Minimalist Bag for an "Old Dawg"

[shawnman696]

Please feel free to offer any thoughts or advice on discs or technique. I am new to Disc Golf, but enjoy it very much, I have been playing catch "frisbee" for 40+ years. While still a kid at heart, I am getting a little "long in the tooth", having reached "Old Dawg" status among most of my cohorts.

I throw mostly RHBH with putters up to 175 feet; the Innova Aero and Discraft Soft APX my favorites.
My max distance is currently 230 feet, with a Discraft Comet, but 210 to 215 feet is average.
There has not been any disc that I have thrown over 230 feet on a calm day, using a X-step approach.
My desire is to carry 5 to 7 discs, and continue to improve on my 2 months of enjoyable, steady play.

Below is my current inventory of discs, many of which were trial and error decisions:

Distance Drivers:
167 G Spectra, EliteZ
171 G AvengerSS, ProD
170 G Stalker, EliteX
150 G Dragon, DX
167 G TL, Star

Fairway Drivers:
165 G Impact, ESP
177 G Impact, ESP
170 G Cyclone, EliteX (Can't throw well)
150 G XL, ProD (Straight)
165 G XL, EliteX
165 G Cheetah, DX (Can't throw well)

Mid-Range Drivers:
150 G Skeeter, Star
164 G Comet, EliteZ (Favorite)
165 G Comet, EliteX
167 G Buzzz, EliteZ
171 G Buzzz, ProD
173 G Mako, Star (Most Workable)

Putt & Approach Drives:
167 G Dart, Star
174 G Aero, EchoStar
174 G Soft APX, EliteX (Favorite)
175 G Aviar, DX
175 G Birdie, DX

My skills are limited, as my distances indicate, but accuracy is steadily improving with many pars in each round with a near ace or two each round. I play a varied course with wooded fairways, for the most part. My forehand throws are shorter and less accurate than my backhands, so I usually throw RHBH.
As a side note, I have always been physically active in both work and play my entire life, but I was paralyzed in 2002 with a nerve disorder. I have made a full recovery since then, except for strength and stamina. Most distance drivers are "meat hooks" and unplayable for me at this time. My Mid-Range and P & A discs, I regularly throw, feel most comfortable to me and get the best results. Any critiques, insights or advice would be very welcome. I am thinking of going with the Aero, Soft APX, Comet, Mako and XL for my minimalist starter bag. Shawn

[keltik]

welcome to the forum!

due to your age and medical history I think you are taking the right approach sticking to neutral discs like the Comet and Mako. also lighter weights are more suitable for a guy in his fifties (my estimate). I like throwing putters myself. I think your approach is something all new golfers should try regardless of age.

also you are throwing a good distance for a new golfer of any age

the bag you picked for yourself looks good but I would add something that is more meathookish but you can still throw decently. meathook discs can be a bit tricky to fit into your game but they can get you out of trouble (or into more trouble....I'm looking at you FH roller). also the meathookish discs are easier to control FH.

again Welcome and Happy Huckin'!

[Monocacy]

From one old dawg to another, welcome to the forum!

Do you find that your XL gives you more distance compared with your Comet or Mako? If not, most folks find that midranges can be thrown more accurately than drivers.

Do your APX and Aero travel on similar flight paths? If so, you may want to pair the APX with a more stable putter like the Aviar or Dart.

You have discs weighing from 150 grams up to 175 grams. Do you have any difficulty switching back and forth between such different weights? You may get a more consistent release if all of your discs fall within a more limited weight range.

Agree with Keltic about using lighter-weight discs and getting a meathook. I wonder if you could use a Gator as your meathook.

Please don’t take these suggestions as criticism. You have chosen some outstanding discs, and have done an excellent job of identifying discs that match your distance. Best of luck to you!

[Thatdirtykid]

You definitely need to work on nose angle issues. "Catch" frisbee form does not translate into disc golf well, as it usually leads to nose angle issues. That is why the comet is as long as drivers. Do some searching around, I am not the best to describe form in words. Bag critique I can handle.

This is what I would work with now. Add a valk or slower distance driver, maybe a river once you start throing those XL's straight and significantly further than your comet.

Fairway Drivers:
150 G XL, ProD
165 G XL, Elite X

Mid-Range Drivers:
Comet (Both X and Z)
Mako (I don't know much about this disc, how is it more workable than your comet? comet is a very versatile disc)

Putt & Approach Drives:
Soft APX

I would say the Comet and Buzzz would be a better combination for your mids, but you seem to like the mako so there is no reason for that.

[shawnman696]

Thanks for the comments..........
In answer to the questions; My Comets give me the best distance, better than the XL's at this point. The Mako responds to hyser and anhyser tilts much more predictably than any other disc I have thrown. The Aero seems to glide a lot longer than the Soft APX on a similar throw and path. I am finding that I prefer the 164 to 169 Gram range of discs, but I do throw several of my kids 150 Class discs. My Daughter is 9 and my Son is 8, they enjoy playing along with Dad. (I know, I'm a little older than normal to have kids this young!) The comment on the nose angle is very appropriate and probably part of my distance issues, but I continue to work on that too. I live in the Northwest corner of Illinois and winter will be closing in soon up here, but I hope to keep getting out. I was out this evening and hit the pole three times with my second shot. Two of the holes on our course are decidedly steep downhill shots, which is where I usually use the heavier Mako, but I tried the X Comet today and ended up in creek.... It is an ongoing learning process! Thanks for the info and advice. Shawn