Westside Discs Top 5 Finnish Mythology Discs
A sad day for me when Westside Discs announced they sold their company to Latitude 64 and Dynamic Discs for a 50/50 split. While the new company stated the discs will still be produced and sold, I knew inside no new production of models would be formed.
They did actually release three new discs in 2018 which might mean they aren't going to stop gaining more discs in their collection. They released two putters, the Anvil and Maiden both being more of an approach shot type. The other was a Distance Driver with lets face it an amazing name, the War Horse. It's an overstable driver with no turn and a fade rating of 4.
They do have a team with three notable players, Coda Hatfield, Kyle Webster and Larry Gardner. All three have shined from one point in their Disc Golf lifetime, but never seemed to get on top of the hill. Coda and Larry both live out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Not sure if there is a connection with Westside Discs from there or if they just wanted two great members playing out of the same backyard.
Westside Discs had an interesting take on Disc Golf and didn't want to steer far away from the roots of Finland. They took history of their great country and transfused it into their discs. I know for me in 6th grade we learned about Greek mythology, but I'm expecting in Finland, they learned about Finnish Mythology. Here is our Top 5 Westside Discs and some background to their origin.
5. Westside Discs Ahti
Suprising a disc with gusto only hitting #5 on the Westside Discs list has a great story. The Fairway Driver or as they call it....a Control Driver reminds me of an Innova Valkyrie. I dislike the way some companies call them Control Drivers and other Fairway Drivers. Obviously it's all marketing, but come on I'm going to call it how it is. If you're not trying to get max distance and want a shorter shot, you play the Fairway Driver, not a Distance Driver.
Ahti is considered a Sea God who was a warrior searching for conflict. At a young adult he abandoned his wife and child to search for a fight. Man this sounds like my life! He met up with his friend while they went on quests to fight in the sea. He was a warrior just like everyone on the Disc Golf Course after playing the water hole and diving in to get their disc back. The Ahti is considered the king of the islands.
While Westside never really got there plastic and Models going much before selling the company, this disc is only manufactured in VIP and Tournament plastic. While they both have strengths, I can only choose one for my preferred. A competitor in me, I need to know when I'm getting challenged I can go to war with my best disc.
Preferred plastic: Tournament
4. Westside Discs Queen
Grace and power is what a Queen shows. Westside Discs surely took their time and identified the discs they were making and placed correct names opposed to random ones. The Westside Discs Queen is almost identical to the King with the exception of the Queen is slightly smaller. Just in real life where males normally are taller and larger than females.
This Distance Driver gives a -3 Turn and pulls back with a fade of 2. It's great for players that can't handle the King, but still wants to sit on the throne. Men, don't feel bad if the Queen flies better than the King for you. (This is surely the case for me) As for the Finnish Mythology, I was sadly disappointed as I can't find much at all on the internet about a Queen. Westside Discs does give a super short description of how to say Queen in Finnish lol... "Queen in Finnish language is Pohjolan Emäntä."
Another disc who is segregated to only two plastic types. Once again, when I'm using a Driver I tend to want more grip than others. Most like to have the grippier discs for the approach shots and mid-range. I however tend to want this for my drives. I really wish they made more discs in their Origio plastic, but that would just start a rant on my liking of Westside Discs.
Preferred plastic: Tournament
3. Westside Discs Crown
Well it's not the King, but important memorabilia he wears! Speaking of Origio...if you can find it... they manufacturer it! This article is steering away from the Mythology and more to my favorite discs Westside Discs offers. Once again the internet really has nothing to say about Finnish Mythology about the crown, but we can surmise they like Medieval times as well considering some of the other disc names. Catapult and Sling are two that immediately come to my mind.
The Westside Discs Crown is a Putter / Approach disc which has found it's way to multiple Disc Golf professionals. A disc which somehow never gets a lot of publicity can easily pull it's weight on the course. It's a beaded putter that basically goes straight with a very very very slight taper at end of flight.
Due to it's popularity and just being an amazing disc, it's made in BT, Origio and VIP. Most, if not all putters are rarely made in VIP or Tournament plastic. The same goes for Innova discs. Innova very rarely makes putters in plastic other than DX and Pro. Champion is the closest equivalent to VIP. I'm not saying they don't make them, I'm just saying it's rare and for good reason. Putters are meant to grip the chains and well ever pickup a VIP plastic? It's very slippery!
Preferred plastic: Origio
2. Westside Discs Bard
A disc that keeps growing in popularity and has got on the Marvel train with stamps. It's a Mid-Range disc that is straight at start, but tapers off gently at end of flight. The Westside Discs Bard is in the bag of almost every Westside Discs team member to this day.
Väinämöinen is actually the real name for Bard, but let's make it easy to say right?! He's the main character who is an old wise man who has possessed a potent magical voice. He is to have lived in the ninth century who is an influential shaman. He was just a lonely man searching for a wife, but turned hostile later when he fought with Pohjola. It became dark and he stole a magical artifact named Sampo. (Sound familiar?)
Bard is produced in 3 different plastics: Tournament, VIP and Origio. This being a Mid-Range and myself wanting to really rip into the disc, it's a no-brainer which I choose!
Preferred plastic: VIP
Were you really surprisedthis one came in #1 for the Westside Discs Top 5? Every player in existence who plays a professional style gameplay will have a Harp in there bag. The disc is very flat on the top and is one of the most stable discs you can find for a Putter. Let's not call it a Putter as I consider it more of a Mid-Range / Approach disc.
The disc is surely for an intermediate/expert level Disc Golf player as beginners will struggle with the flatness on the disc. It makes controlling the Harp a little hard, but if you can....well the advantage is you. The Harp in Finnish Mythology is a two or three stringed bowed jouhikko from Finland. It's not our fancy harps we think of in modern days and television.
As the most popular disc in the Westside Discs landscape, they made this disc in every plastic imaginable. Why not right? Especially since people bought them in every plastic since some considered it a putter as others considered it as far as a Fairway Driver. I for one think of it as a Mid-Range earlier speaking.
Preferred plastic: Tournament
