Brockness ITB

[Brockness Monster]

Starting this new thread for the new year. I was starting to get a little anxiety when posting in my previous thread because I felt that I was not doing enough to justify the title. Even on the title for this thread I was trying to think of something clever like "the Brockness within". Simpler is better, this is what I would like to be my DG mantra this year starting with the thread title. I can apply that mantra to the game right away, but it will not be so easy for the bag yet. There are still several molds that I would like to try out before settling on a permanent bag, several questions that I must answer for myself about the discs that I need to accomplish a shot. A couple that come to mind.

I no longer like using a Firebird and the only use I have for it now is trick skip shots. What other discs can accomplish this that might be more enjoyable?

I love my Teebirds, but I have a burning desire to try a Pro Thundy. Is there a risk that I might like the Thundy so much that I will drop Teebirds altogether?

I love my Pigs, but might there be a putter that would bridge the gap between my Berg and MD3s even better?

Is the MD3 really the best mid for my game?

I doubt that any disc currently released would give my Berg a run for its place in the bag. I bounce back and forth for the Teebird, some days there is no better disc, others I start to wonder. All other discs in my bag right now are on the chopping block.

So here are my goals for the year.

- Solidify my disc selection
- Participate in 3 tourneys at MA2
- Reach 400' with my max D drivers (currently the Wraith)
- Increase consistency

The hardest of these will be reaching 400', but I was throwing about 450' in 2012 with Vulcans so it is possible for me to reach 400'. I was working out constantly at the time and getting 3 days of field practice in per week. The funny thing is there was only about 2 holes total in the 4 courses around me that I needed that much distance for. Now there is about 4 holes that I have not been able to birdie yet because of distance and Californians obsession with Par 3. I have rambled enough. I welcome suggestions and debate.

 

[Brockness Monster]

On the list for tryouts.

- MD4
- Gote
- Thundy
- P3
- Wizard
- Scale
- Kaxe

one concept bag I was thinking about, possibly just for travel

- Berg
- Tweener Putter/Mid
- Tweener Mid/Fairway (Kaxe?)
- Tweener Fairway/Distance (Thundy?)

probably toss in a windfighter or a more stable Thundy for a total of 5 discs.

 

[Brockness Monster]

Had a windy and rainy round this weekend.

Bag:

Distance Drivers:
171 Pro Wraith
175 Champ Wraith

Fairway Drivers:
170 Pro Teebird - New, Very Straight
175 MF Teebird - Most OS
170 Champ Roadrunner - Best distance/ turnovers

Mids:
177 C-Line MD3 - Main Mid/Windfighter
174 P-Line MD3 - US midrange

Putters:
171 K3 Berg - Main Putter/Flick Approaches
175 Pro Pig - Approaches/Flex Forehands/Driving Putter

Took the Firebird out, did not miss it. Despite the wind my Champ Wraith and MF Teebird did an amazing job, and I will no longer bag a Firebird unless I start to miss it. The rain (a sprinkle really) made gripping the Champion plastic a bit of a chore, but I handled it. The Pig handled the get out of trouble shots well and the RR was a boss in the tailwind. The MD3s were not thrown except for my practice drives before starting the round.

I still have not bought any new discs, but that is because I am waiting for the Kastaplast Gote to be released. Really I am just going to order a Gote, I-Blend Sphinx, Organic or PW Wizard, DX and Pro Wraith, and some back up Bergs in different plastics. I will probably change my mind again and try out a Pro Thundy and MOLF, or a D P3 or some other such nonsense, but I am hoping that is not the case.

 

[HERB brooks]

Took the Firebird out, did not miss it. Despite the wind my Champ Wraith and MF Teebird did an amazing job, and I will no longer bag a Firebird unless I start to miss it. The rain (a sprinkle really) made gripping the Champion plastic a bit of a chore, but I handled it. The Pig handled the get out of trouble shots well and the RR was a boss in the tailwind. The MD3s were not thrown except for my practice drives before starting the round.

I still have not bought any new discs, but that is because I am waiting for the Kastaplast Gote to be released. Really I am just going to order a Gote, I-Blend Sphinx, Organic or PW Wizard, DX and Pro Wraith, and some back up Bergs in different plastics. I will probably change my mind again and try out a Pro Thundy and MOLF, or a D P3 or some other such nonsense, but I am hoping that is not the case.

How windy was that last round for you? I ask because when I tried to take out Firebirds a couple years ago, 90% of the time it was fine. The 1 in 10 rounds or so where the wind was really ripping (15-20 mph plus) were terrible without it. They do come in handy for more than just windy days, but I feel like its good to bag something capable of holding up in serious wind. Solid looking bag otherwise.

 

[Brockness Monster]

How windy was that last round for you? I ask because when I tried to take out Firebirds a couple years ago, 90% of the time it was fine. The 1 in 10 rounds or so where the wind was really ripping (15-20 mph plus) were terrible without it. They do come in handy for more than just windy days, but I feel like its good to bag something capable of holding up in serious wind. Solid looking bag otherwise.

The coastal winds here are are a constant nuisance, that day was probably maxing out at 20 mph, but I am terrible at figuring out wind speed. It made it hard to get anything to finish right, but most of the holes on my home course are pretty open so throwing a MF TB straight at a basket was usually no problem. The main issue I have with Firebirds is that they seem like wasted space 90% of the time even with constant wind. That said, I have been looking at grabbing something that has a strong fade with glide so that I can get around objects rather than just diving into the ground. Not sure I can do much better than the Firebird, but I am keeping my options open.

 

[Brockness Monster]

For Reference, here is what my home course looks like

 

[HERB brooks]

The coastal winds here are are a constant nuisance, that day was probably maxing out at 20 mph, but I am terrible at figuring out wind speed. It made it hard to get anything to finish right, but most of the holes on my home course are pretty open so throwing a MF TB straight at a basket was usually no problem. The main issue I have with Firebirds is that they seem like wasted space 90% of the time even with constant wind. That said, I have been looking at grabbing something that has a strong fade with glide so that I can get around objects rather than just diving into the ground. Not sure I can do much better than the Firebird, but I am keeping my options open.

Firebirds are essential to me only because I throw FH often, they are very seldom used for BH. You are right that they tend to dive into the ground as they fade, instead of gliding around a corner when thrown BH. I've started to throw one of my more stable OLFs when I need a BH shot to carry around a dogleg left without spiking to the ground early. I'm getting much better results after switching my disc selection. A Thunderbird or PD are good alternatives to the OLF if your firebirds don't glide enough on hyzer. If the MF Teebird does the job then keep on throwing that, but I've never had a Teebird that was stable enough to encroach on Firebird shots (I used to bag several Teebirds back in 2016, none were even close to Firebird stability).

That home course looks really cool, nice pic!

 

[Brockness Monster]

Firebirds are essential to me only because I throw FH often, they are very seldom used for BH. You are right that they tend to dive into the ground as they fade, instead of gliding around a corner when thrown BH. I've started to throw one of my more stable OLFs when I need a BH shot to carry around a dogleg left without spiking to the ground early. I'm getting much better results after switching my disc selection. A Thunderbird or PD are good alternatives to the OLF if your firebirds don't glide enough on hyzer. If the MF Teebird does the job then keep on throwing that, but I've never had a Teebird that was stable enough to encroach on Firebird shots (I used to bag several Teebirds back in 2016, none were even close to Firebird stability).

That home course looks really cool, nice pic!

Thank you, I dabble in landscape photography and was really missing my DSLR when I saw this view.

EDIT: and thank you for the disc suggestions, I have been reading up on Thundys and just started to look at OLFs because of a couple people here on the forums. I will have to look into those PDs as well

 

[HERB brooks]

Thank you, I dabble in landscape photography and was really missing my DSLR when I saw this view.

EDIT: and thank you for the disc suggestions, I have been reading up on Thundys and just started to look at OLFs because of a couple people here on the forums. I will have to look into those PDs as well

I wouldn't say that the three are interchangeable, but they will all serve the same purpose for you. None of the discs are really necessary if you like the Teebird as a fairway*. They will all be similar enough where you don't NEED both in the bag, but they all will pair well with a Teebird. The OLF is going to have the most turn of the selection, both the PD and Thunderbird flew like longer Teebirds for me. You really can't go wrong with any of the three, but the OLF would complement the Teebird better since it will fly a different path with more turn and fade. However, if you still want to limit molds, you may not want to carry both Teebirds and OLFs/PDs/Thunderbirds.

*Funny thing is that I bought my first OLF as a water disc. This particular disc sat in the used bin at PIAS for around 4-5 months. I worked about a block away from there so I would go down every week on payday and see what the new arrivals were. After seeing this particular OLF for months I figured it would make a good disc to throw when I didn't want to risk throwing my two favorite drivers (Teebirds and a Boatman, but don't worry about the Boatman). Pretty soon though I liked the OLF to throw my old favorites over water instead of that OLF. I'm glad I did since that was an old first run with the stamp wiped. Now I only have one of my old Teebirds and a big stack of OLFs.

 

[texasissouth]

I love throwing firebirds or other OS things on big hyzers. It's a lot of fun when you don't feel like thinking and don't want to worry about the shot at hand. If I have a wide open 300' hole I'm throwing a FB hyzer.

If you found a stable Thunderbird it could pick up any shots you miss the FB from if you power it down a little, as well as being a straight to fade compliment to your wraiths at about the same distance maybe. And it would only require you slotting one in, and keeping the Teeb cycle going.

 

[Brockness Monster]

I did some research over the weekend and I think Thunderbirds are the way to go for me, mainly for because of plastic options. I really want to try the OLF in Millenium Standard plastic, but I read some reviews saying it was too flippy. Also, it looks like finding a PD in P-Line would be an issue. With the Thundy, I can easily grab a Pro to start breaking in, and I should be able to easily find a Beefy Champ, Luster or MF.

On the subject of the Firebirds though, I was watching the Veterans Park Open on Jomez this weekend and they were dealing with some wind that was flipping some pretty stable plastic. Simply watching that video made me cringe at the thought of removing my Firebirds permanently. So it looks like I am going to have to start carrying a bag of backups and utility discs in my car. That means I should probably pick up one of those Luster FBs I have been hearing about.

 

[konza_kid]

So it looks like I am going to have to start carrying a bag of backups and utility discs in my car. That means I should probably pick up one of those Luster FBs I have been hearing about.

This is what I started doing. It seems like there can be a lot of over analyzing in the disc golf Community when it comes to what's in the bag. I have my base set up, but there are so many variables that it is good to have lots of options. Got to switch out what you think you'll need based on the course and conditions.

 

[bcr32]

1.3 Standard OLF's (the newest run) are fast and overstable out of the box, and are very near identical to pro thunderbirds.

 

[Brockness Monster]

1.3 Standard OLF's (the newest run) are fast and overstable out of the box, and are very near identical to pro thunderbirds.

I might need to pick one of those up then, my wallet is bracing for impact.

 

[Brockness Monster]

So after all the talk of wanting to try new discs and basically giving myself whiplash from all the back and forth, I chickened out and picked up back ups for my discs. I am trading out the MD3 for a MF MD4, and I bought a Pink Luster Firebird. I also Picked up another pro wraith, 2x Pro Pigs, and a K1 IceBerg. Left on my list of absolute wants is an I-Blend Sphinx, and some backup K3 Bergs.

I decided to switch to the MD4 because I needed just a little more wind fighting in my mids. I was hoping the Gote would be able to cover that for me. Also, I was able to pick up a couple P-Line that will hopefully have some stability for a while before they get flippy. The P-Line MD3 I got several months ago was just too flippy, too quickly. It would be nice if DM dropped some S-Line MD4s on us. The Luster Firebird should be self explanatory (more whiplash, I know), and the Pro Wraith is gonna sit for awhile before I need it. I saw the Pro pigs on Marshall street and had to have them. I found 2 Purple pigs, one with a matte yellow stamp and one with a metallic teal stamp that looked pretty sharp on the website. Lastly, I grabbed the K1 Berg because I have been needing one for a while. I only have 1 K3 Berg and since I use it as my main putter, I needed a more durable version for the approach shots that I like to throw them for. I saw some white K3 Bergs on Infinite discs last week and was hoping they would last until the Gote was released. They did not, damn my disc color OCD. I still would like to pick up a Thundy and an OLF at some point, but I guess now was not the time.

 

[Brockness Monster]

Big day of trying out new discs against old discs, and figuring some things out yesterday

Bag:

Distance Drivers:

Fairway Drivers:
175 2012 FAF Firebird
175 CGC Firebird
175 Luster Champ Firebird
157 Champ Firebird

Mids:
177 C-Line MD3
174 P-Line MD3
177 MF MD4
180 P-Line MD4
180 P-Line MD4
175 Star Caiman

Putters:
171 K3 Berg
173 K1 IceBerg

Putters
- K1 Berg flies exactly like I remember the K3 flying when it was fresh. I was expecting it to be more OS, but I was still getting helicopterish landings on an anny, and hyzers held all the way to the ground. Despite my expectations I am very pleased with this disc

Mids
- My new P-Line MD4s fly just like my C-Line MD3, with maybe a little extra distance.
- The MF MD4 has very good stability, and was getting similar distances to the C-Line MD3
- The P-Line MD3 has the most distance potential and will stay in the bag until the first P-Line MD4 starts matching its flight.
- Caiman was tested against Firebirds for Skipability, Spike Hyzer distance, and FH comfort. It handles all 3 better than expected, but I am going to stick with the FBs

Fairways
- All FBs tested to determine relative stabilities, hyzer distance, and flex shots. Stability is FAF>Luster>Champ>CGC. The new flat Lusters are perfect for me because they are not as stable as the FAF. I have been hearing that they are, but the FAF is so much more OS it is ridiculous. I was practicing some utility shots that I don't need on my home course, but they might come up in some of the tournaments that I am planning on participating in this year. I will be bagging them, and will continue to practice these shots so that I don't start to become disillusioned with it again.

So, the main bag is going to look like this.

Bag:

Distance Drivers:
171 Pro Wraith - Max D
175 Champ Wraith - Windfighting Max D

Fairway Drivers:
170 Pro Teebird - Workhorse
175 MF Teebird - Windfighter
170 Champ Roadrunner - Uphills and turnovers
175 Luster Firebird - Utility

Mids:
177 MF MD4 - Windfighter
180 P-Line MD4 - Main Mid, Workhorse
174 P-Line MD3 - US Mid

Putters:
171 K3 Berg - Main Putter
173 K1 Berg - Flick Approaches
175 Pro Pig - Approaches/Flex Forehands/Driving Putter

Minor changes to my bag compared to the end of 2018. In a weird way, I consider this a victory. The uncertainty that I felt for my bag has been lifted and replaced with only mild curiosity now. I think that I will replace the Roadrunner with an I-Blend Sphinx because I think it will be a nice US Fairway out of the box, rather than having to beat a champ into what I need it to be. That will be a test that I look forward. Also, in one of my previous posts I had mentioned that I needed a little more left hand drift for doglegs. to remedy that I am going to experiment with FB skipshots, Wraith stall hyzers, and flip to flat shots with US drivers to see if I can work it out without adding a new mold. Overall, my mindset is shifting towards plastic choice, and workability to inform me of what disc I should use.

Edit: as things wear in I will be cycling Pro Wraiths, Pro Teebirds and Pro Pigs. Still trying to decide if I need a cycle on mids

 

[Jolt]

I Feel that the K2 BERG is the most OS plastic. . By the way, a webshop here in Sweden have 27pc white K3 in stock

https://discsport.se/brand/54/mold/452

 

[Brockness Monster]

Thanks Jolt. I have been to that website a couple times, but I am guessing shipping is going to be high so I want to make a larger order if I do that. I should have more than a couple backups anyways. I am hoping to pick up a Jeff Ash Brainwave Berg at some point, hopefully he will do some in K2.

 

[Brockness Monster]

Too wet to throw anything lately. So, here is a picture of my discs

 

[Jolt]

Nice, what´s that red one in the top right corner?

No need for a US throwing putter or even mid?

. . .looking forward to seven straigth days of rain or snowy rain . . .not fun to throw in the cold and WET weather