The Bag of AndyJB 2015 Edition

[AndyJB]

Well, I posted my winter bag (with video) a month or so back, and with the crazy Colorado weather, I've been slowly finalizing my full bag for 2015. I'm pretty set for this as what I will be using for tournament play, but as always, suggestions/tips/tricks/critiques are always welcome. I will have a video up at some point, when the current bit of nasty weather lifts.

Bag: Golf Mahal, large yoke

Putters (note: these make up the bulk of my game, so there's a lot)
-175g JK Aviar. Beat up and puddle topped. Long putts, jump putts, putts I need to stick
-175 Glow KC Aviar. Fairly fresh. General putting duties. Always rotating out fresh KCs, preferably glow
-175g 11x Champion Big Bead Aviar. Worn but still mildly OS. Majority of my upshots
-175g Yikun Claws. Replaced the Polecat. It's a lid. It does lid shots. Nice, floaty and straight.
-172g Neutron Envy. Driving putter that is pretty workable on almost all lines.
-175g Proton Envy. Little more stability than Neutron. Windy putter drives and forehands.
-175g VIP Harp/175g Armor Scale. Utility putter. I rotate between the Harp and Scale depending on the course, but they essentially fill the same role.

Mids
-180g Z Buzzz OS. Fairly fresh. OS mid shots, but its worked enough to do sweeping hyzers if the wind is up.
-180g USDGC Champ Rancho Roc. My standard OS Mid. Not afraid of headwind, but generally used for sweeping hyzers or straight to fade when I need to throw flat.
-177g 2x Roc3. Awesome mix of great HSS without too much LSS. Used for gentle flex shots and running chains.
-175g Marshall Street DX Roc. Still fresh but working to flippy. Thrown flat it will do a natural S-Curve. Hyzer flip laser beam.
-180g McPro Roc3. This is from the Factory Store run before Paul McBeth officially endorsed the disc, so it's seen some use. Flippy and glidey, the perfect turnover mid.
-175g Lucid Suspect. Well-used but still plenty OS. Fills the distance gap between mids and putters, and this is the mid I will forehand if a forehand mid shot is needed.

Fairways
-175g Champion Banshee. Massive fade. Beefy but workable. Generally used as a utility but its not supreme beef like a Firebird, so it still sees normal use.
-175g Brinster Teebird. Well used but still beefy. More glide than my Banshee and sees more use.
-175g Star Avery Teebird. Not quite as beefy as the Brinster and with more glide. Will turn but not flip in a decent headwind.
-175g Glow Champion Teebird. From the really flat and firm run. Been in the bag for years. Beat in to straight with little fade, even in a headwind. My forehand fairway driver of choice.
-171g Champion Teebird. Might be Jolly Launcher but it's clear with a flag dye, so it's hard to tell. My go-to Teebird. Perfect Teebird flight and feel.
-172g Star Teebird. Pretty flat for a Star 'bird. Not quite flippy but getting there. Natural S-Curve that can be hyzer flipped to straight as a button.
-169g Icon Patriot. The same old Patriot that Ive had since they were released. Flippy and delicious. Occasionally thrown for rollers, but mostly easy turnovers and hyzerflips to right (RHBH)

Control Drivers
-175g Avery C-PD. Super beefy PD. It's fresh, but it's my utility PD.
-172g P-PD. Still fresh, but will wear in to the sweet spot pretty quick. Right now it's just straight to fade. Towards the end of the year will likely replace the G-Line and this slot will be filled with an S-PD.
-175g G-PD. My flippy PD. Tons of glide. Will hold anhyzers to the bitter end.

Distance Drivers
-175g Elasto Giant. Suprisingly, one of the most OS Giants I've ever owned. My utility distance driver that I use for overhand, sidearm and the gnarliest of winds.
-172g TP Giant. My "Destroyer" Giant. Flys like a fresh Destro with a better feel in my hand. Straight to fade. Used for distance flex shots and headwinds. Great disc.
-175g BT Medium Giant. Beat in quick but still has a lot of fade and glide. Flies like a longer Eagle. Have another fresh BT Giant on deck in case I beat this in to replace my Sorcerer.
-172g VIP Sorcerer. My flippy distance driver, though it isn't super flippy by any means. Thrown flat will get a huge S-Curve. Holds great anhyzers and even better hyzer flips. Crazy glide on this one.
-175g Opto Scythe. The ultimate utility disc for me. This is my FAF Firebird.

That's it. It's a lot of discs...but luckily the Mahal holds a lot of discs!

 

[grotto]

Damn! That's a lot of discs to lug around!

 

[AndyJB]

Less than Steve Rico or Dave Feldberg and I'm way bigger than either of those dudes.

 

[AndyJB]

Also, this is the bag I use for tournaments. I don't take all these discs with me for casual rounds or even for league play on my home course.

 

[tbird888]

What's your casual bag look like?

 

[Broken Shoulder]

I was wondering that also. And why would they be so different? Not insinuating that it's causing you issues, but are you causing unnecessary overlap and indecisiveness with the larger tourney setup?

 

[AndyJB]

Casual bag is whatever I feel like throwing that day. And I've honestly never found indeciveness to be an issue. I know mmy discs very well, and if I mess up a shot I know its me and not the disc. Tournaments are very different beast, and you really need to be prepared for any situation.

And I don't know where you're getting that they are hugely different. I might take out a a Teebird or a Putter but its not like I play everyday rounds with three discs or something.

 

[Broken Shoulder]

Well, you said you "don't take all these discs with me for casual rounds." Made me assume that it was then a totally different setup. Again though, not insinuating that it was a concern, just asking the question.

 

[AndyJB]

I guess it comes down to course preferences. I'm down in southern Colorado, where we have lots of courses,m but very few tournaments. Most of the tournaments are up in Denver and parts north, where I'm not as familiar with the courses. I like to have all my bases covered in those situations. Then there are mountain courses like Bailey and Beaver Ranch that truly test every shot you have.

earlier last year, when I first got back from Korea, I got it in my head that I was just carrying too many discs so I whittled down to the ones I used the most. I had a little more free time then so I practiced a lot with them. The funny thing was, when it came time to compete, I found myself doing really bad. Like, embarrisngly bad. When I started to add more discs back into the bag, I found mmy scores getting better and mmy places getting dramaticlly better. To the point of going to Utah and placing in the top ten of a heavy field of locals on a course Id never played before.

I guess maybe carrying a ton of discs is like a security blanket for me. It sounds weird to a lot of people, but I know all these discs well enough that I know exactly what they will do when I throw them properly.

Now, me actually throwing them properly is a different story...

 

[tbird888]

Fair enough

 

[AndyJB]

Tbird: can't remember if you tried the Claws yet or not, but I'm really loving it. I get the same shots as a Polecat with just a little more HSS. Just straight and floaty at all power levels. Floaty sky annys for days.

 

[tbird888]

I've tried it in Lock Jaw form and loved it. It's just so fragile. I need a more durable plastic (I would love it in Liquid Metal and a better Karbon) before I'll stock up.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

liquid metal actually deforms pretty easily from high impact hits. I assume with a bigger rim contact area the disc would warp even worse than some of the faster molds out currently. Liquid is really where its at for the shape retention but doesn't hold up surface-wise. Meh'

I hear you Andy on a ton of discs being a security kind of feeling ITB. Surprised you just don't carry a single mold more often like you do with some of the other classes. example putters vs teebirds. granted doesn't really matter but I would have a hell of a time throwing all those different putters. Its why I don't even keep discs like the lockjaw or kitty ITB b/c they just confuse **** for me.

 

[AndyJB]

I haven't tried the Lock Jaw but the Claws has held up pretty well. It looks like ass with all the nicks and burrs but is has held its flight chaercteristics pretty darn well.

 

[88weeks]

Hey Andy. Nice bag. Quite a few discs but if it works for you, then let it rip! How long did you give it on discing down earlier this year? This setup takes out a lot of "utility" I think. You might need that for side arm shots. Do you see a distance gap between Pd's and distance drivers? Looks like Teebirds are your workhorse drivers. I don't know much about the Envy but it sounds like a good driving putter. For mids- I'm assuming the Buzzz OS is more OS than a Champ Rancho Roc?

Putters:
-175g JK Aviar. Beat up and puddle topped. Long putts, jump putts, putts I need to stick
-175 Glow KC Aviar. Fairly fresh. General putting duties. Always rotating out fresh KCs, preferably glow
-172g Neutron Envy. Driving putter that is pretty workable on almost all lines.
-175g Proton Envy. Little more stability than Neutron. Windy putter drives and forehands.

Mids
-180g Z Buzzz OS. Fairly fresh. OS mid shots, but its worked enough to do sweeping hyzers if the wind is up.
-177g 1x Roc3. Awesome mix of great HSS without too much LSS. Used for gentle flex shots and running chains.
-180g McPro Roc3. This is from the Factory Store run before Paul McBeth officially endorsed the disc, so it's seen some use. Flippy and glidey, the perfect turnover mid.
-175g Lucid Suspect. Well-used but still plenty OS. Fills the distance gap between mids and putters, and this is the mid I will forehand if a forehand mid shot is needed.

Fairways
-175g Glow Champion Teebird. From the really flat and firm run. Been in the bag for years. Beat in to straight with little fade, even in a headwind. My forehand fairway driver of choice.
-171g Champion Teebird. Might be Jolly Launcher but it's clear with a flag dye, so it's hard to tell. My go-to Teebird. Perfect Teebird flight and feel.
-172g Star Teebird. Pretty flat for a Star 'bird. Not quite flippy but getting there. Natural S-Curve that can be hyzer flipped to straight as a button.
-169g Icon Patriot. The same old Patriot that Ive had since they were released. Flippy and delicious. Occasionally thrown for rollers, but mostly easy turnovers and hyzerflips to right (RHBH)

Control Drivers
-175g Avery C-PD. Super beefy PD. It's fresh, but it's my utility PD.
-172g P-PD. Still fresh, but will wear in to the sweet spot pretty quick. Right now it's just straight to fade. Towards the end of the year will likely replace the G-Line and this slot will be filled with an S-PD.
-175g G-PD. My flippy PD. Tons of glide. Will hold anhyzers to the bitter end.

Distance Drivers
-175g Elasto Giant. Suprisingly, one of the most OS Giants I've ever owned. My utility distance driver that I use for overhand, sidearm and the gnarliest of winds.
-172g TP Giant. My "Destroyer" Giant. Flys like a fresh Destro with a better feel in my hand. Straight to fade. Used for distance flex shots and headwinds. Great disc.
-175g BT Medium Giant. Beat in quick but still has a lot of fade and glide. Flies like a longer Eagle. Have another fresh BT Giant on deck in case I beat this in to replace my Sorcerer.
-172g VIP Sorcerer. My flippy distance driver, though it isn't super flippy by any means. Thrown flat will get a huge S-Curve. Holds great anhyzers and even better hyzer flips. Crazy glide on this one.

 

[AndyJB]

That's closer to what I would typically bring to my local course, with the exception of a Champ Roc instead of the BOS, and I always have the Brinster Teebird in there. If the wind is really up Ill bring more of my OS discs.

As for the discing down, if you mmean carrying less discs I gave it from February to September before I started adding in more discs. My tournament results really started to improve after that. I didn't even really consider that was the issue until I added a few more discs for my Utah tournament because I was totally unfamiliar with theri courses and placed pretty well (for me.)

As to the distance gap, Id say I have more of a gap between my PDs and Dds than my PDs and Teebirds. In Colorado we aren't known for our long holes, so it really depends on the course as to how often the DDs come out. For example, at the Lunacy tournamment last year I didn't even bring them. I just added a SOLF and another Teebird.

Basically, this bag is to cover all my bases. If I know a course pretty well, I will adjust my load accordingly. We will see how much I stick to this full bag this year as I plan on playing a lot less tournaments due to free time and travel. But for now, this is my full kit.

 

[AndyJB]

So, yesterday I applied for and was accepted to the Salient Squad, which is their Am Team. Being Ams, they allow us to throw a mixed bag with a certain requirement of Salient discs in there. That's all the detail I'm going to get into about that, as I don't know how much else we are supposed to reveal.

Anyway, I already have the Claws, so I'm going to pick up a Lockjaw or three and run with those. I'll also be replacing my Banshee with the Vein, which will be an easy transfer as I threw the Vein before for a review video and after some field throws yesterday really started enjoying it more. I think it will be perfect in Liquid Metal. I'll be picking up a grip of Touches to see if they can compete with the Big Bead Aviars. Karbon for putting and a Liquid or two for upshots.

I'd like to add one or two more Salient discs in there as well. I don't use the Suspect a ton, but I really like it...can anyone school me up on how the Vaccine would compare? I'm also considering the Suture in replacement for the Patriot. I still love the Patriot, but it's been doing me wrong (or, rather, I've been doing it wrong) the last couple events I played. However, the Suture is more understable from what I hear, so I don't know if I'll be able to pull off the beautiful sky annies that the Patriot excels at without totally turning the Suture over. I do like that I won't have to force the Suture into a roller as hard as I have to with the Patriot.

I'm interested in the Salient distance drivers. I threw the original, super domey Backdraft and found it to be not quite beefy enough to compete with my OS Giants, but not stable-understable enough to compete with the Sorcerer. Again, if anyone with more Salient experience could school me up it would be greatly appreciated.

I've said it before, but for me the main selling point is Salient's plastic blends. Cryo is damn close to CE and Liquid is in a class all it's own. I can dig just about anything they put out for their feel and durability alone.

 

[tbird888]

The Touch in Liquid isn't as beefy as it is in Karbon. It's weird to say that, but that's how it is. My experience is with the test run of Karbon though. Can't speak to the production run.

The Suture is more sweet spot (not new) Mongoose than Patriot (considerably more understable). It's a screamer in a strong tailwind.

The Vaccine will certainly fill the beefy spot of the Suspect, but it doesn't have as much glide so there'll be a learning period. They also feel completely different. The Vaccine is super shallow (more than the Zone).

 

[AndyJB]

Suspect is pretty shallow, so I think I can make it work.

Haver you tried the Flatline? Maybe that's more in line with the Patriot. I want something I can turn over, but I'm not looking for something too flippy.

 

[tbird888]

The Flatline in Liquid Metal will be closer for sure.