Hey folks,
Again, another off the beaten path topic, but when I get a question in my head, I like to explore it from all angles and appreciate input from those who may have more experience than me.
As I have grown a bit older, and spend entirely too much time behind the desk, I have found that gravity and fast food were taking their toll on me. Yep, I needed to get off my backside and get out and get some exercise. A buddy of mine turned me on to disc golf about 3 years ago, and now I make it a point to get out and play 3 or 4 rounds of disc golf per week. Walking up and down the hills, throwing the discs and carrying my golf bag have helped me get back into shape.
While playing, we often converse about the design theory behind the plastic projectiles we hurl and chase over and over again. As such, my mind starts whirring and buzzing and working overtime trying to understand the dynamics as to how different styles and shapes of discs react to different atmospheric conditions. So, to this end, let's discuss.
A bit of info on a typical disc golf driver:
Diameter: between 8-1/4" - 8-1/2"
Weight: 145-175 grams (ain't it great how I mix standard and metric measurements?)
Thickness: between 1/2" and 3/4"
Typical disc speed: 45-60 mph
Rotation: between 50-300 rpm
discs2.jpg
Will a disc with more of a domed shape have more lift than a disc with a flatter top?
How will different air conditions affect the lift of the disc?
What affect will the thickness of the outer ring of the disc have on the flight of the disc?
When thrown, some discs have a tendency to turn over, rather than remain flat during flight. What causes this?
If you all could help me get my head around some of these things, we can discuss more later.
(I finally won my first tournament 3 weeks ago)
Ron
It'd be a rough round in heavy wind...!
You left out... into the wind vs. with the wind... in your wind query. Cross wind... best we don't talk about cross wind as I'm sure that's every frizbee golfers nightmare... And how about the frizbees with the center cut out to make a ring? They fly as well and are a lot lighter but will they necessarily fly as far? (Same diameters I'd say not...) I always felt that getting more spin on them kept them flying flatter? Gyro thing maybe?
Gonna test some of this theory later today for the first time this year. Buddy's up visiting and a few of us are gonna chase golf balls around. I'm hoping to test the theory of a perfectly struck ball flying straight and long.
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