What are some good discs for a beginner such as myself to start out with and how many discs should someone have? Right now, I have an Innova Beast and an Innova Stingray. They seem to work alright for me thus far, but that's only been a week. <font color="orange"> </font>

I would recommend buying one or two putters and getting a feel for which one you like better. A good putting game will drop many strokes off. I always lend my friends a shark when they first start, since they are relatively stable and make a good starting point for learning to throw different throws (hyzer, annies, etc). Just remember that it's the throw more than the disc, so don't get upset that you aren't playing well and go buy another disc to try to remedie it, go play another round and get better.

I would suggest using your stingray, and for midrang a roc, and for a putter either a aviar or a Discraft Magnet. Then once you think you have gotten good at throwing the stingray go to a Leopard, because it is faster, but stil understable and a good next step. But the beast might be had to get good at throwing, however I used a beast a bit early and it was ok, but I still didn't get good at throwing it until I got better with my other discs and I start turning over my stingray and stuff. Hope that helps.

I suggest you pick a Midrange. My Brother Eric shoots between five to ten over par (Played five times total) with ONLY a Stratus. The Stratus is a Great easy to throw midrange, also the Hawk, the Buzzz, or the Comet. You'll be really glad later if you learn a midrange now solid as your driver. Then go up to, say, an XL, a similar stability but lower profile driver. Then, the Z extreme... Just Kidding.

As a relatively new player to the game...I'd say don't buy too many discs too fast. When I started in June, I kept reading about how "disc x" was longer or better than "disc y", so I'd go out and buy "disc x", and then get very frustrated when my distance wouldn't immediately improve. Get a couple...learn to throw them, learn to love them :)

It wasn't until just a couple months ago that I really learned that I don't yet have the technique and/or arm to throw the longer stuff. 3/4 of all my plastic sits in my closet...waiting for when I get better :)

Right now I carry 6 discs when I play, but I generally only use 3-4, with the others mainly for "specialty shots" that I can't throw with the other discs consistently.

Also, I'd recommend stick to discs with a 0 stability rating for a little while...they won't fade to the left too much at the end...keeping you in the fairway. Fairway good!!

When I started, I got an Elite-X X.S., a Comet, and an APX putter, and except for the APX, they are still in my bag, and my most reliable discs.

Good luck, and have fun...that's the main thing :)

Here are some good begining discs and a description of what they will probably do for someone new to the game.
Discraft drivers: Xpress (for straight shots), XL (For shots that fade left)
Discraft midrange: Comet (for straight shots), Buzz (for shots that fade left)

Innova drivers: Archangel, Gazelle, or Leopard (for straight shots), Teebird (for shots that fade left)
Innova midrange: Shark or Cobra (for straight shots), Roc (for shots that fade left)

As far as putters go, try a couple and whatever works best for your style stick with it...and I mean stick with it through thick and especially thin. It's very important to become familiar with a type of putter because most of your shots during a round will be with this disc.

Since I only have the two discs that I use, the Beast and Stingray, I have gotten fairly good with them. I am more consistent with the Stingray(which I found a longtime ago and didn't know what it was, but kept it anyways. I actually thought it was something to throw with your dog, hahaha!). The beast is a little more iffy. Sometimes I can belt out an awesome drive with it, and other times it cuts in and rolls for a while, which has helped in some cases. My bro got a cheetah and reccomended it for me. He said it was really easy to throw, ie pretty straight drives. For my putter, I use the Stingray, which works for me now, but I was just curious as if there was more out there as far as putters go. Thanks for all the feedback!

That cheetah is a good disc also. As far a putting goes it would definatly be worth your while to have one. This way you can go for the putt without having to worry about the disc flying to far past the basket or hitting the ground and rolling away. An aviar is what I use and its great. The more it gets beat up the straighter it goes.

JL
I'd also suggest lower weight discs. 150-160g are good weights for beginners, unless you're very strong, large or athletic. The lighter discs, I've found, help a beginner learn what a disc can do much more readily than the heavier discs.
You'll also get a bit more distance.
Beasts are very overstable and will tend to curve left (right-hand backhand throw). I wouldn't recommend them for beginners. I still have trouble with them unless I throw them with a pretty severe anhyzer angle [except my 150 class. got my first really long throw with a 150 Beast {weight again!}]
I'd recommend the Cheetah, the Leopard and the Archangel.
Also Polaris LS is a great beginner disc. It tends to go dead straight.
If you can't find the exact discs mentioned, ask around forr understable discs, as they will be easier to 'level' on long throws.

P.S.
If you can make your Beast turn over, then pay no attention to
the above, as you're doing better than I am! :eek:

Haha, yeah, I guess I am strong. As well as disc golf, I am a powerlifter, an Olympic hammer thrower, and a Scottish Games competitor. I have gotten it to flip over a few times, but I thought it was a bad thing to do. :cool:

Speaking from personal experience: If your technique is bad enough, it doesn't take much strength to flip any disc. A controlled right turn is another story . . .

The key is to take all your power and channel it into the snap as you release. Your throwing background should help. The X-step is essentially a mirror image of the javelin footwork, done at a slightly different angle.

As for beginner discs, I've seen two new players have a lot of success with the Wolf recently.

I would suggest the Shark or the Cobra for a beginner.

My dad uses a 171g Shark, and a 174g Roc only, and has even beaten me once! He doesn't throw very far, but he's accurate in ways I can't even imagine...

For the Discraft throwers,

XL
Stratus
Wasp or Hawk

I gave the following advice to a newbie today:

<ul type="square">
I would recommend a driver and a putter to start with. The best putter is the Aviar, but any putter will do. They fly straighter when trying to get the disc into the basket from close range, where a driver will veer off sharply. You will quickly find yourself very frustrated if you try to putt with a driver.

As far as drivers go, avoid anything that is described as "overstable" or "stable." These are discs that will turn sharply if not delivered with power. You need an "understable" disc to start, and I would recommend a Sidewinder, Archangel, or Stingray.

You can also consult the following: http://www.innovadiscs.com/downloads/driverchart_web.pdf and http://www.innovadiscs.com/downloads/multichartsweb2.pdf

Also try to get lighter weights (150-169g) and colors you can find easily (white, orange, pink) Avoid green, yellow, or any dark color that will blend in with plant life.
[/list]

Thats a nice list, but I've found that the best beginner discs (what I've handed out and were able for new players to handle the best) is an S Wizard for putting, and S Element for midrange shots, and an S Sabre for driving. All of these discs are straight and can be handled by anyone.

I've tried to get my girlfriend to come out golfing with me more often (partly because now since it's nice I hijack her dog and take him when I go), and in the process, have bought her a few discs. I tried to think it through so she could learn as close to properly as possible (something I didn't really have). I picked her up a 165 sidewinder and a 166 valkyrie for drivers, and a 168 spider for midrange, and a blowfly for a putter. I suggested an aviar, but she saw the blowfly and liked the floppiness, and I figured something that grabbed the chains and didn't roll would be beginner friendly. I learned a forehand throw maybe a year before I ever tried to backhand, so I started with a banshee and used a spider as a putter for the longest time. I'm hoping the learning curve will go a lot better for her since I for the most part know what I'm talking about after playing for 4 years.

: ) knowing what you're talking about is only half of it, the other half is being able to talk about what you know, or in other words being able to explain the concepts well. Auroura MS comes to mind for beginner disc.

i don't recommend any drivers to beginners at first.. I'd rather they learn how to throw properly(and get away from a LId type throw early) with a midrange like a stingbat and a putter. Then i would incorporate a driver when they show the ability to flatten out their midrange and/or get decent distance..
If you start themwith a driver they may try to turn it over for it to go straight and that's a horrible way to learn to throw.
my girlfriend has been playing with me for about 3 weeks now.. probably has been out 5-6 times and she has a driver, but never throws it.. She throws her stingbat nice and flat and sometimes it turns a little, but she can put it right down the middle of any gap she wants to hit..
Until she learns how to do a run-up for driving i don't think she'll need a driver.

-Scott Lewis

Is a "Stingbat" your nickname for a Stingray? Because a Stingray, while now labeled as a 'multi-purpose disc' on Innova's website, was actually considered a driver when it came out. With its sharp edge, I'd still consider it a mid-range driver. And with its stable-to-understable tendencies, it's a perfect beginner disc.

You also mentioned the following:


if you start them with a driver they may try to turn it over for it to go straight and that's a horrible way to learn to throw.



In my opinion, that is exactly what you need to get new players out of the bad Frisbee habits of throwing with hyzer and nose-up, resulting in horrendous rainbow shots. Getting a new player to throw flat, nose down, and actually turning over a driver is something it can otherwise take months or years to figure out.

Thats a nice list, but I've found that the best beginner discs (what I've handed out and were able for new players to handle the best) is an S Wizard for putting, and S Element for midrange shots, and an S Sabre for driving. All of these discs are straight and can be handled by anyone.



Yeah, Elements fly really nice in a noobs hands...and the Sabre is a nice progression from there...and Wizards...well Wizards are Wizards....too smooth for anyone not too be throwing!

Shark, element, or a comet.

Best beginner disc is the mini. Every kid should start tossing before the age of 4 and should have an ample supply of minis in his or her playpen.

it may have been considered a driver when it came out, but it isn't anymore.. and that's becuase it is different from the "drivers" of today. thx for getting technical.

-Scott Lewis