Rebuilding.. Thoughts.

[ziggy]

Working with DGA / Discraft only due to sponsorship with DGA.

Testing out
-Hurricane
-Proline Tsunami

In bag
-Sparkle Rogue dyed by DGDave
-Used Proline Rogue
-Proline Squall
-Sparkle Aftershock dyed by DGDave

Waffling
-Used Soft + Used D Magnet
-Two Used D Challengers

Thoughts?

[dgdave]

Probably need more dyes in there.

[ziggy]

Probably need more dyes in there.

Might later on.. Man, those swirl dyes are soooo easy to pick out from the nest of leaves that they landed in last weekend. Was amazed at when I would scan the schule and there they were distorting the view

[keltik]

what no Avengers? The original PD! yeah I said it.

[ziggy]

what no Avengers? The original PD! yeah I said it.

What slot would an avenger fit in my bag ?

[zj1002]

Hope you like the hurricane. They did a great job designing that disc

[Mark Ellis]

Working with DGA / Discraft only due to sponsorship with DGA.

Testing out
-Hurricane
-Proline Tsunami

In bag
-Sparkle Rogue dyed by DGDave
-Used Proline Rogue
-Proline Squall
-Sparkle Aftershock dyed by DGDave

Waffling
-Used Soft + Used D Magnet
-Two Used D Challengers

Thoughts?

One of the benefits of being sponsored is the ability to try our everything. So try out everything.

When I was first invited to the team I had Mike Raley, then Darren Harper, then Peter Wyngaard, then Marty Peters take me out to try out different discs from different runs of, well, everything by Discraft and DGA. I ended up picking up discs from each of them and in every case, at least some of the discs I acquired were discs which were nothing special for them but very special to me.

I found out there were strong runs of Flashes and straight runs of Crushes (those two became my primary drivers). I found out that discs in one kind of plastic (which did nothing for me) could be superb in a different kind of plastic. I found out that for any disc which you love enough to put in the bag, it is worthwhile to try out older runs of that same disc.

Looking at Ziggy's list, the first thing I notice is that there is no Rattler there. The Rattler is worth trying out, as are the Buzzz, Wasp, Comet, Nuke and Force.

The Rogue is my favorite DGA disc and worth trying out in lots of different runs and plastics. To date, I like the Proline plastic best and the Z Sparkle least in that disc. Akin to the flight patterns of Rogues are Z Surge SS's and Flashes. So if you ever want a Rogue which is just a bit stronger or flippier then look to its cousins.

I have always thought that putters were more about feel and shape than flight patterns since it is easy to learn and adjust to any slow flying disc. There have been many, many runs of Magnets and Challengers. I have been collecting Magnets (and to a lesser degree Challengers) for years. I would bet there are putters sitting in a box in my basement which would feel great to Ziggy that he might not know were ever made. You never know when a road trip to Michigan would fit in the schedule.

Every player is going to have their own preferences. But as a sponsored player it is good to know about the whole line- as a service to your sponsor and upcoming players. Teaching and promotions are natural fits for some sponsored players.

[keltik]

what no Avengers? The original PD! yeah I said it.

What slot would an avenger fit in my bag ?

between your Rogue and Squall. I guess If you like the Tsunami better then you wouldn't need an Avenger. I'm just saying you shouldn't discount the Avenger.

[ziggy]

You never know when a road trip to Michigan would fit in the schedule.

Thanks Mark,

Not sure about the road trip yet - but definitely up to teaching you some sign language if that ever materializes.
I work as a school psychologist and going back to college in the evenings for another degree.
My sponsorship falls under the ambassador linage.

I have been trying out the DGA line this year - trying to get acclimated.

Last year - I was throwing 10x kc Teebirds, old pearly Talons, and D-Challengers. All three had various stages of wear.
The talon / Challenger covered my slot for midrange. The teebirds are now in the bin, retired until further notice. Talons, trying to wean myself off them since they're no longer made. My strength was pretty much nailing everything within 30 feet. I absolutely love playing with my putters. Sometimes I do putter-only rounds. Those who do know me, I putt.

My bag was pretty simple. Now I'm trying out all these other additions. With the intention of exactly what you shared.

Every player is going to have their own preferences. But as a sponsored player it is good to know about the whole line- as a service to your sponsor and upcoming players. Teaching and promotions are natural fits for some sponsored players.

I agree you that the Rogue is by far my favorite disc from the DGA line. Yes, the proline rogue faring better than the sparkle counterpart. The proline plastic is something else, alright. I am amazed at the durability. I am have been throwing a proline squall for a couple months now trying to break that sucker in. Since switching over - I have dropped from a 960 rater to somewhere in the 925+ range.. (I also moved to Wisconsin last fall for the gig and played some brand new courses in tournaments with no practice.) I have scored more 990+ rated rounds in my life this year and up until this year, i have not sniffed a sub 900 round since 2004. Unfortunately, I have had quite a few sub 900 rounds.

After analyzing myself, the two difficulties I am having are:

a) Adjustment.
I pretty much dialed down the throws I had w/ teebirds and talons. Now I have to learn again with new discs. Which leads to

b) Analysis
I'm overanalyzing trying to nail the line with new discs. Mental mistakes are building up and need to find my happy spot where I can remove exams, reports, observations, case studies, readings, FBA's, IEP's and all the wonderful alphabet soup as I miss those routine 30 footers.

I have noticed that the hardest part for me with these newer discs is getting a clean release. IF i get a nice drive, less than 100 feet upshots for par are so much easier than trying to nail a 200-300 feet upshot. This is where I am trying to figure out the DGA discs in order to get a clean release.

This is something that can be fixed.

My arm gets me up to about 350' with a teebird due to their amazing glide factor. The rogues on a clear day have gotten me up to 400' but spray pattern.

Rattlers? They are great for playing catch and those who have touch throws. I'm scratching my head to see how they will fill a slot for the putter category when my strength is putting.

Buzzz. I have a couple of those I throw from time to time. Just put those away for 2010 as I tried the squall/aftershock. I will be trying the buzz again soon.

Wasp+Comet. Have thrown 'em a couple times but they did not stick around. The aftershock seems to cover the wasp slot altho it feels a bit wider/domier.

Nuke and Force: Have not tried them yet.

What I'm looking for is the predictable flight pattern that the teebird and talon offered me.

Thanks Mark for your insights, they are appreciated.

Btw, just in case.. what 5 Michigan tournaments would you recommend in 2011?

[Pwingles]

I have yet to throw a hurricane, so i cannot compare it to the Nuke, but i cant conceive you needing both, but i would try the nuke to see what its all about. The Force is sick, i tried it for a short time a couple years ago, didnt like it at first i was in love with Destroyer/Xcal combo, but honestly it covers both of those discs and when i went back to it I doubt ill ever go back, its one of the longest discs in a headwind and reliable too, good for skip shots on flat low lines, and big hyzers that dont get manhandled by the wind. As far as putters go, fondle all of them and see which ones you prefer, what were you putting with previously? as far as mids go, even tho i am a roc person myself<discraft/dga make great mids and you might wanna check them all out again

[Mark Ellis]

You never know when a road trip to Michigan would fit in the schedule.

Thanks Mark,

Not sure about the road trip yet - but definitely up to teaching you some sign language if that ever materializes.
I work as a school psychologist and going back to college in the evenings for another degree.
My sponsorship falls under the ambassador linage.

I have been trying out the DGA line this year - trying to get acclimated.

Last year - I was throwing 10x kc Teebirds, old pearly Talons, and D-Challengers. All three had various stages of wear.
The talon / Challenger covered my slot for midrange. The teebirds are now in the bin, retired until further notice. Talons, trying to wean myself off them since they're no longer made. My strength was pretty much nailing everything within 30 feet. I absolutely love playing with my putters. Sometimes I do putter-only rounds. Those who do know me, I putt.

My bag was pretty simple. Now I'm trying out all these other additions. With the intention of exactly what you shared.

Every player is going to have their own preferences. But as a sponsored player it is good to know about the whole line- as a service to your sponsor and upcoming players. Teaching and promotions are natural fits for some sponsored players.

I agree you that the Rogue is by far my favorite disc from the DGA line. Yes, the proline rogue faring better than the sparkle counterpart. The proline plastic is something else, alright. I am amazed at the durability. I am have been throwing a proline squall for a couple months now trying to break that sucker in. Since switching over - I have dropped from a 960 rater to somewhere in the 925+ range.. (I also moved to Wisconsin last fall for the gig and played some brand new courses in tournaments with no practice.) I have scored more 990+ rated rounds in my life this year and up until this year, i have not sniffed a sub 900 round since 2004. Unfortunately, I have had quite a few sub 900 rounds.

After analyzing myself, the two difficulties I am having are:

a) Adjustment.
I pretty much dialed down the throws I had w/ teebirds and talons. Now I have to learn again with new discs. Which leads to

b) Analysis
I'm overanalyzing trying to nail the line with new discs. Mental mistakes are building up and need to find my happy spot where I can remove exams, reports, observations, case studies, readings, FBA's, IEP's and all the wonderful alphabet soup as I miss those routine 30 footers.

I have noticed that the hardest part for me with these newer discs is getting a clean release. IF i get a nice drive, less than 100 feet upshots for par are so much easier than trying to nail a 200-300 feet upshot. This is where I am trying to figure out the DGA discs in order to get a clean release.

This is something that can be fixed.

My arm gets me up to about 350' with a teebird due to their amazing glide factor. The rogues on a clear day have gotten me up to 400' but spray pattern.

Rattlers? They are great for playing catch and those who have touch throws. I'm scratching my head to see how they will fill a slot for the putter category when my strength is putting.

Buzzz. I have a couple of those I throw from time to time. Just put those away for 2010 as I tried the squall/aftershock. I will be trying the buzz again soon.

Wasp+Comet. Have thrown 'em a couple times but they did not stick around. The aftershock seems to cover the wasp slot altho it feels a bit wider/domier.

Nuke and Force: Have not tried them yet.

What I'm looking for is the predictable flight pattern that the teebird and talon offered me.

Thanks Mark for your insights, they are appreciated.

Btw, just in case.. what 5 Michigan tournaments would you recommend in 2011?

Ziggy,

I have trouble planning my life for the coming weekend, nonetheless figuring out the best tournaments for the upcoming year without the tournament calendar being yet in existence.

Before being sponsored I tried everything. It took me a week to change my bag to pure Discraft and become comfortable and confident with it. It should not take anyone a year to make a changeover, so this suggests the problem is not with your arm but your head. The Teebird and Talon were your primary drivers. You don't even need to give up the Talon (even Out Of Production they are not expensive and last until you lose them). The Teebird is just a control driver. In 5 minutes I could watch you throw a Teebird and find a disc in my trunk which closely replicates that flight pattern in your hands. And in the time leftover I could find a disc with the same stability of a Talon but better glide.

The hardest part of the game is putting. Since putting is your natural affinity, everything else will come easily if you get your head out of the way and let it. You don't even need to come close on your drives and upshots: just throw it to the circle and bang it in.

If you only had one or two discs to choose from then you would have to learn to manipulate them. But you can try out lots of discs and be far more selective, especially being sponsored. So try out new stuff. Throw each one flat and straight at your comfort power range and see what it does, then use it for that kind of shot. Maybe we can get you off the "ambassador" team and on to a performance team.

[ziggy]

Ziggy,

I have trouble planning my life for the coming weekend, nonetheless figuring out the best tournaments for the upcoming year without the tournament calendar being yet in existence.

Before being sponsored I tried everything. It took me a week to change my bag to pure Discraft and become comfortable and confident with it. It should not take anyone a year to make a changeover, so this suggests the problem is not with your arm but your head. The Teebird and Talon were your primary drivers. You don't even need to give up the Talon (even Out Of Production they are not expensive and last until you lose them). The Teebird is just a control driver. In 5 minutes I could watch you throw a Teebird and find a disc in my trunk which closely replicates that flight pattern in your hands. And in the time leftover I could find a disc with the same stability of a Talon but better glide.

The hardest part of the game is putting. Since putting is your natural affinity, everything else will come easily if you get your head out of the way and let it. You don't even need to come close on your drives and upshots: just throw it to the circle and bang it in.

If you only had one or two discs to choose from then you would have to learn to manipulate them. But you can try out lots of discs and be far more selective, especially being sponsored. So try out new stuff. Throw each one flat and straight at your comfort power range and see what it does, then use it for that kind of shot. Maybe we can get you off the "ambassador" team and on to a performance team.

Mark-

Thank you for the kind words. Yes, my mental game is shot. I'll need to work on finding that happy place on the course.
Definitely be a hoot with a couple inches of snow for the next five months!

[A buzzz and a beer]

I would kill to be able to try every disc and plastic type. If I was sponsored I would do what Mark said. I would take every single disc they make and go to a field. Throw them all over and over again, and then pick my bag disc by disc for what types I want.

You need to try the Nuke and Force. The nuke just bombs, and the force is a great stable max D driver.