up, hyzer flip to turn shots and very low power straight shots


Putters
174 SP Breaker - new, forehand and hyzer approaches
174 D Banger GT - wearing in to turnover driving putter
174 MJ ESP Banger GT - straight stable driving putter
174 D Challenger - beat, used mainly for spin putts and C2 putts
174 D Challenger (x2) - matching pair of putting only putters.

Things that didn't make the bag:

The Surge - just not quite enough high speed stability for what I'd like to use them for. A little touchy on hyzer flips, and a little too high speed understable for hammering hard flat lines. Hurricane won this battle, which I'm 100% OK with since I used them a lot last season.

Zone/Ringer GT - I lean on my forehand approach game quite a bit, but the zone never quite fit my throwing style (and I found it a bit too skippy, even in Z FLX). Almost always had to flex them to land how I wanted. The ringer GT didn't quite have enough stability to fight out of a flex on some shots. The Breaker fits right in between the two - in feel and in flight.

Drone - I don't have a need for a midrange that I have to throw so hard, FH or BH, in order for it to not go anywhere. File in the same folder as the Justice. An overstable ESP wasp is enough for me, and if it isn't I just jump to a predator.

Challengers as driving putters - The flight of a challenger is really nice, but the lack of hard fade of the Banger GT is just something that can't be ignored. The high speed stability is similar but it's overall more workable since the overall flight is straighter.

Ti Undertaker - I only have a sample size of 2 that I've thrown, but I found them to be glideless and more overstable than Z/ESP variants of undertakers. I have predators that fly that way, so no need to pick up a disc that doesn't match my idea of how it should fly.

 

[VictorB]

Comets have been stagnant in my bag lately. Haven't thrown any of them except some weird angle get out of trouble FH shots in the last 6 rounds. Might be transitioning back to cycling my throwing putters and midranges to cover all my lines. I've definitely found in the past that if I'm not focused on practicing and throwing comets a lot, I lose my feel for the disc. It's very unique and does require some dedication to master, and keep that mastered skill.

 

[VictorB]

It's April 1, and it's time to start reaching for my stretch goal of not changing my mold lineup for the season (through October 31 at least)

Here's my committed lineup. Of course discs could change, but molds should be the same this season. I've expanded my drivers a bit, and condensed midranges, mainly due to redeveloping my FH and leaning on that shot a little more (out to 300' with a predator)

Distance drivers:
172 Z Force, newish - headwind driver, super long hyzers or flex shots.
168 ESP Force, worn - long forehand drives. I like a little lighter for this mold and FH
174 SP Hurricane, newish - pretty flat, nice slightly overstable hurricane, long hyzers when the wind is down
174 PL Hurricane, newish - flies similar and shaped similar to the SP, should wear in quicker.
171 SP Hurricane, worn - slight dome, primary distance driver

Fairway drivers:
174 Z Predator, newish - flat topped, very overstable. Used when a shot has to hyzer or flex out of a forced anhyzer.
174 Z Predator, worn - normal dome. workhorse overstable, FH and BH.
169 Z Predator, beat - normal dome. pretty flippy for a predator, can mash on this backhand and goes almost as far as a force when the wind is down.
174 FR Z Undertaker, newish - very overstable undertaker, can be interchangeable with the beat predator on a lot of shots.
174 ESP Undertaker, some wear - main straight stable fairway.
168 Z Undertaker, some wear - will hold a long anhyzer, used more in the woods for straight shots
174 BigZ Mantis, new - used for long hyzer flips in the woods and turnovers that don't fade out.
174 Avenger SS, beat - roller disc, and utility get out of trouble shots.

Midranges:
179 ESP Swirl Glow Wasp, newish - very overstable wasp. fights wind and hyzers well. Even used for longer forehand approaches.
175 Z Wasp, worn - slightly overstable wasp, long straight to fade but will flex out of a slight anhyzer
176 CT Jawbreaker Wasp, new - also slightly overstable, but holds straight longer than the Z with a dependable finish.
177 Jawbreaker Wasp, newish - stable but will flip just a touch, or hold a turn for full flight. wearing this in for cycling.

Putters:
174 SP Breaker, new - forehand and hyzer approaches
174 ESP Swirl Challenger, new - slightly overstable driving putter.
174 OG Jawbreaker Challenger, new - typical new stable challenger, used for straighter putter drives, has less fade on the finish when compared to the ESP.
174 D Challenger, beat - straight to understable. used mainly for short anhyzer or straight shots, and longer spin C2/beyond putts.
174 D Challenger (x2) - matching pair of putting only putters.

I have a weird compulsion about only having one stable putter mold that takes care of both putting and throwing duties. I think it comes from liking to have the same feel for discs, since I tend to try and minimize molds and wear cycle molds. Thus, I picked the challenger over the banger GT for throwing. They aren't that different that I can't live without the banger GT.

Overall, I really lean on fairways and midranges for the strongest part of my game. So predators, undertakers, and wasps really get the large bulk of the work off the tee for most any course that I'd play.

 

[VictorB]

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I only made it about 2 weeks before 'changing' the lineup. But, I didn't take any molds out, only added a few in.

Added:
176 MJ ESP Glow Comet, worn - finesse straight shots and turning midrange drives. Still too good of a disc for me to not throw.

174 MJ ESP Banger GT, newish - stable throwing driver. Had to get over having 2 throwing putter molds, and 1 putting putter mold in my bag, but I'm glad I did because I hit my first tournament ace with this disc last weekend.

174 Soft X Banger GT, new - to beat into an understable throwing putter, already a great throwing disc also. Banger GTs hold straight longer and fade less than challengers. They slot in beautifully next to the Breaker.

Taken out:
ESP Swirl Challenger, OG JB Challenger. Like I mentioned, it took a while to figure out that it's ok to have throwing putters and putting putters. I was using Challenger to throw with simply because I didn't want to add more molds - not because they were better for me.

Z Wasp - Just too many of the same disc and not enough variation. maybe when the JB wasp breaks in it will rotate back in the bag somewhere.

I think I've done enough years of mold minimalism to know when I do need to add something. This was a great example where it was a huge benefit to me to expand the lineup a bit. It's a lot of molds for me (10 molds over 22 discs) but 3 of them are basically utility - force, avengerSS, and breaker. The breaker is taking a lot of approach shots though, so I probably wouldn't go without that disc for any one round.

 

[VictorB]

It's interesting - the 2 molds I put back in the bag last week, I aced with also. Tournament ace with my MJ ESP Banger, and 3 days later a flex league ace with my MJ ESP Comet. What a time to be alive!

 

[Bardu]

Congrats on the aces! And sounds like some very wise additions to the bag. I too am a minimalist at heart, but as my game has expanded so has bag and mold count. It is most important to know your game.

 

[VictorB]

First actual mold swap out of the season happened this week...Breaker is out in order to put the Zone back in. So, not a huge change, and going back to a previous mold I was using. The Zone just has that slight bit more torque resistant and fights wind a little better. Won't be much of an adjustment all in all.