My New (Big) Bag For Critique

[SpartanDisc]

Hey everyone, I've just been getting back into the game during this past summer after living abroad for about 5 years during which I rarely got to play. During those years, I'd only play about every 6 months so I couldn't really focus much on improving my game and certainly wasn't trying to learn a bunch of new discs or expand my bag.

Now that I'm back, I'm dedicated to improving all aspects of my game as much as I can. I've realized the plastic out there has changed a lot and I want to diversify my bag to make sure I'm throwing the right thing for my arm and have the right discs to build the various throw techniques. Right now I'm buying and carrying a lot of new (often similar) plastic that I'm trying to learn so I can narrow down the discs that work for me. Looking for feedback, especially for improvements or gaps in my bag and your favorite discs that you think could fill them!

I mostly throw LHBH but I also have a pretty powerful and accurate LHFH shot. My LHBH drives usually peak out around 350-360 with a Nuke, Destroyer, or Katana. I'm probably about a 930 rated player on a decent day if I had to guess.

I listed my core bag which is what I usually throw as well as my extras that I carry just to experiment with every now and then. Also included estimated Innova equivalent ratings for each disc as SPEED | GLIDE | HSS | LSS

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

Core Bag
Distance Drivers:

• Discraft ESP Force - 174g - 12 | 5 | 0 | 4
  ~ Headwind/overstable driver. Doesn't get too much use but must keep for headwind shots
• Discmania C-Line PD - 175g - 10 | 4 | 0 | 3
  ~ Bought to replace a great and very stable Avenger I used for gliding hyzer shots. Other Avengers I bought were really flippy but the PD seems great so far
• Westside VIP Catapult - 174g - 14 | 5 | 0 | 3
  ~ Recently given to me. So far a good driver with a slight headwind and looks like it can be a good forehand distance driver
• Discraft ESP Nuke - 173g - 13 | 5 | -1 | 3
  ~ My go to distance driver for the past 6 years or so. I go throw phases where I can get a nice S out of it but lately I've been having a hard time getting it to straighten out. As I've been tweaking my form I feel like I've lost a bit of the snap I had and now the Nuke fades too soon/too hard occasionally
• Innova Katana - 172g - 13 | 5 | -3 | 3
  ~ Became a starter in my bag about the same time as the Nuke. Lately, I haven't been getting the Nuke to flip so the Katana has been a great option and it usually maintains a very straight and long flight with a slight fade at the end.
• Innova Luster Champion Firebird - 176g - 9 | 3 | 0 | 4
  ~ The Firebird has LONG been a staple in my bag for forehand throws. If I have a forehand hyzer shot, the Firebird is the only real choice (within about 300ft). Is unbelievably reliable and will always be in my bag.
• Discraft Elite Z XS - 174g - 8 | 5 | -2 | 3
  ~ This is my other go to forehand disc that has been reliably stable but flies straighter and longer than the Firebird. However lately I've been occasionally overpowering it on accident and getting it to turn over at high speeds where it used to be real straight.

Fairway Drivers

• Innova Star Eagle - 171g - 7 | 4 | -1 | 3
  ~ One of the first fiarway drivers I've relied on, it's great for shots around 250 to 280ft that need a reliable fade. Never flips, always stable.
• Dynamic Discs Moonshine Escape - 175g - 9 | 6 | -.5 | 2
  ~ My friend recently gave me this disc and I can't explain how much I loved it during its first two rounds. I was looking for a straight to slightly stable fairway driver but found that and more in this disc. As a fairway driver it holds any line I give it, but when I ripped it, it actually flew farther than my high speed distance drivers! Can't wait to get out again just to learn this disc even more.
• Millennium Sirius JLS - 170g - 8 | 5 | -2 | 2
  ~ Had a beat up JLS I had to replace. The new one is nice and good for straight shots around 240 to 270ft if thrown with finesse. Also can be turned over for a nice left turning (LHBH) fairway driver if thrown with a bit more power.
• Dynamic Discs Fuzion River - 170g - 7 | 7 | -1 | 1
  ~ Given to me recently. So far the glide is impressive but still getting used to the stability. If thrown hard, it flips but with the right finesse it flies straight and true.

Midranges

• Innova Champion Roc3 - 177g - 5 | 4 | 0 | 3
  ~ My go to mid range when I need just a bit of reliable fade. Not super overstable, but can hold a reliable slight hyzer line.
• Discraft Elite Z Buzzz - 178g - 5 | 5 | 0 | 1
  ~ Go to straight midrange. Straight, straight, straight. Have almost always had a Buzzz in the bag.
• Discraft Big Z Comet - 176g - 4 | 5 | -2 | 1
  ~ A new addition to the bag, but seems like a great midrange for finesse straight gliders or slight anhyzer lines.
• Discraft 2016 Ace Race Disc - 176g - 5? | 5? | -2? | 1?
  ~ Fairly new to the bag, but so far seems like a good flippy midrange with a ton of glide. Hoping this will be great for midrange shots where I need to get a lot of left flight (LHBH).

Putters

• Innova KC Pro Aviar - 174g - 2 | 3 | 0 | 2
  ~ My most stable putter that I use for longer shots that I need a bit of power but can't risk flipping. Or for hyzer puts. Isn't super over stable, mostly straight flying with reliable fade. Is very stiff
• Innova JK Pro Aviar - 172g - 2 | 3 | 0 | 2
  ~ My go to putter. Use this for normal puts and flights pretty straight at a bit of distance, but doesn't have the reliable fade of the KC Pro.
• Innova Aviar Classic - 172g - 2 | 3 | 0 | 0
  ~ Pretty beat up and pretty flippy. Is great for 50 to 100 ft shots that require a slight anhyzer flip but without turning over too much.
• Discraft Pro D Soft Magnet - 166g - 2 | 3 | -1 | 2
  ~ Super beat up. Incredibly flippy. Might be my favorite and hardest to replace disc in my bag. This thing flips and glides and is insanely reliable for highly curving anhyzer puts.

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Extras
Distance Drivers

• Kastaplast K1 Grym X - 176g - 12 | 5 | 0 | 3
  ~ Bought to be my big gliding hyzer driver to replace a very stable Avenger I lost. Haven't used too much yet, has lost out to the PD. Could be a headwind driver but I like the Force a bit more so far
• Innova Star Boss - 173g - 13 | 5 | -1 | 3
  ~ Honestly don't throw much. Put it in my bag as a slightly more stable alternative to the Nuke. Have thrown nicely a few times, but is just in there b/c I have room at this point
• Westside Tournament King - 176 - 14 | 5 | -1 | 4
  ~ I got my 1st King 2 months ago and LOVED it. It flew just like my Nuke but consistently went 30ft longer. I lost it and the 2 Kings that I've bought since then (including this one) are INSANELY flippy. I honestly can't even throw this disc because it just turns and dies. I miss my first King, and there is no way the -1 HSS and +4 LSS is even close to accurate.
  

Fairway Drivers

• Legacy Icon Rival - 172g - 7 | 5 | 0 | 2
  ~ Picked this up to see if it would be similar/better than my Eagle. Hasn't won the starting spot for my stable fairway driver yet. Seems longer flying but a bit less stable than the Eagle, but for now will stick with the Eagle that has been in my bag far longer.
• Westside VIP Stag - 170g - 8 | 6 | 0 | 3
  ~Found this but thought it would be a good stable fairway driver. However it is not at all stable and is actually straight to flippy (the 0 HSS +3 LSS Westside claims is way off). I could see this being a good straight fairway driver for me, just need to get to know it better
• Legacy Icon Bandit - 172g - 9 | 5 | -2 | 1
  ~ I picked this up to be a flippy fairway driver. So far it flies a bit straighter than I expected and hasn't quite beat out my JLS for the go to flippy fairway spot in my bag.

 

[SD86]

That small print is pretty tough for my old eyes to read. The overall bag looks okay. You seem to have a lot of drivers, though.

 

[SpartanDisc]

That small print is pretty tough for my old eyes to read. The overall bag looks okay. You seem to have a lot of drivers, though.

Thanks. I know I have a lot of drivers and looking to narrow it down. I'm pretty new to all the fairway drivers. I used to be a guy who thought I could only get the most distance from throwing the highest speed drivers. Recently realized that with a slower disc like the Escape I can have a lot more control and often get more distance out of it so have added the 7 to 9 speed discs but haven't really learned them enough to know which faster drivers I can faze out. Also, carry the extra drivers so I can use my same bag if I want to go do field practice.

Any thoughts initially on overlaps I should cut down on? I'm thinking I can consolidate the Catapult and PD by picking one and the same with the River and JLS.

 

[SD86]

Any thoughts initially on overlaps I should cut down on? I'm thinking I can consolidate the Catapult and PD by picking one and the same with the River and JLS.

No advice to give you; you'll just have to decide which discs work best for you depending on the courses you play and how you throw the discs, etc. Over time, you'll figure out which ones you want to prune and which one stay in your bag. The good news is you get to play lots of disc golf while figuring that out.

One thing I did at times was to take a disc out of my bag. If I found myself reaching for that disc while playing, or lamenting its absence, I knew it needed to come back to the bag. If I didn't miss it, then I knew I could do without it.

 

[SpartanDisc]

No advice to give you; you'll just have to decide which discs work best for you depending on the courses you play and how you throw the discs, etc. Over time, you'll figure out which ones you want to prune and which one stay in your bag. The good news is you get to play lots of disc golf while figuring that out.

One thing I did at times was to take a disc out of my bag. If I found myself reaching for that disc while playing, or lamenting its absence, I knew it needed to come back to the bag. If I didn't miss it, then I knew I could do without it.

Agreed, though part of me feels like "if there's room in the bag, why not just keep them all in there?" I have a pretty big bag, and I really don't mind carrying the extra weight (just helps burns extra calories while out there).

I guess the question becomes a bit more philosophical: will it be better for my game and developing my technique to:
A) focus on just a few discs and really master how to get them to fly different ways (like how to force my Katana into anhyzer, straight, or hyzer lines consistently) or
B) make use of the disc diversity and improve my game by learning right disc selection for each shot and how to build a consistent technique that dials in the right shot for the right disc? (throw the same shot more or less but rely on the disc to drive the anhyzer, straight, or hyzer line)

 

[ilmcgee]

I'd say you have it right. Time to decide which molds you like and if you want to go mold minimalist or have a disc for each shot. There are pros and cons to each, but deciding will help dial in your bag.

 

[SD86]

Agreed, though part of me feels like "if there's room in the bag, why not just keep them all in there?" I have a pretty big bag, and I really don't mind carrying the extra weight (just helps burns extra calories while out there).

I guess the question becomes a bit more philosophical: will it be better for my game and developing my technique to:
A) focus on just a few discs and really master how to get them to fly different ways (like how to force my Katana into anhyzer, straight, or hyzer lines consistently) or
B) make use of the disc diversity and improve my game by learning right disc selection for each shot and how to build a consistent technique that dials in the right shot for the right disc? (throw the same shot more or less but rely on the disc to drive the anhyzer, straight, or hyzer line)

For me, it was to (try to) throw with a consistent form and therefore use different discs, i.e. one that would fly anhyzer and another that would fly hyzer with the same relative throwing motion and form.

Some like to beat in discs so that the same disc will fly hyzer when fresh, straight when seasoned in some, then anhyzer/turnover when seasoned in a lot. That's 'mold minimization', and I don't do it though others do and will advice you to.

Also, if you have room for those discs and want to carry and use them, by all means do so. I am limited by the number of discs my bag carries (2 in the putter pouch, 14-15 in the main bag), but that's plenty enough for me.