What's a midrange, drive, putt, fairway shot to you?

[Omega SuperSloth]

drivers are pretty accurate up close but the problem is you gotta throw it pretty fast to make it go straight to putt with it which is way to fast for throwing upclose, it might work good if u always hit the pole but that thing will shoot out the chains like a mofo.

In some serious wind drivers are the best thing to putt with but you better be confident in your skills cause if you willy nilly it that sh88s flying and your looking at an extra stroke .

 

[innova]

i know plenty of adv / pro level players that might use a driver in certian upshot instances...

it depends on the terrain and the %'s of probability of what some folks call "nestle"
(remaining close to the target upon landing)

one instance i frequently see is some folks use a sliding tomahawk with a driver to park a midrange shot... out in the wide open OR in the woods.

i would just lay up my putter from that range... but not all folks are the same.

the results often are, however.

my point is... some folks have a strong suit... or a shot they "favor"

mine is a lot of midrange / putter disc use for an upshot.
mmv

 

[Midnightbiker]

I don't know why we are arguing about what disc to use for what. Everyone has to see what works for them. One thing I would suggest is hitting the practice field to try different things out. I use one putter as an approach and one as main putter. Most people think I am strange for that, but hell it works.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Hamilton]

I must agree with scarpfish...all the time when I shank that putt I can pick up my driver and just carelessly flip it in...

 

[harr0140]

To me the shot determines the disc. I have thrown drivers for approaches, I have also thrown putters for drives. The shot determines my disc period!

 

[solomon.trenton]

To me the shot determines the disc. I have thrown drivers for approaches, I have also thrown putters for drives. The shot determines my disc period!

dont forget the weather.

 

[mashnut]

I don't know why we are arguing about what disc to use for what. Everyone has to see what works for them. One thing I would suggest is hitting the practice field to try different things out. I use one putter as an approach and one as main putter. Most people think I am strange for that, but hell it works.

Different strokes for different folks.

I think you hit the nail on the head here Midnight. Different things work for different people, and that's ok. We should be giving each other ideas about things to try with different discs rather than arguing about what disc we are 'supposed' to throw.

 

[nunez23]

Anything over 300 I use a driver, anything under three hundred I will use a Buzz, Wasp, or a Polaris depending on the situation. Under one hundred feet I use a putter for the most part. It all really depends on what the shot calls for and what the conditions are.
On really windy days I putt with a polaris and I can keep it pretty accurate, but I do only use when I know I can make the putt, if it's an iffy distance or awkard shot I'll make a run at it with the putter.

 

[Dillon_Gourley]

btw 300+ driver , under 300 fairway, over 100 fairway , under 100 mid ,putter, mid

im not quite sure what i consider a mid shot as i like to use fairway drivers , i think thats really the hardest question to answer what really is a mid range shot .

Think outside the box. It's not about the distance but the shot itself along with pin position.

I think the term midrange is considered your 2nd shot. 90% of courses holes are pair 3's, which the 2nd shot being in the middle between drive and putt, hence the word midrange.

Use what disc you can manipulate to do what you got to do for that hole, skip, hard left or right, spike hyzer, hard fade, soft fade, no fade, fast fade, slow fade, roller.

Putt with driver? I know the same n00bs who do this. I tell them if it works for you, great, but if you want to improve learn to use a putter to putt with. Your score will drop tremendously.

 

[LStephens]

I've played in every PDGA division except for Novice. I've noticed one thing. The lower division players have a higher percentage of drivers in their bags. The upper Intermediate and lower Advanced players have more mid-ranges. The upper Advanced and Pro's have a very balanced bag according to their style of play....and the Pro Masters have a lot of putters.

As I'm go thru the transition of improving my game...I look back and see the same trend in myself. I used to carry 18-20 discs...now I practice the course..and know exactly what I need for the tournament round. I played one entire tournament with 1 driver, 1 Buzzz, 2 putters and won Advanced Masters quite easily. See...sometimes your bag makeup changes according to the course you are at.

On an on topic note: I use 5 putters. I have a seasoned Elite X Challenger that I putt with in most conditions. I approach with different discs according to wind and distance...but something I haven't seen mentioned here is footing. If I have to stand in place I may have to disc up to a midrange for an approach...if I can take a step...I will use a putter. If I have to go hard left under some branches...a smooth easy pull with a predator is what it may take. If I have to go hard left but high I may spike a midrange or float a putter..depending on the situation. I don't forehand any putters though...I use mainly drivers only for that and control skip with height and disc stability and plastic type.

Downwind it is almost always an APX Swirl...the best all around putter ever made..but a little unstable in any kind of headwind. I have two other Pro-D Challengers of different seasoning for short drives...long approaches...depending upon the wind. I also have an ESP Zone that will come out of the car on windy days. Hitting 20+ foot putts in a headwind is what separates you from the losers on those windy days.

 

[Jimb]

I'll list very general numbers here and base them upon no-wind, level, open field shots for this thread.

Drivers for anything over about 280'. (Generally a Valkyrie or Wraith depending on the circumstances or a really beat in Cheetah for a roller.)

From about 250' to about 280' I mainly use a heavy JLS. The disc is called a long straight driver but for me I throw it at less than 100% and get really good "midrange for me" results.

From about 225' to 250' I throw either a Roc or Stingray depending on the shape of the hole.

And for anything 225' and under I throw an Aviar P & A. I use it for short hole drives, approaches and putting.

 

[Neophyte]

Over 350 ft and open Star X-Cal
300-350ft Champ Teebird RHFH (dogleg right), Champ Valkyrie RHBH (dogleg left)
200-300 Discraft XL
100-200 Discraft Buzz
100 and in Aviar (just got an R-Pro)

I only use a driver to putt when I am really close to the basket and just pick up the last disc that I threw off the ground and put it in the basket. But if you can putt well with a driver I don't see any problem with it. For a while I was putting with a FLX Buzz.

 

[Lewis]

Wait a minute, I didn't realize we were arguing. Now I have to put on my angry face! :| No wait, I can't sustain it.

Seriously, though, I've been enjoying reading all the different things people do in this thread. Everybody has to develop their own game, but reading about what others do may give us ideas. For example, I really liked reading the trend LStephens sees in players' bags. I suppose the trend towards slower discs has something to do with development of people's arm strength. Right now I'm probably somewhere in the "midranges" phase of this pattern, though a couple of my midranges don't get used much. My Roc has just become too useful. As for putting with a Buzzz, I'm not surprised. Mine behaves a lot like a fast putter.

 

[garublador]

What benefits are offered by putting with a driver?

You get to practice more and longer comeback putts?

For me right now:

Putters - 250' and less

Mids - 230' to 320'

Fairway drivers - 280' and up

Distance drivers - 350' to 400' (not that I normally get them that far) only if it will save me a stroke over a fairway driver.

Moderately overstable drivers - 330' and up

Very overstable driver - up to 330' (as far as I can throw one on a hyzer)

There's a lot of distance overlap and it's because it depends on the line I'm looking to throw.

 

[craigg]

I think the folks that say you shouldn't use this for that are generally trying to encourage a certain kind of learning (at least that's how I mean it).

I agree that there is no one "right way" when it comes to disc choice - as skill level, weather, and course conditions will dictate disc selection for any particular shot.

But there is something to learning to use your putter and mid range discs for a wider variety of shots. If you can learn to throw an aviar/magnet/wizard style disc 250-300' or more, the variety in shot choices opens up dramatically across the board. Not just for THAT kind of disc, but for every other kind as well.

If you really want to learn what a disc can do for you - just carry one at a time, and use it for every shot on the course. This is especially valuable when you get a brand new model you've never thrown before. Your appreciation for all that disc has to offer will go through the roof.

 

[justin]

I love that everyone's so positive here unlike the people it sounds like Omega has met on the course. I think about it like this: The blunter the edge of the disc - the less chance it's going to skip and/or roll when it hits the ground. So if you can land the disc at the pin (or where ever you're aiming) with a mid or putter you've got a better chance of that disc staying put than with a driver.

I've never been able to THROW my Aviars so I only use my putters to putt with. I did recently get a Soft Magnet and I can already see that a beaded putter is going to make a huge difference in my approach game.

 

[ERicJ]

P&A under 240'
Mid 200-300'
Fairway Driver 275-325'
Distance Driver 325'+

 

[cc0049]

P&A under 240'
Mid 200-300'
Fairway Driver 275-325'
Distance Driver 325'+

Pretty close to the same for me. There is definitely some overlap depending on the situation.

 

[sidewinding]

Putt 0' - 30' Pro D Challenger
Approach 31' - 175' KC Pro Aviar
Approach 176' - 250' DX Roc
Fairway Drive 251' - 300' DX Gazelle
Fairway Drive 301' - 350' Champion Teebird
Drives over 350' Star Boss

As my form evolves these numbers change but I constantly measure all these discs on the football field. I have thrown the Gazelle and Teebird both over 400' but can't always do it. The Boss is always good for D even if you mess up a little.

If it's windy every disc steps down to the next level.