[Recommend] Coming back after 4 years off

[kdos]

Hi all,

As the title implies. I am coming back after taking 4 years off. Life just got in the way and now I am returning to this game. The problem is that most of my discs were in storage boxes (not organized) and gravity has taken its toll on them. Most of my old discs are warped and misshapen. I am looking for general suggestions on what to put in my bag again.

Discs I used to throw
Destroyer
Wraith (my primary driver)
Thunderbirds
TeeBird
Rocs

Putters
Colt
Aviar
Rhyno

I could always just rebuy what I had, but I've been seeing a lot of other companies performing quite well and I am open to options. Just gathering some info from the hivemind here.

Thanks, everyone, and have a great day!

 

[Rastnav]

How long did you play before you took off? Why were you Innova only? What did you like and dislike about your discs? What plastic did you throw? What are you looking for in a disc? How much power/arm speed did you have, do you still have?

All of those discs, except the Colt, are staples in many bags still today. All timers. You wouldn't be going wrong to just get them again. There are also a vast plethora of other great discs, from other manufacturers, and a greater variety of plastic choices. But there aren't any "this is the one disc you must have" type choices. It all depends on what you need, what you prefer.

ETA: You'll also find that discs are a little harder to come by right now, simply because so many new people are entering the game and manufacturing is a little behind.

 

[kdos]

I played off and on for 8 years or so. I only threw innova because that's what I had and it always performed well for me. I was throwing 250-300 ft. My drivers were usually star, fairway drivers & midrange usually champ, and putters usually pro or XT.

Thanks for the info, it's quite helpful.

 

[Rastnav]

You may find, at that arm speed/distance, that you are better off throwing fairway drivers (or even mids and putters) rather than the destroyer or wraith, especially as you are getting back into it. Trying to throw too much disc is a frequently cited cause for encouraging bad habits. Just a thought.

Do you have a local retailer? Or are you planning on buying online?

 

[kdos]

I actually do not have access to a local store so I will probably be buying online. Any recommendations?

 

[Three Putt]

I mean I see Aviar, Roc, TeeBird and Destroyer. Nope, I got nothing. Frolf on, dude.

 

[aphilso1]

Are you forehand only? That is my assumption based on the discs you bagged and your pre-break max distance.

Normally I would recommend some understable discs for people in your situation, but I'm not sure what to recommend if you don't backhand at all.

 

[Rastnav]

I actually do not have access to a local store so I will probably be buying online. Any recommendations?

If you have a local Play It Again sports, they should have some selection of discs.

Online is a little tricky right at this particular moment in disc golf history. As I said, rising demand and loss of some production during COVID has really pinched availability. The short answer is "wherever you can find what you want".

For example, at infinitediscs.com, one of the bigger online retailers, they literally have two Rocs as of this moment. Normally they would have hundreds, in a variety of weights, colors, plastics, etc. Now your choices are an orange DX 162 gram and a blue DX 176 gram. Right now when I'm looking, I do a google search for the disc you want, then look at the retailers that pop up and go through them to see what they have in stock. In the last year I've bought from Infinite Discs, Discs Unlimited, Disc Golf 978, Skybreed Discs (who advertise here), OTB discs, Gotta Go Gotta Throw, and I think the Disc Barn. Amazon can be OK, but you don't always know exactly what you are getting. The dedicated retailers are better.

The marketplace forum here can be a good place to look, but it seems like things have dried up there recently as plastic gets scarcer.

You also can go directly to the various brands. Dynamic Discs has fantastic customer service for the three Trilogy brands. Discraft is good for special runs and tour series discs, maybe some stock plastic, but their shipping times are variable at best right now.

For where you are at, looking to restock on Innova molds, getting back into the game, your best bet is probably the Innova factory store. I've had good luck finding some of what I want to try as factory seconds, they have stock runs, and then run some deals every Friday. Look at the Innova Factory Stire thread. Not sure what their shipping looks like right now.

 

[phishbiscuits]

Welcome back!

Since you've been gone, it's gotten very weird. The same classic molds are widely. Discraft clawed its way back to prominence thanks to high-profile pros and some revamped plastics.

Everyone finally discovered Kastaplast (small lineup but they're all good discs, really).

Innova churns out discs for Guru, Millennium, Infinite, Discmania (sort of at this point...).

Gateway makes discs for what feels like 20 niche brands.

Latitude 64 is pumping out plastic for many brands, too.

Discs are discs. The new shiny stuff is fun. But, there haven't been any real "breakthroughs" in terms of building a better mousetrap. MVP suggests Gyro is one such example, but they were around when you last played. Latitude is promising stuff with the Royal line that looks nice. Again, though, it's a lot of special runs, fancy stamps (ooh, pretty), and price inflation.

The retail prices have gotten insane. Check out Sun King, for instance. They charge over $34 for some discs they're supposed to be "retailing." The secondary market makes it feel like we are buying hard drugs given the prices.

It can be overwhelming keeping up with new releases. Play. Talk to people and see what they like on the course.

Ask questions here!

I cannot recommend Sun King any longer. Some people have problems with Marshall Street (I haven't and they're always reliable). Infinite is Infinite with finite inventory. OTB got really popular. Lots of niche sellers like DFX... it's too many to list here.

 

[Gandalf]

There is no reason or advantage to changing the discs you are throwing. They are the gold standard.

You might heat up a big pot of water and put a couple of discs in it. Often warped discs can be fixed.

Leaving them outside in the sun on a flat surface, or in the rear window of a car for a couple days also works.

Welcome back- remember it is how you throw the disc not what disc you throw, that matters!

 

[acrosley]

I actually do not have access to a local store so I will probably be buying online. Any recommendations?

Disc golf center is pretty good. Minimum $12 order but free shipping domestically. Plus you get a returning customer discount. Only real drawback is they use stock photos for most discs.

Ive also ordered from Marshall Street and 1010 discs and would recommend them as well. Infinite is ok but shipping was relatively expensive and took the longest.

 

[wims]

That's a great collection of discs, it doesn't really get any better than those IMO

 

[jupiterboy]

I'm coming back after 40 years, so don't listen to me, but I noticed on a thread here that Innova has a deal on Fridays where you can get a free disc so I got a box of F2s in classic molds for $50. I don't like that I couldn't be more particular about the weights, but I'm gonna throw these for a while and make a brutal assessment of my arm and go from there. Back in the day I did not have many discs and I can see that I was basically forcing the few I could throw to do everything I needed with not so much success. Maybe I end up with more discs this time, and maybe I get some solid dupes when I find the molds and plastics I like best, but I'm not going nuts with it.

I'm a sidearm guy with a weak backhand btw.