[Discraft] Number of Discs?

[Slushpuppiediscs]

I am a new disc golfer and i would like to know how many discs i need to be the best i can without breaking the bank. How many Mid-ranges, Drivers, putters? thanks for the help!

 

[wims]

Technically you only *need* one disc, however, as you get more skilled you realize that you want to have a certain disc for a certain type of shot. When you feel that your current set of discs can't cover a shot then it might be time to get a new disc. There's no point in buying 50 discs the first month imo, keep it simple

 

[sisyphus]

Most folks starting out really need to try a variety of discs to determine what's best for them. The irony is that, as your game evolves, the 'best' (and best number of) discs will also change. I think a good rule of thumb would be to start with a putter, a mid-range and a fairway driver, typically understable. When you have a feel for your putter, pick up a couple more almost exactly like it, so you can teach yourself the muscle memory of putting without breaking the feeling of your form.

You'll add in other mids and fairways over time, but the best advice that you'll hear often is not to go hog-wild blowing the budget on high speed drivers early on. They don't fly farther just because it says 11, 12, 13 or 14 for the speed. They fly farther for the pros because they know how to throw them far.

I have only been playing 4 & 1/2 years, but I'll see the number of bagged discs for many tournament players settle in at a dozen (plus or minus six!), and those are often duplicates of the same mold that have been 'weathered in'. You really only need a small handful of discs if you know exactly what they'll do for you. The fun comes in trying out a ton of stuff until a disc 'clicks' for your form!

 

[hugheshilton]

I think the obvious answer to this question is.... one! A stable to slightly understable putter can be putted and thrown very effectively. If you were going to add to that, I'd say a stable mid range like a Shark or Buzzz will make a very good disc to throw on most holes while you are learning. If you still feel like you'd like to reach for a little more distance, an understable fairway driver like a Leopard will work well. I wouldn't buy anything faster than speed 9 or anything very overstable starting out because fast, overstable discs will teach you to throw with bad form in order to try to correct for the fact that you can't get them up to speed yet.

Also, I'm just giving examples of discs. There are literally TONS of stable putters, midranges, and understable fairway drivers to choose from. If you know how to read the flight numbers, you can go into a disc store and walk out with discs that fit those slots from most manufacturers that will probably work fine.

 

[SD86]

I am a new disc golfer and i would like to know how many discs i need to be the best i can without breaking the bank. How many Mid-ranges, Drivers, putters? thanks for the help!

Hoo boy, are you going to get some replies for this... opcorn:

First, it'll depend on how far and well you throw. I recommend you get one of the starter sets from either Innova or Dynamic Discs, which usually have three discs (some may have four): a putter, a mid, and what is now termed a fairway driver.

Second: I usually carry 16 discs in my Fade Crunch Box bag. However, the other day I took three discs (Valkyrie, Sockibomb Compass, Warden putter) and shot as well as I do with that bag of 16 discs. Admittedly, I had a very good day with those three discs, there was no winds so I did not need the "windy weather" discs, but the point is that more isn't always better. Now if and when you get to tournaments, that's a different story....

 

[KniceZ]

This has been discussed a lot. Most folks use <10-12 discs in any one round. Some even use only 3 disc (putter, mid, fairway). But some carry 20+ to have back-ups and specialty discs that rarely get used.

To "be the best I can" depends on your distance (no benefit from high speed drivers), your consistency (not consistent enough to warrant a lot of different stabilities), courses played (might not need some really over or under stable discs), etc.

Are you looking to "be the best you can" right now or being even better in the future? If the latter, many folks will recommend going out and doing one or two disc rounds till you really know how to control the discs.

So while there's no simple answer, I recommend going to the Bag Suggestions sub-page and the top thread provides some good advise on building a bag.

 

[grotto]

if your just starting, this is a good thread to help you along.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32790

 

[Puckstopper]

The short answer is pick a very few discs (3-4) and learn them well.

It's way to easy to get sucked into buying a ton of discs that do little to help your game (says the man who has bought a Defy, Stego, and Undertaker this week...). Early on you're better off buying a few classic/popular molds. Think Aviar, Envy, Buzzz, Teebird/Eagle, Leopard, River, etc... These molds have held on to their popularity over a period of time, and are staple molds in many players bags for a reason. Personally I don't think you could go wrong with a bag made up of a JK Aviar, Z Buzzz, Star Leopard, and DX Teebird or Eagle whichever you prefer. I liked the more flexible JK Aviars over the harder KC's back when I threw Aviars. You'll have the Buzzz forever, so you might as well buy it in a premium plastic. A Star Leopard will break in faster than a Champ, but stay in the sweet spot longer than Pro or DX, and a DX Teebird will be about as fast a disc as you want to try early on. You should be able to have fun on just about every course I've ever played (at least from the short tees) with those 4 discs, and you can always try similar molds to see if anything fits you better. As an example, I'd roll with a bag of Envy, Buzzz, Relay, Teebird if I wanted to try something similar because the Envy and Relay fit me better than the Aviar and Leopard. Other similar discs would be Wizards or Ions for the putter, Roc, Axis, Ibex or Alias for the mids, maybe a Heat or Onyx for the US driver and a River, Undertaker, or Volt for the main driver. Sorry I don't have a lot of Prodigy/Trilogy suggestions, I'm not really a fan of their discs.

At the end of the day it's 95% you and 5% the disc you choose.

 

[armiller]

I am a new disc golfer and i would like to know how many discs i need to be the best i can without breaking the bank. How many Mid-ranges, Drivers, putters? thanks for the help!

Since this is your first post ever, I'm tempted to come up with a ridiculous answer...

But now I'll resist and just post the link to the classic "How to Build a Bag" thread.

Starting with 3-5 discs might very well help you to be the best you can in the long run, though you'll probably increase the size of your bag as you get better. For new players, there are a still a couple advantages to having more discs, which include: 1) more discs to practice with, and 2) you start to intuitively understand how discs can behave differently.

 

[blake13]

I'd recommend using 5 discs to cover all your shots for a while. An overstable utility disc, a stable fairway driver, an understable fairway drive, a straight or stable mid, and a neutral putter.

If you learn to throw those 5 types of discs for all types of shots (BH, FH, hyzer, anhyzer, straight), you can learn how to throw very well. Don't fall into the trap that you need more discs or a certain disc to get better. Until you work on the basics of throwing a flying disc well, new discs won't help in the long run.

Champ Firebird (170g)
Star TeeBird -or- Icon Rival (170g)
Pro Leopard (175g)
Champ Mako3 -or- DX Roc -or- Buzzz (177g)
DX Aviar (175g)

That would be a good lineup to start with if you are planning on playing consistently.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kidd Mack]

Keep in mind a lot of people with bags stuffed with discs keep extras of a mold they love. I carry up to 7 destroyers at a time depending on the course (they all fly a little different and are used for different shots). Also ask people to try their plastic so you don't have to spend 15 bucks on a disc only to find out you don't like it. Most people at my local courses don't mind someone in their group trying a disc they love and rave about. Biggest peice of advice is start with something slow and strait. Learn how to make it do what you want, not what the disc wants. That comes later.

 

[Streets]

if your just starting, this is a good thread to help you along.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32790

Nice post Grotto. This is really the only info this thread needs.

 

[pauldst]

I have sometimes wished that I could go back and talk to myself 4 years ago about what discs to buy; I would not have bought half the discs that I have bought.

To "be the best I can" depends on your distance (no benefit from high speed drivers), your consistency (not consistent enough to warrant a lot of different stabilities), courses played (might not need some really over or under stable discs), etc.

In addition to what KniceZ asked, do you have to deal with significant winds? Water that is in play? Woods/forest holes? Significant areas of rough where you may lose discs? Plus, how strong are you?

If, like me, you aren't real strong, but have to deal with some strong winds sometimes, you might want to have both a light and a heavy of several discs. For example, for me that means that I have both a 148g Leopard and a 171g, with the latter for when I might be throwing in significant tailwinds.

If I were talking to myself 4 years ago: KC-Pro Polecat, a Blowfly and a Blowfly II (for little or no ricochet in woods, for less rolling on hills, and for around water), a Vector (or a KC-Pro Roc), an Axis, a Stingray, a light Star Leopard, a heavy Star Leopard or an Amp, 2 Star Teebirds (light and heavy), and a mid weight Champ Viking, and a Volt. 12 discs for a noodle arm who has to sometimes deal with a lot of wind and trees, and with water. I would also tell myself to use those putters and mids as much as possible.

 

[World Eater]

All of them.

The answer is you need all the discs.

Otherwise you wont know which ones are the good ones.

You could try listening to these people about which ones are good and which ones arent, but unless you're new to the internet as well as disc golf then you know a lot of the information you find on the internet is biased, hyperbolic or simply inaccurate.

Which means you're going to have to buy all the discs just to find out who's making sh!t up.

Glad I could help!

 

[kevdiv48]

if your just starting, this is a good thread to help you along.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32790

Since this is your first post ever, I'm tempted to come up with a ridiculous answer...

But now I'll resist and just post the link to the classic "How to Build a Bag" thread.

Starting with 3-5 discs might very well help you to be the best you can in the long run, though you'll probably increase the size of your bag as you get better. For new players, there are a still a couple advantages to having more discs, which include: 1) more discs to practice with, and 2) you start to intuitively understand how discs can behave differently.

Nice post Grotto. This is really the only info this thread needs.

Excellent work gents, I came here to post the link to that classic thread. :hfive:

 

[INTP]

Several putters so you can put in some serious practice, then at the bare minimum I would say 2 mids/fairways and mayyyyybe 2 distance drivers if you have the power to throw them further than the mids/fairways go.

I think 2 discs for each 'range' would be useful. One low fade, one high fade.
You should be able to shape basically any shot with that difference. Turn/flip can be adjusted with release angles. (This is oversimplified so calm down, eager factoid beavers)

 

[Mr. Butlertron]

3-4
neutral/stable putter
neutral/stable mid
neutral/stable fairway or control driver
overstable utility

 

[mike.sepulveda.73]

I bag 20.
Overstable, stable, understable for drivers, fairways and mids. A couple putters, and some utility discs.


Thumb smashed on my Galaxy Note 4

 

[mike.sepulveda.73]

But starting out you could easily get away with a neutral driver, fairway, mid, and a couple putters. Depending on skill level, course type, and weather.

Thumb smashed on my Galaxy Note 4

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

Putter
Mid
Fairway driver
Control driver
Distance driver

All you need. Anything else is just extra hahahaha.