Working Stiff's Bag

[Working Stiff]

Time for my one-year update...I still suck.

I spent a lot of time working with the Comet in the last year, and it has some short-term benefit. My mid-range game and shots with my putters improve quite a bit. Longer, straighter, just a better all around short game. The effect has never translated into any distance with drivers. Whatever is keeping my drives pathetically short must be some other factor besides just OAT.

However, when I take a few weeks off it's back to square one. I played last week and it was wretched. Everything wobbled out of my hand, everything was short, everything turned over if I kept the nose down or stalled and hyzered out way short if I got the nose up. I managed to get one drive about 20' from the pin and proceeded to five putt the hole for a 6. Just awful stuff.

As such, I don't think the bag set-up matters all that much. A bag full of CE can't save me from my sad and feeble game.

Anyway, on the plus side the ESP Cyclone is bombing. I'm getting better D from it than the Inferno. For me it is a very good driver, and I can see the flutter when it leaves my hand so I know there is more D there if I can fix my throw to take advantage of it.

The Inferno is still in the bag because I have not gotten around to taking it out. It's a goner. I seriously don't think I have the game to throw anything faster than a Cyclone/Gazelle-type disc for distance.

I have been working with some DX TeeBirds, but they are too overstable for me. I never put TeeBirds in the bag back in the day because they were too overstable for me, but after a decade of hearing about how they were the best thing since sliced bread I decided to give them another shot. I'm leaving one in the bag thinking maybe it will beat up one day into the disc everyone says it is. Right now I'm using it for the shots I used to use Banshees for.

After an 11-year run in my bag, the Banshee is out. I'm going to work with the Predator for a while and see if it adds anything to my bag of tricks. If the Predator and/or TeeBird experiments don't pan out, there is always the Banshee.

Comets will stay put for awhile. I'm really hearing the call of the Roc, though.

Sentinels are there until I figure out something different. The www Q is way too flippy for an overstable mid.

I go back and forth between Wizards and Aviars. There is a hole on my home course where I need a throwaway putter. The basket is on top of a levee, and my drive is always at the bottom of the incline. If I make my upshot pin high and miss the putter is a goner because the reservoir is right there, so I keep an old small-bead Aviar to make runs at that basket. I've got a milloin of them, so if I loose it no big loss. Since I was carrying one Aviar it made sense to me just to go back 100% to Aviars. To be honest, I see no noticeable difference between Wizard and big bead Aviar throws.

Stable Control Drivers
(1) ESP Cyclone, 168g
(1) Tournament Cyclone, 170g
Distance Drivers
(1) Evolution Infernos, 170g
Understable Driver
(1) Beat 150 Class Tournament Cyclone, 147g
Moderately Overstable Driver
(1) DX TeeBird, 168g
Very Overstable Driver
(1) Z Predator, 166g
Mids:
(2) Z Comets, 171-172g
(1) X Comet, 177g
(1) Q Sentinel, 176g
(1) Sentinel MF (Millennium plastic), 176g
Putters:
(1) DX Small Bead Aviar Putt & Approach,172g
(1) DX Big Bead Aviar (grid stamp) 172g
(1) 9X KC Pro Aviar 172g

[Working Stiff]

My play has reached all-time pathetic lows. I think it's time to take the time-tested approach of blaming the arrows.

Nothing has a place in the bag, all spots are up for grabs.

Stable Control Drivers
Cyclones VS Gazelles VS XL's
Distance Drivers
Apaches VS Valkyries VS SL's
Understable Driver
Leopards VS Thrashed Cyclones
Moderately Overstable Driver
TeeBird VS ...not carrying a moderatly overstable driver.
Very Overstable Driver
Predator VS Banshee VS Firebird
Mids:
Comets VS Buzzz VS Rocs
Overstable Mids
Wasp VS KC Rocs
Putters:
Aviar VS Wizard VS Magnet

Working out all those discs will require a lot of field throwing. Maybe I'll start to work out whatever it is that I'm doing wrong.

[keltik]

Stiffy how far are your average drives? I think you've said before but I can't remember. anyway here's my votes

Cyclone
Valkyrie
XL (a beat one) or a beat Cyclone
Banshee
Comets
KC Rocs
Wizard (Driving)
Magnet (Putting)

or if you are really sucking it up I would cut it down to:

Cyclone (ESP and TP)
XL (X)
Banshee (Champ)
Buzzz (Z) or Rocs
Wizard

[Mason65]

My votes:

Stable Control Drivers
Gazelles
Distance Drivers
Valkyries
Understable Driver
Thrashed Gazelles
Moderately Overstable Driver
...not carrying a moderatly overstable driver.
Very Overstable Driver
Banshee
Mids:
Comets VS Rocs
Overstable Mids
Neither
Putters:
Aviar VS Wizard VS Magnet

[Working Stiff]

Stiffy how far are your average drives?

In what seemed like a previous lifetime it was around 300.' The last few months has been more like 250.'

My form is shot. I probably screwed up trying to throw Apaches and SL's and other drivers I know I can't throw. Basically it's a roller coaster. Work on my form and get the Cyclone out to 300', start to think I can throw a driver like a grown-up, mess around with faster drivers, screw up my form and end up throwing the faster drivers short of where I was throwing my mid. I guess I should get rid of them, just stick with a Cyclone or Gazelle for Max D. It ain't any fun, but it is what it is.

So I started by stripping the bag down to just a few discs. I've been trying to throw the Comets and Aviars and forget the drivers, but it's not really working. I have not been able to get a Comet to do anything for weeks. The Aviars are OK, the Cyclones are OAT fluttering like mad, and the TeeBird is hooking like Lindsey Lohan on a Vegas weekend. That's pretty much everything in the bag right now. The last time I worked with the Comets and got my form back, but this time I'm frustrated as Hell with them and just want them to go away.

I'm just going to forget golf and go throw some plastic in field and see if I can't work out what is wrong. I guess I've talked myself out of throwing drivers again. It sucks, the last new driver I could actually throw came out 15 years ago. There hasn't been a new driver I could get to do anything since the Cheetah. Not being able to throw any of the new plastic sucks, but I guess not throwing it beats what I'm doing now.

[rehder]

I'm just going to forget golf and go throw some plastic in field and see if I can't work out what is wrong. I guess I've talked myself out of throwing drivers again. It sucks, the last new driver I could actually throw came out 15 years ago. There hasn't been a new driver I could get to do anything since the Cheetah. Not being able to throw any of the new plastic sucks, but I guess not throwing it beats what I'm doing now.

I think thats a really good idea. Throwing discs in a field lets you focus on throwing much more. You dont have to worry getting it close to the basket, hitting that specific line to get there and so on.

Whenever I throw a couple of pisspoor rounds, I try to get myself to stop playing rounds for the time being and just do fieldwork instead. And there are several advantages to it. First of all, my game just improves faster from fieldwork. Whether Im just practicing 50meter upshots or trying to throw long bombs. And the other reasone is, that I think its a blast to 'just' huck discs. There doesnt need to be a basket for me to enjoy throwing discs.

Now the only trouble for me is, that I have a hard time translating my nice throwing technique to throwing on the course. But atm. Im attributing it to the amount of snow on the ground, or the wind that suddenly came up, or....

So I say, yea go to a field and forget about scores and throw some discs. It will be much easier to diagnose and make adjustments to your throw.

[Beable]

Your bag and mine are fairly similar, although I didn't get along with the Comet.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on that overstable slot. My D is around yours and for overstable discs I throw either a Wasp or Firebird. Can you actually get anything useful out of a Predator or Firebird? I usually end up just throwing the Wasp, but I feel weird not carrying an overstable driver.

[BrotherDave]

I'd get an Ion and play some one disc rounds. That disc has worked miracles on my form. My X Cyclone literally hurts my hand to grip it, can't stand it at all.

[Working Stiff]

Your bag and mine are fairly similar, although I didn't get along with the Comet.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on that overstable slot. My D is around yours and for overstable discs I throw either a Wasp or Firebird. Can you actually get anything useful out of a Predator or Firebird? I usually end up just throwing the Wasp, but I feel weird not carrying an overstable driver.

Really I hear the hype around Predators and Firebirds and try to throw one or the other every couple of years. At 300' I get everything I need from a Banshee. I really don't need a Firebird or Predator.

I'm starting to change my tune a bit on the TeeBird, though. I used to use the Banshee for a headwind driver as well as for forehands and such. I think I might have the hang of the TeeBird for drives that I need to make sure don't flip. I still like the Banshee better as a forehand driver, so I might have to carry both. I used to insist that I didn't need a disc between a Cyclone and a Banshee, but the TeeBird is a longer, straighter disc into the wind than a Banshee.

[Danforth]

My play has reached all-time pathetic lows. I think it's time to take the time-tested approach of blaming the arrows.

Nothing has a place in the bag, all spots are up for grabs.

Stable Control Drivers
Cyclones VS Gazelles VS XL's 'Clones
Distance Drivers
Apaches VS Valkyries VS SL's SL's
Understable Driver
Leopards VS Thrashed Cyclones thrashed 'clones
Moderately Overstable Driver
TeeBird VS ...not carrying a moderatly overstable driver. Eagle X
Very Overstable Driver
Predator VS Banshee VS Firebird Pred
Mids:
Comets VS Buzzz VS Rocs BZZZZZ
Overstable Mids
Wasp VS KC Rocs White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
Putters:
Aviar VS Wizard VS Magnet Wiz

Working out all those discs will require a lot of field throwing. Maybe I'll start to work out whatever it is that I'm doing wrong.

[Working Stiff]

My X Cyclone literally hurts my hand to grip it, can't stand it at all.

You big baby with your China doll hands. It hasn't hurt my hand a bit. Other than being black it's a nice X Cyclone.

[discspeed]

If you want a newer distance driver, what about a Roadrunner or an Avenger-SS? Those discs have wing shapes that provide some pretty magic glide, and I've seen them fly better for distance at low power than any other discs.

[Working Stiff]

If you want a newer distance driver, what about a Roadrunner or an Avenger-SS? Those discs have wing shapes that provide some pretty magic glide, and I've seen them fly better for distance at low power than any other discs.

I always assumed that they would be pretty bitchy and unpredictable. I figured any distance gain would be offset by the fact that I'd have no clue where it was going. I suppose I could give it a shot, what have I got to loose?

[jubuttib]

Understable != unpredictable. With your distances I also think you should give the faster understable plastic a chance.

[discspeed]

If you want a newer distance driver, what about a Roadrunner or an Avenger-SS? Those discs have wing shapes that provide some pretty magic glide, and I've seen them fly better for distance at low power than any other discs.

I always assumed that they would be pretty bitchy and unpredictable. I figured any distance gain would be offset by the fact that I'd have no clue where it was going. I suppose I could give it a shot, what have I got to loose?

Sounds like it would be fun at the least. I'd try a Star Roadrunner...try and get one in the mid to high 160s. Those discs have the most flight for the least speed throw that I've ever seen.