The headline’s somewhat deceiving, I suppose …
I love my Champion Firebird – that’s about it, though.
Forehand and backhand, I use it for flex lines in the woods. And in open spaces, for spike hyzers. I can’t do near what Nate Sexton does with his, but it’s easy to see why he leans on it so heavily. And why so many people hand over their firstborns to stock up on his Tour Series stuff, too.
But this isn’t what a “true” fairway driver does …
As I see it, fairway drivers are used to balance control and distance. They’re called upon to hit tight gaps, while advancing the disc up the fairway a good bit – right next to the pin, if possible.
THIS is the fairway driver I hate.
In the five-plus years I’ve played disc golf, I’ve had moderate success with the straight-flying fairway. It’s hard to go wrong with an FD. The Sphinx is a quality piece of plastic, too. And The Leopard3 (kind of) worked for a season or so. TL3s, Eagles, and Teebirds – I’ve tried ‘em all.
It wasn’t until earlier this year that I realized something, though …
I can’t stand thin-rimmed drivers.
I can’t get a clean, consistent release. The power and snap with which Calvin Heimburg smashes his Champion Eagles? It’s just not there for me. No, I’m not Vinny, but when I grab hold of an S-Line DD3 or a Star Destroyer, I believe it’s going places – and then it does. And fast, too.
To quote writer (not Albert Einstein) Rita Mae Brown:
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
So, months back, to rectify the issue, I committed to the following:
- Method No. 1 – Not including my Firebird, I removed ALL fairway drivers from my bag.
- Method No. 2 – I replaced them with neutral-flying, wide-rimmed distance drivers.
- Method No. 3 – If needed, to account for speed and glide, I’ll often fan grip ‘em.
I don’t know why this took me so long …
The results have been amazing.
Please don’t get the wrong impression: I’ve not 100% figured this thing out. Used-and-abused Star Wraiths have proved effective. I’ve discovered that the Pro Wraith is WAY underrated. Old Champion Beasts have been great. And I’ve got a couple of ESP Scorches headed my way …
It’s a work in progress, but I’ll get there.
What I do love, however, is that I’m no longer purposefully avoiding discs that are ONLY in my bag, because I think I’m supposed to have them in there. Seriously, how stupid is that logic?
Screw. Conventional. Wisdom.
Forget what some random YouTube video said. The same thing goes for what you read on a disc golf forum – or even a blog like this one. Build the bag in which you have complete confidence in every frisbee inside of it. Nobody knows your game as well as you do – you call the shots.
For me, that meant leaning into my hatred of fairway drivers …
And I’ve never played better.
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Editor’s Suggestions:
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- Disc golf: This single purchase saved my sanity …
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