Zappa
Newbie
First post here on these boards. Been reading through the posts here for the past year or so, and finally decided that I might have something to contribute.
Been playing for the past 12 years or so, with time off for injury every few years. Was active in the local community, doing course maintenance, playing non-sanctioned events, making it out for doubles every weekend, generally enjoying the DG community. But about five years ago, I cut through the tendons of my thumb on my throwing hand. Had a couple of surgeries, and lost some of the range of motion in the tip of my thumb. Couldn't really grip a disc firmly any longer. Needless to say, my game got so sloppy that it wasn't much fun to play. Hung up the bag, and it took until this past spring to get the fever back.
And boy did I get the fever back. It took a friend coming over and wanting to borrow baskets. I reluctantly handed three over, with the stipulation that I might help with the hole layout at their property. First day out we had great conversations about tournament play, about our friends who had all moved up to the Open Division, how good all of the kids we see locally in Portland were getting, and I without thinking picked up a Teebird and through a nice 300ft hyzer to our temporary placement. Parked. Fire rekindled. Went home that night and put together a bag of throwers to test my new found strength in my thumb.
In the past year and a half I have been playing weekend tournaments, trying to make it to Doubles on the off Weeknight. I putt in the front yard, I do fieldwork at my Daughters elementary school. I am an addict. Luckily my wife and daughter are very supportive.
Which brings me to my current dilemma. Ever since I started throwing again last year I have modified the thumb position of my grip. I used to be fairly thumb forward, but now I notice that I am more pronounced with the pressure in the tip of my thumb, and it is aligned with the curl of my pointer finger. (I guess more Avery Jenkins, or Nate Doss, than Feldberg.) Because of this I feel like I am getting good snap, but my release is not a clean as it was when the pad of my thumb had pressure on the flight plate. I also have had to change up discs that I have been throwing. When I quit this past time, it was CE Valks and Firebirds that made up the bulk of my drivers.
Partially due to my addiction to the sport and partially because of all of the new plastic, I have probably 30 driver molds that I have tried over the past year. I have no idea how people get distance with the Giant Wing, super fast and flat modern driver. But I do know, that my new grip and Masters Age Body hate anything above speed 12. Sooooo (And sorry for those of you who actually read and respond to my long post here) Now I am Discing Down and trying to reinvent myself in the Masters division.
I feel like I have not lost too much Distance as my footwork has suprising improved since I started in my late 20s.
Putting with a Classic Judge
Throwing 175g P2s up to 250 feet off the tee and from the fairway. Beadless but still stable.
Carry a Medium Sinus for windy upshots and 20mph+ wind putts.
Throwing a Mix of Rocs. 2 DX and 1 Champ Roc 3 for all midrange drives and upshots in the 280-330 range.
Fell in love with the FD and now carry 4. I beat D line 170 that is very Leopard like. Two C-line 175 for straight lines with a soft finish. And a S-Line 170 for hyzerflips and long turnovers.
Two Teebirds. 1 11 time that is my only holdover from discs that I owned before last spring. And a Brinster 175 for a dependable dump on the same lines. Can get both out to about 350 or so.
Then all I have room in the bag for are my 4 PDs. 2 C Line. One light, one heavy. A beat P line which is the longest disc in my bag. And a newer S line that flies the Teebird line up to about 380 ft.
So while I was pleased playing this afternoon with friends I realized that carry 10 discs that I could throw in the field within 40 feet of each other. The FD and Teebird shape different lines but end up at the same distance. The PDs while feeling fast probably get out to about 400 on a good pull. I have put them past a 380 foot basket with regularity, but now i am thinking of trying a bag with more mids. A bag of cycled Rocs is pretty boring, and I am jealous of the low line drive flights that my buddy gets from throwing a Truth low and hard.
If any of you all have some advice for a 41 year old with a bad thumb who is working his game back into shape then let me hear it. I want to be more competitive this next summer, and I have a winters worth of work ahead of me. Promise my next post will not be this long winded.
Been playing for the past 12 years or so, with time off for injury every few years. Was active in the local community, doing course maintenance, playing non-sanctioned events, making it out for doubles every weekend, generally enjoying the DG community. But about five years ago, I cut through the tendons of my thumb on my throwing hand. Had a couple of surgeries, and lost some of the range of motion in the tip of my thumb. Couldn't really grip a disc firmly any longer. Needless to say, my game got so sloppy that it wasn't much fun to play. Hung up the bag, and it took until this past spring to get the fever back.
And boy did I get the fever back. It took a friend coming over and wanting to borrow baskets. I reluctantly handed three over, with the stipulation that I might help with the hole layout at their property. First day out we had great conversations about tournament play, about our friends who had all moved up to the Open Division, how good all of the kids we see locally in Portland were getting, and I without thinking picked up a Teebird and through a nice 300ft hyzer to our temporary placement. Parked. Fire rekindled. Went home that night and put together a bag of throwers to test my new found strength in my thumb.
In the past year and a half I have been playing weekend tournaments, trying to make it to Doubles on the off Weeknight. I putt in the front yard, I do fieldwork at my Daughters elementary school. I am an addict. Luckily my wife and daughter are very supportive.
Which brings me to my current dilemma. Ever since I started throwing again last year I have modified the thumb position of my grip. I used to be fairly thumb forward, but now I notice that I am more pronounced with the pressure in the tip of my thumb, and it is aligned with the curl of my pointer finger. (I guess more Avery Jenkins, or Nate Doss, than Feldberg.) Because of this I feel like I am getting good snap, but my release is not a clean as it was when the pad of my thumb had pressure on the flight plate. I also have had to change up discs that I have been throwing. When I quit this past time, it was CE Valks and Firebirds that made up the bulk of my drivers.
Partially due to my addiction to the sport and partially because of all of the new plastic, I have probably 30 driver molds that I have tried over the past year. I have no idea how people get distance with the Giant Wing, super fast and flat modern driver. But I do know, that my new grip and Masters Age Body hate anything above speed 12. Sooooo (And sorry for those of you who actually read and respond to my long post here) Now I am Discing Down and trying to reinvent myself in the Masters division.
I feel like I have not lost too much Distance as my footwork has suprising improved since I started in my late 20s.
Putting with a Classic Judge
Throwing 175g P2s up to 250 feet off the tee and from the fairway. Beadless but still stable.
Carry a Medium Sinus for windy upshots and 20mph+ wind putts.
Throwing a Mix of Rocs. 2 DX and 1 Champ Roc 3 for all midrange drives and upshots in the 280-330 range.
Fell in love with the FD and now carry 4. I beat D line 170 that is very Leopard like. Two C-line 175 for straight lines with a soft finish. And a S-Line 170 for hyzerflips and long turnovers.
Two Teebirds. 1 11 time that is my only holdover from discs that I owned before last spring. And a Brinster 175 for a dependable dump on the same lines. Can get both out to about 350 or so.
Then all I have room in the bag for are my 4 PDs. 2 C Line. One light, one heavy. A beat P line which is the longest disc in my bag. And a newer S line that flies the Teebird line up to about 380 ft.
So while I was pleased playing this afternoon with friends I realized that carry 10 discs that I could throw in the field within 40 feet of each other. The FD and Teebird shape different lines but end up at the same distance. The PDs while feeling fast probably get out to about 400 on a good pull. I have put them past a 380 foot basket with regularity, but now i am thinking of trying a bag with more mids. A bag of cycled Rocs is pretty boring, and I am jealous of the low line drive flights that my buddy gets from throwing a Truth low and hard.
If any of you all have some advice for a 41 year old with a bad thumb who is working his game back into shape then let me hear it. I want to be more competitive this next summer, and I have a winters worth of work ahead of me. Promise my next post will not be this long winded.
