adriens95 Bag Thread

[adriens95]

Played the long Blue layout at North Landing on Saturday and shot reasonably well. It's nice getting to throw distance drivers frequently, but I didn't find the layout very interesting. I was interested in getting a membership but it turned out to be tough sledding pushing a double stroller around. L I'll save the cash and just play Deerfield in the future when I plan to bring the kids.

In the bag:
Wizards x 2 (Glow, SS)
Berg x 2 (K1, K3)
Glitch
ESP Zone

Quake*
Reactor*
Hex
Lobster

Crave
OLF x 2 (Q, M)
Roadrunner*
Sexton FB

Wraith x 3 (Star, GStar, Pro)

*Unthrown


Big fan of the Zone and Berg. I'm hoping to throw the Roadrunner more soon and put the Destiny back in the bag with water off the menu.

 

[adriens95]

Haven't been updating this thread as I haven't been able to play much between life being busy and picking up pickleball with my wife. I'm hoping to change that this upcoming year and get back out in the course more often.

Traveled out to Houston for Christmas and played two rounds at TC Jester with my Shift:

Wizards x 2
K3 Berg
Glitch
Z Zone

Neutron Reactor
Neutron Hex
K1 Svea

Plasma Crave
Star Roadrunner
M OLF (fresh ish)
Q OLF
Glow Champ Firebird

Bottom Stamp Star Wraith
Fuzion Trespass

I brought mostly backups but felt pretty comfortable with the bag setup. I could feel the rust in the second round especially not getting the flip I anticipated on some shots, so I think I will shift my bag a little more slow/understable to start next year and see how it goes.

I was tempted into getting the Factory Store free Halo Roadrunner so I have a Tern, Shryke, and Eagle to test in the new year.

 

[adriens95]

2024 Beginning of Year Update

Goals:

I did not play nearly as much as I hoped to in 2023 due to a combination of moving farther from my local courses, being generally busier, and investing time in picking up pickleball with my wife.

I decided not to play in any tournaments and let myself have the year as a more casual one.

I did improve my forehand this past year and it has really shaped how I think about my bag. I have gravitated towards molds that feel comfortable forehand and backhand and have cut a lot of the most understable slots from my bag.

I would like to play in a couple local tournaments this year and want to embrace fieldwork and my local pitch and putt as a way to play more often without getting out for full rounds.

Bag Update:

After a huge shakeup at the end of last year/beginning of this year, my bag has stayed mostly the same. I rotated through backups of my bagged molds as an outlet for my addiction to tinkering, but did recently pick up a couple of molds to try/retry in 2024.

Putt and Approach:

Wizards- Gold standard. I have a huge stack of backups and I'm loving SS for throwing and Glow for putting. Have enough plastic variety to satisfy any need to mix things up. Bagging 2-3.

Berg- I love the no glide approach disc slot and this one is a winner.

Zone- This is a tried and true option that is at least flat unlike most A3s. I have three and can't tell if they are getting straighter or if I'm trying to justify buying something else. I'm not infatuated with it but it works.

Glitch- The minimalist in me says this is unnecessary but it is by far my favorite upshot disc. Don't really drive with it.


Midranges:

Another year of remembering the good old days of Comets but the longer I don't throw them, the weirder they feel when I pick them back up. Sticking to fast mids.

Neutron Reactor- Picked up a pair of these that are solidly overstable and glidey. Basically a better Wasp and I love to forehand them. I also have one in Fission that is straighter that will see air time.

Neutron Hex- I've finally gotten the results to match the enthusiasm I feel about the rim comfort and plastic. This takes 90% of my straight midrange throws. I'm starting to get the hyzerflip that I want for straight shots.

K1 Svea- Swedish Comety goodness is in the bag to start the year. Has that signature standup to straight from moderate hyzer that I've been missing for tunnel shots.


Fairways:


Orion LFs- Workhorse driver in my bag forehand and backhand. I'm bouncing between different plastics and levels of wear as I dial in the bag. I have a beefy 1.5 Q, a 1.2 S that's starting to pick up turn, and 3 Ms - a beat 1.3, a slightly seasoned 1.4, and a mostly fresh 1.5. I think I'll end up bagging the Q and then 1-2 of the others depending on the course and how I'm feeling.

Firebird- Carrying a 2021 Sexton right now but haven't been throwing this slot as much as I used to between the courses I play most often and the Orions.

Roadrunners- I have two Barsby stock Stars, a new run gummy Champ, and a brand new Halo that might as well be an Orion. I want to throw these more for distance since I'm realizing my arm is quite noodley. Probably only need to bag one but will work in the Halo for giggles.

Plasma Crave- This is starting to pick up turn and hyzerflip easier- good. I think this is a disc that I want to like but it gets lost in a full lineup. With field work this year I'll either throw this more or cut this slot.

Champion Eagle- New disc #1 this year. I've been wanting to try one forever and finally pulled the trigger. I think the Champion plastic will make this a good complement to my straighter OLFs. We'll see how nicely it plays with the QOLF and Firebird.

Distance Drivers:

Wraiths- I'm bagging 1-3 in a mix of Star/GStar and Pro. Lost some arm speed from lack of playing so the non Pro Wraiths don't add much if any distance, just stability.

TP DecoDye Destiny/GStar Shryke/Gstar Tern- The Destiny is in the bag on courses where there isn't water. Testing the Shryke and Tern as potential backups or additions. I want that cheater distance and more S turn.


Also Ran (On the Bench):

Quake- My fresh Reactors make this fill a really small niche. Only in the big bag.

Apex Lobster- Super nice feeling disc and reliably flippy, but I haven't been throwing this much. It will make bigger bag setups. Knowing that Remix sells a rebrand of this mold is encouraging though.

Meteors- I want to like these but they have less turn than the Svea and need more juice. I've been playing around with using a Meteor + Lobster to mimic my stable + flippy Comet setup with some success. The Svea ekes both out for only needing one bag slot.

Sidewinders- I like the feel but they overlap my MOLFs and RRs a ton.

I plan to keep the tinkering to a few decisions: deciding on an US distance driver - Destiny/Shryke/Tern/beating in a Pro Wraith more- and nailing down my fairway lineup. I hope to be more active in updating this thread in 2024 and more active in throwing all these dang frisbees.

 

[adriens95]

Played a round with my buddy at Deerfield and shot a fine even par thanks to some errant throws into the big water. Fortunately I did not lose any discs. I did however shatter my sun bleached Big Z Comet on my second throw off the first tee… I think that's a sign to not fool around with the Comet for a while.

Wizards x3
Glitch
Berg
Get Freaky Zone

Quake
Fission Reactor
Neutron Hex
Big Z Comet -> replaced with a Star Mako3 from my buddy's trunk for the day

Crave
Champ Eagle

Sexton FB
OLF x2 (Q, S)
Halo Roadrunner

Bottom-Stamped Star Wraith
GStar Tern

I usually write a novel in these posts so I'm going to play around with trying to break up the massive wall of text.

Stock Up
Tern- wore the flashing off on my concrete patio and it immediately flew true to the -2/2 numbers. It was a touch squirrelly but less so than my new Shryke and flew very nice.

Eagle- I don't know what it is exactly but this thing just gets down the fairway without seeming like I threw it well. This is going to get a lot of throws.

Get Freaky Zone- This was flying a little too straight for me the other day but it must have been an anomaly; today it was back to its old self.

Stock Down
Crave- I want to like it but I'd rather throw something else most of the time. It's on the chopping block right now.

Buying new things- My friend let me throw a few of his backups/extras after our round so I got a first impression of a few discs I've been wanting to try and didn't come away feeling drawn to any of them. The Mako3 was nice and straight like a Z Comet but wouldn't kick out my Hex. Maybe if I had tried one a few years ago, but not now. The Trash Panda Dune was like a Mako(3). His ESP Thrasher was basically a Tern which was cool- I'd throw it if I had it. The GStar Teebird3 was unsurprisingly straighter than the Champ Teebirds I've thrown, but I think I'd probably go the Eagle route first before buying one.

 

[adriens95]

Pour one out for the Space Meatball.

 

[isamoor]

First of all, good on you for finding an activity to do with your wife. Pickleball can be a lot of fun and it's important to find some physical hobby y'all enjoy.

Second of all, just gonna throw this out there: if you're playing a lot less... you might need to go ahead and consider dropping the distance drivers and getting some lighter weight speed ~9s for max distance. If you used to be a comet head, smoothing a roadrunner out to 350' can be rewarding and something you can keep doing when you only get to play once a month or so.

But maybe I'm talking out my ass and you're still crushing wraiths. And maybe I'm projecting a bit from looking at the sad stack of wraiths I pulled out of my own bag a couple months ago...

 

[adriens95]

First of all, good on you for finding an activity to do with your wife. Pickleball can be a lot of fun and it's important to find some physical hobby y'all enjoy.

Second of all, just gonna throw this out there: if you're playing a lot less... you might need to go ahead and consider dropping the distance drivers and getting some lighter weight speed ~9s for max distance. If you used to be a comet head, smoothing a roadrunner out to 350' can be rewarding and something you can keep doing when you only get to play once a month or so.

But maybe I'm talking out my ass and you're still crushing wraiths. And maybe I'm projecting a bit from looking at the sad stack of wraiths I pulled out of my own bag a couple months ago...

Yeah I've been considering dropping down to just 7 and 9 speed drivers for a few months while I get back in the swing of things this year. It does sting the ego a touch to look at my stack of backup Wraiths I acquired last year, but I think if I want to throw them far enough to make it worth it, committing to discing down and cleaning up my form is the right path forward. I appreciate the encouragement to throw smarter!

 

[adriens95]

Played a round with a buddy at Etowah and shot a decent even par (63) my first time on the new pin positions. Some were interesting changes but several left me scratching my head.

Wizards x2
Glitch
Berg
Zone

Reactor
Hex
New- Fuse

Eagle
Exodus
New- Hawkeyes x2 (Philo MF Colorglow, swirly stock Star)

Halo RR
OLFs x3 (New to me SOF, 1.2 SOLF, 1.3 MOLF)
Sexton FB

I'm going to try to throw OLFs and RRs as my distance drivers. Didn't have a lot of success today but also didn't have a lot of opportunities at Etowah. The SOF is super straight but I need time to get used to it.

I've picked up some new 7 speeds as I experiment with slowing down my lineup. The Champ Eagle is awesome and not as OS as I expected. I wasn't getting a lot of turn out of my Hawkeyes today but they are sweet and very straight. I haven't been able to take them to the field yet so once I do I'll narrow down the lineup of 4 to 3 potentially. Might add my Leo3/Flippy Crave until the stock Star is beat in.

The Fuse is sweet but I'm going to be cycling that slot a lot while I try to figure out what mold to commit to. Also in the running are a Svea, Meteor, Lobster, Anubis, and Comet.

I'm going to add a dedicated roller to the bag next round and force myself to finally learn it.

 

[Casey 1988]

Meteor and Comet fly very similar so go with disc most comfortable in the hand for backhand and if you have it forehand. A nice Leopard 3 replacement could be a Glide or an Archer. I use an Archer for my roller disc, only problem is in tall grass over 3 inches or wet and 3 inches+ an Archer sucks, so only on short grasses or in some dry dirt woods throws does the disc work and for other I overpower a Dragon holding in hand disc a bit tilted or if I eventually have to use backup my F2 143 gram or 147 gram Valkyrie in same fashion.

 

[adriens95]

Meteor and Comet fly very similar so go with disc most comfortable in the hand for backhand and if you have it forehand. A nice Leopard 3 replacement could be a Glide or an Archer. I use an Archer for my roller disc, only problem is in tall grass over 3 inches or wet and 3 inches+ an Archer sucks, so only on short grasses or in some dry dirt woods throws does the disc work and for other I overpower a Dragon holding in hand disc a bit tilted or if I eventually have to use backup my F2 143 gram or 147 gram Valkyrie in same fashion.

Meteors feel better but are more power hungry than Comets. The Svea is probably the closest I've found to the magic Comet hyzerflip while having a rim I like better, but I'm reluctant to invest in backups to I've cast a wide net. I should just throw Comets tbh but the straight ones overlap with my Hex a lot.

 

[Mist Mando]

For me Tursas is the best match for the hyzerflip/soft sweeping anhyzer slot, maybe less versatile but less touchy than Svea/Fuse on the shots I use it for. I would imagine the Svuse overlaps more with the Hex.

 

[Casey 1988]

Meteors feel better but are more power hungry than Comets. The Svea is probably the closest I've found to the magic Comet hyzerflip while having a rim I like better, but I'm reluctant to invest in backups to I've cast a wide net. I should just throw Comets tbh but the straight ones overlap with my Hex a lot.

I would find a Comet to be a faster slightly longer version of a Archer around 170--172 grams or a lighter around 165/166 grams or less neural putter. In fact, having a lighter neutral Putter around 165 grams and having an Archer disc skips a need for a Comet even though I can use one. Sometimes my Impact discs if some more flippy runs in weight I find works best for me, these flippy Impact can when powered do a longer beefy Z Comet flight.

 

[adriens95]

For me Tursas is the best match for the hyzerflip/soft sweeping anhyzer slot, maybe less versatile but less touchy than Svea/Fuse on the shots I use it for. I would imagine the Svuse overlaps more with the Hex.

Sample size of 1 but my Tursas I had many years ago was too flippy even in VIP. The Lobster is similar but more controllable in my opinion, but maybe I need to throw a different Tursas.

 

[adriens95]

I would find a Comet to be a faster slightly longer version of a Archer around 170--172 grams or a lighter around 165/166 grams or less neural putter. In fact, having a lighter neutral Putter around 165 grams and having an Archer disc skips a need for a Comet even though I can use one. Sometimes my Impact discs if some more flippy runs in weight I find works best for me, these flippy Impact can when powered do a longer beefy Z Comet flight.

My experience is a little different- the Archer was more of a mid/fairway hybrid vs a Comet which is a classic slower midrange. I think the Archer could be interesting as a utility disc/roller but I don't think I'll be bagging one. I like the more traditional mid flight for my understable mid vs having to throw it more like a driver.

 

[isamoor]

I'm currently settled in with Comets.

I was a Buzzz fella for years, but that was mostly due to me muscling the disc and getting speed instead of spin. (Buzzzes fly fine with more speed and less spin; hell they go pretty far that way.)

Mako3s and Fuses are pretty prevalent in the used bin, and they both make great ~glidey mid choices. I'm going with Comets right now though for a couple reasons:

They really are a whole speed notch slower (than Fuse/Mako3/Hex). I'm putting and driving Wizards, and although they are solid off the tee, they aren't bombers off the tee. The comets slide in nicely between the Wizards and fairways.

Comets are a touch less forgiving than fuses/makos. Although from one perspective that's a bad thing, I'm actually forced to stay clean in my throws. It's a good long term investment in my form (and in the punishment my body was taking forcing discs like Buzzzes...)

And bonus reason: I can pretend I'm as smooth as MJ.

 

[Casey 1988]

My experience is a little different- the Archer was more of a mid/fairway hybrid vs a Comet which is a classic slower midrange. I think the Archer could be interesting as a utility disc/roller but I don't think I'll be bagging one. I like the more traditional mid flight for my understable mid vs having to throw it more like a driver.

I just have a disc, for years I used a DX Stingray but problem is any cross wind over 5 miles per hour so I had to hyzer disc in hand most of the time.

I also used a DX Shark and have since 2016 settled on an old Star Shark 175 grams (should have been an F2 when new due with a few for backup around same weight and later a Champion Shark 3 having 2 around 175 grams in bag ( like a slightly beefy Buzzz) I bought a bunch of F2 when disc when mold went oop 4--5 discs around 175 grams and a disc for sale from Shipwreck Cove Erie State Park NY that is a later Shark 3 where most of the backup discs ended up with a very micro mini dome like old Champion Shark. I use Star Shark more for very short midrange to short approach shots, sometimes wind putter and Shark 3 is my more classic midrange disc.

I do have a very end run of Pro Shark around 177--175 grams slight wear in disc but mold is rarely used unless I need a specific throw more straight on approach where winds are higher where Pro Shark works better then my 2005 166 gram when new #2 Upshot in Prostyle due shape and weight of disc.

I find regular Shark in any plastic besides Champion to fly too much like a mid/putter hybrid and Champion Shark/3 to fly like a midrange say a heavier over 172 gram Buzzz in glide.

 

[adriens95]

I'm currently settled in with Comets.

I was a Buzzz fella for years, but that was mostly due to me muscling the disc and getting speed instead of spin. (Buzzzes fly fine with more speed and less spin; hell they go pretty far that way.)

Mako3s and Fuses are pretty prevalent in the used bin, and they both make great ~glidey mid choices. I'm going with Comets right now though for a couple reasons:

They really are a whole speed notch slower (than Fuse/Mako3/Hex). I'm putting and driving Wizards, and although they are solid off the tee, they aren't bombers off the tee. The comets slide in nicely between the Wizards and fairways.

Comets are a touch less forgiving than fuses/makos. Although from one perspective that's a bad thing, I'm actually forced to stay clean in my throws. It's a good long term investment in my form (and in the punishment my body was taking forcing discs like Buzzzes...)

And bonus reason: I can pretend I'm as smooth as MJ.

The Buzzz type mids snuck in my bag as forehands became more important to me and also because the wind really punishes Comets. We'll see if my flippy ESP Comet can squeeze back in the bag this year.

 

[adriens95]

Played a cold and windy round at Deerfield yesterday pushing around my two kids and shot a decent for the conditions even par. The cold sapped some distance, and my calm conditions setup left me scrambling when I needed to fight wind but still stay straight/get distance. That lack of selection is the price we pay to carry a Shift and stay light- oh well!

Wiz x 3
Glitch
Berg
Zone

Quake
Reactor
Hex
Svea

Sexton Firebird
Apex Alpha
Orion LF x 2 (1.1 SOF, 1.2 SOLF)
Swirly Star Bottom Stamp Exodus
Swirly Star Hawkeye
Barsby Star Roadrunner

(Also pictured: the kids' Wizard and mini Buzzzes)

 

[adriens95]

I'm a recent Orion convert and this is my first SOF. At first I wasn't that impressed, but yesterday I think I got the hype. Mine still has some finish where my 1.2 SOLF has straightened out a little more, but it was covering a lot of ground. Hole 4 at Deerfield is a ~380 ft hole with an OB island inside circle 1, and I threw a controlled stand up hyzer with the SOF to the edge of the island for a 30ft look (that I laid up to avoid the danger behind the basket). I normally throw a fast driver to get to that same spot with much more of an S shape… call me a believer.

Only downside to the SOF addition is I don't want to lose it throwing around water, so I need to put a QOLF/more stable MOLF in the bag for those "can't risk it flipping" throws. Hole 19 in particular is a long water carry hyzer that I didn't want to risk dunking my Orions so I had to layup with my Alpha. The Alpha I have is a hawg and is definitely a fairway where OLFs are more control drivers. I want to throw more Mint, but I don't know if I have the arm to take advantage of this mold. It filled the QOLF role for the day as my wind fighting driver but I can't push it as far as an Orion. Maybe a Diamondback would be more my speed? Should probably stick to QOLFs and just look for one in the 160s.

I threw the Exodus a ton but wasn't able to get enough oomph on it most of the day. I like the profile better than my domier Champ Eagle, so it'll square off against the Sublime Grackle I have coming in the mail for that stable fairway slot.

The Hawkeye didn't do well in the wind but I have a Colorglow Philo one that is more stable that I'll sub in for these situations in the future. I'm considering getting a Jackalope again to fight for this slot but not quite yet. Roadrunner also got bullied by the wind but that was expected- should have grabbed something more stable for that slot.

Svea was the MVP mid (no pun intended) and has a strong chance of holding down the US slot. Wind made it tough to throw the other mids consistently.

 

[Casey 1988]

I'm a recent Orion convert and this is my first SOF. At first I wasn't that impressed, but yesterday I think I got the hype. Mine still has some finish where my 1.2 SOLF has straightened out a little more, but it was covering a lot of ground. Hole 4 at Deerfield is a ~380 ft hole with an OB island inside circle 1, and I threw a controlled stand up hyzer with the SOF to the edge of the island for a 30ft look (that I laid up to avoid the danger behind the basket). I normally throw a fast driver to get to that same spot with much more of an S shape… call me a believer.

Only downside to the SOF addition is I don't want to lose it throwing around water, so I need to put a QOLF/more stable MOLF in the bag for those "can't risk it flipping" throws. Hole 19 in particular is a long water carry hyzer that I didn't want to risk dunking my Orions so I had to layup with my Alpha. The Alpha I have is a hawg and is definitely a fairway where OLFs are more control drivers. I want to throw more Mint, but I don't know if I have the arm to take advantage of this mold. It filled the QOLF role for the day as my wind fighting driver but I can't push it as far as an Orion. Maybe a Diamondback would be more my speed? Should probably stick to QOLFs and just look for one in the 160s.

I threw the Exodus a ton but wasn't able to get enough oomph on it most of the day. I like the profile better than my domier Champ Eagle, so it'll square off against the Sublime Grackle I have coming in the mail for that stable fairway slot.

The Hawkeye didn't do well in the wind but I have a Colorglow Philo one that is more stable that I'll sub in for these situations in the future. I'm considering getting a Jackalope again to fight for this slot but not quite yet. Roadrunner also got bullied by the wind but that was expected- should have grabbed something more stable for that slot.

Svea was the MVP mid (no pun intended) and has a strong chance of holding down the US slot. Wind made it tough to throw the other mids consistently.

A Disc with similar flight though more forward fade at end of a dump on flight is a Stalker. A Stalker, most runs in Z can fight wind better then a Hawkeye or similar nearly neutral disc like a TL but still has that nearly neutral flight on disc.