Elevation and Discs

[Usher]

Does anyone thing that elevation has something to do with the way that the disc travels? They say that the higher elevation that you are, the air is thinner, therefor, you could throw the disc further? I live in Denver (Elevation 5280') so I should be able to throw a disc further here than in Florida? Can anyone provide any validity to this?

[harr0140]

I know its true for hitting golf balls! SO I assume it is the same as discs. Basically there is less resistance on the disc allowing for more glide!

I worked a summer at Cordillera Golf Club in Edwards and was able to hit the ball 30-40 yards further in the thin Colorado air, but that course was at 9,000 ft.

[ShaZaun]

I believe this is de ja vu....if not I'll go with the same answer of physics says yes.......it will go farther higher above sea level.....apparently where I play is at or below sea level.....

[Usher]

Originally Posted by harr0140

I know its true for hitting golf balls! SO I assume it is the same as discs. Basically there is less resistance on the disc allowing for more glide!

The same is said for Baseballs - Lots of Home Runs hit here! When the All-star game was here a while back, they had one hell of a time with the Home Run Derby!

[Adam Schneider]

At higher elevations, the air is thinner and so your discs act more overstable.

[TalbotTrojan]

I feel like there has been another thread recently that discussed this.

Having lived and played in both Colorado and California (and New Mexico and Arizona along the move route), the first thing that I noticed out here is that my discs were not flying quite as far. At first I thought it was just a blip in my play but as I look back at it now I honestly believe it is the altitude. With that being said, I am super pumped to get back to Colorado and throw my discs a mile again, not quite literally.

[sidewinder22]

I think there is thread about this already. Yes it affects discs but its not a big difference. Makes them slightly more stable. I forget its either on Innova or Discraft website that talks about it also.

[ERicJ]

Having played in Denver (mile high) and Houston (~sea level) I can say that my own experience was no significant noticeable difference. But I wasn't exactly measuring every throw either, so there may have been some minor difference.

ERic

[Lewis]

For reference:

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums...ead.php?t=1918

But that's no reason not to talk about it more in this thread.

[t i m]

I've noticed significant differences in stability with golf discs at altitude vs. at sea level -- discs have less resistance so they don't have as much pushing against them to cause them to flip and hold flat. It's similar to throwing in no wind vs. with a tailwind. A tailwind creates less resistance that gives an effective response on the disc that is akin to throwing in low altitude.

So yes, discs are less stable at high altitude. So discs that are understable at sea level can be BOMBED at high altitude. I notice this most prominently with an Ultimate lid. Playing catch at 9000+ feet, you can BOMB a lid -- a friend and I were playing catch in a field ~350' apart up near Estes Park in CO one summer. It was amazing.