Newer player to the sport, in need of advice

[FB6Ryan]

Hi my name is Ryan, (I apologize in advance for the long read)

I have been playing for maybe just about a year, but with the frequency I am able to get out discing due to work and weather probably still am throwing as someone who has only been playing for a couple of months. I am blessed to have 6-7 disc golf courses all within a 10 minute drive of my house, and all with varying degrees of difficulty and even have heard that Ragna Bygde lives in my town, I know I have seen her teeing off a couple times! I feel like with these kind of circumstances there is no reason I should have waited so long to pick this up, but lets just say the normal high school sports (football, basketball, soccer, etc.) aren't really my thing so I don't tend to care about any sport. I never gave a thought to picking up this sport until I was bored and got distracted by a display of discs in a local "2nd hand" video game shop with all these beat up used discs. It was just beautiful. I thought that surely these number ratings were just some marketing ploy cooked up to trick people into buying a "bigger, faster, farther flying disc" so I did some research and let me "eat crow" and say I was so wrong in my thinking.

Needless to say I have fallen in love...and have been hooked ever since my first game. It is now seemingly more than a hobby, it is something that allows me to go and disconnect from the world and just be with nature (something I really drastically needed) or put in my earphones and turn my music up and rip out a disc as hard as I can!

When I first started out I went out to buy some disc's and found a good deal on the Innova Starter set (only $15!) and used just those three discs for a majority of my first six months. I have since given them away to people hoping to help spark interest in my group of friends. Without those discs I decided I needed more discs, so I started buying discs individually and now I can officially say that I have a disease, lol. It seems like every month or so I am buying or trading for new discs, I just love this community and the fact that people are always trying new discs to get that little bit more of control or that extra 25 feet out of a throw, it shows that this sport is just going to continue to grow and flourish!

The discs I currently have in my bag are

Putters:

Discraft Pro-D Soft Magnet-167-169g
3x-300 Prodigy Pa3-(2)173g, 174g
350G Prodigy P3 Proto-Undetermined Weight

Mid Range:

Innova DX Roc-172g
2x-Innova KC Pro Roc-165g, 168g

Fairway:

400 Prodigy F7-167g
Westside Tournament Plastic Underworld-173g
Innova Champion Leopard-168g
Dynamic Disc Lucid Thief-172g
Dynamic Disc BioFuzion Escape-175g
Latitude 64 Opto Line Saint-170g
Latitude 64 Opto Line Saint Pro-173g (Rarely ever thrown, mostly there for trade purpose)

Distance:

Innova DX Dragon-150g
Innova DX Sidewinder-170g
Innova Star Sidewinder-Undetermined Weight
Innova Star Valkyrie- 168g
Innova DX Destroyer-170g
Innova Champion Firebird-170g (Rarely ever thrown, mostly there for trade purposes)
Discraft Wildcat-Undetermined Weight
M.I.A. June 1, 2015 Westide VIP Northman- 174g (Was my go to Driver and I lost it and spent over a hour looking for it only to come out of the woods empty handed and with a piece of my heart missing...guess that's what I get for playing alone)

Discs to "sweeten" trade deals:

2x Innova DX Teebird-168g, 175g (Flight ratings not listed on them so I'm assuming they are a older run, both way to beat and understable)
Innova DX Eagle-171g
Innova DX Leopard-150g (First disc so I keep it more for more as a momento)



I find that speed 9-11 Drivers in the late 160 to low 170 grams range match my arm speed the best, unfortunately my form is absolutely horrendous and I tend to turn the disc over to the right (I throw RHBH) almost immediately as if it is a almost ground level anhyzer shot, probably learned that bad habit from trying to counter act the inevitable habit of throwing a disc too high and stalling it out when I was first learning. It is amazing because for a while I was consistently bombing shots 300' and my distance and accuracy was improving, but then I had to lay off discing for about a month because I was throwing out my shoulder throwing thumbers with my Valkyrie. When I came back every bit of progress I had made was gone, still to this day my right shoulder will give me fits it I thrown anything overhand, which sucks because I used to be able to thumb a disc within two feet of hitting chains all day on a certain hole at one of my home courses.

I am still constantly working on my "X-Step" practicing slow to help develop consistency, even practicing throwing with no X-Step. I have watched almost every tutorial on YouTube, and know that distance and control come over time. I do have some small problems with my back periodically which doesn't allow me to get a good reach back like I should, just a excuse I know...

It just gets kinda discouraging having to go retrieve a disc in the bushes to the right, right off the tee on a "right to left" hole every time I through or even worst...water hazard on a "left to right" hole...through the thick trees...knee deep in mud and goose droppings...shudders...everytime you throw...

I have found that I can't do a power grip, I guess I can't figure out what I am supposed to do with my thumb to properly support the disc, lol. So I do more of a modified powergrip with my middle finger being used to support the bottom of the flight plate, a local pro called it more of a "control" grip. Maybe that is where most of my problem is, because that causes the disc to release a little bit flatter or even nosed down a little??? I know no two players use the same grip and what some people use doesn't work for everyone. Don't even get me started on how bad my forehand throws are...can you say more of "flies ten feet and continues the rest of the time as a forehand roller shot"...

My mid range game seems to be pretty good and I can typically park a mid range as my second throw within 20 feet of the basket of a open hole, most the time within 10-15 feet. Periodically it has the same problem driving my drivers have with the turn to the right immediately after release. My putting game improved alot when I changed up to more of a "McBeth" style of grip today, I was able to gain distance, accuracy and a little extra confidence nailing 85%+ of my practice putts from at least 18 ft away!

I just play for fun and I know I am maybe overly critical of myself and that I think too much, everyone who knows me tells me that all the time. That is only because I know from my time as a musician how much practice it takes to really learn something and own it well enough that you can enjoy it. I just can't help but overthink it, I have to go through the steps in my head down to every micro movement, I wish I could just throw without a thought in my mind, but in reality that is near impossible for me to do. I think I also have a problem with the anxiety of knowing others see me throw and laughing at and most certainly comparing me, even if they don't do it publicly I know they are doing it on the inside. Lol paranoid much? I don't necessarily want to go into detail about why I think about stuff like that, just stuff from my past I would rather forget...

Anyways now that I have bored you with my life story here is where I need some advice. How solid does my bag sound for a someone who is in between a beginner and casual player? There are some discs I which when I throw them and get a good release (Destroyer, Wildcat, and Underworld) just get that flight that I am sure all of you know where it is just like time freezes and all you see is the disc dancing in the sky, gliding through the wind, carving the perfect line you wanted, slowly fading and making it's descent to the ground landing within mere feet of the basket. That is the kind of shot I want to do, it transports me to a different world.

Disc golf has become my new passion and I just want my performance to show just how passionate I am!

Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks in advance for any insight you might share!

Ryan

 

[Moose33]

Hey Ryan, for the most part your bag looks pretty good for a beginner, you've got a lot of overlap with your drivers but your mid and putter setup is fine.

I'd probably pick three drivers, the Leo, Saint and Valk would be good and leave the rest at home. Then adjust from there. The Leo becomes too understable start using the Teebird, etc.

Welcome to the addiction, best of luck to you!

 

[FB6Ryan]

Thanks, I went out today and played for over six hours using your advice of just taking those three drivers and needless to say I shot one of the bast games of my life, lol. My Valkyrie was on point like it used to be and the Saint was gliding for days by the last round!

I am now finding though that my disc is releasing a little earlier than I want it to from my hand, does that mean I should grip it harder? I have tried gripping it harder, but that seems to cause it to release to late...is it something which is more about feel which I should develop over time?

After looking around on this site for a while I found some pretty helpful tips which broke everything down step by step and it was just the kind of tool I needed to help step up my game. Currently in the process of reading them like crazy and studying every picture I see.

I can't wait until next weekend to hopefully go out to get my drives even closer to the pin and maybe shoot my first negative round! Today I got pretty close with a +2!!!

 

[SD86]

Hello, and welcome. You didn't tell us what level of beat-in and what uses you have for your discs, so in the absence of that information I'd have to say that I agree that you have some serious overlap in your control and distance drivers. For example, the Valkyrie and Sidewinder are pretty similar discs, and you could take at least one of the three discs you listed out of your bag, if not two of them. You likely could weed out your other higher-speed discs, as well. Have fun out there!

 

[FB6Ryan]

Hello, and welcome. You didn't tell us what level of beat-in and what uses you have for your discs, so in the absence of that information I'd have to say that I agree that you have some serious overlap in your control and distance drivers. For example, the Valkyrie and Sidewinder are pretty similar discs, and you could take at least one of the three discs you listed out of your bag, if not two of them. You likely could weed out your other higher-speed discs, as well. Have fun out there!

Hi thanks most of the drivers in my bag are pretty well beat in as most were purchased used. All the Fairway drivers are like new and in a 9/10 condition, but as for distance drivers the Valkyrie is probably a 6/10, both Sidewinders are probably about 7/10, the Destroyer is probably 7/10 As of right now I haven't exactly dialed in which discs I use for which shots, still learning how the discs fly. With how inconsistent my technique is, it is hard to get similar flights out of the same disc so figuring out a role for each disc is a little hard at the moment, but I can always count on some like the Saint and Escape to have a soft fade at the end. Even my Destroyer is fading pretty soft.

All of my Roc's except the 168g one are probably a 8/10, but the 168g is the one I throw the most and it has hit every tree and every patch of road in it's path so it is now probably a 7/10, man does that thing fly straight...

Putters are used just for putts, don't really mess around throwing them often unless it is a very short and straight hole, which in that case I take out my 168g Roc to throw.

Most of my drives are done with my Saint, Escape and Valkyrie unless there is a left hook at the end then I try with my Destroyer with a little more hyzer or if I feel really crazy just for fun the Saint Pro.

If a hole calls for forehand the only disc I throw is the Wildcat which is probably also a 7/10 condition wise, it seems to be the only disc I can consistently throw forehand with and make it go straight. Sometimes it will have a fade to the left at the end of it's flight also.

Like I said I'm still learning alot and trying to work on developing my technique, and mostly getting discs based on friends recommendations. Which is what has led to the overlap. I definitely need to consolidate my drivers and find ones to fill each role.