2017-02-20 Distances It was strange to see my Aero going as far as my farthest other discs last time (on that calm day). My P2 putters were only slightly shorter. I've gotten interested into this and found some numbers of in- tended or to be expected (or whatever) distances for discs. [0] There I find the Aero with 81 meters; I've thrown it about 75m. The P2 is listed with 75m; I've thrown it up to 70m. Doesn't look bad, I'd say. Throwing putters -- check. ;-) Okay, I should better take it as not being completely bad on throwing putters. There's still a lot to learn, of course. The midranges: Comet 85m; I get it to about 80m. Roc 87m; I get it to about 75m. Buzzz 90m; I get it to about 75m. The difference here is a bit bigger than for the putters. (I cannot imagine how I should throw my Buzzz farther than the Comet or Roc ... maybe that's because it's a flat-top and the others are not.) The Teebird is listed with 105m; I get it to 80m max. Probably the lighter Star Teebird, I've ordered, will help to improve here. I'm also curious for the Leopard (100m) and QJLS (110m), that I've ordered as well. All of them are a bit lighter weight. Curious how that will work out! Here are some good comments from the DGCR forums: This is way oversimplified, but... Depending on age/injuries, I think 300' is a pretty good benchmark with some standard Teebird/Leopard type discs. So if you can get a Teebird to 300', I think you're doing something right or at least moving in the right direc- tion. [...] Another useful thing for me is looking at how much ex- tra distance a speed 10-12 gets you. If you throw a Teebird 300' and a Beast 310', or a Destroyer 320', then you're clearly not maximizing those discs' dis- tance potential. [1] And: This is all good advice. Keep in mind it's not like [ball] golf where drivers go 2+ times farther than your wedges. Think of it like a bit of distance gain for the different disc classes, but mostly different flight characteristics. Putters go straighter, and land softer/slower. Drivers fly more like lasers on speed rather than glide, so they can handle lower height shots, but as a consequence they tend to keep moving when they hit the ground. Also, no magic disc will help you throw way farther if you already have appropriate discs. Remember that pro's can throw putters 350-400'+, while the average player can't throw that far with a driver. I would say that Mr. Butlertron's numbers [putters: 200', mids: 250', fairways: 300', faster drivers: 350'] are a good generalization for most disc golfers out there who are quite experienced, although the gaps are likely tighter together than even that (likely ~30' between different disc classes, for typical consistent players maxing 330-350'). But if you're hitting the distances he's stated then those classes of discs should fly appropriately to how they were designed, as long as they aren't very overstable models aimed at hard throwers. [2] Concerning these tight distance gaps, this analysis by DG- Puttheads was interesting as well. [3] (It's does not deal with possible distances but with preferred distances for disc classes.) The lesson is clear: Disc down! Use the slowest disc that goes the necessary distance, because that will give you the most con- trol. Putters cover everything up to about 60 meters. Above that each disc class adds only a small band of additional distance. With this in mind, I have to think anew over my midrange-based bag. However, here's a great explanation on the (still existing) sense of midranges over putters: There are players who are very mid reliant (McBeth has a ton of Roc3's, Philo throws a lot of Rocs), and there are players who barely throw mids as well. Mids are more reliable in the wind than putters typically, go a bit farther, need a bit less ceiling height, and more importantly there are some overstable mids and turning/beat midranges that hit lines that most putters can't. It's more a stability and line selection thing most of the time, although most people don't tend to throw mids <200' it seems. Of course that's a generali- zation. Also most people don't tend to throw fairways <300' or so. For top pro's there seems to be a 200-400' or so range that they can use a mid or another class of disc, and it usually tends to be line shaping and how the landing zone is that determines if they throw a mid or a putter, or a fairway. [4] Hence, one thing is distance (which I mainly work on with my field work), but another thing is line-shaping (which is what you'll eventually want to have on the course). There are always a lot more aspects to consider that apparent on the first look. This is why disc golf cannot be put down simply. And this is why it fascinates me so much! :-) [0] http://www.inboundsdiscgolf.com/content/?page_id=431 [1] http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3141478&postcount=4 [2] http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3141726&postcount=7 [3] http://dgputtheads.com/disc-golf-analysis-distance-tiers [4] http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3141879&postcount=10 http://marmaro.de/discgolf/ markus schnalke