Midrange Range?

[UFO]

We had almost two months of windy weather, enough for me to throw discs I have no business with when there is no wind! I am a firm believer in building a good foundation, form etc. So on calm days I am discing down and trying to master discs and work my way up. I play with several groups of guys that are long time players but they all throw drivers and then putt, my initial strategy was to throw straight and consistent with a mid to keep up with their (slightly) longer drives. Also my strategy in ball golf and it works!
Question is at what range (on a straight no wind shot) do you switch to a driver? I think I got lazy early on and started throwing a leopard on short stuff because of less effort needed. I want to take a step back and have a really solid stright midrange shot in my skill set even though I am ok with leopards and valks and a beat to hell wraith (throwing around 300 most of the time). This question came to mind a minute ago while throwing a new Roc, forgot just how hard you can throw a mid and how nicely they still behave at the same time. I think I switched to drivers a little early before maxing out mids. I also have some back issues so I get a little lazy about putting core muscles and legs into it but working out to fix that.

So you mid range fans out there, what ranges are you routinely using them for?

Thanks for any advice and comments!

 

[JoshEpoo]

I'm throwing them on holes playing in the 275'-350' range the most. Easy to stretch 'em out on downhill or downwind throws though.

 

[kern97871]

Depending on the line, I'll use them upwards of 350'.

 

[UFO]

Wow, I had no idea. So it would be a good idea in the grand scheme to get comfortable with a mid out to 300 as that is potentially the most reliable way to accurately get there?

 

[kern97871]

Play some rounds with midrange + putter only. Even the long holes. Your throw should be roughly the same with a midrange or driver, with the biggest difference being that the midrange will need a little more height to do what it does. First and foremost, work on driving your midranges straight and with some power. Depending on what you're using, they should be able to handle it. Then work on working those same midranges on different lines.

Unless you are playing a really long course, your rounds with midrange + putters vs full bag should only vary by a few strokes. You'll surprise yourself with how useful mids can really be in your bag.

 

[JoshEpoo]

300' at 75-80% power is a good goal for an able bodied 15-40 year old male. Farther than that takes some natural ability and/or some dedication to refining your technique.

 

[UFO]

Would you guys then agree that a solid straight 300' midrange shot should be mastered before moving on to any drivers?
Also is it safe to say inside 300 you would reach for a mid unless some other variable, wind, low ceiling, terrain was involved?

I have a lot of mids, going to go practice with panther, buzz, and my new roc. Bought a mako but its really light and doesnt like a breeze even. Panther was my first disc and still kinda my favorite, the old flatter ones that say multi-purpose discs. Newer ones are domey and a little more stable best I can tell.

Thanks for advice!

 

[keltik1]

I think it more depends on the hole than anything else. Yeah I can throw mids up to 350 but if the hole calls for a tricky line or a special placement or a short drive there's no telling what I'll throw. In general if it's a fairly simple drive required and 350 or less I'm apt to pull a mid. If it's 300 or less I'm throwing putter (similar situation).

but kern has good advice. I usually suggest ten 18 hole rounds of putter only and then ten 18's of mid + putter. That is usually a good primer for throwing different discs off the tee than you normally would.

and yeah 300 with a mid is a good target.

 

[kern97871]

I have a lot of mids, going to go practice with panther, buzz, and my new roc. Bought a mako but its really light and doesnt like a breeze even. Panther was my first disc and still kinda my favorite, the old flatter ones that say multi-purpose discs.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to limit molds right now too. Your primary focus in doing this should be building up a solid, and consistent technique. It's tough to learn consistency with 3 or 4 different discs in each speed range. Go with one or two mids (one stable, one very neutral or even slightly understable) and learn to make your shots with those.

I can't speak necessarily for other players, but depending on the course I play, I notice myself really throwing probably 80% (sometimes more) of my shots with a handful of discs (1 pred, 1 SPD, 1 Vector, and 2 Ions, one being lighter than the other), even though I carry ~20 discs with me at any time. Part of that is because of a lack of variety in the courses I play regularly. At the same time though, when I go play other courses that are more demanding, I still find myself reaching for those same discs because I know how to make them do anything I need.

Once you do get to the point where you are comfortable making a variety of shots with a few discs, it is much easier to adapt to new discs and learn how to work those in similar fashions.

 

[UFO]

Thanks guys. There is just a lot more overlap in disc than ball golf. My goal is to narrow down what I really like in each category and then trade off discs to just have 3 or 4 in each mold. Digging the star Roc I just got, maybe just cause is nice and new, but it really seems to have a longer glide than the rest. I wasnt far from 300 practicing awhile ago, hit a tree I was aiming at dead on around 200 feet too. Kinda fun going back to practicing with mids after dabbling in drivers for a few months.

 

[zj10021]

try not to get obsessed with reaching these ideal distances.

I could throw a roc 450ft if I aired it out on a big distance line. I remember throwing one 400ft(on a big air shot) a while back with Booter next to me at the Disc Nation driving range(this was before I was throwing 550+). He was pretty much like, "thats nice, but you won't ever be able to do that shot on the course..."

I throw a lot of midranges. I have at least 10 in my bag right now. Just because I can stretch them out in the 350-400ft range, I rarely do. In most cases when the drives start getting in the 350-400ft range, a lot more variables come into play. 350ft is really only realistic when you have a nice wide/open lane and higher ceiling(or short trees).

So basically, just because the sign says 300ft, you shouldn't expect you can throw a midrange to the basket. I get caught up in this a lot because I throw a lot of putters and midranges. There is a local pro that always gives me crap in rounds for taking a tougher shot with a putter/mid "just because I can". He has opened up my mind to sucking it up and powering down on a driver.

Learn to throw your discs on lines, not distances. Going out a field and trying to hit the 300ft barrier will only slow your progress. Focus on throwing it with proper form and the disc will start flying further. Hitting the line with the proper throw/disc rather than "trying to throw a disc 300ft" will result in better results 100% of the time. Heed my advice, I have spent hundreds of hours in the Disc Nation field figuring it out

 

[Triflusal]

no ceiling or elevation, I am comfortable with a roc out to 350' on the course. I can throw them farther on a high flex shot in the field, but that is just for fun. there are some 400' holes where I throw a roc, and some 275' holes where I throw an eagle.

 

[UFO]

try not to get obsessed with reaching these ideal distances.

I could throw a roc 450ft if I aired it out on a big distance line. I remember throwing one 400ft(on a big air shot) a while back with Booter next to me at the Disc Nation driving range(this was before I was throwing 550+). He was pretty much like, "thats nice, but you won't ever be able to do that shot on the course..."

I throw a lot of midranges. I have at least 10 in my bag right now. Just because I can stretch them out in the 350-400ft range, I rarely do. In most cases when the drives start getting in the 350-400ft range, a lot more variables come into play. 350ft is really only realistic when you have a nice wide/open lane and higher ceiling(or short trees).

So basically, just because the sign says 300ft, you shouldn't expect you can throw a midrange to the basket. I get caught up in this a lot because I throw a lot of putters and midranges. There is a local pro that always gives me crap in rounds for taking a tougher shot with a putter/mid "just because I can". He has opened up my mind to sucking it up and powering down on a driver.

Learn to throw your discs on lines, not distances. Going out a field and trying to hit the 300ft barrier will only slow your progress. Focus on throwing it with proper form and the disc will start flying further. Hitting the line with the proper throw/disc rather than "trying to throw a disc 300ft" will result in better results 100% of the time. Heed my advice, I have spent hundreds of hours in the Disc Nation field figuring it out

i gotcha, I am more or less backing myself up and making sure I am truly competent with a mid to have a good foundation to build on with the drivers, that sound like a decent concept? I wouldn't mind driving off the tee with a mid when the situation warrants it more than I have been.

 

[smurphy29]

I'm a master's age disc golfer. I throw a worn x-wasp for primary mid-range. I think it is a good idea to go to a football field and throw your mid-range several times at about 80% power and see what the distance is. I have a great comfort and high confidence level to throw my mid-range on a slight hyzer flight angle and it lands around 225ft consistently. I can power it to around 275ft if needed, but usually throw my leopard for that distance. This consistence helps for the upshot on longer holes also.

 

[Mike C]

Depends a lot on the hole, wind, line needed etc. but I'm comfortable using my mids anywhere from 100-400'.

 

[Stover]

Keep practicing all types of discs. Drive with putters mids and drivers. Just figure out about how far you can throw each. For example my break down is putters to about 250-275, mids 250-325, drivers from 325/350 - 400. I can throw them farther if im in an open field but those are the numbers I go by when I am playing in a tournament on a course I probably have never played.

So for you(if you throw 300 with drivers) throw putters on holes 200 or shorter, mids from 200-250 and drivers from 250-300, something like that. When you do field prac takes turns with the type of discs. I will throw all drivers for a bit, then switch to mids, and then even putters some times. As your power and form get better so will the range you want to throw each type of disc.

*edit.. Also if your on a 400ft hole and want you practice driving with mids there is no problem with just using a mid. It won't go as far, but if you aren't playing a competitive round it really doesn't matter. It will also give you a different type of second shot for that hole that your not use to.

 

[JHern]

I played a 2 disc round (Wizard+Buzzz) at DeLaveaga this afternoon. I like throwing my Buzzz off the tee (it's a spin dominant throwing style, dead straight flight). When I hit the right line, it is devastatingly effective for a large range of shots. I think Eric McCabe demonstrates the potential of that disc, in the hands of a very accurate thrower, very well. (Of course, if I don't hit the line, then it can be really bad since the Buzzz doesn't dump out. That's a criticism Blake has aired in the past, about discs like the Buzzz.) So I shot a +5 for the round, which included 2 ugly (and avoidable) double bogeys (gunning for it when I didn't have to). It's a decent score for this course, and if I wanted to play conservative (on the par train) I would probably think about discing down to one mid and one putter, although I might prefer an aftershock over the Buzzz for that since it is more self-correcting.

 

[Crimson75]

try not to get obsessed with reaching these ideal distances.

I could throw a roc 450ft if I aired it out on a big distance line. I remember throwing one 400ft(on a big air shot) a while back with Booter next to me at the Disc Nation driving range(this was before I was throwing 550+). He was pretty much like, "thats nice, but you won't ever be able to do that shot on the course..."

I throw a lot of midranges. I have at least 10 in my bag right now. Just because I can stretch them out in the 350-400ft range, I rarely do. In most cases when the drives start getting in the 350-400ft range, a lot more variables come into play. 350ft is really only realistic when you have a nice wide/open lane and higher ceiling(or short trees).

So basically, just because the sign says 300ft, you shouldn't expect you can throw a midrange to the basket. I get caught up in this a lot because I throw a lot of putters and midranges. There is a local pro that always gives me crap in rounds for taking a tougher shot with a putter/mid "just because I can". He has opened up my mind to sucking it up and powering down on a driver.

Learn to throw your discs on lines, not distances. Going out a field and trying to hit the 300ft barrier will only slow your progress. Focus on throwing it with proper form and the disc will start flying further. Hitting the line with the proper throw/disc rather than "trying to throw a disc 300ft" will result in better results 100% of the time. Heed my advice, I have spent hundreds of hours in the Disc Nation field figuring it out

This last paragraph may be some of the most solid advice I have seen on here in some time....

 

[whiz]

ZJ speaks the truth. I played a round with Barry Schultz recently and was surprised to find him throwing leopards or eagles on shots where I will often throw a midrange. By powering down on fairway drivers he was hitting his lines very, very consistently. It was a great experience to see how he attacked a course I am very familiar with.

 

[UFO]

I think of having to "power down" to get a mid where a leopard would go with less effort, but I get the jist of working lines versus distance - a very wooded course the other day reminded me lines are def. more important.