Disc golf is gear.
Lots of gear.
The relationship between a disc golfer and his tools is unique. As is not the case in most sports, disc golf stuff gets better with age – discs, to be more specific. Yet, each time they’re called upon, they’re at risk of going M.I.A. These aren’t used, dime-a-dozen range balls, either.
As you well know by now, when left with no other option but to leave a proven, battle-tested flier behind, it smarts. Your game can take a serious hit because of it, too. It’s that big of a deal.
Discs matter.
Rather, specific discs matter.
But today, I want to comment about what happens leading up to all of this – what happens beforehand. I don’t know what your buying habits are like, but I’m about as far from a “shopaholic” as possible. I don’t buy much stuff, but the stuff I do buy, I really want.
This goes for discs, too.
When there’s a mold that looks like it’s got potential staying power in my bag, I begin the courting process by doing as much research as humanly possible. I take my time with it. Screw limited runs, one-off stamps and commemorative discs with “Buy now!” marketing messages.
I enjoy the ride.
- Forums are devoured.
- YouTube videos are watched.
- Flight charts are cross-compared.
As far as I’m concerned …
This is a blast.
For me, it’s the pursuit of the “magic mold” that’s just as much fun as trying it out on the course. As you’ve undoubtedly learned for yourself, no single disc is capable of transforming an otherwise crappy brand of disc golf into something worthy of a DGPT Tour Card.
But I can’t help but wonder if one day it will …
I’ve gotten close.
(kind of)
Years ago, when the Rhyno found its way into my bag, for the first time ever, I was able to forehand and backhand an approach putter with confidence. Strokes were instantly shaved off my scores because of it. Bead and all, with the Gator, it was more of the same. And yet again, the process repeated itself with the seldom-bagged Monarch – a hidden gem of the Innova lineup.
If you’re enough of an old soul to read a disc golf blog in the age of TikTok and instant hits of dopamine, my bet is that you’re a fan of the above, as well. But this is only half the joy of the operation: Once an order is placed, nobody is as excited for the mailman to arrive as you.
It’s like Christmas morning.
But for grown men who still play with (and collect) toys.
When all is said and done, even if a new, experimental mold doesn’t wind up carving out a permanent place for itself in your bag, the journey is almost always worth the $20 note it set you back. Listen, I shun materialism at all (literal) costs, but this is just part of disc golf …
Embrace it.
Slow down. Save your money.
But when the time is right, pull the trigger.
And savor the flavor.
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“If you’re enough of an old soul to read a disc golf blog in the age of TikTok and instant hits of dopamine”
Guilty as charged!! After taking pride in my deliberately small disc collection the bug started to bite pretty bad this year. I have bought so many 6-9 speed drivers trying to find the perfect one. Ironically what I ended up going back to was the one I started with – The Tee-bird but am diving deeper into the mold and buying Teebirds in other plastics. To me this is where mold minimalization makes the most sense. I mean it’s great fun to try out Hawkeye after River after Undertaker etc. But if I can achieve different flights from the same mold and feel confident doing it that’s going to lead to consistency.
So learn from me kids, take Lucas’s advice. But I will say there’s nothing better than knowing your mold. I know I’m a teebird guy and I know I’m a Zone guy and so that’s what I’ve been leaning into. Of course what I really need to do is just practice my putting more often, right?
Hahaha …
Same song and dance:
Learn to putt.
Love it 🙂
By chance, did you ever get into the Teebird3?
The absolute most unique part of our sport. It needs to be promoted more. I can’t think of another sport that has this…. Maybe surfing if the cost of a board wasn’t so high?
Ball Golfers experiment with balls but that difference is small in results. Cuz playing around with clubs is a very very rich man game
All that said, my disc bag is currently perfect, and even as someone so frugal he’ll only buy f2s, this makes me sad. The new disc chase is fun….i just can’t think of a disc slot i currently need. And it sucks.
Right, but from there, you can maybe spice-up some of those F2s, eh?
Or maybe look for some cool, one-off stamps?
This’ll all cost you …
But, hey maybe for one of those Gators, at least?
I got 3 gators.
I got 3 teebirds.
I got 4 shrykes.
I got 2 Xcalibers.
Technically that’s all i need for most every round… Unless it’s windy, then the shrykes are replaced with destroyers. The other discs just take up space really.
And stamps are dumb. Maybe I’m a snob but Innova needs to hire some graphic artists. I scrub them all off with some nail polish remover.
What kind of “vibe” do you think would suit Innova stamps better?
By the way, I agree …
They feel too cartoon-ish.
Great question but the 80s carton vibe isn’t working for me. And then the Star ones are just too boring.
I’ve also never seen a stamp, across any manufacturer, where I thought “oh that’s good, i want that”
Honestly…. Their idye series are their best looking discs. They should just do those for their primary discs.
Oh, I’m weak for the I-Dye stuff …
SO good-looking.
They can be a nightmare to find in the woods, though.
That’s the only real downside.
Very relatable article. Waiting for that new disc to arrive in the mail is the closest I get to the kid on Christmas morning feel.
Like most people, I tend to buy new discs that I think will make my bag…but, I’ve had a new thought recently. Do you think there is value in clearing out my normal bag for a few practice rounds, and filling it with stability’s and speeds that I normally struggle with?
Because of my throwing form, I tend to like flippy to neutral discs. But I think, for the purposes of long-term improvement, perhaps I should go full stable/over-stable, and force myself to figure it out. Just a thought.
In a somewhat similar vein…I’m not very good/experienced with forehands, so on 3 or 4 occasions I’ve done forehand only rounds.
Forehand-only rounds are great, assuming your shoulder can handle ’em!
Also, love the limited-discs rounds …
Again, as long as you’re not putting your body in harm’s way, there’s no issue with ’em at all.
People do putter-only rounds on the regular, and this isn’t all that much different.
I’ve hated fairway drivers for the longest time …
I’m no stranger to these rounds and think they’re great 🙂