garublador
* Ace Member *
Some might notice that I don't post in this forum a whole lot. The main reason is that most of the time the advice I'd give is almost exactly the same each time and I don't want to type it over and over again. So I thought I'd do a quick write up of that advice once.
First, required reading:
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/dgr/resources/articles/choosingadisc.shtml
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/dgr/resources/articles/discoverlap.shtml
Those will cover a lot of questions people have about how to put a bag together.
Your goal as a beginner is to both improve technique and line shaping. Start with this:
Putter - 1 mold, preferably a stable, in most cases beaded putter in low end plastic that isn't flexible (e.g. S Wizard, KC Aviar, D Challenger, D Focus, S Voodoo, etc.)
Mid - 1 mold, neutral to slightly overstable (e.g. DX Roc, Buzzz, Shark, Cro, Element, there's like a million of them).
Driver* - 1 mold, slow, low end plastic, with some turn and some fade (e.g. DX Cheetah, M Polaris LS, DX Gazelle, D Cyclone, DX Eagle-X, etc.)
Overstable Driver - 1 mold, overstable by design, not because of speed (e.g. Banshee, Firebird, Predator, etc.)
* The Cheetah and Polaris are easiest to control for those throwing <320' or so and the Gazelle, Cyclone and Eagle start off on the overstable side, but are more controllable if you're throwing farther. There are a lot more options, but those are my favorites.
Ideally, you'll be able to shape any line from pure hyzers to pure anhyzers and all sorts of 'S' and straight shots in between. Being able to control all of those discs on full power drives is important.
I'd recommend that setup for anyone who can't perform all shots with those four discs. If you have more molds it's OK to use them in field practice when fixing technique issues, but sticking to those four molds for rounds and for learning line shaping will make it a lot easier.
Once you get good at that, don't want to improve anymore and/or are hitting ~250' with putters, ~300' with mids and 320'-350' with your fairway drivers there are a couple other discs that might help.
At that point add:
Moderately overstable driver - something stable by design, not just by speed, but not super overstable and faster than your control driver (e.g. OLF, Z/ESP Avenger, Champ/Star Starfire-X, PD, etc.)
Distance driver - something that goes far (speed 9 if your control drivers are closer to 320', speed 9-11 if your control drivers are 350+). Your choice here will depend a lot on where you are, and how happy you are with your technique. It seems to be the most personal choice, but also the least important one as this will most likely be your least used disc.
Optional straight control driver - Many people like adding a Teebird for straight shots and as a "barometer" to see how well you're throwing. They can take as much power as anyone can muster, but (especially beat DX ones) they don't take kindly to OAT. Beat DX ones also go about as far as distance drivers with more control if you have more height to work with.
You'll notice I left off "Understable driver." IMO, beat control drivers and stable distance drivers are the best options for this spot. If you need a stop-gap solution for a tournament or something there are options, but once you get good with that first bag you'll both be good at forcing discs over (and "under" to make them hold hyzers) and you'll have beat up control drivers (remember how I said to buy the cheap plastic?).
When you get to the point where you're happy with your line shaping (you should be pretty good at it after that first bag) and technique, throw whatever you want. Pros are at this level and some choose to throw more molds, but can still play really well with the "beginners" bag setup I outlined above. If you develop those skills rather than just familiarity with a bunch of different discs, small changes from different runs, discs going OOP and courses you aren't familiar with all become much less of an issue. You'll always have the right disc for whatever shot, because you aren't dependent on your discs to make any specific shot.
First, required reading:
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/dgr/resources/articles/choosingadisc.shtml
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/dgr/resources/articles/discoverlap.shtml
Those will cover a lot of questions people have about how to put a bag together.
Your goal as a beginner is to both improve technique and line shaping. Start with this:
Putter - 1 mold, preferably a stable, in most cases beaded putter in low end plastic that isn't flexible (e.g. S Wizard, KC Aviar, D Challenger, D Focus, S Voodoo, etc.)
Mid - 1 mold, neutral to slightly overstable (e.g. DX Roc, Buzzz, Shark, Cro, Element, there's like a million of them).
Driver* - 1 mold, slow, low end plastic, with some turn and some fade (e.g. DX Cheetah, M Polaris LS, DX Gazelle, D Cyclone, DX Eagle-X, etc.)
Overstable Driver - 1 mold, overstable by design, not because of speed (e.g. Banshee, Firebird, Predator, etc.)
* The Cheetah and Polaris are easiest to control for those throwing <320' or so and the Gazelle, Cyclone and Eagle start off on the overstable side, but are more controllable if you're throwing farther. There are a lot more options, but those are my favorites.
Ideally, you'll be able to shape any line from pure hyzers to pure anhyzers and all sorts of 'S' and straight shots in between. Being able to control all of those discs on full power drives is important.
I'd recommend that setup for anyone who can't perform all shots with those four discs. If you have more molds it's OK to use them in field practice when fixing technique issues, but sticking to those four molds for rounds and for learning line shaping will make it a lot easier.
Once you get good at that, don't want to improve anymore and/or are hitting ~250' with putters, ~300' with mids and 320'-350' with your fairway drivers there are a couple other discs that might help.
At that point add:
Moderately overstable driver - something stable by design, not just by speed, but not super overstable and faster than your control driver (e.g. OLF, Z/ESP Avenger, Champ/Star Starfire-X, PD, etc.)
Distance driver - something that goes far (speed 9 if your control drivers are closer to 320', speed 9-11 if your control drivers are 350+). Your choice here will depend a lot on where you are, and how happy you are with your technique. It seems to be the most personal choice, but also the least important one as this will most likely be your least used disc.
Optional straight control driver - Many people like adding a Teebird for straight shots and as a "barometer" to see how well you're throwing. They can take as much power as anyone can muster, but (especially beat DX ones) they don't take kindly to OAT. Beat DX ones also go about as far as distance drivers with more control if you have more height to work with.
You'll notice I left off "Understable driver." IMO, beat control drivers and stable distance drivers are the best options for this spot. If you need a stop-gap solution for a tournament or something there are options, but once you get good with that first bag you'll both be good at forcing discs over (and "under" to make them hold hyzers) and you'll have beat up control drivers (remember how I said to buy the cheap plastic?).
When you get to the point where you're happy with your line shaping (you should be pretty good at it after that first bag) and technique, throw whatever you want. Pros are at this level and some choose to throw more molds, but can still play really well with the "beginners" bag setup I outlined above. If you develop those skills rather than just familiarity with a bunch of different discs, small changes from different runs, discs going OOP and courses you aren't familiar with all become much less of an issue. You'll always have the right disc for whatever shot, because you aren't dependent on your discs to make any specific shot.
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