Hi all,
I was talking to a friend who wants to get into disc golf, but doesn't have the funds to pay for several discs to try, so that sparked the idea of putting together a "beginner bag" to carry in my car when I randomly have friends that want to try the game. This prevents them from ruining my personal bag (losing or severely damaging my beloved discs) and would give them a grasp on the mechanics of the game. A solid bag would boost confidence and peak further interest in the game and I think the best way to do that would be to get beginner friendly, consistent, reliable discs.
I'm looking for what you would consider to be the 1-3 most reliable discs in each of the following categories:
Distance Driver, Control Driver, Midrange, Putter, Utility
I know I shouldn't even include a Distance Driver in a beginner friendly bag, but I'm curious about the responses I'll get.
So far, I've come up with this, but I know I'm biased, so I prefer further input including weights, plastic, level of seasoning, etc. I also like having discs from different companies to give a better feel for variety.
Distance Driver
Flick
PD
Wraith
Control Driver
Predator
Valkyrie or JLS
Teebird
Midrange
Buzzz
Classic Roc
Core
Putter
Soft Challenger
Soft Wizard
Soft Ion/Anode
Utility
DRAGON
I searched the forums and couldn't find anything current or to my liking. Feedback is greatly appreciated!
I don't know a ton about weights, so I'm not going to answer that part. You're probably better below 170 though with beginners. I still don't throw anything but mids and putters that weigh more than that.
The plastic really depends on how often you're taking beginners out to the course. If it's all the time and you're worried about losing discs, get cheap plastic. If it's all the time and you're worried that you WON'T lose discs and they'll get thrashed, get premium. If it isn't that often, you might as well save some money and get some cheap plastic.
Distance: You already said it wasn't necessary, and you're right. They aren't going to throw a Wraith any farther than a Buzzz, so why add the extra weight to the bag? If they want to throw a faster disc, hand them a fairway.
Control/Fairway:
Leopard
Gazelle
Diamond
Mid:
Comet
Buzzz
Pain (if they, like many beginners, want to sidearm it, this is a great one)
Putter: They're beginners. They only need one. The flight ratings on putters are if they're driving them, so a Wizard or Ion is probably going to fly just like an Anode or Pure from within the circle. When I started I didn't throw a putter outside of that distance, so unless you're telling them not to they'll probably be using the mid for upshots and the putter for short putts.