Starting to play frequently need help w/ bag

[BossRoss]

Vitals:
Years playing/experience: DG:about 30 times since march 2011
Right/left-handed/ambidextrous: right-handed
Throwing Style: RHBH, little or no off hand (hurts because of my form I think)
Golf Distance (avg/max*) for putter/mid/driver: star dart 180/200'; star shark 150/190'; DX wraith 260/~345 (2/5 times)



Optional:
Age: 20
Sex: M

Injuries/handicaps?: Acl Mcl meniscus tear complete with a bisection of the right hamstring to replace said tendons and a plastic wedge between the knee (I was 13 at the time of injury)

Other sport proficiencies?: Baseball, Water polo

Additional Information: My home course is OakGroove and its very windy here but its pretty much the only course in about 30 miles. Plastic is only sold at local REI and only comes in star and champion. Ive only have purchased a star dart and a star shark the rest are hand me downs from my older brother. OakGroove's holes distance doesn't get above 350 feet so I'm satisfied there. My knee when driving (x-step) or 2 stepping forehand hurts incredibly after. Is there a modified step or when I flick do I transfer my weight to hard (My forehand drive is 120/150 with the orc)


what do you like/dislike about your current bag?: my driving form is good (for my local course) but I just cant Dial down, I constantly over shoot in between 30-70' my mid range and almost nigh existent and my main goal is to get it in in two with a large drive or to pin it in four because I over shoot a 30' putt.

Specific areas of desired feedback: Do I have too fast of discs even though I can can control them pretty well? What should I be using in terms of mids?
Is it too early to use overstable discs?

Immediate and long-term goals: I'd like to learn a improvised step for forehand with knee injuries and try to kill all the habits I picked up for using fast discs so early.

Bag:
Drivers (weight/plastic/model/(condition)/use):
170 DX wraith,(moderately used) Main Driver, Flips I can get the most range
170 Champ orc,(virtually new) finesse shots and really easy to hammer throw sometimes OH but rarely
171 champ starfire (used) first driver now a roller

Mids:
177 star shark, (new) - bought this last week after using my friends for a round its really overstable and is the only disc I off hand because the low speed


Putters:
175 star dart, (new) had to replace a lost one but this is my most accurate disc I own. I can park this one from about 180 ft away
unkown DX Aviar (well beat) really flippy nice up shots and elevation glides easily.

Available:
175 champ Boss(new) first ace and retired it. I want a new one, haven't found one yet


Thank you for reading and all feedback would be helpful and be gentle to the first time poster.

 

[GLong]

i can't really comment on the pain in your knee. sounds like you aren't getting any pivot on your toe or heel. best way to get some help with that is post a video.

i would shelve the fast drivers for a little while. 260' with a wraith means you aren't getting anywhere near enough spin or arm speed to throw it properly. since you seem to like innova, you need to try their unofficial starter driver - the leopard. i would recommend some in pro plastic in the high 160s.

if you like the feel of the shark, try one in dx plastic in low 170s. at your power level, throwing lighter discs will give you more distance and also help reinforce better throwing habits. heavier discs require more spin/arm speed to fly 'as intended' and will fly overstable if thrown under that threshold. maybe try a dx stingray for an understable mid. they break in relatively quick and are easy to throw.

if you like the beat dx aviar, definitely get a fresh one. they are very straight with a little fade when new and break in nicely. all of these discs are available online, i recommend discgolfcenter. don't be limited by what you have available locally.

 

[bholy08]

Drop the long range drivers because you are hurting yourself more than helping. I would reccommend (innova since that seems what you are able to get) a leopard, and a teebird/eagle. Both are fairways that can be thrown really far on controlled lines. And I would add a dx roc for its versatility.

 

[Stud Muffin]

Drop the long range drivers because you are hurting yourself more than helping. I would reccommend (innova since that seems what you are able to get) a leopard, and a teebird/eagle. Both are fairways that can be thrown really far on controlled lines. And I would add a dx roc for its versatility.

^ this, only do not go out and buy a new dx/pro/champion teebird/eagle. I bought an older "11x cal teebird", and they are night and day different that what is put out today. Look on the Marketplace here and get a 11x cal teebird. Trust me, it is better to get a older disc that works for $15-$25, than to pay $10 for a disc that is a total waste of your time. I do not know about the eagles personally, but the teebirds I do.

I had a 'new' champion Teebird, and I threw it about 270', on a super good snap, I would get it to 295'. With the 11x cal Teebird, I throw it 290', and on a good snap 310'. May not seem like a lot of difference, but where I play it is the difference between a 30-50' putt, and a chance at being pin high.

 

[bholy08]

11x eagles are more stable so a 12x will get more distance. Same control for me but some people will say differently.

 

[HybridZombiw]

your bag is almost identical to my old setup when i first started. I had a starfirem orc, and wraith, as well as the Dart. Now if i could do my bag over again from the beginning it would be:

Opto River as a main stable driver to work on my form
11x or 12x Eagle as an overstable driver in the wind to get a feel on how to play with and against the wind
Z or Ti Buzzz (or Rocs) as it taught me how to do many many things from my form to trick shots. It is one of the most recommended discs for a reason.
Gator or other Overstable midrange. Now i have not tried a gator or any real os mids, i am trying a pain out right now as my os. I didn't recommended it as i feel it may not be the best os mid.
Your putter is fine for now (the Dart) as i did like my R-Pro dart, but lost it. Now I moved on to the Pure, and feel like i don't need to turn back again. An Overstable (OS) putter is also a good choice but may not be necessary for you at the time being.

In Short:
River
Eagle
Buzzz (or Rocs)
OS mid (maybe a vector)
Dart

Your starfire and orc are ok to keep in bag, as well as the shark. Keep the wraith out and work properly on your form and how to improve it. Don't make the same mistakes I did.

 

[Someth1ng]

don't go an buy old plastic. Learn the discs and see what you like before going down that path.

Dump all of your drivers.

Pick up a Leopard (pro) and a DX Teebird. should be cheap enough and will give you enough life to enjoy these discs until you get out to about 300-340 on your drives.

Add either a Roc or a Buzzz (I prefer the C-MD2 non domey) but you should be able to get a couple of DX rocs or a Esp/Z Buzzz and have a nice mid to start.

The rest of the bag is fine. Do not buy another Boss its a waste of money for you.

 

[Stud Muffin]

don't go an buy old plastic. Learn the discs and see what you like before going down that path.

On the threads you will read people saying do not throw warp speed drivers until you can throw a teebird 350. (you said 300-340)

It would take Nikko Locastro to throw my 12x Teebird 350. Some of them are just junk with zero glide.

The people who have played for years, telling people to start on Teebirds, were starting back in the day on 11x cal Teebirds. (or previous) Make sense?

Most older players are not aware how junky some of the new discs are, especially the older molds.

 

[Someth1ng]

the 12x champ I have isn't a glideless POS.

you have a kid at 20 who is best served buying cheaper plastic and getting a feel for what he is doing before you have him blowing cash on one disc that he could buy 2-3 for the same $$$.

 

[emerica1842]

Another vote for the leopard, they're easy to learn with. For now, just work on stand still drives, yeah it's frustrating, but it will help you tremendously. From my personal experience, I wish I had done this when I started playing because whether I use an X-step or not, my shots land roughly in the same spot. Also to help with overshooting your 30-70' mid range shots, use your putter instead of the shark, as you won't have to power it down as much as throwing a mid range disc. It's better to be 10-15' short using your putter than 20'+ past the basket from too much power, or a bad skip from your mids. Mid-range shots have much to do with finesse and smoothness of the throw, flat and straight through. Also like someone said, don't be limited by the selection of discs around you, try out all sorts of molds in dx and find what works for you.

 

[BossRoss]

Thank you all for the quick replies!

I would just like to say that the lack of discraft is mostly due to that in California they are pretty sparse as it is or as I can tell. Most of the "oldtimers" at my course use a lot of older Innova. Before I starting lurking the forums I had never seen/heard a Buzz, avenger, magnet. The only DC disc I've thrown is the one my older brother has found a Nuke OS (non inked) at his college at csumb but I couldn't get it up to speed I think.

The knee pain only occurs on the walk up of a RHFH Drive. which usually just hyzer into a wormburner.

Old plastic does sound interesting but on a minimum wage/college student's budget 20 bucks a week on disc golf is the max.

I usually shoot 57 at at a par 54 course that's heavily wooded those extra strokes are due to my terrible mid range

 

[Someth1ng]

yeah try DX, and rather than going to REI. I would suggest Discgolfcenter.com or marshallstreetdiscs.com

Both have live inventory with colors and weights. DGC has free shipping while ms has free shipping over $50. Both are great options.

 

[Stud Muffin]

the 12x champ I have isn't a glideless POS.

you have a kid at 20 who is best served buying cheaper plastic and getting a feel for what he is doing before you have him blowing cash on one disc that he could buy 2-3 for the same $$$.

I bought a 11x cal teebird earlier today on the Market here at dgcr for $15.

dx would cost $8-$10 anyways...

And congrats for having the first 12x Teebird someone is actually proud of.
...I threw mine in the garbage can, literally.

 

[ATrainWecker]

Thank you all for the quick replies!

I would just like to say that the lack of discraft is mostly due to that in California they are pretty sparse as it is or as I can tell. Most of the "oldtimers" at my course use a lot of older Innova. Before I starting lurking the forums I had never seen/heard a Buzz, avenger, magnet. The only DC disc I've thrown is the one my older brother has found a Nuke OS (non inked) at his college at csumb but I couldn't get it up to speed I think.

The knee pain only occurs on the walk up of a RHFH Drive. which usually just hyzer into a wormburner.

Old plastic does sound interesting but on a minimum wage/college student's budget 20 bucks a week on disc golf is the max.

I usually shoot 57 at at a par 54 course that's heavily wooded those extra strokes are due to my terrible mid range

I think I know who lost that Nuke OS.. Did your bro find it at Cypress on hole 5 on top of the building to the right of the teepad? lol

 

[BossRoss]

I think I know who lost that Nuke OS.. Did your bro find it at Cypress on hole 5 on top of the building to the right of the teepad? lol

It was on the practice course behind cypress next to the practice hole and the parking lot. Its was just sitting in one of those weird type of low bushes that where around the course. the parking lot was next to some abandoned military barracks from what my brother told me. He is a student there. The disk is/was non inked/moderately beat in.

It looked like someone threw it on the seventh hole and lost it