[Putters] Lid Lovers

[Ted Bratton]

There is a lot of lid love on this forum. I was doing a little reading about disc history and slower discs. Wham-o frisbees, midnight flyers, puppies, aeros, and the like have really piqued my interest. I love my ultrastar which I use for frisbee games like catch and ultimate. I'd tested plenty of other people's lids before for fun but the slowest disc I had actually used for disc golf previously were aviar-ish speed discs. I read a couple of years ago that the rattler is Discraft's rendition of puppy-esque slower disc golf disc and now I finally bought a 175 D Rattler.

I've been throwing it around a lot and the flight is wonderful. It is plenty overstable and fast for 200-300 foot drives and the slower speed is definitely more appropriate for shorter shots. But to my surprise I've found so far that however much I prefer the flight and performance of the slower disc the comfortable feel of my magnets and challengers far outweigh it. In fact it is making me want to seriously trial faster discs like midranges for putting. I still carry it around with me in my bag for second shots and practicing but so far my favorite use for it is for catch and messing around. Who loves their lids?

 

[AndyJB]

I'm quite enamored with my old DX Polecat thanks to tbird888's suggestions, but I don't use it for the same shot you're describing your Rattler. I use it for short tunnel shots with a decent ceiling where I can pop it up on some.huzer and let it run straight, floaty upshots where I need to land nice and flat, big floaty turnovers and get out of trouble shots where I don't have much room to reach back or manipulate shoulder angle.

For the winter I've been using the YIKUN Claws. It has more HSS SO I can crank on it but it has very little LES which gives it the typical lid flat, dropping finish.

My dad is the lid king though. He carries an old DX Aero, a Superhero, a Hero 235, a Polecat and his main putter is a Rattler. He also bags a Sonic from time to time.

 

[tbird888]

How is your Claws aging Andy? I benched the Lock Jaw because it developed turn pretty quickly for being so HSS when new. While I know Salient's working on a more durable blend of Karbon, I put a Polecat back in the bag because it's close enough in flight and has been through hell and back while retaining its HSS.

And to stay on topic, there are two things about these molds that appeal to me. 1. It's great to pull a Polecat out of the bag, throw it, turn around, take a drink of water, grab a towel and wipe the sweat of your brow, pick up and put on your bag, and turn around to find the disc is still in the air! They are so slow. 2. Pulling it out of the bag, having people snicker at the mold, only to have them get real quiet when you nestle it under the pin.

Someone once said to never trust someone with a lid in their bag, and it couldn't be more accurate. The level of ability it takes to make these discs (and Polecats might as well be a beveled-edged disc compared to many molds) do what you want is astounding. From those that I encounter on the course their games could benefit from having a lid in their bag more than all the warp speed drivers they have. Just because the pros throw certain molds doesn't mean they're better suited to your game.

While I wouldn't dare turn my nose up at any lids/lidlike putters, my heart really belongs to the Polecat. It's the perfect combination of stability without being so deep that my baby fingers are reaching for the flightplate. In R-Pro it's neutral from start to finish at any speed (but it's pretty flimsy), and in DX it actually has a little fade as it slows. While everyone goes ga-ga for the Champs, mine lost stability faster than my current DX, and the DX has seen monumentally more use. I've gone back to DX and couldn't be happier. I guess that year of spamming the proshop's email account requesting them was kind of a waste!

 

[Qikly]

For the winter I've been using the YIKUN Claws. It has more HSS SO I can crank on it but it has very little LES which gives it the typical lid flat, dropping finish.

I've thrown the Salient version of this disc and it is a fun, unique mold. Tons of lid-like float paired with a very surprising amount of HSS. I could almost throw it with the power I give my Suspects, with a bit more hyzer, and it just flies straight. I've gotten some crazy approach shots with it, too.

I wouldn't seriously consider bagging the disc until it came in premium plastic, but it's a fun mold to throw for sure.

 

[sloppydisc]

I have a couple soft Rattlers fro pLying catch with my kids. Plus we throw a Zephyr and Hero Super Sonic once in a while. Cool to throw. It would probably do me some good to use themin rounds.

 

[Broken Shoulder]

DX Polecat. (Like Andy, because tbird wouldn't shut up about them. Seriously, thanks though.)

I have more fun throwing the Polecat than any other disc, for the same reasons tbird mentioned. And he's right that you need to throw it differently. It's the anti-crutch of golf discs, and I love it for that. It seems people are apprehensive of how to range it and overshooting their target, but spend a little time learning it and that's no problem at all. It's stable, better in the wind than you'd believe, and makes a sweet long range putter.

I recently bought a couple of Zephyrs also. I won't bag them in a tourney bag (for one they won't fit), but these are an absolute blast to throw also. And even slower than the Polecat!

Tldr: Learn to love your lid.
It freaks disc golfers out.

 

[BrotherDave]

If I bagged a DX (or R-Pro, or Champ) Polecat for only one reason it would be this: It makes those boring, long, approach shots on holes too poorly/well designed for my skill level actually fun and birdie-able.

My buddy that I started my disc golf journey with was making fun of my Polecat this weekend but I think he withdrew his ridicule internally when he had to put effort into missing long approaches with his Aviars whereas I just mindlessly ran the basket with the Polecat and occasionally hit metal. These discs are just the Easy button, it's like playing catch with the basket.

 

[JedV]

Polecats are fantastic. And much more comfortable in the hand than the Rattler in my experience.

 

[AndyJB]

Tbird:my Claws is holding up pretty well. However, since it's winter I'm not playing that much. There is a bit of gouging on the rim but so far no change in stability. I was worried about it a little because I'd heard so many comments about easy they eat up.

Cosmetically, my Claws looks rough. But it flies the same. A very unique lid.

 

[ian.]

love them all.. Rattler and Sonics the most though .. i have 3 aces with one of my pro d rattlers .. oddly enough i dont have ANY in the bag atm

 

[SpikeHyzer]

Big fan of the Rattler and Sonic, especially in the lighter weights. I really enjoyed the LockJaw from Salient, but agree with the others, broke in a little too fast. Has anybody found a softer dx Sonic? Most of the ones I've owned were in a fairly stiff dx blend. Wouldn't mind seeing an R-Pro or G* Sonic.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

people are scared to throw lids hard but its the gangster thing to do around these streets.

 

[Kodachrome]

I'd bag a zephyr if I didn't have polecats, got to throw it on Saturday. Either that or I'd hunt zeppelins.

Polecat has made my approach game the best and easiest part of the round. Almost boring. Almost.

Only aces this year were with polecats....of course on shorter holes but I had a few sweet throw-ins too.

 

[46YearOldSlinger]

Just curious, are most of you using your lids only for approaches? Does anyone use them as a primary putting putter? I've never tried a polecat but picked one up in a recent trade that is one the way so I'm excited to try it. I had some Birdie putters way back in the day that would hold a line great but index finger would sometimes grab the rim and I'll pull them right. I'm hoping I have better luck with the Polecat. We'll see...

 

[tbird888]

I used my Polecat for long (~60'+) putts for a while, but I went back to Wizards. They're now mostly for short holes and approaches. The R-Pro Polecat is hands down the best hit and stick disc in the game. It has some pretty impressive brakes.

 

[Broken Shoulder]

Sometimes I'll do longer or situational putts with a Polecat, yes, though it is not my primary putter.

People really do owe it to themselves to try a Polecat, or similar option.

 

[Kodachrome]

Just curious, are most of you using your lids only for approaches? Does anyone use them as a primary putting putter? I've never tried a polecat but picked one up in a recent trade that is one the way so I'm excited to try it. I had some Birdie putters way back in the day that would hold a line great but index finger would sometimes grab the rim and I'll pull them right. I'm hoping I have better luck with the Polecat. We'll see...

I drive and approach exclusively with my polecats unless it's really windy. Then I'll use my h1 or a roc.

I use my incredibly flippy polecat for putts that need to turnover and hold throughout the entire flight since none of my kc aviars are beat even close to that. Sometimes a little help is nice rather than trying to throw a really long anny putt.

 

[dx_roc]

how does a polecat fly compared to a rattlr? I like air bounce approach shots and was thinking of getting a sonic, wasn't a fan of how deep the rattlr was.

 

[The Last DJ]

Ultimate Frisbee is the only reason I even know disc golf exists. While the transition was a difficult one, I've grown to appreciate the lid-like disc golf molds. My favorite has to be the Zephyr. It's great for approach shots! I've only just added to the bag in the last few months but my plans are to play some of the shorter local courses with only the Zephyr and putter.

As an aside, I tossed a buddy's Innova Nova last night at putting league and I could compare it to an Ultimate-style disc. The flight is fairly neutral and it feels like a smaller lid in the hand. I'm not into the overmold construction so I won't throw them, but it might be a consideration for others...

I did pick up an odd disc from the Innova pro shop recently. Has anyone tried the Super Nova? It's more like the Pulsar than anything else I've thrown, but it has ridges somewhat like a thumb track and is lid-sized. Even my Zephyr can fit inside the rim of the Super Nova! I'm unsure if it's a PDGA approved disc, but the Super Nova is pretty fun for playing catch and warming up before a round...

 

[BrotherDave]

how does a polecat fly compared to a rattlr? I like air bounce approach shots and was thinking of getting a sonic, wasn't a fan of how deep the rattlr was.

Rattler takes a little more oomph to go straight, fade likes to kick in sooner I think. Polecat air bounces well, especially in weights below 165 (the lighter the more lid-tastic).