Monday, January 28, 2013

My New Favorite Putters

It has been a long, harsh winter here in Northern Utah. There is more than a foot of snow on the ground, and we literally went weeks without the temperature ever rising above 20 degrees. Needless to say, the progress of the disc golf test lab has definitely been limited.

However, I do have a basement, and I have been doing some putter tests. I have a bucket of about 30 different putters, most of which I didn't use in my initial putter tests last fall. These tests have been a bit more casual, and I've haven't really taken the time to record the results of every single disc thrown.

Instead I take the bucket, and from about 18 feet (that's the farthest I can really throw from inside my house) throw each disc, one by one, at the basket. Any frisbees that miss, are left out of the next round. So after each round, I have a few less discs to throw.

By the time I get down to a handful of discs, I know I have some good ones as they have been true for 20 - 25 straight makes. Now the last two times I've done this experiment there are a couple of discs that have really stood out, and have made it to the end.

With my current throwing style and routine, I'd say these are the best disc golf putters for actually throwing short putts into the basket. From my experiments, I've found that the super soft putters, aren't as accurate because they often stick to my fingers and don't release soon enough. Alternately, discs that are too slippery, often come out prematurely, and also miss the target. The best discs, are those that are grippy, but not too grippy.

I've also developed a like to the thicker, slower, beefier type putters. The two putters that are really rising above the cream for me are the Innova Pig, and the ABC Money putter. The Pig is in a super nice R-pro plastic. I love the feel, and it's the perfect grippiness. The ABC Money putter is in "Bronze" plastic, which I'd say is kind of like a combination of Innova DX and Pro plastics. It's softer than traditional DX, but a little firmer than the Pro plastic.

Overall these two discs rock, and come spring, I'm going to be lighting the chains up with thick slow beefy putters with the perfect combination of grip