mutteriwiritys
Birdie Member
There's only one mold you need for fairway driving - FD.
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[Question] The fairway driver thread
- Thread starter Guurn
- Start date
mattc
* Ace Member *
This is what I would suggest
The saints/escape feel the same in hand as a fury
So a saint pro, saint/escape, and a fury are a nice combo
Hoss22
Eagle Member
I love fairway drivers! And I love trying out new ones! I will always stick to my basics: teebird, river for slightly shorter fairways and saints/pros for slightly longer fairways. i wish i could carry another bag just full of fairway drivers. lol. i would carry 3 saint pros, 3 saints, 3 teebirds....etc. 
I think other than putters, fairways are the most important slot in a persons bag, so i recommend trying as many as possible in order to hopefully find "the one"
I think other than putters, fairways are the most important slot in a persons bag, so i recommend trying as many as possible in order to hopefully find "the one"
If you only want one mold, throw Teebirds. You can easily cycle DX ones, and champ should be fairly stable. Only slot not covered is OS.
Missed this before posting. I use the following:
Champ Gazelle for stable to overstable shots. Not quite as beefy as a Banshee, but very controllable.
DX Gazelle for straight to slight left turn. This thing holds whatever line I put it on, like a longer Roc.
Champ Leopard for slightly understable with some fade.
DX Leopard for more understable and open fairways where I need some distance. This has become my main disc off the tee and I'll probably start cycling them.
Either DX disc is a hyper flip candidate depending on the situation as well. I also want to put some work in with my Pro Leos, but have yet to do so.
bsnone
Par Member
No that I've been playing long - just over a year but I feel like I've thrown a TON of fairway drivers in that short of a time. I'm really happy with my F1 / F3 / F5 combo right now (mind you the F5 just came in on Monday) F1 is my total utility disc that I can throw for a thumber/flick/headwind and know what it will do. F3 is straight with a predictable fade at the end and the F5 essentially (mind you I've thrown it probably 20 times) a nice leopard.
I don't bomb by any means, a leopard goes ~300 ft for me, teebirds ~280 ft. The prodigy line is pretty much the same.
FWIW, I still feel like anything above speed 8 is a driver and not a fairway driver but that's probably because I stuck to that innova chart when I was first starting. I guess a lot of people would consider my SOLF/Saint a fairway driver but I throw both of those for different shots on the course and are almost primarily distance drivers for me.
All that aside, I'm still looking to replace the Star Teebird I had 6 months ago. I've picked up 6 since then and none had the same feel/flatness that that disc had. I miss it like crazy but everything I get now is too domey or too stiff of a star plastic.
I don't bomb by any means, a leopard goes ~300 ft for me, teebirds ~280 ft. The prodigy line is pretty much the same.
FWIW, I still feel like anything above speed 8 is a driver and not a fairway driver but that's probably because I stuck to that innova chart when I was first starting. I guess a lot of people would consider my SOLF/Saint a fairway driver but I throw both of those for different shots on the course and are almost primarily distance drivers for me.
All that aside, I'm still looking to replace the Star Teebird I had 6 months ago. I've picked up 6 since then and none had the same feel/flatness that that disc had. I miss it like crazy but everything I get now is too domey or too stiff of a star plastic.
dsb1829
Birdie Member
Firebird-Teebid-TL handle OS-US for me
Leopard or Eagle if I want more line shaping/flex
250-340ft shots
Leopard or Eagle if I want more line shaping/flex
250-340ft shots
Uncle Matt
Banned
I'm using a Freak(PD) for Distance. you have 3 plastics. C-Line,S-Line and P-Line. All range from Overstable to Understable.
I use a XL for Control Drives. There is 5 plastics. I use a Elite Z,ESP and Elite X. All range from Stable to Understable.
Then I use my Trident for my beefcake shots.
If you want to go just strictly Fairway for distance you could use a Saint/Fury Combo. Or for more Controlled Shots you could use a Rival/Patriot or Teebird/Leopard. Those are some of the more popular ones.
I use a XL for Control Drives. There is 5 plastics. I use a Elite Z,ESP and Elite X. All range from Stable to Understable.
Then I use my Trident for my beefcake shots.
If you want to go just strictly Fairway for distance you could use a Saint/Fury Combo. Or for more Controlled Shots you could use a Rival/Patriot or Teebird/Leopard. Those are some of the more popular ones.
Fairways and Mids are my toughest to really nail down. I was doing good for awhile with just Teebirds and Patriots, but now that it's really windy here I needed a little more beef so had to add the Banshee twins back in there until this wind dies down.
Theres certainly no perfect answer here!
Theres certainly no perfect answer here!
There are lots of options of course, but if I was to go the minimalist/cycling route I'd probably use Stags myself. They're basically glidier Eagle Xs: start out with a little bit of turn and a healthy fade, HSS beats out before LSS, and eventually they become very nice turnover drivers that'll fade back enough at the end to keep from flipping on bigger shots. I prefer not to lean on worn-in discs myself - I've lost enough discs to not trust myself with that method - but Stags actually beat into good turnover drivers faster than you'd expect (a Tourney starts to turn noticeably more within a few months of regular use; you could definite accelerate that process).
As the above poster said they're not beefy enough for strong winds, but if you had a Banshee/Resistor/XXX/whathaveyou, you could cover all your other shots with Stags in various stages of wear.
I do like how their capacity for turn makes them good line shapers.
AaronMonier18
Par Member
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
- Messages
- 221
I go with a classic lineup of Fairways. Leopard (or Patriot), Teebird, Firebird.
If you are looking for a mold that is easy to get many stages of the obvious answer is a Teebird. You could get a nice seasoned Star/Echo Star or DX that flies straight to understable. A new Star or AJ Teebird will be nicely stable to overstable. Brinster Teebird most over stable.
Also, the Eagle is another mold that has a nice variety. DX season up well. Star Eagles have the turn from the start. Champions are all now a champy/star blend from what I can tell. Older Champions will be more overstable and the Innova Factory Jolly Launcher Eagles are REALLY overstable.
If you are looking for a mold that is easy to get many stages of the obvious answer is a Teebird. You could get a nice seasoned Star/Echo Star or DX that flies straight to understable. A new Star or AJ Teebird will be nicely stable to overstable. Brinster Teebird most over stable.
Also, the Eagle is another mold that has a nice variety. DX season up well. Star Eagles have the turn from the start. Champions are all now a champy/star blend from what I can tell. Older Champions will be more overstable and the Innova Factory Jolly Launcher Eagles are REALLY overstable.
I was going to say exactly the same thing. I bag three FDs, a C-Line for stable to slight overstable and 2 S-FDs for straight and flippy shots. If I need some extra beef...I just power down a PD.
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whentherainscome
* Ace Member *
Teebird/Leopard/Firebird. Or teebird-clone, leopard-clone, firebird-clone.
Uncle Matt
Banned
ThrowinGhost
Eagle Member
I have a pretty nice lineup of fairways right now. A brand new AJ tour series Teebird that is nice and over stable, a star Eagle that occupies the straight shots for now, and an Echo Star Leopard that is about the same stability as my Eagle, but I'm working on beating the stability out of it. Personally, I don't really consider the majority of the Swedish "fairway" drivers to be true fairways. Discs like the saint and the escape are much faster than the typical 6-7 speed fairway. Don't get me wrong, they are fine discs, but I classify them more in the control driver category.
Flip_discin
Newbie
awesome, this thread is quite handy for me too since I'm in a similar situation as the OP.
But to put in my 2 cents, after testing out different fairway drivers, the C-FD won the spot in my bag for now. I was testing out the rival just this week, and even tho it's a great disc overall, I just didn't like how it was more like an eagle for me.
I used to throw TLs in champ and star plastics. I owned 3 and was a a great line shaper and laser beaming disc for me. Not to mention how it helped me with my form. But after losing one in the water and giving away 2 to help out my brother and gf whos getting into the sport, it gave me the opportunity to try out some new discs.
I'm sure you'll find plenty on here why they like the discmania FD, but for me I find it to be a bit similar to my TLs but with way better glide. Not to mention it can hold hyzer and anny lines very well even out of the box.
If I need something a bit more stable or for something to hold a longer straighter flight, (around 350'+) I just go for my worn C-PD. For overstable shots a long big hyzer or dog leg, my S-PD or firebird
But to put in my 2 cents, after testing out different fairway drivers, the C-FD won the spot in my bag for now. I was testing out the rival just this week, and even tho it's a great disc overall, I just didn't like how it was more like an eagle for me.
I used to throw TLs in champ and star plastics. I owned 3 and was a a great line shaper and laser beaming disc for me. Not to mention how it helped me with my form. But after losing one in the water and giving away 2 to help out my brother and gf whos getting into the sport, it gave me the opportunity to try out some new discs.
I'm sure you'll find plenty on here why they like the discmania FD, but for me I find it to be a bit similar to my TLs but with way better glide. Not to mention it can hold hyzer and anny lines very well even out of the box.
If I need something a bit more stable or for something to hold a longer straighter flight, (around 350'+) I just go for my worn C-PD. For overstable shots a long big hyzer or dog leg, my S-PD or firebird
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riltim
Eagle Member
I have all my fairway shots covered with Rivals and Patriots in both Pinnacle and Icon plastic. Cycling DX Teebirds or Eagles would work too.
Crazy Runner Guy
Double Eagle Member
I also throw a pretty classic lineup: Leo, Teebird, and Firebird. The Leo is for line shaping, hyzer flips, rollers. The Teebird is for dead-straight shots, or anything that needs to float right without turning over. The Firebird, a DX, is seasoned nicely and is still very overstable but is workable and has a nice dome to it.
What made me pick these molds? First, Teebirds are do damn popular because they are designed to do something people have such a hard time doing - getting a disc to fly dead-straight. Most courses need shots like that, a point-and-shoot disc. This is particularly true on more open courses, which I outnumber densely wooded courses. It's rare I play a hole, on any course, where throwing a Teebird off the tee isn't warranted.
I picked up Leos because as nice as Teebirds are, they are really good at their one thing: go straight. less so with finish left, right, etc. So I picked up the Leo. Instead of hyzer-flats, it flips and keeps turning but has a reliable and slight fade that will pull it out of the turn. It's not a lot of fade, but just enough. I can see why discs like Innova's Cheetah are so often recommended as a first control driver, they teach turn and fade.
Firebird is there because it's the best stupidly overstable driver. Now I got my mine in DX, and it needs a Champion model or two (one FAF, one domey) to complement itself. But it has saved my butt in more windy days than I can count, and it fits very well in my hand.
What made me pick these molds? First, Teebirds are do damn popular because they are designed to do something people have such a hard time doing - getting a disc to fly dead-straight. Most courses need shots like that, a point-and-shoot disc. This is particularly true on more open courses, which I outnumber densely wooded courses. It's rare I play a hole, on any course, where throwing a Teebird off the tee isn't warranted.
I picked up Leos because as nice as Teebirds are, they are really good at their one thing: go straight. less so with finish left, right, etc. So I picked up the Leo. Instead of hyzer-flats, it flips and keeps turning but has a reliable and slight fade that will pull it out of the turn. It's not a lot of fade, but just enough. I can see why discs like Innova's Cheetah are so often recommended as a first control driver, they teach turn and fade.
Firebird is there because it's the best stupidly overstable driver. Now I got my mine in DX, and it needs a Champion model or two (one FAF, one domey) to complement itself. But it has saved my butt in more windy days than I can count, and it fits very well in my hand.
DiscinFiend
* Ace Member *
My current setup is a Champion Firebird, Champion Brinster Teebird, 11x Champion Teebird & a Champion Leopard. I throw all my fairway drivers backhand & forehand. My Firebird is for thumbers, huge flex shots, spike hyzers & doglegs. My Brinster Teebird is my most overstable Teebird. Its great in the wind & I can always trust to to have some fade. My 11x Teebird is dead straight & is great for shaping lines. Everyone knows 11x Teebirds are awesome. I've had my Champion Leopard in my bag for a few years now & since its beat in its been a great turnover & hyzer flip disc. I like to cycle discs (I cycle Destroyers & Rocs) so I've been thinking about cycling Eagles in my main bag. If you want to cycle fairway drivers I highly recommend Eagles. I have a secondary bag that I've been cycling 3 Star Eagles in that I'm currently pairing a Champion Firebird with.
