Level of athleticism of disc golfers

[AcesAZ]

uh i know a bunch of dudes who can throw 400'

Maybe Ive compared the two wrong them. For me its fairly easy to drive it 300 yards in ball golf. But again Ive been playing seriously for over 20 years and my technique is refined. I know that Im in the 1% for ball golf.

400' throw non wind or elevation aided is very difficult for me, and Ive only seen one person legitimatly do it out of the hundreds Ive seen in person. No doubt they are out there, I just see ton and tons of recs who cant even throw it straight with their 1 disc round speed 13 whatever crowding the course with their 8 somes drinking beer and smoking weed. Keep in mind for every person on here there are tons of rec players who struggle to throw it 250.

[AcesAZ]

The two popular sports that I consider to have the people that are the most athletic are soccer and basketball.

Personally I think I'd pick male gymnasts at number one. With the level of power, dexterity, control and versatility required there they could be pretty good at pretty much anything if coached properly.

The avg person cant drive the ball 300 yards nor throw a disc 400'. There is a talent and athletic ability required to do so.

I'd say hitting 400' with a disc is closer to being able to drive the ball 240-250 yards than 300.

EDIT: Especially looking at this. Bubba Watson leads the average drive stats at 315 yards, and only 17 average 300 yards or more. 300 yard average golf drive is more like 500-600 feet average disc golf drive.

Keep in mind those avg drive stats are not max D swings. If Bubba was going for max D he can easily get it out 340+. Those avg. drive stats also include whatever club he's hitting on those particular two holes they are measuring for the day. Could be 3 wood or long iron since he doesnt need driver all the time.

Anywyas Im going to go watch the pros at the MN majestic in a month or so. One hole at BRP is 750 (wide open sod field) with a creek about 460-470 off the tee. I want to see how many lay up short or try and carry it. Hopefully the wind is light that day.

[Frank Delicious]

I played ball golf a lot before I became a grown up and had to pay for it (country club kid) and I knew a dozen guys who could drive the ball 300 yards consistently, most of them being on the high school or college golf teams. I now play a lot of disc golf in pretty competitive advanced fields and play casual rounds with pros. Most all of them can drive 400' when they have the room and the need. I am now becoming one of the shortest-driving guys in my group now that I don't play a lot and I'm still hitting 380'.

What I'm saying is it is much easier to throw a disc 400' than it is to hit a golf ball 300 yards in my experience. The level of precision needed to break the 270 yard mark in ball golf seems much higher than the level of precision needed to throw a disc 400'.

Anywyas Im going to go watch the pros at the MN majestic in a month or so. One hole at BRP is 750 (wide open sod field) with a creek about 460-470 off the tee. I want to see how many lay up short or try and carry it. Hopefully the wind is light that day.

You should watch Clash at BRP and watch them drive that hole.

[AcesAZ]

Anywyas Im going to go watch the pros at the MN majestic in a month or so. One hole at BRP is 750 (wide open sod field) with a creek about 460-470 off the tee. I want to see how many lay up short or try and carry it. Hopefully the wind is light that day.

You should watch Clash at BRP and watch them drive that hole.[/quote]

Yeah that would be BA to see. I guess coming from high level ball golf I expected to be able to reach high level disc golf quickly. 400 max d seems far away still (non wind or elevation). Though I only played about 6 weeks before breaking my leg. That hole at BRP is one where I really need a little more distance to reach in two. 750 in two is a long poke for me. Then to say guys can throw 500. Thats nutz

300 in ball golf isnt really a big deal, IDK. Guess its who you normally play with. Ive played in top level AM events and have played with several Pros as well. Pretty much everyone at the top levels can hit it 300, especially now a days. You hang with the 1% and they become the norm.

[Frank Delicious]

maybe the problem with the argument is the 1% number. Sounds like more ball golfers can drive 300 yards than I think and more DGers can throw 400' than you think.

Also I went from playing pretty good ball golf, not high level or anything but I could shoot low 80s, high 70s every time and it took me like 2 years to hit 400' in disc golf. The athletes I know who transitioned easiest to DG are baseballers and tennis players.

[AcesAZ]

Agreed not to mention you play with/against top level type of competition, same as I did in ball golf. Avg Joes dont visit this site, they grab a beer and throw around a Boss. Or in ball golf they grab a beer and slice the ball in the next fwy over.

[gknmnstr]

400' is not that far. I am a short skinny dude (a buck forty soaking wet) and I am gunning for 500' by the end of the summer. Already hit 478'.

[TOURNEYPLAYER]

I played ball golf a lot before I became a grown up and had to pay for it (country club kid) and I knew a dozen guys who could drive the ball 300 yards consistently, most of them being on the high school or college golf teams. I now play a lot of disc golf in pretty competitive advanced fields and play casual rounds with pros. Most all of them can drive 400' when they have the room and the need. I am now becoming one of the shortest-driving guys in my group now that I don't play a lot and I'm still hitting 380'.

What I'm saying is it is much easier to throw a disc 400' than it is to hit a golf ball 300 yards in my experience. The level of precision needed to break the 270 yard mark in ball golf seems much higher than the level of precision needed to throw a disc 400'.

Anywyas Im going to go watch the pros at the MN majestic in a month or so. One hole at BRP is 750 (wide open sod field) with a creek about 460-470 off the tee. I want to see how many lay up short or try and carry it. Hopefully the wind is light that day.

You should watch Clash at BRP and watch them drive that hole.

best part of that vid is Cales deuce on #4(I think thats the hole). "birdie"

[bergdawg]

Whenever Billy gives an interview, he's always 3 inches from the other person's mouth. I'd imagine he has really bad coffee breath too.

[Steve]

uhhhh.... I work out!

[butter]

clash at brp isn't available to watch anywhere for free is it?

[keltik]

clash at brp isn't available to watch anywhere for free is it?

it is worth the $14.95, just buy it.

[TOURNEYPLAYER]

yep. its a good one. 27 holes. old fuckers getting spanked by the kids. fun fun fun.

[JHern]

maybe the problem with the argument is the 1% number. Sounds like more ball golfers can drive 300 yards than I think and more DGers can throw 400' than you think.

Also I went from playing pretty good ball golf, not high level or anything but I could shoot low 80s, high 70s every time and it took me like 2 years to hit 400' in disc golf. The athletes I know who transitioned easiest to DG are baseballers and tennis players.

I agree with Frank, having smacked around golf balls in the past myself (until a wreck made it too painful to swing a club). Breaking 300 yds with a ball golf drive on demand is more difficult than learning to throw a modern technology disc 400'. I would probably shift the number upward to around 475' for comparison. Avery Jenkins, Christian Sandstrom, Jeremy Koling, etc. (the true 1%), average about 550' on perfectly flat ground near sea level with no wind or other special conditions, with the occasional shot getting out just over 600'. (Add a lot of tailwind and some altitude, and that's how they get over 800' on very lucky throws in the Nevada desert.)

Still, a lot of people think they throw farther than they actually do. I constantly hear people say they can throw such and such distance, and when pressed about details they often admit that it was thrown on a hole that I know has a slight downhill grade (even if they don't). I can throw about 370'-380' on level ground with no wind to help (and I haven't worked on my driving form for a long time...maybe time to get out and train some more). But I can throw over 430' if the elevation drops by 10', and I can get over 500' if the elevation drops by 20' or more. This is usually plenty enough for me on most course layouts (my score-limiter is always putting). I also do more precise measurements than most people because I'm also doing scientific research into disc flight, and I put a high premium on accuracy.

There is a huge geographical bias, too. I've been places where anyone who throws over 300' is considered a "big arm." And I've been to courses where you feel like a small arm if you can do 450'+. The concentration and distillation of skill levels varies immensely in disc golf. I surely don't judge all disc golfers by the level of play I usually see among club members at my home course, because I know it is dramatically skewed. The same is true in ball golf, some courses have a lot of big guns, and some courses don't.

[Mark Ellis]

The two popular sports that I consider to have the people that are the most athletic are soccer and basketball.

Personally I think I'd pick male gymnasts at number one. With the level of power, dexterity, control and versatility required there they could be pretty good at pretty much anything if coached properly.

While I have the greatest respect for people who can do what I cannot do (and never could have done given my genetic limitations) in many, many sports (and totally agreeing that gymnasts are studs), disc golf excellence demands hand-eye coordination to an extent likely beyond most gymnasts. Not that some gymnasts do not have it or could not develop it, of course. But skills are specific and unique and each sport requires a particular set of them.

Personally, I choose my sports based on the best chance of success given my minor strengths and massive weaknesses. Don't we all?

Since Bo Jackson could excel in (evidently) everything and since Michael Jordan could not hit a minor league curveball, it only proves I have no idea how to evaluate this topic. In my mind, Pro Basketball requires the most impressive combination of coordination, endurance, balance and strength (height doesn't hurt either) of any sport. Could any disc golfer play Pro Basketball? I'm betting NO. Could any Pro Basketballer play disc golf? I'm betting all of them. As an aside, would it be fun to watch Shack try short putts?

No, no. Not Al Schack, he has never missed a short putt in his life, I'm talking about that other Shack guy.

Announcer: "Shaquille O'Neil has just pumped his drive over the clubhouse, over the bordering fairway and over the cell phone towers to the green 650 feet away. Unfortunately his putt for double eagle is about 22 feet as he has never hit any putt at 22 feet. Haha. Guffaw. All you viewers remember when he tried to hit free throws in the NBA. Haha. Well he was a genius in free throws compared to putting. Vegas has put the under over on this putt-out at 3. Hold on folks."