Herb's 2020 ITB

[HERB brooks]

Bag Since Last Update (7 rounds):
3x Omega (1.2 DT, 1.19 Super Soft, & Gummy Quantum)- 212 total throws (188 putts).
2x Pig (R-Pro & Ricky Glow Pro)- 71 throws.
4x Roc (DX, Glow KC Pro, & Quantum Taurus)- 11 throws.
2x JLS (no run MJLS & 1.2 QJ)- 13 throws.
3x OLF (1.1 MOLF, 1.3 MOLF, & 1.1 SOLF)- 13 throws.
3x Firebird (Champion & Color Glow Champ)- 35 throws.
1x Hades (ESP)- 0 throws.
2x Xcal (PFN Star)- 24 throws.

I've played in a couple of tournaments since my last update, with one going fairly well, and the other being an unmitigated disaster. I played a flex start up at Fehringer Ranch and posted the worst sanctioned round of my life by far. Once ratings go official I imagine it will be ~870 which is my first sub 900 round in the last two years. My more recent tournament went better (I averaged ~935), but poor putting was an issue in both events. I will need to spend more time with my practice basket, as my inside circle 1x putting these past couple tourneys has left plenty to be desired. Luckily, it is not really a case of the yips, just poor execution or a lack of focus.

I have one more event in about 12 days from now, and will likely take a month or two off from playing sanctioned events after that one. Thus far I have not played a single tournament at a course in my home town, and I may just wait until October to play Clash at the Creek. Part of me wants to go back to Fehringer for the next flex start in 3 weeks for a shot at redemption, so I may do that as well.

 

[HERB brooks]

Bag Since Last Update (4 rounds):
3x Omega (1.2 DT, 1.19 Super Soft, & Gummy Quantum)- 124 total throws (106 putts).
2x Pig (R-Pro & Ricky Glow Pro)- 37 throws.
4x Roc (DX, Glow KC Pro, & Quantum Taurus)- 7 throws.
2x JLS (no run MJLS & 1.2 QJ)- 5 throws.
3x OLF (1.1 MOLF, 1.3 MOLF, & 1.1 SOLF)- 8 throws.
3x Firebird (Champion & Color Glow Champ)- 14 throws.
1x Hades (ESP)- 2 throws.
2x Xcal (PFN Star)- 8 throws.

 

[HERB brooks]

Cumulative stats since adding the Hades (omitting 3 Polecat throws):

1.Pig- 366 throws. 29.05% of throws (down from 30.68%)
2.Omega- 231 throws & 1,300 putts (1,531 total). 18.33% of throws (up from 18.00%)
3.Firebird- 184 throws. 14.60% of throws (down from 17.27%)
4.OLF- 149 throws. 11.83% of throws (up from 10.27%)
5.Xcal- 114 throws. 9.05% of throws (up from 7.37%)
6.Roc- 108 throws. 8.57% of throws (up from 7.00%)
7.JLS- 70 throws. 5.56% of throws (down from 7.00%)
8.Hades- 38 throws. 3.02% of throws (no prior stats)
________________
(1,260 throws/1,300 putts= 2,560 total)
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Not too much has changed from May, when I last calculated the stats for throws by each mold. Overall I am content with the way my bag is set up. The Pigs, Omegas, and Firebirds still make up the bulk of my shots, while the OLFs, Xcals, Rocs, & JLS are all thrown at least once per round minimum. I feel like these 7 molds are a good core for the way I approach the game and do not see myself trying to replace any of them for another mold. Every so often I am faced with a shot that makes me think about adding the Polecat back, but they come up very rarely and I doubt that I will bring them back.

However, I am starting to think that I do not throw the Hades often enough to justify having one in the bag most days. The last two molds (Wraith & Polecat) that I calculated as getting 3% or less of my throws have since been removed from my bag. There are not many holes locally where the Hades is the optimal play off of the tee, which has resulted in me throwing them less often than when they first went into the bag. I really will only give them airtime in very specific situations (Max D in a tailwind, or at elevation). I can throw them a good 20-30' farther than my OLFs on an average BH but I tend to lose a bit of accuracy. They also fly farther on FHs than my Xcals, but are prone to get squirrely if I don't get the hyzer angle just right at release. I may just need to take my small stack of them for some field work over the next month and decide if it is a mold that I want to commit to long term.

 

[HERB brooks]

Bag Since Last Update (2 rounds):
3x Omega (1.2 DT, 1.19 Super Soft, & Gummy Quantum)- 55 total throws (46 putts).
2x Pig (R-Pro & Ricky Glow Pro)- 13 throws.
4x Roc (DX, Glow KC Pro, & Quantum Taurus)- 9 throws.
2x JLS (no run MJLS & 1.2 QJ)- 5 throws.
3x OLF (1.1 MOLF, 1.3 MOLF, & 1.1 SOLF)- 3 throws.
3x Firebird (Champion & Color Glow Champ)- 6 throws.
1x Hades (ESP)- 0 throws.
2x Xcal (PFN Star)- 1 throw.

I did not include the discs thrown during the tourney this past weekend. This last event went hilariously bad, mostly because I was up well past 3 AM drinking margaritas with some buddies the night before. Probably not the brightest idea I've ever had to say the least (At least the margaritas were good). My rating will be taking a big hit even with one of the rounds guaranteed to be dropped. I'm not really sure if I'll play in another tournament this year, unless one pops up close to home, as I have traveled out of town for every event so far in 2020. September is shaping up to be a busy month for me so if I can swing one for October or later then I may play another.

On the bright side, I did get my 5th ace of the year on Monday at Cottonwood Creek Park.

 

[HERB brooks]

Bag Since Last Update (7 rounds):
3x Omega (1.2 DT, 1.19 Super Soft, & Gummy Quantum)- 215 total throws (190 putts).
2x Pig (R-Pro & Ricky Glow Pro)- 55 throws.
4x Roc (DX, Glow KC Pro, & Quantum Taurus)- 11 throws.
2x JLS (no run MJLS & 1.2 QJ)- 5 throws.
3x OLF (1.1 MOLF, 1.3 MOLF, & 1.1 SOLF)- 17 throws.
3x Firebird (Champion & '18 Sexton)- 39 throws.
1x Hades (ESP)- 8 throws.
2x Xcal (PFN Star)- 21 throws.


Now that tournament season is winding down, I'd like to have more days of field work, and play less rounds of golf. At the start of the pandemic, I was doing a much better job of getting out for some field sessions. Now I've pretty much just been playing rounds instead. My game has been in the toilet for the past couple weeks after my last event, so I could stand to work out some of the kinks by practicing more and playing less.

 

[HERB brooks]

Bag Since Last Update (5 rounds):
3x Omega (1.2 DT, 1.19 Super Soft, & 1.15 AP)- 160 total throws (138 putts).
2x Pig (R-Pro)- 32 throws.
4x Roc (DX, Glow KC Pro, & Quantum Taurus)- 8 throws.
2x JLS (no run MJLS & 1.2 QJ)- 5 throws.
3x OLF (1.1 MOLF, 1.3 MOLF, & 1.1 SOLF)- 11 throws.
3x Firebird (Champion & '18 Sexton)- 29 throws.
1x Hades (ESP)- 5 throws.
2x Xcal (PFN Star)- 11 throws.

 

[HERB brooks]

Bag Since Last Update (6 rounds):
4x Omega (1.2 DT, 1.19 Super Soft, Omega Driver, & 1.15 AP)- 187 total throws (163 putts). I added a 150 gram Omega Driver to the bag after seeing a few available on Marshall Street. After reading F.Luke's ITB for the past year, and hearing him rave about his little magic, I felt like I wanted to try one out for myself. I am really enjoying it for now, and it almost feels like I have a Polecat back in the bag.
2x Pig (R-Pro)- 37 throws. One of my 2020 Ricky Pigs has beaten into a straight flyer and I was throwing it expecting the beef, which was hurting my game a bit. I put it on the sidelines for now, and instead have a fresh R-Pro in there for my stable Pig shots. This has paid immediate dividends since the new one will fade predictably when I need it to.
4x Roc (DX, Glow KC Pro, & Quantum Taurus)- 10 throws. Same 3 Rocs in the bag for the past few months here, with the Taurus as a cheap stand-in for a Champ Roc.
2x JLS (no run MJLS & Glow QJ)- 9 throws. I swapped the 1.2 QJ out for the glow, since cold weather will be right around the corner. That 1.2 is my last one, and I'd hate for it to crack when the temperature drops this fall.
3x OLF (1.1 MOLF, 1.3 MOLF, & 1.1 SOLF)- 15 throws. I plan on playing some beer rounds with OLFs as my only driver mold in the upcoming months as a way to throw them more often. I feel like this would be great for practicing my shot shaping over the off season.
3x Firebird (Champion & '18 Sexton)- 33 throws. My oldest Sexton is beating in to almost the same level as my previous favorite that has since been retired. I did experiment with some G-Star Firebirds, so if I were to lost this one or retire it, I should have something similar to use.
1x Hades (ESP)- 2 throws. Despite the lack of throws with this mold, I do really like it for max D shots with a tailwind. I guess I could swap it out with a beat OLF, but I'll probably keep it in the bag for a while. This is the only mold that could be on the chopping block for 2021.
2x Xcal (PFN Star)- 14 throws. My least OS Xcal is beating in quite nicely at this point, and flies similar to a used Wraith at this point. I have been experimenting with a Champion glow that I got recently as well.

Unless a new tournament opens for registration, it looks like my 2020 season is over for sanctioned events. This was the first year in which I played tournaments outside of Colorado Springs (I actually didn't play a single event in my hometown this year). I had a few good tournaments, combined with a few real stinkers. I'm glad to have won my first MA1 event this year, but I had too many rounds where I played very poorly. I was able to raise my rating to 938 at one point during the summer, but crap rounds brought me back down to 927, which is lower than I started the year (934). This isn't a terrible rating, but I'll need to avoid the sub 900 rounds that killed me for next year if I want to make a push for 950+. My goal at the beginning of the year was to reach 940, which should be easily attainable for next season. Hopefully the Springs will have more events in the upcoming year, so that I can play a few on my home courses in addition to getting in some tourneys out of town.