I've only been playing about 2 months, but I think I've come along farily well, but I have a question about putting. My Aviar at times is either a little wobbly or I can't hold a line very well. I am more accurate with my shark, drilling 8+ putts tonight in practice from 40+ feet out and rattling chains on countless attempts. Is there a faster, stiffer putter?

My putting style is a rapid weight shift from my left leg forward onto my right leg in a quick almost stomping motion and quick flick of the disk straight line drive at the basket.

Any advice is apprecaited.

Omega super soft or an aviar....if its to floppy try a challenger.Thats all you need to know.ow yea relax more when you putt.

When I started I loved putting with the shark. My aviar also didn't work worth crap for me, so I stuck with what worked. I finnaly started hitting putts with an aviar and a magnet just this week. But I've only been playing for 3 years.

Stick with the Shark. Nothing too strange about that. I know people that switch to Rocs/Wasps when they putt from long range. Do what works for you, and right now not only is the Shark working, but you believe it works.

If you get to a point where your fifteen footers are bouncing off the side chains or something, then consider switching to softer putter. But if the Shark is working, keep working it. :)

Why delay the inevitable....you will learn to hate putting with a sharp edge disc...you will get a putter i promise...you might as well start practicing now...I wish i would have...does your shark fall hard left or right at the end of its flight...a putter wont most of the time...I started with a sharp edge disc and it hurt I had to learn to putt all over again when i gave up the roc or what ever I started putting with...get a putter trust me.

My thoughts on disc selection and putting

Look at all the top pros. They putt with some kind of putter. That means use a putter.

That simple

**** good advice if you ask me.

This time MTL isnt just blowing smoke up someones ARSE. If the top pros do it and you want to become a top pro then chances are you should start doing it too.

When I started I puTTed with a shark also, eventually with time you will just become more accustomed to a puTTer. It will stay on a straighter line with less effort.

Why delay the inevitable...

By that logic, five year olds should start shooting full-size basketballs at regulation, 10' high baskets, and learn to hit baseballs swinging 32", 32 oz. bats, and novice disc golfers should be throwing high speed, overstable drivers.

Use what works for you at your present level of development and make whatever changes are necessary as your game evolves. If that means delaying the "inevitable," so be it. The quickest way to retard your development is to use equipment that is inappropriate to your current skill level, because you end up compensating by changing your technique, aim point, or both, to compensate for the equipment and "grooving" bad habits which will have to be unlearned as your skills develop and your game evolves.


does your shark fall hard left or right at the end of its flight...a putter wont most of the time

Depends on which putter you use. In the hands of a beginner, overstable putters like a Rhyno, Z-Magnet, or Z-Challenger will definitely hyzer out at the end.

Is there a pro-line shark out there?...that might make a decent putter. As for me, its gonna take a lot of convincing to give up my rhyno.

I remebr those shark days. keep the rhyno. Nice solid putter.

^ ^ ^ But he used to putt with a Banshee so that makes sense.
<<< Used to putt with Z-XLs so is hardly one to talk
v v v Is going to tell me there is a different thread for this kind of nonsense! :D

I have two Pro Line Sharks that I could not get rid of, (could not even give them to experienced players), so I gave them to the beginners of our local league as prizes. Most people I know including myself have no use for a shark.

A Shark is a great disc!

I say keep putting with the Shark. The original poster reveled that he putts well with it, and by his language it seems like he believes in his putter. We all know putting is 90% mental, so I stick with the Shark for him.

I wouldn't recommend anybody switch from their current putter to the Shark. But hey, if you are just starting out and you have confidence putting something, even a Banshee, keep going with it until it becomes a weakness and then deal with it.

That's my advice to all beginners: work on whatever part of your game is costing you the most strokes. That way you get the most bang for your buck. You can't work on everything at once, so if your putting is working but turnover drives are costing yo uthe most strokes, work on turnovers.

A Shark is a great disc!

I say keep putting with the Shark. The original poster reveled that he putts well with it, and by his language it seems like he believes in his putter. We all know putting is 90% mental, so I stick with the Shark for him.

I wouldn't recommend anybody switch from their current putter to the Shark. But hey, if you are just starting out and you have confidence putting something, even a Banshee, keep going with it until it becomes a weakness and then deal with it.

That's my advice to all beginners: work on whatever part of your game is costing you the most strokes. That way you get the most bang for your buck. You can't work on everything at once, so if your putting is working but turnover drives are costing yo uthe most strokes, work on turnovers.



Amen.

I played with a guy who was using a Gazelle as a putter when he putted "vertically" (extreme hyzer) and a Spider when he putted "normally," usually from within 10'. It was really cool to watch a 30' putt go in without hitting the chains. He didn't do all that well, but he was having a blast.

you might want to try an xd putter, it has a shallow rim and is pretty stiff. good luck

The XD is a great idea for you. BTW i know an advanced am who putts the lights out with his shark. Federal G, I'm calling you out. Tell our new friend the news about the shark> Good luck and hippy holidaze :D

Fore, the major flaw in your logic is that kids use miniature versions of professional equipment, not fundamentally different things. They don't give tee ballers a flat bat. /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

The Shark might be the best all around disc ever made. I have 3 in my bag.

Fore, the major flaw in your logic is that kids use miniature versions of professional equipment, not fundamentally different things.

I take it you don't think that hitting with or pitching against an aluminum or a magnesium bat is not fundamentally different than hitting with/pitching against a wooden bat, or that playing with a soft-wound or rubber ball is not fundamentally different than with a hardball. (I'll be happy to bounce a soft-wound and a hardball off your dome to show you the difference! :p)

And remind me: what is the fundamental difference is between beginner-friendly drivers like the Dragon or the Xpress and advanced/open-level drivers like the Eagle or the Reaper, between a Classic Roc (midrange) and an Aviar (putter), or between an Omega Driver and and Omega Putter, for that matter?

Fore, the major flaw in your logic is that kids use miniature versions of professional equipment, not fundamentally different things.

I take it you don't think that hitting with or pitching against an aluminum or a magnesium bat is not fundamentally different than hitting with/pitching against a wooden bat, or that playing with a soft-wound or rubber ball is not fundamentally different than with a hardball. (I'll be happy to bounce a soft-wound and a hardball off your dome to show you the difference! :p)

And remind me: what is the fundamental difference is between beginner-friendly drivers like the Dragon or the Xpress and advanced/open-level drivers like the Eagle or the Reaper, between a Classic Roc (midrange) and an Aviar (putter), or between an Omega Driver and and Omega Putter, for that matter?


If you are so confident that the soft wound ball is so much better maybe you should let me pelt you with them. A putter flies different than a driver. No matter what weights... putters are different creatures... if they weren't no one would throw them and only use one disc. I am just saying that yes there are differences in youth equipment but they are basically very similar designs just made lighter and smaller. The shape and purpose hasn't been changed. Like people before have said... name a pro that uses a shark to putt with. An orc isn't an aviar no matter how you look at it. If you want to teach someone how to play give them a good putter... the only putter... the WIZARD. Enough said.

When I started I puTTed with a shark also, eventually with time you will just become more accustomed to a puTTer. It will stay on a straighter line with less effort.



I can't name a pro that puts with a Shark, but this guy is as good as they get, and he putted with a shark to START out, just like you are just STARTING out.

When I miss a putt, I often follow it with whatever disc is marking my lie, and with the mistake I just made in mind, I correct it with my driver/midrange/Mini/Whatever and it most often goes in. Basic form is the same no matter what disc you throw, so just keep playing and seeking out advice and it will come together for you.

Post deleted by fore

name a pro that uses a shark to putt with.

Whether or not any pros putt with a Shark is completely immaterial to the question of whether or not a NOVICE who has been playing for all of two months should make the change from putting with a Shark to putting with a putter at this point in time.

Fact is, at his current skill level, his Shark works better for him than his putter. As he continues to develop his all-around skills and develops a feel for the mechanics of putting including aim, timing, arm speed, weight shift, and snap, he will, more than likely, find it advantageous to switch to a putter. But since, by his testimony, he's currently hitting 40+ footers on a consistent basis with a Shark but can't get his Aviar to hold the line, it is simply ludicrous to assert that he needs to switch to a putter right away because "that's what all the pros use."


An orc isn't an aviar no matter how you look at it.

You haven't answered my earlier question, primarily because you labor under the mis-impression that the comparision is between drivers and putters, rather than between "beginner-friendly" and "non-beginner friendly" discs in any single category.

Why is it that, whenever a novice player comes on the board asking for help and says, "I've been playing for 3/4/5 months and I can't get my firebird/talon/monster/reaper/eagle/crush/teebird/whatever to fly straight. Whenever I throw it it goes x' and dives hard left/right. What do I need to do to get it to go straight?" the advice isn't, "Just keep throwing it, it'll fly straight for you eventually," it's that s/he doesn't have the requisite arm speed or snapto throw that particular driver, and that s/he should switch to a driver that requires less armspeed and snap? Since her/his armspeed and snap is going to improve over time to the point where s/he is going to be able to throw whatever it is s/he's currently throwing, (assuming s/he continues to play and is serious about improving) why "delay the inevitable" and suggest s/he change to a less overstable driver? (And, for that matter, why does someone always make the additional recommendation that novice players start with one disc�usually a midrange�and master it instead of messing around with a whole bunch of different discs? Isn't that simply "delaying the inevitable"?)

So, tell me again: how does a beginner-friendly driver diffeer fundamentally from an advanced/open driver, or, for that matter, a midrange like a Classic Roc, a Spider, or a Bulldog differ fundamentally from an XD, an Aviar, or a Rhyno, respectively?

[/QUOTE]

Sure it works now... but eventually he will want a putter and if he has to relearn then all of this is for not. I know the basic form is the same, but there is a lot to putting in knowing the disc. About the comparison thing, I know there are beginner friendly and pro oriented discs... I make no claim to the contrary... I was simply saying that a shark is NOT a putter. If you want to learn the overall game correctly you need to learn a putter. If for no other reason it this the disc that is still fundamentally identical to when the game was in its infancy. Its a karma thing, and you better not mess with disc golf karma.

Sure it works now... but eventually he will want a putter and if he has to relearn then all of this is for not. I know the basic form is the same, but there is a lot to putting in knowing the disc. About the comparison thing, I know there are beginner friendly and pro oriented discs... I make no claim to the contrary... I was simply saying that a shark is NOT a putter. If you want to learn the overall game correctly you need to learn a putter. If for no other reason it this the disc that is still fundamentally identical to when the game was in its infancy. Its a karma thing, and you better not mess with disc golf karma.



I made a smooth transition from a shark to a putter, but then again everybodys differant.

Sure it works now... but eventually he will want a putter and if he has to relearn then all of this is for not.

The key word being "eventually." As Brian Schweberger noted, he putted with a Shark when he first started playing, and , for some reason, I highly doubt that he would agree that that was detrimental to his development as a player, or that it was for naught.


If for no other reason it this the disc that is still fundamentally identical to when the game was in its infancy.

Hardly. When disc golf was in its infancy, they were playing with lids. The WFDF was running organized tournaments as early as 1969, and the PDGA had been in existence 8 years before Dave Dunipace introduced the Eagle/Aero, which represented a fundamental departure in disc design: so much so that it was awarded a patent; and it is not an exaggeration to say that every golf disc since that time, including today's putters�many of which were the high-tech drivers in their day, traces its lineage to the Eagle/Aero, rather than to pre-beveled discs.

Well no ***** there are discs that predate the ones we have today. But putters are the dinosaurs of our bags. (And just for the record I could care less about any of this and just enjoy getting in an argument now and then) :cool:

Hey if Ken Climo putted with a shark, would you? You all are as bad as the kids who put wings on their Neon's and expect them to be like race cars! Use what ever works best for you! Just remember this...You will never be Ken Climo and you will never play like Ken Climo. That's not to say that you can't be better than he is, but he has his own personal style and you have to have yours.

So I say, if you putt best with a Shark, use the shark. After all, it's not the disc that counts, but the throw. You may find in the future that you want to switch to something else. It's all up to you. There are 200+ discs out there. Pick a few and get to work. Consistancy is what counts.

I also started off with the Shark and as my obsession grew I've added many other discs. I switched to a dx Rhyno and have now switched to a SE Rhyno for putting. The shark still has a place in my bag but it doesnt get used as often as when it was the only disc in my trunk.

when i first got my wife into the game, i tried to have her use an aviar to putt. it was in her bag, but what did she pull out 99 times out of 100? The shark. She knew how to throw it, she trusted it, and damned if the thing didnt go in time after time on her putts. Heck, she nailed a ~90' downhill putt with the thing on one of her first rounds out.

Saying that... she eventually found the shark to be too "fast" a disc and was having too many times when she would hit only chain or not have the disc fade as much as she was used to as her arm developed, so she started throwing the aviar-x. she SORT OF got used to it, but was never really quite comfortable with it. then she got a Medium Wizard in a player's package from a tourney we went to together, and she has putt with that ever since. The Medium firmness reminds her of her shark, while the curved rim and flight path work much better for her when putting. And she putts with a bullet, similar to how it sounds the original poster in this thread does. From watching her go through the motions, I would say use the shark while it works for you - but if you ever decide to try another disc, give a Medium Wizard a shot.

putt with what ever makes you feel good or (avair)

i just put a san marino shark in may bag in place of an element, it is so so straight its great! :D

Yeah and long too! I've thrown them over 350'. Pretty amazing and totally underrated discs! I think I need some..... :D

i just put a san marino shark in may bag in place of an element, it is so so straight its great! :D



Did they stop making San Marino's because all I have is Ontario.

I use a 174 champ rhyno. I've tried aviars, but I've used the rhyno for so long its simply out of the question trying to put with anything different. Its approach ability simply has me sold, and it'll just be a matter of time before its a good putter.

yeah the san marinos are old and out of production.

I didn't go through and reading every single post, i've just skimmed it. But heres my two cents.

I started out putting with my Z-XS, b/c thats the only disc i had. I didn't believe in using putters, why carry around more than one disc? that's just silly. As my driver - with the sharp edge - started to slide through the chains, i decided i needed something with a rounder edge, and softer plastic. I started with an Aviar, and after 3 years, i noticed it was warped so i invested in a CE Aviar (softer, held its line a lil better). Also, my best friend had the same mentality as me, until he found a putter that worked for him. (tried an APX Swirl, hated it) he thought all putters were the same, they're not. try a few from different friends, or ask a local if you could take a few practice putts with his. Either way, find one that works for you, and you're putting will improve significantly. Just remember, new discs take time to get used to. So be patient. just Practice Practice Practice!

Thanks for all the insight guys. Since I originally started this thread, I have continued to improve my short game with the Shark in hand. On Saturday at the Vet (Veterans Park) I dropped multiple putts from 20-40 feet out and one from about 60 feet. I was feeling very confident in my game, at least putting ;) with that disk and have decided to stay with it until it no longer works for me. Nice to see other people have followed the same or similar routes.

Like an above poster mentioned, I do putt with more of a bullet and not so much of an up and down motion that I�ve seen from others.

I still plan to move to disc designed for putting, but I have a problem fixing something that isn�t broken so to speak. I have two Aviars but they feel too floppy and uncontrolled. It sounds like I may need to try a wizard.

Thanks for the input

I started out putting with a Magnet and didn't like the way it fit in my hand so I switched to a spider (fit great). I putted with it for a year until I realized something. It just wasn't forgiving. The flight characteristics of putters are very different than those of a midrange. Putters want to hold that straight line, and on longer putts don't fade out the same way that midranges do. I found that I was overcompensating, tipping the spider more and more to get it to fly straight into the chains. This creates other issues that you then have to compensate for. It works, but you've increased the difficulty of your shot and taken away some of the tools that can be a great boon on shots under 80 feet.

Rhett is right thou, if it works for you then it works for you. As a suggestion here is what I did. I introduced an Aviar into my practices. I would putt with the Spider and then with the Aviar. I found that they took very different approaches on my part to get them into the basket. Then I realized that small errors on my part were magnified by the Spider and forgiven by the Aviar. After a week of that I dropped the Spider like it was a hot potato. Now, I like the Aviar more every day as I compare it to what I used to do with my Spider.