Starting a new player...my 7 1/2 yr old daughter :)

[SSquirrel]

So my daughter Beryl was curious to try disc golf w/me one day recently. We had been playing w/regular frisbees and she and her 5 yr old sister had walked a few holes and tried throwing a couple of the discs, so one day I bought her her own purple DX Aviar. She started playing rounds w/me and I found a 149g DX Leopard for her.

Cut to 3 weeks later.

She's probably gone out for 6 or 7 rounds w/me now, usually just holes 6-11 at our local course, altho we did play 1-11 yesterday and maybe once before. I had a spare Lightning bag, so she has her own bag for her discs and to carry her water bottle. She has impressed several people on the course and last night someone dug around in their trunk and gave her another DX Leopard and a DX Shark. Hole 10 at Charlie Vettiner is 246' and she's been turning it into a par 5. She appears to be averaging about 60' per throw, but sometimes can pull shots like the 100' she hurled that Shark last night after George gave it to her. (thanks again if you're reading!)

My plan at this point is to buy her a Buzzz since she has been throwing my Z Buzzz very well. There is a Supercolor ESP Buzzz w/the bee and honeycombs on it and her name is Beryl, and we call her B. So I'm buying B a Bee disc

She is currently occasionally trying my Soft Magnet and Warlock (she likes the Magnet better so far) in addition to her Aviar. I have thought about maybe trying a low profile putter like the Zone or Wedge with her as well. Star Wedge felt great in my hands at PIAS and I need to spend more time checking out a Zone. If the Aviar is what she ends up deciding on, we'll never have to worry about being able to find her putter of choice heh.


My question is what discs do people think I should snag for her next? I may have her try throwing my Wolf a time or 2 (yes I know everyone hates it), but I'm not sure what else may be a good call for her bag right now. I'm trying to help her throw correctly from the start so she won't have to unlearn bad habits later.

Currently she has:

2 ~150g (149, ?) DX Leopards
1 167 DX Aviar
1 ? DX Shark

I have:

Putter:
MVP 172 Neutron Ion
Gateway 171 Wizard (Eraser)
Gateway 175 SSS Warlock
Discraft 172 Pro D Magnet (Soft)
MVP 173 Eclipse Anode


Mid:
Discraft 173-174 Z Buzzz
Innova 166 DX Wolf

Fairway Driver:
Innova 167 DX Teebird

Driver:
Discraft 174 Pro D Surge
Discraft 171 Z Nuke SS
Innova 171 DX Sidewinder
Innova 172 DX Beast
Innova 168 Champion Groove

 

[Agricolae]

I'll suggest a light DX Stingray or DX (or Star) Wedge. The little hands can really get hold of the Wedge. Both discs *can* turnover for even the younger arms, but it's easier for them to make 'em go straight. She might get some big D with S-curves and impress you even more.

I introduced a couple of young girls (7 and 9) to the game with 145g DX Stingrays. They threw them well and laughed when I kept calling them "Stinkrays".

 

[thrembo]

A Stratus is a good neutral disc to grow into also.

 

[sloppydisc]

When you think she needs or really wants a driver, get her a Diamond. You can find pink, purple or whatever cool color you want in a sparkle Diamond. It will look good to her, be easy to throw and designed for younger lower power players. My daughters don't play often, but they always gravitate to my Purple Sparkle Diamond.

 

[mrclean77]

Just stopping by to give kudos for getting your kid into it.

Mine will be 6 this summer and I try to drag her along about half the time (I've been going 3-5x/wk) just to wear her out and for some mild exercise/outside time/time away from TV and snacks. She will pick a pink one or whatever novel DX disc has a not-too-scary pic on it and throw it for a hole or two. She's impressed me so far, maybe she'll stick with it. Just some play time w/Dad...good enough for me.

FWIW - mine seems to have the most success with my Cobra(s) and Roc

 

[saaber]

Leopard, shark, and aviar are all she needs for now. Don't get caught up in buying lots of discs for her, those three will treat her well for a long time and will help build a strong foundation for the future. That being said, a dx wedge (not a star) will work wonders for her technique and game. A zone is likely going to be way too overstable for her and will likely be more frustrating than anything.

 

[Stoneberg]

I'd stay away from the zone as it's probably a little too overstable for her right now. I think a Comet would be another one to add to the list.

 

[Buchajs1]

I second the diamond. Its a great understable fairway.

 

[burdphil]

My son is 8. He plays twice a week with me including at our local club's handicap league and hangs in with the older guys without much trouble. Usually gets 4's or 5's on most holes. Here's his current bag setup...

Putters:
170 Anode for putting (very good neutral putter for a kid)
175 Wizard for upshots that need some hyzer

Mids:
165 QMS

Drivers:
150 pro candy leopard (this gets the most use)
150 Champ Valkyrie
150 Champ Teebird (for flicking)

This is the first year the kid has really gotten into it and I've been having a great time playing with him. Hopefully your daughter sticks with it... :thmbup:

 

[simplepmart]

I second the dx cobra. They make it all the way down to 120g's and it could perhaps be the best thing to get her at her age. Both of my son's have been playing for a few years now and they still bomb the cobra further than any other disc (i just keep buying heavier weight one's as their game improves and they get stronger). It is very versatile and handles all shots except heavy headwinds. For heavy headwind shot I agree with above posters that suggested the Diamond. Excellent beginner "driver" and will really do well on windier days.

 

[SSquirrel]

Just stopping by to give kudos for getting your kid into it.

Mine will be 6 this summer and I try to drag her along about half the time

Thanks. I'm pretty psyched the older one is enjoying dad's hobby. Maeve (the 5 yo) gets bored pretty quickly and starts being whiny, so she is only coming on about half the trips Beryl is. I'm about ready to have Maeve sit out for awhile.

Leopard, shark, and aviar are all she needs for now. Don't get caught up in buying lots of discs for her, those three will treat her well for a long time and will help build a strong foundation for the future. That being said, a dx wedge (not a star) will work wonders for her technique and game. A zone is likely going to be way too overstable for her and will likely be more frustrating than anything.

I thought the Zone and Wedge were both pretty understable. Glad to see a couple of nods toward the Wedge, since I was already considering it. Yeah, I'm looking at buying her more discs b/c a) I like buying new plastic and b) she had been bugging me when she only had the Aviar, wondering when she got another disc heh. Her birthday is coming up in early September and if this hobby survives the summer I'm going to get her a purple Voodoo Juju. She will be in love w/that thing

I think a Comet would be another one to add to the list.

The guy who gave her those discs last night also let her throw his Comet, but it was one of the LE ESP's heh. I'm actually planning on buying a trio of Comets in my next order to work on correcting my form, so I was thinking of letting her bag one of them when she plays.

170 Anode for putting (very good neutral putter for a kid)
150 pro candy leopard (this gets the most use)
150 Champ Teebird (for flicking)

This is the first year the kid has really gotten into it and I've been having a great time playing with him. Hopefully your daughter sticks with it... :thmbup:

I may have her toss my Anode a bit and see what she thinks of it too. I know putters are a very personal thing for most people, so I want to help her try several out and figure what she REALLY likes best. I'm not surprised the Leopard is one of his most used. I tried that first Leopard I bought her and decided I needed to get a Leopard for myself too She has watched me do some sidearm but hasn't tried it yet. I did teach her how to do a roller today tho.

I think she will stick with it and I'm super excited about that. She loves being active and outside. She started running cross country at school last year and has done 2 seasons of that so far. That skinny kid is all muscle heh.

 

[GRidge]

Ultralight Polecat, last I checked Marshall Street had one at 102g, the lowest I've ever seen is 98g but they make them down to 95g. The lighter disc may allow her to get a little more behind shots. Innova also makes Sharks down to 150g.

 

[primal dg]

Anything more than 4 speeds are too overstable for a 7 year old.

 

[SSquirrel]

Anything more than 4 speeds are too overstable for a 7 year old.

Which would still leave the Wedge, Cobra, Mako, Roc, Stingray, Wolf as discs of possible interest from Innova. Yes there are others, but I'm just cutting down the list a bit

You say anything over 4 is too overstable for a 7 yo, but I have no basis for how far a 7 yo should be able to throw. I know she can throw anywhere up to 60 and 100 feet, and that seems like a heckuva lot. We'll be working on form together b/c I have corrections to make in mine too, so I'm trying to help her start her form better and not have to re-learn like I am.

 

[HotPinkBeast]

All kids deserve Innova DX discs, because of the cool graphics on them!

I'm glad I'm a big kid!

I hope you and daughter have many blessed rounds together! :hfive:

 

[rallyguy]

More kudos from another dad who can't wait till his daughter is old enough to come play with me. She already chucks mini's around the house

I'll be taking good notes on this thread for the future

 

[SSquirrel]

Glad to be able to help out rallyguy I talked to my youngest today about her staying home when we are going out for a round that isn't also a planned playground trip and she was ok w/it. I did promise her we can work on her learning to throw a frisbee right at the apartment's playground tho, so she was very happy about that.

Yeah HPB, the DX disc stamps are pretty awesome. I bought a Neutron Ion recently b/c I wanted the firmer plastic, but I love the stamps on the Proton plastic. It's the only negative as that putter is doing fantastic for me. It's between the Ion and Wizard for which earns the bag spot for me I think.

She has been trying some of my other putters. Doesn't like how the Warlock doesn't float well. She's ok with the Magnet tho. Lots of experimenting happening with discs right now. If she ends up w/the Aviar as her preferred I'll probably snag a 5 stack of them from a discnation bundle and maybe get a KC Pro for her so we both have more putters for putting practice heh

 

[filobedo]

Max weight Xcaliber. Just kidding, I would get her a Panther, Skeeter, Polecat, Hydra and/or Sonic. Stay away from drivers. I did not have a driver until a year after I started playing on the advice from a really good player and it was the best advice I ever got in dg because it taught me to throw controlled backhand shots on plane and throw anyhzers.

 

[HeavyCritters]

My 9 year old throws:

125g DX Beast (we call it his paper plate)
135g Blizzard Destroyer (for headwind shots, plus he loved the look of it when we bought it)

168 DX Kite

175 Aviar Putter

He's into it, but not crazy into it (thanks, Minecraft...)

 

[SSquirrel]

So after my next order (which is hopefully tomorrow), Beryl's bag will look like this:

Fairway Driver:
2 ~150 (149, ?) DX Leopards

Mid:
1 165 Supercolor ESP Buzzz
1 ~150 Dx Shark
168 X Comet (from my bag to test)

Putter:
1 167 DX Aviar P&A
1 Soft Magnet (from my bag to test)
1 Pro D Ringer (low profile putter from my bag to test)
1 172 Eclipse Anode (if she wants to try it)

Still Considering:
Dx Stingray
Star Wedge
DX Cobra

Yeah that's 4 different putters, but she's already decided she isn't into the Warlock. Before I pick up extras of any putter for her I want to make sure she has zeroed in on what works best for her. One of my friends still thinks Birdie for her, but I'm not entirely sold on that idea.