2022-02-10 Wiley Wind I played four rounds on the Wiley course today. It was pretty windy. Usually I'd take a more stable driver with me, but today I wanted to play with only the Eagle and P3, as yesterday. Of course, I had some problems with driving into a headwind. Putting was sometimes difficult as well. After three rounds with Eagle + P3, I played the last round with a DX Banshee and the P3. (The Banshee has more high-speed stabil- ity.) My rounds went +1, +1, +4, +3. Overall (36 holes) it were 5 bir- dies, 20 pars, 8 bogeys, 3 doubles. Some thoughts: Hole #1 was the most difficult with the strong headwind. For once it was difficult with the nose angle, but as well, I couldn't give enough hyzer to result in a straight flight. The Eagle was simply too flippy for this wind. The Banshee would have needed noticably more hyzer as well, but with that it could have been a decent drive. The P3 was surprisingly good into the wind. It flipped not half as much as I expected and, as it is a putter, the nose angle mat- tered less, even into the wind. On hole #2 I could drive P3 back- hand pretty much straight at the pin. That was a good experience. Because of the wind and the high-speed turn of the Eagle, I went with the straight route on hole #3. (Usually I throw a long sweeping hyzer with a Valkyrie.) It worked out much better than I thought. The flight path and the wind worked very well for this line. If I would have gotten the height a bit better, it would even have been possible to park the hole this way. Two times I had a 12m putt. Hole #4 was rather difficult with the wind. I tried Eagle fore- hand, P3 backhand anny and Banshee forehand, but each time hit some trees and had a 20-30m approach/layup. Hole #5 showed me another time how well the P3 flies. It's a pleasure and I too seldom rely on it. Usually I throw the Zone, but even in this wind the P3 worked so well. First round I threw the P3 forehand with a bit too much hyzer, thus fading a bit right. Missed the 10m putt. Second round I threw it backhand, making the 6m putt. Third round I threw it backhand again, on a great line, even hitting the bottom of the pin! Unfortunately, it then slid past it and I missed the 6m comebacker. Last round all throws were too cautious and thus short and undefined. (The last round was rushed, because I was already running out of time. Nonetheless I met Christian, helped him search a lost disc, un- successfully, and played the remaining holes with him.) On hole #6 I went with the driver forehand hyzer each round. In the first round I parked the pin. :-) In the other rounds I hit the same tree, leading to bogeys because of bad approaches and missed putts. In the third round the double bogey was caused by lazyness. After hitting the tree, I had thrown the P3 backhand on the straight line through the trees as a practice drive ... and placed it 6m from the pin! :-) Then I was to lazy to get it, thus approaching with the driver, which didn't work out that well, of course. Hole #7 was one of the most impressing. (Maybe only because of the left-tailwind.) First round I tried a P3 forehand and took a double bogey. The other three rounds I threw a P3 backhand through the tight gap. Usually I try to throw forehands through tight gaps, because I can aim better forehand. But today it worked out so well! Round 2: 4m birdie putt made! Round 3: 6m birdie putt missed. Round 4: 3m birdie putt made! I was so suc- cessful throwing that P3 backhand! Besides the usual driver backhand hyzer on hole #8, which I used three rounds, one of them birdieing, I also tried a P3 backhand straight line. It resulted in an easy par. The last and longest hole #9. Was rather advantageous in this wind. All four of my drives (3x Eagle, 1x Banshee) were great. Three of the four drives landed at or even slightly behind the second bush row! This is about as far as I am able to throw. Here I was able to do it three out of four times. The Eagle drives drifted a bit too much right. I should have thrown the same drive but aimed a bit more left, to land it straight then. The Banshee is pretty much the perfect disc for this hole. I had a 13m birdie putt with it. One of the Eagle drives gave me a 16m birdie putt. All rounds I played par. Although the result might not show it, I see how I've become better. It's hard to tell what exactly has improved. Maybe it's kind of overall maturity. Things are no longer new; I've now seen and experienced a lot myself. It's not that I don't make the mis- takes, but things don't surprise me and I am more relaxed. Also, I see how good I can putt! More often I hit 8m putts as if it were nothing. Or really go for 12m putts, having no fear, be- cause I make the 5m comebacker. The P3 (yesterday and today it was the black-rimmed one, which is more stable than the red-rimmed one) has impressed me anew. It is such a good disc! I have to use it more. Also my ability for well placed backhand approaches with it are much better than I am con- fident of. I have to simply do it. The outcome confirms it. DX Banshee and Star Teebird have pretty much the same flight. Currently I like the DX Banshees a lot, in winter especially, as they are more grippy. In sommer the more durable Star Teebird might be the better choice. http://marmaro.de/discgolf/ markus schnalke