Playing Better with Fewer Discs

[patgriff]

There are 10-12 discs in my bag depending on the course. Every once in a while I play a 2-disc round (usually Saint and Pure) and without fail I always shoot two or three strokes better than my average with those 2-disc rounds.

The best I can reason is some combination of the following:

• I know my two favorite discs exceptionally well.
• I try to get too creative/aggressive when I have "specialty" discs.
• I only play 2-disc rounds on calm days, so it's not a perfectly fair comparison.

Given my time spent researching new plastic I'm confident in my choices, yet each new disc I add to my bag is apparently not helping. Has anybody else experienced this?

 

[MrFixIt]

There are quite a few folks who play with a minimalist bag.
I think you are spot on with your "reasons".

 

[Stardoggy]

I'd think your last point is probably the key. Confidence rises when you eliminate variables.

 

[DavidSauls]

I will frequently play rounds with 2 discs (a driver and putter), or 1 disc (a midrange or putter). Not just my favorites---but any random disc I own, overstable, understable, old and beat up, whatever.

One year when I played a lot of rounds at my local course, and tracked my scores, I averaged 1/6 stroke better with my full bag than with the random 1 or 2 discs.

BUT....

This was possible in part because my course was an old-school course, relatively short, with multiple routes on many holes. Some courses, especially wooded courses and more challenging courses, are much harder to play with only a disc or two.

 

[sprintermatt]

I can't remember when, but I switched to a Revolution mini bag for about 2 years, probably 2005-2007ish. I went from a full boat of everything and it's cousin to just enough. I'd have an Aviar for putts, a Champ Aero (I could make these do magical things), a Stingray, a Roc, A leopard or two, a Wraith or two, a Monster, and an Orc. With room for another disc or 2. I got really good with just this bag. barely held a bottle of water and my wallet/phone... I kept a towel too. It really makes your brain work when you are limited to a few discs to perform a variety of shots. I think it's better for learning because you don't get to be lazy, you kind of have to fit the round key into the square peg. This makes your brain/body work better together. Plus you are continually throwing the same disc more, and you really learn their limits good and bad.

 

[Monkeypaws]

There's no better way to learn the versatility of discs than by giving them a lot of throws over a variety of shots.

In a similar vein, I try to never carry discs in my bag that aren't gonna get thrown at least once a round - I never understood the need for a whole backpack full of discs, especially on the courses I play regularly.

 

[jrawk]

There are 10-12 discs in my bag depending on the course. Every once in a while I play a 2-disc round (usually Saint and Pure) and without fail I always shoot two or three strokes better than my average with those 2-disc rounds.



The best I can reason is some combination of the following:

• I know my two favorite discs exceptionally well.
• I try to get too creative/aggressive when I have "specialty" discs.
• I only play 2-disc rounds on calm days, so it's not a perfectly fair comparison.

Given my time spent researching new plastic I'm confident in my choices, yet each new disc I add to my bag is apparently not helping. Has anybody else experienced this?

Pat, one thing i can suggest that you probably already thought of is to bag multiples of the discs you like best or are most comfortable with. Get 2 or 3 other Pures in different plastics, get two or three other saints in different plastics, maybe add in a Saint Pro or two they feel very similar. Begin breaking them in so each one flies differently. It'll be a little frustrating at first, but eventually with time and wear you'll start to notice moderate differences which will help fine tune shot selection without sacrificing comfort/confidence.

If you're a Lat/Westside/DD fan, the Truth is a great mid range option to do the same with. And the Verdict might as well be called the Truth Pro.

 

[notapro]

I think it really depends on the day, and how you're throwing. Somedays I can't get my oldest, trustiest discs to do anything right. Other days, I could play with someone elses's bag and set a personal best.

But I'm not good, so.... who knows.

 

[Timeetyo]

My solution to this has been a mix of both. I normally play either alone or with my son and my home course is typically fairly empty so I maximize this by playing 2 discs from different tees each round (currently short & mid). When I start I pick one of the 2 that gets to use the best (in my misguided judgement) discs for the hole. For the other tee I then pick the 'best of the rest' which makes me get more creative...especially since I currently only have 1 teebird...by far my favorite and most reliable disc.

I like this as it gives me some extra confidence on the tee with my go-to discs....but makes me think outside the box and use my other discs differently. For example...I don't have my teebird for this one. Should I try to make the corner with my shark with a little extra on it (hoping not to OAT it into the brush) or try flip up my leopard and hope I can keep it on line....or would I be best just playing the shark short and controlled hoping I can then make the much harder approach.

Sometimes I learn from a spectacular disaster - and sometimes I learn that wow - I really can make that disc do that (and hopefully repeat it). It is always a great feeling to hit a bird from a longer tee with (what i thought was) not the ideal disc when I only make par from the short tee. It has certainly helped keep it from being boring and always using the same disc & line for each shot.

 

[patgriff]

Pat, one thing i can suggest that you probably already thought of is to bag multiples of the discs you like best or are most comfortable with. Get 2 or 3 other Pures in different plastics, get two or three other saints in different plastics, maybe add in a Saint Pro or two they feel very similar. Begin breaking them in so each one flies differently. It'll be a little frustrating at first, but eventually with time and wear you'll start to notice moderate differences which will help fine tune shot selection without sacrificing comfort/confidence.

If you're a Lat/Westside/DD fan, the Truth is a great mid range option to do the same with. And the Verdict might as well be called the Truth Pro.

Thanks jrawk.

I do have multiples of the Saint, but keep the extras in my trunk. I also carry different molds of the Pure; Opto for approach and Zero Hard for putting.

The rest of my bag (in order of how much they get used) is: River, Villain (lots of windy rounds), Trident, Tursas, Saint Pro, Fury

I just ordered a Warship and an Underworld and will probably drop the Fury, and I have a Havoc waiting for me when my arm speed bumps up a notch.

I think my issue is that I try to use all of my discs when really I should stick to my staple discs as much as I can and only break out the others when I get in a jam and/or face a line that requires something special.

Also, I apologize for being a Swedish snob. I'm just a little OCD and hate carrying 20 different plastics.

 

[The Last DJ]

I've had that happen. I'll go out and play nine with only a driver, mid and putter and shoot just as well as I would with my entire bag. I think part of the advantage to a minimalist set up is weight. Guys that sling a backpack-style bag on with 30+ discs seldom use half of the molds they bring to the course. Any more than a dozen discs, and my shoulders get tired from carrying the load. Do what works for you although backups are a great thing to have (especially in a league or tourney situation)!

 

[TheArnoldPalmer]

It's funny the longer I play the less discs I've been using. I'm down to carrying 5 molds and 9-10 discs and I feel I can hold my own when competing with others using double the amount of discs.

It's not the amount of discs you got, it's how you throw them.
Perhaps just maybe but who really knows

 

[lbond]

Pat, one thing i can suggest that you probably already thought of is to bag multiples of the discs you like best or are most comfortable with. Get 2 or 3 other Pures in different plastics, get two or three other saints in different plastics, maybe add in a Saint Pro or two they feel very similar. Begin breaking them in so each one flies differently. It'll be a little frustrating at first, but eventually with time and wear you'll start to notice moderate differences which will help fine tune shot selection without sacrificing comfort/confidence.

If you're a Lat/Westside/DD fan, the Truth is a great mid range option to do the same with. And the Verdict might as well be called the Truth Pro.

This is perfect. I used to have a crazy mixed bag with specialty discs that were SUPPOSED to do everything. That's a big pain though and becomes even worse when there is wind.

Cycling discs that you like is the best way to go. Watch the In The Bag video of Ken Climo. He only carries a few discs but he has multiples of each one in varying states of stableness due to the age and beat-in-ness. And he's The Champ. Can't argue with The Champ.

 

[SteezeOG]

For me I like to buy many of the discs I like for cycling. Molds first then specific runs or plastic types. Try to stick to one for 80% of the shots with that mold until it's beat then pull it out a while and start on another or one of the others in that same mold but other plastic type. I'm finally getting to the point where I can really cut down on number of molds and just carry 2-3 of the same in different stages of wear. It takes time though but that time spent rewards you with the knowledge and confidence in that disc. You'll know how it performs in all conditions. Sometimes you can cheat and buy used but you miss out on getting to know it. I usually only buy used if I can throw it first or if it's a putter.

 

[garublador]

It may be that you make lots of disc selection errors.

So many times people try to minimize and they look at a bag full of discs and ask what to take out. IMO, a better method is to go super minimal and then decide what discs will gain them strokes. Figure out what shots are difficult to perform (probably stuff like steep hyzers, real long hyzers, heavy headwind, etc) and then figure out what discs will help and add them one at a time.

The trick is to have it either be super obvious as to which disc to use (i.e. very few discs that are very different) or be good enough to perform each shot with several discs. Most don't have the skills to do the latter, which is why minimalism is encouraged. Pro's are good enough to do the latter, which is why many don't adhere to minimalism.

 

[knettles]

There's no better way to learn the versatility of discs than by giving them a lot of throws over a variety of shots.

In a similar vein, I try to never carry discs in my bag that aren't gonna get thrown at least once a round - I never understood the need for a whole backpack full of discs, especially on the courses I play regularly.

My only issue with this is I'm not playing the same course all the time. I personally don't like having to switch out different discs depending on what course I'm going to be playing. So most courses I play I won't use every disc in my bag, but I will use all my discs at different points in time at different courses.

But I do agree with you somewhat. I find 16 to be the perfect number for me and think it seems crazy when people have over 20. (However, if I lived somewhere with only one course anywhere nearby, I'd probably downsize to a smaller bag that held around 10.)

 

[ThomasOrion]

My only issue with this is I'm not playing the same course all the time. I personally don't like having to switch out different discs depending on what course I'm going to be playing. So most courses I play I won't use every disc in my bag, but I will use all my discs at different points in time at different courses.

But I do agree with you somewhat. I find 16 to be the perfect number for me and think it seems crazy when people have over 20. (However, if I lived somewhere with only one course anywhere nearby, I'd probably downsize to a smaller bag that held around 10.)

Yeah I agree. Last year I was dedicated to a bag of only 12 discs. But as time went on and I played a more variety of courses there were times when I thought "Oooo I wish I had THAT disc right now" etc etc. I downsized from carrying whatever fit in my bag to a nice comfortable set. I did upgrade and have a bag that carries 20-22. I use 20 and have 1-2 water discs that I won't be sad if they go in the drink.

* I agree 100% there will be courses that I use half my bag. But it also depends on the conditions, and wind, and if I'm on the go, it's mroe of a pain to have different bag combo's and etc. I just carry the same bag for almost everything. just so I know I always have what I need/want. But some smaller courses, I have a lil sling bag that holds 4-6 discs and I love to play with that with 1-2 putters, 2-3 mids and 1-2 fairway drivers. Perfect lil set for small basic courses. So it all depends....but in my Signature I have all the molds I carry....I have many more discs, but they are all those molds. I just like em. Only a couple slots would I consider any change.

(((I may find another very OS mid....my drone is a flx Cryztal and its great, but the flex in it causes it to change in the wind more -- My Surge could very well be a Wraith, Krait, or Rogue -- and my long putter and short mid Mako, could also be a Lycan or even a Dart. So whatever, just have fun)))

 

[cjsleme]

My dad plays a lot and got me into it and he really uses one disc every round (champion valkyrie) and makes pars often and gets good scores. He says he does it because he gets so fimiliar with his disc he can cheat it to do almost anything he needs it to with different releases and hyzers and stuff...

 

[AndyJB]

I've tried this several times and almost always shoot way, way worse. But if it works for you, why not just carry the discs you used to get your best scores? Who cares if you have the new latest and greatest disc if it doesn't give you lower scores?

 

[Curtis_Valk]

Shooting lower with two discs vs. full bag happened to me and my son at Bear Creek (Grapevine, TX) several times about a year ago while trying to get in a quick second round. I was puzzled by it at first but I've realized a couple of things. One is that at the time I didn't have some of the shots that I now employ, such as skipping a Banshee on one short hole with a hard dogleg left. Hyzering a putter will work, but is not as foolproof because of the somewhat low ceiling.

Bottom line, I'm having fun trying different discs on the same hole to discover what can be done and what works and what does not. Some of you already have that worked out, I know. I don't and I'm going to enjoy the process with my full bag (unless time constraints dictate a quick two disc round, and they're fun too!).