question on roller article

[Toney]

What can I expect from different types of discs as rollers? For example, the Stingray seems an all aruond good roller, but is it the longest distance roller? If I broke in a leopard as a roller, would it roll further (or a Cheetah or an Orc), or are there tradeoffs?

The same question put an other way, Do different discs produce different patterns on the ground as rollers? I'm look for a roller that rollers with a straighter S curve. I'm also looking for a roller that will be more dependable and less likely to roll way off left and not come back right (assuming RHBH throw). If a disc traveling vertically has many of the same properties as disc rollling horizontally, then I would expect a lot of the same flight patterns and considerations.

Finally, what can be said about rollers on hills and slight hills? My observation is that the slope of the hill doesn't have as much impact on the direction that the disc goes as would, say, a golf ball. The disc pretty much stays on track as if the ground were flat (that is, relative to a golf ball which would roll off the slope). Whenever I try to compensate for a slope, the disc travels way off course, not being too influenced by the slope, and will even roll uphill and fall on its face like a normal throw.

[Toney]

One more thing to add: I suspect the edge of a disc provides a larger directional influence and makes the disc stay on course, than a golf ball which, obviously, doesn't have an edge.

[Blake_T]

it's actually rim shape and stability that dictates the on the ground behavior of the disc with speed being the #2 determining factor.

i've seen people throw rollers that shoudln't exist as shots simply because they muscled them, e.g. landing a champ firebird 50' off the teepad and having it roll 500'.

the best rollers are discs that were once (nearly) stable and are now broken in. dx valks, dx orcs, x xs's, etc. make great rollers because they will get a lot of air carry before catching edge.

the stingray is not a very long/fast disc (neither is the stratus) so they will bank hard right fairly quickly. the roadrunner is really the oddball disc in that it really doesn't want to bank towards the top of the disc due to its rim design and balance.

as for ground slope, the way it affects disc roll behavior is how it affects the disc's ground speed.

[roadkill]

Toney,

Yes different molds have very different roll paths.

I've found leopards to be excellent rollers for holding a straight line. I like SE or Proline Leopards for long distance straight line rollers. I use DX leopards for finesse rollers as I can put them down in tight fairways and/or low celings.

Sometimes if I need a big S pattern I'll use a Z Wildcat because it will cut left for the first 50% of its roll then straighten for 15% of the roll and then break hard right for the remaining 35% of the roll.

If I'm looking for a stable cut roller I use a Champion Orc.

Another long distance roller you may want to try is a Z-Flash. The only downside with the Flash is that occassionally you get a 90 degree right turn at the very end, whereas a Leopard will stay nearly perfectly straight until it flops over.

[Toney]

We all know the wind plays havoc with rollers. But the wind can be fun, too. If you throw a roller direclty into a strong wind, it will turn an abrupt about face toward it's top side (RHBH roller will turn sharp right) and head right back toward you.

I call this a Bummerang Roller. It's kinda cool actually. The disc spins around like a sail boarder spining his board around in a strong wind over the water.

I have had the disc turn and head directly back toward me, then travel BEHIND me 100 feet or so. Occassionally, I would snatch them off the ground as they rolled past, in true bommerang fasion. Now, I don't know how to apply this to the course, but not everything is competition.