One Year Playing - ET's ITB

etdefender19

Eagle Member
Joined
May 29, 2016
Messages
955
Location
Elk Grove, CA
One year ago today I bought starter sets for my two boys and myself and we headed to the little 9-hole course here in Elk Grove. We played 18 that day - I kept score the second nine and shot a 33. My PB on that nine is now 22! I have become hopelessly hooked to this sport.
In any event, here's my "One Year" ITB

Vitals:
Years playing/experience: One year

Right/left-handed/ambidextrous: Although I'm technically ambidextrous, I play DG exclusively right-handed – throwing things is one of the few things I don't do very well left-handed

Throwing Style: With very few exceptions (noted below), I throw BH 250' and closer, FH for shots longer than that.

Golf Distance (avg/max*) for putter/mid/driver: PnAs - PA3/Spike: 180/220'; Mids - FH:Tyrant 260/280', BH: Thief 240/270'; DDs – Kahu/Destroyer: 310/350'

* Max distance is the greatest distance you can throw your top 2-3 drivers with any regularity


Optional:
Age: 51

Sex: M

Other sport proficiencies?: Baseball (I play about 60 games a year in adult rec leagues, and pitch in about half of those). I used to play quite a bit of ball golf (I had a 14 index about ten years ago) but dislocating my left shoulder playing baseball and the subsequent surgeries and re-injuries have made my RH ball golf swing very painful (so I'm now learning to play left-handed). I was also a pretty good bowler way back in the day

Injuries/handicaps?: Injuries from baseball: my knees are complete junk (although I can predict the rain really well), both shoulders are messed up, including a rotator cuff tear on the outside of my throwing shoulder (when I pitch or play DG, it only REALLY hurts if my mechanics go way out of whack - otherwise, it's just a constant dull ache like my knees). I have tendonitis in my right elbow and a couple of bulging discs in my lower back – both of those flare up from time to time, but rarely affect my DG game. Other than that, I'm in perfect physical health, LOL

Additional Information: I wish I had found these forums sooner than I did (about seven months ago) – would have undoubtedly saved me from some bad disc purchases that I made early on

What do you like/dislike about your current bag?: I generally like my bag even though I carry a ton of discs. Part of the problem is that the discs I throw well FH, I can't do squat with BH (and vice versa). I also am constantly getting new/different discs and my bag never seems to have much stability. However, I did play a recent round at a course I'd never played and used all but two of my discs over the course of the round, so I was pretty happy with my bag/options at that point.

Specific areas of desired feedback: Not sure really. I've been thinking for quite some time that I'd do one of these when I hit one year playing just to see where I am, somewhat for self-evaluation as much as for feedback. That said, in everything athletic, I'm very open to constructive criticism/advice, so I will eagerly listen to any feedback

Immediate and long-term goals: 2017 goal is to play in a few PDGA tournaments (I've played in my local group's monthly a few times and stress about it as much as any baseball game I ever play – including national tournament games). Another immediate goal is to have a bag I'm not constantly switching discs in and out of. I'd also like to develop a more consistent BH distance game, and more form consistency in general


The Bag:

Max Distance Drivers (weight/plastic/model/(condition)/use):
168 Star Boss (fairly new) – I use this one for distance drives where I don't have a ton of room to throw a big "S" that the Kahu needs and don't want the big fade of the Destroyer. I just picked up a 171g version in G-Star plastic to try out for this spot.

170 Atomic Kahu (new) – Bomber max D driver. I love this disc and can get it out to 350' in the air on flat ground pretty regularly. Downside is that it needs a lot of room to work (flies best on a big "S") so it becomes pretty much useless for me unless the hole is really wide open.

159 Star 4x McBeth Star Destroyer (fairly new) – I use this one for when there's danger left or otherwise need it to finish to the right. Fades much more reliably than the above two discs. I also picked up a 160g G-Star version to try out for this spot.

167 Star Teerex (getting beat in but still stable) – I use this primarily for long cut rollers. Sometimes, I'll use it for drives where I need more than 300' and a big, sweeping finish to the left (it turns over for me every time FH).

I've tried a crapload of distance drivers but finally settled on the above four. Some of the rejects include: Colossus, D2 Air, Daedalus, Missilen, Raketen, Katana, Groove, Nuke, Cannon, Champ and Blizzard Wraiths, Champ and Blizzard Bosses, Champ Teerex

Control and Fairway Drivers:
175 Opto Riot (new): BH shots 275-300' or so that need to fade out left.

174 Z-Elite Crush (beat-in): FH shots 275-300' mostly. I'll also use it as my primary driver if the DDs aren't working as I get a pretty consistent flight with this one. Finally, this one works well as a thumber disc too.

173 Evolution Pro Assassin (getting beat in): The disc I throw the farthest BH. I grip lock it almost as often as I don't though, so I don't throw it that often – need more field time!

175 G-Star Firebird (perfectly seasoned): I use it for low-ceiling FH drives, some rollers, 250' big fade flick shots, thumbers, and it becomes my primary FH driver on windy days.

166 Z-Elite Predator (brand new): trying it out for all of the shots that are currently handled by the Firebird hoping that it works as well in a couple of those slots to save wear and tear on the Firebird.

170 Opto Vision (getting beat in): straight (or slight fade) BH shots between 250-275'.

173 BioFuzion Thief (newish – recently lost my perfectly seasoned one): all types of BH shots between 220-260'.

174 Lucid Witness (beat in): Only in the bag for when I need a 230-260' BH shot on an anny line. There's one hole on my home course that this disc is perfect for.

Mids:
174 ArmorFlex Tyrant (perfectly seasoned): Probably the one disc I can't live without. It's certainly the one I throw most consistently. I use it for almost every shot between 250-280', it reliably hooks up for me every time and is great for every imaginable FH line I throw.

171 GoldLine Trident (beat in but still stable): I call it my "trick shot" disc. I use it for rollers, thumbers, and the occasional tomahawk shot. If I'm in jail, the Trident breaks me out.

174 HydroM Andro-C (perfectly seasoned): Another one I can't live without. It's probably the only disc in the bag I can consistently throw well both FH and BH. I use it for just about any utility shot between 150' and 250' that isn't a straight line to the chains.

176 DyeMax Verdict (new): Limited use for this one: Flick shots between 200-250'. Sometimes, I'll use it for a shorter BH shot that really needs to fade left.

175 300S M4 (beat in): Straight BH upshots and drives between 150-225'

I've tried a wide variety of other mids, including all the "classics" (Mako3, Roc, Comet, Buzzz), but this current lineup is pretty set for now

Putt and Approach:
174 ZeroMedium Spike (new – replacing one that just got a big gouge in it): I use this for just about every possible upshot between 75-150'. It will turn right if I need it to, fade left if I need it to, and go straight if I need that (presuming I throw it correctly). I could even circle putt with it if I needed to for some reason. I love this mold – very versatile PnA disc.

175 Organic Scale (new- replacing one that got too beaten in): I use it for short upshots that need to fade and also as my windy day circle putter. I also use it for little, short rollers

175 ChalkPit Serpent (seasoned perfectly)
: Most upshots under 75'-100' or so that I'm not taking a run at making for whatever reason. My lay-up putter, basically

175 Organic $$$ Wizard (new): The latest putting putter. I've also tried a Judge, Aviar, Scale, Voodoo, PA-3, Iridium, and probably some others I can't recall off the top of the dome.
 
Constructive suggestion: Drop 1/3 to 1/2 of your discs. You just have too many molds and too many individual discs to earn any of them VERY well. Or to learn how release angles can manipulate flight.

Also, when you are thinking about taking pressure off your favorite Firebird, get another Firebird. Then, as you learn what release angles will do for one, you can expect the same from the other with the only mental adjustment being "This one is a little more/less overstable." When you can get to that place where any shot is "I know this is a Firebird, so which one?" you are into fine tuning your game.
 
Cutting down on the number of molds you have would do you good I think. I'm trying to do the same thing and it has been really great. Off the top of my head Paul McBeth bag is something like this:

Aviar
P2
Nova
Roc
Mako
Teebird
Thunderbird
Monster
Destroyer

Thats nine molds. He has several of each mold at different wear levels. That's been proven to be the way to go by just about every pro out there. Stick with a mold, beat it in, get a new one etc. etc.

Don't be afraid to go out and hit your local course with just a few discs, or less, and make yourself use them in situations you would normally choose something else. You can learn a lot about your form and your discs and your own potential by doing stuff like that. I regularly play quick rounds with a driver/mid/putter and it's great fun plus a good learning experience. It's also less bending over if you don't mind holding your other discs while you throw.
 
The Bag:

Max Distance Drivers (weight/plastic/model/(condition)/use):
168 Star Boss (fairly new) – I use this one for distance drives where I don't have a ton of room to throw a big "S" that the Kahu needs and don't want the big fade of the Destroyer. I just picked up a 171g version in G-Star plastic to try out for this spot.

170 Atomic Kahu (new) – Bomber max D driver. I love this disc and can get it out to 350' in the air on flat ground pretty regularly. Downside is that it needs a lot of room to work (flies best on a big "S") so it becomes pretty much useless for me unless the hole is really wide open.

159 Star 4x McBeth Star Destroyer (fairly new) – I use this one for when there's danger left or otherwise need it to finish to the right. Fades much more reliably than the above two discs. I also picked up a 160g G-Star version to try out for this spot.

167 Star Teerex (getting beat in but still stable) – I use this primarily for long cut rollers. Sometimes, I'll use it for drives where I need more than 300' and a big, sweeping finish to the left (it turns over for me every time FH).


Control and Fairway Drivers:
175 Opto Riot (new): BH shots 275-300' or so that need to fade out left.

174 Z-Elite Crush (beat-in): FH shots 275-300' mostly. I'll also use it as my primary driver if the DDs aren't working as I get a pretty consistent flight with this one. Finally, this one works well as a thumber disc too.

173 Evolution Pro Assassin (getting beat in): The disc I throw the farthest BH. I grip lock it almost as often as I don't though, so I don't throw it that often – need more field time!

175 G-Star Firebird (perfectly seasoned): I use it for low-ceiling FH drives, some rollers, 250' big fade flick shots, thumbers, and it becomes my primary FH driver on windy days.

166 Z-Elite Predator (brand new): trying it out for all of the shots that are currently handled by the Firebird hoping that it works as well in a couple of those slots to save wear and tear on the Firebird.

170 Opto Vision (getting beat in): straight (or slight fade) BH shots between 250-275'.

173 BioFuzion Thief (newish – recently lost my perfectly seasoned one): all types of BH shots between 220-260'.

174 Lucid Witness (beat in): Only in the bag for when I need a 230-260' BH shot on an anny line. There's one hole on my home course that this disc is perfect for.

Mids:
174 ArmorFlex Tyrant (perfectly seasoned): Probably the one disc I can't live without. It's certainly the one I throw most consistently. I use it for almost every shot between 250-280', it reliably hooks up for me every time and is great for every imaginable FH line I throw.

171 GoldLine Trident (beat in but still stable): I call it my "trick shot" disc. I use it for rollers, thumbers, and the occasional tomahawk shot. If I'm in jail, the Trident breaks me out.

174 HydroM Andro-C (perfectly seasoned): Another one I can't live without. It's probably the only disc in the bag I can consistently throw well both FH and BH. I use it for just about any utility shot between 150' and 250' that isn't a straight line to the chains.

176 DyeMax Verdict (new): Limited use for this one: Flick shots between 200-250'. Sometimes, I'll use it for a shorter BH shot that really needs to fade left.

175 300S M4 (beat in): Straight BH upshots and drives between 150-225'


Putt and Approach:
174 ZeroMedium Spike (new – replacing one that just got a big gouge in it): I use this for just about every possible upshot between 75-150'. It will turn right if I need it to, fade left if I need it to, and go straight if I need that (presuming I throw it correctly). I could even circle putt with it if I needed to for some reason. I love this mold – very versatile PnA disc.

175 Organic Scale (new- replacing one that got too beaten in): I use it for short upshots that need to fade and also as my windy day circle putter. I also use it for little, short rollers

175 ChalkPit Serpent (seasoned perfectly)
: Most upshots under 75'-100' or so that I'm not taking a run at making for whatever reason. My lay-up putter, basically

175 Organic $$$ Wizard (new): The latest putting putter. I've also tried a Judge, Aviar, Scale, Voodoo, PA-3, Iridium, and probably some others I can't recall off the top of the dome.

Ones in red are the ones I would elimate due to overlap. Try play with just these and see if you are really missing something. If not start buying duplicates of the ones you like.

I would also start to try and work in more US to stable discs and work on a clean hyzer line. These will help add distance that you never thought was there. The more you can get away from the big S shots, and more into a straight line shot, the better your overall game will be. You will initially take a significant hit on your distance, and you may have to rework your footwork. Try to do some of this over the winter, when you are not trying to play as competitively. You will see significant gains in the summer.

There are some good X-Step videos that you can watch that would help with this, and since it's cold and snowy (at least in my neck of the woods) you can't use a big run up, so this ends up being a great time to work on slow footwork steps.

Good luck.:thmbup:
 
So what I'm hearing is I need to cut down on my number of molds?
Thanks for the input guys! If I can overcome my OCD need to have every nuanced shot I can think of covered by a specific disc and take a minimal (or at least not as full) bag to a course I've either never played, or know to require a bunch of different shots, I'll let you know how it turns out!
 
So what I'm hearing is I need to cut down on my number of molds?
Thanks for the input guys! If I can overcome my OCD need to have every nuanced shot I can think of covered by a specific disc and take a minimal (or at least not as full) bag to a course I've either never played, or know to require a bunch of different shots, I'll let you know how it turns out!

I am not a mold minimalist like some others are, but I do think some overlap can be weeded out. And my $0.02 advice is to get solid on the putting putter you want to use, and practice like Hades with it. That's not to say stop looking for the ideal putter, but once you find it, get to know it until you can putt with it with your eyes closed.
 
I am not a mold minimalist like some others are, but I do think some overlap can be weeded out. And my $0.02 advice is to get solid on the putting putter you want to use, and practice like Hades with it. That's not to say stop looking for the ideal putter, but once you find it, get to know it until you can putt with it with your eyes closed.

I've really fallen in love with the Wizard as my primary putting putter. I'll take your advice and keep with that one for the indefinite future.

Next round out (once it stops raining here in "sunny" California in the next couple of days) I'm eliminating the Predator (maybe cycling in a new Firebird in its place), Witness, and Riot. Next field work day, I'll take both the Star and GStar versions of the Boss and Destroyer out, throw all four of them a bunch of times, and decide on which one of the four will be the permanent bag resident. That would get me down to 18 or 19 discs - baby steps. :rolleyes:
 
The other thing with field practice that I do that helps me really understand each disc, is my throwing routine.

First I throw all discs on a hyzer, an angle like /

Next I throw all discs on a flat release, an angle like -

Then I throw all discs on an anny release, an angle like \ (not as exaggerated)

I don't worry about distance, but rather is the release matching what my goal was, bc you can feel when the angle was correct with or without the distance. (Example- FB on a hyzer angle will not go as far as the Vision on a hyzer angle)

Throw them one direction, then turn around and throw them on the same release angle coming back. This allows you to get two reps in with each disc on each angle. You will be able to see groupings, errant throws, and which discs work best for each particular type of throw.

After you feel comfortable with this, you will start to see that US discs love hyzers for distance, and OS discs love annys for distance.
 
I have a couple suggestions based on your write up. First, I would try to drop all the discs faster than speed 9 for a while, and stay with the discs listed from the Assassin on down in your list. At this point last year I was struggling to get distance with my fairways and control drivers, so i got high speed discs (Giant, Scythe, Nuke SS, etc...) to get that extra distance. I found that I could get them out to about 350 on a good pull, but that required throwing a huge FH flex shot on a crazy anhyzer angle. Throwing like this was killing my ability to throw my other discs. Once I dropped all the high speed stuff and started to focus on using better form, the distance came more easily, and I'm getting much better results from all my discs. You may want to try and shelf the Destroyer, Kahu, Boss, Teerex, Riot, and Crush for at few months at least.

Secondly, like others have already said, you should try and cut down your number of molds/discs. Its definitely nice to try new discs out, but I feel you have too many unique molds to know them very well. In one of your next rounds take out a similar setup to this (doesn't have to be exactly the same just try to keep the number of discs below 10):

Firebird or Predator-utility
Thief or Vision-BH driver
Tyrant-FH driver
Andro C-workhorse mid
M4-line shaping mid
Spike-approaches
Scale-windy or hyzer putt/approach
Wizard-putter

Try using this setup at a course you are familiar with, that requires several types of shots. I tried to include all the discs you referenced as favorites and ones that can be used BH or FH. You will be surprised at how effective you can be with a limited setup. If you want throw two rounds, the first with your full set up and then another round with something like I suggested, that way you can directly compare how you did with half your normal setup. Don't get too down on yourself if the round goes poorly with this setup and try to stick with it.

You don't need to become a mold minimalist and carry 4 versions of 5 molds, but 21 molds is simply too many to be familiar with unless you're playing every day.
 
Firebird or Predator-utility
Thief or Vision-BH driver
Tyrant-FH driver
Andro C-workhorse mid
M4-line shaping mid
Spike-approaches
Scale-windy or hyzer putt/approach
Wizard-putter

Try using this setup at a course you are familiar with, that requires several types of shots.

Only one course for me that fits both requirements (Micke Grove in Lodi, CA). I've played there about eight or ten times and, while it doesn't require every shot you can think of, it does require a pretty good array of shots (for me at least). I will definitely try this!!
I'm doing a mental run-through of the course now and can't really think of a tee shot (at least) where I would HAVE to have something other than the ten or so you listed (although there are many where I would be trying something new/different than normal)
 
Only one course for me that fits both requirements (Micke Grove in Lodi, CA). I've played there about eight or ten times and, while it doesn't require every shot you can think of, it does require a pretty good array of shots (for me at least). I will definitely try this!!
I'm doing a mental run-through of the course now and can't really think of a tee shot (at least) where I would HAVE to have something other than the ten or so you listed (although there are many where I would be trying something new/different than normal)

Really any course that isn't just wide open that you have played can be helpful, since like you said you will probably be trying new things on several of your teeshots. I liked using this method because you could always add a disc or two if you notice you are struggling without them. You can drop a disc or two if you find yourself seldom using them even with the smaller bag (if you don't want to use it with 8-10 disc to choose from you definitely won't want to use it with 20+ in the bag). You can rotate discs in to compare them, if its empty on the course and you want to see if you like the serpent or spike better throw them both on your upshots, or test predator vs firebird, etc...
 
UPDATE:

My holiday gift to myself was a Double NutSac bag. The idea was to narrow down the big backpack bag down to 12 discs. I've been practicing/playing/purchasing with that in mind ever since my OP and think I now have a 12-disc lineup that covers every shot I throw. I bought a few backup discs so the big bag would still be full (and be there as a security blanket if needed), and when my NutSac arrives later this week, I'll fill it as follows and head to the course:

171 G-Star Boss - Max D Driver
175 G-Star Firebird - Firebird stuff (as described in OP)
173 EvolutionPro Assassin - Longer BH shots (I may put the Vision here - next field work is a competition b/w these two)
175 ArmorFlex Ptero - new purchase for straight BH shots 225-275' (it flies beautifully for me for this purpose)
169 Recycled Spark - OS BH (right-to-left) 225-275'
174 ArmorFlex Tyrant - OS FH (left-to-right) 225-275'
171 Gold Trident - Utility
174 HydroM Andro C - 150-225' non-straight (FH or BH)
175 300S M4 - 150-225' straight
174 ZeroMedium Spike - Upshots up to 150'
175 ChalkPit Serpent - Shorter/lay-up approaches (I'll stick a Scale here on windy days)
174 Soft Wizard - Putter
 
Replaced the Assassin with a Raptor and the Spike with a Scale. At my group's monthly yesterday, I had every approach shot dialed in really, really well with the Scale/Serpent combo.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. Dialing my bag back to these 12 has really helped. Although I had a full (21-disc) bag yesterday, the only discs I threw other than these were some other DDs instead of the Boss
 
12 discs is not a bad place to start. Try to find discs that will work backhand and forehand for you and stick to them.
 
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