I realize this is long, and it's really more for me to review next year than anything else, but I welcome your comments and pointers!
Last year I was at this point:
I hadn't yet played in any event and was very hit or miss with almost all of my shots. The only constant was how much fun I had whenever I played.
Then I broke my non-throwing shoulder over Labor Day weekend and that made me hit the brakes until January. Now with COVID-19 keeping us all away from each other, I am lucky to have a huge deserted parking lot near my house where I can throw and I think I've made a lot of form improvements over the past few weeks. I'm at the point where I think I really have a complete setup:
Putter: 173g Jawbreaker Discraft Challenger
Putter/Regular Approach: 172g Elastic Performance Daredevil Woodchuck~ I can't say enough good things about this disc. As long as I have a clear view of the basket, within 150 feet, the woodchuck is coming out. If I have room to nose it up, I can push it dead straight to 170 or so standing still, and it floats and dies on impact.
Low Speed Understable: 170g ESP FLX? Discraft Ace Race Sol~ The sol holds an anny line unlike anything else I own and it's so easy to throw or flick
Brick: 175g DX Innova Rhyno~ It's not my favorite disc, but it's easy to throw both forehand and backhand and it doesn't glide, which does have its perks from time to time
Overstable Approach: 170g ZFLX Discraft Zone~ This didn't change
Midrange 1: Elite-X 165g Discraft Buzzz
Midrange 2: ZFLX 168g Discraft Buzzz (I ditched the Z's and now I have a grippy but more stable disc in this ZFLX edition, while the X is a less stable low speed laser which replaces my "need" for the mako3)
Overstable "Midrange": 172g Daredevil Elastic Performance Ogopogo (yes, it's technically a fairway driver, but you can't crush it and expect good results, and it skips less than a midrange)
Fairway Drivers:
173g Discraft Big Z Heat~This is my hyzerflipping turnover disc
173g Discraft ZFLX Heat~I get my best 320ish S shots with this disc
166g Daredevil Flex Performance Timberwolf~ 300ish dead straight minimal fade
170g Discraft ESP Undertaker~My breezy driver
OS Fairway: 168g Daredevil Flex Performance Mammoth~The mammoth turns a tad but it would take a severe headwind to turn it over
Forehand Fairway Drivers: This is where things get a tad "extra" so sayeth the kids these days. There's clearly overlap, but I don't like the Undertaker for FH and I don't like the Tesla for BH.
156g MVP Neutron Tesla~Forehands hurt the most after shoulder surgery, but I loved throwing the tesla forehand last summer, so I got a lighter one which I like a lot.
165g Discraft ESP Flick~Not as OS(!!!) as my zflx machete was, I get slightly better results with this massively overstable utility disc. These two discs are so thin, it's like they don't take up any bag space.
Distance Drivers:
Primary Distance Driver: 165g Discraft Big-Z Thrasher~Tailwinds, no wind, even a slight headwind, this is coming out
Moderate Headwind Distance Driver: 148g Discraft Pro-D Nuke~I don't think my arm will ever get to a point where a fresh nuke is not stable enough for me--and the sharp rim of a pro-D nuke will be gouged to crap before it actually beats in-- and at this superlight weight, I get my longest headwind drives with this disc
Windy Day Distance Driver: 165g Discraft Pro-D Nuke~When the wind is all over the place but I still have a wide open space, this heavier nuke is coming out
Last year I was at this point:
Putting putter:
175g ProD Rattler
Low speed (Putters and Approach):
173g Jawbreaker Challenger
170g Ace Race (ESP?) Sol
170g Z-FLX Zone
Midrange:
170g Elite-Z Buzzz beat-in
170g Elite-Z Buzzz newer
169g Star Mako3
168g Lucid Verdict (I have been back and forth on this disc and a heavier beat-in Drone)
Fairway:
172g Ace Race Titanium Mantis
165g Neutron Tesla
168g Elite-Z beat-in Heat
173g Big-Z Heat
173g Z-Flx Heat
Distance:
173g Big-Z Thrasher
168g Z-Flx Machete
168g Epic
144g Z-Lite Nuke
I hadn't yet played in any event and was very hit or miss with almost all of my shots. The only constant was how much fun I had whenever I played.
Then I broke my non-throwing shoulder over Labor Day weekend and that made me hit the brakes until January. Now with COVID-19 keeping us all away from each other, I am lucky to have a huge deserted parking lot near my house where I can throw and I think I've made a lot of form improvements over the past few weeks. I'm at the point where I think I really have a complete setup:
Putter: 173g Jawbreaker Discraft Challenger
Putter/Regular Approach: 172g Elastic Performance Daredevil Woodchuck~ I can't say enough good things about this disc. As long as I have a clear view of the basket, within 150 feet, the woodchuck is coming out. If I have room to nose it up, I can push it dead straight to 170 or so standing still, and it floats and dies on impact.
Low Speed Understable: 170g ESP FLX? Discraft Ace Race Sol~ The sol holds an anny line unlike anything else I own and it's so easy to throw or flick
Brick: 175g DX Innova Rhyno~ It's not my favorite disc, but it's easy to throw both forehand and backhand and it doesn't glide, which does have its perks from time to time
Overstable Approach: 170g ZFLX Discraft Zone~ This didn't change
Midrange 1: Elite-X 165g Discraft Buzzz
Midrange 2: ZFLX 168g Discraft Buzzz (I ditched the Z's and now I have a grippy but more stable disc in this ZFLX edition, while the X is a less stable low speed laser which replaces my "need" for the mako3)
Overstable "Midrange": 172g Daredevil Elastic Performance Ogopogo (yes, it's technically a fairway driver, but you can't crush it and expect good results, and it skips less than a midrange)
Fairway Drivers:
173g Discraft Big Z Heat~This is my hyzerflipping turnover disc
173g Discraft ZFLX Heat~I get my best 320ish S shots with this disc
166g Daredevil Flex Performance Timberwolf~ 300ish dead straight minimal fade
170g Discraft ESP Undertaker~My breezy driver
OS Fairway: 168g Daredevil Flex Performance Mammoth~The mammoth turns a tad but it would take a severe headwind to turn it over
Forehand Fairway Drivers: This is where things get a tad "extra" so sayeth the kids these days. There's clearly overlap, but I don't like the Undertaker for FH and I don't like the Tesla for BH.
156g MVP Neutron Tesla~Forehands hurt the most after shoulder surgery, but I loved throwing the tesla forehand last summer, so I got a lighter one which I like a lot.
165g Discraft ESP Flick~Not as OS(!!!) as my zflx machete was, I get slightly better results with this massively overstable utility disc. These two discs are so thin, it's like they don't take up any bag space.
Distance Drivers:
Primary Distance Driver: 165g Discraft Big-Z Thrasher~Tailwinds, no wind, even a slight headwind, this is coming out
Moderate Headwind Distance Driver: 148g Discraft Pro-D Nuke~I don't think my arm will ever get to a point where a fresh nuke is not stable enough for me--and the sharp rim of a pro-D nuke will be gouged to crap before it actually beats in-- and at this superlight weight, I get my longest headwind drives with this disc
Windy Day Distance Driver: 165g Discraft Pro-D Nuke~When the wind is all over the place but I still have a wide open space, this heavier nuke is coming out