59 and new to disk golf!! Any other older golfers out there?

[DavidInIowa]

I can throw the Shark/Buzzz about 160 feet so I now have a base on which to improve.

Hello I am a newb and I am not as experienced as nearly everyone here. That being said I have a few honest advices for you.

#1: No drivers for now; they won't help you even a little bit. Work on throwing putters until you can throw farther than that. The important things to focus on are throwing level and making the disc spin. If it ain't spinning it ain't flying. You won't be able to blast nukes out there at 60mph so you have to stay relaxed and cool and let the disc do the work.

#2: Warming up by slowing swinging a small towel is a good way to avoid hurting yourself. This is an old favorite of players who like to throw overhead shots (a high-risk activity).

#3: Rely on big muscle groups as much as you possibly can. "Strong-Arming" drives is a real easy way to wreck yourself.

Good luck

 

[Grinder12000]

Thanks for the advice. Yea - I know about spin and so forth and also know 160 ain't crap for distance but those muscles have not been used for 30 years. They are all "what the f*ck?".

160 is just an estimate from one hole that was 200. I was 10 yards away so . . . . .

 

[tarel]

ditch all discs get a leo in pro and champ.

throw 70% power

 

[thrembo]

Get a couple different Buzzz's and get a feel for them. I also would consider a Meteor (another awesome Discraft mid) and if you want to start moving into drivers, a Zombee and a Stalker could be good choices for you. Putters are a very personal matter, try a bunch, and see what works for you. Aviars are a good place to start.

 

[All Day]

First and foremost, welcome to this great addiction. Secondly, stretch out, stay hydrated, and have fun. Lastly, I watched a dude in his 60's crush a drive in a doubles tourney that came to rest over 350'.

 

[HeavyCritters]

First and foremost, welcome to this great addiction. Secondly, stretch out, stay hydrated, and have fun. Lastly, I watched a dude in his 60's crush a drive in a doubles tourney that came to rest over 350'.

:clap:

 

[eegor]

I'm just a youngster at 52. There are a lot of "grandmasters" out there. Find a group of them in your area and play every week with them. That's what I did.

When first starting, you can usually get the best "golf" throws from your midrange discs and putters. If you get a driver, get a lightweight Leopard or a Diamond (as mentioned earlier). As drivers, they are easier to throw than the rest of them. I keep a Diamond in my bag all the time.

A really good "driver" to start out with is a DX Cobra. With your Frisbee background, you'll be able to get some really good distance with it... as well as accuracy.

Warmup: I start out at 60 feet from the basket practicing approaches to the basket as soon as I get to the course (with putters). Then, I'll putt them in for putting practice. I'll then move back 15 or 20 feet each time until I'm approaching from about 75% of max distance (working on being accurate). If I have time, I'll do the same with midrange discs too. This gets the muscles warmed up without straining them. Stretch as you walk.

Most importantly... Have Fun!

 

[Underdog]

We do not stop playing because we are old;
We grow old because we stop playing.:hfive:

 

[Grinder12000]

Underdog, that is how I live my life.

Wish I didn't have to drive 13 miles to a course. Ill,have to devise my own course

 

[jtrod]

Welcome to the DG world. Good back, shoulder and arm stretches before a round. Icy Hot before you head to the course and after the round until your disc muscles start building up and I usually start a round with 800mg of ibuprofen.

The Shark and Buzz are great discs to build from, find yourself a putter you like and buy 2 so you can practice. Dont worry about distance drivers

 

[peabody]

Thirteen miles? My nearest course is 45 minutes away. My home course is 50 minutes away. Go early and make a day of it. Play some doubles with better players.. You get to see how shots are made and learn alot about disc selection from these better guys.
Warm up with a towel like your popping someones tail (twist and snap,twist and snap) Keep it level across the nipples and invision yourself throwing your buzzz flat and straight with lots of snap.
Above all have fun.

 

[HeavyCritters]

Underdog, that is how I live my life.

Wish I didn't have to drive 13 miles to a course. Ill,have to devise my own course

Beaver Dam, then?

 

[Grinder12000]

Yea BD, or Marshall or Waterloo. Have not been tot he last two.

I have an Aviar which is the only putter I've tried. I sort of shocked myself with hitting a few putts today.

Interesting about disc muscles - the main one I'm "feeling" is the teres major muscle took a little stress today without a good warm up (I was just so excited to be out there

It's getting ice today. I ball golf and bike and landscape but it seems that one muscle never got used!

 

[HeavyCritters]

Yea BD, or Marshall or Waterloo. Have not been tot he last two.

I have an Aviar which is the only putter I've tried. I sort of shocked myself with hitting a few putts today.

Interesting about disc muscles - the main one I'm "feeling" is the teres major muscle took a little stress today without a good warm up (I was just so excited to be out there

It's getting ice today. I ball golf and bike and landscape but it seems that one muscle never got used!

Just responded to your Direct Message. Sorry about the delay.

If you want to play Bird's Ruins in Marshall on a weekend at some point (next month ), let me know. I played it once last year and it's a really fun, really tricky course.

Good luck tomorrow night!

 

[HeavyCritters]

it seems that one muscle never got used!

TOO.
MANY.
JOKES.

 

[Grinder12000]

HEY!!

BTW - that 160 foot thing - little embarrassed about that now that I'm seeing some charts - maybe I was wrong on that!!

Watching a video I was putting ALL WRONG!!

 

[HeavyCritters]

Putting: Check out what other people are doing and test it out, but in the end do what

A) works and

B) feels most natural

There is some CRAZY putting videos out there. Find what works best for you.

 

[DerekTonn]

HEY!!

BTW - that 160 foot thing - little embarrassed about that now that I'm seeing some charts - maybe I was wrong on that!!

Watching a video I was putting ALL WRONG!!

Welcome to the best sport in the history of the planet. :thmbup:

About all I can add related to this discussion so far is putting. Putt to warm-up and get those muscles working. Putt to get consistently good from 25-30+ feet and in. Heck, take your putter(s) to bed, snuggle with them, and whisper sweet nothings into their ear.

Like people say in ball golf all the time: "Drive for show, putt for dough." It's true. Track your shots in your rounds played sometime, and tell us how many shots you're taking from 50 feet or closer to the basket. If you're like most beginning/Am/Rec players, that number will probably be around half your shots. Turn even half of those two-putts into one-putts? Or three-putts into two-putts? And you've just shaved nine shots off your score in an 18-hole round.

Paul Ulibarri (Pro player) had a GREAT tip for working your putting at a tourney I played this Spring. He said to take two putters (ideally two of the same disc...same make/model, same weight), and step off four paces from the basket. ~12 feet. If you make both putts? You step off five paces and do it again. If you make only one of two putts? You stay put (four paces again). And if you miss both putts? You step off one less pace than your previous distance. With the goal being to get to the point of stepping off 12-13 paces (~36-40 feet) ...and finishing the "round" (two putts made from that max distance).

Do that? And you could drive it 200 feet off the tee, and give a lot of younger guys who can drive it 350+ feet a run for their money.

I'm only 42, BTW. Though I feel like Dad/Uncle/Grandpa or at LEAST "big brother" when I'm out on the course most of the time. But it's a great sport...whether your 8 or 80! And I plan to play until the day I die.

 

[simpletwist]

We do not stop playing because we are old;
We grow old because we stop playing.:hfive:

:thmbup::thmbup:

And let me add:

You have to grow old, but you don't have to grow up.

59 and still just throwing frisbees in the park.

 

[whiplash]

Welcome to the addiction. Hell, I just got my 70 year old parents playing. Your never to old to start.