I putt with KC Pro Aviars.
It’s my firm belief this is the greatest putter in all of disc golf. Once scarred by a few solid basket blasts, the KC Pro Aviar is both smooth and grippy. It’s also rock-hard with next to no flexibility. Putt after putt and round after round, this characteristic makes for a clean, confident release.
Zero flutter.
In the winter, to avoid shattered plastic, I’ll switch to JK Pro Aviar-Xs, but make no mistake: Once the weather warms, my pair of battle-tested KC Pro Aviars are instantly back in the bag.
I do have ONE complaint, though …
The disc rolls like none other. And not the good, desirable kind of roll you’d get from a Rollo or Roadrunner. I’m talking about the bad, unintentional kind that leads to broken marriages.
The rollaway.
More specifically, on the putting green.
My brain might tell me otherwise, but the reality is that any putter is capable of rolling. Softer, more malleable putters tend to do it less frequently, but even the Koi is no stranger to taking an occasional stroll. Here’s the three-headed monster that’s most often responsible for this ish:
- The cage.
- The chains.
- The chastity belt.
The result?
To quote Ludacris:
“Rollout.”
And even more so when the basket’s perched on an incline.
My skill level says otherwise, but I’ve been at this “disc golf” thing for nearly two decades. Combined with my love of Ken Climo’s putter of choice, that fact alone means I’m ultra-familiar with untimely, round-crushing rollaways within circles one and two. Mark my words, friends …
Here’s my Nostradamus moment:
Multi-rollaway rounds will put me in an early grave.
Perhaps you can relate:
- One rollaway happens.
- Two is a bout of bad luck.
- Three is a sign of dark sins.
Anything more than that?
Switch to pickleball.
Given my propensity for rollaways, it’s at this point during a round I usually turn up the volume on my public pouting. If you didn’t know I was upset, now you will. I want you to know; I need you to know. Nevermind the fact that I could switch to a softer putter, dial back the pace of my bids or consistently put my putts on the pro side of the basket, but no – that can’t be the issue.
Clearly, the universe’s many elements have combined to hedge up the way between me and short-game greatness – it’s the only logical explanation. Yes, this gripe might be the creation of an overactive imagination, but the raw emotion I feel when it takes place is extremely real …
Rage.
Drive for show. Putt for dough.
Multiple rollaways, though?
Fiery flow.
That one’s free, Kanye.
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ok here me out, on baskets where I fear the rollaway – I putt with my Star Gator. This might be a case of small sample size, but because it’s so OS, if it ends up on it’s edge, it usually flops over quicker than my Star Aviar. I think?
I’m not even sure if that logic is sound. Does OS make it fall over faster? I need someone smarter than me to explain that. But you can usually tell how my round is going if you see me putting with my Gator. Means discs are rolling away, or i am shanking my Aviar all over the place. I’m tempted to switch to my Gator fulltime within C1 but that’s insane right? Right????
Right????
People DO putt with the Gator …
Back when it was allowed, Eagle McMahon putt a Champ Gator into stiff headwinds all the time.
He was a Gator guy with Discmania before he became an MD5 guy.
So it IS a thing …
As for slopes?
Man, that feels off ..
But I’m likely no smarter than you, so take that for what it’s worth – not much.
To me, an overstable putter would land on edge more frequently than a stable putter, causing it to roll more.
Maybe not as far, but it’ll roll more, nonetheless.
The best fix for this sort of thing is to nab a REALLY gummy or flexible.
I hate the feeling, but it would do the job.
I just prefer the rollaways to the in-hand feel of a bendable putter. Haha.
What kind of Aviar do you use?
Star Aviar. I know. What? Premium Putter? But yup. Why is it not allowed to putt with a Gator now????
Hahaha …
Hey, if it works, it works!
And sorry, don’t quite understand your question:
“Why is it not allowed to put with a Gator now?”
If you’re asking what I think you’re asking, yes – you can putt with a Gator.
People will think you’re weird, but if you’re routinely whooping their butts, who cares, right?
You said: “Back when it was allowed, Eagle McMahon putt a Champ Gator into stiff headwinds all the time.”
Implying it is not allowed anymore? Or do you mean back when his contract allowed him?
Ah, that makes sense …
Yes, back when Innova manufactured Discmania’s discs.
When that was a thing, Discmania-sponsored dudes could toss a few Innova molds.
Eagle went with the Gator 🙂
I was playing a course about 3 years ago. Back then I putted with a premium Harp. I was on the last hole of my round and I had a stinking 5 putt. Admittedly one of them was a spit out but the rest rolled away to 20-35 feet. It was awful. After that, that Harp was never used as my putter again. I switched to the discmania p2 which just feels nice in hand. Since then I haven’t experienced and awful rollaways.
Yeah, the Harp’s rarely used as a putting putter …
Just too beefy, you know?
That overstability makes it WANT to find an edge on its way back down to Earth.
Thankfully, you don’t get that from the P2 …
Some of the best putters on the planet swear by that thing!
Sounds like you’ve found a winner 🙂
I know this could quickly turn into a “rollaway stories” section….but, quickly…
On the 4th hole of a 2-round C-Tier I watched a guy 6 putt, with 5 rollaways. To his credit, he didn’t walk off the course. I have a similar story of my own, but in a casual round. Those occurrences were at Rolling Pines and Ashe County(in North Carolina)…2 of the best courses I’ve ever played. Sadly, it seems to be the price of admission for courses with elevation change.
On the other conversation…I’m between putters, and looking. My longest tenured putter was a Star Aviar, but eventually wore it out. Been putting with a Penrose for the last year or two. Currently practice putting with a Pure and a Pa-3. Maybe I should just return to an Aviar?
I’m a BIG bit-bead Aviar guy:
* The KC Pro Aviar
* The Yeti Pro Aviar
* The JK Pro Aviar-X
Any one of those is great, if you don’t mind beads.
Is the Penrose not working for you?
Or, do you just want to try something new?
And bummer for Mr. Six-Putt!
That sounds awful 🙁
Definitely an Archer vs the Arrow debate…the Penrose is okay, but I’ve been in a putting lull, and feel like I need a fresh start. My son is 11 and uses an Envy, and is a legitimate better putter.
I do not mind a bead, but I think I want something a little flatter/low profile this time around.
Thank you as always…the daily articles are great(I’m a high school teacher and taking a 3-5 minute break to read your articles are always a boost).
That’s awesome, David!
And kudos to your son for being the next James Conrad …
Nothing wrong with that 🙂
People don’t do that enough, BTW …
Switching-up the putting putter when there’s a lull in performance.
Sometimes it’s just what’s needed to get things back on track.
A fresh start.
Let me know how it goes – best of luck!