Trim the Bag or Fill it?

[sk8architecture]

I was reading player profiles on Innova, Gateway, and Discraft and noticed the bag of all the Pros were pretty minimal. They all carry maybe only 3-5 different types of discs but usally 2 of each mold. Alot of players at my level seem to carry a bunch of diiferent molds. For example I have both a Surge and a wraith in my bag but both are very similar in flight.

So what do you prefer.......is it better to go with the Wasp for hyzer shots, Roc for straight shots, Zglide for turn over shots.........or New Roc for hyzer shots, Roc for Straight shots, beat up Roc for turn over shots????

I love plastic so its hard to discrminate between the Surge and the Wraith or other random combo's in my bag. Any other threads or articles on this topic would be interesting too. Thanks.

[snap7times]

Go to an open field, throw every disc in your bag at least 6-10 times to get a feel of which disc will do what and which one you would throw more often if you had 3 of that kind but in different "beat/age"... I used to wrestle between a surge and a wraith and the wraith won because I could do, beat to shit awesome turn, straight as an arrow 12x, and strong left *replaced strong left with teerex*.... It takes years and years of practice to reduce the discs used and to find those that fit your game...

[mine all mine]

I think you should throw what fits you best. I personally love the Buzz. I have three in my bag, 1 new for long hyzer shots, 1 slightly used for straight to slight hyzer at the end shots and 1 old for long turnover shots. I could use different discs that do these things straight out of the box, but I feel I can control a Buzz better than any other midrange. Same thing with Drivers and Putters. I throw what I have confidence in.

[TYVEK]

howdy,


personally i would say to find the discs that you can absolutely depend on and just have those in your bag. there is no need to be carrying around 10 different molds ALL of the time. i think thats its fine to have the wraith/surge just to compare which disc is going to be work for you the best, but they are so very similar that you dont need to always carry both of them.

when you are out there throwing all your different discs, start to evaluate each one as you throw it and find the model of disc that is TOTALLY dependable for you. each person has a bit of different opinion on which disc is better. but what really matters is which disc works for you the best. personally i switched from carrying 3 ROC'S to now carrying a Z wasp and a BUZZZ. i have had the wasp for almost a year now and it is my primary midrange and it still flies just like a brand new rock!


if a Roc is easier to control for you, then just carry around a couple rocks at different stages of being beat in. one stable, and one understable.
the less molds you have in your bag, the easier it will be for you to really know exactly what each of your discs are going to do for any given situation.

hope this helps you out. keep throwing and practicing!!!

[Scott]

I was reading player profiles on Innova, Gateway, and Discraft and noticed the bag of all the Pros were pretty minimal. They all carry maybe only 3-5 different types of discs but usally 2 of each mold. Alot of players at my level seem to carry a bunch of diiferent molds. For example I have both a Surge and a wraith in my bag but both are very similar in flight.

So what do you prefer.......is it better to go with the Wasp for hyzer shots, Roc for straight shots, Zglide for turn over shots.........or New Roc for hyzer shots, Roc for Straight shots, beat up Roc for turn over shots????

I love plastic so its hard to discrminate between the Surge and the Wraith or other random combo's in my bag. Any other threads or articles on this topic would be interesting too. Thanks.

I'm hardly a pro player, but I've definately seen the need to simplify.
I just stripped my bag down to the following:
Pro Destroyer
Pro Destroyer (backup)
CE Firebird (very beat, very straight)
Pro Orc
Pro Teebird
10x KC Pro Gazelle
Pro Pig
DX Roc
KC Pro Roc
JK Aviar
JK Aviar

That's 11 discs (and two are strictly backups), down from about twenty. I just tried it out with a couple of rounds at Pier and LOVED it. The big difference is that, for probably the first time ever, I actually used every disc in my bag (minus the backups). Having a limited selection really helped remove some of the guess work that goes into disc selection.

[Adam Schneider]

I guess it depends on your goal. If you want to move up the rankings and win tournaments, you should probably do like the pros do. I personally think it's a lot more fun to try out new stuff and carry as many discs as my bag will hold.

[Joshua Olmsted]

I've been very happy with my pared down bag, as an amateur player I switched through many discs trying things often, but eventually settled on 6 molds that make up my arsenal and I haven't changed in the last year and a half. I do enjoy having my molds in a variety of weights and plastics, it allows me to get lots of shots while keeping the same grips, now when I throw I don't have to think about what disc to use, because I'm so familiar with all of them. I found this especially true in the putter and mid-range game, before I had different putters for different shots and was inconsistent with all of them.

My bag
4 X avengers (163-168)
2 ESP Pulses 173
3 Z XLs all 172 in different stages of beatness
2 Z Extremes 174
2 Z Buzzes 175
2 ESP supercolor Buzzes 175
3 D soft magnets 175

Go Discraft

[RonTheWhip]

I think paring down my bag has been one of the greater benefits to swtiching to Dcraft. In my initial attempts of trying everything I found a lot of solid molds, I've settled into a good rotation right now and have less than 20 discs on me during tourneys. In years past of carried around 25 in the bag at all times...yikes.

ESP Force (2)
ESP Pulse
ESP Surge
Z Surge
FLX Avenger
Z Avenger
Z Predator
ESP Predator
Sparkle Rogue
ESP Meteor
ESP Buzzz
ESP Buzzz
ESP Zone
Z Xtreme
D Challenger
Soft Magnet

17 discs. 12 molds. Each disc sees lots of action :)

[sk8architecture]

Thanks for all the input. For the past 6 months I have actual focused on pure practice in fields and such and have noticed a huge difference in disc selection. As stated above Surge or Wraith I like them both but for personal benfit and consistancy I need to chose one and let the other go. There seems to be a fine line of having all the right shots and just the right amount of discs to preform the shots without thinking too hard. Thanks for the post its interesting to see others approach to this mystery. I guess I should just shut up and throw now!

[sk8architecture]

Oh yeah it doesn't help that every month a new disc comes out that says its the farthest throwing disc EVER!!!!!!

[Sean Phillips]

I try to limit my bag for less confusion. The more you throw "X" disc the more you get to know what "X" disc flies like. Example: I throw orcs a lot, at times I will toss a brand new champ orc in the bag and use it in a tournament because I have thrown a lot of champ orcs in the last 2 years.

In my bag:
XD's
Rocs
Eagles
Orcs
Boss (new addition, I'm really liking the star ones)

[JMan]

168 X Pred
169 Z Force
169 Pro Rogue
175 Z Buzzz
172 Pro D Buzzz
168 Pro D Challenger
174 Soft Mag
Six molds, seven discs baby :rockon:

[snap7times]

I think paring down my bag has been one of the greater benefits to swtiching to Dcraft. In my initial attempts of trying everything I found a lot of solid molds, I've settled into a good rotation right now and have less than 20 discs on me during tourneys. In years past of carried around 25 in the bag at all times...yikes.

ESP Force (2)
ESP Pulse
ESP Surge
Z Surge
FLX Avenger
Z Avenger
Z Predator
ESP Predator
Sparkle Rogue
ESP Meteor
ESP Buzzz
ESP Buzzz
ESP Zone
Z Xtreme
D Challenger
Soft Magnet

17 discs. 12 molds. Each disc sees lots of action :)

No Crystal or Z Buzzz?

[RonTheWhip]

No Crystal or Z Buzzz?

They are on deck :)

The ESP Buzzz I think has the best grip, plus the new one in the bag is STABLE. Most Z Buzzz I''ve thrown have turn on them right out of the gate, I like the stable ones more.

I've heard domey Crystal Buzzz are stable, any truth to that?

[Magilla]

This is what I show up with in my bag for each event.......
I'll remove 7-10 discs depending on the course and conditions

Champ Firebird
CE Eagle
Star XCaliber (2)
Champ Boss
1st Run Star TRX
1st Run Star Destroyer
1st Run Champ Destroyer
Champ Destroyer
Champ Orc (2)
CFR CE TL (2)
"Old Mold" Whippet
Champ Beast
Star Beast (2)
KC 12x "Ching" Roc
DX Rancho Roc
DX San Marino Roc
DX Ontario Roc
"Original" San Marino Roc
Gator
Stingray
JK Pro Aviar X (2)

:cheers:

[snap7times]

They are on deck :)

The ESP Buzzz I think has the best grip, plus the new one in the bag is STABLE. Most Z Buzzz I''ve thrown have turn on them right out of the gate, I like the stable ones more.

I've heard domey Crystal Buzzz are stable, any truth to that?

I throw a 168g Z Buzzz for those nice turnover shots that turn laterrr or can make it come earlier... and for those tight shots where you just have to go strong straight for 125-200 ft and almost zero fade...
Tried the meteor, blah, the Z Buzzz will do it all and more than the metoer..
176g ESP FLX buzzz which is stable but it will go straight or even turn if thrown hard and flat, perfect for hole 5 dexter long straight.
Crystal Buzzz is the most overstable of the bunch. I compare it to a 180g KC pro Roc but with a tad more fade at the end.
Had a pro D buzzz for a short time, bleh to that...

[zippyboy]

Personally I dug the Meteor. But then I switched to a Comet, and found it worked better for me. Then I accidently stumbled upon the Buzzz SS. Best straight midrange I have ever thrown. Only problem is that its Cryztal Clear, and I worry about losing it at the Mud or Trojan.

A number of people have mentioned the Avenger. Were any of those the Avenger SS? Just curious. Again, I have found this to be the most reliable of any driver I carry. And now having it in Z plastic... :drool:

As for my bag:

Six Avenger SS's (174g ESP, 172g FLX, 174g Z, 174g FLX, 169g ESP, 166g FLX - all in various levels of "beaten in")
Champion Monarch 175g
Champion Boss 175g
Champion TeeRex 175g (not a TeeRex-x)
Champion Destroyer 175g
DX TeeRex 150g
FLX Buzzz 174g
CryZtal Buzzz 174g
Crystal FLX Buzzz SS 176g
FLX Drone 175g
Organic Wizard 175g

And then there is the #1 Slice (160g) and #2 Hyzer (175g) for Trojan. Only 8 total molds, not including the Trojan discs. Apparently I have moved on from the 20+ molds I used to carry.... Maybe that's why my back hurts less

[D.L.]

if you're into the whole brevity thing-

a circle stamp gator, nobody fuxwizdah gatah'.
a gummy pro rhyno and a gummier PolarBear
a StarMax, ChampOrc, and StarDestoyer, those 5 172-175g
A Roadrunner for rolling and flipping, 165.
That, and a pair of testicles.

I'm unemployed,
Dude

[sk8architecture]

Update: I have played 4 rounds since triming down the amount of differnt types of Discs and I love it. It has made disc selection so much easier. If you were interested:
Old Bag:
1 destroyer
1 force
1 Surge
1 groove
1 wraith
1 rouge
1 monarch
1 Avenger ss
1 buzz
1 glide
1 storm (I wish they still made these...send me a PM if you have one to sell)
1 wasp
1 spider
1 roc
1 avair
1 birdie

Now!
2 destroyers
2 Surges
2 Rouges
2 Avenger SS
1 Groove(I think I will always have one disc that will rotate as new stuff comes out)
2 buzzzzzz
1 wasp
2 storms
1 glide
avair PNA and a Birdie

[Burge]

My bag right now:

169 DX Destroyer
165 S Illusion
172 Z SurgeSS
172 Power Genesis
161 Star SL
171 Star Monarch
162 Star Sidewinder
169 Champ Sidewinder
166 Pro-D AvengerSS
171 Opto Vision
175 Star Stingray
178 Buzzz-D
175 Z BuzzzSS
160 Woodchuck
170 SRP Rock-It
175 SSS Warlock
165 DX XD

[captain jack]

Its taken me years to understand the differences in flight characteristics between different discs.
Its true you can force a meager selection of discs to do things you need, but, its like a pro ball golfer playing with 2 clubs.

When you have discs that line up like 14 golf clubs, the game gets easier, and way more fun.

I try to tailor my bag to the course or courses I'm going to be playing that day, taking only the discs I need, some specifically for certain holes.
I try to remember when I consistently park a shot with a particular disc, so I can repeat it easily.

I do have my " meat and potatoes" discs that I can always rely on if I'm on an unfamiliar course, and I also carry a " trouble" disc for bad lies, which I find myself in alot.

I usually try to include one " test" disc when I play, there are very few shots I dont have an answer for in my bag, but its always good to see if a new disc can do something better than one I already have.
Right now I'm enjoying testing a lightweight Star Boss. This disc does seem to be a great driver for big headwind hyzers, it carrys a mile.

Lugging a 60 pound brick around a course, full of everything I have in the closet, sucks the life outta me fast, if I'm gonna make it through 54 holes in a day, I need to be lean and mean, so I only carry what I need.

Having light and heavy discs allows you play the wind better.
Its good to have a cheap, expendable disc for risky shots.

Hey, if you can cruise through a tough golf course with just a Roc, then thats all you need.

I need a few more to at least try to keep up, without ripping my arm out of the socket.
I usually end up with around 12 discs, which I refer to as " The Dirty Dozen" :cool2:

[erp]

I just went through a bag pruning due to back issues - slinging 20 discs, a few beers, and a liter of water on and off your back for 18 holes is almost as bad as throwing.

My rounds have been about the same, notwithstanding some serious issues with left hand shots, but, the arsenal as it stands:

Champion Boss
Champion X-Caliber
Champion Wraith (the only dead weight currently...at least in drivers)
Glow Champion Sidewinder (let me know if you want to trade one of these, I have rocs...lots of sweet, luscious rocs...)
Glow Champion Orc
Champion Orc, beyond beat - hammer/thumber/get out of jail free card...
Super Roc - (changes, depending on my mood and the season I' have a bunch that all do the same wonderful thing)
Star Ontario Roc
Champion Ontario Roc
R-Pro Dart (getting kicked off the team tonight - too many trips to the pipe rather than the basket. Will be replaced by a DX Ontario Roc)

So, 10 discs, but oddly, I played the West 9 at Rooster tonight with just the glow orc and super roc and got the same score I did with the whole bag...just sayin'

[Greg_R]

Geeze you guys carry a lot of plastic!

Star Destroyer (1)
CE or glow CFR Teebird (1+ spare)
CE Leopard (1+ spare)
DX Roc (2)
DX Ontario Roc (1)
KC Roc (1)
Star Monster (my get of jail / huge skip disc)
DX Beast (super beat up, use it maybe once every 4-5 rounds)
X putter (1)

99% of the time I'll throw the Teebird and Roc. On occaision I'll use the Leopard and in a wide open hole I'll use the Destroyer (Teebird is much more consistent). The rest of the discs are backups or used very rarely for special situations. NOTE: I rarely throw big forehands so discs for that kind of throw are not represented (Teebird or Rocs are used for <250ft forehands).

[RonTheWhip]

I think paring down my bag has been one of the greater benefits to swtiching to Dcraft. In my initial attempts of trying everything I found a lot of solid molds, I've settled into a good rotation right now and have less than 20 discs on me during tourneys. In years past of carried around 25 in the bag at all times...yikes.

ESP Force (2)
ESP Pulse
ESP Surge
Z Surge
FLX Avenger
Z Avenger
Z Predator
ESP Predator
Sparkle Rogue
ESP Meteor
ESP Buzzz
ESP Buzzz
ESP Zone
Z Xtreme
D Challenger
Soft Magnet

17 discs. 12 molds. Each disc sees lots of action :)

Huh, I guess I tend to switch things a lot, since I don't even carry an Avenger in the bag anymore. Here is what I carried for the Fling:

Pro D Challenger (2)
ESP Buzzz (2)
ESP Meteor
ESP Zone
ESP Nebula (2008 Ace Race)

ESP Predator
Z Predator
Z Reaper
Sparkle Rogue
Z XL
ESP Force (2)
Z Surge (2)
ESP Pulse

I already have a few other discs on the fringe that I'm experimenting with. XS, Xpress, APX...

Here is what I actually threw during the Masters Cup (28 holes):

ROUND 1
PULSE
SURGE
PREDATOR ESP
ROGUE
PULSE
REAPER
BUZZZ Green
BUZZZ Green
ZONE
PREDATOR Z
PULSE
PULSE
PREDATOR ESP
FORCE
PULSE
PREDATOR ESP
PULSE
METEOR
METEOR
REAPER
PREDATOR Z
ZONE
PREDATOR Z
REAPER
FORCE
PREDATOR ESP
BUZZZ Green
PREDATOR Z

Only a handful of diferent molds over a 28 hole course.

[Sam]

XD
Aviar-X
4x Rocs (1 Flattop for straight to hyzer shots, 1 DX Ontario Glow for straight to turnover shots, 1 VERY beat KC Pro for rolling and the turnovers that don't come back and 1 back-up KC Pro that is more stable)
Champion Gator
Champion Monster
Pro-Line Monster
3x Star Destroyer (1 max weight that is stable, 1 172g that is flippier and 1 169g that is flippier still)
2x Star Max (1 beat and 1 newer)
2x KC Pro Gazelle (1 beat and 1 newer)
2x Star Wraith (Both beat but 1 is slightly newer)
Champion Wraith
3x Champion Boss (Yeah... don't know what is going on here... they are just so pretty to look at...)
Champion Leopard
Champion Sidewinder
Champion TeeBird

Champion Monster will be coming out of the bag soon. Pro-Line is the best disc ever made. Everything else stays.

[Minordiety]

In my bag right now:

2x pro d destroyers (168-169)
1 Star Wraith (max weight)
1 Champ t-bird (167)
1 Z Buzzz (Max)
1 X Buzz (170)
1 2 soft x challengers
2 soft magnets

I carry a big mid range package because that is all the game I got. Hell, I rely on my mid game to save me 99% of the time.

Probably will take out the wraith. Really don't throw it much.

[TYVEK]

At BSF and watching the lead card i notice that Ken Climo didnt really have many discs in his bag. it looked like he had 5 roc's on one side of his bag and about 6 drivers on the other side with a couple putters.
that really drove the point home for me that a person doesnt need a huge bag full of discs to be a good player.

here is what i carry and actually throw(i have a couple in my bag strictly for practice purposes that i dont throw in tournaments.)

1-esp Force
1-esp Pulse
2- rogues 1 stable, 1 understable
1- Z Avenger
1- esp Avenger SS
1- Z Reaper
1- Champion T-bird
1- Z Wasp
1- esp buzzz
1- Z buzzz
3- Crossfire putters.

[Greg_R]

Good thing you didn't look at Feldberg's bag... I'm not sure if anything else could fit in that revo backpack! :shocked:

[TYVEK]

Good thing you didn't look at Feldberg's bag... I'm not sure if anything else could fit in that revo backpack! :shocked:

Yeah thats for sure!! At the CSI tournament earlier this year i was following his group around and there was a time that he was looking for a certain disc. he would pull out a green disc then put it back, and then pull the next green disc out and put it back. it took him about 6 tries before he found the disc he was looking for! I was amused at the thought of him having so many discs that he cant find the exact one he wants! His caddy was telling how heavy his bag is and i had a chance to feel that thing, it weighs around 20-25 pounds!! i am happy to say that my bag max's out at 18 discs, which i dont even carry. and it is super light!

[Darr]

Distance Drivers
169 First Run Star Destroyer
169 Star Destroyer
171 CFR 06 Mid-Nationals Wraith
171 Champion Sidewinder

Fairway Drivers
172 CFR GLOW Eagle X
175 Champion Leopard

Mid Range
180 CFR Champion GLOW Roc
177 11x KC Pro Roc
180 DX Cobra

Putters
175 R-Pro Aviar
175 5X JK Pro Aviar
175 4X JK Pro Aviar

12 discs

[T-what?]

I just cut my bag down to 14 disc.
Echo XCaliber 175g
1st run Boss 173g
1st run Boss 174g
1st run Star Destroyer 170g
CFR Wraith 175g
CFR Max 175g
CFR Glow Eagle 175g
X-out Teebird 150g
10x Ken Climo Gazelle 175g
Champion Gator 169g
DX Gator 150g(back-up)
DX Roc 180g(model changes daily)
M Wizard 175g
M Wizard 174g(back-up)

[sands.steven]

1x Champion boss
1x Champion Groove
1x 12x Star wraith
2x Old Champ Beast


2x Eco Roc

2x Magnet
1x Soft Magnet

6 molds
10 discs

Thats how i've been rolling lately

[Darr]

I just cut my bag down to 14 disc.
Echo XCaliber 175g
1st run Boss 173g
1st run Boss 174g
1st run Star Destroyer 170g
CFR Wraith 175g
CFR Max 175g
CFR Glow Eagle 175g
X-out Teebird 150g
10x Ken Climo Gazelle 175g
Champion Gator 169g
DX Gator 150g(back-up)
DX Roc 180g(model changes daily)
M Wizard 175g
M Wizard 174g(back-up)
Tewa, I've got a couple of KC Aviars you can have that will put those Wizards to shame!
I'll throw them in my trunk for next time I see you. ;)
Gateway is FAR better than Discrap though, excluding the Brocc! err Buzzz :laughing::laughing:

[T-what?]

Tewa, I've got a couple of KC Aviars you can have that will put those Wizards to shame!
I'll throw them in my trunk for next time I see you. ;)


I would throw the KC aviars but they don't come in hot rod red!:drool: