New Year, New Gear: Elite Players Thrive with Switch to Different Disc Brands

The opening round of the Disc Golf Pro Tour – Las Vegas Challenge presented by Innova has set the tone for an exciting competition at the PDGA Elite Series' first stop of 2022. With three top players making significant moves in sponsorship this offseason, it's clear that adapting to new discs is not as daunting a task as one might think.

Catrina Allen, tied with Paige Pierce for the lead after Thursday's round, credits her early success to hours of field work with her new sponsor, DGA. "I just loved learning the new discs and realized that DGA has a lot more molds than I realized 12 years ago," she said. Allen's dedication to her craft is evident in her performance on the course, where she finished bogey-free with an eagle on the third hole.

Chris Dickerson, leading the tournament by one stroke after a bogey-free 11-under opening round, echoed Allen's sentiment about the importance of practice. "I was excited to get out there and throw these new discs," he said when asked if his new Discraft bag had any bearing on his performance. For Dickerson, it was more of an excitement than nerves that drove him during his first Elite Series competition with the new bag.

Ricky Wysocki, who won two PDGA World Championships as a Latitude 64 player in 2016 and 2017, has also made a significant switch this offseason, signing with Dynamic Discs. Despite some added pressure from his new contract, Wysocki is confident that he will thrive with the Trilogy plastic lineup. "I think I play better in adverse conditions," he said, noting that the Trilogy discs have more glide, which adds distance to his drives.

When asked about implementing new discs into their game, Dickerson shared some insightful thoughts on how certain discs fit different players' styles of play. "For example, I am a player that tends to be more anhyzer release, where some players are more of a hyzer release," he said. This suggests that having the right equipment can make all the difference in performance.

As the competition heats up at the Las Vegas Challenge, it's clear that the top players have done their homework and are ready for whatever challenges come their way. With live coverage beginning on Friday morning, fans can tune in to see how these elite athletes navigate the course with their new gear.

Round Two is set to begin on Saturday, with Paige Pierce and Catrina Allen leading the FPO field by two strokes after 8-under opening rounds at Wildhorse. The Innova course will add a little more scoring separation for the MPO players, with Chris Dickerson taking a one-stroke lead over Eagle McMahon and Gannon Buhr.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/new-discs-no-problem-leaders-vegas