Vibram Disc Golf Thread

[dehaas]

Got a chance to get out and throw some new vibram today, figured I'd share my thoughts. It was cold and windy, so not really the best conditions out. I've used the ridge, vp, and summit a while in the past but nothing else.

Summit: good touch disc, need a bit more time to see how much I can put on it to get the lines I need.

Sole: felt good putting but I couldn't click with it off the tee. The ridge felt much better off the tee to use as a work horse.

VP: didn't seem as over stable as I remember, but the I was using was a 171. Maybe a bit heavier one is what I need.

176m Ibex: nice and straight with a tailwind, flipped hard in 15 mph headwinds. I'll need more work with it but it has potential.

176m Obex: had some of my best shots of the day with it. Wasn't as over stable as I was expecting. Nice and straight with a bit of fade at the end. For me a little less fade than my ti wasp. I easily see this becoming my workhorse mid.

175m Trak: pleasantly surprised with this guy. Faster than I was expecting, super straight. Think a lighter one would work well for turnovers.

170m Ascent: didn't get many clean rips with it but seemed to have a slight turn to it and more fade than the trak. Reminded me of an eagle where the trak was like a tl but faster.

173 Lace: didn't get many shots with it either since I played the short pads today. Threw it with a tailwind a few times and it was super straight. I'd say a little more prone to some high speed turn than my swords with a little less fade. Once I get some more throws with it I think it will be a great accurate max d disc.

Overall I enjoyed tossing them. A meat hook mid and fairway would be awesome to see, and maybe a truly under stable mid and fairway. Medium plastic was just right in the cold, have to go firm in the summer I think.

[Monkeypaws]

Originally Posted by dehaas

Got a chance to get out and throw some new vibram today, figured I'd share my thoughts. It was cold and windy, so not really the best conditions out. I've used the ridge, vp, and summit a while in the past but nothing else.

Summit: good touch disc, need a bit more time to see how much I can put on it to get the lines I need.

Sole: felt good putting but I couldn't click with it off the tee. The ridge felt much better off the tee to use as a work horse.

VP: didn't seem as over stable as I remember, but the I was using was a 171. Maybe a bit heavier one is what I need.

176m Ibex: nice and straight with a tailwind, flipped hard in 15 mph headwinds. I'll need more work with it but it has potential.

176m Obex: had some of my best shots of the day with it. Wasn't as over stable as I was expecting. Nice and straight with a bit of fade at the end. For me a little less fade than my ti wasp. I easily see this becoming my workhorse mid.

175m Trak: pleasantly surprised with this guy. Faster than I was expecting, super straight. Think a lighter one would work well for turnovers.

170m Ascent: didn't get many clean rips with it but seemed to have a slight turn to it and more fade than the trak. Reminded me of an eagle where the trak was like a tl but faster.

173 Lace: didn't get many shots with it either since I played the short pads today. Threw it with a tailwind a few times and it was super straight. I'd say a little more prone to some high speed turn than my swords with a little less fade. Once I get some more throws with it I think it will be a great accurate max d disc.

Overall I enjoyed tossing them. A meat hook mid and fairway would be awesome to see, and maybe a truly under stable mid and fairway. Medium plastic was just right in the cold, have to go firm in the summer I think.

Thanks for the run-down. I've recently developed an interest in Vibram, so this is pretty helpful.

My empire consists of an Ibex and a Trak at this point - hoping for a chance to throw in above zero conditions with no snow this week, maybe with an added putter(Summit and Sole are the 2 I'm looking at).

[TalbotTrojan]

Good rundown dehaas. I still like the mediums, even in the heat of summer. I did notice as I was playing this weekend that cold weather does stiffen the rubber a little bit but not so much that you can't still bend it as normal. My Obex was all out of whack when I pulled it out of the bag. Looked like a taco almost. A little bending and the thing was back to normal. Maybe I just need to carry a microwave and power source around with me on the course?

Oh, and I am still having some headwind issues with the Lace, but that is not entirely unexpected. It would also have helped if I could have felt my hand as I was throwing on that hole. It was stinking cold this weekend.

[StevenDodge]

Originally Posted by BrotherDave

I didn't know you were a fellow Summit man!

Hi All, my apologies for the extended absence. You would think the Winter would be the time when I would be able to settle things down and pay the most attention here, but NOOOOOO..., with the Birdie Bash, planning for OR, deciding what new discs to make (yes, I'm a tease ) and making sure that the Vibram Open and Players Cup are both broadcast on DGP.TV this year, I've been busier than ever before!

And I too am a Summit man. I played this weekend and had 5 or 6 Summit Scrambles from 120-150 feet. Beautiful annys through the trees and landing within 10 feet of the pin. It is awesome being super confident in the way a disc is going to fly!

[StevenDodge]

Originally Posted by TalbotTrojan

After reading through the article in depth, I stand by my comments. I hope Mr. Dodge can somehow make his plan work. I hope people listen.

I tend to talk and talk and talk until people do listen.

[StevenDodge]

Originally Posted by kutz167

So I was having a pretty off day at the course today (kept hitting every f***ing tree!) and managed to mess up the wings on a couple of my fairway drivers a bit. I tried like Steven Dodge had said about microwaving the discs on high for a minute, and voilah! The wing warp was gone! I just used my hand to bend the wing up a bit right after taking it out of the microwave before setting it on the counter top to cool.

At first I was a little skeptical that it would work, but after it worked successfully on some that were freshly warped, I tried it on an Ascent that has had a severe wing warp for about six months, and it returned to its original form as well! Yet another reason that Vibram is the premier disc manufacturer on the market!

I remember the first time I tried the microwave trick. WOW! I also remember being fair to some competitors' discs and trying it on some premium plastics. Whooops! The lab smelled bad that day.

[StevenDodge]

Originally Posted by apparition

Vibram submitted it for approval with a shallow rim, advertise it as being a shallow putter, but are not producing it consistently shallow because it's too expensive means it's the PDGA's fault for listing dimensions? I don't want to flatten it, I want it to be shallow the way they advertise. I suppose it's actually my fault for asking Vibram fans, but it's good to know these discs are inconsistent. I've asked Vibram, so we'll see what they say

I am glad we were able to discuss this and make it as okay as it can be. The Summit is our shallowest putter, I'm not sure how the PDGA numbers are different than what is currently being made but I would not place blame anywhere. It is possible that we sent them a prototype of the disc that was shallower but needed to be tweaked. I remember this happening on one disc, but don't know if it was the Summit.

Either way, the Summits are consistently made. Please don't let us start to think that the mold somehow makes inconsistent discs.

[StevenDodge]

Originally Posted by TalbotTrojan

Hello Steve Dodge!

So the questions are:

1. What are your first thoughts as far as Prodigy is concerned?

2. How will their new business model and desire to help the sport affect what Vibram is already doing?

4. What plans does Vibram have moving forward as far as Pro Tour Sponsorship and growth of the sport overall?

1. I am excited for them, and for the sport. It really is that simple. As far as their discs go, the proof is in the pudding.

2. It can only help. Together (whether we work directly together or not), we will have a bigger impact on growing the sport than without their existence. A bigger disc golf pie means more pie for everyone.

3. Usually right after lunch, but sometimes on really cold Winter nights with a full moon. Breathe deep.

4A. Pro Side - Growing towards media exposure: We will again be the presenting sponsor of the PDGA National Tour, The Vibram Open and The Players Cup.

4B. We will also be at Pro and Am Worlds, Bowling Green and some other events (mostly VOQs and events near retailers we will be visiting).

4C. Big for 2013: We've created the Vibram Birdie Bash (VBB) which should introduce the sport in a fun way to hundreds of new players and beginners. The key is to have fun and connect with people. That is how I got hooked, and it is a recipe for success that the VBB will build on.

http://www.vibramdiscgolf.com/birdie-bash.html

[dehaas]

for you spin putters out there, what molds and firmnesses work best for you? i like the firm plastic for pitch putting but it seems like medium might work better for spin putting.

[Dan H.]

Best of luck to you, Steve! I think your ideas are great and I look forward to seeing your company grow and continue to provide quality disc golf products! Thanks for taking your time to answer our questions!