Sudden increase in drive distance has caused me a problem.

[Giantjerk]

I just recently spent a few weeks just doing field practice and working on my form. This paid off greatly, as I've gone from lousy 220ft drives to easy 350+ drives.

This has caused me a huge problem though; lost discs! I've played four games this week with this new distance, and I have lost 3 discs!

#1 a long bomb over a hill on an overgrown hole, where I couldn't see where the disc landed.

#2 a long approach shot with a putter that skipped off the top of the basket and went into the water.

#3 a long drive down a hill that went just slightly too far to the right and went off a cliff into a nasty drainage pool.

I know with #2 I should have dialed it back a bit and went for the safer upshot landing it in front of the basket, but on the other two what should I have done?

The problem is that until now at least #1 and 2 would have been way out of my range... I would have landed both in the fairway where I could easily see them land and had no problem, except that I'd have to throw a couple more times to get to the basket.

Do you guys who have the distance dial it back on some holes in favor of safer shots, or go all out every time even though you risk losing discs?

I'm really upset at the moment as it's like $40 worth of plastic just gone in a few days (my wife is pissed and she doesn't even know about the latest one!) How do you cope with losing discs? Is it normal to lose more as your distance increases?

Thanks for any advice!

RIP: MVP Neutron Volt, Innova Birdie, and Discraft Z Zombee

 

[megamerican]

If you can't handle losing a $15+ disc then I'd suggest playing with cheaper plastic discs on blind throws or just playing it safe until you are comfortable with your accuracy.

That or playing with people so on those types of holes you can have a spotter.

Just use common sense.

 

[kevdiv48]

Do you guys who have the distance dial it back on some holes in favor of safer shots, or go all out every time even though you risk losing discs?

I'm really upset at the moment as it's like $40 worth of plastic just gone in a few days (my wife is pissed and she doesn't even know about the latest one!) How do you cope with losing discs? Is it normal to lose more as your distance increases?

Thanks for any advice!

RIP: MVP Neutron Volt, Innova Birdie, and Discraft Z Zombee

You don't really ever want to be going "all out," but I see your point.
I would recommend discing down to prevent yourself from overthrowing the hole. If you have discs in multiple speeds, you can generally throw with the same effort but yield different distances. This may be easier than working on throwing the same disc but with different power levels.
Field practice where you pick some arbitrary targets could definitely help you understand your own power levels better, too.

 

[Dan Ensor]

I use really bright discs. Absolutely no tie dye, purple, black, or blue. I also use more stable plastic when going off the fairway may result in lost discs.

 

[sidewinder22]

You know what I hate....losing discs in a practice field that shouldn't be hard to find. Or some old guy gets out of his car and steals my discs!

 

[DiscFifty]

Physical part of your game seems to be in great shape, now it's time to work on the mental aspect. Knowing when to disc wayyyy down, when to lay up, etc, etc. Like others have said, play smarter and things will take care of itself.

Congrats on the new found d. It's a great feeling to get over the 300ft mark on a regular basis!

 

[Giantjerk]

You know what I hate....losing discs in a practice field that shouldn't be hard to find. Or some old guy gets out of his car and steals my discs!

Today, same game I drove hole 6 using my Buzzz. It lands right by the basket / sculpture. As I'm walking down a group of runners happens to go by the basket. One of them pointed at the disc, and another grabbed it and continued on his run. I shouted "MIIIIIINEEE!" and thankfully he dropped it. I'm a big fat guy, I never would've caught him.

Pic from hole #6 tee pad at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock Tx:

 

[Giantjerk]

Thanks guys. I think I need to learn to dial it back a bit at least until I'm more accurate on dangerous holes. I'm going to have to figure out some kind of target for accuracy. Right now I'm using the goals at the soccer field I throw at.

I've attached a pic of the cesspool that my Zombee landed in today, out of bounds on hole 7 at Mae Simmons park. In the pic you can see someone else's orange disc that they lost there, and while looking for my Zombee I saw another one but that water is just too nasty for me to go into. When I was younger I would've jumped right in, but now I'm in my 30's... that's a big old pond of nope.

 

[markmcc]

Nice. Better have your Tetanus, Hepatitis A, etc. all up to date before wading into that lovely body of water(??)...

 

[Toro71]

You know what I hate....losing discs in a practice field that shouldn't be hard to find. Or some old guy gets out of his car and steals my discs!

Right, like you get home, check the bag, and see 1 missing, think for a second, and can remember exactly where it is, but you just left it sitting there. That's what makes me nuts. I have to be careful of this one playing a practice round where I'm throwing multiples on the course.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Right, like you get home, check the bag, and see 1 missing, think for a second, and can remember exactly where it is, but you just left it sitting there. That's what makes me nuts.

I left a Pro TL on the ground just like that, my last one before it went out of production. Still have a sadface over it. The Star TL I have isn't the same.

Oh, and original poster guy losing an Innova Birdie? Ouch, man...I love my lid Birdies, have been using the same orange 174 guy since 2005 when I changed from using the old SE Soft Rhynos.

 

[roclover]

I remember this phase in my game as well. I went from being excited to break 300 ft to throwing over 400 ft in like a month and started losing discs left and right. My advice is to think of the extra distance the same way you'd think of any other shot. If I've only been throwing forhand for a short time, I won't use it on a dangerous downhill hole with trouble everywhere. Think of your distance in the same way. If you can't park 360 ft holes in a wide open field yet, don't try to thread it down the narrow fairway with the nasty rough on the side. Practice at the field and imagine the different throws you needto learn. Maybe even picture the hole you want to park, pace off the distance and recreate it in your field practice. This way, you're working the shot and not paying for it when you miss the line. Hope this helps! It saved me a lot of plastic and still saves me a lot of strokes on the course. Good luck!

 

[knettles]

Physical part of your game seems to be in great shape, now it's time to work on the mental aspect. Knowing when to disc wayyyy down, when to lay up, etc, etc. Like others have said, play smarter and things will take care of itself.

Congrats on the new found d. It's a great feeling to get over the 300ft mark on a regular basis!

Not trying to sound like I always make the best decision, but I've found that 90-95% of the discs I've lost have been due to poor disc/shot selection. Learning to play smart is the biggest thing of all. Don't throw something too fast for the hole, don't throw an understable disc when there's a danger zone to the right, etc.

Of course every now and then you just screw up and shank one off into the abyss. Not talking from personal experience or anything.

 

[ru4por]

Ahhhh...the misnomer of distance. I sometimes call is the Johnny Rocket Arm Syndrome. New found distance and increased scoring. I believe the lesson is distance does not make you better...often. I am a noodle arm and preach that I don't know what I would do with a 500ft drive, even if I had one. There are few holes where this sort of distance is applicable and few players that can use it accurately enough to benefit. Keep up with the field work, just don't forget the short game in your practice.

 

[LeBryson James]

You know what I hate....losing discs in a practice field that shouldn't be hard to find. Or some old guy gets out of his car and steals my discs!

All the time....

 

[Giantjerk]

I remember this phase in my game as well.

I'm glad it's not just me! Thank you for the great advice!

 

[justactnormal]

Not to be a Giant Jerk or anything (pun intended), but have you seriously been playing over 12 years? Something is amiss here if you are just now losing discs.

FWIW, I lose discs b/c I really stink at finding them. I don't know what it is. I'm not color blind, but I can search for 15 minutes looking for a disc in the grass while others can just watch where they throw and walk right up to them. I just suck like that. But this has led to a couple of realizations that have helped me, just a bit.

1. You will lose discs. It sucks but that's okay. That's the price of admission. The courses are by and large free and the equipment is relatively cheap. Check the prices of ball golf equipment and green fees. It'll make you feel better about how little you spent on your hobby. Plus remember, DG is a hobby and wives/girlfriends will always be pissed at you for spending money on your hobby... unless your hobby is jewelry making or doing laundry. The sooner you accept that she's going to be pissed regardless, the happier man you will be.

2. Mark your discs. First name and phone number. It's always cool when you get a call about a disc that you'd completely written off. Even though you lost it, know that someone, someday will find it. If your number is on it, then you just might get it back. "Reward for Return" will increase the chances of you seeing it again.

3. LED lights are your friend. Those little suckers are bright and last a long time. If you throw over a hill and can't see it land or in a bush or even tall grass, it's very reassuring to see a blinky light that you can see very easily. They really help and are bright enough to catch your attention even in the sun and if you can't find it when the sun's still out just wait for it to get dark and go back out. As long as someone else hasn't snagged it, you'll find it.

Plus, you really only lost one. You said that you know exactly where 2 of the 3 that are missing are. That's not lost. It's just that they're temporarily inaccessible. Thinking about it that way will help you deal.

 

[Countchunkula]

Sudden increase in penis size has caused me a problem.

 

[Will Burke]

This thread really made me think. I hardly ever lose disc but one of the guys I play rounds with quite often is in this phase. He's only been playing roughly over a year and developed massive snap recently sporadically putting them over 450'. Only problem is he can't control them and I always joke that we spend more time looking for his disc than playing. It's only half jokingly. So yeah it's perfectly normal and many people go through this stage.

 

[justactnormal]

This thread really made me think. I hardly ever lose disc but one of the guys I play rounds with quite often is in this phase. He's only been playing roughly over a year and developed massive snap recently sporadically putting them over 450'. Only problem is he can't control them and I always joke that we spend more time looking for his disc than playing. It's only half jokingly. So yeah it's perfectly normal and many people go through this stage.

When I play solo, I honestly do spend more time looking than playing and I don't throw 450. I'm the worst. It seems like I can watch a disc land and even note reference objects, like "just right of that tree trunk" or "just short of that super dark patch of grass" but when I get up there I still have to search a grid pattern to find it. Sometimes it really ticks me off b/c I'm so bad at finding discs.

On the other hand, I have had to come to terms with it and learn to shrug it off. The 'whatever happens will happen' kind of mentality has helped me in the long run, where before I would always play it safe or not attempt a blind shot b/c of disc loss anxiety.