Merkaba311
May 21 2009, 02:01 AM
One part of my game that I've been trying to develop lately is reading the wind properly. I think most disc golfers I've played with share in the misconception that whichever way the wind is blowing, their disc will be sent in that direction.
Based on my own experiences, this is how I read the wind. I'm not saying in any way that I'm correct or that my experiences are uniform. This is just how the wind affects discs that I throw. I live near Lake Michigan and where I live there are constant high winds because we're unshielded from the west. If you disagree or have something to add, please feel free to do so.
For the sake of simplicity, I will talk about how wind affects right-hand-back-hand shots, or simply a disc spinning clockwise. For a disc spinning counter-clockwise, just reverse directions.
Headwind: A headwind will cause discs to perform a sharper high speed turn and exaggerate a low speed fade. When throwing into a headwind, it is best to use an overstable disc and try to keep it low so that when the fade occurs it doesn't fade too severely. Most times, a headwind will reduce overall distance.
Tailwind: A tailwind will cause discs to fly in a more overstable fashion than they're actually rated. Discs don't have as much glide when thrown with a tailwind so combined with the fact that they act a little more overstable than usual, throwing "hard" with a tailwind isn't out of the question which can improve distance. When throwing with a tailwind I prefer to throw midrange discs because they seem to glide better than drivers, and when accuracy counts, the last thing you want to be doing is throwing hard.
Left-to-Right or "Distance Defeating" Wind: When throwing with a strong left-to-right wind, you will see your disc "dance" in mid-air more than with any other wind. This kind of wind has the tendency to drop discs to the ground before they can perform a low speed fade which is why I always call it a "distance defeating" wind. It will add slightly more glide and high speed turn to turnover shots and they're less susceptible to the "dancing" effect. But don't be surprised if any kind of shot thrown in this kind of wind has the chair pulled out from under it.
Right-to-Left or "Distance" Wind: Obviously, from what I call a right-to-left wind, you can tell that I think it adds distance to every shot. I'm not sure why exactly, but I think that it has to do with the fact that a disc wants to fade to the left and the wind is just helping push the disc in a direction it's trying to go anyways. When a disc starts to slow down, it seems to me that in a distance wind, the disc doesn't fade at a sharp angle. It glides in a more gentle and long fashion to the ground.
The worst wind for distance to me would be from 10 o' clock. The best wind for distance to me would be from 4 o'clock.
If anyone would like to add how to read the wind while putting please do so :) I may do it myself after I'm more familiar with how wind affects putts. I don't know if anything about my putting is consistent enough to really get a good read :p
I'd actually really like to see a Discraft clinic on how to read the wind. *Hint Hint*
Based on my own experiences, this is how I read the wind. I'm not saying in any way that I'm correct or that my experiences are uniform. This is just how the wind affects discs that I throw. I live near Lake Michigan and where I live there are constant high winds because we're unshielded from the west. If you disagree or have something to add, please feel free to do so.
For the sake of simplicity, I will talk about how wind affects right-hand-back-hand shots, or simply a disc spinning clockwise. For a disc spinning counter-clockwise, just reverse directions.
Headwind: A headwind will cause discs to perform a sharper high speed turn and exaggerate a low speed fade. When throwing into a headwind, it is best to use an overstable disc and try to keep it low so that when the fade occurs it doesn't fade too severely. Most times, a headwind will reduce overall distance.
Tailwind: A tailwind will cause discs to fly in a more overstable fashion than they're actually rated. Discs don't have as much glide when thrown with a tailwind so combined with the fact that they act a little more overstable than usual, throwing "hard" with a tailwind isn't out of the question which can improve distance. When throwing with a tailwind I prefer to throw midrange discs because they seem to glide better than drivers, and when accuracy counts, the last thing you want to be doing is throwing hard.
Left-to-Right or "Distance Defeating" Wind: When throwing with a strong left-to-right wind, you will see your disc "dance" in mid-air more than with any other wind. This kind of wind has the tendency to drop discs to the ground before they can perform a low speed fade which is why I always call it a "distance defeating" wind. It will add slightly more glide and high speed turn to turnover shots and they're less susceptible to the "dancing" effect. But don't be surprised if any kind of shot thrown in this kind of wind has the chair pulled out from under it.
Right-to-Left or "Distance" Wind: Obviously, from what I call a right-to-left wind, you can tell that I think it adds distance to every shot. I'm not sure why exactly, but I think that it has to do with the fact that a disc wants to fade to the left and the wind is just helping push the disc in a direction it's trying to go anyways. When a disc starts to slow down, it seems to me that in a distance wind, the disc doesn't fade at a sharp angle. It glides in a more gentle and long fashion to the ground.
The worst wind for distance to me would be from 10 o' clock. The best wind for distance to me would be from 4 o'clock.
If anyone would like to add how to read the wind while putting please do so :) I may do it myself after I'm more familiar with how wind affects putts. I don't know if anything about my putting is consistent enough to really get a good read :p
I'd actually really like to see a Discraft clinic on how to read the wind. *Hint Hint*