[Putters] Reptilian Disc Golf Serpent: Stable P&A

[AndyJB]

My tester video will feature the Serpent against the Vibram Summit and the Innova XD. If I can get my hands on a Magic before this weekend, I'll throw that on there as well. I'll feature putting as well as course work. Hyzer, Flat, Anhyzer, Forehand and probably overhand will all be featured. Anything else you all want to see?

 

[luckless_pedestrian]

Dude has a way with words, I hafta say. Now which will it be, a new putter or ... hole in the head? Hmmm... payday Thursday, we'll see...

 

[AndyJB]

Got my latest package today from RDG. I don't normally gush over new stuff but...wow, the Serpent feels great! This is an awesome blend of RFF plastic. Chalky, grippy, wonderful. Feels amazingly durable. The weather is terrible today but I can't wait to get out and putt with this bad boy!

 

[AndyJB]

While my video is rendering, I'll throw out some thoughts on the Serpent.

Obviously, the rim is the same as that of the Magic. I tend to prefer beads on my putters and mids, so it took me a few throws to really get the hang of the Serpent. Once I did, it was no problem. The Serpent is a very accurate disc for both putting and approaching. It has very good HSS, while having a fairly low LSS, giving it a very gentle fade at the end. When more power and a small hyzer angle is applied, there is barely any fade at all.

However, the Serpent still holds great lines. It doesn't take much of a hyzer angle to get it locked into the hyzer the whole way. In fact, you'll see in my video (in slo-mo, no less!) that when the proper angle is applied it is perfect for those tunnel shots with a slight left finish. How perfect? Well I almost aced with it on a 200 or so foot hole. Its difficult to get it to hold a pure anhyzer, but not difficult to turn over (as you will also see in the video). It requires a pretty big angle or a lot of power to get it to hold the annie all the way. A more skilled player probably won't have the issues with anhyzer as I did.

It also forehands well. Again, on the video, I almost aced with the Serpent on a very short forehand shot. The sun was in my eyes so it was hard to see, but I heard the telltale CLANG of hitting the cage. The Serpent can also handle the natural torque of a longer forehand shot, as long as the form is clean. I did turn it over once (not on the video) when trying a 265 foot forehand, but it wasn't a roller.

The putting with the Serpent is very clean and easy. With the thumbtrack and beadless rim it feels more like a Tank than a Magic, but putts more like a magic. As a spin putter who usually has a hyzer angle, it felt very intuitive to me. It was also great for turbo putts. I was easily able to get the proper spin on a turbo to level it out and negate any wobble.

All in all, I can see the Serpent's user base being broader than that of the Scale. While the Scale is pretty OS, the Serpent is much more neutral and "easy to use" so to speak. Holds better lines, but doesnt do as well in a stiff headwind. The Serpent and Scale make a great one-two punch for sure.

Video coming soon!

 

[AndyJB]

As promised:

 

[thatdirtykid]

Nice review. RDG is making me want to shop putters, and I am still in love with my Mercy. I assume it has less glide than a Magic?

 

[AndyJB]

It does, but that's not surprising as the Magic is very glidey. I will say the difference in both glide and "carry" from the Magic to Serpent is much less than the difference between a Wizard and the Scale.

 

[clmiller2]

I got out and used the serpent for 54 holes this weekend and was very pleased with the results. While i focused on using the scale inside the circle, the serpent seemed to be the perfect weapon for putts outside the circle and approach shots. The additional glide compared to the scale was great for getting the disc the extra juice to get to and on a few occasions in the basket. Despite the extra glide and the fact that i was playing in fairly high winds, I never had to worry about the wind taking my shots away as the serpent seemed to have just the right amount of stability to fight through without having much of an effect on the flight. Great Great disc.

 

[jcassidy1990]

The Serpent has been a huge seller on our website. It seems the masses prefer a straight three flight out of the box.

I sent off the Serpent for pdga approval this week so we should be good to go before tourney season ramps up late February.

If you're looking for a new chain smashing putting putter, look no further than th Serpent. It has become my go to in the circle and my putting has been really consistent. It's a straight PnA that posses some wind fighting abilities and a reliable, slow fade on longer putts. It really is a thing of beauty. And molded in Fossil plastic it has seasoned slowly & developed a perfect complexion.

 

[jcassidy1990]

The RDG Serpent is PDGA Approved and has been gaining a lot of fanfare for its ability to fly straight at a wide spectrum of speeds. It fights winds more reliably than most straight flying PnA's and also seasons up to be an extremely versatile line shaper for wooded holes & approaches.

The Fossil Serp in my bag has become my go to putter in the circle. It flies dead straight into the basket without having the frequent air bump that most straight flying putters exhibit in adverse winds. I'm becoming a huge believer in the Serpent as being our best mold so far. It really garners a ton of my tee shots now that I have a few of them worked in.

 

[DougCrawford]

I only see the Chalky RFF model on your site for sale- any word on when some Fossil or Armor runs may be available?

 

[jcassidy1990]

I only see the Chalky RFF model on your site for sale- any word on when some Fossil or Armor runs may be available?

Working on it. Trying to get Dave to settle down when he has new course construction is not an easy task. That man is always GOGOGO when it comes to new projects.

We will get them run soon however. I am so excited to see how an Armor Serp will fly.

 

[AndyJB]

The Scale is getting a lot of love, deserevedly, but thought I'd pass on a little Serp love. Today at tags I added a Chalky Proto Serpent to the pot for the Juniors winner. He was really psyched to get it and fell in love right away! He even begged his dad to let me play another round so he could throw it. He was getting some great, straight rips with it.

 

[natedg1976]

Late review here. Got out with my Serpent a few days ago. Putted exclusively with it. Drove it a couple of times and used it for many approaches. I love this disc. It will be my main putter. The fossil plastic is awesome for longer putts, the chalk rff is my go to in the circle. This putter took every other putter I was testing except the Scale out of contention. I let a buddy try it a few times and he also fell immediately in love.

 

[Guurn]

Is there a break down of the different plastics somewhere? I use eraser putters now but I would like the same grip but a tad stiffer. The Serpent interests me quite a bit.

 

[natedg1976]

Is there a break down of the different plastics somewhere? I use eraser putters now but I would like the same grip but a tad stiffer. The Serpent interests me quite a bit.

Personally I would go with fossil. Great plastic. But Jamie is waiting for more Serpent's to be run in fossil I believe.

 

[hugheshilton]

I am waiting for Serpents in Fossil. I will be ordering a couple as soon as they are available, just to let you know.

 

[jcassidy1990]

Is there a break down of the different plastics somewhere? I use eraser putters now but I would like the same grip but a tad stiffer. The Serpent interests me quite a bit.

We do have little write up's on the plastic blends over on our website reptiliandiscgolf.com

I plan to do a full write up page though in the near future with some excerpts from full reviews posted by members. The Serpent flies incredibly straight in Fossil plastic. The Chalk RFF Serp seems to have more fade at the end of its flight but is still very straight in overall stability.

Dave told me that he is hanging our mold today and running Fossil and Tar Pit Serps! Hopefully I can get those live on our website in the very near future for your purchasing pleasure. I promise you that the Fossil Serp is one of the best overall PnA discs you can try in this game. They're beadless yet retain a lot of HSS while having a very subdued LSS.

 

[clmiller2]

Dave told me that he is hanging our mold today and running Fossil and Tar Pit Serps! Hopefully I can get those live on our website in the very near future for your purchasing pleasure.

FINALLY!!!

 

[jcassidy1990]

FINALLY!!!

Fossil Serps are straight money. I've been smashing chains with mine since we first prototyped Fossil plastic. MMMMMMMMMM