[Gateway] Whats up with my wizard?!?

[Carl311]

So i got a 173 SS Wizard a while back and have been playing with it a bit. I havent been impressed with it as much as i expected to be. My biggest problem is that it is flippy for me. I bought it because I heard that it was an excellent driving putter, and I am working on getting it out to 250ft. However, it flips over in even the slightest wind, even when I hyzer-flip it. My beat discraft soft x Challenger is can handle the snap much better and goes to 250 much more predictably.

Is it just that my Wizard is a lemon, or are Challengers more stable than Wizards? Should I give a S or M or E Wizard a chance, or just stick with my Challenger?

 

[sidewinding]

Challengers are very similar to wizards but for me the Challengers glide farther easier while the Wizards not only require more power but can typically handle more power. The mistake most people make when learning to drive with putters is throwing them as nose down as you would a fast driver. Give them a little more height and a little less nose down and you'll see them straighten right out for you.

 

[volmed10]

Challengers are very similar to wizards but for me the Challengers glide farther easier while the Wizards not only require more power but can typically handle more power. The mistake most people make when learning to drive with putters is throwing them as nose down as you would a fast driver. Give them a little more height and a little less nose down and you'll see them straighten right out for you.

This is right. Another thing you need to look at when you are driving your putter is the angle of release. You can't release a putter flat like a driver and expect it to fly straight without any HST and a strong fade, unless you are talking about a Pig, Zone, Rhyno, VP, etc. If you want your Wizard to fly straight, put some hyser on it, and as sidewindling stated above, give it some height as well.

I know you mentioned that your Wizard doesn't handle the snap very well, but are you pinching your grip at the very end at tight at possible? The reason I ask is until just recently, I had a problem with turning over all of my putters on drives. I was given a tip by a friend of mine who is an amazing player (and phenomenal at driving with putters); first he changed my grip for driving putters from a power grip to a three-finger fan grip. He stated that keeping the pinky under the rim on a putter drive increases the likelihood of a grip-lock, and the three-finger fan grip provides a much smoother and controllable release. This grip also enables you to pinch only your index and thumb together tightly. Since changing to this grip, I can drive my SSS (is really a softer SS) Magic with a little height and hyser to 300' easily. If the Magic can handle this with no HST, your Wizard should have no problem, especially into a slight headwind.

If you want a putter that can handle headwind drives really well that isn't extremely overstable (like a Pig or Zone), look at a Pro Rhyno. I have been using one for about a month or so, and it is a great disc for short headwind drives that I don't need as much LSS as my Pig.

 

[WillACarpenter]

Challengers FOR THE WIN.

\/\/

 

[Carl311]

OK, I guess Ill keep on working with the wizzy. I guess the shape of the challenger releases cleaner for me so Ill focus on getting a cleaner release on the wiz. Maybe ill give it some more height too, I tend to try to throw it like a buzzz with a low line drive...

 

[Mike C]

So i got a 173 SS Wizard a while back and have been playing with it a bit. I havent been impressed with it as much as i expected to be. My biggest problem is that it is flippy for me. I bought it because I heard that it was an excellent driving putter, and I am working on getting it out to 250ft. However, it flips over in even the slightest wind, even when I hyzer-flip it. My beat discraft soft x Challenger is can handle the snap much better and goes to 250 much more predictably.

Is it just that my Wizard is a lemon, or are Challengers more stable than Wizards? Should I give a S or M or E Wizard a chance, or just stick with my Challenger?

Wizards are weird. When I first started driving with them, they would flip 99% of the time and frustrate the hell out of me, no matter how much hyzer I'd use. These days I can put 100% power behind a Wizard drive and push it past 320 feet if I want.

Stick with it. Learn the disc and learn how to drive with the Wizard. I promise you it will do your game good, because it will teach you more finesse than drivers will. Maybe even do putter rounds for a while. When you go back to the teebirds or whatever control driver you use, after learning the Wizard, your control will impress you.

You can throw them like a buzz (Low line drive) but depending on how far you want to go a little hyzer will be a big help. For 200-300 ft line drives with my Wizard I'm usually holding it at 10 or 15 degree of hyzer I'd guess.

I think driving a Wizard far is more about finesse and control. It's a smooth, snappy release, you don't have to power into it hard once you get the feel for it.

 

[CwAlbino]

If you are flipping it over too much at 250 that's a sign of OAT. As you get better snap and a clean release you'll be able to hyzer it almost that long without any flip at all.

 

[Chucktown]

I throw a Wizard for Drives as well, about 220 for me. It really depends on the release angle for the Wizard, I like to release near 45 degrees and it will flip over straight, if I release it flat at a high speed, then it will flip and usually ends right of where I want to be. You could also try an evo one, they seem to be a lot straighter with more fade at the end.

 

[mashnut]

I love my wizards for driving, even into a moderate headwind. Thrown flat, they will have some turn, but with some height they'll come back at the end, and with a little hyzer they'll go a long way without flipping.

 

[houser]

I ordered a sss wizard from discgolfcenter.com and when i took it out of the box i noticed it had this dip in the flight plate. i held it up to the light and could see that the plastic was thinner on one side than the other. i had them send me another on and it was fine. So it could be a similar defect.

 

[volmed10]

If it's a SSS Wiz that is really a SSSS, it may be a little bit understable on drive that you put some ass behind. I've got a SSSS Wizard that is so floppy, the flight plate is lumpy. If I don't throw it with a bit of hyser it will produce a bit of HST. A SSS that is more on the firmer side should fly like a Wizard is supposed to fly.

 

[Mike C]

My super floppy SS flew normal new. It beat in quicker than my other Wizards but when it was new it didn't feel like it turned any more than the others. Flies nice and straight now though, with a tiny little fade. Great for putts.