CD2 Review, Putting Practice, and More

Over the past couple of weeks I have been bagging a C-Line CD2, courtesy of Ryan Rintala, to try and test out. When this disc first came out I was bummed  that it wasn't a Firebird replacement, and disregarded it almost immediately, and I was completely wrong in doing so. The CD2 is a super versatile disc, like its younger brother the FD, it holds any line you put it on. I have found use with this disc from a longer glidey hyzer shot to even a distance roller. Looking at it from a sheer numbers stand point (9,5,-1,2) it has a great speed for a disc, meaning it doesn't have a big rim and feels very comfortable in the hand. It lands with a lot of other great speed 9 discs like the Firebird and the new Thunderbird. So this disc has the speed to still crush and go far when you need it to. With a glide of 5 it's not the craziest glide but is super useful in letting this disc work a long way down the fairway. The turn of the disc is great that you won't lose control of this disc. It plays really well for a nice gentle hyzer flip, can hold long anhyzer lines, and plays really well for longer flex shots. The fade is probably what I like most about this disc. It feels just enough to trust throwing this into headwinds and trusting that it won't get tossed around. Everyone from Ryan to Simon Lizotte have been referring to this disc as a longer FD. They are completely spot on with that description. The versatility you have with an FD you see with the CD2. The CD2 filled a hole in my bag I didn't even know was there. I can see myself always bagging a CD2 from here on out. Love this disc and everyone should give it a try.

I am going to jump to the 'More' part now because I feel like I need to bring up something that I love and hate about discs. How can we continue to have different feelings in the same molds of a disc? I love finding a specific run of a disc that plays to my style, but at the same time I hate having to hunt down a specific color, mold, run, stamp, plastic, or whatever else to continue to have the same feeling. The easiest example for me to talk about is the Innova Firebird. Anyone who throws this disc may have a preference of which version they like the most. I am a fan of the 12x Flat and Stiff version. I feel they resemble the 11x that costs a fortune to pick up and generally you can find the 12x at a cheaper price. Ever since Innova introduced the Jolly Launcher plastic, the Champion Firebird mold seemed to have changed to being less flat and less stiff. Every Firebird thrower I have talked to only talks about their 'FAF' Firebirds, never have I heard someone go on about a domey Firebird. So looking at player feedback why doesn't Innova continue to run the Flat versions? Maybe I don't know enough about what is going on in the factory and they may be doing just that but from what I see in going to stores and seeing vendors the Firebird has had either a bad run or has changed. I would imagine Innova looks at these things and makes good adjustments to not only benefit their touring pros but also the average consumer. I know I can't be the only one running into this problem, and the Firebird isn't the only disc I have run into this problem with. All in all if this is the biggest problem I have with discs, it is an okay problem to have, it makes me enjoy receiving discs more and makes me smarter when throwing certain shots. I could also go down the line of not caring so much about the discs I throw and if they go lost then it's not the end of the world. But I connect with my discs and enjoy learning how they throw and continue to learn how they throw after they take a knock here and a scratch there. For now I will continue to stockpile my favorite throwers in bins and boxes for the eventual use, it's just getting a little tight on space in my room.

"How you practice is how you will play!" I have heard this so many times and feel that it stands true. But when it comes to Putting, I can't seem to Putt like I do in practice. Something changes and I am not sure what it is. Maybe it's the fear of missing, because in practice you see no real consequence of missing. So how can I replicate that fear? Having a punishment for every missed putt in practice? That could work, but I feel conditioning myself to not miss seems a bit extreme. Maybe the anger of a shot before adds to the pressure. I need to learn to let go of shots better and find a more relaxed place and just let the game continue to flow. I feel like I am going down the dark side with my putting with Fear and Anger. I have changed styles, changed plastic but still find the worst part of my game to be putting. I have settled into a style of putting, I have picked out a set routine that I replicate with every single putt, I try and hold my putters in the same place each and every time, and with all of these things I still find inconsistency in my putting. Maybe something is completely wrong with my mechanics and I need to film myself putting and remember which ones felt good and try and see what was good in my motion to better understand. I try to not play too many games with putting since I get really bored of them quickly and prefer to constantly move after each putt, since I won't get multiple tries from the same place in a round. Right now my best way of getting in good practice is having 6 Discmania P2s and walking out to bout 15-20ft and make all 6 before I step back to 20-25ft and continue back until I am putting from about 40-50ft. After a couple of rounds I just start over again, making sure I am just not trying to can 6 in a row from 50ft to be finished. I prefer to end with 20-25ft since this is a range I should be able to find most often with drives and upshots. I will find the light side of my putting soon enough. I am going to be more confident with every putt. I think the best start is staying positive and making the most of every putt.

I hope you enjoyed the review and my ranting on about discs and putting. Cheers

I am a Discmaniac!

Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILzlo5QpuUo