Stand and deliver. Wasn’t that a movie? Pretty sure it was. It’s also how you go to the bathroom in foreign countries- walk into the public restrooms and you’ll find a hole in the ground… stand and deliver. Yep. …it also refers to how a lot of players throw their drives in winter disc golf.
In the three years I’ve played disc golf, I’ve only played a half dozen rounds of winter/snow disc golf. This will change this winter, as I plan on playing any weekend I’m kicking around. I’ve selected my bright colored discs, and even considered upgrading the boots-situation. In any case, the opportunity to play disc golf in the snow gives us a chance to get back to basics on our disc golf form, because it seldom allows you to take a full run up. There is so much ice and snow, that your footwork is boiled down to a “stand and deliver” technique. While it takes a lot of power away, and in turn- distance; it also forces you to think about the rest of your delivery.
How are your mechanics? There are about a hundred ways to tweak your arm, wrist, and grip- and this is the perfect chance to do it. Does your grip allow you to really pinch (with control and timing) and make the disc snap? Does your wrist angle get the disc into the best position for flying straight and level? It goes on and on…
My personal favorite benefit in the ‘gear change’ of winter/snow disc golf is the literal ‘gear change.’ In the spring and summer, I carry one or two discs that are officially “understable.” However, in the winter- with the stand and deliver technique, some discs that used to behave understable, will now act closer to stable. This is only because of arm speed and power, so the actual stability of the disc hasn’t changed (actually the cold weather does effect flight, but not so drastically that it will make a flippy disc stable)- it goes back to technique. I can now go 50/50 on my under to over-stable driver mix in my bag. Making a disc turn right, and then fade left, has always given me a little bit more satisfaction than a simple hyzer, or a straight shot. It’s more beautiful. Like the sunset over the ocean, with a flower, and a babbling brook. And don’t forget some music- a string quartet. And a glass of wine… basically it’s a date. With a disc. Which is flying in an “S” pattern… “S” is for “SUPER” I think…
DG Squared 