Disc golf: Understable discs are more fun to throw

Last week, my Star Rollo arrived in the mail.

I know I’m a few months late to the party, but still …

Better late than never.

I’ve only thrown the disc for two rounds over two days. And while both were of the Rollo-only type, I’m not ready to review it. My experience with the frisbee, however, has reminded me of something many golfers fail to realize until their aging bodies force-feed them the message …

Understable discs are more fun.

The Sonic, Glitch, Polecat and Ultimate communities have all been hip to this for quite some time. But I’m not talking about playing catch at the park across the street. As long as the wind’s willing to cooperate, understable plastic is a blast for actual rounds of low-scoring disc golf.

Pro Tour-level bags are largely comprised of Zones, Roc3s, Felons and DD3s. As a result, most amateur bags follow suit – mine’s no exception. I’m not even saying that’s a bad thing, either. Stable-to-overstable plastic is rock-solid. It’s reliable on both backhand and forehand lines.

Within reason, it accounts for flaws in form. No matter what the wind’s doing, it performs well. And coming down the stretch of a tournament, not having to worry about your gear getting squirrely on you, it’s rarely a bad call to lean on the beefier side of the stability spectrum.

But man, if it’s a good time you’re after …

Go flippy.

Over the past couple days, with the Rollo alone, there weren’t many lines I couldn’t hit to at least some degree. Yes, it’s important to note the wind was virtually non-existent, but remember …

This is a disc with an ungodly amount of understability.

Grip, angle and power control make all the difference in the world for the Rollo. To get the midrange to behave as you’d like, there’s a bit of a learning curve. Be patient, and you’ll love it.

Forehand or backhand, thrown with pop – even on an insane hyzer – the disc will instantly flip, touch down and roll with a finish on the flight-plate side of the disc. If you need the Rollo to start and end on a hyzer line, switch to a fan grip, dial back the power meter a good bit, and she’ll get the job done. And for straight, hyzer-flip flights, do the same thing, but with more oomph than before. My favorite flight, though? The gentle, left-to-right anny that’s never fighting out …

She’s a beaut.

* Note: This goes without saying, but the Rollo isn’t friendly to those bagging a dirty flick.

I’m far from a creative disc golfer. I lack the ability and imagination to get too wild on the course. The Rollo-only format inspired me to “wackify” things, though – to bust out a few “Lucas lines,” which are similar to Simon lines, but with embarrassingly poor execution.

Here’s an example:

• 275 feet.
• Wide open.
• Dead-straight.

Sky anhyzer, of course.

Duh.

And you won’t believe it …

But something like THIS is totally doable:

Are you looking to seriously spice up the way you attack a casual round of disc golf? The Rollo’s a great place to start, but it’s not got a monopoly on fun-filled flippiness. Grab your Ruby, Meteor, Sphinx or Katana and see what kinds of lines you can achieve with ‘em.

Mark my words …

You’ll have a good time.

And who knows?

You might just find yourself an understable disc of the workhorse variety.

Do it to it.

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