Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

I usually try out new discs I hear a lot of people talking about, and sometimes put a new one in my bag. Until this past week, my newest discs were a Wahoo, a Kitana, and a Nuke.

At the Spring Valley tournament, my eye caught one of the 2011 Worlds fund raiser discs. It was a Bolt by Latitude 64, the Swedish company. Hadn't heard of it. Rumor from Don was that it was like a slightly more stable Valkyrie. I bought one because it was so darn pretty to look at, with a golden red flecked character to the plastic. :)

Then I started throwing it this week. As usual, I have trouble throwing a new disc--like my body is saying, "I don't know how to throw this disc." I try to take the attitude, "It's just a disc, throw it," but that seldom works. Finally, as usual, I began getting some pretty good throws, and I became really impressed with this disc.

I've heard discs described as, "It goes where you throw it." That seems to fit the Bolt. In other words, if your accuracy is not so good, you might have problems with the disc. My accuracy is at the rec level, but still I was able to get some good throws, and on some courses, being that accurate on the drive is not all that important. :cool:

The disc seems to have a slight annie to it, but it is a gradual annie, and it holds the annie for quite a while. However, you can throw it level, and it will hold the level for a long time. You can also hyzer it, and it won't cut the hard hyzer route at the end of flight--it just kind of flies a consistent moderate hook.

It also tends to be able to scoot or slide along the ground a bit if you throw it into the ground at a shallow angle. :p

It kind of has a clunky heavy feel to it, but it's no heavier than most of my discs (it's a 172), and boy can it fly! :eek:

My most impressive shot (to me anyway) was on number 17 long tee at Moffitt tonight. I was about to tee off with my usual Side Winder shot, but then the head wind picked up. I set that back in my cart, and grabbed my Bolt. After having studied how it flew for my last three golf outings, I sensed that it would probably be good into the wind, though I hadn't tried that yet. (The disc had seemed to do what it wanted to do, and to heck with the wind conditions.) I launched it a little bit left of target into the wind, and it began a moderate anhyzer route to the right, but not overly so. It finally straightend out and hooked back to land almost pin high 8 feet to the right of the basket--my second best drive ever from that tee since it was put in 5 years ago. :rolleyes:

I also cracked a couple of trees with it, and there was no discernible damage to the disc. :D

I guess the thing that most impresses me about the disc is that it flies far, and annies or hyzers gradually. I can't wait to try it on that long downhill hole (#10 ?) at Shawshank.

I highly recommend the Bolt, and it's staying in my bag. Anybody else out there have some experiences with this disc they'd like to share? :stirthepot:

Re: Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

In case anybody is wondering, I contacted Latitude 64, and they say they will do a general release in a couple of months of the Bolt, but for right now it's available only as the 2011 Pro Worlds fundraiser. I think the key aspects about this disc are that it doesn't turn over quickly--it tends to hold the anhyzer, straight, or hyzer route you put on it for greater distance, and it seems to ignore the wind.

Re: Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

One more quick example of what the Bolt can do: With a bit of the usual head and crosswind from the port bow on hole #2 Sunday, I actually overthrew the hole by 30 feet from the regular tee. I never do that!

Re: Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

Good info, David....thanks!

Re: Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

just to expand a bit on Latitude 64 - I own a Blitz - and love it. It throws like nothing else - perfectly slotted between my most stable disc and my firebird, starfire , etc. into a slot i did not know existed. I look to add more of these to my bag in the future.

Re: Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

Threw it again tonight, but I was having trouble with all my long drives, so only threw one good drive with it where I parked it on #4 from the short tee. Then ended up shooting 5 down despite struggling all evening. Go figure. As with most discs, getting snap is a key ingredient. I'm of the opinion now that it's only moderately difficult to control, and most players from rec on up can probably handle it pretty good. It' the kind of disc where you expect a good throw instead of hoping it won't be too bad a throw. :eek::cool:

Re: Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

Man! It seems like every time I go out to play disc golf, I come back with more Bolt stories. Tonight at Nottingham, where I didn't seem to have my A game with me, I managed to throw 325 feet with a tail wind. Normally, a tail wind makes a disc start hyzering sooner, sapping the distance away. The Bolt, true to form, seems to just ignore the tail wind and still flies long. It goes where it wants to go--period. Of course, you can direct it where with your throw, but once it leaves your hand, it goes where it wants to pretty much regardless of the wind. :D

Last week in Moffitt league, I did something with the Bolt I've never managed with any disc before. From the long tee on #18, I put my Bolt straight up the slot and 20' past the hole. Made the putt for a rare long 18 tee Birdie. :)

Probably more Bolt stories coming soon. :rolleyes:

Re: Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

Oky doke. Been awhile since I posted a Bolt story. Here's my latest--actually kind of two stories:

I was playing the Birdshot tournament at Shawshank this weekend--the Black and Blue thing. Overall, I played fairly well considering the heat, but that's all beside the point. What did my Bolt do?

Well, the Bolt got me my only birdie of the day, on Number 3 hole, first round. I usually throw a Valkyrie on the hole, but this time I threw my Bolt. Not especially an awesome kind of shot, but I usually have trouble reaching the basket for some reason--maybe because it's slightly uphill. Anyway, I made about a 25 foot putt for a birdie.

Okay. I hear you. You want to hear an awesome Bolt story--not some run-of-the-mill birdie-braggin'. Okay, here goes. On downhill Number 17, I pulled out my Bolt. This was on the first round, and the basket was in the right location--guess it was around 512 feet. I'm usually about a 325 foot tops driver. The trick on Number 17 (and Number 10 as well), is actually throwing the disc downward, otherwise it hits the tree branches overhead. I got some nice snap on it, and the thing took off like a bat out of hell, with a slight anhyzer, heading to the right. Too much right I thought, because it plowed through a clump of light leaves and branches, and I lost sight of it. Had no idea what happened, except I figured it probably dropped shortly after that. I guy taking photographs nearby said it made it "past the berm". I wasn't sure what a "berm" was, but I figured it was probably a small foot tall levee that went across that part of the park weay on down there. I headed in that general direction, stepping off the feet. When I got part way there, I figured I must have messed up on my count, because surely I couldn't have thrown it that far. I estimated, based on its distance from the basket, that it went 440 feet--my third longest drive ever. The 90 foot putt glanced off the chains. If I'd made it, that would have been my longest deuce by a long shot.

Finished second in Rec. With my winnings, I bought a backup Bolt. This one is a 169--my first is a 172. I now own 1/500th of the production of the first issue of the Bolt.

Re: Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

I have a Bolt too and never flies the way David's does. I witnessed this shot yesterday and it really was as amazing as David claims. I'm going to start writing posts about my discs too, because I swear this thread has gone to David's Bolt's head.

Re: Latitude 64 Bolt: Wow!
 

Thanks, Chris, for bearing witness to my shot here, and I enjoyed playing two rounds with you at Shawshank. To be completely honest, I should mention I did throw the Bolt into the ground several times, and no disc flies far doing that.

I'm giving my Bolt a name. Only have one disc I gave a name to, and that's my "Li'l Sheeba" Cheetah. Actually, I call all my discs "Li'l Sheeba" when they go off course, and it makes my Cheetah jealous. But my Bolt will be named, "Lightning". Not too original, but appropriate.

By the way, here's a link to a music video that Melissa McGregor, Neal Dambra, Chad McManus, and myself made about the Masters tournament several months ago. Melissa took the photos, Neal wrote the lyrics, and Chad and I wrote the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F_WbnkQ6K8