Can I get a little help with discs?

[Jklotz]

Hi guys, new here. Thanks for having me. I'm a beginner. I've been out 4 times now. 2 different courses. First time out nobody kept my score, but the 2nd course (Perkersons), which I've done 3 times now, started out at 23 over and am down to 18 over, so it's going in the right direction. Thankfully, my buddies have been showing me the ropes and have been encouraging. I'm really enjoying it.

So, I ordered a beginner set off of amazon. 4 discs, a DD Trespass driver, Escape driver, Truth midrange and Judge putter. Why? Because they got a good rating and I thought they looked cool. Turns out that Trespass has a speed of 12 and is probably too much for me at this point. I met a guy on the course who gave me the driver he used to learn on, an Orc. It's old and beat up. He said it would be a lot better for me as a beginner.

I'm probably not at the point yet where the discs are going to make a lot of difference. I just wanted to see if you guys though this is a good setup to start with. I plan to go out one day this week by myself and throw all of them to try to figure out what they do.

Any help or advice you can give would be most appreciated.

 

[BillFleming]

I've been playing for 2 years and I'm trying to 'reset'. The first advice I got was buy a used putter and midrange and start with those. I WISH I had been told to buy a starter pack, set any driver aside for 6 months, and just play with the putter and midrange for those 6 months. You'll think, "Oh, my midrange goes 150, so I'll start throwing my Escape and it should go 200". Doesn't necessarily work that way as I found out. It's all about form. Throw the putter and midrange until you are consistent and can throw the midrange around 200 feet and get it to land close to where you expect it to be. Then add the Escape and work with that.

After two years, I'm taking all the drivers (distance and fairway) out of my bag and going back to just 6 speed and below for a while.

 

[ray1970]

Starter sets are starter sets for a reason. Those discs are usually pretty user friendly to people just starting out.

I imagine with four rounds under your belt that the Trespass might be a little more disc than you can really use right now but as far as drivers go it really works well for people who aren't throwing over 350' on their drives.

The Eacape is sneaky long. I currently bag Eacapes and bagged Trespasses for quite a while. I think anyone starting out could get as much or more distance out of an Escape than a Trespass.

Not sure what the courses are like where you play but don't be afraid to throw the Judge and the Truth, even off the tee. Unless I need some sort of weird shot any tee shot under 250' and you can almost count on me throwing a putter.

As far as starting out and trying to save yourself strokes, you'll see bigger gains working on your approach shots and putting than you will from just trying to add outright distance to your game.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Meillo]

My tips:

1) Put the Trespass aside. You won't need it for a long time or maybe never. (A bunch of experienced disc golfers here don't bag any disc faster than speed 9.) But it can serve as a practice tool concerning nose-up problems.

2) Throw your putter! Practice to get clean throws with it -- throw straight, hyzer, and anny. (Same with your midrange.)

3) Throw your Truth more often than the Escape/Orc. You can start without a driver for some months or a year, but if you have more fun throwing it, then ensure you use it less often than your midrange and putter for throws. Midrange and putter should be your main throwers.

(I'd say, use either the Escape or the Orc as your driver, whatever flies straighter for you ... or just feels better.)


By coming here and asking -- i.e. questioning what you're doing -- you've done a lot right.

 

[Frolfdisc]

After two years, I'm taking all the drivers (distance and fairway) out of my bag and going back to just 6 speed and below for a while.

After 2 decades I took all the drivers out of my bag last year! Best thing I could have done for my game. I'm not a hardcore player, but have gotten more serious these last few years. I could never throw a driver well, but after one season without any I'm throwing a mid a heck of a lot more accurate and longer. I had never used a putter to drive, but now throw a putter about as long as I used to throw a mid. I definitely support the no driver route for new players.

 

[BillFleming]

After 2 decades I took all the drivers out of my bag last year! Best thing I could have done for my game. I'm not a hardcore player, but have gotten more serious these last few years. I could never throw a driver well, but after one season without any I'm throwing a mid a heck of a lot more accurate and longer. I had never used a putter to drive, but now throw a putter about as long as I used to throw a mid. I definitely support the no driver route for new players.

I "thought" I was throwing my fairway drivers well....but then something happened. I wanted to do some work with my 5/6 speeds and see which ones would work best for me. I went to a field and set up some small cones at 100, 150, and 200 feet. After a few warm up throws, I had to move the 100 ft cone to 250. The farthest I've gotten a fairway driver (9 speed) to go was short of 250. The practice was a wake-up and I'm going to stick with my 5/6 speeds as my max speed discs for now. Get a bit more consistent with them and then consider moving up to 7/8 speed.

What putter are you using for throwing off the tee? I'm thinking about the Envy (I have one), but I have a few other putters that I'm going to take to a field and test out (along with some 3/4 speed discs).

 

[seedlings]

Hi guys, new here. Thanks for having me. I'm a beginner. I've been out 4 times now. 2 different courses. First time out nobody kept my score, but the 2nd course (Perkersons), which I've done 3 times now, started out at 23 over and am down to 18 over, so it's going in the right direction. Thankfully, my buddies have been showing me the ropes and have been encouraging. I'm really enjoying it.

So, I ordered a beginner set off of amazon. 4 discs, a DD Trespass driver, Escape driver, Truth midrange and Judge putter. Why? Because they got a good rating and I thought they looked cool. Turns out that Trespass has a speed of 12 and is probably too much for me at this point. I met a guy on the course who gave me the driver he used to learn on, an Orc. It's old and beat up. He said it would be a lot better for me as a beginner.

I'm probably not at the point yet where the discs are going to make a lot of difference. I just wanted to see if you guys though this is a good setup to start with. I plan to go out one day this week by myself and throw all of them to try to figure out what they do.

Any help or advice you can give would be most appreciated.

I started with the same set, just 8 months before you. Nothing wrong with those discs at all! My advice: don't get caught up in discs, but keep throwing yours! Of those, I suspect your EMac Truth will be the most helpful to you the first few months. Then you'll start to get the hang of the Escape. I throw an old Orc, and the Escape is much more user friendly.

1) you do not need any different discs
2) start working on form over in the Technique section
3) throw the Judge and the EMac Truth a ton on the course
4) throw the Trespass a ton in an open field rather than on the course

 

[Jklotz]

What putter are you using for throwing off the tee? I'm thinking about the Envy (I have one), but I have a few other putters that I'm going to take to a field and test out (along with some 3/4 speed discs).

My only putter is the Judge. I have no idea if it is good or not. Seems ok so far.

 

[Jklotz]

Thanks guys, much appreciated. I think I may head out tomorrow or the next day, supposed to be really nice weather here for a change. I'll take you guys advice and leave the Trespass at home. That seems to be a common theme I'm hearing from a lot of folks who are offering advice.

Also, thanks Seedlings, nice to know what I have is ok and I didn't screw up buying them. Honestly, I'd have put more thought and research into the purchase, had I known it was something I would really enjoy and stick with. At the time, it was more like agreeing to go out with some friends in a few days just to get out and walk the dog, then one of them said "you have discs, right?" Uh, well, no, not really. Amazon, here I come....

 

[Meillo]

My only putter is the Judge. I have no idea if it is good or not. Seems ok so far.

The Judge is a popular putter. Many players use it and it has a flight similar to that of other popular putters. You can't go wrong with it. It works well for putting and for throwing.

Concerning putting putters the main aspect is: If it feels good for you, then it is good.

 

[raceface59]

I'm new too and these more experienced guys have been invaluable at getting me to understand the whole whys and wherefores of the sport. Don't go out and buy a million discs. This forum may not have been able to save me money spent thus far, but it sure as heck has saved me potential irretrievable wasted time, and that's far more valuable in the long run.

 

[zontar]

lots of sound advice. leave the Trespass at home, and focus on your mid and putter. better yet, trade your Trespass for another mid.

 

[ray1970]

lots of sound advice. leave the Trespass at home, and focus on your mid and putter. better yet, trade your Trespass for another mid.

No way. If he sticks with it and starts improving the Trespass is a good first driver. To me it almost is a longer Escape.

 

[DiscFifty]

Track your distance and accuracy every time you play. You want to work on throwing straight, level, low throws. Definitely stick to your putters and mids for a while. While certainly a debatable suggestion, I like to tell new players to try to get their putters out to 150-200 before moving on to mids. Then once you're getting your mids out 200+ you can introduce fairways. Have fun, good luck!

 

[Jklotz]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the suggestions.