A few weeks ago, Joey over at Mando Klank reached out to me to ask about advertising on this site. I’m always flattered by those requests as it means that what I’m doing here is reaching a lot of people. I’m also very leery about adding advertising to the Mind Body Disc brand. I’m not against it as you can see by the Onnit ads that have been here since day one. But I will only advertise or recommend things that I wholeheartedly believe in or use myself (Onnit is both of those things).

Mando Klank was new to me. I had seen their designs here and there, but I didn’t own anything from them. I couldn’t, in good conscience, do any type of marketing with them without at least checking them out. Being the very cool company they have turned out to be, they offered to send me a couple of shirts for myself along with 4 more to give away to people on my Instagram page.

I’ve had offers like this before, but Mando Klank was the first company to stay true to its word. A couple of days later, a package from them showed up at my doorstep. That right there told me a lot about them. They were serious. They actually had products (you’d be surprised how many shirt companies out there don’t make the shirts until after they have a lot of people’s money). They were true to their word. And it turns out they make some pretty damn cool shirts.

The two shirts they sent for me were the Hyzer Balance shirt and the Disc Country shirt. I really like both of these designs. I’ve worn both shirts numerous times. I like them because they are appropriate for more than just out on the course. All of their designs are eye catching and, I think, look great.

Apparently a lot of you like them too. The giveaways of the first two shirts on my Instagram page got more likes and attention than some discs I give away. I was pleasantly surprised by your reaction. Keep reading to see how you can get a shot at the remaining two they sent to give away.

Not only do the shirts look great, but they are well made. I’ve bought a lot of disc golf tee shirts in my time. Some good, some not so good. The biggest problem I find is the shirt itself. I’ve got a stack of shirts in my garage that I can’t wear anymore. They were OK the first time I wore them. After washing, not so much.

The Mando Klank gear has held up through several washings and they still fit great. They are made from quality material. In the apparel business it is easy to get swayed by using cheap shirts to increase profit margin. There’s some real crap out there. Mando Klank is definitely one of the better brands I’ve found.

So… I liked the designs, I liked dealing with the company, I liked the quality of the shirts. When I originally talked with them, my thought was that I’d do 4 give aways on Instagram, net a couple of shirts for myself, and call it a day. I wasn’t originally planning on writing a review.

I write this blog specifically to help all of you enjoy our great sport more. Recommending quality products is one of the ways I do that. Because of that, I thought that the Mando Klank shirts deserved more than just a few Instagram giveaways. They deserved their own No BS Product Review right here on the blog. And no BS, they make a sweet shirt.

As a heads up, I am not affiliated with these guys. I don’t make a penny if you go buy some of their shirts. I just always want to support other disc golfers out there doing cool things. Stop on by their site and see if there’s something you like. If you don’t see something now, check back often. They have a whole bunch of new designs coming soon!

Later today (7/24/2015) we’ll be announcing the give away for the two remaining shirts we have over on Facebook. Make sure you check in there for your chance to win!

Like free stuff? Make sure you are subscribed to the blog. Not only will we email you weekly disc golf goodness, but you’ll  automatically be entered into every random draw type of contest we run. Including the Mando Klank contest starting later today!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post No BS Product Review – Mando Klank T-Shirts appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

There’s a lot of crap in this world. Most of it is for sale. If you believe all the ads you see, everyone promises to make you taller, better looking, healthier, smarter, and the envy of all of your neighbors. Because of this, the number of times I am disappointed in a product once I buy it greatly outnumbers the times when I am satisfied. And when did something being “just OK” and barely satisfying me become an acceptable goal?

What about “wow”ing me? What about knocking my socks off? What about making products that make me want to stand on my roof and proclaim to the whole neighborhood just how awesome something is? That almost never happens. But every once in while it does. This is one of those times.

I’m a “member” at REI. It’s one of my favorite stores. I can’t afford to go there that often, but when I do I love being in that store. One of the perks of being a member is that every year you are sent a “dividend”. It’s a % of what you have spent that year given back to you in the form of a gift card. I love getting those. It’s like an unexpected Christmas gift.

This year mine was something like $35.00. If you know anything about REI, $35.00 doesn’t go very far. But, armed with my gift card, I headed to REI to do some shopping. While there is always a lot I want to buy there, I told myself I wasn’t going to go crazy. I would just spend the $35.00 and no more.

When I passed the Hydro Flask display, it caught my eye. I had just seen Huk Lab selling these on their site and they had nothing but good things to say. I figured why not, and grabbed an orange 32 oz. After tax I think I had to shell out another few bucks. Without that gift card, I never would have spent $35 on a water bottle. No way, no how.

Within a week I bought a second one.

So what’s the deal with this Hydro Flask? Isn’t the good old stand by Nalgene bottle good enough? No, it’s not. In a celebrity death match of water bottles, the Hydro Flask leaves the Nalgene in a messy bloody heap in the middle of the ring. Yeah, it’s that much better.

First, and most importantly, let’s talk about temperature retention. With a plastic bottle, even if you completely fill it with ice, on a hot day you’ve got maybe 2 hours of cold water before it’s just not refreshing anymore. How many days of disc golf have you finished by choking down warm or hot water? If you put some ice and some cold water into a Hydro Flask, it will be icy cold almost a full day later. I’ve left these in my car, in the sun, for a solid 10 hours only to open them up and find ice cold water inside. It’s amazing.

It’s almost as good at hot too. This winter, I went out in some ridiculous temperatures to take pictures. The hot chocolate I brought with me in my Hydro Flask stayed hot in sub zero (actual temps not that girly wind chill number people like to throw around) temps for a solid 4-6 hours. And I don’t mean it stayed warm. It stayed HOT!

Next let’s talk about hygiene. Unfortunately, it’s just a fact that plastic bottles start to smell after reusing them for a while. No matter how much you wash them, one day you put them up to your mouth and you get a whiff of that terrible smell. Then you have to break out the bleach or other caustic cleaner to try and fix it. I’m never happy to have to do that. And I’m never really sure if I was able to rinse all the bleach out or not. The Hydro Flask is made of 18/8 stainless steel. It has no pores, so will never, ever smell. Super easy clean up too.

These things are durable too. I’ve broken plenty of plastic bottles. The lids break off, the bottle cracks, I accidentally drop them on a rock. The Hydro Flask carries a lifetime warranty. From customer reviews, they honor it too. You can’t beat that with a stick (well, actually you can, and it won’t break the bottle!)!

Lastly, and this might just be me, I can’t drink out of a Nalgene without spilling water down my face and onto my shirt. I don’t know what it is, but I end up spilling like I’m a 3 year old every time. Not so with the Hydro Flask. I can actually drink out of it like an adult human!

One of my main goals with this blog is to continually bring you things that help you play better disc golf. Staying hydrated is part of that. Helping you spend your money on things that actually help you enjoy your rounds more is another. I would honestly be shocked if you bought one of these and was anything less than extremely happy. Yeah, you can go buy another Nalgene at Target for a fraction of the price. I did that for years. Never again. The Hydro Flask is worth every penny. No BS.

You can buy them in a bunch of sizes and colors. The best prices I’ve found are in the Amazon Hydro Flask store. Take a look. Treat yourself. You’ll be refreshed and happy you did. It’s hot out there folks, make sure you’ve always got an icy cold beverage with you. And for you craft brew people out there, yes they make a growler too!

While you are treating yourself, make sure you are subscribed to this blog too! We put out lots of new content each and every week. Don’t miss any of it by entering your email below.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post No BS Product Review – Hydro Flask appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

I first saw a Dynamic Discs Breakout as part of my player’s pack at the Glass Blown Open.  My first question to the people at the merch table was, “Do you have any in heavier weights?”.  Turns out the Breakout is the newest addition to the “easy to use” line from the Emporia based disc company.  It’s a 150 class disc only.

Easy to use?  Why would I want or need that?  Me big powerful man disc golfer!  Me no need light weight disc!  Me want hard to throw disc…  Easy to throw discs for children.  Ugh, chest pound, exit stage right.

Those are the thoughts that went through my head as I took my Breakout and put it in the backpack we also received.  I didn’t think about it again until last week when Bobby over at Dynamic Discs sent me one to review.

If you watch the “in the bag” videos in our Pro In The Bag section, you’ll see pro after pro recommend to only use max weight discs (Avery starts off his in the bag with that advice).  They give quite a few different reasons, but in the end most of them recommend max weight.  With one exception, my bag lineup reflects that.

It might be time to rethink that decision.

It never really crossed my mind to throw lighter discs.  I’ve had a couple of “air” discs here and there, but I’ve never really liked any of them.  If Cool Daddy Slick Breeze (Bobby at DD) hadn’t sent me a Breakout to test, I probably never would have gone out and thrown it.  Surprisingly, getting a bright pink “easy to use” disc in the mail reminded me of one of life’s most important lessons:

If you can, always push the rock down hill.

Not Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.  He might punch you in the face really hard if you pushed him down a hill.  I’m talking about the figurative rock.  Push that one down hill.  It’s one of those lessons that we learn over and over as we grow older.  If there’s an easier way to do something, do it that way.  It’s hard to move that rock up hill and much easier to roll it down.

Many of us have seen a younger sibling doing things the hard way.  We giggle to ourselves and sit back to enjoy the show.  Hey, we had to learn our lessons the hard way, why not them, right?  We watch and we laugh and we eventually “let them in” on the secret of how to do whatever it is they are doing in a better, easier way.

Sometimes they listen and sometimes they don’t.  Ego tends to get in the way when you tell your younger brother or sister they are doing something wrong.  Often times they’ll continue doing things the hard way just to try and prove you wrong.  That pesky ego.  It gets in the way a lot.  Throwing an “easy to use” -aka beginner, kids, or slow arm speed- discs is one of those things.

After throwing the Breakout, my recommendation is that if your ego can handle throwing an “easy to use” disc, get yourself one these bad boys right away.

Learning to throw the Breakout took about 4 throws.  The first 3 times, my ego threw the disc.  I put my best max distance effort into throwing it.  It immediately flipped over and crashed to the ground as if it had been shot from the sky by one of those guys from Duck Dynasty.   On throw #4, I benched my ego.

This time I added some hyzer and threw a very smooth, 75% power throw.  What happened was beautiful.  The Breakout flipped up nicely.  It started to slide to the right (RHBH), just gliding through the air.  It stayed that way for quite a while.  At the end of its flight, it hooked up, faded some, and rode nicely to the ground.  It had gone as far many of my max weight distance drivers when thrown at 90-95%.

I wanted to see if this was a fluke, so I did it again.  And again.  And again.  Every time, a consistently long flight with minimal effort.  Always fading back at the end.  I found myself wishing that I had had this disc when I was trying to learn to hyzer flip.  I found myself having a ton of fun.

Another thing I noticed was that I was not getting tired or worn out.  This was almost too easy.  I wasn’t just pushing a rock down hill, the rock was kind of rolling on its own.  I started to think back to the fatigue that sets in during the second round in a tournament.  Or the third or fourth round on a casual play day.  How nice would it be to not have to throw full power at the end of a long day?

Who will like the Breakout?

When I was done with my test throws and driving home from the soccer field I’d been at, I started to think about all the different people who could benefit from a disc like this…

1. If you are a new player looking for a first driver, this disc will reward good form and give you distance that not many other “first drivers” would give.
2. If you are looking to learn how to hyzer flip a disc, this will flip and ride nicely, not flip and turn over too much.  It struck me as a perfect teaching disc.
3. If you are looking for easy distance from lower power throws, that’s just what the Breakout does.
4. If you are looking for a disc that will cruise straight and far from a stand still throw, grab one of these things.  If you play in the woods, you know that you often end up throwing with no run up.  This disc works great from a stand still.  It will pop up and go straight with reliable fade even from a standing throw where your normal form is restricted.
5. If you are someone looking to learn how to “work” a disc, the Breakout is easily workable.  If you are moving up in skill and want to learn how to shape different lines with a disc, this is a great choice.  Just by varying the amount of power I threw with, I was able to throw a ton of different lines.
6. If you are looking for something to keep in the bag to use when your arm starts tiring out but you still want to play more, the Breakout will allow you to do that and still throw great shots.
7. If you are looking to throw farther, but are worried about previous injuries, arthritis, or other health concerns that come with throwing hard, this disc might help.
8. If you’ve never tried a 150 class disc, but always wondered why they were sold in the US in the first place, the Breakout will answer that question for you.

For me, I’m going to keep one around for those times when I decide to play that 3rd, 4th, or 5th round in a day.  It won’t always be in the bag, but it will be in the back up bag for sure.  It will be nice to sub this in as one of my drivers and give my aging arm a break now and then.

If you think this sounds like a good disc for you, head on over to the DD store right now to pick one up!  Or, if you’re feeling lucky, keep an eye on the Mind Body Disc FaceBook page for our giveaway later tomorrow (6/28/15).

Another way to push the rock down hill is to subscribe to this blog.  We put up a lot of new content all of the time.  Make sure you don’t miss any by subscribing and you won’t even have to come here to the site all the time to check!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post The Dynamic Discs Breakout appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

What’s a NutSac?

Have you been trying to make disc golf a little easier and a lot simpler?

It’s time to grab your game by the NutSac, lower your scores, and play better disc golf!

One of the best things I’ve done for my game this year was to eliminate most of the discs I carry.  The number of different pieces of plastic I was lugging around had reached epic proportions…

Wind coming out of the South West, humidity below 70%, and a slightly uphill shot?  I had a disc for that.

Rain in the forecast, playing on Western Kentucky bent grass, wearing shoes with slightly worn tread and standing on a 4 degree decline?  I had a disc for that.

Playing on a Monday, with an odd number of people, before noon, and within 6 weeks of the summer solstice?  Yeah, I had a disc for that.

I had taken a sport I love and turned it into an algebra problem.  The real problem was that adding discs was not reducing the number of throws I was writing down on my score card.  So I went on a disc diet.  I decided that 3 drivers, 3 mids, and a putter were more than enough.  Depending on the wind, I might switch one of those out for a utility disc.  Heck, on some days I go crazy and now only carry 5 discs!

My scores are down and my happiness is up.  I kick myself daily for not playing with my NutSac more often.  I bought it 3 years ago!!!  How could I let my NutSac just sit in the garage by itself collecting dust.  How did I not realize that the only worthwhile NutSac is one that gets regular love and use?  Check out the review I posted of the NutSac last week here.

Win a NutSac!

I’m enjoying the sport so much more now that I’ve made this shift that I want you all to have this feeling too!  And to this end, the owner of NutSac bags has been kind enough to donate a single brown NutSac for Mind Body Disc to give away!!!

I can hear you all yelling now.  “I want a new NutSac!”, “Slap that NutSac in my hot little hands!”, “If anyone deserves a new NutSac, it’s me!”.

Here’s what you gotta do to win….

1. Like NutSac discs on FaceBook.
2. Like Mind Body Disc on FaceBook.
3. Head to this post on our FaceBook page.  Like it, Share it, Comment on it with…
4. A picture of how many discs you carry now (including the bag you use to do it).
5. The discs you would carry in your new NutSac.
6. Why you deserve a new NutSac of your very own.

We will take the 5 comments with the most likes and randomly draw from those for the winner of the free NutSac.  Please make sure to follow the rules.  I’d hate to see you miss your chance because you didn’t read the directions.

Have fun with this.  Go nuts!  You never know, a shiny brown NutSac could be headed right at you!  The winner will be chosen and announced on Friday, 6/26/2015.

And always remember that subscribers to this blog are automatically entered into every random drawing contest we run.  The above contest isn’t one of these, but there are more on the way soon.  Subscribe below so you don’t miss out!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Win a Brand New NutSac! appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

Deep, not wide.

In my life, one of the rules I’ve set for myself is “Deep, not wide”.  This is a simple way to remind myself that I want to be really good at a few things, not mediocre at a bunch of them.  It applies in a lot more ways than that, but that’s the general flavor.  I think this is a realization we all come to as we get older.

In our youth, we try lots of things.  We do lots of things.  We are busy, busy, busy with all manner of activities, interests, and hobbies.  (That’s because you young folks can get along without much sleep!)  Once we start getting a little bit older, we are faced with more and more responsibilities.  We just can’t do as many “things” as we did before.

What we are forced to do eventually is choose.  We’ve had some time to do quite a bit.  We’ve been given the time to figure out what things we like.  We’ve also figured out which things we love.  At some point, we are forced to make the conscious choice to start eliminating things we like so that we have more time for the things we love.

I like to play pool, go bowling, and play poker.  Those are all things I like.  I love to play disc golf.  So I rarely do those other things any more.  Every moment at a poker table is a moment I can’t play disc golf (or am not getting the sleep I need to play well).  Many of you with families can also relate.  You might like a lot of things, but you love your family.  So you choose to spend your time with them and forgo many of the things you like.

At this point, a lot of you are scratching your heads and wondering what the hell any of this has to do with a disc golf bag.  Well, today I’m not reviewing just any disc golf bag.  Today we are taking a close look at my NutSac (let the bad jokes commence!).  It sits along side 6 other bags in my garage.  Lately I’d rather play with my NutSac than any of the other choices.

The reason is that I’ve started looking at my disc golf game in the same way I do my life.  Deep, not wide.  That strategy has served me so well in so many other areas that I kind of can’t believe it’s taken me this long to apply it to disc golf.  I think what took me so long is the disease I have.

Too many discs.

I have this sickness that makes me buy disc after disc as if the several hundred I already have aren’t enough in some way.  Then, to make it worse, I kept buying bigger and bigger disc golf bags to try and carry as many of them as I could.  My latest purchase was a Ridge Roller cart style bag that I found a way to stuff 30 discs into.  I’m not knocking my Ridge Roller.  It’s a great bag and I’m happy I have it (review to come in the near future).  But it wasn’t helping my game.  It was actually making it worse.

How does a bag make your game worse?  By tempting you to carry 30 discs for the sole reason that you can.  Just like all the things I did in my youth that I was mediocre at, I was now wheeling around a cart full of discs that I was mediocre (at best) at using.  When you are out on the course, that forces you to make one of two decisions.

First, you could choose to throw that “situational” disc that you really haven’t thrown a ton.  But it’s slightly more stable than this, and a tad straighter than that, and gee if I throw it just right it’ll fade 6 more inches at the end of it’s flight.  We all know how that throw usually works out.

Second, you could reach right past the 25 discs that you are mediocre with and pull out “old trusty”.  You know old trusty.  That’s the disc you’ve thrown a million times.  The one that they’ll have to pry out of your cold dead hands.  If you are like most disc golfers, you have a few “old trusties” in your bag.  Old trusty describes the discs you love.  The rest are just discs you like.

This is why I am loving my NutSac more and more every day.  My problem is that I have no self control.  Knowing what I should do and actually doing it are often two completely different things for me.  One of the keys to doing the right thing for me has been finding ways to force myself to do them.  Not having the option to do the wrong thing is often the best way to do the right one.

That’s exactly why I carry my NutSac with me on most rounds now.  It forces me to ignore all those discs I like and to only carry the discs I love.  The translation of that is that I only carry discs I know I can play effectively with.  I leave behind all of the discs that I don’t love.  The result?  My scores are down and my confidence is way up.

Imagine if every time you grabbed a disc out of your bag, it was a disc you absolutely loved.  That’s what playing with the NutSac does for you.  By only carrying 7 discs (what the single NutSac comfortably holds) you can be almost assured that every disc in there is one you have a lot of time with.  Every disc is one that will help you score more often than not.  And that’s the point, isn’t it?  Did you ever think a bag would help lower your scores?  This one can.

The NutSac.

So here we are, over 1000 words into this review and I haven’t even talked about the bag itself.  That’s the bonus.  It’s a really great bag.  First, it’s incredibly well made.  The material is super durable.  The stitching is top notch.  It’s everything it needs to be and nothing it doesn’t.  If you buy into the theory of carrying less discs, you will be thrilled with your NutSac.

As for design, the single NutSac (the model I own), will carry 7 discs.  It has a small pocket on the outside that I can fit my phone and keys into (wallet has to stay in the car, but there is room for an id and a few bills if you want).  The strap is adjustable and has plenty of length if you want or need it.  You can even comfortably wear it while throwing approaches and putts.  I only usually take mine off for drives or all out throws.  Just slide the discs behind your back and throw.

**I’ve had mine for years and looking at their site it does look like they’ve tweaked the design a little, making the front pocket bigger so you can either carry a putter or a few more small items.

I really only have one “I wish” when talking about my NutSac.  I wish I could carry it in tournaments and leagues.  For those two events I just need to carry some more stuff.  I need a couple of back ups in case I lose a disc, my sunglass case, my dirt bag, a mini, a pencil, scorecard holder, and a drink.  They do make a double NutSac, which I’ve been eyeballing for that purpose, I just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.  For casual rounds, it’s been all NutSac, all the time.

One last point.  In a time when disc golf bags just keep getting fancier and more expensive over time, the Nutsac is a really affordable option.  The single NutSac runs $39.95 and the double is $59.95.  Not bad for something with a lifetime guarantee!  Bottom line, it’s a great bag at a great price.  You just can’t go wrong.

(Reminder.  I’m just a NutSac customer.  I have not received a free bag and am not affiliated with them in any way.  They make one hell of a product that I’ve owned for years and I’m ultra confident in recommending it to you.  No BS.)

If you like all the reviews, tips, motivation, and long form articles we post here 3-4 times a week, you should subscribe to the blog.  We’ll make sure you don’t miss a thing and all you’ll have to do is check your email once a week!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post No BS Product Review – The NutSac appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

Breaking story from the AP news wire…

Today, a public outcry was heard from the disc golf community.   Disc golfers from around the country are rallying together behind a common cause.  They are speaking out in unison against a wrong that has been done to them over the last several years.  This outrage has been growing behind the scenes, but today it spilled into public view.

Tom, a disc golfer from New York says, “I’m sick and tired of it!  What do they think, that we are made of money?!?!?”.

Julie, a tournament participant in Texas proclaims, “We can no longer stand for this!  We have come together to demand more from the disc manufacturers at large!”.

Bill, a recreational player from Wisconsin explains, “Look, we’re not dumb but they continue to treat us like we are.  It’s high time they stop and put some more thought into what they are doing.”

The galvanizing issue that has brought these disc golfers together in protest is one that has plagued disc golf for years.  It’s a problem that they have quietly lived with and one that disc manufacturers have made worse as time has gone on.  The problem?  Non distinct discs.  Too many discs are coming out that fly just like many other discs already on the market.

Why the sudden outcry?  It seems that an upstart company from Emporia Kansas is behind all the ruckus.  It looks as if Dynamic Discs has been aware of this seething problem for quite a few years.  A spokesman for the company told us, “The disc golf community, in response to the vast quantity of unremarkable discs flooding the market, has demanded Justice.  Today we are prepared to say that we have delivered Justice to the disc golf community!”  Dynamic always has liked to stir the pot a little.

These golfers have a point.  It used to be that a new disc was introduced because it added to the arsenal of the golfers it was sold to.  Now, new discs come out almost daily.  They all promise to be different and useful… And they usually fly just like all of the other discs that are already out and in bags everywhere.

George, a disc golfer from central Florida recounts a recent difficult time in his disc golf career…

“I was paralyzed with indecision.  I just couldn’t decide between a Leopard, an Amp, a Stalker, or a River.  I had all four in my bag and I could never decide what to throw.  I’d pick one up, look at the shot in front of me, and then change my mind three or four times.  All four are such good discs.  I’ve thrown amazing shots with all of them.  But which one to throw now?

“One day I just sat down in the middle of my round and started crying.  I couldn’t take it any more.  I had just added the Seer to those other 4 and it overloaded my brain!  I was unable to play the sport that I love.  Something had to be done!”

George eventually came to his senses and got rid of all but one of those discs.  He realized that he only needed one stable fairway driver in his bag and not 5.  He applied the same thinking to the rest of his discs too.  You can now find George playing with only 6 discs.  He carries them in his NutSac.

“The Nutsac ensures that I don’t go back to the land of overlap”, George tells us.  “It’s one of the best things I’ve done for my game.  There’s room for one more disc in there, but I’m holding that spot in case something truly different comes out.  You know, something that will do things no other disc will do.”

Here is where golfers like George will be happy to hear about what Dynamic Discs has recently brought to disc golf.  If you are looking for something truly unique to put in your bag, the Justice could be just what you are looking for.

When I’m not fake reporting for the Associated Press, I’m a disc golfer just like George, Tom, Julie, and Bill.  I’ve got a garage full of different discs that all kind of do the same thing.  When I heard that Dynamic was releasing an obscenely over stable midrange I had two initial thoughts…

One.  I’ve already tried and still have 3 Drones, 2 Gators, 1 Hornet, 2 Zones, 1 Jokeri, 3 Harps, a Blaze, and a Demon.  All of them have been in my bag at one time or another, and all of them basically do the same thing.  Why would I want to try this new Justice thing?

Two.  Of those discs, only one of the Harps is still in my bag because frankly I don’t need a stupidly over stable mid range.  The Harp comes out in the wind for putts and approaches.  For everything else, I can just power down something else that’s over stable and get the flight I’m looking for.  No reason for the extra disc, right?

Dynamic Discs knew I was writing this story, so they sent me one.  I put it in my bag and didn’t think much else about it.  I honestly didn’t expect to throw it during my rounds.  I was just going to field test it a few times.  I figured it was going to be a one trick pony, so a few throws in a field would be enough.

Well, it’s been in my bag for almost 3 weeks now and I use it constantly.  I’m having a really hard time coming to grips with the fact that I’m going to have to give it away to a reader soon.  It’s a rare occasion when a disc that I review makes my bag.  The Justice has done just that.

I’ll start by saying that the Justice is the disc you never knew you needed.  It’s flight is so different than anything else I’ve thrown.  There’s no way I could have known how much I’d actually reach for it until I actually threw it.

In its first round, I threw it 3 times.  In the second I threw it over 10 times.  That’s all it took.  It was unlike anything else I had tried and I was hooked.  It’s basically become my swiss army utility disc.  It should be yours too.

Here are the shots it has proven itself on so far (I’m RHBH):

1. Sharp fading short range shots.
2. Shots that you can’t afford to go past the target.
3. Short to medium length flicks that go hard right.
4. Flicks that won’t go left even if you screw up and roll your wrist.
5. Crazy sharp turning short S shots in the woods.
6. Any short to medium range shot that has to go around something.
7. Flick rollers that go straight.
8. Thumbers and tommys that pan super slow and come to rest upside down.
9. Putts into 40mph winds.
10. Approaches into 40mph winds.
11. Really any throw into any wind.
12. Short range spikes.
13. Grenades.
14. Short, hard skip shots that almost make a U turn.

How is it so good at all of those shots?  The Justice is probably the most over stable disc I’ve ever thrown and it has no glide.  Those are two qualities I never thought I would like or have a use for in a disc.  Turns out I was wrong.

It’s a rare occasion when a disc is released and turns out to be truly unique.  Most of the time they can be described by saying, “it flies kind of like a …”.  This is not one of those times.  You really need to play with one to understand.

I’ll be giving my review copy away next week on the Facebook page.  I’ve already got two more of my own ready to go into the bag.  Make sure you keep an eye out for your chance to win, but even if you don’t win one, go buy one anyway.  You will be happy you did.

You know what else you will be happy to have done?  Subscribe to this blog.  You will be automatically entered into every random drawing contest we do.  You’ll also get quality disc golf content delivered to you weekly.  How awesome is that?!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Justice Has Been Served appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

I learned a long time ago that the only time to make a judgement about a disc is after you, specifically, have thrown it.  Not before, not after.  The Bard would turn out to be no different.  This is the story of how I met the Westside Discs Bard.

I had bought tickets to see the Bard recite her new poem some time ago.  There were excited reports for weeks before her release containing all kinds of speculation.  I often wonder how it is that people can make a spot in their bag for a disc that has yet to be come out.  I was reading all kinds of comments like “It will for sure take over for my Verdict”, or “It will be the Trilogy version of the Roc3”, or “Finally, a mid I’ll be able to throw in the wind”.

My plan was to hear her perform on stage first.  Then I was lucky enough to have convinced her agent to set aside some time afterward to go out and play a couple of rounds with her.  One of my buddies was also excited to see the Bard, so he came with.  It’s a good thing he did.

We took our seats in the auditorium and not long after, the lights dimmed.  The audience became quiet.  Curtains parted.  There, standing behind a lone microphone, was the new Westside Discs Bard.  True to her name, she was going to perform for us today.

The first thing I noticed when the spot light came on was the absolutely gorgeous plastic.  She had chosen a deep blue Tournament plastic for this performance.  But it wasn’t a solid blue.  There were faint but noticeable swirls of something metallic.  It was mesmerizingly beautiful.  I’ve always loved the different variants of Latitude 64’s Gold Line plastic (also know as Tournament plastic from Westside and Fuzion plastic from Dynamic Discs) and this swirling cobalt beauty was no disappointment.

I also could see her shape.  The first thing I noticed was her flat, almost concave top.  Not what I expected from a supposedly over stable disc.  There was no dome at all to her.  She also had a very pronounced bead.  While I personally love flat tops, my hand has never gotten along very well with beaded discs.  I have always preferred beadless to discs with a bead (i.e. Buzzz over the Roc, Meteor over the Comet, Warden over the Judge, etc.).  Between the flat top and the bead, she seemed to be of a medium depth.  I was anxious to give her a throw.

It was then that she started to perform.

Oh how I love to play
Disc golf on a summer day.
Flying through air in sun or rain
Always aiming for the chain.

‘Tis the sport I love most
That my local park doth host.
Around plant, bush, and tree
I fly through the air with glee.

Then I encounter the wind
That causes many a flight to bend.
I feel it gust on my face
And I smile as through it, I race.

So many of my kin sit unused
For in the wind they feel abused.
I, on the other hand, can play
Regardless of the weather of the day.

Not only in wind, but in calm too
Many reliable flights I pursue.
I glide through gaps with ease
And end in a fade around the trees.

I am the Westside Laulaja, or Bard
I’ll help you beat the other players on your card.

My friend and I looked at each other and almost burst out laughing.  “Dude, that was awful!”, I said to him.  He just shook his head in amusement.

Thankfully, the performance was short.  I sincerely hoped she was a better golf disc than poet.  I thought about paring her up with my 6 year old niece for poetry lessons later, but that would have to wait.  But even conveyed with terribly bad poetry, it was nice to hear what she thought of herself as a disc.  My friend and I proceeded backstage to meet with her.

She spared no time in telling us that she disliked the stage performance part of her job.  She had “much more passion for disc golf than sonnets and such” and was anxious to get out on the course.  We felt the same way.  So off we went…

When we hit the course, we started with a little field work.  My friend and I decided to play catch a little just to get a feel for her flight and to warm up a bit.  Honestly, I was having a hard time with her.  Like I mentioned, I really dislike beaded discs.  I’ve met a few that have worked for me and I’ve been able to get past the bead, but this was not going to be one of them.  My friend, on the other hand, was falling in love.  For reference, I currently throw the beadless (mostly) Verdict in my over stable mid slot and my friend throws Champion Rocs, which have pronounced beads.  This was not the only place our opinions would differ.

While I struggled to get clean releases (and I will admit that much of my issue with beaded discs is probably in my head more than anything), my buddy was just killing it with this disc.  My inability to release the disc at the angle I wanted was keeping me from getting a good idea of what this disc could do.  So here is my first conclusion in this review.  If you don’t like beaded discs, and you are looking for an over stable midrange disc, get yourself a Verdict.  The Verdict will do everything you need in that slot.  If you like beaded discs, on the other hand, the Bard is something you will want to try and will probably really like.

Next, I asked him to throw the Bard on a few different lines.  When thrown at lower power, it faded nicely throughout the flight.  When powered up, it resisted turn very well, went straight, and then hyzered out a lot more than many other over stable mids I have tried.  It was nice to see a disc you could get to go straight but still have strong fade at the end.  Many over stable mids, when powered up, will lose a lot of that end of flight fade when thrown hard enough to go straight.

Another interesting thing we found when throwing the Bard relatively hard is that it has a good amount of glide compared to what we were expecting.  On good pulls, we were both able to get some very good distance out of it.  It definitely flew further than my Verdict and it was getting out there with some seasoned champion Rocs.

The biggest surprise for us was what happened when thrown on an anhyzer line.  It didn’t just crash back to the left.  The Bard held the anny line for a surprisingly long time before fighting out of it.  This made some very clever and useful lines possible when playing in the woods.  It always fought back out, just not as early in the flight as the Verdict or the champ Rocs.

Another note is that the Bard seems to be very nose angle sensitive.  In order to throw the lines described above, it had to be thrown flat to slightly nose down.  Any nose up at all and the Bard hyzered out hard, did not go as far as needed, and didn’t cut through the wind as we would have liked.

Speaking of wind, here was another difference from what was anticipated.  While it was good in a mild to moderate head wind, it did flip a little in stronger wind.  When tested side by side vs. the Verdict, it did not cut through strong headwinds as well.  It behaves like a bit slower disc than it is and becomes even more nose angle sensitive.  We also tested it vs. some champion Rocs and found the same thing.  Is this a bad thing?  Not at all.  It’s just different from the hype we had heard before the disc was released.  It was also dependent on how hard we threw the Bard.  Lower to medium arm speed players will likely find the Bard a very suitable midrange disc for headwinds of almost any speed.  Big arm players will need to back off of it a bit when throwing into strong headwinds.

This wind performance also seemed to be a nice trade off with usability.  A lot of the time when a manufacturer makes a disc meant to throw in the strongest of winds, it’s pretty much unusable for most regular human disc golfers (see the Stiletto for an example).  The Bard is not that way.  It’s over stable enough that it will fit nicely in the OS mid slot for all but the fastest armed disc golfers.

So, who will want to go see the Bard perform?  You will if you like any or all of these things:

• Beaded discs
• Medium speed mids
• Mids that are over stable, but manageably so
• Mids that can be made to go straight but still have a good amount of fade at the end
• Mids that can fight moderate winds well
• Discs that are best thrown flat to slightly nose down

Overall, I think the Bard will find a welcome home in many disc golf bags.  If you would like it to find a home in your bag, you can either order one here, or you can keep an eye out for our contest happening over on Facebook today.  Just like and follow the Mind Body Disc page and you’ll see your chance to win our tester of the Westside Bard!

If you liked this review and would like to see our slightly different take on many other disc golf topics, subscribe to this blog!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Ode to a Golf Disc – The Westside Discs Bard appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

The room was dark and smelled of incense.  This was not the cheesy incense your college roommates used to use to cover up the fact that there was a 3 month old pizza under the couch.  This was the aroma of mystery itself.  Walking further into the room, a sense of something ancient overwhelmed me.  It was as if I’d stumbled into a spot that time had forgotten to take with it.

I came here to improve my disc golf game by consulting the Westside Seer.  Also known by her Finnish name, Ennustaja, the Seer was shrouded in mystery.  It was said that she could communicate with the Tree of Life itself.  The Seer was consulted by people of all walks of life.  Kings and peasants.  Queens and maids.  She had taken many incarnations in her life.  Now she sat before me in the form of a fairway driver golf disc.

I was told that even though she had taken the form of a plastic disc, yearning to fly between the trees and through the woods, in this room I would be able to speak with her.  So here I was, with an open slot in my bag for just such a disc, ready to talk to a piece of plastic.

Seer:  Welcome, child.  Please sit down.

MBD:  Thank you.  I have to admit, it’s a bit weird talking to a golf disc.

Seer:  Really?  I have had visions of you talking to all of your discs after you have thrown them.  Am I different in some way?

MBD:  Um, no.  I guess you are the first one to say something back, though.  So, tell me about yourself.  Why come into this world as a golf disc?

Seer:  I’ve always loved being outside.  My favorite place is deep in the woods.  It is there that I commune with one of my favorite animals, the owl.  I was always envious of how the owl flew through the forest, gliding through the trees, even at night when no one else could see.  It’s physical vision is as magical as my spiritual vision.  I love the owl so much that I’ve brought its spirit with me in this disc form.

MBD:  Wow.  So it sounds like you’ll be really helpful when I need you to fly through tight gaps and carve lines in and around the trees.  How about out in the open?  Do you fly as well as the owl there too?

Seer:  When I chose to come to life as a disc, I had to decide what I wanted to be.  As you know, one disc cannot be all things to all people.  I very much enjoy flying through the open air.  Wind, though, is not my best friend.  I do not mind flying into some, but too much will have me going where I did not intend to go.  A wind at my back on the other hand, that is a different story.  I can ride that wind for days.

MBD:  So how about when you land from your flight?  How do you leave the air?

Seer:  While it depends on how you threw me, I prefer to fly forward for as long as I can.  If I’ve flown in a straight line, I most definitely like to land in the same direction.  This is also true if I am turning either right or left.  I like to continue in the direction I was thrown.

MBD:  I don’t mean to be too forward, but can I see how you are shaped?  What type of feel and rim did you decide to come into this world with?

Seer:  I am a woman, so I do enjoy having some curves.  I have a modest dome.  I have enough rim to feel comfortable in your hand, but it is not wide by any means.

MBD:  And how do you like to be thrown?  Do you have a preference there?

Seer:  I do enjoy being treated like a lady.  There is no reason to throw me as hard as you can.  Being a bit more gentle will get you a lot further with me.  Just as the owl flies effortlessly, so do I.  I think you will be surprised.  In fact, I think that it is time to leave this room, stop our conversation, and venture out to the course.  I am very anxious to fly!

With that, I picked Ennustaja up and headed out to my local course.  Here’s how it went.

The first hole I threw her on was an open 320 foot shot.  I just wanted to get a feel for how she flew.  I stepped up and threw her flat at about 85-90%.  She immediately took off right and didn’t show any signs of coming back.  Apparently I don’t listen well.  I went out and grabbed her for a second try.  This time I threw at about 70% power with some hyzer.  Wow, what a difference.  She popped up flat and just went straight.  Lots of glide.  At the end of her flight, she faded a touch, but mostly just kept going forward.

The next hole I threw her on was about the same distance, but with some trees on the right I chose to throw her with some anhyzer.  She held this line really well.  Again I only threw at about 70% power.  She had a slight pan at the end and landed flat.  She did not dive to the right.  She did not fight to come out of the anny.

Now into the woods.  Tight tunnels were no problem.  It took minimal effort to get her to pop up flat and go straight.  The lack of a lot of fade at the end of the flight was nice.  Add a little power and throw flat and she slid right very nicely.  Always coming back to land flat at the end.  I found out a couple more times how much she doesn’t like to be overpowered, though.  There is definitely a sweet spot for how hard this disc likes to be thrown.

One thing I noticed was how forgiving she was.  Even when thrown with nose up, she would still pop to flat and go straight.  A lot of other discs in this category would either not pop up or would fade hard when thrown with nose up.  Not with the Seer.  Of course, it was still better to throw flat or slightly nose down, but I wasn’t punished too badly for nose angle errors.  This is huge for a disc thrown in the woods.

Another nice surprise was just how far it went with almost no effort.  A nice, smooth throw and it just cruised.  Straight the whole way.  Bonus points for not needing a high ceiling either.  This disc is just money in the woods.

For a frame of reference, the Seer is in the same category of disc as the Innova Leopard, Discraft Stalker and Zombie, and reminded me of a slower Latitude 64 Saint with a touch less fade.  I’ve thrown all of those discs and honestly the Seer is the best of the bunch for it’s intended purpose (and I don’t say that lightly as the Leopard is a killer disc!).  I would also say that it more reminds me of the Fuse (Comet for you Discraft throwers) than of any other drivers.  It’s just faster with more distance potential.

If you are looking for a lower speed driver to throw on tight lines in the woods, the Seer is a keeper.  She’s also the answer if you are looking for a disc to anny and hold the line all the way to the ground.  I can also see her being a huge favorite of those with lower arm speed.  I can’t impress upon you how easily this disc gets up and goes.  She hyzer flips with ease.  In the end, I was impressed.

If I wasn’t giving this one away, I’d probably put it right in my bag (and I don’t say that very often after trying a new disc).  If you’d like to enter to win this Seer, please head over to our Facebook page and follow the directions there.  You can also enter by subscribing to the blog below.  You never know, there could be a new fairway driver in your future (“see” what I did there?!).  Can’t wait to see if you win one?  Just go ahead and order one up for yourself!

If you’d like to be entered into every random drawing type of contest we do, just subscribe to the blog below.  All blog subscribers are automatically given one entry every time we do a giveaway like this!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Are Lower Scores in Your Future? Ask the Seer. appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

I normally play all winter, but last year was the first since I started playing disc golf where I was simply not able to get out and play.  The courses were covered in solid ice, deep snow, or both.  It wasn’t that I was being too much of a wuss to go out and play in the winter, you literally couldn’t get around the courses for a few months.  Heck, you couldn’t even get into or out of the parking lot of my home course for days at a time.

So what’s a disc golf addict to do when he can’t get out and play?  In my last post, I talked about the skills I wanted to build in the off season.  I fully intend to do that as long as I can get out to work on them.  The realist in me says that that might not be possible.  That same realist is making a plan B.  Plan B is the next in our series of no BS product reviews.

Putting practice is one of the few things you can effectively do indoors when even the taun tauns from Star Wars won’t go outside.  I’ve had a few different baskets, and I really like my Mach V.  I’ve used that for a few years and it has served me well.  My putting needs all the help it can get, though, so this year I invested in another basket.  Enter the Gateway Bullseye.

You may or may not have seen this ingenious take on a practice basket.  It’s not shown in many of the online stores like a lot of the other baskets are.  I got mine from Infiinite Discs.  They were one of the few places to actually offer the Bullseye and I like their selection and service, so I ordered one up.  I’m not sponsored by them, I just think they do a really nice job over there.

Like most baskets ordered on line, it was drop shipped directly to me by the manufacturer.  Honestly, it took a lot longer than I thought it should.  Coming from Gateway, though, that really didn’t surprise me.  I’ve dealt with them directly on a few different occasions and while the end result is always satisfactory, they don’t exactly move with any urgency over there.  They seem to be a very laid back company and that’s not always a good thing for your customers.

They took the same laid back approach to packing the basket.  The component pieces were just dropped into a box big enough to hold them.  There was no other packaging.  Everything was just kind of loose and banging around.  To be fair, there wasn’t any damage to the basket or its parts, but for $249.00, I really want things to be packed better than that.  Not to mention, there were a couple of big holes and tears in the box.  If they had been any bigger, things could have fallen out.

My second disappointment was that there were no instructions.  The basket consists of only 5 pieces, and they can only go together one way.  I’m not saying I needed instructions, but even a list of parts so I know I got everything would have been nice.  It was a further reflection of the “laid back” attitude Gateway seems to have.  And again, for the price, not the experience you look for.

I can live with the packing and the lack of directions.  Really not a big deal in the grand scheme.  What I’m really pretty dissatisfied with is that the product I got doesn’t look like the product they advertise.  I really, really hate it when that happens.  The promo pictures on the Gateway site, and the pics they furnish the retailers to show on their sites, shows a basket that is powder coated orange/red on the top band and the base, powder coated white on the basket, and a big bullseye decal for the pole in the middle.  You can see a comparison between what they advertise and what I received in the pic above.  They are clearly different.

First, the top band is not powder coated.  It’s just raw galvanized steel.  It looks like somebody made it in their garage and quit before they were finished.  Second, I didn’t get the decal shown.  I’ve got plenty of disc golf stickers to put on it if I want, but it would have been cool to get the bullseye sticker shown in the advertisements.  Last, as you can see, the basket is a different shape and height.  I will admit that none of these things affect the performance of the basket as far as I can tell, but it’s just bad business to ship a product that doesn’t look like the one pictured in the ad.  Don’t show a nicely trimmed and well finished basket and then ship something that is not.

I used to throw Wizards and then Warlocks as my main putter and honestly this is the same exact issue that made me stop throwing those discs.  Nothing that Gateway makes seems to be consistent over time.  There seems to be absolutely no importance placed on quality control or production standards.  Every time I deal with them, I don’t get what I expect or hope for.  Every time they make something, it seems to come out different than the last time they made it.  That might sound harsh, but it’s a consistent theme in every experience I’ve ever had with Gateway.

Now that I’m done with my rant, on to how the basket actually functions.  Overall, it is very well constructed.  It does not have any screws or bolts that hold it together, which worried me at first, but it is super solid.  It comes apart very easily to put in your car or to store.  That’s a great feature as it’s the perfect thing to take with you to tournaments.  Instead of fighting 20 other people over the practice basket, you can set this up behind your car and get some putting warm up in before the tournament starts.

It’s not just great for tourneys, but it’ll go with you anywhere.  The place I spend the most time practicing doesn’t have a basket and this is perfect for that area.  I could see this going to friend’s houses, camp grounds, and anywhere else you wanted to get a bit of putting practice in.

After using the Bullseye basket for the last couple of months, I’m confident in saying that it does what it is advertised to do.  It gives you a much more difficult target to hit.  Your margin of error on putts is cut significantly.  They have to hit pretty much dead center to go in.  There is a little more wiggle room for off center hits than I thought there would be, but not much.

One of the things this smaller target does for me is to make me really focus in on a single link.  I know we have all heard that advice before, but I often tend to not do that and just putt in the general direction of the chains instead.  This basket forces you to pick a very small spot to putt at.  It really helps with the mental aspect of the game.

Another thing I like is that the basket has a smaller diameter.  The smaller basket doesn’t allow for many no chain toss ins.  You really have to hit centerish chains for a putt to drop.  It is not very forgiving at all.

So, what’s the final verdict?  Well, you can get the same effect by wrapping a bungee or two around a standard basket.  Bungees are available at the dollar store for well, a dollar.  You can take them with you anywhere and put them on any basket.  You can put them on your own practice basket that you already own.  You can put them on any basket on the course.  I’ve even know people to take them with them on practice rounds and put them on every basket as they play a course.  The bungee idea does not make a standard practice basket near as portable or as easily broken down, but it mimics the smaller putting target very well.

I do think the Bullseye basket is better than the bungees, but not by that much.  It’s definitely not a $249.00 difference.  That said, I’m happy I have it.  There’s a strange affliction that a lot of us disc golfers have.  We love to spend money on our sport.  We love to have too many bags, too many discs, too many disc golf tshirts, and a lot more gear than we need in general.  A lot of the fun I have off the course revolves around getting shiny new disc golf related toys.

[tweetthis]Disc golfers love shiny new #discgolf toys.[/tweetthis]

Besides that, for some reason I use the Bullseye a lot more than I ever used my other basket.  Bungee or no, I’ve spent more time practicing putting since I got it than I ever have before.  In the end, isn’t that what it’s for?  Isn’t that why you buy something like this?  If I can finally nail down my putting after 10 years of being a horrific putter, it will be worth every penny I spent.

Would I buy it again?  Probably not from Gateway.  I love the idea, but I really wish that a different company with better production standards was making these.  Or, I wish Gateway just did a better job with quality control.  At the very least I wish the top band was powder coated and finished and didn’t look like it does.

Well, that’s my no BS review of the Gateway Bullseye practice basket.  Anyone else out there have one of these?  I’d love to hear what you think and I’m sure others would too.  Let me know what your experience has been in the comments below.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post No BS Product Reviews – The Gateway Bullseye Basket appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

Last week, I wrote a post about why it’s important not only not to bash a particular disc maker, but also why it’s important to keep an open mind and try new stuff from new companies.  That left the question of what discs one might want to try.

On Friday, we posted the first half of a list of discs that are worth at least a throw or two on your part.  We didn’t want to keep you waiting too long for the second half of that list.  So for your Monday reading and on line shopping enjoyment, here it is.

The Verdict

What can I say but this is the best over stable mid range I’ve ever thrown.  Super predictable, awesome in the wind, clean release, goes far, and powers down nicely.  This disc is one of the 3 most used in my bag by far.  I see lots of discussions on line about whether or not an over stable mid is even necessary.  I can’t help but think anyone saying one isn’t needed just hasn’t thrown a Verdict.

The Trespass

Reminds me a lot of the Millennium Orion LF, just longer.  Flips up flat, goes straight, always comes back.  With 400 feet of power, it will flip and ride nicely, but always in a nice tight S.  Newer ones will handle a good amount of wind without flipping.  Beat ones will turn on a controlled line and finish flat.  Looking for a new distance driver, but one you can actually control?  The Trespass could be the ticket for you.

Other discs that deserve a try from DD:  Enforcer, Escape, Judge, and Truth.

The Pure

The one disc you couldn’t take away from me if you tried.  It’s my putter.  It’s my upshot disc.  It’s what replaced the Tangent in my bag.  I carry 4-5 and wish I could carry more.  It’s shallow for a putter, which turns some people off, but I like a shallow putter.  This disc does anything I want except hold up in a headwind.  260 and in with no wind?  90% of the time, that’s a Pure shot for me.  Looking for a putter to putt, approach, and drive with that just goes straight?  This is it.  Need one that holds a hyper or an anny?  Yep, it’ll do that too.

The Vision

Does anything you want it to.  I’d be lost in the woods without this disc.  The most versatile fairway driver I’ve ever thrown.  It’s also my go to distance driver when line shaping is important.  This disc doesn’t like OAT and requires a smooth clean throw.  It’s almost like a Comet in that respect.  But dialed in, I’ve found nothing better for my straight and under stable fairway driver slot.

Other discs to try from Lat 64: Blitz, Halo, Mercy, Riot, Havoc, River, Saint, Sinus, Striker, Trident, Villain, XXX.

The Tursas

Everyone needs a Tursas.  This really isn’t a try it, you might like it disc.  This is a try it and clear a spot in your bag for it disc.  Like the Comet, you need proper form for this disc to work its magic.  But it is magic.  I remember watching the old Marshall Street DVDs and wondering how in the hell Barry Schultz could throw a Roc perfectly straight for a long way and then have it turn gently at the end of it’s flight and finish right.  Sorcery and black magic was all I could come up with.  Well, up until now, that throw was really only possible with a Roc or Buzzz that had been seasoned to perfection over years of use.  Now that line is available right out of the box with the Tursas.  It’s crazy, throw it with a slight hyzer and it flies just like Barry’s Roc did on those DVDs.

The Giant

Headwinds don’t usually make for great distance throws.  The Giant will change that for you.  20-30 mph headwinds are no issue for this disc.  It just goes forever into a headwind.  Neat thing is it’s a pretty long disc with no wind.  Great for big hyzers and low skip shots.  Broken in, they are money for a main work horse driver.

Other Westside plastic worth trying: King, Northmen, Swan, Stag, Sword, and World.

Blunt Gumbputt

Probably the best warm up disc out there.  Great to play catch with before a round or tournament.  As an approach disc, few discs sit and stick as well as this floppy disc does.  It’s rare that you come across a truly unique golf disc, but this is one of them.

The Breaker

Really nice over stable approach disc.  Reminded me of a Gator or a Drone in flight.  Reliable in the wind.  For me, felt great in my hand and always had a super clean release.  Very forgiving disc too.  A lot of the discs that I’ve recommended need good form to throw well.  The Breaker didn’t get squirrelly on me at all, even with a bad throw.

Other DGA discs worth trying: Hurricane, Rogue, and Squall.

The PD (power driver)

First of all, probably the coolest stamp in disc golf.  Not sure why, but I love it.  This disc is very much like the Orion LF and a longer TeeBird.  Nice small rim, but still with great glide and distance.  Flips up flat and rides straight.  Works well in a headwind.  Makes a great all around driver.  Big stability difference between C line and the other plastics, though.  C line is super beefy and lacks the distance the other plastics give.  Need a new main driver?  Give this a try.

The TD (turning driver)

Another great stamp, but who doesn’t like monkeys?  A very shallow disc, but one that does line shaping better than most.  Need it to turn, it will.  Need it to go straight, it will.  Need it to power down well, does that too!  If you are looking for a disc to be able to really work into different lines but don’t have a monster arm, this is a good choice.

Other notables from Discmania:  FD, FD2, PD2, and the P2

The D3

Another pure distance bomber.  Easy to turn over and get to glide for days.  This was the first disc I ever broke 400 feet with (not a common occurrence for me, so always memorable).  I liked the protos better than the production runs as they seemed a bit more stable to me.  You can still find those around.  If you don’t have a huge arm, but are looking for a disc to give you some serious D, this might be it.

The M4

I throw so many new discs that I rarely say “Wow” after throwing one.  The M4 was one of those rare discs.  Super flat, great rim shape, and infinitely workable right out of the box.  The only thing it didn’t do well was wind.  Everything else was spectacular.  This is one of those small handful of discs that actually do hold any line you put on it.  Need a do it all mid? This could very well end your search.

Other Prodigy discs to toss at least once:  D2, F5, M2, PA1, and the X1.

The Cannon

The name says it all.  It’s a lot like the Havoc in that you need room for it to do its thing.  Legacy has some great plastic too.  Feels great in the hand.  Really hard not to yell, “BOOM!!!” every time you throw it.  Nice thing is you don’t need a Cannon for an arm to get this disc to cruise for you.  This was the first Legacy disc I tried and I immediately ordered a few more to try after testing this one out.

The Gauge

Point and shoot.  Simple as that.  It’s hard to get a mid range right.  Can it take power, work lines, power down, and not flip if you look at it wrong?  The Gauge is all these.  And again with the great plastic.  Personally, I think Legacy has some of the sweetest feeling plastic out there.  Need a do it all mid that goes where you want it to?  Try out a Gauge.

Other discs that are must tries from Legacy:  Rampage, Clutch, and Patriot.

The Wizard

If it wasn’t for the Wizard, I’m not sure that Gateway would even still be around.  One of the best all around putters ever made, the Wizard is legendary.  It’s a lot like a KC Pro Aviar in flight, but available in about 3,000 different plastics.  This is the putter to learn to drive with.  For a putter, it handles wind very well.  It can be thrown far, really far.  If you are looking for a stable to slightly over stable putter that can be thrown in a ton of different situations, the Wizard is one you’ll want to try.

The Spirit

If you are in need of a wind disc, this might be the most overlooked wind disc on the market.  With a pretty wide rim, it’s not for everyone.  For those that don’t mind the rim it’s just a killer headwind disc.  It’s also one of the best skippers out there.  If you play in the midwest or other really windy regions, the Spirit will be a stroke saver on the course.

Other discs worth a try from Gateway:  Samurai, Apache, Element, Blaze, Warlock, and Voodoo.

Hopefully that gives you some idea of discs that might be worth a try next time you are placing an order.  Will everyone like all of them?  Nope.  Some of you might pick up a couple of these discs and hate them.  You might also find a couple you fall in love with.  It’s those one or two you fall in love with that are magical.  The disc that just clicks from throw one.  Here’s to hoping you find at least one of those this season!

What discs did we miss from these companies? If your favorite isn’t represented, let everyone know about it in the comments!

If you like disc recommendations and reviews, we have you covered! Make sure to subscribe to the blog and you’ll never miss a post or a review!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Try It, You Might Like It! Part 2 appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.