How far are the top players throwing?

further than me

: ) :

further than me

: ) :

except when it is a Chicken Wing

Funny thing about this thread... I was just about to ask a similar question.

Here in Australia we have the upcoming individual national titles in a couple of months and I was going to ask what sort of discs I should get for the distance competition. I was thinking of ordering 5 dx wraiths (150 class).

I pretty much have everything else I need for the events, ddc discs, a couple of fastbacks for mta and trc, a very dependable roc for discathon, etc. As expected, most of the smack talk has been about the distance event since last year's winner is still in the top 50 longest throws list (Kurt Karlsson at 191 meters back in who knows when).

So... any suggestions? am I on the right track with 150 class dx wraiths for the distance event?

You can not compare Australian distance to American distance since Australians throw in metric. We both throw in metric weights, but not distances. :confused: Confusing things even more is that Australia is down under, so everything is upside down from where we sit. Confusing stuff, this disc golf. :D

150 class isnt bad, but you could go up into the 160s with DX Wraiths, youd just want to start working them asap.

Light DX Teerexs might not be bad either.

Not to mention that discs spin the opposite way south of the equator.

I watched a distance competition with some top PROs last weekend. The winning distance was 463 feet/142 meters.

How far are the top players throwing?



If I am interpreting what you want to know correctly, this may be an irrelevant question. It comes up frequently and many players measure their "success" by it. Distance as a measure of success in disc golf is average at best. A better question is how acurately are the top players throwing? Climo, arguably the best player ever, is not known for his distance, he's known for delivering an accurate throw when he needs to.

Not to mention that discs spin the opposite way south of the equator.


And you also have to throw more overstable plastic due to the coriolis effect turning your shots over. :)

Don't look at distance contest results... they are a completely different throwing style. For example, at a distance contest here in Oregon we had multiple people throw over 500ft (measured with a laser range finder). However, at the Beaver State Fling (NT event) I watched a lot of the 'top' pros play and their typical drive was around 400-425ft. However, these drives were ULTRA accurate. There were a couple of 500ft holes that could have been reached with a perfect drive but all of the top players did the safe thing and reached the green in 2. I did see some Adv Ams go for it (a few made it, most went OB).

IMO, the question should be "how well can the top pros putt"?

Not to mention that discs spin the opposite way south of the equator.


And you also have to throw more overstable plastic due to the coriolis effect turning your shots over. :)



Does this mean that my overstable Demons will now be flippy? And my beat up flippy elements are now overstable??? :confused:

Not to mention that discs spin the opposite way south of the equator.


And you also have to throw more overstable plastic due to the coriolis effect turning your shots over. :)



Does this mean that my overstable Demons will now be flippy? And my beat up flippy elements are now overstable??? :confused:



It means you have to actually throw the disc upside down. Don't try any rollers, though, since they just go backwards. That negatively affects distance unless you are facing backwards on the teepad. I heard Kenny parked a 450 hole in the Aussie open by throwing a Stingray grenade.

Not to mention that discs spin the opposite way south of the equator.


And you also have to throw more overstable plastic due to the coriolis effect turning your shots over. :)



Does this mean that my overstable Demons will now be flippy? And my beat up flippy elements are now overstable??? :confused:



It means you have to actually throw the disc upside down. Don't try any rollers, though, since they just go backwards. That negatively affects distance unless you are facing backwards on the teepad. I heard Kenny parked a 450 hole in the Aussie open by throwing a Stingray grenade.




NO WAY that is SICK!!!! he is so good :eek: :eek: :eek:

What will my DevilHawk due down under?

What will my DevilHawk due down under?



the same thing it always does but with a cool accent

: ) :

Distance means nothing!!!

Top players are good b/c they don't get in trouble right off the tee hardly any, they make putts insdie of 25 feet, scramble very well, and birdie easy holes almost every time they play them.

WOW...way to bring some seriousness back to the thread...

I believe the thread is entitled "How far can they throw", not what makes a good player.

They can throw really frickin' far. Amazingly far, actually. And take some absolutely ridiculous routes to the basket.

Although I have never shot a round with these guys, i have heard exactly that from people who have. I believe the word to describe some the routes and grips etc that the "Champ" uses was Quirky....I myself have heard that description a dozen times. The really good players have quirky ways to get it done and the routes they take do just that. The average player would never have dreamed of that route in a million years :p

I believe the answer you are looking for is 450 ft.

My son and I did a lot of research on this over the winter and concluded that the CFR Wraith 165-170 grams is consistantly the farthest flying disc assuming a wind blowing 5 to 15 mph from the SW if one is facing North. It flys farther than the DX which is unusual for most discs, but may be related to stability differences in the differnt types of plastic.

We also find that under these conditions the big anhyser carries farther than the hyser-flip method. The crosswind pushes the disc forward like a sail and adds some lift at the very end of flight when the disc turns back into the wind. The key to the farthest throws is getting the speed, nose angle and height of the throw just right so that the disc gets stable and flattens out only in the last 10th or so of it's flight.

Avery and a few others can throw over 500ft. Barry throws golf shots in the 430-450ft range. Kenny throws 375-415ft.

.....if they were to get on the DB, they'd say they could throw 700ft.

My son and I did a lot of research on this over the winter and concluded that the CFR Wraith 165-170 grams is consistantly the farthest flying disc assuming a wind blowing 5 to 15 mph from the SW if one is facing North. It flys farther than the DX which is unusual for most discs, but may be related to stability differences in the differnt types of plastic.

We also find that under these conditions the big anhyser carries farther than the hyser-flip method. The crosswind pushes the disc forward like a sail and adds some lift at the very end of flight when the disc turns back into the wind. The key to the farthest throws is getting the speed, nose angle and height of the throw just right so that the disc gets stable and flattens out only in the last 10th or so of it's flight.



Take Jr out and learn how to throw in a "Backdoor" wind and then they wil go BIG. SE wind Vs the SW and let the disc fight anny into the wind and then finally catch it like a sail towards the end of the flight. Basically the disc gains speed at the end VS losing it.

FYI I'm not too goood at it but Dave Mac is.

My son and I did a lot of research on this over the winter and concluded that the CFR Wraith 165-170 grams is consistantly the farthest flying disc assuming a wind blowing 5 to 15 mph from the SW if one is facing North. It flys farther than the DX which is unusual for most discs, but may be related to stability differences in the differnt types of plastic.

We also find that under these conditions the big anhyser carries farther than the hyser-flip method. The crosswind pushes the disc forward like a sail and adds some lift at the very end of flight when the disc turns back into the wind. The key to the farthest throws is getting the speed, nose angle and height of the throw just right so that the disc gets stable and flattens out only in the last 10th or so of it's flight.




Oh has Dave Jr used a Spectra? A Pro Beast or Orc also should have mor distance potential than the CFR Wraith because they have less LSS.

Don't know how many of you know who Mike Robinson is, but I have seen this guy throw 500+ ft. golf lines with a great deal of accuracy.

Small photo gallery of Mike throwing. (http://iowadg.com/Pics/Mike/index.htm)

Avery and a few others can throw over 500ft.



I can name 30 people who can throw over 500, including myself.

With just one throw?!

:p

:D

Kenny throws 375-415ft.



Give me a break. I've seen Kenny throw over 500'. He can throw 450' hyzer shots with a Star Wraith. I max out around 450', and Kenny never appears to throw harder than me. Looks can be decieving as his skill and technique are flawless. He puts his disc on the perfect line and height almost every time.

With just one throw?!

:p

:D



haha yes, and I've got the DGWN with my name in it during the 2004 Am Worlds Distance and next to it is the number 504.

Matt,

We tried all sorts of Beasts and Orcs as well as many other discs from different companies - Orcs go a long way, a bit farther than Beasts, and until the Wraith, the Pro Orc was consistantly the longest. We didn't test the Spectra because it was not very available to us when we were testing. We'll certainly give it a try next winter.

Not sure what LSS is, but I prefer testing in real life conditions to hypothesizing based on design. Real life testing naturally accounts for all the variables that might not be recognized hypothetically.

Make 10 throws and see what goes the farthest - especially if there are any outliers i.e. discs that traveled significantly farther. Do it again and again with the different discs being tested and see if a pattern emerges. It did - the wraith flies farthest and the CFR is on average a bit farther than the star and even more so versus the DX. Note: the TRX or "wraith X was also a consistantly good performer and sometimes did even better than the Wraith in higher wind conditions - at one point we bought a whole bunch of these thinking they would be the best bet, but in the end the CFR wraith seemed to be a bit better.

We tried that a lot. (SE wind) I'm convinced it does not work as well. The disc speed is highest right out of the muzzel and throwing a bit into the wind causes it to slow faster and thus limit max distance. The key is getting the right wind speed vs disc speed and attack angle. This maximizes the high speed sail effect which is what really pushes out the distance envelope.

The disc when anhyser is tilted in such a way that the wind is catching that tilt and driving the disc forward like a sailboat tacking. That is why a tailwind won't work because the disc flies faster than the wind. there has to be a vector of the wind that is traveleing faster than the disc - thus a cross wind.

Of course everybody has their own envelope to work within. Personally, I'll never get even 400 feet, (I have more red muscle than white) but I will get as far as I can get with the technique above.

Kenny throws 375-415ft.



Give me a break. I've seen Kenny throw over 500'. He can throw 450' hyzer shots with a Star Wraith. I max out around 450', and Kenny never appears to throw harder than me. Looks can be decieving as his skill and technique are flawless. He puts his disc on the perfect line and height almost every time.


I admit I haven't seen Kenny play since the Wraith came out. I know he can throw over 500ft, but I was talking about golf shots. When I saw Kenny play, he threw (with deadly accuracy) rocs: 330-350ft, teebirds: 330-380ft, orcs: 350-415ft, maybe a little further.
But Kenny does look effortless with his throws, especially rocs.

Matt,

We tried all sorts of Beasts and Orcs as well as many other discs from different companies - Orcs go a long way, a bit farther than Beasts, and until the Wraith, the Pro Orc was consistantly the longest. We didn't test the Spectra because it was not very available to us when we were testing. We'll certainly give it a try next winter.

Not sure what LSS is, but I prefer testing in real life conditions to hypothesizing based on design. Real life testing naturally accounts for all the variables that might not be recognized hypothetically.

Make 10 throws and see what goes the farthest - especially if there are any outliers i.e. discs that traveled significantly farther. Do it again and again with the different discs being tested and see if a pattern emerges. It did - the wraith flies farthest and the CFR is on average a bit farther than the star and even more so versus the DX. Note: the TRX or "wraith X was also a consistantly good performer and sometimes did even better than the Wraith in higher wind conditions - at one point we bought a whole bunch of these thinking they would be the best bet, but in the end the CFR wraith seemed to be a bit better.



LSS=Low speed stability. The Wraith DOES have less distance potential but it is easier to throw far. That means that you will be able to throw it consistantly farther until a certain distance where that disc hits a wall. The Pro Orcs and Beasts hit this wall at a later time than the Wraith so they have more D potential. This really only comes into play at larger distances than Dave is getting now.

The Wraith probably is his best disc right now but if he wants to Maximize the distance out of a disc he needs to be using the hyzerflip method and a disc with less LSS. The anny method gives more consitant D but has less potential than the HF method which is why the longest ANNY release throw was 650ish and the hyzerflip was 820'. So Dave may be able to throw 450' more often with the anny throw but it also hits a distance barrier sooner than the Hyzerflip just like the Wraith does compared to other discs.

Everyone seems to think that the Wraith, Teerex, Surge, and others will be the next to break the record but they have less of a chance than the Valk, Teebird, and even Eagle.

Kenny throws 375-415ft.



Give me a break. I've seen Kenny throw over 500'. He can throw 450' hyzer shots with a Star Wraith. I max out around 450', and Kenny never appears to throw harder than me. Looks can be decieving as his skill and technique are flawless. He puts his disc on the perfect line and height almost every time.


I admit I haven't seen Kenny play since the Wraith came out. I know he can throw over 500ft, but I was talking about golf shots. When I saw Kenny play, he threw (with deadly accuracy) rocs: 330-350ft, teebirds: 330-380ft, orcs: 350-415ft, maybe a little further.
But Kenny does look effortless with his throws, especially rocs.




I played with Kenny and worlds in augusta and he was crushing the star wraith. He was also throwing pro starfires for long anny.

I remember seeing Sandstrom throw at the 2004 worlds in DesMoines - he threw it quite high in the air looked like a big anhyser throw to me, but really it's not black or white. As a disc becomes less stable, by necessity one must release it a bit flatter to keep it from flipping. It is a continuum based on the discs stability. The important thing is to get some good altitiude to take advantage of gravitational energy as the disc is falling through the end of it's anhyser portion of flight - without getting the disc so high that it stalls. Many of the "hyser-flip throws" are too low and gravity gets them before loss of momentum. Additionally for most of their flight, they are not taking advantage of the sail effect I described previously. The sail effect is "free energy" from the wind added to the thrower's power - gotta take advantage of that!

As far as low speed stability goes, thanks for the explanation. If one throws the big anny right it does not come out of it's anny mode until the very end of it's flight where it turns into the wind from a direction pointing slightly right of straight ahead to flex out in a direction straight ahead of the thrower. This takes advantage of the lack of LSS by forcing the falling disc into an orientation slightly into the crosswind giving it a bit of extra lift and distance. Again, the big anny takes more advantage of gravity by converting the falling disc's momentum at this point into forward motion.

I have spent literallly hundreds of hours over the past 3 years field testing different discs of different weights under different wind conditions and with different throwing methods. Matt, maybe it just boils down to believing you or my lying eyes ;)

I'm just putting my experience down here so that others might benefit from it a bit if they desire.

On the other hand, difference of opinion is what makes the world go-round, and if someone else finds a better way, I'd love to see it. I'm no pro-disc golfer, just a guy who spent 12 odd years of education after high school learning the scientific method so I'm certainly open to examining other hypothesis and contradictory evidence. This and previous posts describe what I have found, there is really not much more to add.

I remember seeing Sandstrom throw at the 2004 worlds in DesMoines - he threw it quite high in the air looked like a big anhyser throw to me, but really it's not black or white. As a disc becomes less stable, by necessity one must release it a bit flatter to keep it from flipping. It is a continuum based on the discs stability. The important thing is to get some good altitiude to take advantage of gravitational energy as the disc is falling through the end of it's anhyser portion of flight - without getting the disc so high that it stalls. Many of the "hyser-flip throws" are too low and gravity gets them before loss of momentum. Additionally for most of their flight, they are not taking advantage of the sail effect I described previously. The sail effect is "free energy" from the wind added to the thrower's power - gotta take advantage of that!

As far as low speed stability goes, thanks for the explanation. If one throws the big anny right it does not come out of it's anny mode until the very end of it's flight where it turns into the wind from a direction pointing slightly right of straight ahead to flex out in a direction straight ahead of the thrower. This takes advantage of the lack of LSS by forcing the falling disc into an orientation slightly into the crosswind giving it a bit of extra lift and distance. Again, the big anny takes more advantage of gravity by converting the falling disc's momentum at this point into forward motion.

I have spent literallly hundreds of hours over the past 3 years field testing different discs of different weights under different wind conditions and with different throwing methods. Matt, maybe it just boils down to believing you or my lying eyes ;)

I'm just putting my experience down here so that others might benefit from it a bit if they desire.

On the other hand, difference of opinion is what makes the world go-round, and if someone else finds a better way, I'd love to see it. I'm no pro-disc golfer, just a guy who spent 12 odd years of education after high school learning the scientific method so I'm certainly open to examining other hypothesis and contradictory evidence. This and previous posts describe what I have found, there is really not much more to add.




Dave I'm not trying to say your wrong just stating that ALL of the thorws every thrown over 650' were done so using the hyzerflip method. That doesn't mean the disc doesn't anny (because it does) it just means that you release the disc on a hyzaer angle VS anyhyzer.

Matt,

Yes, I feel we are largely in agreement. I hypothesize that the "hyser-flip" is necessary in a Valk, etc because they are less stable discs, but at the time records were set with them they were the best available. If one didn't hyser flip them they literally flip over. Earlier records were set with even less stable discs that required even more hyser-flip than the Valk. With Wraith's not nearly as much hyser flip is necessary allowing the thrower to maximize the high speed sail effect, and if thrown "perfectly" the disc will get stable at the very end and hyser out directly away from the thrower as it slows using all it's enegy in the air and stalling literally just above the ground before landing and just plopping there. Now that's getting every inch of distance out of the energy imparted to the disc!

over and out (at work now)

Dave

Matt,

Yes, I feel we are largely in agreement. I hypothesize that the "hyser-flip" is necessary in a Valk, etc because they are less stable discs, but at the time records were set with them they were the best available. If one didn't hyser flip them they literally flip over. Earlier records were set with even less stable discs that required even more hyser-flip than the Valk. With Wraith's not nearly as much hyser flip is necessary allowing the thrower to maximize the high speed sail effect, and if thrown "perfectly" the disc will get stable at the very end and hyser out directly away from the thrower stalling literally 5 feet or less above the ground before landing and just plopping there. Now that's getting every inch of distance out of the energy imparted to the disc!

over and out (at work now)

Dave



YES and what you just said there proved MY point!!!!! The Wraith isn't understable enough to break the distance record and I would put $$$$$ on the fact that it won't break 700'. To get the most disctance you need to Punch and understable disc out on a hyzer and let is Apex at about 60ft. The disc won't even start turning over until it is about 200-300ft out.

BTW the Valk still is the best available. Wraith=Great golf D but not so good Pure distance D.

From Blake T's article on distance lines

"The first style is the distance anhyzer, which dominated distance technique from the first official 600' throw performed in 1987 and held the distance record up until 1998. This distance anhyzer is thrown with overstable discs and the general consensus is that the strength of this technique is that it yields very good consistently long distance.

The second style is the hyzer-flip, which has been the preferred method of distance technique since 1998 and been used to set every distance record since then. The hyzer-flip distance technique is generally thrown with stable to understable discs and starting the disc on a hyzer angle, letting it rise, flatten, and turn over. The consensus on the hyzer-flip technique is that current distance drivers are better suited to this method of throwing (since they are much less overstable than earlier sharp-nosed drivers) and that when executed perfectly, yields greater distance potential than the distance anhyzer but is less consistent in its execution."

Matt,
BTW the Valk still is the best available. Wraith=Great golf D but not so good Pure distance D.



Just curious, but what makes the Valkerie better than the Beast or a different understable higher speed driver?

Matt,

I'm gonna end my end of the discussion right here. You're a very nice guy and an excellent player. I consider you a friend from the times we've met in the past.

You certainly are entitled to your opinion. It doesn't mean I concede - only that it is pointless to continue. Aside from offering your opinion the only evidence you cite is your interpretation of historical events which may or may not be correct. I would point out that by the same logic you used, then only players who throw exclusively Innova can win the pro worlds or USDGC since the current pro world champ and USDGC champs throw exclusively Innova.

If you want to believe whatever I said in my descriptions of our results proved something about Wraiths or Valkyries that is your perogative. My original post was not really intended for you or players who can already throw as far as you, but as tips for mere mortals who might be considering throwing for distance. You clearly do not need any tips from me.

Blake has an extremely valuable site, but the passage you cited from his site proves nothing. If you asked Blake, I think he would agree that that passage proves nothing.

I've already stated the results of the testing we have done so it is there for anyone to take or leave as they see fit. That was my only purpose. The scientific method we used was sound and relatively free from bias as our only objective was to throw the disc as far as we could by whatever means worked best.

However anyone wants to throw, I wish them the best. As far as your predictions of the future, I'd only say that that is conjecture not science no matter how strongly one states it or how often it is repeated. Only time will tell.

your friend,

Dave W.

I think all that needs to be said is that an 11 year old threw 484 feet. I'm not going to question his methodology. The results are enough for me.

I for one enjoyed your observations. Thank you for taking the time to pass along your wealth of information, intelligence and experience. You have demonstrated that you are an extraordinarily diplomatic man. You seem to have an incredible amount of patience. It is not easy to have a congenial debate with such an opinionated "expert". You are an excellent role model for your son and obviously a great dad, too! Please continue to share your knowledge with those of us who are truly interested in learning from you.

I've already stated the results of the testing we have done so it is there for anyone to take or leave as they see fit. That was my only purpose. The scientific method we used was sound and relatively free from bias as our only objective was to throw the disc as far as we could by whatever means worked best.



Hi Dave,

Good stuff! All your stuff here makes a lot of sense to me. The one thing I am left wondering however, is the effect of the amount of spin imparted on the discs. If it was just one thrower throwing (young Dave), I would say that variable would not do much varying. can you please expound?

Thanks,
dave...

PS: are you guys coming down to Renny this weekend for the Discourse Open?

I remember seeing Sandstrom throw at the 2004 worlds in DesMoines - he threw it quite high in the air looked like a big anhyser throw to me, but really it's not black or white.



I was about 30 feet away from him when he threw this shot. He threw a white 164g DX valk with a hyzer release. The disc didnt flip over until it was 100 feet high and about 200 feet out.

Thanks Discette! The most important things to me is to stay on friendly terms with all my friends and not let little debates like this change that. Judging by his talent, I'd say Matt is an expert and as I said before a really nice person - I know I've met him, so the part about little debates definitely applies.


Dave, I think what you imply is right, as I've seen David get stronger his best disc for distance has gradually become a more stable one - so I'd have to say that an individuals best disc and weight would vary depending on their particular unique abilities. It also varies based upon the wind and weather conditions.

From what I can gather the optimal conditions are a warm day (Here in High Point it's good to get a 70 degree day in March) with a wind of 5 -15 miles per hour from SSW to WSW assuming one is right handed and facing north. The afternoon is best because the sun has warmed the ground and started at least a little bit of an updraft from the heat.

Having said that, when you watch countless discs fly with the sole purpose of trying to pick out specific traits that make them fly especially far you see certain things. The thing that is most dramatic is the way the wind will push a driver if it is tilted just so. We have all seen that on errant shots, the trick is to get it to work for you intentionally. When we throw for distance, if we put just enough anhyser tilt on it so that the crosswind can get under the trailing edge and push it forward it can make a significant difference in the distance of the throw. The amout of tilt is just enough - too much and one has to throw it either too high losing energy and risking stall, or too low risking turning it over. We seem to get the most distance when we get the disc into this optimal anny orientation with the crosswind as soon as possible maximizing the time the disc is pushed forward.

The problem with a less stable disc, and again, I'd agree this varies from person to person and depending on conditions is that if one tries to anny it early it is more likely to flip over. One can compensate by throwing it higher, but too high and you lose distance too.

The disc speed (lower coefficient of drag) makes a difference too, not just the stability. A faster disc will lose less speed to drag and move faster longer. This translates into more distance since the majority of the flight (the high speed portion) is before the glide. Hence, we try to maximize the disc speed without sacrificing too much glide

One can compensate for the discs stability to maximize glide. The anny portion of the flight turns the disc slightly to the right of straight ahead of the thrower. As the disc slows it turns into the crosswind and this virtual headwind straightens the fade out so that it is directly away from the thrower. The trick here is to time the point at which the disc makes this turn into the wind until the last possible moment (to maximize the sail effect) - but early enough to keep the disc aloft so that it runs out of glide just as it is hitting the ground (to maximize the glide). The higher the windspeed and more westerly the wind, the more stability one can compensate for -and these stable discs glide quite well given enough virtual "headwind" Actually, in higher winds the TRX aka Wraith -X worked best this year.

As Matt correctly pointed out, everything above has only been tested out to 500 feet or so. Whether or not it works beyond that, I hope to find out next year. You can be sure that we will still test different discs and throwing methods - hyser flip v. anny v. whatever is necessary to get it as far as we can.

Eddie and Matt, I guess I stand corrected on Sandstrom. I'd say then that with a Valk and his thowing speed he has to hyser flip it or he would (a) turn it over or (b) have to throw it too high to get optimal distance but that he is losing some potential distance in the early part of the flight before the disc flips anny due to no sail effect for that portion. A more stable disc could be put in an anny tilt earlier so as I alluded to before, hyser flip vs anny is not black or white, but a continuum based on increasing stability of the disc involved.

Whether the Valks glide v. a Wraith (at that distance) more than makes up for it's slower speed and less sail effect, I don't know. For David's distance I know that it doesn't. We have tried. The Wraith glides quite well if thrown as I described above and we can put an anny tilt on it from the gun without flipping it over.

For Avery Jenkins', the many time pro distance champion, take on this very same topic see Avery Jenkins Interview (http://zonedriven.com/04/21/42007-interview-with-avery-jenkins)

Now I think this horse has definitely been beaten to death ;)

PS - gotta work so can't make Discourse. Tried to get out of it, but could not. Definitely good to go for points bonanza though!

Scott Stokely anyone??? XL, XS..every distance record from 95-2001 with those!! You could simply ask him and have all your studies, questions, and debates put to rest...

have you tried out a dragon dave?? i'm flirting with nearly 500ft on a hyzer-flip (no wind) with them after about a year and a half of playing disc golf.

How far can they throw where? What's your point of reference.

How far can they throw vs. how far do they throw should also be asked. That is, some players may never throw anywhere near their full potential.

The best players don't necessarily throw far. Some do when they need to but it doesn't always pay. Take for example Markus K. He throws on tour farther than any one else I've seen. On the other hand, he isn't the most dominant player on tour. Avery, also acknowledged to be a long thrower, isn't the most dominant player out there. Barry can throw very far, and on occasion, when he needs to, he does.

Soooo, I've seen in video:

Markus K throw a 550 ft shot at Worlds (Arizona)

Barry S throw a 500 ft shot at Worlds (New York)

Scott Stokely throw a 500 ft roller at Worlds (Texas)

Those are the longest documented true disc golf throws I've heard of. There may be more, but none that I've seen.

Avery is reported to have thrown a 600 ft air shot with a QK for funzies, but I've never heard of him throwing one of those 500 foot shots in an actual tournament. Doesn't mean he hasn't though.

My impression is that MTL is correct. Kenny is generally acknowledged to throw shorter than most Pros in the 375 to 415 foot range. I'd have to hear from a credible source that something different is going on before I'd believe it.

Other long distance throwers.

Steve Rico has a reputation for being a long thrower. I've seen a number of videos where he out-drove everyone and seemed very long.

Even longer, were the two brothers out of California who are now gone. I don't remember their names but they were incredibly long. Again, not in that 500 foot range that I've every seen in video.

Almost every Worlds has a distance competition. It shouldn't take much work to find the data to find some distances from those events.

2001 Pro Worlds video, Stevie Rico bombs a XL roller and hits the lock on hole # 4 @ CP Adams Park in Hastings MN. The hole is/was 520 feet.

Now that you mention it, I have seen some footage of some very long rollers by Rico. I don't remember the length but I remember them rolling 50 to 100 feet further than those thrown by Ron R., Kenny, and others.

Random thoughts:

I heard that Scott Stokely was 50 ft. right of the basket on hole A on the monster course after throwing a hyzer over the 20 ft. tall trees. (the hole's 495)

Also heard that Stokely overthrew the Monster hole (1039) in 2 by 50 ft.

Kenny throws farther than is generally credited. He still owns the Florida distance record of 554ft. with a Viper. (set in '94) I watched him hit the pole on the 445 ft. #12 during the first Players Cup. I also saw him park a bullet from 405 ft. out (about 375 ft. of carry over the water) into a 12-15 mph head wind on #5 in last year's Players Cup.

Got to see Chris Voigt's winning distance toss at the 2000 worlds. He hit the top of 25 ft. tall tree hard at about the 500 ft. mark and still carried to 570.

Random thoughts:

I heard that Scott Stokely was 50 ft. right of the basket on hole A on the monster course after throwing a hyzer over the 20 ft. tall trees. (the hole's 495)

Also heard that Stokely overthrew the Monster hole (1039) in 2 by 50 ft.

Kenny throws farther than is generally credited. He still owns the Florida distance record of 554ft. with a Viper. (set in '94) I watched him hit the pole on the 445 ft. #12 during the first Players Cup. I also saw him park a bullet from 405 ft. out (about 375 ft. of carry over the water) into a 12-15 mph head wind on #5 in last year's Players Cup.

Got to see Chris Voigt's winning distance toss at the 2000 worlds. He hit the top of 25 ft. tall tree hard at about the 500 ft. mark and still carried to 570.



I think the point here is an excellent one. While Kenny may be able to throw very far, he does so rarely enough that he has a reputation for being short. That would suggest that Kenny realizes the key to greatness isn't throwing monster shots.

I think the point here is an excellent one. While Kenny may be able to throw very far, he does so rarely enough that he has a reputation for being short. That would suggest that Kenny realizes the key to greatness isn't throwing monster shots.


I concur. I think there's two main reasons why one would not want to throw every drive to 11:
1) There's a point beyond which the variance in both direction and distance becomes too much of a trade-off versus the increased average distance. Kenny's game is very much about control and minimizing randomness and bad luck.

2) The short term and long term risk of injury is greatly increased for a player that throws max out all the time. I don't know if this influences Kenny's shot selections or not, but I'll always remember the time that Tiger Woods had a baseball-sized rock immediately behind his ball and he chose to hit the rock with a full-wedge swing. He pulled the shot off, but hurt his wrist and was grimacing the rest of the round on all of his shots.

Course-design-wise: It's my hope that new gold level courses require power in the 350-400 ft. range to win on, but do not become tracks that require 450-500 ft. power to win on. I do like giving the canon-arms some opportunities to take advantage of their power, but not without taking significantly more risk beyond a certain distance. i.e. give the "cheater" route on a par 4 that could set up an eagle or easy birdie if hit, but probably results in bogey or worse if missed. don't give the "cheater" route that sets up a an eagle or easy birdie if hit and also results in an easy birdie if missed.

I thought Millz can throw 700 ft uphill in a headwind.

I thought Millz can throw 700 ft uphill in a headwind.

with a buzzz

I thought Millz can throw 700 ft uphill in a headwind.

with a buzzz


I heard it was a Roc...

I thought Millz can throw 700 ft uphill in a headwind.

with a buzzz


I heard it was a Roc...



Im pretty sure it was a devilhawk

I thought Millz can throw 700 ft uphill in a headwind.

with a buzzz


I heard it was a Roc...



Im pretty sure it was a devilhawk


/msgboard/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

I thought Millz can throw 700 ft uphill in a headwind.

with a buzzz


I heard it was a Roc...



Im pretty sure it was a devilhawk


/msgboard/images/graemlins/ooo.gif



That was in 2005..........but I am regaining some of my lost distance lately........Oh and I cant even throw that darn Devilhawk again.........Nasa called me and wanted to know what this disc was doing orbiting the moon so I asked for it back but promised not to throw it again.......Unless it was on a spike hyzer toward Iraq :eek: :eek: :eek:

The middle east should be considered OB

The middle east should be considered OB


If that's the case then Bush would have been better off to have not played and taken a 7 on every hole instead.

The middle east should be considered OB


If that's the case then Bush would have been better off to have not played and taken a 7 on every hole instead.



I dont think you guys get it!!! If the DevilHawk every landed on a spike hyzer line it would creat mass destruction equal to if not greater than that of an Atomic Bomb which is why its a good thing my is orbiting the moon :D:D:D