Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Well...
I managed to place second in my first tournament ever! Tournament play is really intense and different than just playing with your friends. It was super fun though! Check out the results here: Sun Valley Open 2011. Peep my name, second from the top, in the Recreational division :)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Your first disc.
Enough of these amazing montages and time to get into some information about disc golf. The entry is about buying new discs.
Buying a new disc can be scary, so many factors go into you decision and what really seems to matter most (to me at least) is how pretty the disc is. But to be fair to the disc manufacturers, there are some derivations in discs that must be noted. Most disc manufacturers use some sort of rating scale that tells you how you can expect the disc to behave after it’s been thrown. Below is the disc manufacturer Innova’s rating scale that rates the disc’s speed, glide, turn, and fade.
S=Speed - Speed is the ability of the disc to cut through the air. Speed Ratings are listed from 1 to 14. Discs with high numbers are faster. Faster discs go farther into the wind with less effort. Slower discs take more power to throw, but have less of a chance to fly past the basket.
G=Glide - Glide describes the discs ability to maintain loft during flight. Discs with more glide are best for new players, and for producing maximum distance (especially downwind). Glide is rated from 1 to 7. Beginners looking for more distance should choose discs with more glide.
T=Turn - High Speed Turn is the tendency of a disc to turn over or bank to the right (for RHBH throws) during the initial part of the flight. A disc with a +1 rating is most resistant to turning over, while a -5 rating will turn the most. Discs rated - 2 to -5 make good roller discs.
F=Fade - Low Speed Fade is the discs tendency to hook left (for RHBH throws) at the end of the flight. Fade is rated from 0 to 5. A disc rated 0 will finish straightest, while a disc rated 5 will hook hard at the end of the flight. Discs with a high fade rating are predicable even in wind.
When you see a disc’s rating, it will look something like: 12, 5, 0, 3. That means its’ speed is a 12, its’ glide is a 5, its’ turn is a 0 and its’ fade is a 3. The disc I just described is a disc that needs a big arm to throw it successfully (FYI my arm is huge). When buying your first disc and just getting acclimated into the sport, it is best not to go too big too early. So a good example of a rating for someone’s first disc would be 9, 4, -2, 2, which would make it a moderately fast, disc with a nice glide, stable flight and a lower fade. Coincidentally is the rating of Innova’s disc, the Valkyrie and is one that I recommend for beginners to use.
Disc ratings aren’t the only variable in your decision for disc selection but it is important to have a grasp of this before we move on. You still have to take into account disc weight as well as the material your disc is made out of and if you’re still reading this, that is what my next entry will cover. HYDG.
Buying a new disc can be scary, so many factors go into you decision and what really seems to matter most (to me at least) is how pretty the disc is. But to be fair to the disc manufacturers, there are some derivations in discs that must be noted. Most disc manufacturers use some sort of rating scale that tells you how you can expect the disc to behave after it’s been thrown. Below is the disc manufacturer Innova’s rating scale that rates the disc’s speed, glide, turn, and fade.
S=Speed - Speed is the ability of the disc to cut through the air. Speed Ratings are listed from 1 to 14. Discs with high numbers are faster. Faster discs go farther into the wind with less effort. Slower discs take more power to throw, but have less of a chance to fly past the basket.
G=Glide - Glide describes the discs ability to maintain loft during flight. Discs with more glide are best for new players, and for producing maximum distance (especially downwind). Glide is rated from 1 to 7. Beginners looking for more distance should choose discs with more glide.
T=Turn - High Speed Turn is the tendency of a disc to turn over or bank to the right (for RHBH throws) during the initial part of the flight. A disc with a +1 rating is most resistant to turning over, while a -5 rating will turn the most. Discs rated - 2 to -5 make good roller discs.
F=Fade - Low Speed Fade is the discs tendency to hook left (for RHBH throws) at the end of the flight. Fade is rated from 0 to 5. A disc rated 0 will finish straightest, while a disc rated 5 will hook hard at the end of the flight. Discs with a high fade rating are predicable even in wind.
When you see a disc’s rating, it will look something like: 12, 5, 0, 3. That means its’ speed is a 12, its’ glide is a 5, its’ turn is a 0 and its’ fade is a 3. The disc I just described is a disc that needs a big arm to throw it successfully (FYI my arm is huge). When buying your first disc and just getting acclimated into the sport, it is best not to go too big too early. So a good example of a rating for someone’s first disc would be 9, 4, -2, 2, which would make it a moderately fast, disc with a nice glide, stable flight and a lower fade. Coincidentally is the rating of Innova’s disc, the Valkyrie and is one that I recommend for beginners to use.
Disc ratings aren’t the only variable in your decision for disc selection but it is important to have a grasp of this before we move on. You still have to take into account disc weight as well as the material your disc is made out of and if you’re still reading this, that is what my next entry will cover. HYDG.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
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