Benefits of Bagging Understable aka Flippy discs + Interview with MINT Pro
Throwing overstable bombs is for the elite power arms. Gurthie hyzer flip to turnover and flexing out a 600'+ huk. Incredible straight line power from the Crush Boys breaking clouds. Or Ricky ripping Felons to fight the powerful headwinds at Emporia for this year's World's. Overstability is the heavyweight title fight you can depend on. ...if you have the power.
Throwing dead straight laser beams is essential. Watching Paul finesse Lunas into the shadow of the basket will forever be magical. Robot Chicken lacing a Buzzz 400' down a 10' wide wooded fairway displaying elite control and finding the ideal landing zone at Northwoods Black. You think Conrad wants to throw putters THAT hard? But the results speak for themselves. Predictability and controlled execution are available for those that have spent years perfecting their line drives.
Throwing understable discs is an art form. Too much juice and you have a throwler. Not enough power and they will still hyzer out. But in the Goldilocks zone, understability is like hanging out with your long lost best friend from way back!
Let's classify disc golfers into three MPO archetypes to discuss how each would utilize understable discs.
#1 - RHBH Main aka James Conrad. Does not want to throw forehand unless he absolutely NEEDS to.
#2 - RHBH and RHFH Balanced aka Ricky Wisocki. Rick's bag is mostly overstable and he will either throw backhand or forehand depending on the shot shape required. A switch hitter comfortable from both sides of the plate.
#3 - RHFH Main aka Chandler Kramer aka "The Specialist" ...did you see this man play the 2022 European Open?? He might be allergic to backhands. All forehand all the time. Every shot shape from the same form. Impressive.
All three archetypes still bag something understable in almost every speed class (Putt and Approach / Midrange / Fairway / Control / Distance).
Reasons to reach for the Flippy one:
1. Tailwind drives
In a tailwind your disc will act more overstable. Most pros will swap out an overstable distance driver for something that has some high speed turn to still achieve full flight in strong tailwinds.
2. Uphill drives
The majority of my disc golf is played in the Rocky Mountains. There are some treacherous elevation gains here that require some understability to achieve ideal flight. The more overstable the disc, the quicker it will hit the hill. So a disc with some flip to it will work up the hill naturally.
(Growing up in the Midwest I initially learned this the hard way at the Toboggan course. My bag was filled with overstable distance drivers due to the vast majority of courses in NW Ohio / SE Michigan being windy and flat.)
3. Standstill shots
There are times when just standing on your lie is difficult due to mud (2022 Idlewild) or terrain (2022 DGLO @ Toboggan). A run up is impossible sometimes. Stand still shots require discs with understability as your power is drastically reduced.
4. Angle control of disc when landing
While a RHFH will most likely crash into the ground with a sharper angle for most players, a RHBH turnover will normally start to "come out" and fade near the end of the flight - flattening the angle of the disc to match the ground. This provides additional control over any potential negative reaction when your disc hits the ground. Just watch how McBeth's discs hit the ground of a slope sometime. Matching angles to minimize roll aways. Brilliant.
5. Low power control shots
The art of finesse. Hitting tight gaps is easier at low power. And understable discs will still provide full flight at reduced power, providing additional control while not sacrificing distance. Good luck to everyone at Northwoods Black this weekend.
6. Shot shaping routes that are exclusively available for understable discs (Starting at the bottom of the shape)
If overstable discs fly the shape of a 7, and straight discs fly the shape of a 1... What do you throw if the hole is shaped like a r, C, or a stretched out S (aka dog leg left into dog leg right)?
Super hyzer flip-ups into a turnover that then fades (if given enough height). Overstable discs simply cannot pull off this magical feat. Only understable discs can offer this super rare flight.
7. Rollers!
Yeah Eagle throws rollers with super overstable stuff. Odds are you are not Eagle. (If you haven't seen him throw IRL you should get some tickets to the DGPT events closest to you ASAP. It's magical seeing that level of power in person.)
Most people throw rollers with something understable. Great for extra distance or to avoid low ceilings. Rollers are fun and a creative alternative to standard air shots. Understable rollers on a cut angle will easily stand up and break towards the top side of the disc.
#8. Playing at elevation!
Come visit Colorado's amazing courses - but bring the Flippy stuff. While spectating at the DGPT Match Play Championships at Bailey this year, most pros were throwing their Flippy roller discs on hyzer to get full flights. Elevated golf is very different from what most people are used to. Living in Denver at 5280' and driving up to Bailey or Beaver at ~8500' everything flys more overstable.
Round out your bag with this week's special drops from MINT discs!
- The Lobster is gaining popularity around the sport due to its fantastic feel and easy flight. Understable Midrange by MINT Discs.
- Check out a Freetail for some serious turnover hangtime. Understable MINT Driver.
Team MINT's Matthew Barajas is currently out on tour but took some time to chat with us about these fresh molds from MINT!
"The Lobster and Freetail are very similar when thrown at the same percentage of power so it’s not hard predict the flip.
Mind you I never throw at 100% even on stable disc.
I do have to put more hyzer the harder I throw but I just adjust my aiming point. On a tunnel shot I aim more left sometimes at a tree just at the end and trust it that I put the correct angle and power on it to flip when I need it too.
It will definitely take some time for players to trust a flippy disc because we live in a stable era. Which definitely has its benefits but angle control is something that’s important to me."
Watch Matt hyzerflip the Lobster through some tight Austin gaps:
-Justin
RAD Expert
