Discmania P2 and a Bonus FD3 Review

There is something to say about a week or two of no tournaments. Ton's of field work and casual rounds with buddies. It is always really nice to dive back in and remember the small things that make this sport so great. I have recently got my younger step brothers into playing and seeing them sometimes crush one out is even awesome for me. I have equipped them up with some super lightweight plastic and they are completely hooked, everyday asking if we can go play. This is what the sport does to so many players, the constant want to go and throw. I really hope they can follow suit and become some awesome golfers in time.

To the good stuff. I have really wanted to do a P2 review considering it's easily my favorite disc ever. Some people may think I am a 'Psycho'.... HAHA! But it's the truth, the disc is something I trust on any hole at any time. The P2 has been my go to putter for putting, approaches, and drives.

C-Line: I will start with the C-Line version of the P2. Recently released, I was very excited to see what they could do. Hearing about how stable they were, I quickly picked up a batch and took them to the field. They are very stable, easily the most stable version. They are also very reliable in the wind for a putter. To me they had the least amount of glide, this is where my dislike for the C-Line started. There are a lot of positives for the C-Line, they are great in the wind, you can rip on them as hard as you want, and they like to skip when working towards the bucket. Where the dislikes range for me range from, less glide than other versions, poor grip in most situations, and awkward feeling in my hand. Out of all the P2s the grip on the C-Line is the least, along with an awkward feel in the hand really pushed me away from throwing these. Plus it wasn't good enough to take the spot of my S-Line P2 and that was the disc it was challenging with.

S-Line: The S-Line P2 has enough praise already being thrown by the top two players in the world, Simon Lizotte and Paul McBeth. There is a reason you see the top players bagging this disc. The consistency and stability you get, along with a long shelf life, make the S-Line P2 hard to beat. For me these are my go to stable thrower and approach putter. I can trust this disc to work left quite a bit. The beauty of the S-Line P2 is how much you can really get behind one while still having it finish. These have a slightly more grippy feel than the S-Line giving me confidence in more conditions. For these to lose their stability you have to a number on them, this allows you to continue throwing one and feel it out. I tend to throw these with a power grip unless I am using it on the approach, where I will fan out my fingers. These can handle a good amount of wind as well. They aren't going to crush into big winds but on a breezy day you can trust that the disc will continue to work. These compliment my D-Line P2s perfectly giving me an artillery of putters to tackle any course. If you are looking for a stable putter that can handle some power then don't hesitate and grab a S-Line P2.

D-Line: The D-Line P2 was one of the first Discmania discs I purchased and it has been my putting putter ever since. I have also worked them in to being my favorite disc to throw off the tee. Keeping these in different stages of wear is key. I tend to keep 2-3 in my bag as throwers only, keeping one newish, beat in stable (I know that seems weird, but some will still finish after being thrashed), and beat in straight to understable. The D-Line P2 seems to gain glide as it beats in. They love being in the air so if you can get enough behind them they will go a long ways and not deviate far from their original line. If I am ever in doubt of what to throw I will pull one of these out lace it down the fairway and move on. These cover shots from 175'-350', I have thrown a P2 400' a few times but it is rarely a shot I will need on the course. Now as a putting putter the D-Line P2 is a great putter. Being deeper I feel there is more disc to catch the chains. The D-Line plastic offers great grip and always gives a smooth release. The D-Line P2 is the best putter on the market, it handles the box and the circle incredibly, get your hands on one and don't look back.

P-Line and Color Glow: These are the versions I have the least work with. I tried out the Proto KC material P2s for a while but always worked back to using a D-Line. The KC/P line P2 are not as great off the box and the stiff plastic made for a lot of putts spitting out. They ultimately were just not the putter I was looking for. The Color Glow P2 is something I have heard good things about and a lot of players say they are quality. While I don't doubt that but having thrown the C-Line P2, I am hesitant to try the Color Glow in fear of the same issues.

Basically the P2 is a catch all kind of putter. I don't know what I would do without a P2 in my bag. Remember to work on throwing your putters more often, get good with them off the box and when you are attacking the basket, not only when you need to put it in the basket. Utilize the reliability a putter gives you. Keep those #putterpants on!

FD3: So I recently received an awesome package from Discmania containing the soon to be released FD3. When I saw the numbers I knew this could be a disc to fill a slot that is hard to fill. Having never getting myself into the PD much until lately, I was not fortunate enough to have a stack of First Run PDs so I was missing a good stable control disc for my bag. I recently stopped bagging Firebirds to put more work into flicking PD2s. In doing so I have added great distance to my sidearm game and have learned to control the PD2 in the right situation. Enough about all of that, the FD3 is an awesome disc and will fill a hole in your bag, I almost guarantee it! This is a very controllable disc, it has a good flight with a good dump at the end. It remind me of a slower dumpier PD, or a super beat in flat Firebird, or a faster more stable FD2. All comparisons come together to make a great disc. With my testing I have been throwing them consistently to feel out what they can handle. With a good hyzer they will hold and work hard left, thrown flat the will carry for a long way before dumping, and thrown on an anhyzer they will drift and always finish but not as hard. When testing the FD3 on a sidearm it took some time for me to really feel it out. They don't like a lot of torque and snap but if you try and control it more and let the disc work this disc is great on a sidearm. This has added a different element to my sidearm game. I think everyone should be pumped about this disc being released. It is an awesome disc for Discmania and will help all 'Reinvent your game'.

If you have any questions or want more details about the discs I reviewed please don't hesitate to message me at any time.

Not sure what I will blog about next, but be sure to stay tuned for something awesome.

Thanks for reading. Remember to keep those #putterpants on and have the #mostfun. I am a Discmaniac. Cheers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MIaaP23qxY
Enjoy

Team Discmania, RPO and Having the Most Fun

A couple weeks ago there was a big announcement that was probably one of the biggest moments in my life, I was announced as being added to Discmania as a sponsored player. This is something I have been working towards years and reaching this step is amazing. I am now even more hungry to accomplish my goals and continue to move onward and upward in the disc golf world. I have to give a big thanks to Discmania for giving me the opportunity. I would also like to thank all of the players/people who helped me get to where I am today. This is only a small step and I plan on continuing going forward.... TEAM DISCMANIA!!!! AHHHHH!!!!! SO PUMPED!!!!... I couldn't help it. Ha!

http://www.discmania.net/2015/06/05/new-additions-to-discmanias-us-promotion-team/
Check out the article!

It had been a while since my last tournament and I was anxiously waiting another chance to compete. After reflecting on my recent poor showing in tournaments I had to dissect what the problem was. I forgot why I was playing disc golf, I forgot that this was supposed to be fun, I forgot that any bad day of disc golf was better than not playing at all. I went into the tournament at a course I knew very little about but was ready to just enjoy myself. Riverpark is a relatively easy course with a lot of birdie looks, it's a course that you should rarely take a 4 but should look to find a lot of 2s. With that in mind I knew I had to let the birdies come whenever and wherever and play smart golf. I was lucky enough to play on an awesome opening card with a bunch of the local guys and my best friend (Chris Tellesbo). Having the local guys helped because they knew the ins and outs of the course and I could sometimes follow their lead a bit. I was mainly throwing off of feel and trusting my ability. I would finish the round tied for 3rd and found myself on the lead card with two of the guys I played the first round with. The entire round I kept making jokes and chatting with everyone and having fun. I was lucky to have my buddy (Brandon Hinson) caddying for me who kept putting positive thoughts and wise information in my ear. He was a big help on that first day, the best thing he told me was to 'get it there' I kept leaving some putts short and he worked that into before each putt he would chime in and it helped. The next round was filled with more fun and lots of birdies and I would only take two 4s over two rounds one from hitting the first tree on a hole, I would get my redemption on that hole later, and from a tight OB just near the basket on a good solid drive that made it back in, so I had very little to be upset about and was stoked that I would be tied for 2nd going into the final round the next day. Brandon couldn't join me for day 2 but I ended up having another buddy step up to do some caddying for me (Casey Lee). Casey had the same influence as Brandon and kept with the positive chatter and fun times throughout the round. I would start the round very slow falling off pace but I didn't put much thought into that knowing we were playing 22 holes and there was still time to make a move. For me on the final round there was one key hole that pushed me to stay in contention, that was hole 15, the same hole I bogeyed the day before but had been moved back and made even more difficult. As we walked up to the hole Brodey Hansen, a fellow competitor and now a great friend after playing with him 3 whole rounds and some, put a bounty on the hole saying he would pay $5 dollars for any birdie on the hole. To give a bit of description to the complexity of the hole, I will say that it is a very difficult two to get, it is there but it takes really strong execution to make it happen, the hole starts with a few trees that you throw through to find the fairway, along either side of the fairway are lines of trees that love to grab on to your disc and sit it down, on the right side of fairway beyond the trees was a small pond that played OB, on the left side of the fairway beyond the trees was another fairway that played in bounds but didn't help you access the basket any easier, so sticking to the fairway was key, down the fairway the basket was tucked away in a bungalow of trees with a small entrance way right at the front, the hole plays 385', I hope that somewhat paints the picture of the hole.

RPO Hole 15, Sick screen shot I know! Ha!

So after seeing a couple of players find trouble on either side of the fairway, looking to have some fun, and to find some redemption from the day before, I grabbed my trusty C-Line FD and pumped a straight shot that turned over slightly before finding its way in to the opening and scooted about 15-20' long of the basket. I was the only player looking at a 2 on that hole while the other players were having to scramble to find 3s,4s, or 5s after some OB strokes. Before that hole I came to find out after, that I was behind and that hole really opened up an opportunity for me to fight back into contention. After everyone played close to the basket I stepped up to my lie, which was directly in a bundle of trees and bushes, I went to a knee to give me self a better line to the basket and canned my putt. There was a decent gallery and heard some awesome cheers and that the shot was near perfect on the hole. This was such a great feeling, it's hard not to be boastful when you tackle a difficult hole, but I must say if it hadn't been for Chris, Brandon and Casey in the preparations before and during the tournament I wouldn't have been confident executing that shot, so a big thanks to those guys for the boost in my confidence.

Where the people are standing is the opening to the basket. Photo Credit Casey Lee

After finishing up the round I was able to finish tied for 4th place and pretty stoked about the finish. Even with being tied for 2nd, I was the only non-local guy on the final card and I battled all weekend long to a strong solid finish. The tournament was run great so big props to everyone who was involved in running RPO, they really made it an awesome time. After the tournament they were going to have a raffle for a Skins Safari Doubles match, with the top 3 finishing Open players, the top Masters player and the top Female player from the tournament. With my finish I didn't qualify but I wasn't discouraged because I had just played a lot of fun golf and was happy walking away satisfied with what I had achieved. Brodey had purchased some tickets and unbeknownst to me had planned on if he won twice he was going to give me the other winning ticket. Brodey went on ahead an won twice and I was lucky enough to participate in an awesome skins match where 10 of us were competing for $780! On a side note, THANK YOU BRODEY! You're the man and I look forward to playing with you again, I have a PD waiting for you! This was another opportunity to play and have some fun. As the safari match got going I was paired up with Karina Nowels the top finishing Female player from the tournament and an exceptional golfer, I was confident we could take a shot at bringing home some cash. After playing 5 of the 6 safari holes we wen't into the final hole with all skins pushed. All of us were itching to try and pick up the final hole. We had previously discussed if we pushed all holes we would split the pot, so either way we all were walking out winners. The final hole was hole 18 to the practice basket, This was a long shot and would take a total crush to get there for a two and steal the skins. Brock Shepard and his partner TJ Smith both crushed their drives and were looking good. When it came down to my turn to throw I stepped up and said to myself 'have fun and just throw.' I crushed my Maroon Early Run PD2, nicknamed 'Adam Levine', finding a silly gap and skipped off a path way and finished pin high but 50' right of the basket. Karina and I had the closest look after all the drives were said and done. Brock stepped up and jump putted his off the front pan and gave the crowd quite a roar but it wasn't meant to be. Karina took a look from our putt but finished a touch short. Having the last putt of the Safari Doubles Skin Match was a pretty cool feeling knowing that there was a lot on the line but no matter what I still had the feeling that it was just great being there and being able to play. I settled in and sent my P2... it finished and caught the front pan. The crowd roared but it wasn't meant to be. We pushed the skins and in the end it was an awesome addition to a great weekend. This is an event I won't miss next year and hopefully will come back and represent again. I had a lot of awesome feelings going into the weekend, especially after being announced to Team Discmania. Again I am super thankful for to them for the opportunity and am so excited what the future may hold. 

I constantly post about having the Most Fun, I hashtag it, I tell people all the time to remember to have the most fun, I try and live it every time I am on the course. This is something that resonates with me and gives me confidence just like #putterpants does. No matter what this game is about fun and the competition side should be all about fun. Even on the worst of rounds or days you can still find the enjoyment that you are out playing disc golf. I played a round yesterday where I missed almost every putt it felt like but I still had a blast playing. Remember why you started playing the game, if you are like me it's because disc golf gives you an awesome feeling and it shouldn't be ruined only enhanced, and we do that by enjoying every moment.

Next post will be a Discmania P2 review! Going to review C-Line, S-Line and D-Line. I will add some small things about the P-Line, but I don't have any work with the Color Glow P2 so will leave that up to someone else. Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading. Keep those #putterpants on and remember to have the #mostfun. I am a Discmaniac. Cheers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z97lQTLFShU
Enjoy