Most new players and honestly most manufacturers put a lot of effort into drivers.
As an example two new manufacturers; Skyquest and Skyiron just coming to the marketplace have produced drivers first. The Skyiron disc was reviewed here earlier, and Skyquest's Medusa is upcoming.
While we all want to eat up the yardage off the tee by gaining footage with the perfect driver, you also have to be able to finish at the basket.
The greater the distance where you are consistently putting the disc in the basket, the better.
Sure we might all drain every putt at 10-feet, and we all occasionally hear the chains rattle when you are throwing one from 100-feet.
The key is getting consistent from further and further from the basket, and for that you need a putter which you have confidence in, and for that Daredevil Discs, one of the great manufacturers here in Canada offers up a trio of discs to suit a player's particular approach to putting.
The Polar Bear, Beaver and Woodchuck are all fine putters, but they are also different from one another.
All three fly nice and straight and that is essential in a good putt. It is difficult clanging chains consistently if you have to adjust for fade over varying short distances.
While the trio have similar flight paths, the Polar Bear is my favourite of the three. The Polar Bear is made from what Daredevil terms its 'grippy gummy plastic', which gives the player a secure thumb placement which is really important close to the basket.
The Polar Bear is excellent close in, and has solid predictability from further afield too, and certainly is recommended, even for beginners. My son, as an example, shunned the idea of using a putter the first few times on the course. At 23 he was an expert of course, but the Polar Bear has won him over.
The Beaver is made from Daredevil's "durable flexible plastic" so has a different feel in hand. The finish is smoother, and the disc has a greater flex which some will think holds the chains, although I am not convinced of.
The Beaver doesn't fly quite as consistently as the Polar Bear, at least for me. When I throw the Beaver, more so than most other putters, it will 'float' higher in its flight profile, even over short distances. I have hit the company logo on top of the basket a few too many times with the Beaver, but it does fly straight.
And that brings us to the Woodchuck, one of the most distinct putters around.
The Daredevil website explains the Daredevil is "made from our new super grip flex plastic, this disc is one of the most flexible disc golf discs in the world! Its ability to absorb impact with the chains or fold increases your chances of a successful putt and if you miss, it doesn't roll away."
Well it is soft. You can fold the Woodchuck in half like a soft taco shell, which means it feels very different in-hand.
I haven't fallen in love with the soft disc yet, although a bud in town uses it all the time. It is a putter I think can be advantageous in absorbing impact at the basket, but it is also so different from what you throw off the tee, or as midranges, that it requires getting used to.
The great thing, whichever Daredevil putter you chose, you are going to appreciate it on the course, and it is going to be in your bag for a long time, a very long time.
Check the out these discs in more detail at www.daredevildiscs.com
NEXT WEEK: A look at driver discs from Quest
