Fairway driver

[drock2k1]

Me being new to these, should I chose weights that I normally chose for Drivers. I usually don't throw anything over 169. I have a 150 Valk (DX) that turns over on me like nobody's biz. That could be because it is so broken in though.

 

[garublador]

The dirty little secret is that well over 50% of us on this board fall into this category. The actual figure is probably a lot higher than 50%...

I just quoted that part, but I agree with everything he posted.

Generally, your distance driver will be your least used disc. The most common reason to throw one is to try to save one stroke by getting that last few feet you need when there is little danger of a less than perfect throw costing you an extra stroke. That really doesn't come up very much so most people who really know what they can do with all of their discs find their distance driver to be the least useful disc in their bag. There just aren't very many good reasons for giving up accuracy for a relatively small jump in distance.

i think there is a legitimate gray area for what is deemed a fairway driver or a midrange shot.

Most people that know what they can do with all of their discs find there is a grey area between mids and putters and fairway drivers and distance drivers, too.

Dave242, most people get a weaker rip with wider rimmed discs (Valk and wider), they just don't know it. You feel like you're gripping them tighter but at the hit your grip is actually weaker. You have to have a really strong grip to make up for that.

 

[mashnut]

Most people get a weaker rip with wider rimmed discs (Valk and wider), they just don't know it. You feel like you're gripping them tighter but at the hit your grip is actually weaker. You have to have a really strong grip to make up for that.

I have pretty big hands and long fingers (I'm 6'4"), so the wide rimmed drivers feel better in my hands than drivers with narrower rims. It took me a long time to get a consistent release with discs like teebirds and valks, but the wraith and destroyer were much easier right away for me FWIW.

 

[Niven42]

The secret is, wind, wind, and more wind! Basically, throwing an overstable "fairway driver", at least for me, is to get it to hold a line in windy conditions where my normal midrange will get buffeted.

My Teebird works really well for this. If you find that you turn over the Teebird a lot, You could try a Whippet or Viper, but as other people have suggested, you could also go with a normally overstable long range, like a Monster, and hold back on it a bunch. Either way, it seems like "fairway driver" applies to what could be less-eloquently called a "midrange that holds a line well in wind".

 

[drock2k1]

Well, I ordered a couple of champ leopard x-outs (163, 150 for 7 bucks a pop) a Buzz and will pick up an Eagle from a friend of mine. I will eventually try out a Star-TL as well but this should get me started. I will let you know how they fare. I apreciate all of the advice.

 

[roadtripstuff]

Basically the best way i see to look at a fairway driver is a driver with less speed and a lot more accuracy. I have a few leopards in my bad and use them quite often. I find that they come in very handy if you are playing a hole with a narrow fairway, but still need the distance of a driver. Like I said my recommendation is the leopard, it flies pretty straight, and is also a great turnover disc.

 

[billnchristy]

I just got a Latitude 64 Medius and have been throwing it, the vision, or the core on almost all the holes...the core is great for the 180-275' holes. The Medius needs a little more room but can go out to 300' and the Vision needs a lot of room but can go over 300'.

The 150 gazelle is still my goto for doglegs.

Most discs are so interchangeable that it really comes down to how comfortable you are with them...for me it is the core and it is my most thrown....basically a Swedish roc or buzzzz.

 

[Omega SuperSloth]

So, I have looked at fairway drivers and often wondered what on eath their purpose is. If I'm close (within 150ft) I will just use my Roc or putter, if I'm further away I'll just use a driver and take some off. I played in a tourney this weekend and had about 4 or 5 situatins where I was too far away for my Roc so I took some power off my driver only to see it fade past the basket into trouble amd cost me a shot at birdie. So my question is...do I need a fairway driver and if so, what would you recommend? I need accuracy over distance. Thanks

for me fairway drivers are mostly for when i screw up off the tee and im still really far back from the basket , sometimes i use them for holes i cant realisticly birdie and just need to get in the fairway kinda like your using your 3wood in golf .

btw dont listen to the haters taking some off your driver on shorter holes is a good choice when you have room to do so i usally kick myself when i throw a mid or fairway that i havnt thrown recently enough to have a good feel for it and shoot par when i knew i could have thrown my driver a little wide to kill some speed and easily layup a bird.

 

[jwk0522]

I rarely use a fairway driver to be honest with you but for a very narrow and straight shot i will use my Champion Leopard its one of the straightest discs in my bag and its very reliable.

 

[Omega SuperSloth]

at first i didnt realy like my champ leopard as i was using it for approach shots but a couple weeks ago i took it out to mozola with just that and my putter and shot par , i think the trick to it is you gotta throw it fairly hard then it really thrives in that 200-275 range .

 

[ThePatrick]

Leopards are a dirty little secret for many players. They will just about handle any shots (with little to no wind) Ask Chace. Or any one else that plays with me. I carry two max weight pro leopards. One is on the beat in side for big anhyzers or turnovers, and one that is newer and more stable. I usually read hallways pretty well with them, and throw them from 250 ft to 300 ft. The more you put in to them, the more they will flip over. So a controlled 70-80% shot with them will give you a lot more predictable shot than a 90-100% shot with a mid to go the same distance. I also carry two teebirds for the same reason, but they are more stable and will actually fight wind pretty well when thrown flat (not nose up or nose down). I carry and older 11xKcPro max weight for straight shots with a little fade, and a Champ max weight newer Teebird for a little more fade or to finish farther left(RHBH) Both discs are "go to" discs in my bag, especially when not playing a really open course. I just don't have to crush them to get a consistent flight in the 250-330ft range. Anything over that, I will either step up to a driver, or consider a placement shot instead of a full drive. Hope that helps.

 

[KzooKid]

I don't think I have a "legitimate" fairway driver in my bag. Anything 200' and in I'll throw my putter, 200' to 300' I'll usually throw a Wasp or a Buzzz and 300' and up I'll throw a driver.

I hear ya on the putter throw under 200', sometimes I even push my luck and try 250'-275' but you can guess how that can backfire. Im kinda fat and inflexible so its hard for my short t-rex(the dinosaur not the disc) arms to throw at slower speeds accurately. But the pro valks and champion sidewinders are my fairway drivers, although Im starting to think its pointless to have two understable FW drivers in my bag. When that Pro valk was brand new, "it was like the first time I heard The Beatles"(name it). XLs are great too

 

[trifocal]

at first i didnt realy like my champ leopard as i was using it for approach shots but a couple weeks ago i took it out to mozola with just that and my putter and shot par , i think the trick to it is you gotta throw it fairly hard then it really thrives in that 200-275 range .

gotta throw a Leopard hard....or it just fades....but in the 200-275 fairway range it can be thrown low with a fade or higher with a fade or strict anhyzer or annie with some flex back left. The Leopard skips okay too, but I use a Tee Rex for planned skips.

 

[SomeChump]

I throw a fairway driver when I need driver-like distance but cannot have all that fade.

I find my STAR TL to be a disc I can throw low (under canopies), and with very little high speed turn (keeps me in the fairway) and little high speed fade (keeps me in the fairway.) I can throw a valk/orc/monarch a little further, but that extra 20 or 30 feet doesn't do much good if I hit a tree.

I doubt I'll ever have a bag without a TL in it.

The problem with leopards is they have more high speed turn AND more low speed fade than a TL. If I want a disc that will turn all over the place I'll throw a valkyrie and get some more distance out of it. I gave my leopards to my wife, she uses them as her distance drivers.

 

[EclipticOne]

i finally joined the band wagon and got my hands on a 168g champ tb, its a pretty sweet disc for me. i do love the control of "fairway" drivers. Most of my game is distance, but since most of my games are now played a course with most holes about 250'-300' most drives are with the Champ Rhyno and the Star Cro with the teebird playing the few bigger holes

 

[SpringDgLover]

I think I may have to give the Leopard a shot since it is getting so much love in this thread. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention my newest fairway driver the Lat 64 Striker. This disc reminds me of a Teebird or TL but even straighter if that's possible. It has a real neutral feel and it truly can be put on any line and stick there. It is a disc that can be thrown between 70-100% anywhere between 220 to 330 depending on what kind of fade or placement you are looking for. Finally it is made in Optoline plastic which I consider to be the best premier plastic on the market today.

 

[koenken]

Most of my drivers are fairway drivers, I think 10 out of 11, since their easier to control and get the job done. My favorite would have to be my DX Leopards. I have three of them, two at 170g and one at 167g. Their my main drivers. I just got a Champ Leopard 172g, but still have not gotten used to it. When I need a little more distance I turn to my Z Cyclone 174g. I also own a Pro-D Cyclone 170g, but just don't like it as much as the Z. My DX Eagle and DX Dragon don't get used much at all. I find them both a little light at 150g. I also own a DX Cobra and DX Stringray both are 167g. I almost always throw a fairway driver even over my putters at times.

My one distance driver, a DX Valk 175g, just does not get used much since it is not consistent like my fairway drivers.