The bag of an aspiring minimalist

[Brockness Monster]

I will be participating in my first ever tournament on August 11th at the Whale Rock DGC in Paso Robles, CA. I figured I would need some kind of record of my practices in a medium that would allow others to make some suggestions and for me to make inquiries about any problems I am having with my setup. So here we go.

Vitals:
Years playing/experience: 2.5, profile says different because I took a hiatus due to injury after the first 2 years
Right/left-handed/ambidextrous: right-handed
Throwing Style: RHBH, RHFH and working on OH
Golf Distance (avg/max*) for putter/mid/driver: Aviar P&A: 170/200'; Mako3: 250/300'; Teebird: 290/340'


Optional:
Age: 36
Sex: M
Injuries/handicaps?: Lower Back, Right Shoulder
Other sport proficiencies?: Shotput, Discus and Javelin in High School
Additional Information: Did alot of weight lifting
What do you like/dislike about your current bag?: I like that it is super simple, I worry that I am missing something
Specific areas of desired feedback: plastic suggestions for my specific molds to get the most out of mold minimalism and any techniques people use to avoid injuries
Immediate and long-term goals: I'd like to have more consistency in the short-term, and gain some additional distance in the long-term. I would also like to get through this tournament without making a fool of myself.


Bag:

Drivers (weight/plastic/model/(condition)/use):
175 Champ Teebird, (9/10) - main driver
175 MF Teebird, (9/10) - FH and OH, also works well in Headwind
175 Star Firebird, (8/10) - Super Beef despite it being beat in a little
175 Glow Champ Alex G Firebird, (10/10) - Main Meathook
175 Luster Drew G Leopard3, (10/10) - Straight to US, gets a little more distance than my teebirds

Mids:
180 Champion Mako3, (9/10) - Main Mid/Approaches
180 Champion Mako3 (10/10) - Backup

Putters:
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A, (8/10) - Main Putter
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A, (9/10) - Backup

I have a good stock of Wraiths that will eventually make the bag, hopefully before the tournament. I also Have an Aviar3 that I have been toying around with for Approaches, Drives and Headwind Putts. I plan on having some of these discs beat in for different flight patterns, but with champ plastic that will take time.

Yesterday I practiced with the bag above. I did 18 holes with nothing but Mako3s and Aviars and another 18 adding in the Teebirds and Leopards. I found I get about the same number of pars either way, but the Leopards and Teebirds give me a better look at Birdie. The Aviars are not very good for approaches because the grip of the R-pro is causing them to get stuck in my finger creases, I think this is a good enough reason to add the Aviar3 to the bag. The only thing that seemed to aggravate my back was the long time duration mixed with constant bending over to pick up discs. My shoulder feels a little sore, but ready to go.

Any feedback and suggestions are welcome.

 

[lines]

Looks nice and simple. Maybe add a dx Aviar for better gripped upshots.

 

[discdrive]

There's no way you'll make a fool of yourself in this tournament. Love the bag and I think the Wraith would be a perfect addition.

 

[Grippenripp]

I like the Wraith, add it to the bag now. If I had any suggestion it'd be a long term one. Don't throw all champ, for that matter don't throw all premium plastic. If you're doing a minimalist bag you'll want multiple flight lines available from one mold so the seasoning of discs will be important. Also agree with theDX Aviar and I'll add stop throwing Rpro altogether(I hate it DX seasons better and is better to putt with) good luck at the tourney!

 

[Dr. Bogey]

That's a solid bag. DX Aviar for throwing is a good suggestion. You could also maybe try a more stable/overstable midrange like a Roc.

 

[Brockness Monster]

Alrighty, I am going to pick up a DX Aviar or two on my next purchase along with a DX Teebird because everyone seems to love them. For the OS Midrange, I am trying to hold out to try the Caiman when it comes out. If it ends up being a turd I am going to grab a mortar or a Buzzz OS. The only issue I have with the Roc is the bead. My fingers have alot of padding from lifting weights so the discs with beads and sharp edges on the bottom tend to catch in my finger creases. Until I can get ahold of a Caiman I will probably be using the Aviar3 and that super beef Firebird for OS Midrange duties.

 

[PureAngus]

Alrighty, I am going to pick up a DX Aviar or two on my next purchase along with a DX Teebird because everyone seems to love them. For the OS Midrange, I am trying to hold out to try the Caiman when it comes out. If it ends up being a turd I am going to grab a mortar or a Buzzz OS. The only issue I have with the Roc is the bead. My fingers have alot of padding from lifting weights so the discs with beads and sharp edges on the bottom tend to catch in my finger creases. Until I can get ahold of a Caiman I will probably be using the Aviar3 and that super beef Firebird for OS Midrange duties.

When I was big into powerlifting I used to cut off and file down my callouses. Having them get caught on something and ripped off isn't very pleasant...

 

[Brockness Monster]

Very true, I haven't lifted in almost 5 years and my hands have long since gone soft, but my finger pads are still puffy.

Anyone have any opinion on the Glow DX Plastic, Im thinking of going white with all of my putters instead of purple and Glow DX would be an easy way to do that.

 

[lines]

Glow dx is just a touch slicker than regular dx to start. Once broken in, they feel similar.
P.s.. Try a gstar teebird.

 

[Animage]

I'd keep an r-pro for the approach shots. My r-pro dart was amazing at sticking when I approached, but couldn't putt for **** with them.

 

[Brockness Monster]

I started out putting with R-Pro Darts, problem was if I missed I had a longer shot coming back. Those things glide for days. At one point I thought about replacing my Mako3s with Darts for my straight shots and grabbing an OS midrange like a buzzz OS or MD3

 

[Bardu]

Your bag looks really good. I agree with everyone else that a Wraith would be the finishing touch. What you have going is well developed and you should probably get as much life out of this setup as you can.

• I've had some success with 9 speeds like the Sidewinder and Valkyrie, other people like the Roadrunner. You could see what you can do with discs in that class, you already have a couple Firebirds.
  
• How flippy is your Leopard? I'd potentially try GStar Leopard and/or TeeBird and see if it adds something to your bag.
  
• If you are having problems with R-Pro, Aviar3, DX P&A, and KC Pro are all good calls.
  
• Do you power your Firebirds down OS utility?

Good luck at the tournament, it looks like you are well prepared.

 

[Brockness Monster]

Your bag looks really good. I agree with everyone else that a Wraith would be the finishing touch. What you have going is well developed and you should probably get as much life out of this setup as you can.

• I've had some success with 9 speeds like the Sidewinder and Valkyrie, other people like the Roadrunner. You could see what you can do with discs in that class, you already have a couple Firebirds.
  
• How flippy is your Leopard? I'd potentially try GStar Leopard and/or TeeBird and see if it adds something to your bag.
  
• If you are having problems with R-Pro, Aviar3, DX P&A, and KC Pro are all good calls.
  
• Do you power your Firebirds down OS utility?

Good luck at the tournament, it looks like you are well prepared.

I have thought long and hard about bagging a sidewinder or roadrunner, I am just afraid that there will be overlap with the Leopard3. For a long time I threw Valkyries and I love them, but again I fear they will overlap with the Leopard3.

My Leopard3 is not quite flippy yet, thrown hard I can get a nice slow right hand turn out of it that fades out to about even with the line it started on. Thank you for the suggestion to grab a Gstar Leopard3, I have heard they tend to be flippier, I just hadn't made that connection in my head yet. Eventually the Leopard3s will be replaced with the Teebirds as they get flippy.

No real problems with R-Pro plastic except for a little hang up every now and then on driving, in fact it is my favorite for putters. Everyone recommends DX plastic for putters though so I am going to give that a shot. I will probably grab an XT putter as well, just to be thorough.

I do power down on the Firebird for OS utility duties and it has served me very well so far, especially after grabbing an Alex G FB because it spans the gap between my super beef *FB and my MF Teebird.

I am going out for another long practice round today and I have my pro wraith in the bag so that I can start beating it up. My plan for today is to throw in 3s and take my worst Lie each time so that I can practice scrambling. I will be driving with the Pro Wraith on every hole, so that I can get used to how it flies again.

I am very curious as to what people think of how a brand new roadrunner or sidewinder flies in different plastics. I am looking for something with a moderate sustained right hand turn and minimal fade. This was what I had purchased the Leo3 for, but didn't realize how straight it would be at first.

 

[Brockness Monster]

Practice round yesterday evening

Bag:

Distance Drivers:
175g Pro Wraith - Pure D

Fairway Drivers:
175 Champ Teebird - Main Driver
175 MF Teebird - FH and OH, also works well in Headwind
175 Star Firebird - Super Beef despite it being beat in a little
175 Glow Champ Alex G Firebird - Main Meathook
175 Luster Drew G Leopard3 - Straight to US, gets a little more distance than my teebirds

Mids:
180 Champion Mako3 - Main Mid/Approaches
180 Champion Mako3 - Backup

Putters:
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A - Main Putter
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A - Backup

Practice was good. Threw 3 discs each time and took the worst lie to practice my scramble. the Mako3 and some finesse shots with the Aviars are pretty clutch for me right now. I am getting some really good flight off of the Wraiths, so I will likely add my star and champ wraith to the bag on my next practice to see how they are flying for me now.

Haven't made an order for discs yet, probably wont until the end of the month which gives me very little time to break in and try DX plastic for my Aviars and Teebirds

 

[Brockness Monster]

Another practice round yesterday evening

Bag:

Distance Drivers:
175g Pro Wraith - Pure D
168g Champ Wraith - Long range meathook
164g Star Wraith - Stable to slightly US *currently still in a tree on the course*

Fairway Drivers:
175 Champ Teebird - Main Driver
175 MF Teebird - FH and OH, also works well in Headwind
175 Star Firebird - Super Beef despite it being beat in a little
175 Glow Champ Alex G Firebird - Main Meathook
175 Luster Drew G Leopard3 - Straight to US, gets a little more distance than my teebirds

Mids:
180 Champion Mako3 - Main Mid/Approaches
180 Champion Mako3 - Backup

Putters:
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A - Main Putter
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A - Backup


Practice was awesome. Something clicked into place and I found the power center in my shoulder, my throws had more distance and really good flight without any pain. I parked my Pro Wraith from the teepad twice and I had a 150' throw in with an Aviar. I was getting some nice flip action with the Leopard3 and the Pro Wraith. Only downer is I have a disc stuck about 40' high in a cypress tree. That thing will not be moving anytime soon. My bag was getting a little crowded anyways

 

[TN Teebird]

Not sure how you feel about a Roc,but it is by far the best midrange I have ever thrown. I've thrown every Innova mid and the ROC for me does it all when cycled. I carry 4 in my bag and they cover all my shots. It's a slower mid but you can get some good distance when you hit them right. Now saying that I'm not a fan of the Roc+ or the Roc3. They don't feel the same in the hand and going from a minimalist standpoint you want that same feel in the hand.

Now onto adding DX versions. The Firebird doesn't need a DX version,cuz Firebird. Lol. Your Wraiths and Teebirds could use a DX version in the bag. I know it's just DX but your eyes will light up when you throw these. In the Teebirds I suggest a Glo and DX as both have different lines.

 

[Brockness Monster]

Not sure how you feel about a Roc,but it is by far the best midrange I have ever thrown. I've thrown every Innova mid and the ROC for me does it all when cycled. I carry 4 in my bag and they cover all my shots. It's a slower mid but you can get some good distance when you hit them right. Now saying that I'm not a fan of the Roc+ or the Roc3. They don't feel the same in the hand and going from a minimalist standpoint you want that same feel in the hand.

Now onto adding DX versions. The Firebird doesn't need a DX version,cuz Firebird. Lol. Your Wraiths and Teebirds could use a DX version in the bag. I know it's just DX but your eyes will light up when you throw these. In the Teebirds I suggest a Glo and DX as both have different lines.

Thanks for the suggestions TNT. I really want to like the Roc because everyone likes the Roc. I just cant throw beaded discs as well as non beaded and even the sharp edge on the rim of the Shark is just a little too much, though I am getting used to the edge on the Aviar so maybe that is changing. So far, despite living in a windy area, I have got on pretty well without an OS mid. I really want to add a brick though, so I am hoping the Caiman will fill that role when it comes out. I think in the interest of keeping it minimal I will eventually need to move on from the Mako3, moving toward something slightly OS and having a small cycle of 2 or 3 going. I just don't know whether I suck it up and start throwing Rocs or grab something akin to the MD3.

I hear really good things about DX Teebirds and they will be in the bag as soon as I make my next order along with a Gstar which also comes highly recommended. Are the DX Glow more OS? How do the DX Wraiths compare to Pro? I imagine they have more glide and might be slightly more US, but I have never thrown one.

I have been thinking of adding a lightweight Firebird for OH and Forehand. I have been working on these shots for a while now, but they always hurt my shoulder so I am hoping a lighter weight will help. I also have a Blizzard Wraith that I will be trying out for distance Forehands. I should be testing that out this afternoon to see how it works for me. I it works pretty well I might try a starlite Teebird for Forehands also, but I dont know how necessary that will be if I get a lightweight FB.

 

[TN Teebird]

Thanks for the suggestions TNT. I really want to like the Roc because everyone likes the Roc. I just cant throw beaded discs as well as non beaded and even the sharp edge on the rim of the Shark is just a little too much, though I am getting used to the edge on the Aviar so maybe that is changing. So far, despite living in a windy area, I have got on pretty well without an OS mid. I really want to add a brick though, so I am hoping the Caiman will fill that role when it comes out. I think in the interest of keeping it minimal I will eventually need to move on from the Mako3, moving toward something slightly OS and having a small cycle of 2 or 3 going. I just don't know whether I suck it up and start throwing Rocs or grab something akin to the MD3.

I hear really good things about DX Teebirds and they will be in the bag as soon as I make my next order along with a Gstar which also comes highly recommended. Are the DX Glow more OS? How do the DX Wraiths compare to Pro? I imagine they have more glide and might be slightly more US, but I have never thrown one.

I have been thinking of adding a lightweight Firebird for OH and Forehand. I have been working on these shots for a while now, but they always hurt my shoulder so I am hoping a lighter weight will help. I also have a Blizzard Wraith that I will be trying out for distance Forehands. I should be testing that out this afternoon to see how it works for me. I it works pretty well I might try a starlite Teebird for Forehands also, but I dont know how necessary that will be if I get a lightweight FB.

You know I could see the MD3 complimenting the Mako3. You have a disc you can manipulate for different angles then you have a disc that you know will always be over stable in premium plastics. There is nothing wrong with carrying 2,3 or 4 different molds in a Midrange.It's just I prefer 1. My game revolves around my Rocs since I'm in my late 30's now. I like 1 mold that can do many things instead of 3 or 4,too many molds confuses my brain lol.

My DX Glo is more under stable than my DX counterpart. Then one I have is a little domey with a little wear,but when it was fresh it flew pretty similar to what it does now with less HSS. Still If you like Teebirds and use em as much as I do the Glo version is a must for your bag.

The DX Wraiths I have thrown has always been straighter out of the box for me. I throw mine a lot farther than my Pros.

Not sure if weight can make a difference in arm pain with overhands. Throwing a baseball or throwing overhand is an awkward motion for the shoulder. When I was younger I threw overhand with no pain,but as I got older I only did this throw if I needed to due to the pain I felt the next day. Same goes with forehands for me,I'm backhand dominate and only do a forehand if it is all I got.

 

[Brockness Monster]

Another practice round yesterday evening

Bag:

Distance Drivers:
175g Pro Wraith - Pure D
168g Champ Wraith - Long range meathook
144g Blizzard Wraith - Not a fan of this so far

Fairway Drivers:
175 Champ Teebird - Main Driver
175 MF Teebird - FH and OH, also works well in Headwind
175 Star Firebird - Super Beef despite it being beat in a little
175 Glow Champ Alex G Firebird - Main Meathook
175 Luster Drew G Leopard3 - Straight to US, gets a little more distance than my teebirds

Mids:
180 Champion Mako3 - Main Mid/Approaches
180 Champion Mako3 - Backup

Putters:
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A - Main Putter
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A - Backup

Added the Blizzard Wraith to the bag to try out for FH and OH.

Practice was different. RHBH is still progressing nicely, but I seem to be having problems my Forehand. I sank every putt from about 35ft in and even canned a couple 50 footers. the problem with that is my approaches were a little off leaving me with these longer putts. still driving 3 times per tee and taking the worst lie to practice my scramble, but my Mako3s kept overshooting the basket and the Aviars kept catching on my finger creases and ending up short. The only good approach I had all evening was a FB flick that parked under the basket.

 

[Brockness Monster]

Another practice round yesterday evening

Bag:

Distance Drivers:
175g Pro Wraith - Pure D
168g Champ Wraith - Long range meathook
144g Blizzard Wraith - Not a fan of this so far

Fairway Drivers:
175 Champ Teebird - Main Driver
175 MF Teebird - FH and OH, also works well in Headwind
175 Star Firebird - Super Beef despite it being beat in a little
175 Glow Champ Alex G Firebird - Main Meathook
175 Luster Drew G Leopard3 - Straight to US, gets a little more distance than my teebirds

Mids:
180 Champion Mako3 - Main Mid/Approaches
180 Champion Mako3 - Backup

Putters:
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A - Main Putter
171 R-Pro Aviar P&A - Backup

Very windy practice. Stopped throwing Wraiths after the 2nd hole, my Teebirds and Leopard3 were getting more distance so I think I'm having some form issues. actually felt really comfortable without the Wraiths.

My approaches were hairy at first especially with my Aviars. Ended up having to throw the Aviars with a 70 degree hyzer to get them to pop up to flat on a throw of 60% power. by the time I got to hole 12 I was grabbing pars again from the scramble.

My putting is progressing really nicely. I sank a couple more 50 footers and sank some 1st circle shots with some crazy crosswind. Always had a problem with crosswind before, but I think I have it down now.

All in all it was a really good practice round despite the heavy wind. I think now more than ever that I need to grab a Midrange that will hold up in the wind. I'm thinking a Buzzz or MD3/MD4