2016 In the Bag SJB2017

[sjberry2017]

Well, I haven't updated the old thread in quite some time, and my bag has pretty much settled into what I'm about to list, so I figured a new thread would be best.

To update my golf distances:
Judge:220-235; Claymore 275-290; FD 305-315. If I stay on my gym plan, these should hopefully increase a little more in the coming weeks.

Putters:

Putting

2x 174g Classic Blend Judges, worn - I rotate a few different putters in and out, but right now I have a rainbow color stamp Judge as my main putter with a freshish Gold colored stamp as my backup. I like carrying two.

Throwing

175g Summit (freshish) - rarely throw this one anymore with my developing forehand, but it's hanging in the bag as a get out of trouble disc or particular throw shape disc.
175g Lucid Judge (Freshish) – Go to straight putter, can put it on an anny angle. It's taken over a lot of the lines I used to throw with the Summit, but sometimes I want the extra turn of the Summit.
174g Plasma Envy (fresh) – Loving the plasma plastic so far, and this Envy is nice and beefy with plenty of gyro glide. Probably one of my comfort zone discs; if it fits the hole, I throw it.
175g BT Medium Harp (freshish) – My upshot disc for when I'm not too comfortable with the Envy. I used to bag a VIP Harp as well until I lost it, but the Plasma Envy would have taken most of those shots away. I primarily use this disc when I don't want the Envy to keep fading forwards. I'm still thinking about throwing in a VIP Harp since I hate driving with BT Medium because it beats up so easily.

Mids:

171g Opto Fuse (wornish) – Stays in the bag for the same reasons as the Summit; to get out of trouble and sometimes I want the extra turn. Rarely thrown.
180g Opto Claymore (freshish) – Nice and straight mid that can handle a variety of lines, really enjoy throwing this one. Great for longer upshots or fairway shots
180g Champ Glow Roc3 (fresh) – Clemson Club stamp disc, OS mid duties. Kind of overlaps with the Plasma Envy if I'm being honest, but can hold different enough lines that I still carry it.

Fairways:

171g Opto Maul (fresh) – US Fairway, don't really need it for many of the holes on the Upstate courses, but good to have and I know from experience I'll need it for different courses.
171g 1st run C-line FD (sweet spot) – My go to for controlled drives. Manageable turn, dependable forward fade, love this disc for low ceiling pin-point shots
173g Champ Eagle (freshish) – little turn, lotta fade. I can depend on this disc for great hyzer flip with hyzer finish shots. I don't throw it too much on the courses I play right now, but know it's dependable when I do need it.

Control/Distance:

166 N Impulse (fresh) – hilariously flippy, will be used to start learning rollers as well as certain oh crap shots.
167-169 Z Avenger SS (worn) – Controllable flippy, can hyzer flip with turn dependably, primary distance disc when absolute accuracy or trouble to the right isn't an issue.
170 GL Saint (worn) – In the bag for thumbers and tomahawks while I learn those shots with the Thunderbird. It's a great disc, but I like everything else better.
170 Pro Starfire (SL) (freshish) – basically same shots as the Saint, but longer. Looking to eventually move up to a speed 11 disc with the same flight.
175 Star Thunderbird (fresh) – Straight to fade money disc. Goes far, fades back, extremely dependable. Powers down to cover most Eagle lines, but the Eagle is different enough that I keep both.
175 Glow/Champ Firebird (fresh/worn) – I have a normal Champ and a Glow Champ Firebird that I rotate in and out. Love both, they do Firebird things, great disc.

Currently trying out:
166 Star Archon (fresh) – my speed 11 disc I'm starting to work in and try to learn how to throw farther. Most of that work will be with my lower speed discs, but I'm trying to get used to the larger rims.
Minimal disc setup: L Judge, Pl Envy/Champ Roc3, Claymore, AvengerSS, FD, Thunderbird
Also using Judge, Thunderbird, and Firebird to start learning forehand, it's getting better.

In terms of tourney's, this year will be relatively big. There's the Clemson tournament, Collegiate Nationals if I make the team, and then hopefully 3 to 5 tournaments this summer, including the 21 Hole Salute if everything falls into place. Then the 2016-2017 Collegiate Season starts in the fall, and I'll hopefully make the team for those tournaments, as well as playing the Upstate Classic for the third year in a row.

I think I'll try to update this thread with each ratings update. Right now I'm at 808, my goal by the end of the year will probably be 850.

 

[Moose33]

There is a lot of overlap in your putters. I'd probably pick one mold to complement the 3 Judges(I'd go Harp myself) and call it a day.

Also to me the 3 fairways are all too similar I'd probably drop one and buy a fresh one of the others.

Would probably keep the Firebird/Thinderbird and one of the flippy drivers and drop the rest.

Not a bad bag, but there are a lot of molds here.

 

[sjberry2017]

There is a lot of overlap in your putters. I'd probably pick one mold to complement the 3 Judges(I'd go Harp myself) and call it a day.

I agree there's a ton of overlap. I think I can drop the Summit; between the Judge, Fuse, and Thunderbird, I have basically all those lines covered.

However, I don't believe the Harp and Envy overlap as much as one would think. The Harp is really more of a tweener disc, as is the Envy, but in two very different roles. The Harp is what kicked my Gator out of the bag, as it has almost no glide and a ton of fade, whereas the Envy overlaps with my Roc3 more, but not out to as much of the distance.

Therefore, I'll be keeping both since I can easily define the roles for each, and so to me, there's not as much overlap. The Envy is primarily for driving, while the Harp is primarily for upshots. The Envy can also be used for longer upshots, and the Harp for drives where I really need to watch out for going long.

Also, I only throw one Judge. The two putting ones are strictly for putting only; I don't throw them because one tree hit and they're gone, and they'll still beat up too quickly if thrown for upshots and what not.

Also to me the 3 fairways are all too similar I'd probably drop one and buy a fresh one of the others.

For me, they don't overlap at all. The FD is my middle straight driver; the Maul has much more turn with lots less fade, while the Eagle has a lot more fade with a touch more turn and lots less glide. For me, there's nearly no overlap.

Would probably keep the Firebird/Thinderbird and one of the flippy drivers and drop the rest.

I'm keeping both the AvengerSS and Impulse because they are worlds apart on flippiness. The AvengerSS needs a little hyzer to pop up, fly straight with a hint of turn, then come back. To get the same flight from the Impulse, I'd have to drop it probably more than 45 degrees, and it would probably still never come back.
As for the Saint and SL, they're both staying in the bag for right now. The Saint is only going to be there for as long as it takes for me to get comfortable throwing Tomahawks and Thumbers with the Thunderbird, while the SL is staying in as my max distance disc until I can step up to a speed 11 disc (right now looking like it'll be the Flow).
Eventually, I'd like to transition to where I have the Flow as my main distance disc, a super flippy faster disc for where the Impulse is (perhaps that'll end up being the Archon), and maybe a faster OS driver like the Boatman, and maybe drop the Thunderbird or keep it; I'm not totally sure, that's a ways off.

Not a bad bag, but there are a lot of molds here.

Well, that falls in line with how I prefer to build a bag. I really don't like cycling discs for two main reasons.
1) You have to keep buying fresh discs for the cycle.
2) If you lose a disc and don't have any backups, you're pretty much out of luck.
That's why I prefer to have specific molds for throws, rather than cycle four or five molds for all my different shots. I don't want to take the time and have stacks and stacks of backups for discs, while I can just have one or two for a backup at a time.
I also try to not throw OOP plastic for this reason, the only exception being the 1st run FD (you can't really find them like that anymore). Whenever that one gets lost or is super beat, I'll probably slot a Star TL into its place, but that is hopefully a ways off.
Anyways, thanks for suggestions, and yeah, the Summit is pretty much gone. I'm going to roll VIP Harp-less for the time being and see if I really end up missing it.

 

[SD86]

Since you're playing in tournaments, I would not dream of saying to cut down on numbers nor types of discs you throw. For casual rounds, though, you could trim down some if you wanted to. Many of the discs you're using are also in my bag (and I still use Judges though I'm coming to prefer the beadless Warden a bit more).

Good luck in your tournaments... except against UGA of course.

 

[sjberry2017]

LOL, thanks. Like I said in my OP, the small bag right now is Thunderbird/FD/AvengerSS/Roc3 or Envy/Claymore/Judge. It's just a Nutsac with the putter pocket though, so I don't usually rock it too often; it's a bit too utilitarian for what I want, and my Grip is really comfortable. Besides, my home course at school is Grand Central, and I can usually use most of my discs in a round there, although I can get by pretty well with the small bag setup.

 

[tdschrock1]

Well, that falls in line with how I prefer to build a bag. I really don't like cycling discs for two main reasons.
1) You have to keep buying fresh discs for the cycle.
2) If you lose a disc and don't have any backups, you're pretty much out of luck.

I think this is more true of cycling baseline discs and much less true (or at least 10x slower) for premium discs and using mold minimalization.

I carry 3 Volts, each with a bit different stability but somewhat similar. I know, stepping up to a ~320' shot that I'm throwing a volt. If I loose 1 its ok. I can make a minor adjustment to stability instead of choosing between entirely different molds.

Some shots call for a different mold (an OS skip shot is quite different than a float anny) and there is room for that, but it looks like your approach (a different mold for each shot) makes a pretty messy bag.

You are definitely welcome to do it this way, however I believe the advice you get here will largely favor mold minimalization.

 

[Moose33]

I agree with the above, I carry about the same amount of discs as you but fewer molds. I have three Firebirds ITB and one is a brahma bull, one is regular OS and one is basically beat into an Eagle X.

You can carry several molds but I prefer not to.

 

[sjberry2017]

I think this is more true of cycling baseline discs and much less true (or at least 10x slower) for premium discs and using mold minimalization.

I carry 3 Volts, each with a bit different stability but somewhat similar. I know, stepping up to a ~320' shot that I'm throwing a volt. If I loose 1 its ok. I can make a minor adjustment to stability instead of choosing between entirely different molds.

Some shots call for a different mold (an OS skip shot is quite different than a float anny) and there is room for that, but it looks like your approach (a different mold for each shot) makes a pretty messy bag.

You are definitely welcome to do it this way, however I believe the advice you get here will largely favor mold minimalization.

I don't know if you have much of a FH game or not, but mine is still pretty crappy, although it's serviceable at least, so I need more molds for working anny lines versus step up with the same disc and switch from BH to FH depending on the shot angle. I also don't necessarily roll one mold for each exact shot, but I do try to have molds to cover most stabilities (OS-S-S/US-US).

I agree with the above, I carry about the same amount of discs as you but fewer molds. I have three Firebirds ITB and one is a brahma bull, one is regular OS and one is basically beat into an Eagle X.

You can carry several molds but I prefer not to.

I'm the opposite, I'd rather carry specific molds rather than three discs with different stabilities. I'm fine jumping between molds because, for me, it's still the same as switching discs. Also, most of my discs are somewhat new. I could have, for example, dumped my putters out and rolled Plasma Envy, beat Proton Envy, and beat Fuzion Judge. But I just prefer having the different molds to cover the different stability ranges, versus beat in discs.

However, I think for practice rounds, I'd be better off rolling with Firebird/Thunderbird(Eagle)/FD(SL)(AvengerSS)/Claymore/Roc3(Envy)/Harp (upshots)/Judge and working on angles, which I will probably start doing a bit more of.


One other thought on the VIP Harp; I need to see how well the Envy handles the wind. If it's really terrible at it I may put a VIP back in the bag for windy days.

 

[SSquirrel]

Any bets on the side bag turning into the lower score bag

 

[sjberry2017]

Any bets on the side bag turning into the lower score bag

Honestly, around 90% of my shots are Thunderbird/AvengerSS/FD/Envy/Judge/Claymore

The Roc3 gets a fair bit of use as well, as does the Firebird, but they aren't exactly my core bag.

The Harp is also primarily my hyzer upshot putter, since it's a lot easier to range versus the Envy, which glides like a kite. It's great for drives, but is a lot more difficult to control on upshots.

Everything else is really there for tough spots in woods or if a particular shot requires me to be sure I'm on one side of the fairway or the other. The Eagle can also carry some hyzer lines that the Thunderbird can't hit, and the Maul comes in handy on some other courses, but my primary discs are really my practice bag.

And then for the two oddballs: The SL right now is my main distance disc, it gets thrown when I've got a wide open fairway with no worries about accuracy (Hole 6 short pad at Central, for example), while the Saint, like I said, gets dropped once I'm comfortable throwing thumbers and tomahawks with the Thunderbird. The SL drops once I'm good with throwing speed 11, which I don't anticipate being good with for a little while.

 

[sjberry2017]

Just a small update: I've decided to drop the Envy. It's one of my favorite discs, but its flight doesn't lend itself well to my bag. I now have a VIP Harp in the mail, and will also be powering down my Roc3 and throwing the Judge more. Really, I feel like it'll take some overlap out and I'll get better with the discs I've got. I'll still be bagging both a VIP and BT Harp; VIP for most drives and skip upshots, BT for when I want more of a hit and stick shot.

As for drivers, the Saint is officially out because the Thunderbird works fine for thumbers and tomahawks, and the SL and AvengerSS can cover the distance lines I was using it on. Really though, I'm thinking about dropping the SL and getting a fresh, slightly heavier AvengerSS, but I'm just toying around with that idea right now. I'm also about to drop the Impulse because I can cover most of those lines with my Maul or my developing forehand

 

[sjberry2017]

This weekend I finally got the Archon clicking, so out goes the SL. I'm really enjoying this set up right now. I don't find myself using the Maul or Eagle as much, but they certainly have their shots where I can use them. However, they're kinda just existing for the most part right now.

 

[sjberry2017]

Second tournament of the year coming up this weekend, and then NCDGC tryouts the weekend after, so I figured now would be a good time to explain all my changes and then look back in a couple weeks (hopefully) and see how it all worked out.

Putters: No change, really liking where my putting is right now, I just need to get into a good putting habit.

Mids: No change, although I'm thinking about getting a max weight Fuse and seeing how well that pairs with my Roc3; I find myself wavering between the Roc3 and Claymore quite often on some middle of the road shots. Or I could even see dropping both, keeping my current Fuse, and putting the M3 in the bag, and rolling Harp/M3/Fuse. The M3 for me is pretty straight to stable, but I think I'd need to wait for the VIP Harp to get a little more use because it's still pretty beefy.

Fairways: Dropped the Maul for a Glow Leo3, but it's seriously straight and really overlaps with my FD though; however, I don't know if I can quite trust it for the straight shots and hyzerflips the FD can pull off.

Distance: So it turns out I can now throw discs that are speed 12/13 now. I can't necessarily get pro level length out of them, but I can get my Star Katana out to around 370' and Destroyer probably around 330-340. Should I be throwing these to build form? Goodness no, but I can certainly use them in the meantime to give myself some more distance. So right now the breakdown is:
Firebird/Glow Thunderbird (in for the Glow Firebird I lost, basically the same)/Destroyer/Star Katana/Pro Katana to beat up/Archon until Pro Katana is beat up

I'm almost wondering now, with the addition of the high speed discs, if I should switch up to a fairway setup of Speed 7 OS (Eagle), Speed 9 straight (CD2, Viking, etc), and a speed 7 understable disc (Patriot, Star Leo3, something like that), with the high speed setup of Firebird/Thunderbird/Destroyer/Katanas.

I feel like I'd want the speed 9 control for some of the tighter shots where I want a bit more control on the disc rather than hyzerflipping the Katana at a slower speed or trying to throw a Thunderbird flat. However, I could also see using the understable disc and just hyzerflipping it for those shots, or leave the FD in the bag for those shots right now.

I think I'll leave the discs the way I have them for right now and see what works and what doesn't, and move forwards accordingly

 

[sjberry2017]

Well, Nationals is over and I've finally recovered. I didn't play nearly as well as I would have liked to, but a triple mando and fitness were the two things which really let me down, so oh well. Bought WAYYYYY too many discs down there, but got to meet Paul McBeth, Ricky Wysocki, Big Jerm, and Nate Sexton, so that was really cool. Anyways, here's a bag update, with my thoughts on what I want to add going forwards.

Putting:
Still rollling with the Blend Judges; when I'm having a good day these are banging chains, when I'm not, they're still rocking and rolling.

Driving putters:
175 Fuzion Judge (seasoned): Straight to understable, lots of straight shots and turnovers.

175 VIP Harp (fresh): Main overstable driving putter, really dependable.

175 BT Medium Harp (beat): stick and grip upshots

173 400G A1 (new): I bought this from a smaller Prodigy pro who used to be Trilogy, and he said it would fit in well with a Harp; surprisingly, he was dead on. GREAT for forehands, basically a firebird putter. I anticipate this and the Harp sitting nicely for forehands and utility shots.

Mids:
180 Champ Glo Roc3 (seasoned): go to mid, can do almost anything.

177 Big Jerm 400G M4 (new): Has a Big Jerm stamp and signature on top, bought it from the man himself. Should be replacing my Claymore as a slightly more understable mid. I'm hoping to be able to drop the Fuse if this ends up flying the way I want it to.

Still carrying the Claymore while I figure the M4 out.

171 Fuse (freshish): Rarely thrown, could definitely see my forehand and the M4 kicking this out.

Fairways:
175 Gold Line River (fresh): Straight to turnover, basically a less stable and glidier FD. I also want to try a Pinnacle Patriot for this spot, but the River is probably here to stay.

175 3x Champ Thunderbird (freshish): Have a Paul McBeth sig on it now with the world championship numbers fixed to 4x Go to driver, can pretty much do it all. Hyzer, straight, flex, forehand, thumber, tomahawk, does it all. Going to pick up its twin as a backup whenever I get back to the Hippodrome hopefully.

175 Flattop Firebird (fresh): bought this at the tournament, it and my 171 Champ are basically in rotation; I love both, so it's pretty much whichever I feel like throwing.

Distance:
Speed 11 understable: Seriously missing the old Avenger SS I had, it was a great flip to straight disc. I think this slot can still fit with how my fairways and other distance discs are; I'll be preordering a Vanish for sure.

166 Star Archon (beatish): Hilariously flippy, probably going to try to learn rollers with this disc.

*Higher Speed Stuff for days when my form is clicking*

171 Star Katana (fresh): Max D disc, can be difficult to control at a lower arm speed, hence getting the Speed 11 Understable disc. I'll put a bit of anny on this disc and it will typically bomb to about 370/380 on a good rip.

169 Star Destroyer (beat up) - Destroyer for my arm speed, can get a good flight out of it, good for forehands too. Doesn't hold up as well in the wind, and is already getting kinda thrashed.

175 Star Destroyer (fresh) - UW Stout stamp swirly star; bought this for $10, so you know it's awesome :thmbup: Nice, overstable compliment to my Thunderbird and Firebirds; holds up in wind and can bomb pretty well if I get the hit right.

Overall, I want to get some fieldwork and minimal disc rounds in to try to get my form better so I can really enjoy throwing the high speed stuff. For small rounds, I usually roll Roc3 - M4/Claymore - BT Harp - Judge - River - Thunderbird, occasionally the Katana or a Firebird if I know there's a hole or two where I'm going to really enjoy throwing these discs.

I'll try to get an overall picture of my bag later on today, it's been a while since I documented my discs.

 

[SD86]

Big Jerm 400g M4? I want.

Looks like you've got a very solid bag. I'm a big River fan, as well. If you're considering the Vanish, have you tried the Wave? It's plenty enough understable for me. I also like the Gold Line Fury for US duties.

 

[sjberry2017]

Big Jerm 400g M4? I want.

Looks like you've got a very solid bag. I'm a big River fan, as well. If you're considering the Vanish, have you tried the Wave? It's plenty enough understable for me. I also like the Gold Line Fury for US duties.

Yeah, I'm loving it!

I'm actually not digging the River though; it's a bit flippier than I was hoping for. I'll probably throw the FD back in the bag for a bit until I can get my hands on a Patriot.

I haven't tried the Wave; I actually put my Insanity back in the bag and I'm digging it so far; if I don't love the Vanish I might just roll with that, or get another Z Avenger SS; I dunno, we'll see what happens. I'm not really wanting to roll with any Trilogy Drivers though; they don't really ever fly the way they're supposed to for me.

In other news, Harps are out, Envys are back in. I started throwing Harps to compensate for the glide the Envy has; with how brickish the A1 is, I feel like I can put the Envy back in and have a better bag overall. I also feel like I've made enough strides in my game that the Envy and Roc3 won't overlap anymore. Playing in the Holston Creek grand opening tournament yesterday, I didn't really miss the Harp and enjoyed throwing the Envy again. I'm not getting rid of the Harps in case I want to go back, but man did I miss the Envy.

 

[SD86]

In other news, Harps are out, Envys are back in.

Envy is a good disc. When I'm using an all-MVP/Axiom bag, or if I want a change of pace from the Innova Colt/Stud pair, I pair the Envy with the Proxy. While the Proxy is my main approach disc in these situations, the Envy is good and reliable in headwinds, around trees, etc.

I love the River, but I can see where it may not be the choice for others. I've got four GL Rivers now, and can start a nice rotation of them if I want to...

 

[sjberry2017]

Been a while; I didn't get to play nearly as much as I wanted to but oh well. I'm back at school so Grand Central's first tee is about an 8 minute walk from my apartment so I can play a little bit more now finally :clap: Also prepping for the Collegiate Season to take off; I'm hoping to go to a few collegiate tournaments as well as play a couple other tournaments in the fall, which is my favorite disc golfing season. Anyways, to the bag:

Putters:

Blend Judge x2 (174-175): Two of these for putting. I mainly lean on one during the round and have the other as a backup or very occasional upshot thrower. I'm trying to cycle a new one in right now, but I have a pair of 175's that I've been using since Nationals and they're choice.

Fusion Judge [175] (beat); main driving putter, can get out to around to 275 on a really good rip. Main straight and turnover putter, can even throw shallow hyzers. Thinking about adding in a Lucid though for the hyzer shots, since this disc is super touchy and can get drifty if I'm not careful.

Harp x2 [175] (1 VIP, 1 BT Medium); VIP for driving and skip upshots, BT Medium for most of my upshots and touch drives. Love these putters for both forehand and backhand, really complement my Roc3's well.

Mids

Roc3 x3 [180] (1 Champ glo, 2 DX): Champ Glo Roc3 for the beef, pair of DX for lots of mid drives. I have a Halloween one that's getting beat up decently quickly and a yellow one that's still overstable. I forgot how much I love DX plastic!

Fuse [171] Freshish: Rarely thrown, pretty much just waiting for the Orange Roc3 to beat up a bit more, but covers the slot between the Judge and SFD

Fairways

S-FD [175, 171] (fresh) - Stable to Understable fairway, perfect control. Bagging the 171 right now with the 175 as a backup.

Champ Thunderbird [175] (worn in) Go-to fairway driver, great control with this disc. This and the FD complement well and are pretty much all I need. I have one backup, hoping to add another. Also have a Star one and hoping to add a Pro, might throw the Pro in with the Champ but we'll see.

Distance:

Star Archon [166] (worn in) - Super flippy, flies great. Might back up with a Champ sidewinder, but really, I'll probably just stick with Archons in this slot.

Star DDx [175, 171] - Again, 171 as the main driver with 175 as my backup. Great great disc and it's exactly as advertised. I can get some great distance lines with this disc, it's my go-to longer driver.

Star Destroyer x2 [175 McBeth, 175 Gstarry Star] - The McBeth Destroyer is my forehand destroyer, can get some great lines. I use the 175 Gstarry Star one as my headwind driver when it's a bit too windy for the DDx to hold the line. Debating whether to replace this with a DD, a max weight Orc, or a 170 DX Starfire. Champ DDx doesn't really fly the lines I'm hoping for.

Champ Firebird [171, 175] - Firebird things. Hyzer forehands, decent distance, headwinds, thumbers, tomahawks, you name it, this does it. I usually carry both weights and just flip as I want. One is flatter and [shockingly] less stable, so I usually use that for overhand shots and flex forehands, while the 171 is the go to hyzer disc.

 

[NathanNoodleArm]

If you love DX you might think about a DX Thunderbird.

 

[sjberry2017]

If you love DX you might think about a DX Thunderbird.

I'll probably look into those too; I'm thinking the Pro will probably be the same (I'd throw Pro Roc3's over DX if they were available in normal Pro, but I don't think I've seen any beyond McPro or a special run). I'm specifically saying Pro for the Thunderbird though because the local WalMart has DX and Pro discs and I know they carry Pro Thunderbirds.