Forehand Discs

Hi,

I've only been playing disc golf since August last year up until October. And started again around June this year until... well, now, so I have a few months of disc golfing behind me.
I got hooked on the game almost right from the start and I ended up buying all sorts of discs and I'm still looking for that one perfect disc that will give me both distance and control.
I started off playing as a backhanded (RHBH) player, but I never got the snap into it as intended to make it really glide. It sort of just faded out on me early in the flight. I was using an Innova Dragon and Goblin when I first started. Later on, I bought a Z Avenger SS and a DX Leopard and I never really got the hang of the Avenger as it needed more power than I could produce. But, the Leopard worked out pretty good for me, but I still wasn't getting the power I needed to make it go straight and not fade on me early in the flight.

So, some guys from work and I were tossing a few discs on our lunch break and I started - for some reason - to toss forehanded. I felt like I had much better control throwing like this, but I pretty much left it at that. It didn't even occur to me that this might be a viable way to throw during disc golf rounds. But then I saw a couple of guys at the local club actually throwing the discs forehand and it was at that point it occured to me that I could actually just go forehanded on drives instead of going backhanded. It took me a little while to master it, but after a few rounds with the Leopard and Avenger SS, I got the hang of it and were knocking serious scores off my game compared to when I was doing it backhanded. I have played a bit of hockey and floorball over the years, and that's pretty much in the wrist as well, so I guess it's more natural for me to throw forehanded.
My putting was still a big problem, but I spent several months practising on it, and it's now probably the strongest part of my game.

Anyway, after trying a lot of discs in order to gain more control and distance to my forehand drives, I eventually ended up on the Teebird since that seemed to fit my power level. The Destroyer, Talon, Predator and Pulse were just too much for me to handle and they just started flipping out right after leaving my hand.

Problem is, I can have dead straight and very controlled drives with my Teebird and TL, but I haven't improved at all what distance is concerned. I have improved on every aspect of the game except for distance. My max throw is probably around 300', but my average drive is probably around the 200' - 250' range. And some of the courses we play are around 550', so I don't stand a chance if I wanna get a birde on those. Being par 4.

So, my question is: What discs would you recommend for a low-mid powered player who would want to get more distance out of his drives? And what weights? The discs I use the most are 170-171 grams Teebirds and TL. I had a 167 grams Avenger SS, but it got lost somewhere on a steep, wooded course. I've just ordered a new 166 grams Pro-D Avenger SS since this is the only disc I am able to go dead straight for the very short holes and also to flip and go in a nice left curve (RHFH).
I know I should work on my backhand, but I only use backhand for approach shots basically. I wanna improve on my forehand first before I start working on my backhand drives.

I'm still relatively new to the game, so I'm still learning. Any advice on discs and weights would be much appreciated.

[Jørn B. Sand]

Hehe, yeah. The DX plast doesn't stand much beating before you have some pretty serious gashes on it. Especially when they skip on asphalt or gravel. I took off a pretty big chunk on the underside of the disc yesterday. I'll just have to give my champion Teebird som more love, I guess, and work it in. The DX is due for retirement :)

[Tim Arnsmeyer]

Well I have beening playing for three years and still learning the game. My biggest adjustment was slowing down and working on having more controll. I usage to the get upset with bad throws, with a disc. Then I worked out what I was doing wrong, and made the adjustments. Get somebody to video tape you, and then review it. And mostly listen to the gang, here. They can really help.

[Jørn B. Sand]

Yeah, I did and that really helped a lot. Plus, I had a friend help me with my form and he introduced me to a new grip that just felt so more natural for power than the one I had been using previously.

And yeah, I should get someone to record me when I throw just to see what I'm doing wrong/not doing right.
We don't record eachother as much as we probably should be doing, so that's good advice :)
I used to do that when I was a doing theater, and you could really tell quite early on what you should be working on. I still suspect that I'm not getting the full stretch of my arm, but that's probably something to work on. I am a little cautious when I throw, 'cause I don't wanna over do it due to a bad shoulder that's a little on and off. The advantage is more control, and the disadvantage is less distance.

But again, something to work :)

[Ben Hartwig]

My personal favorite sidearm disc is the ESP pulse. This disc has fairly good glide for how stable it is, and has an extremely comfortable grip. I usually only throw sidearm when i need to hit a gap that finishes to the right, but lately I've been throwing sidearm for a lot of placement drives. I also love throwing sidearm approaches with the zone. As for your sidearm, I would recommend a surge or a surge ss. They have great glide and are very controllable.

[Jørn B. Sand]

I have an ESP Pulse, but I never got the hang of it, so I dedicated all my time into my Teebird, which paid off eventually. The Pulse seems to be a very fast disc and very flippy. I can get it to go anywhere but straight :)
I probably just need to learn it, but when I play a game that I wanna win, that's not the disc I'll go for first since I have zero control with it.

Mark, and I think a few others, recommended a Surge SS for me, and I will give it a go. It's just that the season is at it's very end here in Norway and I still have a lot of other discs that I need to work in, so I pretty much have my hands full at the moment with discs. But I'll order one for next season and give and really try to make it work. I'll probably order a Stalker, Rogue and Wraith as well and see how they work out.

I favor control over distance, but sometimes you need both.

[Ben Hartwig]

thats weird, i would've thought a pulse would be more stable than a teebird, but hey, whatever gets the job done. good luck finding the perfect disc for you. oh and the rogue is the same mold as the surge ss.

[Jørn B. Sand]

Yeah, that's what I thought too about the Pulse, that it was supposed to be an easy forehand disc, but it was far from it. I've thrown it to the point that it has gashes on the sides, and that's not easy with the ESP plast, but I have still not gotten the hang of it, so it's retired to the back of my trunk now :)
I've read some reviews on it and a lot of them agree that it's a hard disc to have good throws with.

I'm gonna stick to my Teebirds and TL for the rest of this seaon and see if I can get in a little practise with my other disc in the off-season. That is, until the snow comes. We had a little snow here earlier in October, but it melted as soon as it started to rain.

Ah, so no bother getting both the Rogue AND the Surge SS, then?

[Ben Hartwig]

Do you mean it was more overstable than a teebird??? Not more flippy???

[Mack]

Just to answer the inquiry, I throw 90% forehand and I love the Star SL, the StarXcaliber, and of course the Champion Wraith. Here's the thing...beat them in. They will not perform consistently until you have thrown them a lot, and until they have encountered trees, or hit the ground in a nosedive a few hundred times. I pretty much just snap my drives with my elbow in close, though I have learned to throw from the chest if I need to for certain terrain. A 300' ft drive is all you need, brother. Hone your approaches and your putting, and you can compete with the big arms.

Good luck.