What’s in my Bag #5

My Bag: This bag works great, but I have designs on a Gorilla Boy Camo bag. I just need a reason to upgrade. What do you think? Set it on fire?

Distance Drivers, most overstable to most understable:

Discraft Force 174g (3rd Coast sponsor-stamp)

Discraft Force (ESP) (174g) - This is a good distance driver.  I use it for my longest into-the-wind shots.  It has good glide, is very stable and will generally be pretty hard to turn over too much, even into a strong wind.    I don't see this one leaving my bag.  I bought a couple more with the plastic money I won in my first rec-division win in early 2009 because I was starting to really like the disc and began to worry I'd lose it.

My sharpie-arted Star Monster. Great headwind disc.

Innova Star Monster (175g) x5- I went from hating to loving to just carrying this disc.  It's been taken over by more specialized discs like the Force and Trex/Wraiths (see below).  I imagine it'll make a comeback in the big Corpus Christi winds we have coming up soon, though.  I have two in my bag and three spares.

This disc feels like a Wraith but flies straighter under load

Innova Star T-Rex (175g) x2 - I bought one of these last spring and lost it pretty quickly.  I went through a "lose everything" phase that I think we all have to do.  You know how when you first start you lay up in front of ponds, etc, then you start getting better and you try to go over, but don't make it all the time?  That was about the time I had the T-Rex, several Wraiths, a couple of Monsters and a Destroyer put into several ditches and ponds.  Then recently a golf buddy shows up with the T-Rex, saying he'd found it 10 months before but hadn't bothered calling me (this is disc golf...).  Anyway, I got it back and gave it a couple of tosses and it felt great.  It's a little bit of an overlap with the Wraith especially but I just bought a backup.  I'm thinking it's a good in-between for the Force & Wraith.  We'll see.

I'm thinking:

big headwind = Monster (predictable)

headwind, distance = Force

headwind, medium = back to the Monster

light headwind = T-Rex

neutral or tailwind = Wraith

I'm not crazy, believe me.  If you are a DG newbie and think "one disc is enough" just wait.  It's not just wanting to buy more toys, though, all these little nuances are really important; I tried two discs (Wraith & Aviar) for awhile, but especially with the wind to contend with, my game started getting better when I started throwing appropriate discs.

The Wraith is my favorite driver, and the one that I've used the longest, since I really was able to start throwing hard

Innova Pro Wraith (175g) x2 - This is my favorite disc.  I can't use it as much as I want because I crank pretty hard on my RHFH throws and it turns over too easy, especially if it's even a little bit of a headwind.  But if it's wind-neutral or -- gasp -- the beloved tailwind, this disc just flies great.  Very versatile, too, you can shorten your swing but still snap it off and you end up with a T-bird like glide that is as good a fairway driver as anything.  I carry two because I've lost a lot of these.  They go forever.

Innova Star Roadrunner (175g) - gave it away; I said in Bag #4 that it might have to go and it did.  This disc was just too much turnover for me.

Fairway Drivers most overstable to most understable:

I love this disc; it rocks for all sorts of shots and is my main "what the heck do I do here?" disc

Discraft Flick (171g) - I lost my Innova Banshee DX (175g) just about the time it was finally getting straight.  It was a great short upshot spike disc.  I could depend on it going hard left at the end of a short slow shot and I used it that way a lot.  I was beginning to replace it with a Flick by then, though, and now the flick is my go-to disc for the short hyzer shots.  There seem to be a lot of holes that are right behind a tree or something like that.  The best route to them is to come in around the tree (obviously). An elevator shot would work but those are really hard to pull off, especially in wind.  A good forehand or backhand spike works, but is also susceptible to the wind.  That's why I love the hard left discs like the way, Way, WAY overstable Flick.  You can start it out to the right or left, throw it about as far as the basket and depend that it will almost boomerang back in and spin right in.  I do this about 4 times a round probably, on any course.

Peace, brother. Peace.

Innova Star Teebird (175g) - This is a great fairway driver and I hope to have it a long time.  Having said that, if I lose it, I'll probably not replace it because I've been able to shorten my swing with my Wraith and duplicate this purpose.  I may take it out of my bag for a couple of rounds just to see.  I can throw it as far as most of my drivers and it just loses out because I like the Wraith so much and I don't find a need for two discs that are somewhat similar.  Let's just say that I'm usually either close enough for a midrange or far enough for a driver.  It's a great disc, though, and I reserve the right to change my mind back!

Mid-range most overstable to most understable:

My sharpie-arted Darth Gator

Innova Star Gator (175g) - I sharpie-arted a great Darth Vader onto this white disc after I wiped it.  I'll try to get a picture up.  It's pretty cool.   Anyway, this is a good short range forehand or backhand approach disc and I use it to putt into the wind or around stuff.  It's pretty overstable.  I wouldn't want to be without this disc.

Innova Star Shark (175g) - Last Bag I said "Man, this is my back-and-forth disc. I sometimes wonder why I have it."  Well, I don't. I gave it to my buddy Tom and he likes it.  I never hated it, but it just didn't fit anywhere.

My favorite CFR; I think the caricature is supposed to be Greenwell but I think it looks like my favorite musician, John Prine. :-)

Innova Star Cobra (CFR) (175g) -  What I said last time still applies:

I don't use this one much in rounds, either, especially on roomy courses. I just don't trust it that much... don't feel like I can put it within 20 feet of the basket reliably. But, I really like the feel of the Cobra and it's flat inner lip. This is the most comfortable disc. I really want to get reliable with it, as I think it offers me the most versatility.

I think that I'm going to start using it more again, though.  I have a big need for a 200 foot straight shot and don't really have that in my game.  I'm talking straight all the way, even at the end, no hyzer bend at the end.  I probably have thrown this disc 5 times in six months but wish I trusted it during rounds a little more.  I'm getting a lot more consistent with my shot, though, and I think I can bring this disc back.  It's pretty flippy, though, and needs to be thrown with touch.  I hope I'm finally getting that touch.

Putter:

My beat-up, peach-colored putter that I'll cry if I ever lose.

Innova Aviar Putt 'n Approach, DX (175g) x4 - Read the last bag.  Unless I lose this, I'm not changing.  This is a good solid putter that feels really good every day.  I said the other three are useless unless I need to replace my Aviar but I've used those three lately a bit, too, when practicing and they are really very different discs.  Domier, stiffer, and just a different feel.  I'll probably go with a Rhyno or Pig if I need to replace it.  I almost lost it at a tournament last December (at the first basket, no less) but I don't foresee needing to replace this anytime soon.