knuu's bag

[knuu]

Hi, I would like to get some input on my bag. My maximum distance is around 300 ft, often less. I've tried to stay away from the super-fast stuff until I can throw farther.

Here we go:

Putters
Glow Wizard (beat – used for approaches and putts)
Organic Wizard (lately just a backup for the other Wiz, firmer and hence more prone to roll)

Midranges
DX Roc (worn – straight and anhyzer approaches)
KC Pro Roc (overstable approaches)

Control drivers
Star Teebird (new - moderately overstable control driver)
Star TL (new – stable control driver, hoping to beat it in ASAP)
Glow Teebird (beat – understable, utility)
Star Firebird (overstable, used for forehand and utility)

Distance drivers
DX Valkyrie (getting worn)
Star Valkyrie (more stable Valk)

Everything is 175g or close, since that is what is sold around here. Other discs I've been toying with recently: DX Eagle, P PD, S PD, SS Magic.

Once winter gets going I'll probably pare it down some more. I'm thinking maybe just Wizard-Roc-TL-TB.

What do you think?

[elnino]

your bag is really nice and you should be able to make all those discs do what you want them to do!

I wouldn't change a thing.

any ideas how far are you throwing? what goals/throws can't u do with that set up.

[knuu]

I max out at around 300 ft, RHBH with a few FH shots here and there.

As for what I'm missing... I'm thinking that, on the fairway, the Eagle could be better at S shots than the TB-TL combo. Not my most used shot, though. On the distance end of things, the S PD could be a straight and more overstable complement to the Valks. Don't know if I really need it.

Played my first round today with this setup and did OK despite unfavourable weather.

Any glaring omissions in my setup? Other comments?

[knuu]

Really liking this setup at the moment. I shot a new personal record at my home course the other day and have played consistently well for the past few rounds.

I'm trying out a 169g Star TL instead of the 175g for the time being. The Star TB has been gold for forehand and the FB has seen less action because of that.

The Star Valk, however, is not performing too well for me. It seems too stable and I'm not getting the nice S flight I'm looking for. I would like it to curve but come back more strongly than the DX Valk. Maybe I should get a lighter one in Star plastic next. I'm thinking high 160s...?

[Pwingles]

solid bag, what distances are you trying to achieve before you add a bigger driver in there? I would say that the star valk could just need a little abuse before it gets to where you need it. If you buy another lighter one, save that one and keep it in the bag, maybe throw some tommies with it and let it beat in some. Then youll have 2 discs for that shot. Be careful of how light you get that star plastic in, the starlite is more stable, but not all sub 170 discs are starlite i guess, Dave D said to look for graininess in the wing and if you see that, it is starlite.

[knuu]

solid bag, what distances are you trying to achieve before you add a bigger driver in there? I would say that the star valk could just need a little abuse before it gets to where you need it. If you buy another lighter one, save that one and keep it in the bag, maybe throw some tommies with it and let it beat in some.

I hadn't thought of adding anything faster until I can throw quite a bit farther consistently, say 350 ft maybe. As it stands I'm rarely hitting 300 ft. Did you have a specific disc in mind?

I'm only now beginning to learn to hyzer flip my more understable discs. The beat-up Glow TB works fine for a shot ending right (RHBH). I would imagine that the lighter TL would be quite a straight hyzer flip disc once it gets worn in. The DX Valk should be good, too.

Maybe I'll try and beat up some of those discs on purpose to see what happens.

Now that winter is approaching I can probably forget about trying to add more distance and just work at improving my standstill throws. I can throw FH okay from a standstill, but my BH is just terrible.

I've also been looking to try a Star San Marino Roc.

[knuu]

Winter is here and I'm switching to DX because it grips better. Here's what I have now:

Putters
Organic Wizard (175g, newish, for putting)
Glow Wizard (175g, worn, for approaches and short drives)
(I lost my Magic but will get a new one)

Midranges
DX Roc (175g, new)
(I also lost a worn DX Roc which I still hope to get back)

Drivers
DX Teebird (175g, new)
DX Teebird (167g, new)
DX Firebird (175g, new)
DX Valkyrie (175g, worn)

Things I want to learn/practice during the winter: driving with putters, hyzerflips. We'll see how it goes in the snow.

[Pwingles]

solid bag, what distances are you trying to achieve before you add a bigger driver in there? I would say that the star valk could just need a little abuse before it gets to where you need it. If you buy another lighter one, save that one and keep it in the bag, maybe throw some tommies with it and let it beat in some.

I hadn't thought of adding anything faster until I can throw quite a bit farther consistently, say 350 ft maybe. As it stands I'm rarely hitting 300 ft. Did you have a specific disc in mind?

I'm only now beginning to learn to hyzer flip my more understable discs. The beat-up Glow TB works fine for a shot ending right (RHBH). I would imagine that the lighter TL would be quite a straight hyzer flip disc once it gets worn in. The DX Valk should be good, too.

Maybe I'll try and beat up some of those discs on purpose to see what happens.

Now that winter is approaching I can probably forget about trying to add more distance and just work at improving my standstill throws. I can throw FH okay from a standstill, but my BH is just terrible.

I've also been looking to try a Star San Marino Roc.

No i didnt have any specific disc in mind, was just wondering. Your bag looks really similar to mine last winter, I think youll be happy with it. 350 is a pretty solid goal before going up in drivers, maybe to an Orc next or a light wraith in pro plastic. Are you pretty set on Innova stuff or are you open to other brands? Im assuming its an availability thing, but there are some other really good discs out there that arent Innova made in the driver department. But it looks like you can cover about any shot youd need with both the setups you posted, pretty solid all in all.

[knuu]

No i didnt have any specific disc in mind, was just wondering. Your bag looks really similar to mine last winter, I think youll be happy with it.

I hope so too. Daylight is scarce now and snow is plentyful so I'm unsure of how often I will get to play in the next few weeks. One round a week should be doable, hopefully more.

350 is a pretty solid goal before going up in drivers, maybe to an Orc next or a light wraith in pro plastic. Are you pretty set on Innova stuff or are you open to other brands? Im assuming its an availability thing, but there are some other really good discs out there that arent Innova made in the driver department.

Not really; I'm neither set on Innova nor is availability that big of a problem. I'm open to suggestions

[Pwingles]

ive heard good things about Discrafts FLX line stuff for cold/wet, but ive thrown it when it was warmer and not wet and from mold to mold everything is less stable and not the same, but i could see how the FLX would stiffen up and fly a little more like the same mold in a tougher plastic when its that cold, you might find a mold you like and then when the warmer weather comes you could get it in ESP or Z or w/e. I would recommend innovas pro plastic but its generally a little slick compared to the DX in the wet/cold. Maybe an XL or an Avenger not sure if theyre any better than the DX TB's or Valk for you but you never know. If what you have works already then rock it til spring and see what youre feelin then.

[knuu]

ive heard good things about Discrafts FLX line stuff for cold/wet, but ive thrown it when it was warmer and not wet and from mold to mold everything is less stable and not the same, but i could see how the FLX would stiffen up and fly a little more like the same mold in a tougher plastic when its that cold, you might find a mold you like and then when the warmer weather comes you could get it in ESP or Z or w/e.

I've never had a look at the FLX stuff, but from your characterisation it does sound interesting. I will check it out next time I hit up the local disc shop. It'll have to wait until next week, though.

We've also had a ton of snow in the past week so I guess we'll see how many discs I lose when I next get the chance to play.

[knuu]

Time for an update.

Putters
Soft Wizard 165g (seasoned -- for putts & approaches)
Soft Wizard 175g (more stable Wiz for drives & longer approaches)

Midranges
DX Roc 174g (getting seasoned)

Control drivers
DX Teebird 167g (getting beat –– controlled straight & turnover drives)
Champion Teebird 175g (seasoned but reliably stable)
Z Predator 169g (newish –- overstable workhorse, hyzers & FH)

Distance drivers
Champion Roadrunner 167g (newish –- understable distance)
1.1 SOLF 165g (new)

There's two things I've been struggling with: my midrange setup and my distance drivers.

The Roc is looking kind of lonely. I guess I'm waiting for it to beat in some more so I can add another one and have two that fly differently enough to warrant having both. I do have some more Rocs, both new & used, but I like this particular one because of the plastic (stiff DX).

I'm trying the SOLF/Roadrunner combo in place of the Valkyries. While I haven't yet thrown the SOLF more than a handful of times, I hope to use it for distance flex shots and headwinds. I know it's probably on the upper limit, speed-wise, of what I should be throwing at my distance. The Roadrunner has been good to me as long as there is not much wind involved.

Am I missing any shots with this setup? Anything I should add or remove?

[JR]

How heavy are your Valkyries? If it is not a light one then that could be a way to go for reduced power requirement. If you can grip a GL Flow it too has a low power requirement and a lot of glide and speed. Considering how tall you are wing width should not be a limiting factor for you. If it is grippers, finger tip push ups and anything you can do to increase grip strength is great. Like shopping bag carrying with the emphasis on the thumb.

You lack a disc that can make tight turns that is shorter and doesn't skip as much as the Pred. A midrange would compliment the Roc nicely and short range is ok as long as skips aren't a problem. A Gator is tall but even i can grip it fine BH and FH. It is a nice FH disc for the right turning holes at Meilahti. And a great wind beater.

[knuu]

How heavy are your Valkyries?

I have a 170-ish Pro Valkyrie and two DX Valks at 167-ish and 175.

You lack a disc that can make tight turns that is shorter and doesn't skip as much as the Pred. A midrange would compliment the Roc nicely and short range is ok as long as skips aren't a problem. A Gator is tall but even i can grip it fine BH and FH. It is a nice FH disc for the right turning holes at Meilahti. And a great wind beater.

I typically play Meilahti with only two or three discs, namely a putter and a random driver or two. The Gator sounds like fun though and I might give it a whirl. I've thrown a DX Firebird for forehand there on occasion and often seem to end up overthrowing holes.

[JR]

Gator won't fly as fast and probably not as far and it certainly won't skip as much. Do the Valks fly farther than the Roadrunner? If not you have some power. The next step up in power requirement and distance would be Beast or a little easier Gold Line Flow. At least early blue is notoriously understable and has immensely less power requirement than Opto Flows. A friend of mine just tested a bunch of my drivers upgrading from Beast that is too slick for him and the blue GL Flow and Archon went the farthest Flow and Archon tying at 80-82 meters. High PLH S-Line Turning Driver was bought the earlier session because of how it flew for him so he didn't throw that for comparison. A pity because i haven't had a chance to throw my STDs in calm weather and it would seem that my RR and STD aren't that different in rear winds in distance but who knows in calm conditions. STD is straight and so is a RR. He prefers the STD for straightness of flight and grip. He is about 10-15 cm shorter than you.