Throwing straight...

[prettyboyfloyd]

I played a round at newer 9 hole course at Takena Landing in Albany OR and walked into the small league run at noon on Thursdays.

The course is mostly short tunnel type shots. I ended up playing in a group with Nate Sexton (probably the best pro disc golfer in the Pacific NW since Feldberg moved). Really nice guy and really freaking good. We played two rounds and he was -11.

The one thing I took away from playing with him was his ability to throw flat, straight shots that never seemed to fade. He throws both forehand and backhand, but I was most impressed by the straight backhand shots.

I've never seen anyone throw so many flat straight shots that just kept going. I've always known that the ability to throw accurate straight shots are a key to this game (a la Barry Schultz).

Yet, whenever I throw I'm always concerned about how much a disc is going to fade and therefore always thought you had to throw a disc a little right/left to get it to land where you want. No question, just a comment...

 

[bradharris]

A straight no-fade shot through a tunnel is probably one of the most difficult shots to execute. You have to use the right disc for the shot and know it well enough to put just the right angle, speed and spin on it to get that line drive flight.

 

[Halcón]

A straight no-fade shot through a tunnel is probably one of the most difficult shots to execute. You have to use the right disc for the shot and know it well enough to put just the right angle, speed and spin on it to get that line drive flight.

This. Well said.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

end thread then?

Up to about 220'ish, I like underpowering a Comet for this (assuming I'm really trying to minimize fade, as the Buzzz fades). Star Leo after that to abou 250'ish. Beat Beast out to maybe 275' or so. Chances are if I need to go longer, I'll just throw the Comet or Leo a couple of times to enhance the chance of staying in the fairway.

 

[filobedo]

The difference I see in Open players vs. Ams is the Open players rarely change their bag with the newest disc when they come out. Most throw the same molds in different stages of stability and know their discs. They also have backups they are familiar with. Some Ams I play with constantly buy the newest discs and never get consistancy or comfortable with a Roc, Buzz other midranges because they are looking for distance not accuracy. I am curious which midranges he was throwing? A friend of mine played with him at the USDGC a few years ago and he was a very humble and a nice guy and I thought it was Rocs but I could be wrong.

 

[Lurp Nuts]

was he also using a lot of putters and midranges instead of drivers? that seems to be the easiest way to get straight lines.

bump for a kid from philomath. my parents are from there.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Addendum to my earlier post:
It all depends on the individual hole (and maybe even time of year*) and how harsh the penalty for leaving the fairway is.

* some holes that are super punishing in the spring/summer can be rather forgiving in fall/winter.

 

[HeavyCritters]

I'm typically an Innova guy, but my 172g Discraft ESP XL is perfect for me in tight, wooded situations with little forgiveness for turn or fade. I underpower it with a quick flick of the wrist (RHBH) and can get decent distance with almost zero fade.

 

[wake_rider]

The key for me is to disc down and throw something under stable on a bit of a hyzer so it flips flat and stays flat for the rest if the flight. A GL Fuse works wonders for this shot, and within 260' or so it's a comfortable distance to reach. For longer shots I'll go to a Gl River, then a Trak or seasoned TeeBird, then finally for the longest tunnel throws gets a well seasoned Gl Flow.



The key is learning to control under stable plastic as, when thrown correctly, it holds its flat plane all the way to the dirt. Another huge benefit of that flat, straight landing is that you never get skips or runaway slides at the end of the throw. Very easy to control the landing.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

^ that's my strategy.

I'm typically an Innova guy, but my 172g Discraft ESP XL is perfect for me in tight, wooded situations with little forgiveness for turn or fade. I underpower it with a quick flick of the wrist (RHBH) and can get decent distance with almost zero fade.

Maybe I oughta put my ESP XL back in the bag and give it a couple a huks tomorrow...

 

[tbird888]

What the OP is asking is one of the biggest reasons playing with better players helps improve your own game. I never really picked up form tweaks watching a pro throw a great shot. I started seeing what a disc was capable of that I had never realized were possible. It turned a course I couldn't throw even sign par on into a deuce course (Lincoln Ridge). Course/score management is the other big reason.

As for the discussion, I've been able to rely on my Opto Pure up to ~250' in this role. I've experimented with TLs at longer distances.

 

[New013]

It's called finding the right disc that suits you and throwing it over and over until you know how to get that shot down. I don't think throwing flat straight shots is all that hard, it's getting it to go straight where you want it that's tough.

 

[ChrisWoj]

The difference I see in Open players vs. Ams is the Open players rarely change their bag with the newest disc when they come out. Most throw the same molds in different stages of stability and know their discs. They also have backups they are familiar with. Some Ams I play with constantly buy the newest discs and never get consistancy or comfortable with a Roc, Buzz other midranges because they are looking for distance not accuracy. I am curious which midranges he was throwing? A friend of mine played with him at the USDGC a few years ago and he was a very humble and a nice guy and I thought it was Rocs but I could be wrong.

Great point I had somehow not thought about before. The fact that so many open guys have bags with older molds is mostly due to comfort and feel. When I had to switch over my entire bag to swedish plastic these past few weeks for the new season I realized - I've been throwing the exact same stuff for 5 years with almost no change. Aside from moving between plastics (from D to ESP Zone), nothing had changed. I don't know how so many Ams do this all the time floating new plastics in and out of their bags with the changing trends! I'm thoroughly enjoying the whole new bag of discs, but man it is frustrating sometimes.

 

[HeavyCritters]

^ that's my strategy.



Maybe I oughta put my ESP XL back in the bag and give it a couple a huks tomorrow...

Why not give it a shot? It's been amazingly consistent for me. The only other Discraft disc in my bag is the Zombee (which has been basically replaced by my Champ Eagle).

 

[simplepmart]

I tend to focus on a little less power but MORE spin. It seems like the more spin I create the straighter the disc flies. I would be curious to hear some experienced players thoughts on this theory.

 

[davmer2303]

The key for me is to disc down and throw something under stable on a bit of a hyzer so it flips flat and stays flat for the rest if the flight. A GL Fuse works wonders for this shot, and within 260' or so it's a comfortable distance to reach. For longer shots I'll go to a Gl River, then a Trak or seasoned TeeBird, then finally for the longest tunnel throws gets a well seasoned Gl Flow.



The key is learning to control under stable plastic as, when thrown correctly, it holds its flat plane all the way to the dirt. Another huge benefit of that flat, straight landing is that you never get skips or runaway slides at the end of the throw. Very easy to control the landing.

^^^^^ This has been my saving grace. I have a couple longer tunnel shots and they're perfect for an old beat up DX eagle that I have. It flips up from a hyzer release and just cruises until a soft landing.

 

[Halcón]

It's called finding the right disc that suits you and throwing it over and over until you know how to get that shot down.

Repetition. One of the major keys to success, in any sport.

 

[bfowler]

Part of the fun for me is learning new plastic and how to get it to do what I want. I would probably be a better player if I only used the 3 disks I started with but I've had a lot more fun trying different and there are many discs I absolutely LOVE that I never would have discovered.

Got a Opto Fuse this week and could almost play with nothing but that.

 

[RK311]

For me, my 175 evo Magic is great for short straight shots or hyzer flips through the woods. For a mid my 167 x Buzzz. Fairway driver a 172 S FD. Gotta have a good tunnel shot on the courses I play.

 

[knettles]

I tend to focus on a little less power but MORE spin. It seems like the more spin I create the straighter the disc flies. I would be curious to hear some experienced players thoughts on this theory.

Yes! This is definitely the biggest thing. It's really just physics. I was doing moderate with spin until just recently I played with a pro. After emulating his runup/throwing style, there was a noticeable improvement in spin on my throws. My max distance has improved a little, but my golf distance made a huge leap forward. Not trying to brag, but I was amazed at how flat my Volt would fly for the distance it did. I wasn't even releasing on a hyzer. It actually caused a problem on a hole where I was expecting it to fade sooner but it didn't. I'm ok with that kind of a problem tho. The right disc helps, but it won't make a difference if you can't get spin on it.