Dear Torque, I've heard a lot about discs and the weights. People I've spoken to recommend certain over-stable discs at a lighter weight to prolong glide and maximize distance. Does a gram or two really make much difference? Also, is it recommended to have all the same weights for your discs; driver, mids, putter?

MD & GR

Hello Folks,

These are great questions. I think the disc weight issue (what weight is right for me?) is critical to your success in disc golf. And having said that, a gram or two is not going to make much difference.

A 150-class disc and a 175 gram disc will fly quite differently for me, so I know it matters at that point. And as I started to age gracefully, I found that dropping the disc weight from 175 to 171 seemed to help me out a bit, and I am now throwing some 168s with good results. So, for me, a couple grams does not seem to matter but four or five grams does make a difference.

The theory would go that as a disc gets lighter, you are able to get more arm speed and thus the disc will fly faster - and farther. Be aware that as disc speed increases, the disc will become more understable (a left to right turn for right-handed backhand (RHBH) throws). To test this out, throw your putter slowly and then throw it as if you were driving it. With a RHBH flat release, the first throw will turn left and the second throw will turn right.

Now that we've got our light weight discs and they are flying faster, we should also be aware that the more understable a disc, the more difficult it is to consistently control and the more likely it is to be affected by wind. The margin of error is smaller. Which means that any throw with an incorrect angle of release will be exaggerated due to the understability of the disc.

Bearing this in mind, what weight disc is right for you? You should use the heaviest, most overstable driver and midrange discs that you can consistently throw straight. These will give you the most consistent results. (For me, these are a 171 Pro Leopard and a 168 Element X.) Build your game around these discs, and tweak their weights as your game changes. And yes, at some point these discs will probably change.

Use heavy putters and mid-ranges (but not too heavy for you) and include a range of weights on your drivers. When you've got a wide open shot where distance is more important than accuracy, pull out your light discs and let 'er rip. Just don't forget to take the wind in mind before you throw.

Regarding the additional question of having similarly weighted discs in the bag, I would say that if you can control a disc and get a consistent result, put it in your bag - no matter what weight it is. There are lots of keys to disc golf. A big one is consistency.

Sincerely,

Torque Novitski, Marshall Street