Anyone one else a real minimalist?

[zbyrd]

I tried carrying 15-20 discs per round. I was familiar with their flight characteristics and could usually know which was best for any given shot. In reality, the results I had didn't add up to the methodical birdie streak I had hoped.

So I changed things up and my results have been amazing. Now, I carry:

1x Pro-d challeger
1x Champion Firebird
1x Champion Teebird

My scores had dropped 4 or 5 strokes on average and I have less to carry! Having less discs makes me feel a lot more comfortable with the way they fly. I feel confident and in control with either driver off the tee, giving me a much greater chance of hitting the line I want. Only using two drivers gives me a much better ability to analyze "what went wrong?" when I do miss the line, given my aforementioned familiarity. Lots of articles say you need x number of discs to fulfill x number of throws. Mine work like this:

Teebird: Go to driver, will hold nearly any line, can throw 350ish
Firebird: When I need power forehand that won't turnover, shorter backhand, big fade around an obstacle.

I guess my point is that I feel damn comfortable with these discs in my hand. Having only two, the correct choice is obvious so I just have to worry about me and my throw. Anyone else employ a similar strategy? If you have never tried it, play some rounds with 3-5 go-to discs and see how it goes.

If nothing else, it's fun because people assume you suck because you don't have a huge bag,then you start parking 300 footers. The look is priceless :]

Thanks for reading,
Zach

 

[mashnut]

I play about half of my rounds with 1-4 discs, the other half with a full competition bag depending on the course. On shorter and easier courses, having extra discs doesn't help my score at all, but on courses with a lot of variety and difficulty I definitely shoot better with my full bag. I think it's all about finding what works for you on any given day.

BTW, it really is fun to surprise people who assume you're a TDD, and then go and park a hole with a roc that they just threw a destroyer twice on to get to the hole.

 

[zbyrd]

Yeah, I know. Everyone throws destroyers on my home course and the longest hole is 300 downhill. Most are 200-250. I am generally throwing 70% or so with my Teebird and have more problems overthrowing than under. But I guess we were all part of the faster is better crowd at some point. I know, with my 175 boss, I can't break 300, maybe that's their problem. I'm not about to tell them though. Haha

 

[Rameka]

I just spent a week waiting for new discs to arrive, and now that they have, I've actually been doing a lot more poorly on the course. Well, I've only played one round since I got them, I guess, but still. I'm gonna have to learn them all separately now. It almost seems like more stress than it's worth! I guess it's really important to define very distinct roles for your discs. Those with more discs have less distinct roles, because they let the disc characteristics take over more. Coming up with the perfect 3 or 4 discs that can cover any shot I'm up against is my goal now.

 

[caney44]

I'm new to the game, and I carry a bag full of disc's. I always throw the same three disc's though. lol, Only time I pull a different disc out is if there is a bad situation and I have my bro-in-law tell me what I should throw cause he knows all the charistics of the discs, But I sure do love my

FLX Avenger SS 172
FLX Buzzz 175
Champion Roadrunner 172

 

[Adaven]

I would say that over the past several months I have been changing my bag up a bit to. I am starting to trade a lot of my discs for duplicates of my favorites. Ideally I would like to have:

3-4 Surges - different weights and different plastics
3 Avengers - different weights and different plastics
2 Xtras - Z plastic
2 Buzzz
2 Magnets

I think limiting the molds I play with will certainly help me learn each mold better.

 

[Omega SuperSloth]

depending on the course sometimes i go bagless but right now having to drink a liter a round to STAY ALIVE i need the bag to carry my drink so i just take out the discs i wont use and leave enough to keep the bag from imploding.

 

[Midnightbiker]

I just spent a week waiting for new discs to arrive, and now that they have, I've actually been doing a lot more poorly on the course. Well, I've only played one round since I got them, I guess, but still. I'm gonna have to learn them all separately now. It almost seems like more stress than it's worth! I guess it's really important to define very distinct roles for your discs. Those with more discs have less distinct roles, because they let the disc characteristics take over more. Coming up with the perfect 3 or 4 discs that can cover any shot I'm up against is my goal now.

Another good reason to hit the practice field

 

[A.Mutt]

I prefer to have a bag full just so I have options if I find myself in need of a specialized disc. But by in large I only use a few molds with regularity, the rest are there "just in case".
The key, I think anyways, is to do field research with all your discs so you aren't guessing what they will do on the course. But I definitely believe that a bag full of discs you aren't all that intimately familiar with is going to be worse for your game than only having a few that you do know well.

 

[Daddy-O]

I prefer to have a bag full just so I have options if I find myself in need of a specialized disc. But by in large I only use a few molds with regularity, the rest are there "just in case".
The key, I think anyways, is to do field research with all your discs so you aren't guessing what they will do on the course. But I definitely believe that a bag full of discs you aren't all that intimately familiar with is going to be worse for your game than only having a few that you do know well.

+1
I carry a full bag, but use the same 4-5 discs 90% of the time. The others are "get out of trouble", windy day or trick shot discs.

I do try to go out with only 4-5 discs I don't feel as comfortable with about once a week to work with them and get more comfortable with them. This keeps me from using the same old disc on those holes I have become too comfortable with.

 

[Midnightbiker]

I prefer to have a bag full just so I have options if I find myself in need of a specialized disc. But by in large I only use a few molds with regularity, the rest are there "just in case".
The key, I think anyways, is to do field research with all your discs so you aren't guessing what they will do on the course. But I definitely believe that a bag full of discs you aren't all that intimately familiar with is going to be worse for your game than only having a few that you do know well.

Very well said

 

[BrotherDave]

+1
I carry a full bag, but use the same 4-5 discs 90% of the time. The others are "get out of trouble", windy day or trick shot discs.

Same here, lots of trick discs and get out of trouble discs as well as a couple "expendable" discs for water and nasty rough holes. All in all I only carry about 14 discs.

 

[mashnut]

I like taking new discs out and playing full rounds with just it and a putter, and I feel like after a full round like that I have a really good idea of what the disc does and how it fits with the rest of my bag (or if it doesn't).

 

[hilega]

5 Discs

I play with ...

167g Champ Valk
168g Champ TeeBird
170g DX Leopard
175g DX Roc
Classic Aviar (super beat, bought used, unknown weight, but feels ~175g)

About the only other thing I wish I had is maybe a Whippet, but the Roc holds a pretty good hyzer for me, so I make do. I throw the Leopard and Aviar the most.

 

[magictenor1]

I carry some extras in case of lost discs but I really only play with a few most rounds ie 2 or 3 different drivers, 1 mid, 1 putter and a specialty disc (jaguar) that i use primarily for rollers.

 

[A.Mutt]

Very well said

thanks

I've done it the wrong way long enough to know the value of learning what my discs do when the shot doesn't count.

 

[vonDrehle]

I wouldn't say I am a minimilist but I don't carry any useless disc. Everything has it purpose whether it is needed every single round or not. (Rollers, Pancakes, Skip Shots, etc) I do however carry 3 rocs and they are my only mid-ranges. I don't count my gator as a mid-range more of a trick shot disc.

 

[SomeChump]

I've got a definite purpose for every mid-range in the bag (dart, gator, way-beat stingray, new KC Roc, broken in Roc) and use most of them every round. The drivers on the other hand are still getting sorted out. I've got a pretty continual rotation going there. Heavy Elite Z Avenger for hyzer/skip, TL for fairway, Broken in Valkyrie for anhyzer, Monarch for max distance downwind and hyzer flips-can't seem to throw an anhyzer as well I think due to the wider rim, and an Orc and a Groove trying to work their way into the bag for upwind and hyzer max distance drives. I also recently rediscovered my Orion LS, which may start competing with the Valkyrie and Monarch, as well as the TL. I've had a Teebird and Valkyries in every plastic in and out of the bag too. If my bag was a little smaller I guess I'd have to make a better decision, but it seems on a windy day I throw the Monarch and the Avenger and Groove more, and in the calm I throw the Orc, Valk and TL more.

Part of the fun of disc golf is trying new discs and continually changing the bag. Seems like if I could get down to 4 or 5 discs I'd lose some of the fun. At the same time, I don't feel like I play/practice enough to really know more than about 10 discs as well as I'd like to.

 

[Keokuk Discer]

In my bag for most normal range courses:

1 Star Max for thumber/tomahawks/get out of shule
1 DX TeeRex my go to driver
1 DX wraith in 170 wt for shorter drives
1 DX wraith in 150 wt for times I have to do a stand and deliver drive
1 Champion wraith for uphill upshots
1 Star Valkyrie for forehand shots
1 DX Valkyrie a backup to my Star Valkyrie
1 DX gazelle for hyzer/anhyzer/trick mid range shots
1 Champion Coyote for straight mid range shots
2 SSS wizards for putting

For the most part I'm just using my TeeRex, Coyote and putter, which is what I usually take to a short course. Sometimes I only take my Coyote and putter if it's a really short course.

 

[wolito]

Just a few

I too am trying to master a select few discs before moving on. I have a small disc bag to carry 8 discs, but really only use 2 or 3 for nearly every shot. Champ Valk, Champ Viking or DX Aviar. My other discs are just duplicates of these. I must master these before getting faster drivers and such. I see so many players that have so many discs in their bag, 20-25. Do they really use them? I want a bigger bag just so I can carry more stuff: water, beer and the like.