Punctured Disc

Today while trekking up and down the Toboggan course at Kensington Metro Park my brother threw a short putt at the basket and somehow poked a hole in his new R-pro Dart after hitting a thorn. Has anyone else had this problem?? Thanks

[Nibs Carter]

its junk. cant use it in a sanctioned event anymore.

[Greenroom]

Are you in Texas?

[Jackson]

Good question. The only time I punctured a disc (DX Aviar), was an errant approach shot that kissed the cactus in West Texas. I still have it, but I do not use it beyond practice.

[Birdie-man]

Michigan...

[mark ellis]

With some plastic, tiny puncture holes can be closed with heat (like a cigarette lighter).

Although a small hole does not affect the disc's flight, it is not legal for sanctioned events. So if your Brother is a tournament player he has little to lose if the heat method fails.

At one point the PDGA Rules forbid repairing discs with heat but it was changed and that restriction no longer exists.

[mark ellis]

A disc with a punctured flight plate is technically illegal. A small hole filled with a thorn may not be noticed and so not called. Personally, I wouldn't call it anyway since it doesn't impact the actual fairness of the competition. There are times when logic and fairness should trump technical rules, including this.

The problem is that players become dependent on their favorite discs. At a key point in a round the thorn might become dislodged, revealing the hole. If it comes to the attention of the group, the disc might be disallowed.

It wouldn't surprise me if the thorn problem is common in some places that thorn holes are ignored. I remember playing a course which had original Mach 1 baskets, which were designed back when Moonlighters were driving discs. On these Mach 1's, a standard sized putter could drop through the grating in the bottom of the basket. The local rule was a putt was good if it dropped through the bottom, which was, in the interest of fairness, the rule which was used in PDGA sanctioned events held there (the PDGA was not consulted on this rule waiver).

[Birdie-man]

Once again thanks for the info Mark!

[Paul Novak]

Must been a pretty vicious thorn. There is a tones of thorns if you go off the path on that course. I think even the grass has thorns growing on it.

[Jackson]

Does this say anything about the R-Pro line? I have not purchased any as of yet, but I have thrown them.

[Terry "the Pirate" Calhoun]

Mark referred to repairing a disc with heat. I learned from my teenage job working at a sewer pipe factory in the early 1960s, that something like a butter knife, heated up over stove burner can be used to soften up and reshape plastic. I've repaired a number of discs in that way. I suspect that in the midst of a tournament you could do it with just a lighter or even a match, if you were careful.