Too many discs...

I went out to play today and I just threw about 12 holes because that was all the time that I had to play. I played with a younger guy (about 17 I think). I will turn 50 this year. My question is whether you think that a lot of players carry too many discs. I remember playing in a tournament during the summer and I just got tired. After that I vowed to simplify my game and carry fewer discs. I now carry a max of nine discs which run the gamut from understable to overstable. I have everything I need. The kid I played with today carried eighteen discs and I spanked him with my nine discs. My opinion is that you should keep things simple and the benefit is that your bag is easier to carry. This is only my opinion but it has worked for me. KISS...

[Peter Bonnel]

Don't worry about how many disc other player carry. Take what works for you. I would add my vote for building yourself a disc golf cart. Being a few years ;-) older than you, I have found a cart to be a big help. Go over to the "Clubs" area. There is a Disc Golf Cart Club where you can get some ideas.

[Jim Coonradt]

Some people seem to think that because I turn 50 this year that I need a motorized cart or something. Not the case at all. Yesterday when the young kid got one stuck in the tree it was me who tried to climb the tree. I was also the one to get it out with a softball. I carry 9 discs by choice. It simplifies my game. Obviously not for everyone.

[Peter Bonnel]

Hey, SORRY about that! I wan't trying to imply anything. I was speaking from personal experence. You had make a comment about the weight of your bag and I was responding to that. I had a total hip replacement and am doing all I can to help my other joints last and using a cart to carry my bag keeps the weight off my joints. Several of the pro use carts as well as many younger players.

[Brandon Swanson]

Here's a simple rule that is helping my game immensely:

"Don't carry more molds than you can practice with."

I guess this is just a revamping of the phrase, "Know your plastic."

This is a part of what goes on with practice, getting to know how each disc flies on a particular line (hyzer, straight, anhyzer, roller). You don't know a disc well enough if all you do is play rounds on the same courses and always throw the same lines with the same discs. This is why youhave to hit the practice field.

Feldberg can carry 40 discs because he plays disc golf for a living and logs hours upon hours of pracice and competition on all sorts of courses. I am willing to bet that he knows every disc he carries very well. He also has a tool-box of shots that is incredibly diverse and the skill to execute those particular shots.

Marcus Kallstrom is an example of an elite player that goes the other way and has a very simple bag set. So it's obvious you can be effective with that strategy as well.

Generally I'd say ams would do well to lighten the load of discs. I'm finding this to be true for me as I start out the season. My spring ritual is to spend a week or two only practicing with the putters (driving them I mean). Upshots are the core of your game. You've got to get up and down from anywhere, so I work those. Then I add the midranges, then the main drivers, then the specialty stuff.

When the season is in full swing I don't have a lot of time to practice. I have 3 very young children and I'm not alone in being very busy I'm sure. So for those of you with limited practice time, I'd say choose your essential discs in round and practice with those and keep your knowledge of them high and reach for them in the round. If you don't practice with a particular disc hardly at all, I'd consider taking it out. Especially if you have a disc that performs a similar role.

[Jim Coonradt]

How about trying it the other way around. Play only with your drivers and then add in the mids and putters. Could be interesting. I still have a bet with a good local golfer for a driver only round. 20 bucks. We play three different courses. Just never got around to doing it. Maybe now is the time.

[eric beich]

it is fun to take 1 or 2 discs out to a course sometimes. sure speeds up a game as well.
but every good mechanic knows he has to have the right tool for the job :)

[Jim Coonradt]

This kind of goes along with the plastic addiction thread. If you don't know how to use that circular saw, you better count your fingers. A bad driver in a Porsche is still a bad driver. Tools are good things if you know what to do with them. Each to his own, but I will stick with the simple, yet well understood approach.

[Charles Isaac]

After I go throw 18 holes and after dinner (evening meal) I will during the summer twilight (about an hour or so long) go and run a short 9 hole course with two discs.

[Senior]

I carry anywhere from 15 to 18 discs including my putters when I play. When I go to tournaments I carry a small duffel bag with extra back up discs and arrange my bag according to the course I am going to play. So I have 20-25 discs with me in the car. I know every disc in the bag and have a use for each one depending on the course. I usually Trim down my bag before I play the round. I use an "old fart cart" if the course terrain allows. I always practice with new plastic at a field or during casual rounds and beat it in and decide if it works for me before it makes the line up.

I like to have discs that I am very used to to replace a lost disc (knock on wood) during an event. So usually I have two of the same mold in my favorite category. For me, having two putters, two mids and two drivers that are basically identical is good planning for an event. The down side is that you have to carry it if you want to throw it during the round. So if I took those discs out I could slim down my bag by 6-8 discs and carry only 9 to 15 discs. I have seen people lose their only putter during a tournament and totally lose their game and their score! It has happened to me but I had my other putter with me and just kept on playing. My putter was found in the pond I threw it in later that moring and I got it back for the second round......

My current disc line up includes the following:

Putter/Approach
(2) Star Aviars
(1) R-pro Aviar
(1) Elite Challenger

Mids
(2) limited ed. crystal z buzzz's
(2) ace race meteor
(1) San Marino Star Roc
(1) Ontario Star Roc
(1) Z Glide
(2) Squall

Drivers
(1) Star Beast
(1) Champ Road Runner
(2) Star Orc
(2) 1st run Champ Boss
(1) Star Boss
(1) 1st run Champ Groove
(1) CFR Star Katana
(1) CFR Champ Katana
(1) 1st run Star Excalibur
(1) Star Monarch
(1) Champion Sidewinder

[Alan Disczilla Corbin]

I went by cottonwood to drop off some gift cards for my store and met someone who wanted to play. I only had 2 disc, Z Flash & a star spider. I don't throw a Flash as it's too stable for me. I shot my handicap with no problem. As long as you know what the disc will do you can play an average game. If I'm playing for tags I might want my XL for sidearms and my gold avair. I have a bag loaded with "special disc" for tournaments but only need 9 or 10 disc. 2 disc are backups in case I lose a putter. Then there is the extreme discraft memorial in Arizona where I lost every disc except a putter and a mid which became my driver. (too many water hazards)
Falcon Course is open. Come on out. Driving range loaded with over 100 drivers. No Charge! 244-1934
Beat DiscZilla on his own course and win a Golf bag. Birdie 3 holes in a row and win any disc from our warehouse

[Brandon Swanson]

Where is your course?

[Geoff G]

I'll be out there for sure. How do I get there coming East on HWY 24 from the Springs?