help me decide on my drivers, please

[awspence]

I have been lurking on this site for some time and I am trying to take a little advice and minimize (at least partially) my bag. Late last season i started trying to get a backhand game and found much better results throwing slower lighter discs than what I normally would forehand. This created tons of overlap in my bag that i am trying to get rid of.

i putt with magics
approach/short drives/wind with d challenger
assortment of rocs for mid duty

after those is where i am having trouble deciding.

i have a good range of Eagle-Xs from new to beat, but honestly i dont feel like i can use them to their potential with shaping lines

i have always had a tl in the bag before the backhand switch, and now sometimes carry two.

I am working on beating in some teebirds, and tend to use/like these the most


those are where i have such trouble deciding, because i like all of them. are they similar enough to where i should just pick one and forget the rest? or is there a decent reason to pick one over the others? i throw them all around 350 max D, 300-330 reliably.


i also carry a star firebird which sees wind duty, a trashed champ RR for rollers and a beat,flat star destroyer for pure distance(400-425 forehand)


any advice on the drivers, or any other part of the bag is apreciated!

 

[frennis524]

Suggestion. What I am doing is carrying 2 teebirds for straight or natural fade. I also have 2 X Cyclones to shape lines. THis is working excellent. The cyclones kick ass for line shaping. I throw the teebirds up to 415 , 390 consistently. This is an awesome combo trust me.

 

[black udder]

You'll get a ton of suggestions, I'm sure. It's great fun to try new discs and it's pretty easy to carry a bunch around with you, but I'd use yourself as the final judge. Throw what you throw reliably. Think about what you throw on the holes/courses you play and determine what you use most. Maybe you don't throw some discs as much as you thought - perhaps they're only being carried because you "think" you need them, when you really never throw them.

I really want to throw a couple beasts that I have, but I really don't throw them reliably and I always reach for another disc instead of them, so I just took them out of the bag. The discs you mentioned are pretty sensible discs.

The only one that I'd bet you don't get much use out of is the firebird. You're in a similar distance to me and I'd bet that you either don't throw it or do it poorly when you do. You could throw a light one or just pick a less overstable disc. Face the fact that you're not throwing it 350' or even 330', let alone into a stiff headwind. When you come to terms with that, then you'll understand you can probably throw a less overstable disc further than the firebird and it's usage might change.

The best thing you can do for stiff headwinds is take your bag out and throw all your discs into it and learn what they do. I believe you'll have much better success that moving to a really overstable disc.

Just my 2 cents though Have fun.

 

[JHern]

I also throw forehand and backhand, with greater distance and harder snap forehand. I've found that my Star TeeBird flies really well with both my backhand and forehand throws. I love it, since it does double duty for me in this respect. I was surprised by this disc's ability to flip flat and fly straight on my forehand throws especially on shorter distance throws, since I would ordinarily have guessed that it wouldn't.

 

[awspence]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Two more things to note. I really only throw the Firebird forehand, so i think i have the power for it to fly correctly. You are right in that I cannot really make it do anything with my weak backhand throw. Another thing is that I never carry ALL of these in the bag, but it seems like every few rounds ill will change back to eagles, then back to teebirds, and that is what i am trying to stop doing.

I am leaning towards keeping the teebirds because it seems like they are what I throw the most. I just wanted to make sure that wouldn't limit me in any way.

 

[garublador1]

DX Eagle-X's are really good for line shaping. Teebirds are really good at going straight. It is overlap having both of them in your bag but IMO, Teebirds are so good at going long and straight that it's worth living with some overlap. However, they aren't very forgiving, so they're somewhat difficult to learn with. If you get them overturned just a little bit too much they won't come back.

TL's are good for line shaping, too, but not as easy to learn with as the Eagles.

I'd keep working with the Eagles until you get good at line shaping. Then I'd choose between the Eagles and TL's and add the Teebirds.

 

[mark12b]

yeah, eagles should be fine if you keep practicing with them. but if they're not doing it for you, try a gazelle or cyclone for a while. they're a bit slower and a bit easier to work.

 

[IllustratorVir]

It boils down to one thing: What do you want the discs to do? I will say one thing your bag layout looks golden as far as putters,upshots, midrange, pure distance and utility. You seem to have all the basis covered except those darn fairway drivers. Unfortunately they, in my opinion, are the most important. This thread is kinda neat because you and I are in the same boat as far as distance. So here we go. (This is my take on what you have)

I see a bit more distance potential and line shaping with the Eagles. They are a bit understable at high speeds which will give you that S-turn more often usually resulting in greater distance. What you sacrifice for this is a bit of unpredictability, especially with any kind of wind. When it flips it -will- come back the question that I ask will it come back soon enough to give me the end result I am looking for.

The Teebird has an all-around stable/straight flight path. In my opinion the consistency in flight is what makes it so popular. Stable enough that it won't flip too hard but easy to throw even at lower powers. The Teebird is my fairway of choice, I carry 3-5 at any one time varying in condition/weight/plastic.

I have yet to throw a TL but I have heard decent things about it. If you cannot control a Teebird the TL is the next disc you should try.

The fact of the matter is the 3 of them -do- overlap as far as distance. On a turnover the Eagle might nudge out the teebird while on a flat line the glide of a teebird might knock off the eagle. As far as line shaping for me that's a personal thing. A beat in teebird will shape lines for me, but maybe not for you. By the same token the Eagle might shape well for you but not for me. My suggestion is to take them all to a football field on a moderate wind day and give them a chuck. You will learn more about them that way I think

Best of luck.