Spike Hyzers: epiphany watching 2013 USDGC coverage

[Crazy Runner Guy]

I'm working my way through McFlySoHigh's video's of the 2013 USDGC, inspired by the Hole 3 analysis (I agree, especially considering what I'm about to type below, the hyzer line is best) in this sub-forum.

The course conditions are pretty extreme with hazards everywhere, and they're used to create landing (and then launching areas) to hop-skip one's disc to the pin. Under these circumstances, disc placement is a at a premium.

What surprised me the most about all of this is how these pros accomplish their needed placements - either they throw a spike hyzer or throw something with fade on a high line so that when its glide runs out, it stalls and just drops. The end result for either line.

Now I've never played any course (and only a single B-tier tournament, but it didn't use ropes, etc. to create course conditions) where I needed spike hyzers with any frequency. Yes, I like to play the fade on my approaches with Rhynos, but I don't throw them high like that. I also throw Comets (and Rocs) as point-and-shoot approaches, so what am I missing? I understand the utility of a spike, but what kinds of courses/shots have I been missing where a spike, etc. is the appropriate line?

(Also, I feel terrible for Barry Schultz for throwing four (or five!) straight OB shots on hole 14ish during round two and losing six strokes on the card - and he only lost the entire title by a stroke!)

 

[DeadEye]

These guys throw spikes because that's the safest and most reliable shot. If you know for a fact your disc is going to go left, hit the ground and stick, you're far more confident in your ability to stick it in the fairway. You throw something that's stable to understable, and you have a chance of flipping over, fading out, or just going too far straight.. Where with a spike you know where it's going.

These guys do it at the USDGC because they're trying to play safe within the lines, and because they can throw spike hyzers further than most of us can throw our distance shots. I bet if you played them on the same course with no money on the line, and no OB ropes, there would be a lot more varied shots.

 

[Smigles]

Hyzer is the most reliable and consistent shot. That's why people develop a forehand, so that they have a left-to-rigth hyzer too.

 

[elnino]

Hyzer is the most reliable and consistent shot. That's why people develop a forehand, so that they have a left-to-rigth hyzer too.

i saw rico doing this really well.

heck even McBeast was doing forehand on 17 and that guy has amazing control/placement.

I found most of the big hyzer shot holes boring as hell. vibram is way better and more like what i normally play.

 

[Horsman]

Yup, its just the easiest shot to do. All you have to do is judge distance correctly and you are pretty much done. Just let the disc do all the work. Why worry about your disc holding its line too long or fading too early. Generally for a lot of pros, if ther have the power to throw a hyzer to the basket then they are going to do it.

 

[DanJon]

I use spike hyzers frequently. Works great for long approaches on tricky or fast greens.

A putter or mid might skip or slide, whereas my firechicken will usually stick.

 

[Crazy Runner Guy]

I use spike hyzers frequently. Works great for long approaches on tricky or fast greens.

A putter or mid might skip or slide, whereas my firechicken will usually stick.

And that makes complete sense. I generally trust my Rhynos, Roc, Hornet, Eagle-X, and Firebird to stick, so I guess I'll have to practice that. I know it's one of Blake's lessons on DGR, just never really did that one.

 

[Dubbo Ego]

I also had an epiphany while watching the USDGC

I figured out that disc golf is actually super easy, and I have been making it hard the whole time--- All I have to do is throw it exactly where it needs to go and then again into the basket..

I don't know why I have been making it so hard on myself

 

[JTacoma03]

I think you're making a bigger deal out of it than it is, honestly. Also not every shot was a spike hyzer out there. 8, 9, 10 for example are 3 holes in a row where you're not throwing a strategic spike hyzer.

However, it is great that you have an epiphany from watching the best in the world (sincerely, no sarcasm). I did too. Mine was that even after terrible, awful, bad shots or bad breaks they kept playing. It's cliché advice that gets thrown around a ton, but few people actually heed it.

I was standing next to Billy Crump when Schultz took that 11 on "888" (Hole 13)...and to see him come back and finish 2nd by 1 stroke really drove that lesson home for me.

 

[kerplunk]

I understand the utility of a spike, but what kinds of courses/shots have I been missing where a spike, etc. is the appropriate line?

(Also, I feel terrible for Barry Schultz for throwing four (or five!) straight OB shots on hole 14ish during round two and losing six strokes on the card - and he only lost the entire title by a stroke!)

I am surprised no one has directly answered this yet, although they have hinted at it. Spike hyzer is useful on long, open courses with lots of OB. Wooded courses often don't give you the ability to choose your throw, or to throw high, the way open courses do. For example, the tunnel hole with the hard left turn at Winthrop would be a much easier spike hyzer drive, but the darn trees are in the way. Too summarize, open courses=spike hyzers. Isn't that a common complaint about the Memorial?

 

[Dan Ensor]

I understand the utility of a spike, but what kinds of courses/shots have I been missing where a spike, etc. is the appropriate line?

Almost every course I play has at least 1 hole that the spike hyzer is the appropriate line. I rarely see other people throwing that line, and I think it's because people don't practice it enough; more often, they just don't have technique that makes a spike hyzer possible.

This past weekend at the Fall Harvest, on Spencer-Davis, I saw about 6 people end up deep in the rough trying to throw down the middle. I told them the spike hyzer was the appropriate line, but no one threw it. That's a huge downhill hole, which is one of the places that spike hyzers are incredibly useful.

 

[discskavenger]

The spike hyzer is a cool shot for sure. I am a newer player and I foumd this conversation helpful. I am not sure I can master ir but it's something I am going to try to learn.

 

[tylerc]

the courses I usually play don't lend well to spike hyzers so I never really learned to throw them and would be way more accurate throwing a hyzer flip or turnover straight at it... but its definitely fun to throw it way up there and watch the disc fall.

 

[PCDG13]

Are here any good instructional videos on how to throw a spike hyzer?

 

[The Hammer]

I am surprised no one has directly answered this yet, although they have hinted at it. Spike hyzer is useful on long, open courses with lots of OB. Wooded courses often don't give you the ability to choose your throw, or to throw high, the way open courses do. For example, the tunnel hole with the hard left turn at Winthrop would be a much easier spike hyzer drive, but the darn trees are in the way. Too summarize, open courses=spike hyzers. Isn't that a common complaint about the Memorial?

Spike hyzers aren't good for long courses, usually. Spike hyzers don't go very far, as a disc can't glide when it is nearly vertical.

 

[wake911]

I'm not sure, but to me, outside of a few spike hyzers on #5 over the water, most of the "spike" hyzer's are just standard distance hyzer shots. Thrown with a little hyzer, maintains hyzer angle all the way on a power shot, and is safely down the fairway.

When i think "spike hyzer" it is up-and-down, very high, with extreme hyzer angle. Quite a different shot than a distance hyzer, which is what I saw a ton of at USDGC, and Memorial.

 

[The Hammer]

I'm not sure, but to me, outside of a few spike hyzers on #5 over the water, most of the "spike" hyzer's are just standard distance hyzer shots. Thrown with a little hyzer, maintains hyzer angle all the way on a power shot, and is safely down the fairway.

When i think "spike hyzer" it is up-and-down, very high, with extreme hyzer angle. Quite a different shot than a distance hyzer, which is what I saw a ton of at USDGC, and Memorial.

Yup. Problem is a lot of people think that regular hyzer shots are the same as a spike hyzer, which is wrong.

Hyzer = wing down release = glides and fades
Spike hyzer = nearly vertical release = no glide and no fade. Straight up and down.

 

[tampabay]

Yup. Problem is a lot of people think that regular hyzer shots are the same as a spike hyzer, which is wrong.

Hyzer = wing down release = glides and fades
Spike hyzer = nearly vertical release = no glide and no fade. Straight up and down.

I've heard people use the term hyzer bomb or high hyzers for shots that are really just hyzers given a lot of height, I kind of feel like that's what most people mean when they say spike hyzer. They aren't spike hyzers, but the term hyzer also isn't descriptive enough because they aren't thrown with an entirely straight trajectory.

 

[Jouni]

Now I feel confused. I can't probably explain this properly, but I have always though that you should match the release angle of the disc to the direction of the pull line and adjust height. I mean that standing still perpedicular to the target which was straight ahead of the tee and you throw flat, you pull straight from the back of the tee towards the target, and if you add hyzer, your pull line more from the back-left corner of the tee to the front right corner of the tee, depending on the amount of hyzer. And then you adjust height depending what? Now that I write this I think I'm realizing that I have mistaken. Because if you release the disc nearly vertical, then by this "rule" you would be pulling almost from left to right perpendicular to the target.

For some reason I have felt that if I pull straight and release on a hyzer, I induce lots of OAT and for example my Tangent and Axis turn and burn, but apparently my technique just sucks and/or I still don't understand what is going on.

Should I forget the whole idea of pull direction regarding the body, and pull always straight across my body, and just align myself so that I release more right in order to play the fade? But what about height, is that arbitrary in terms of correct technique, and more of an issue of choice depending the line I need?

I'm tired, I don't think I understand even my own line of thinking anymore...

 

[Crazy Runner Guy]

I've heard people use the term hyzer bomb or high hyzers for shots that are really just hyzers given a lot of height, I kind of feel like that's what most people mean when they say spike hyzer. They aren't spike hyzers, but the term hyzer also isn't descriptive enough because they aren't thrown with an entirely straight trajectory.

By straight definition of spike being an vertical trajectory, then there weren't a lot of "true" spikes being thrown. But what I was more referring to were discs that were A) throw on a steep hyzer angle; or B) thrown flat but higher than normal so that the disc stalls and fades. Both accomplish the same thing - the disc does a dive bomb and lands near-vertical in the ground and sticks.

USDGC Caddy Book

The approaches to Hole 5 are like that. Throw twice in the fairway and then a huge hyzer to land right next to pin. Same thing on Hole 13.