First some background. I'm new to disc golf, but used to play a lot of ultimate. I'm bad at judgeing distances, but I'm estimating that my longest drives are around 250'. It seems that this would be a mid to short range shot for a more experienced player.

I'm not sure this question is as clear as I may like, but it's a start. Thanks in advance for any help.

My question is, are the ranges for discs absolute or relative? For example, for me would a mid-range disc be something to throw from 100' (putting range for some) or would I be better still using a putter? Another example would be a 300' throw, would I be better with a mid-range or a driver? Or, do I even have a mid-range? Would I use a driver for everything except putts within 50' or so?

If you are an Ultimate Player you probably can throw a disc fairly well, so you arent a person totally new to throwing discs. My advice to you is get a putter, like an Aviar/Challenger/Wizard, get a Midrange like a Shark or Comet and go out in a field and just throw them. You will be able to see your range very easily. A BIG mistake new players make is thinking they have to use a Driver from the Tee Box or think they have to putt with a putter. Get the Midrange and Putter and work with them, and then once you have control, meaning you can throw them perfectly straight and make them turn both ways, then get a understable/straight driver like a Cyclone, Leopard, XL, or Valkyrie. And then do the same field thing with them.
Dont be afraid to try new things, remember have fun. And a disc alone is not the answer to distance or putting problems.
Cheers,
Matt

If you are an Ultimate Player you probably can throw a disc fairly well, so you arent a person totally new to throwing discs. My advice to you is get a putter, like an Aviar/Challenger/Wizard, get a Midrange like a Shark or Comet and go out in a field and just throw them. You will be able to see your range very easily. A BIG mistake new players make is thinking they have to use a Driver from the Tee Box or think they have to putt with a putter. Get the Midrange and Putter and work with them, and then once you have control, meaning you can throw them perfectly straight and make them turn both ways, then get a understable/straight driver like a Cyclone, Leopard, XL, or Valkyrie. And then do the same field thing with them.
Dont be afraid to try new things, remember have fun. And a disc alone is not the answer to distance or putting problems.
Cheers,
Matt



Thanks for the advice. I actually found an empty field to practice in this weekend and it helped a lot. The course we play on has a ton of trees, there's only one or two holes that are even remotely open, and one is on a steep uphil and the other is a steep downhill. Throwing on flat land really let me know how my discs fly.

One of the reasons I asked is because I found that there wasn't a huge difference between how my drivers (XL & Cheetah) and my midrange discs (Super Roc and Gremlin) flew. There was a difference, but it was subtle. I'm guessing it's because I'm not experienced enough to really have a mid-range. I did notice a difference between them and my Aviar, though.

One of the reasons I got into the sport is I knew in advance that the discs are cheap and have cool names so I'd have the oppertunity to buy a lot of them. I know it's probably not the ideal way to do it, but having and using a bunch of different discs is part of the fun for me.

Lots of people will tell you to pick one disc and thow it until it feels like a natural extension of your body before getting another one. But discs are cool! I've been playing for almost a year, and I've accumulated about 75 discs, with very few duplicates. I've thrown all but a couple of them on the course.

I'm glad I have all these discs, because I've learned a lot from them. For one thing, between reading stuff on here and testing my own discs, I think I have a good understanding of the general principles of disc flight. For another, having thrown all these different discs, I don't feel dependent on any particular one. Well, ok, I do, but not as much as some people. Finally, it's taken me this long to get a feel for what I really like to throw. Call it a long audition process, but my bag is down to about ten discs for tournaments and one to five for casual play.

As for your original question, you should probably leave out the drivers for now. Just throw your midranges like you're trying to hit someone pretty far down field in Ultimate.

Just looking back at all the money I could have saved by not buying 100+ discs, I would stick with the basics and just learn to throw. (Not to mention how fast your game would improve.) Then based on the one disc you can throw well you can figure out what discs you need and want to try.
I played with some beginners yesterday and they asked me how I was throwing so far (I'm not a huge arm, but I was throwning my putter farther then their drivers and they couldn't understand how) they asked if it was all about the disc? I told them to throw their mid-range off the tee instead of their Beast or Orc or insert the newest distance driver fad...and instantly their disc went straighter and about 50-75 feet farther.
Beginners just dont have the speed or spin to throw an overstable driver, so why waste money on a disc that will teach you the wrong way to throw to get it to fly.

. . . why waste money on a disc that will teach you the wrong way to throw to get it to fly.



Because of the reasons I already gave. And because he said he wants to buy a lot of discs.

Also, buying and trying a lot of different discs doesn't mean they have to be primarily overstable drivers. There are plenty of midranges and putters out there to test.

Oh I know there are and I tried all of them too, and I am just trying to help a new player improve his game not lighten his wallet. I have so many discs that are now basicly worthless to me just because I thought a disc could change my game when in reality you just have to learn how to throw, that is all my point was. And you have to admit any new player is going to buy the disc that says EXTRA ULTRA SUPER LONG RANGE DRIVER......thinking it is going to go extra long and straight. I'm not saying you should get 3 discs and play with them for the rest of your life, by no means, I just think you should learn the game and good technique before you start buying alot of discs. It will make the game more fun and once you start getting new discs it will make it that much more enjoyable as well becuase they will do what they are designed for.
I guess all I was saying was if I had to do it all over again I would go the minimalist approach till I maximized those discs, then go from there, and it would be in half the time.
-Matt

My question is, are the ranges for discs absolute or relative? For example, for me would a mid-range disc be something to throw from 100' (putting range for some) or would I be better still using a putter? Another example would be a 300' throw, would I be better with a mid-range or a driver? Or, do I even have a mid-range? Would I use a driver for everything except putts within 50' or so?



Disc ranges are relative. Some folks whip out a driver for anything over 250'; others throw putters on anything under 300-350'. Ken Jarvis will throw an Aero on 400'+ holes if there's enough room, and I've witnessed a 373' tournament ace with an Aviar.

On the dg course, proper disc selection for the throw at hand is more important than the length of the throw, and accomplished players will choose which disc to throw based on the specific requirements of the shot at hand. In general, slower discs (putters, midranges) are easier to control and provide a greater margin of error than faster discs (drivers), so it may make more sense to throw a putter or a midrange disc on a given hole/shot than a driver. Say you can throw a driver 330' and a midrange disc 280. On a 300' hole with a packed dirt "green" and OB 25' behind the basket, it may make more sense to throw a midrange disc rather than blowing by the basket and ending up OB. Conversely, if, instead of OB 25' behind the basket there's an OB creek 30' short of the basket and you're throwing into a headwind, it may make more sense to throw a driver than a midrange.

My question is, are the ranges for discs absolute or relative? For example, for me would a mid-range disc be something to throw from 100' (putting range for some) or would I be better still using a putter? Another example would be a 300' throw, would I be better with a mid-range or a driver? Or, do I even have a mid-range? Would I use a driver for everything except putts within 50' or so?



Disc ranges are relative. Some folks whip out a driver for anything over 250'; others throw putters on anything under 300-350'. Ken Jarvis will throw an Aero on 400'+ holes if there's enough room, and I've witnessed a 373' tournament ace with an Aviar.

On the dg course, proper disc selection for the throw at hand is more important than the length of the throw, and accomplished players will choose which disc to throw based on the specific requirements of the shot at hand. In general, slower discs (putters, midranges) are easier to control and provide a greater margin of error than faster discs (drivers), so it may make more sense to throw a putter or a midrange disc on a given hole/shot than a driver. Say you can throw a driver 330' and a midrange disc 280. On a 300' hole with a packed dirt "green" and OB 25' behind the basket, it may make more sense to throw a midrange disc rather than blowing by the basket and ending up OB. Conversely, if, instead of OB 25' behind the basket there's an OB creek 30' short of the basket and you're throwing into a headwind, it may make more sense to throw a driver than a midrange.



Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for!

The other advice has been extremely helpful too. I guess the term "lot of discs" is relative as well. I have 5 discs in my bag rather than 2 or 3 like some people suggest and have been considering going up to 6 or 7 and I consider that a "lot" for someone of my experience level. If I had thought someone was considering buying dozens of discs I'd try and dissuade them too. ;)

On a side note, I bought a Gremlin the other day based mainly on the name and cool artwork and ended up hitting a big (for us) birdie with a strong wind with it last night. Could I have hit it with my Aviar? Perhaps, but I wouldn't have gotten to do a cool gremlin laugh afterwards.

So far I've been finding these forum to be pretty newbie-friendly. Because of some of the stuff I've read on here I was able to beat two friends who have been playing for 4 years twice last night...and I started 2 weeks ago.