[Question] What ONE disc gave you the most useful "AHA" moment?

[Blobfish]

The question is simple. We've all hit some milestones in our game. Some of us stumbled across a more appropriate disc, some of us learned a different shot that became invaluable. Others found a trick that saved several strokes. But if you could link that milestone to a particular disc, what would it be?


Mine is the Daredevil Discs Woodchuck.
History: Until I got the Woodchuck, I was a master of the bird-ogey. I would putt and end up further than where I started. Or my disc would roll away. Or my floating rattler would catch a draft and sail into oblivion. One would think that I would have learned to throw a layup if I was too chicken to run it, right? Alas, I gave it a half-assed shake and the results were predictably marginal.

And then... on a whim, because I wanted an understable low speed putter, I discovered... the Woodchuck.

The thing folds like a taco. And it flops down wherever it hits. And I gotta tell ya, my confidence spiked like an Iron Maiden (incidentally in concert here in Pittsburgh tomorrow night) because now I can go for the basket and be assured that even if it misses, the woodchuck won't stray too far and make the follow-up putt a mere tap-in.

There are a lot of discs which really helped me discover how I like to play this game, but the woodchuck is the one that cleaned up my score the most.

 

[Hampstead]

As a one disc wonder in the way back when, I didn't see the need for a putter. First round with a borrowed Aviar was a game changer. Literally. Learned to appreciate the putt.




Haven't used an Aviar in years, but it helped shape my respect of putting.

 

[Moose33]

Many discs helped me in different ways;

DX Aviar taught me what a hyzerflip is and how to manipulate a shot.

Champ Firebird showed me how to harness my FH.

Envy was an example of what a throwing putter could be.

So many discs have contributed to me building my game to where it is. 100's of Discs, dozens of courses, and a handful of people.

 

[Casey 1988]

Valkerie, found out how to do both the mega low 4-5 foot off the ground long shot and the micro S shot with the mold to avoid two different trees on a tree heavy hole that is not a forest.

The other is the Magnet, I had the click with a putter that I never really had before trying other molds. First given to me an Uncle, a too much glide Rubber Putter once I got better I had a hard time throwing the mold soft enough even doing a slight bent leg no movement straddle putt was not enough to slow the mold down plus the tall dome was not good in very high winds, then G9i Wizard that seemed to only work in the 40-50 foot range for putting, and the Putt'r that faild for being made in the wrong plastic and getting a slight concave to the point the mold lost almost all of its glide otherwise would have been the exact disc I was looking for. The Magnet just fit, the index finger just went in the grove, I did not need a big bead disc like to have index finger rest against. Magnet flew like a Lid did very straight and slow but could handle more speed.

 

[BenHaavisto]

Frost-Line Diamond, first disc that I could consistently hyzerflip with, from there I moved back to Valks and Sidewinders then continued up the stability chart.

 

[Odedge]

While I only have been playing for a year... for me it would be a Star Mako3. It would tell me how straight I was throwing the disc. It didn't hide much from be regarding my bad form.

 

[biscoe]

When I first started I made the typical mistake of getting discs which were much too overstable/heavy/etc.- there was no real information available, flight numbers were still many years away. Everything went 100 feet and hyzered out like crazy. If I had not found the Panther at that point I would have quit.

 

[Keller]

I learned to forehand by playing catch with a couple of guys after a round with a Zephyr!

 

[Streets]

1. Comet - I built my throwing around being able to toss an X Comet clean.

Honorable Mentions:

2. Wizard - along with the Comet, I threw Wizards while developing my form.
3. Dx Eagle - learned how to throw drivers BH
4. Buzzz - you can throw an non OS disc FH!?
5. Rhyno - where everybody should start in developing FH
6. Roadrunner - you can throw an US driver FH!?

 

[racer93]

Comet. Period.

 

[Marmoset]

Comet.
I'm surprised nobody mentioned it yet

 

[GripEnemy]

A lid.

If you can FH (and BH/OH too of course) a lid a good distance accurately you can manipulate spin, release angles, and nose angles with any mold.

 

[SD86]

Polecat. I've had several discs that had the surprise/"wow!" factor for me, and the Polecat tops that list. It surprised me just how good it was when I first tried it, and when I committed to it as my approach/upshot disc, my scores improved.

 

[DoWork]

400G D3... Accidentally threw a hyper flip once and then it was all over with. It's by far my longest disc and I can flip that baby like a dream now.

 

[DoWork]

Polecat. I've had several discs that had the surprise/"wow!" factor for me, and the Polecat tops that list. It surprised me just how good it was when I first tried it, and when I committed to it as my approach/upshot disc, my scores improved.

Everyone should bag a neutral flight 1 speed. They're perhaps the most insightful discs a person can throw IMO.

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

DX roc - how to really shape shots in the woods.
Pro Leo - how to hyzerflip
Star roadrunner - how to throw a clean forehand hard.

 

[Monkeypaws]

Trident - for approaches into headwinds, very common here - fire and forget every time.

 

[Jowie]

Throwing a comet pretty close to driver max distance with half the effort was certainly eye opening. That really changed the way I approach the course. I now love throwing putters and slow mids as a direct result of that "aha" moment.

 

[SD86]

Everyone should bag a neutral flight 1 speed. They're perhaps the most insightful discs a person can throw IMO.

For me it was the "wow!" factor when I tried the Polecat for the first time. I had no idea it was such an outstanding mold, and I'm glad I tried it.

 

[Casey 1988]

Valkerie, found out how to do both the mega low 4-5 foot off the ground long shot and the micro S shot with the mold to avoid two different trees on a tree heavy hole that is not a forest.

The other is the Magnet, I had the click with a putter that I never really had before trying other molds. First given to me an Uncle, a too much glide Rubber Putter once I got better I had a hard time throwing the mold soft enough even doing a slight bent leg no movement straddle putt was not enough to slow the mold down plus the tall dome was not good in very high winds, then G9i Wizard that seemed to only work in the 40-50 foot range for putting, and the Putt'r that faild for being made in the wrong plastic and getting a slight concave to the point the mold lost almost all of its glide otherwise would have been the exact disc I was looking for. The Magnet just fit, the index finger just went in the grove, I did not need a big bead disc like to have index finger rest against. Magnet flew like a Lid did very straight and slow but could handle more speed.

Honorable mention was a Shark, I was trying to force a DX Stingray 175 grams to be my midrange for a few years after stepping up from a 166 DX Stingray for downwind. I found an old Pro Shark 175 grams with a similar dome to the top and it clicked then getting Star for more durability as the other disc. I then got the Shark 3 as a better true midrange as the Shark is a bit more like a putter in glide and was Star Shark being used as driving putter, approach disc along with the Pro, and using Pro and Star discs for windy day putting. I finally got rid of the Stingray when I was using it more for midrange stuff in early 2017 while looking for a less putter style midrange then getting in early 2018 the Shark 3.

I never with the wind where I live should have been forcing a Stingray as a disc, I had for years an old stiff 166 DX Shark I was using when playing more prior to 2009 as my very short midrange length approach disc before I gave it away in 2016, I was not using the mold and it was out of the bag in 2015 when I started up playing again in 2014.