Disc Series: Fairway Drivers For Newer Players

Zoe Andyke teaching at a disc golf clinic

One of the biggest challenges when first starting to play disc golf is knowing what discs to throw. More often than not, you got into the sport because a friend, co-worker, or family member encouraged you to do so (or dragged you on the course against your will!). After a round or two, you fell in love, but knowing what discs will best suit your new skill set can leave players at a loss.

Thankfully, there are a ton of options within the our line-up. Between Dynamic Discs, Westside, and Latitude 64 molds, there is literally something for everyone. Today we’re going to take a look at fairway drivers - one of the essential tools for any budding player. When you first start disc golfing, there’s a good chance that you don’t have a ton of arm speed or power, and it can take some time to master your form as well.

Which discs work best in this scenario? Let’s take a look!

Latitude 64 River Pro

One of the slowest fairway drivers we have to offer, the River is a great choice for players who have less power. Rather than depending on your disc to launch itself down the fairway, the River offers an immense amount of glide, allowing you to put your full power into your drive and letting the disc do the rest.

The River Pro brings a ton of control as well, so you don’t have to worry about not knowing what your disc is about to do. Add to that its ability to stand up to windier weather and you have yourself a versatile choice all around.

Westside Discs Underworld

Literally designed for new players to find success on the tee box, the Underworld by Westside is the perfect option when you’re just starting out. We highly recommend it to be your very first fairway driver - it’s just that easy to use. Many times a beginning disc golfer will find frustration as their disc hyzers out to the left well before they want it to, but with the Underworld you won’t have that issue.

Dynamic Discs Witness

You don’t have to be athletic at all to enjoy disc golf, but sometimes this lack of experience can result in a lower arm speed. While it’s something you can learn to improve upon over time, it can sometimes frustrate players when they first start out.

If this sounds like you, the DD Witness will change your game. Like the River, the Witness offers a great deal of glide to help you get maximum distance off the box, and with an understable flight path you can depend on your disc to do the work for you.

The last time you took a new player out to the course, which discs did you hand them? Was it one of the three we’ve listed above or did you find that another mold was more successful? Let us know in the comments below what you think is the best fairway driver for someone who is just learning the game.

Don't Miss Your Chance To Win In This Year's Match Play

Registration has just opened up for the 2018 Match Play World Championships presented by OGIO, and we couldn’t be more excited to run this awesome event over the next few months. New to match play but want to get in on the fun? Here’s a quick run-down:

Divided into 4 rounds plus a semi-final and final match, up to 64 players across the nation will compete for huge prizes as well as some sweet bragging rights. We’re looking to see the sport’s top players take part in this event as they integrate it into their current tour schedule.

We’ve partnered with UDisc to bring you a bracketed system that allows you to see who’s coming out on top after each round, and players themselves just might use social media to promote and live broadcast their match.

Payouts in this year’s match play are enormous, with first place receiving $15,000. In total, $37,000 will be handed out among the top 8 players, ensuring that these extra competitions are well worth it!

For more info, visit the Match Play World Championships website here and check out our recent broadcast with Bobby and Doug highlighting some important updates.

The DD Women's Series - Part 1: How Zoe Andyke Promotes Women's Disc Golf

Take one look at Zoe Andyke and you’d think disc golf was in her blood. She’s earned 27 career wins to date and tours the country spreading her enthusiasm about the sport while performing at an impressive level. When she’s not on the road, she’s working on the non-profit she founded, Universal Play Disc Golf, which teaches school-aged children the essential skills needed to play disc golf.

But even beyond this long list of accomplishments, Andyke is well-known for her efforts in promoting disc golf to women. Let’s take a brief look at how she’s made an impact for women across the country.

In A State Far, Far Away....

A native Oregonian with a passion for physical education, Zoe didn’t necessarily have her sights set on teaching women disc golf across the country when she first started out. Working with teen girls at a boarding school, however, gave her insight into how she could relate the knowledge she has to a group of women:

“It was a treatment based academy, so not only did I have control of their PE curriculum, but I had to fill their weekend and evening time with outdoor activities and education. We completed wilderness survival, built shelters outdoors, and on the side, I was an Oregon disc golfer on the weekends,” said Andyke.

Eventually, she moved to Alaska to pursue other opportunities, but disc golf came with her. Just before leaving in 2011, she taught her first women’s clinic. With 32 ladies in attendance in Anchorage, she told the group that she didn’t know where her teaching was going, but she knew she was on to something good.

Getting Involved Everywhere

When you talk to Zoe about all the places she’s involved in teaching disc golf to women, it can make your head spin. 2013 saw the development of Portland-based club Women of Disc Golf or Die (Women of DGOD), and together with the founders Zoe offered merchandise, training, and offered to be the club pro. During that year she also went on tour and continued to teach. “At each stop, I wanted to teach a clinic during the event and had about a 70% success rate with that. They were donation based and I was always advertising and aiming at women,” Andyke explained.

Continuing her momentum, she partnered with Huk Lab the following year to create Flight School. The idea took off with the intention of hosting women-only disc golf classes, and as Zoe continued to see success the branding also took off with Nate Sexton providing a male-oriented version. From joining clubs across the nation to becoming involved in classes held during well-known tournaments, Zoe is a teaching force to be reckoned with!

She has a huge mission on her mind, explaining: “The 92% men to 8% female PDGA stats seem to stay stagnant, even with women’s tournaments popping up everywhere. When you look at the rate of the men’s growth - we just can’t keep up with that.” Yet with Zoe’s skills and natural talent for teaching, she’s hoping to change that.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our DD Women’s Series where we explore more about how Zoe is impacting the sport of disc golf and encouraging women worldwide.

Fix Your Off Axis Torque With Tips From Danny Lindahl

We’ve all done it a time or two, and for some players, it becomes a major issue that costs them distance on their drives. That’s right, we’re talking about off axis torque and how this wobble can be corrected with a few simple tips.

• Focus on getting a lot of spin on your disc, as this is the number one reason why you tend to see discs wobble in mid-flight. Adjusting where you place your hand and how you pull through on your drive will help quite a bit.
• Forehand players who are troubled with their torque might be rolling their wrist too much when they release their disc. By adjusting your grip and keeping your thumb on the top of the disc for your entire drive, you’ll find that you can execute a much more stable shot.
• As you’ve heard countless times, your follow through is crucial to your game. It also helps to eliminate off axis torque as well, assuming you stay in line with the type of shot you’re throwing.

For helpful demonstrations of these tips, watch Danny’s full video here. If you have questions that you want answered, head over to discgolfanswerman.com today!

Foot Faults And The 2018 PDGA Rule Change

What comes to mind when you hear the words “foot fault”? For those of you who watched coverage from this year’s Memorial, you were probably instantly taken back to hole 11 at Vista del Camino. After his tee shot, Ricky Wysocki stepped up to his lie and threw a smooth forehand line that appeared to be fairly routine.

Yet moments after his release, fellow cardmate Nikko Locastro insisted that Wysocki did not stand within the regulated lie area and called a foot fault on him. None of the other players on the card could confirm or deny the allegation, so the group continued to play as normal.

Why did Nikko think Ricky was out of line and how does the new PDGA rule change play into this event? Let’s look at foot faults in general and then perhaps you can decide for yourself what actually happened in Arizona.

A Flexible Zone

In years past, the PDGA Official Rules of Disc Golf stated that you must have at least one of your supporting points both in contact with and behind your lie when throwing a disc. The exact verbiage, taken from the 2013 booklet, is as follows:

“When the disc is released, a player must: (1) Have at least one supporting point that is in contact with the lie; and, (2) Have no supporting point in contact with the marker disc or any object (including the playing surface) closer to the target than the rear edge of the marker disc.”

This means that until 2018, all shots thrown behind a mini marker ended with a player’s foot directly behind the lie - not six inches behind, and obviously not in front.

How It’s Changed

Unless you live in a cave, you’ve heard that the PDGA changed the rules regarding your lie in 2018. Instead of having your foot in contact with the lie, you now have a zone to utilize. Measuring 20cm by 30cm, basically a standard size of printing paper, this area is considered to be the legal place where your supporting point must be.

What does that mean? It gives players more wiggle room in all directions when setting up their shot. As long as a portion of your foot is within that zone when you release your disc, you’re good to go. While this rule change makes it easier for players who are learning how to judge their footwork appropriately, it has the potential to create more confusion.

Now that you’re fully aware of the new rule change, apply it to the situation in Arizona. Wysocki was exercising his right to use any part of his 20cm by 30cm zone, and it’s clear that his foot was not directly behind his lie upon release. Yet from where Locastro was standing, he judged that Ricky’s foot was more than 30cm behind his lie and thus called the foot fault. See the issue? Giving more room to throw may actually make it harder to judge whether a player was using the correct footing.

Do you think Wysocki foot faulted on hole 11 or was he within his designated area? How do you feel about the rule change as a whole? We’d love to know your thoughts!

Is Your Child Reluctant To Disc Golf? Here's 3 Ways To Get Them On The Course

If you’re a parent then you know that trying to get your child to do anything is nearly impossible without the use of some sort of bribe. Whether they’re 6 and want candy as a reward for everything they do or they’re a bit older and treat video game time as a bargaining tool, the struggle is real.

Disc golfers with children often have a difficult time getting their children to come out to the course with them, let alone play an entire round. However, as we’ve seen time and time again, getting youth involved in the game is a crucial element to growing the sport as a whole. So how can you encourage your kids to take up disc golf without a negotiation?

Set A Good Example

This lesson may be lost on little ones, but if your children are at least of elementary school age, you can show them how incredible the disc golf community is in your local area. The next time you play a tournament, bring your child along to caddy for you and be sure to demonstrate how to compete with confidence and sportsman-like behavior.

Point out to them during the round how disc golf is a way for you to be competitive without being aggressive, a great lesson for pre-teen boys in particular, and highlight how many friendships have come from your involvement in the game.

Buy Them Some Gear

You don’t have to spend a fortune, but making sure your kids feel 100% included in disc golf is a key element to their desire to play. If you hand them a few of your old discs and expect them to carry them for all 18 holes while you wear a sweet bag full of new plastic, it might send a frustrating message.

In reality, any parent could purchase a handful of brand new base plastic discs and a basic bag for under $100. Imagine the surprise you’ll have in store when you suggest going disc golfing and you give your kids their very own disc golf stuff!

Invite The Whole Crew

If you’ve been gifted with an immense amount of patience, this option may be for you. Kids who don’t want to be pulled away from their usual activities to try something new may be more inclined to give it a go if their friends are involved. The vision of five 10-year-olds flinging discs every which way may be enough to create a sense of panic, but if it sounds more fun than frustrating, it may be worth suggesting.

Above all else, the best way to get your child to the disc golf course is to take it slowly and not force them into it. We can all think back to the activity that our parents made us do when we were kids and how much we hated it, so the last thing you want is to do the same thing with your own child. They have to want to play, but a little encouragement from you won’t hurt.

What are some of the ways you’ve been able to get your kids (or grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc) out to the course? Share with us in the comments below!

Have Trouble With Your X-Step? Here's Why

Depending on your level of athleticism when you started playing disc golf, you may have jumped straight to using an x-step or perhaps you fine-tuned your skills while using a standstill shot. If the latter rings true for you, but you’re ready to start integrating some more movement into your drives, how do you make the transition?

Often times adding extra footwork can over complicate your mental process and where you once had success with a standstill throw, your x-step isn’t quite on the same level. We’ve asked Danny Lindahl to break down some key tips to consider:

• Make sure your first few steps are smaller rather than trying to cover a lot of ground on the tee pad
• Keeping your feet sideways up until your reach back will help keep your body in proper alignment
• Don’t reach back prematurely - your side should be in line with your target until you start to completely rotate your upper body 

Take your time learning the x-step and don’t expect that you’ll get maximum distance with it right away. As we’ve all heard time and time again, a huge element in making this movement successful has to do with timing, so the more you practice the easier it will come to you. If you’d like to see Danny demonstrate the best ways to execute the x-step, check out his video here.

Considering RV Life? Take A Peek At What It's Really Like

It’s a dream for many disc golf players out there: buy an RV, put a sweet wrap on it, and drive around the nation on tour completely kicking butt and shredding the course. Let’s say you’re able to finance this operation and you’re considering who to take with you on tour and what kind of RV might be right for you.

Before you go out making a big decision, we want to clue you in to some of the realities of RV life that you may not know about. Granted, these won’t happen to everyone, but they certainly could change the way you think about traveling. Thanks to Tina Stanaitis and Eric Oakley, our resident RVers, we found out some surprising things about life on the road!

Surviving Small Spaces

It’s a given that when you live full-time in an RV, you have to downsize your belongings pretty extensively. While these homes on wheels are built with a ton of nooks and crannies to help you maximize storage and stay organized, they don’t always have the desired effect. Tina explains, “Despite having a small space, and less belongings, we lose stuff constantly, either in small crevices between cabinets or tucked into our storage areas.”

Not only will you possibly spend more time looking for things than you used to, but you’ll acquire your fair share of bumps and bruises along the way. Imagine being an awkward teen who constantly hits their hip on the countertop and you’ll fit right in. Even though you will eventually learn the lay of the land, be prepared for injuries during the first few months.

What Personal Space?

Small living takes on a whole new meaning if you’re touring with someone, and even if it’s a best friend or romantic partner, things can get a bit too close for comfort. First of all, think about the various aromas that could come out of a bathroom and how often those smells are created. Now, look at your RV and explore where they could travel. You get the idea.

“When Eric and I aren’t getting along, we have to work it out immediately because we can’t go to the other room to get some space,” Stanaitis confided. Being in such close quarters perhaps can make or break relationships, but obviously in this case, Tina and Eric are handling things like champs.

Inviting friends over can pose some interesting challenges too, and privacy may be limited at times. Without going into too much detail, if you ever visit the Whalepants RV you may hear a certain body part being yelled out, advising you not to turn and look.

Equipment Trouble

Breaking down on the road is stressful and can mean large unexpected bills, but when your home breaks down it can complicate things even further. Not only do you have to worry about the engine, but your overall size can also contribute to some higher than average stress levels. “While driving in New York two years ago, we accidentally ended up on a highway with extremely low bridges. We white-knuckled for about a half hour just hoping one of the low bridges didn’t take out our air conditioner,” said Tina.

Does RV life still sound awesome? Yeah, it does to us too! Let us know in the comments below if you’ve ever encountered a funny or downright weird situation as a result of RV living.

Photo: Camping image created by Welcomia - Freepik.com

Why Mental Etiquette Matters Just As Much As Your Mental Game

Anyone who has competed in disc golf tournaments knows the importance of having a strong mental game. Not letting errant shots or spit putts get the better of you can help to keep you focused and on track to improve your skills. However, there’s another mental element to consider when talking about disc golf as a whole.

Just like we have course etiquette when we play a round, there is such a thing as mental etiquette as well. Let’s review some things to avoid when on the course and ways to strengthen this side of your game.

What Not To Do

You’ve been playing disc golf for over a decade and in that time, you’ve perfectly dialed in your bag, you are capable of shooting 1000-rated rounds, and you follow disc golf news closer than anyone you know. During one of your weekend rounds, you stroll over to hole 1 after parking your car and getting your bag together.

At the tee are 7 people who all appear to be friends and who very obviously haven’t played a round of disc golf before in their life. They are each carrying one disc, aren’t dressed appropriately, and are taking their sweet time throwing. Sound familiar?

It’s happened to nearly all of us at least once before, and it’s normal to have a slew of thoughts running through your head. You look at these “carriers” in their flip-flops and wish you would have arrived at the course 15 minutes earlier. Here’s where your mental etiquette game comes into play - you nicely ask the group if you can play through and you’re equally as polite whether they say yes or no.

Flexing The Mental Muscle

This idea of being on your best behavior is really what we all talk about when we discuss what it looks like to represent the sport of disc golf. Take the above scenario one step further - if you weren’t in a rush and really wanted to show the group how awesome disc golfers can be, you could demonstrate to them how to execute a proper drive. While 7 people is a big group, the next time you run into a new player who is alone, why not give them a disc and help to grow their collection?

Individuals outside of the sport can also benefit from your efforts to represent disc golf in a positive light. The next time you travel to a tournament and you see that a local business is a sponsor, go into that establishment in your collared dri-fit shirt and thank them for their support. Showing others that we truly care about the growth of disc golf encourages outside entities to become more involved.

We’d love to know how you see mental etiquette playing a part in the growth of a disc golfer. Whether you’re a pro on tour or you only play casually at your home course, there’s always room to represent the sport well. Share with us in the comments below the ways that you help to work your mental etiquette game!

Wrapping Up At Waco

We wish we could attend every event on the 2018 tour, but sadly the logistics of doing so are way too intense. The Waco Charity Open was an exception though, where we had a huge amount of the DD team representing us on the course, during the flymart, and in creating some fun footage to check out. If you haven’t already seen the conclusion of the tournament, stop reading now and go check out some post-production coverage before we spoil everything.

Our very own Bobby Brown took his camera to the course for several days during the Texas tournament and was able to capture some behind the scenes action that you don’t always see when viewing events at home. From an emotional montage highlighting Paige Pierce’s battle to the top and commemorating her 100th PDGA win to the stress on everyone’s faces each time we heard the thunder roll in the distance, Waco was intense.

Not only does this sneak peek give you insights into some of our trade secrets of media coverage but it also highlights just how much work goes into these tournaments. From setting up product and games at the Festival of the Flying Discs to documenting the tournament while getting soaked in a downpour, the people on the ground work hard to make each event a fun and memorable experience.

Without further ado, take a peek at Part 2 of our Disc Golf Adventure to Waco, TX. If you like what you see, let us know in the comments below!