Good players started out the same way as everybody else. They got introduced to the game and had whatever odd assortment of discs they happen to start with, including drivers, of course. They flung them around and learned by trial and error and by watching others. The same way you learned. The same way I learned. The same way the folks reading this learned. Not with formal training. Not with someone handing them a lightweight Aviar and teaching them the proper grip and telling them to only throw this disc for the next year before they are ready to move up to a mid.
Understable putters are one of the most difficult discs to master. But there is nothing magical about learning them. It is a different skill to learn to control an overstable putter but not mutually exclusive (so you can figure out that different discs do different things and learn to make the adjustments needed). Every disc is a little or alot different. Learning one helps you learn the next no matter what order you start with.
Wide rimmed drivers do not mask good form. They reward good form while punishing bad. They therefore teach good form. Trial and error, remember? The smaller the margin of error the more that good form is required.
I am not advocating that the perfect starting disc is a Boss or a Nuke (although it would do no harm when mixed in with a bunch of other discs) . But this topic is about a player looking to take the next step in their progression and looking to add distance. Heck a Nuke SS or a Katana or a Blizzard Destroyer might be superb.
This progression theory was invented on the internet, not on the practice fields. How do I know that good players didn't restrict themselves to putters? Because it is contrary to human nature. We find the sport. We love the sport. We become addicted to the sport. We go out and try every disc we can get our hands on.
Ok, let me pose this question: For all of you reading this who were NOT trained by the Progression Method (like, all of you), how many of you really believe it held you back? Does anyone think the only thing holding them back from World titles and fame was they threw drivers too early?