Disc golf: The benefits of leaning (heavily) on one disc

When you see Eagle McMahon toting 30-plus discs around the Las Vegas Challenge, you’d assume he’s using every last one of ‘em, right? I’m no professional, but trust me on this …

He’s not.

In fact, at most, I’d venture to say he’s using a third of ‘em. And if you think I’m merely pulling this kind of speculation out of my butt, consider Gannon Buhr’s latest Instagram post. In it, he  mentions the number of frisbees he threw at the 2023 DGPT All-Star Weekend in Tucson …

Any guesses?

Five.

With the Las Vegas Challenge starting in two days, watch for the following …

From those atop the leaderboard, you’ll see:

• Item No. 1 – One disc.
• Item No. 2 – On one angle.
• Item No. 3 – Hitting the same line.

Over and over (and over) again.

Last year, it was Drew Gibson with his Star Destroyer. As you’ll recall, Brother Buhr got in on the action with his 400 D1, too. And this isn’t a dig at the three open, fairway-in-the-sky courses competitors tackle in Henderson, either. In heavy woods, the EXACT same strategy can work.

Drew Gibson famously carried only 12 (-ish) discs with him during the second round of the 2021 Ledgestone Insurance Open. That day, the MPO field was scheduled to do battle with Northwood Black. If you don’t know the name, it’s quite possibly the toughest disc golf course on the planet.

To defeat the beast, Gibson showed up with one of those entry-level, over-the-shoulder bags you find at Academy Sports + Outdoors. In it, he carried a creamsicle Z-Line Buzzz and a light-pink Champion Leopard. Off the tee, he hucked his Buzzz on nearly every hole – literally. And when he needed something with a bit more distance potential on it, he opted for the Leopard.

Yet again …

ONE disc. ONE angle. ONE line.

It’s a recipe for success.

Doing things this way, the benefits are clear-cut:

• Perk No. 1 – Strategy is simple.
• Perk No. 2 – Disc selection is obvious.
• Perk No. 3 – Throws are easily repeatable.
• Perk No. 4 – You’ll quickly hit a flow state.

Carry many discs; throw many discs.

Run rampant with different mold, weight and plastic combinations …

But before you pour your life savings into a custom-built Pound Octothorpe, please note that the uptick in storage capacity (and subsequent back problems) isn’t necessarily needed …

Pay attention: You’ll witness it firsthand this weekend in Las Vegas.

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Editor’s Suggestions:

• The inevitable fallout of Prodigy suing Gannon Buhr
• How Matt Orum’s form can improve your disc golf game
• Disc golf: The argument for manufacturer-loyal amateurs

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