About a year and a half ago, I went to Marshall Street on a mission to finally buy a Pro-Roc. I had a DX Roc, but it was a lighter weight, and didn’t do all the magical things I had read about. I didn’t realize how many different “Rocs” there were out there, but I vaguely remembered reading people rave about some sort of “PRO” roc. When I walked down the basement isle at Marshall Street, the first thing I saw was a royal blue R-Pro Roc, 180grams. So I figured, “Sweet, I found it. Let’s go play!”
Of course, now I know the specific model I was actually looking for was the KC-Pro Roc. It seemed like everyone out there was throwing the KC Pro Roc. When I finally realized I hadn’t purchased the right disc, I temporarily fell out of love with it.
However, after months of putting the disc in my bag, taking it out, and throwing it in a field, I kept coming back to it because of the feel and the results. The slanted inner rim on the R-Pro Roc really does give it a smooth release. The traditional Roc’s have a much more pronounced rim and seem to take more getting used to. When I finally committed to throwing this disc on certain holes as my main driver, I was definitely happy with it. It was the first midrange disc that I used on 300+ foot drives where I actually expected it to travel 300 feet. Upon breaking it in, the disc could comfortably be thrown on a hyzer release and I could count on it to flip up to level, and then fade back left again at the end. The plastic itself is grippy right off the shelf, and when you get it in your hand you immediately feel confident.
This tacky plastic IS still “R-Pro” at the end of the day though. We all know that it’s not the most durable blend that Innova has to offer. And when you buy a nice disc like this, and slam it into a tree… only to go pick it up in the shape of a taco DOES leave you feeling disappointed. In my experience, when the R-Pro Roc becomes too beat up, it will do the ‘hyzer-flip’ but then continue to turn right. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing for control shots, but you can’t risk a fully flippy disc on a drive.
I boil it down to this: the slanted inner rim, and the tacky feel. If you’re breaking the disc in with throws (i.e. not direct impacts with trees and rocks), it happens gradually enough to feel natural. A slightly beat R-Pro Roc is a great disc. It pops out of your hand nice and smooth, and it always seems to do more flying than you asked it to (in a good way). If you’re weary of throwing a gentle disc, perhaps try the Champ XG-Roc? That’s what I just got in the mail today. If I’m lucky, it’ll be the R-Pro Roc in performance, with the durability of Champ plastic. I’ll find out tomorrow… and the next day… and the next day… and the next day… and the next day… and the next day… but not the next day… but yes to the next day… and the next day… and the next day… but not the following day… maybe the next day… probably busy the next day… and the next day…
DG Squared 