Does anyone have any tips for selecting discs with good crossover abilities. For example using an Innova Hydra to putt because it is similar to an XD. Instead of carrying both a Hydra and an XD.

I am trying not to carry a bunch of discs.

well if you want to take an example from Ron Russell.. When i Followed steve Brinster's Group on day 1 of NYStates 2003 I noticed that Ron only carried 4 discs.
He had 1 magnet, 1 comet, and 2 Cyclones.

Standard Small Bag Layout for Innova would be:
Aviar
Roc
Teebird.

As for the hydra i've never thrown it nor the xd, but i heard the classic roc is similar.. plus the Classic roc is a midrange..

-"I suck" Scott

Classic Roc is just a longer XD.

Thats unbelievable he is so good with only a cyclone as his driver. What does he do when he is faced with a big hyzer hole? Cyclones, even new, are straight flyers at best. I wonder how he handles a big headwind with a Cyclone?

It's a while since I read the anecdote, but Crazy John Brooks was said to carry but two Aviars, and two Vipers. I believe those were the two molds.

Thats unbelievable he is so good with only a cyclone as his driver.


That's why he's a top pro.

Thats unbelievable he is so good with only a cyclone as his driver. What does he do when he is faced with a big hyzer hole? Cyclones, even new, are straight flyers at best. I wonder how he handles a big headwind with a Cyclone?



He throws a Cyclone on a hyzer line. Throwing is as much about wrist control as it is disc stability.

These days Ron carrys a Z Talon in his bag. He historically had an Xtra in there. if you watch the 2003 MN Majestic video you can see him throw it on a coulpe of holes.

i heard that from Ron (convers) that Ron (russel) was using mostly a flash at Russel's favorite tournament in the whole wide world The Oklahoma Open :D:)

They list on the Discraft web page that he is so it is possible. Alot of that info on "what the pro's throw" is not alwys 100% accurate for Innova and Discraft. I would think you would need a crow bar to pry the Cyclone out of his bag.

Unless you are a pro, or close, with years of experience, don't fall for all this minimalist stuff. Look at your disc golf game as a collection of different throws/lines rather than discs. A top pro, regardless of how many discs he/she may be carrying, possesses an enormous repetoire of different throws/lines. A pro has precise control of their release angles and can throw the disc in 100s of different ways due to years of repetitious practice and tourney experience. To become a competetive player the first thing that you need is some level of consistency. This usually means becoming well-practiced at a couple of basic disc golf throws, and slowly working on more complex/finesse throws. So for example, an am 2 player might have a basic putting form down, along with a basic anhyzer, flat, and hyzer throw. Most players at this level cannot willfully control whether they throw a disc at 15 or 25 degrees of hyzer with any consistency. To be able to negotiate the vast array of throws/lines they may need on typical courses, this am 2 player could find discs that fly on those needed lines when thrown one of the limited ways that they are consistent at. As skill and control improve, naturally you can throw the same disc in more different ways and your need for many different discs becomes less. So if you are a local pro looking to become a more successful touring player, then learning to throw all your lines with the fewest discs is a real and useful goal, but for all of us ams looking to stay competetive while still learning the finer points of release control, etc., I think this advice is poor.

Ron used to throw the Z-Talon as his overstable disc.

I played with Ron at the OK Open and he had 2 Magnets, 1 Comet, 2 Cyclones, 1 Flash and 1 Crush.

A lot of top pros have very few molds but a lot of discs. ex: 6 Rocs of all different stages of wear.

I can personally atest to Crazy John's arsenal. It was an couple of Aviars and an old Viper. To complete the set up there was his water jug which doubled as a seat, a towel and a pack of smokes. This was at the Wide Open probably 1994 or 1995.

Unless you are a pro, or close, with years of experience, don't fall for all this minimalist stuff. Look at your disc golf game as a collection of different throws/lines rather than discs.
--SNIPPED--



I was not looking to get too minmalistic. The variety of discs versus the actual differences in flight patterns seems overwhelming. There is such a slight difference between many of the discs. I was trying to narrow down the number of discs carried. A better example may be would you carry a Viking or a Valkurie? They fly slightly different but is it really worth it to carry both?

cutting my bag to 10-12 discs has worked wonders. I played in the open division during a local mini at the Z, and finished 2 strokes out of first with a +5... my best round on a sunday evar. My game has steadily improved, right after I got rid of the big bag, and stopped carrying 21 or more discs.

2 aviar kc pro 175
c sidewinder 158 worn
c valk 172 beat up
c valk 175 clean
glow tbird 175 clean
c orc 172 clean
dx roc 180 worn
c cobra 178 worn
c rhyno 174 worn
c firebird 172 worn

I switch a few out here and there, but that's the max.

I carry 8 to 10 discs in my bag. Easier for me to just adjust the throw than to carry a disc for every shot. Shot the course record carrying only 4 discs, stable, over stable, Roc, putter.

I have been a big miniminalist in regards to the discs I carry for about a year. Since I started playing 3 years ago I have gone from carrying 16 discs at all times to around 6 discs now.

My bag includes:

TeeBird (straight or turnover and roller)
Predator (everything)
Xtreme (trick/wind/always predictable)
Putter (doesn't matter what kind, aviar/**wizard/challenger, I use whatever I feel like)
Comet
X-Wasp

I don't need and rarely use anything else.


**wizard is however my favourite putter to throw drives with

For a lot of people they may use 5 discs regularly, and then the rest are for specialty shots. Spike Hyzers, BH rollers, FH rollers, wind play, etc.

Also depends a lot on the type of course. Basic short open courses need a putter and maybe 2 midranges. A very tough course with a variety of holes that requires a bunch of different shots may require a lot more discs(unless you're a player like Ron).

What about JJ? 3 molds. Roc, Teebird, Aviar.

he's got the right idea:)

I adjust a bag of 10-12 depending the course I will be playing on. More mid-range for tighter courses, more long distance drivers for open longer courses.

I usualy carry five different types of discs with two of each style in case I lose one. I hate to step up to a shot and wish I had so and so disc I lost on the last hole.

For a lot of people they may use 5 discs regularly, and then the rest are for specialty shots. Spike Hyzers, BH rollers, FH rollers, wind play, etc.

Also depends a lot on the type of course. Basic short open courses need a putter and maybe 2 midranges. A very tough course with a variety of holes that requires a bunch of different shots may require a lot more discs(unless you're a player like Ron).



Doubling back on defending us "maximumists" I carry 20 molds. But agreeing with the above, I probably throw my Wasp, Buzzz, Orc, and Teebird on 80% of the holes I play around the state. The rest of my discs, including a flick, gator, Leopard, Flash, Valkrie, and XL are all for speciality throws. They are for shots demanding just the perfect amount of turn, fade or skip, that I cannot get out of my main discs. On my home course I only need an Orc, Teebird, over and understable midrange and a putter, because I know these holes back and forth. However even at a home tournament I will carry all 20 molds because who knows what trouble you can get into at a tournament and you may just need that special hooking skip that a Whippet will give you.

BTW, I am a MA1 player, and throughout the last few months, I have grown more comfortable and dependent on the "regular" discs mentioned above. I carry two teebirds, two wasps and 3 buzzzes.

Try traveling...you can't stuff a tournament-use bag of almost 20 discs on a business trip (well not most trips anyway). I have one big and one small PDGA bag, and I had to scale down the 18-19 regulars to 7. That's as few as I'd want to choose from. Keep in mind that the MOST important ones hands down are your putter and that one mid-range that you almost always use. For me, that's an Aviar and last year's glow Roc (love that thing!). A disc that flies like a candy Viper will do wonders too. Other than those, I need a very overstable, slightly overstable, slightly understable, and very understable driver to keep me going (for me that's a Firebird, Teebird/candy Archangel, Orc/Starfire, and Sidewinder). The rest of the discs are basically backups or discs to fit the sometimes "extreme" conditions that you'll find yourself playing in during tournaments no matter how crappy they are (wind/rain/cold/hot), and there's always 1 or 2 for the shots where there's quite a bit of risk of not getting the disc back (water/ravine/rabid dogs/10 year-old kleptos).

So...I like a combo of minimalism and preparedness. I don't throw alot of molds, I know what all the ones I do throw fly like, and I keep rarely-thrown ones just in case. I imagine most players out there today, whether they intended on it or not, are like that.

--------- there's always 1 or 2 for the shots where there's quite a bit of risk of not getting the disc back (water/ravine/rabid dogs/10 year-old kleptos).---------



I was pretty proud of a Hydra that I bought thinking this is great, it floats... first shot... center of stagnent pond. I sure am glad it floats, now If I can convince a 10 year old klepto to swim out and get it...

Discs that float...what a concept...

Oops I threw that disc in the water. I am glad that it floats even though I still can't retrieve it.

A disc that floats seems to get the "last laugh" when it is thrown into a lake or pond.

well i say cutting down your bag is a great thing... Since for am players that don't have control on degrees of hyzer/annhyzer many discs will do the same exact thing for them basically.
It all just comes down to knowing what your discs do and being comfortable throwing them....
i knocked my bag down to this for my local course from the Middle Tees(standard tees):
Aviar Putt and Approach
First Run Z-buzzz
A Slightly beat 11x Teebird...

For tournametns i usually carry:
4 putters(AviarPA, Classic Aviar, Omega AP(turnover), Crystal Challenger)
ROC, ZBUZZZ, '05 CE ROC
Beat light Gazelle
Champ Teebird
2 11x Teebirds
Firebird/monster/speed demon

I do a lot of driving with putters so to have a few is a good thing.
I also feel most comfortable with my putters and i know what they do more than my drivers...
Now if only i could putt :)

-Scott Lewis

So before everybody went into how many discs X and Y use, I think you asked about Tweener discs. I've seen numerous people drive a Magnet or Wizard >400ft.... I'm not that good, but I definitely drive a putter for many short holes.

Putters that can be used for a midrange should probably be overstable to give you a little immunity to flipping and to allow for a decent hyser. Also, you probably want to pick a durable plastic to help keep it consistent when you hit a tree. My thoughts would be get :
-Wizard in H/E plastic (that's what I use)
-Rhyno Champlion/Pro (that's what I've seen others use)
-Challenger (i've seen others use them as well)
-Qmega

Now maybe something that is sorta Mid, sorta Long. Again I'm thinking overstable to allow you to do spike hyzers, thumbers, be safe in the wind, get D if needed:
-Evolution Blaze (is what I use. You can side arm it, you can get spike hyzers out of it, you can get a S-curve out of it that will give you some nice D, also it's pretty safe in the wind. ).
-Banshee(haven't thrown one in a while, but as I recall, it's something like a faster blaze)

All these discs to me are pretty much tweeners. I'm sure there are others. I would probably put a XD/Clarric Roc Pro in the mix. Maybe a Roc/Wasp/Squall.

As per how many discs one needs... I've definitely had it handed to me by a guy throwing a putter only.

-Jon

Pro pack it! Pro packing is carring 6 discs and 6 beers for a round. I definetly have shot some crazy low rounds doing that.

Putter
2 Rocs
Teebird
Monster

I usually carry 7 discs when I play and have never seen the need to carry more:

1 170g Orc: Long open drives/Windy conditions
1 174g Champ. Beast: Long drives calm conditions
1 167g Flash: Extreme distance drives on open holes
1 168g Crush: Straight drives up to 400'.
1 168g Champ. Eagle: Medium length hyzer drives
1 178g Buzz: Midrange duties and drives of about 330'.
1 166g Pro spider: putting and short midranges

If I play a course with lots of trouble, I will bring a couple of extra less valuable drivers.