Wind and how do you deal with it

[mojorooks]

Saturday I was out doing some field work and having some major issues with wind. I think it was 20mph with stronger gusts. The field ran north and south with the wind out of the west.
My RHFH kept getting caught but my buddy's LHBH didn't seem to fair all that bad. I DID keep trying to anhyser flip so I'm wondering if I need to stay perfectly flat.

Just looking for some communal knowledge on wind stuff. Any thoughts on weight/plastic differences?

Thanks!

 

[Moose33]

If it's a tail wind you shouldn't be in bad shape, maybe just throw a bit harder, but head and sidewinds have some nuance.

It will make the disc fly less stable if it's straight in your face, best thing here is a more OS disc in a heavy weight. The winds from the side exacerbate turn and fade, so the more stable discs also fare better as they resist turn to a high degree.

I throw FH/BH depending on the wind direction to minimize the chance of a huge wind aided fade.

 

[BlueMonk]

I'm writing from the perspective of a hack recreational player, but what I do is get less ambitious. I keep the disc low and flat as much as possible. Even when putting, I aim low. I also have a whole set of discs that are really under- and overstable that I only use in the wind. It's really the only reason I carry a large bag. The understable stuff is great in a tailwind.

 

[ohtobediscing]

Any type of sudden change in the angle of the disc is multiplied in strong headwind conditions, and anhyzer flips fall into this category.
Keep the nose down, throw low and flat (thx Blue!), and keep a max weight overstable disc in your car/bag for these occasions.
In excessively windy conditions, I throw pancake putts (upside-down) that start like a tomahawk, from over my head.

 

[mojorooks]

I was throwing north and the wind was from the west, throwing RHFH my discs were getting caught by the wind - basically fading early. Theoretically, if I were to throw RHBH they would be fading INTO the wind instead thereby resisting it. Then if the wind were from the East, RHFH would be best.

I'm working on RHBH as a secondary but not very strong yet.

 

[Moose33]

I was throwing north and the wind was from the west, throwing RHFH my discs were getting caught by the wind - basically fading early. Theoretically, if I were to throw RHBH they would be fading INTO the wind instead thereby resisting it. Then if the wind were from the East, RHFH would be best.

I'm working on RHBH as a secondary but not very strong yet.

Should be a good tactic. I learned to throw FH well first, and the BH was a couple of years behind. Has been extremely worthwhile to gain those shots though. In 2016 my goal was to be able to throw Bh 400 ft and after working on it all year finally got there and now that I've learned the form and discs can reach 450 at times from both sides.

It's not easy, but worth the time.

 

[lyleoross]

When playing in the wind one should neither wear a skirt nor a kilt.

 

[slowplastic]

If you were throwing RHFH, I assume flex shot by "anhyzer flip" in a left to right wind...then I bet it'd get knocked straight down immediately.

Basically if the top of the disc sees the wind, it'll get pushed down. If the underside of the flight plate sees the wind it'll get pushed by the wind wherever it's going.

So in a left to right wind throwing FH, you'd probably want to throw a disc that has like a -1ish turn. Throw a slight hyzer flip so it pops up to flat, and the wind will keep it from turning over more since it'll hold the top of the flight plate there. Then at the end of the flight the fade will still be emphasized a lot more than usual...nothing you can do there but expect it and keep the shot low. If you throw something with too much turn, the second it flips over too much the wind will push it straight to the ground or into a throwler.

Basically if it's head or crosswind either way, throw overstable and in the direction RHBH and RHFH that hyzers/fades into the wind. That's not the way to maximize distance at all, that takes a lot of time/learning your angles and stabilities, but it's the safest way to play if the wind is crazy. For example L->R wind I'd throw RHBH slight hyzer, R->L wind RHFH slight hyzer....or really flat shots with OS discs you trust to ride the wind and fight it at the end.

 

[mojorooks]

Awesome! thank you for the responses. It all makes perfect sense once its spelled out. Most of my discs are stable to understable but I do have a champion banshee I can bag for those shots. And working on my backhand like moose suggested will help if the wind is the other direction.

But the skirt stays on, dammit!

Don't wear the skirt... what a bunch of crackpot advice!

 

[Dthunderchicken]

Very often you can use the wind to your advantage. You have to decide whether to ride it or fight it. If you want to ride it, throw so that wind sees the bottom of your disc. And exactly the opposite for fighting it. The US/OS bit works for head and tail winds. I carry a very OS driver just for headwinds. My US driver works with tail winds and it is also good for sharp annys. HTH


BTW My first ace came with the help of a tail wind. I nailed a pin that I couldn't have reached without the help.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

When playing in the wind one should neither wear a skirt nor a kilt.

Speak for yourself. I like the feel of the wind on a warm day. It tickles just right.

 

[DavidSauls]

Very often you can use the wind to your advantage. You have to decide whether to ride it or fight it. If you want to ride it, throw so that wind sees the bottom of your disc. And exactly the opposite for fighting it. The US/OS bit works for head and tail winds. I carry a very OS driver just for headwinds. My US driver works with tail winds and it is also good for sharp annys. HTH


BTW My first ace came with the help of a tail wind. I nailed a pin that I couldn't have reached without the help.

This. Letting the wind get under the disc---or not---is a key factor.

For the O.P.'s specific question of the crosswind on drives, you generally don't want the wind to get under the disc. Unless it's a hole with a turn, and you want the wind to carry it around that turn.

We have a big downhill hole that's prone to strong crosswinds. It's wide enough to give some room to start out a little bit on the headwind side of the fairway, and fade back to the center. I throw a fairly stable disc with a slight anny tilt so the wind hits the top; being fairly stable, it won't turnover. Thrown RHBH with a right-to-left wind, it holds a fairly straight line right of the center of the fairway, then fades back.

But crosswinds and, particularly, the 3/4 wind (between headwind and crosswind) are extra challenges, no matter what. There's less room for error; turn it over a little too much, or tilt it a little too much where the wind gets under it, and the wind takes over.

 

[slowplastic]

Awesome! Most of my discs are stable to understable but I do have a champion banshee I can bag for those shots.

For straight headwinds or straight tailwinds, think "how fast will the disc think it's going?".

For example if you have a 10MPH headwind, the disc will think you gave it to someone to throw who has 10MPH more arm speed than you. If you do that with an understable disc...it'll probably turn all the way over and burn out. There are differences of course plus the wind will eat up distance potential too, and is NOT forgiving of bad nose angle or wobble.

For a tailwind, think that you backed off by 10MPH. With a driver then you may not be able to get it up to speed like normal and it may fade out way earlier than you think. For very heavy tailwinds I'll disc down to a midrange pretty often and get at least as much distance as my driver would have gotten before being slammed down, but without the fade.

 

[aphilso1]

Lots of good advice in this thread. If the OP would like to read a Master's thesis level analysis by Ron Convers, it can be found here:
https://www.discgolf.discraft.com/res_wind06_p1.html

 

[araytx]

Order one of these in a mold you use.

You don't have to remember; just read.

https://www.dynamicdiscs.com/Ron-Convers-Jr-Mastering-The-Wind-Disc-2-0-DyeMax-p/3328.htm

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Order one of these in a mold you use.

You don't have to remember; just read.

https://www.dynamicdiscs.com/Ron-Convers-Jr-Mastering-The-Wind-Disc-2-0-DyeMax-p/3328.htm

I live by this :thmbup:

But a word to the inexperienced:
This guide assumes the disc is thrown RHBH (or LHFH for that matter). You need to reverse the crosswind info for LHBH and RHFH throws.

It all about whether the wind hits the bottom, or the top, of the flight plate. That's why in strong wind, I try to throw flat (no hyzer/annie), and choose a stability to let the disc do the work.

 

[Casey 1988]

Saturday I was out doing some field work and having some major issues with wind. I think it was 20mph with stronger gusts. The field ran north and south with the wind out of the west.
My RHFH kept getting caught but my buddy's LHBH didn't seem to fair all that bad. I DID keep trying to anhyser flip so I'm wondering if I need to stay perfectly flat.

Just looking for some communal knowledge on wind stuff. Any thoughts on weight/plastic differences?

Thanks!

I use the heaviest weight disc I can throw well in the wind for the disc mold and disc type it is, putter, midrange, fairway, driver. most putters are max or near max weight then I tend to with midrange use 175 grams, drivers and most fairway and drivers are 170-172 grams with exception of max Distance more OS discs with speed 11 on up as those I go upper 160 gram weights and then DX Dragons are always 150 grams.

Other tip is I had to learn how to throw low to avoid the big gusts that take a disc a long ways away.

Pierre South Dakota is one of the windiest city in South Dakota, Mitchell might be winder.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

Years ago Blake T had a great wind article on discgolfreview. I wish I could find it.

 

[Mocheez]

Years ago Blake T had a great wind article on discgolfreview. I wish I could find it.

Here it is... https://www.dgcoursereview.com/dgr/resources/articles/ridingthewind.shtml

 

[mojorooks]

Thank you all for your replies. I would LOVE to have a wind disc like that. Just as a reminder of how I need to handle it.

Now I need to go out there an practice it.