Like or Love?

At the most basic level, the discs in my bag can be divided into two categories. The first is discs I love. These are the discs that aren’t going anywhere. In order for them to leave my bag, you’d have to pry them from my cold, dead hands. You’ve heard me talk about them repeatedly. The Latitude 64 Pure, the Dynamic Discs Trespass, and the Dynamic Discs Verdict all fit this description. I wish all of the discs in my bag were in this first category. Alas, they are not.

The second group is made up of discs I like. They work for me, but they have not found a permanent home. These are the discs that, honestly, I kind of “make due” with. Nothing against them, but I’m patiently waiting to find a replacement for them that falls squarely in the first category. That’s me, always looking for love.

My stable and understable midrange slots are both firmly in this second category. For the stable (meaning the disc will hold the line I put on it) slot I’ve given long auditions to the Discraft Buzzz, Innova Shark, Dynamic Discs Truth, and the Latitude 64 Opto Claymore. For the understable slot I’ve given equally long auditions to the Discraft Buzzz SS, Discraft Meteor, Westside Discs Tursas, Latitude 64 Fuse, and the Latitude 64 Gold Line Claymore.

So far I’ve been happiest with the Claymores in the two different plastics. They are flat, beadless, and feel a whole lot like the Verdicts I love so much. I haven’t ruled out love yet. But it’s a slow courtship. The midrange is such a critical disc, I really want to get it just right. You’d think after years of playing I would have filled this slot, right?

Love at first sight?

A little over 2 weeks ago, I got a Fuzion Evidence from Dynamic discs. This was the midrange disc for this year’s Trilogy Challenge. Of the 3 discs used this year, the Evidence was getting the best reviews by far. Forums were abuzz with people raving about this disc. While reports of how it flew varied from player to player, one thing was uniform. Everyone seemed to love it.

When I received the Fuzion version, I was honestly slightly disappointed. And this was before I even threw it. The Fuzion version has a bit of a dome to it. Not a lot, but enough for me to notice. I dream of the day when every disc in my bag is board flat. Flat discs and I get along really well. Domey discs, not so much.

It did fly nicely, but it was pretty similar to my Gold Line Claymore. So, after just one round (and really only a few throws), the Evidence was out of the bag.

But then something wonderful happened. I went to the mailbox two weeks ago and what was there waiting for me? 2 shiny new discs just in from Dynamic for me to review and then give away to you. One of those discs was a Lucid Evidence. From the moment I took it out of the envelope, you guessed it, I was in love.

First, it was flat. Second, it was in my most favorite plastic. If you’ve followed my disc reviews at all, you know that I love all of the Latitude 64 plastic (Latitude manufactures Lat 64, Dynamic, and Westside). It’s the biggest reason why that’s all I throw right now. It’s not brand loyalty, it’s plastic loyalty. Their plastic is just money.

Every once in a while, they release a run of Lucid (known as Opto in Lat 64 and VIP in Westside) that is opaque and grippy. It’s like they blend a little Fuzion in with the Opto. It makes the disc opaque instead of the normal clear you find for most Opto discs. The phrase “it’s like butter” was made for this plastic. If I could get every disc I throw in this blend, I’d be in heaven.

I’m guessing most of you know how I was feeling at this point. I hadn’t even thrown the disc yet and I was already infatuated. We’ve all picked up discs before that just feel perfect to us. This is what happened with this Evidence and I. I just stood there at my mailbox fondling the disc with a goofy grin on my face and possibly a little drool running down the corner of my mouth.

Well, I’ve been here before. Sometimes no matter how great disc feels in the hand, that doesn’t mean you’ll like how it flies. I had the same reaction to the Dynamic Discs Felon and I genuinely don’t like that disc. I tried to like it, I really did. It just wasn’t to be.

So, out to the course we went. I wanted to see if the initial spark between the Evidence and I would turn into anything meaningful.

It’s a longer Pure!

That pretty much says it all. It only took one round for this disc to make my bag. Every time I throw one of my beloved Pures off the tee, I fall in love with that mold just a little bit more. Every time I step up on a tee where my target is just out of reach of the Pure, I wish I had a longer one in the bag. I reluctantly reach for a Truth or Opto Claymore instead.

The quickest and most succinct description I can give of the Dynamic Discs Evidence is that it’s a longer Pure. For me it flies on the same lines with same controllability, just longer range.

For now, enough with my opinions, let’s get into some details.

Now For the Details…

Dynamic Discs Describes the Evidence…

The Evidence is a slightly understable midrange disc that is very controllable. Where the Verdict and the Truth take care of your straight to overstable midrange needs, the Evidence will handle the other side of the spectrum. It will hold the anhyzer angle through a full glide while slowly coming back to a flat flight. The Verdict, Truth, and Evidence feel very similar in the hand with complementary flights to carve around any obstacle you face. When your scores are accusing you of bad shots, you need the Evidence to set the record straight.

Speed – 5
Glide – 5
Turn – -1
Fade – 0

Max Weight: 180g

InBounds Flight Chart

Agree or Disagree?

I’m not sure that I’d rate the turn at -1. While the Evidence will hold an anny, you really have to throw it hard to get it to turn. Even then, it more kind of shifts to the right instead of turning over. I would also rate the fade at .5. If thrown flat, it won’t exactly fade, but it does start to drift left when it slows down. In the end, it’s mostly straight.

Physical Description.

I’ve already touched on the profile. It’s flat in the Lucid plastic and has a slight dome in Fuzion. It has a typical width midrange rim. Very much like the Truth, Claymore, Verdict, Buzz, Shark, or any other beadless midrange.

To help you get an idea, here’s a few pics of the rim from different angles.

How does it fly?

Hyzer

What happens with the Evidence when thrown on a hyzer will depend on how hard you throw it. With an aggressive pull, it will flip up to flat and ride pretty straight. With an all out pull, or if you have a big arm, it will flip up and start to slide right. If thrown cleanly it won’t dump over, but it will go right for you. If thrown at 75%-85% (which is about how hard I typically throw my mids), it will sit up almost flat, go straight for much of its flight, and then fade some at the end.

It won’t hold a hard hyzer line the whole way unless you really throttle back on it. I found that on stand still shots, throwing at 50%-60%, I could get it to hyzer around obstacles fairly easily.

Flat

At about 75% power (hard enough to get it to go 275′ or so), the Evidence pretty much went dead straight. It has a tic of fade at the end, but I think that’s more because it’s new. I have a strong feeling that once it’s been used a bit, that little bit of fade will disappear. Thrown harder than that, a flat throw did see some left to right movement. Thrown with a lot of power and it rode right nicely without getting out of control.

Anhyzer

The Evidence held an anhyzer well. It seemed to want to stay at the angle it was thrown at and ride right its entire flight without changing much. It did seem to start to flex back a tad at the end, but as mentioned before, I think this is more because it’s new. I don’t think it will continue to do this. I really liked how it didn’t turn any more than asked. Some understable discs can be pretty touchy. The Evidence had some forgiveness to it on these throws.

Headwind

This is not a headwind disc. It withstood some breezes, but that’s about it. Even with hyzer, a moderate wind pushed the disc to the right and it wasn’t even thinking about coming back. Thrown flat into a stiff gust and it was all over.

Tailwind

The Evidence is cash money in a tailwind. Like most stable to understable discs, it flew well with the wind at its back. The glide was enough to ride the breeze and give it a good sized distance boost. While it did pick up a little bit more end of flight fade to the left, it wasn’t a huge difference. It can still be relied on to give a fairly straight flight all the way to the ground even when the wind is at your back.

Distance

I was able to get the Evidence to about 310′ reliably. Interestingly, the Fuzion version seemed to glide better and was consistently about 10′-15′ longer on most distance throws. I’m guessing the difference in dome was what came into play here. It was straight with very little turn all the way up to throwing with 275′ of power. It was once I tried pushing it further that it started to show its turn.

How’s your arm?

You have a cannon and your drives are 450′ plus…

This will be a beautiful turn over mid for you. You’ll really have to take something off of your throws to get the straight flights described in this review. If you are looking for a straight mid, I’d suggest discing up to the Truth (or Buzzz or Roc etc). If you want something that moves right, and you already throw the Truth for your straight shot, the Evidence is the ticket.

You don’t have a cannon, but you can drive 325′ – 400’…

The Evidence will fly as reviewed above for you. While you will be able to make it turn, you’ll most often find it flying straight where you aimed it. You’ll be able to easily get a hyzerflip flight out of it too. It will quite possibly be the straightest mid you’ve thrown while still being reliable and not just turning over on you out of nowhere.

You have more of a BB gun than a cannon for an arm and your drives are under 300’…

The Evidence will still go straight for you on a flat throw. It will also be a disc that can teach you how to hyzerflip as your arm gets faster. It will have some fade at the end of the flight when throw with a hyzer or flat. All of that said, it will also still hold an anny line for you as well. You might find it fighting out of it’s right hand turn a little more than I described above, but you should be able to rely on it turning right if you start it out that way.

What’s it similar to?

Like I stated above, for me it’s pretty much a longer Opto Pure. Straight, straight, and more straight.

The next comparison is one that I heard Eric McCabe make. He said it’s the Truth for people who don’t have the arm for a Truth. I totally agree with that. If you have trouble getting a Truth to go straight with minimal fade at the end, the Evidence will give you that flight with little difficulty. I also find it to be less sensitive to launch angle than the Truth.

For me, the Truth stays at pretty much exactly the angle you throw it at. That can give some people problems who like to hyzerflip a mid to go straight. If you don’t have the arm speed, the Truth will not flip up and instead will turn left on you. The Evidence is much easier to get to flip up to flat and ride straight.

Other discs that I find to be very similar to the Evidence are the Axiom Alias, the Innova Mako 3, the MVP Tangent, and the Discmania MD. The closest Discraft disc would be the now OOP Buzz GT.

Summary

If you couldn’t tell, I really like this disc. Honestly, it’s too new for me to determine if it will be a “pry it from my cold dead hands” disc or not. But things are looking pretty good so far. I liked it enough that it was in my bag last weekend for tournament rounds both Saturday and Sunday. I threw it a lot and liked it more each time I did.

Ken Climo and many other pros have been quoted as saying the hardest shot in disc golf is the dead straight controlled one. A big part of that is skill. But at least some of it is having the right disc. Veteran pros have the luxury of having beat to perfection Rocs that they’ve had for years. Very few discs can come close to those flights right out of the box.

For me, the Evidence is one of those discs. When thrown cleanly with no wrist roll it’s a point and shoot mid that goes exactly where you aim it and flies on the path you set it on. It’s got plenty of hyzerflip goodness for the woods and those challenging tight tunnels we all love so much.

If you are looking for a stable mid that likes to go where you throw it, check out the Dynamic Discs Evidence. It might just be the love affair you’ve been looking for.

How to win a Dynamic Discs Evidence

Now that the reviewing part is over with, I’ll be sending my review copy of the Dynamic Discs Evidence off to one of you! All you have to do is subscribe to the blog by entering your email address below. On Wednesday, 10/22/15 we’ll select one lucky subscriber to win.

[wysija_form id=”1″]

Support Mind Body Disc…

If you enjoy the Mind Body Disc blog and the contests and give aways we bring you, we would really appreciate it if you helped us out just a bit…

Most people shop on Amazon. If you are one of them, please consider getting there through this link. There’s also one in our footer and on our side bar. It doesn’t cost you anything but a click, but it’s huge for us. Things like dyed discs, giveaways, and maintaining the blog all cost money. This is an easy way for you to help us continue bringing you what we do!

LHBH / RHFH Version:

LHBH/RHFH Version of the Review…

Like or Love?

At the most basic level, the discs in my bag can be divided into two categories. The first is discs I love. These are the discs that aren’t going anywhere. In order for them to leave my bag, you’d have to pry them from my cold, dead hands. You’ve heard me talk about them repeatedly. The Latitude 64 Pure, the Dynamic Discs Trespass, and the Dynamic Discs Verdict all fit this description. I wish all of the discs in my bag were in this first category. Alas, they are not.

The second group is made up of discs I like. They work for me, but they have not found a permanent home. These are the discs that, honestly, I kind of “make due” with. Nothing against them, but I’m patiently waiting to find a replacement for them that falls squarely in the first category. That’s me, always looking for love.

My stable and understable midrange slots are both firmly in this second category. For the stable (meaning the disc will hold the line I put on it) slot I’ve given long auditions to the Discraft Buzzz, Innova Shark, Dynamic Discs Truth, and the Latitude 64 Opto Claymore. For the understable slot I’ve given equally long auditions to the Discraft Buzzz SS, Discraft Meteor, Westside Discs Tursas, Latitude 64 Fuse, and the Latitude 64 Gold Line Claymore.

So far I’ve been happiest with the Claymores in the two different plastics. They are flat, beadless, and feel a whole lot like the Verdicts I love so much. I haven’t ruled out love yet. But it’s a slow courtship. The midrange is such a critical disc, I really want to get it just right. You’d think after years of playing I would have filled this slot, right?

Love at first sight?

A little over 2 weeks ago, I got a Fuzion Evidence from Dynamic discs. This was the midrange disc for this year’s Trilogy Challenge. Of the 3 discs used this year, the Evidence was getting the best reviews by far. Forums were abuzz with people raving about this disc. While reports of how it flew varied from player to player, one thing was uniform. Everyone seemed to love it.

When I received the Fuzion version, I was honestly slightly disappointed. And this was before I even threw it. The Fuzion version has a bit of a dome to it. Not a lot, but enough for me to notice. I dream of the day when every disc in my bag is board flat. Flat discs and I get along really well. Domey discs, not so much.

It did fly nicely, but it was pretty similar to my Gold Line Claymore. So, after just one round (and really only a few throws), the Evidence was out of the bag.

But then something wonderful happened. I went to the mailbox two weeks ago and what was there waiting for me? 2 shiny new discs just in from Dynamic for me to review and then give away to you. One of those discs was a Lucid Evidence. From the moment I took it out of the envelope, you guessed it, I was in love.

First, it was flat. Second, it was in my most favorite plastic. If you’ve followed my disc reviews at all, you know that I love all of the Latitude 64 plastic (Latitude manufactures Lat 64, Dynamic, and Westside). It’s the biggest reason why that’s all I throw right now. It’s not brand loyalty, it’s plastic loyalty. Their plastic is just money.

Every once in a while, they release a run of Lucid (known as Opto in Lat 64 and VIP in Westside) that is opaque and grippy. It’s like they blend a little Fuzion in with the Opto. It makes the disc opaque instead of the normal clear you find for most Opto discs. The phrase “it’s like butter” was made for this plastic. If I could get every disc I throw in this blend, I’d be in heaven.

I’m guessing most of you know how I was feeling at this point. I hadn’t even thrown the disc yet and I was already infatuated. We’ve all picked up discs before that just feel perfect to us. This is what happened with this Evidence and I. I just stood there at my mailbox fondling the disc with a goofy grin on my face and possibly a little drool running down the corner of my mouth.

Well, I’ve been here before. Sometimes no matter how great disc feels in the hand, that doesn’t mean you’ll like how it flies. I had the same reaction to the Dynamic Discs Felon and I genuinely don’t like that disc. I tried to like it, I really did. It just wasn’t to be.

So, out to the course we went. I wanted to see if the initial spark between the Evidence and I would turn into anything meaningful.

It’s a longer Pure!

That pretty much says it all. It only took one round for this disc to make my bag. Every time I throw one of my beloved Pures off the tee, I fall in love with that mold just a little bit more. Every time I step up on a tee where my target is just out of reach of the Pure, I wish I had a longer one in the bag. I reluctantly reach for a Truth or Opto Claymore instead.

The quickest and most succinct description I can give of the Dynamic Discs Evidence is that it’s a longer Pure. For me it flies on the same lines with same controllability, just longer range.

For now, enough with my opinions, let’s get into some details.

Now For the Details…

Dynamic Discs Describes the Evidence…

The Evidence is a slightly understable midrange disc that is very controllable. Where the Verdict and the Truth take care of your straight to overstable midrange needs, the Evidence will handle the other side of the spectrum. It will hold the anhyzer angle through a full glide while slowly coming back to a flat flight. The Verdict, Truth, and Evidence feel very similar in the hand with complementary flights to carve around any obstacle you face. When your scores are accusing you of bad shots, you need the Evidence to set the record straight.

Speed – 5
Glide – 5
Turn – -1
Fade – 0

Max Weight: 180g

InBounds Flight Chart

Agree or Disagree?

I’m not sure that I’d rate the turn at -1. While the Evidence will hold an anny, you really have to throw it hard to get it to turn. Even then, it more kind of shifts to the left instead of turning over. I would also rate the fade at .5. If thrown flat, it won’t exactly fade, but it does start to drift right when it slows down. In the end, it’s mostly straight.

Physical Description.

I’ve already touched on the profile. It’s flat in the Lucid plastic and has a slight dome in Fuzion. It has a typical width midrange rim. Very much like the Truth, Claymore, Verdict, Buzz, Shark, or any other beadless midrange.

To help you get an idea, here’s a few pics of the rim from different angles.

How does it fly?

Hyzer

What happens with the Evidence when thrown on a hyzer will depend on how hard you throw it. With an aggressive pull, it will flip up to flat and ride pretty straight. With an all out pull, or if you have a big arm, it will flip up and start to slide left. If thrown cleanly it won’t dump over, but it will go left for you. If thrown at 75%-85% (which is about how hard I typically throw my mids), it will sit up almost flat, go straight for much of its flight, and then fade some at the end.

It won’t hold a hard hyzer line the whole way unless you really throttle back on it. I found that on stand still shots, throwing at 50%-60%, I could get it to hyzer around obstacles fairly easily.

Flat

At about 75% power (hard enough to get it to go 275′ or so), the Evidence pretty much went dead straight. It has a tic of fade at the end, but I think that’s more because it’s new. I have a strong feeling that once it’s been used a bit, that little bit of fade will disappear. Thrown harder than that, a flat throw did see some right to left movement. Thrown with a lot of power and it rode left nicely without getting out of control.

Anhyzer

The Evidence held an anhyzer well. It seemed to want to stay at the angle it was thrown at and ride left its entire flight without changing much. It did seem to start to flex back a tad at the end, but as mentioned before, I think this is more because it’s new. I don’t think it will continue to do this. I really liked how it didn’t turn any more than asked. Some understable discs can be pretty touchy. The Evidence had some forgiveness to it on these throws.

Headwind

This is not a headwind disc. It withstood some breezes, but that’s about it. Even with hyzer, a moderate wind pushed the disc to the left and it wasn’t even thinking about coming back. Thrown flat into a stiff gust and it was all over.

Tailwind

The Evidence is cash money in a tailwind. Like most stable to understable discs, it flew well with the wind at its back. The glide was enough to ride the breeze and give it a good sized distance boost. While it did pick up a little bit more end of flight fade to the right, it wasn’t a huge difference. It can still be relied on to give a fairly straight flight all the way to the ground even when the wind is at your back.

Distance

I was able to get the Evidence to about 310′ reliably. Interestingly, the Fuzion version seemed to glide better and was consistently about 10′-15′ longer on most distance throws. I’m guessing the difference in dome was what came into play here. It was straight with very little turn all the way up to throwing with 275′ of power. It was once I tried pushing it further that it started to show its turn.

How’s your arm?

You have a cannon and your drives are 450′ plus…

This will be a beautiful turn over mid for you. You’ll really have to take something off of your throws to get the straight flights described in this review. If you are looking for a straight mid, I’d suggest discing up to the Truth (or Buzzz or Roc etc). If you want something that moves left, and you already throw the Truth for your straight shot, the Evidence is the ticket.

You don’t have a cannon, but you can drive 325′ – 400’…

The Evidence will fly as reviewed above for you. While you will be able to make it turn, you’ll most often find it flying straight where you aimed it. You’ll be able to easily get a hyzerflip flight out of it too. It will quite possibly be the straightest mid you’ve thrown while still being reliable and not just turning over on you out of nowhere.

You have more of a BB gun than a cannon for an arm and your drives are under 300’…

The Evidence will still go straight for you on a flat throw. It will also be a disc that can teach you how to hyzerflip as your arm gets faster. It will have some fade at the end of the flight when throw with a hyzer or flat. All of that said, it will also still hold an anny line for you as well. You might find it fighting out of it’s left hand turn a little more than I described above, but you should be able to rely on it turning left if you start it out that way.

What’s it similar to?

Like I stated above, for me it’s pretty much a longer Opto Pure. Straight, straight, and more straight.

The next comparison is one that I heard Eric McCabe make. He said it’s the Truth for people who don’t have the arm for a Truth. I totally agree with that. If you have trouble getting a Truth to go straight with minimal fade at the end, the Evidence will give you that flight with little difficulty. I also find it to be less sensitive to launch angle than the Truth.

For me, the Truth stays at pretty much exactly the angle you throw it at. That can give some people problems who like to hyzerflip a mid to go straight. If you don’t have the arm speed, the Truth will not flip up and instead will turn right on you. The Evidence is much easier to get to flip up to flat and ride straight.

Other discs that I find to be very similar to the Evidence are the Axiom Alias, the Innova Mako 3, the MVP Tangent, and the Discmania MD. The closest Discraft disc would be the now OOP Buzz GT.

Summary

If you couldn’t tell, I really like this disc. Honestly, it’s too new for me to determine if it will be a “pry it from my cold dead hands” disc or not. But things are looking pretty good so far. I liked it enough that it was in my bag last weekend for tournament rounds both Saturday and Sunday. I threw it a lot and liked it more each time I did.

Ken Climo and many other pros have been quoted as saying the hardest shot in disc golf is the dead straight controlled one. A big part of that is skill. But at least some of it is having the right disc. Veteran pros have the luxury of having beat to perfection Rocs that they’ve had for years. Very few discs can come close to those flights right out of the box.

For me, the Evidence is one of those discs. When thrown cleanly with no wrist roll it’s a point and shoot mid that goes exactly where you aim it and flies on the path you set it on. It’s got plenty of hyzerflip goodness for the woods and those challenging tight tunnels we all love so much.

If you are looking for a stable mid that likes to go where you throw it, check out the Dynamic Discs Evidence. It might just be the love affair you’ve been looking for.

How to win a Dynamic Discs Evidence

Now that the reviewing part is over with, I’ll be sending my review copy of the Dynamic Discs Evidence off to one of you! All you have to do is subscribe to the blog by entering your email address below. On Wednesday, 10/22/15 we’ll select one lucky subscriber to win.

[wysija_form id=”1″]

Support Mind Body Disc…

If you enjoy the Mind Body Disc blog and the contests and give aways we bring you, we would really appreciate it if you helped us out just a bit…

Most people shop on Amazon. If you are one of them, please consider getting there through this link. There’s also one in our footer and on our side bar. It doesn’t cost you anything but a click, but it’s huge for us. Things like dyed discs, giveaways, and maintaining the blog all cost money. This is an easy way for you to help us continue bringing you what we do!

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.”

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 Dynamic Discs Evidence Review appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

That also led to an email from one Patrick McCormick.  It just so happened that Patrick was finishing up a several year long project.  Writing a book about disc golf.  Sometimes serendipity steps in and takes over.  This was one of those times.

I had already been reading Patrick’s blog and was a fan of his on Instagram and Twitter.  When I heard that he was coming out with a book on disc golf, I really couldn’t wait.  Patrick and I share a lot of things in common.  I look forward to the day when we can get together and have a conversation or two about life, the universe, and disc golf (not only is that day coming soon, but you will get to sit in on that conversation here on the blog!). In the meantime, I get to read his book “Zen and the Art of Disc Golf”.

I’ve had my hot little hands on this book for a while now, but I really wanted to read and absorb it before writing this review.  Patrick has been getting some great publicity, but I cringe every time someone says they have only read part of it or even worse, get the title wrong!  Here at the Mind Body Disc blog, we will never rush something out to you just to get content on the site.  Patrick spent a few years of his life on this and I wanted to make sure I read the book as he instructed and gave it a quality review.

The book is divided into 16 sections and Patrick recommends reading a section and then playing a round of disc golf to contemplate that section.  First of all, any book that tells me to put it down and go play a round between chapters is A OK in my world!  Second, this is exactly what you need to do with a book like this.

There’s a big trend right now that recommends that people read a book a week, a book a day, or some other such nonsense.  I’m a huge reader, but reading alone is not a virtue.  Reading alone does not help you better yourself.  Reading and then integrating what you have read and learned and decided can help you is the key.  You have to pause for reflection.  You have to internalize the things you are learning for them to do you any good.  I love that Patrick starts off his book this way.

When I first sat down to write this review, I was going to go through the book section by section and give an opinion, summary, or both.  But I want you to read the book, not just someone’s summary or interpretation.  Oops, I’ve gone and spoiled my end point.  Yes, go get this book and read it.  It’s worth your time.  You can get a copy on Amazon in paper back or Kindle form.  You can also get a signed copy on Patrick’s web site.

Not only is it worth your time to read this, but I want to recommend that you let your friends and loved ones read it.  Especially those that don’t play disc golf.  While that might sound strange at first, I have to say that outlined in this book are the majority of the reasons I play.  It’s a detailed explanation of why I spend so much time on the course and I think I’m safe in saying that I am not alone here.

Both my family and friends on many occasions have asked me why I’m so obsessed with the sport.  Usually, I can’t articulate the philosophical attraction I have for the sport without losing them in all the jargon that seeps into my conversation.  If I keep the explanation strictly to the esoteric aspects of my love for disc golf, I plant myself firmly in the role of metaphysical woo woo guy.  This book is exactly the explanation I’ve always grasped for.

It’s quotes like this that kind of just say it all:

“For those few seconds, time stands still, and all that matters in the world is a spinning disc in the wind.  Everything in our mind is at peace and when the disc lands, we want to do it all over again.” -from Zen and the Art of Disc Golf

Another thing I really love about the book is that it highlights the many parallels between disc golf and life in general.  Miyamoto Musashi said, “If you know the way broadly, you will know it in all things.”  In other words, excellence in anything will increase your potential in all things.  Excellence in life translates into excellence on the course.  Excellence in your game translates into your life.

This directly addresses some of the most asked questions by players seeking to get better.  If you listen to the Disc Golf Answer Man podcast, read any disc golf forums, or belong to any disc golf related FaceBook groups, you’ll see question after question about how to improve in the mental aspect of the game.  Quite honestly, while there are some standard answers (have a short memory, only worry about the shot you are throwing, etc.), rarely are there any good explanations.  It’s not often that someone actually comes up with great advice for the mental game.

Honestly, that’s one of the reasons I started this blog.  The mental game is one of the mostly unaddressed aspects of our sport.  There are copious amounts written on technique, equipment, and courses.  There is almost nothing on the psychology of disc golf.  Patrick definitely changes that with “Zen and the Art of Disc Golf”.

And that’s important.  I don’t want to take anything away from the pros, but there are a lot of people who are as good or better than they are at the mechanical skill of throwing a disc.  The thing that makes a pro is their mental ability.  It’s their ability to think their way around the course.  It’s their ability to deal with and thrive on stress that very few of us can even imagine.  It’s their mental game that sets them apart and allows them to win where others crumble.  Patrick’s book is what I hope will be the beginning of a lot more information designed to help average players start to excel in the mental aspect of our sport.

“Hitting a few trees is not what separates a recreational player from becoming a pro. What separates a pro from a rec player is what the pro does next.” -from Zen and the Art of Disc Golf

In the end, it’s more than worth the few bucks it costs to go ahead and get this book.  All disc golfers need something like this out on their desk or on their coffee table.  It’s a book you can pick up and just read a few pages of and get something from it.  It’s also a great gift idea for the disc golfer in your life or even for yourself.

As a last note, Patrick mentions at one point that he gave up playing a lot of rounds to write this book.  I want to point out that the one thing we all love to do, play disc golf, is the one thing that doesn’t actually grow our sport all that much.  The things that legitimize and grow disc golf often involve not being able to play disc golf.  Course maintenance, meeting with city councils, running tournaments, running Instagram and Twitter feeds, writing blogs, teaching clinics, running disc golf stores, maintaining websites, producing videos, and writing books all require that the people doing those things give up playing time to do them.

If for no other reason, this is why you should buy this book.  Honestly you should buy this book because it’s a worthwhile read.  But even if you don’t read, show Patrick some love for the time he took to put together something that is clearly coming from a place of love for our sport.  Buy the book to show your support for those who are sacrificing their own time on the course to hopefully make yours better.

Remember to follow Patrick on Instagram and Twitter.

Pick up his book on Amazon or at his web site Zen Disc Golf.

If you have his book, please leave him a review on Amazon too, you have no idea how helpful that is.

For a chance to win a signed copy of his book, I have two opportunities for you:

First, follow the Mind Body Disc feed over on Instagram.  We’ll be giving away a copy this weekend (12/13/2014).

Second, subscribe to this blog.  We’ll keep you up to date on all  the new posts, reviews, and smart ass ramblings that we’re known for around here.  We will give a signed copy away to a random subscriber!  Giveaway on December 25th, who knows, you may get an unexpected Christmas gift!  Not only that, but stay tuned for the upcoming feature, Zen Conversations, where Patrick and I will have an ongoing public conversation about life, the universe, and the Zen of disc golf!

Update to this post, all signed copies have been given away and these particular giveaways are over.  We are always giving stuff away, though.  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and here to stay up to date on all the freebie action!

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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.”

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