You may or may not have heard the term "turnover" while playing with someone else or while watching tournament coverage.
Simply put,
A turnover shot is when a player utilizes a disc's Turn flight rating to allow the disc to flip to flat, and ultimately never fade to the left, meaning it finishes to the right for a right hand back hand (RHBH) throw.
Sometimes, a disc will turnover accidentally if it is very or too understable (whether rated or beat into understable), is released on too much anhyzer, or is overpowered.
But a turnover shot is when the disc is intentionally thrown to cause the disc to finish to the right.
For example: a right hand back hand (RHBH) throw would be expected to finish to the left down field in most instances.
When throwing a turnover shot however, that same RHBH throw when using an understable disc or an anhyzer release, or either, may finish to the right entirely or turn and fly to the right for great distance before eventually stabling up and finishing neutral.
When should I use a turnover shot in disc golf?
Disc golf courses have been popping up all over the world in significant numbers for the past decade and with that, course design is straying away from RHBH dominant play styles.
In turn, many courses are showing favorable holes for the lefties and right hand forehand players. Regardless of being a righty or lefty, the turnover is a powerful shot to have in your bag as it greatly increases your distance that forehands may "saw off" too short.
Generally, turnovers are mostly used for long shots that need to turn around a bend and gently fade out, further increasing distance.
You can also use them in situations where a forehand would provide too much fade to the right compared to the soft turn of a well executed turnover shot. On the flip side, sometimes throwing a forehand into a headwind will not fade as much as you need, a where a turnover shot can be used as the headwind will make it turn over even more.
Lastly, the slope of the terrain behind or near the basket can often dictate whether or not you should utilize the turnover shot. If the ground is flat, then my decision shouldn’t matter.
But if the ground is sloping high from left to right, I’m going to choose a turnover shot over a forehand to prevent a disc from rolling upon hitting the ground.
How to throw a turnover shot!
Simply put, to throw a turnover shot you’ll need to throw a stable to understable disc with a moderate amount of power on a flat to anhyzer release.
This holds true for both forehand and backhand turnover shots.
The exact amount of power needed and ideal release angle is going to vary from disc to disc based on its flight ratings, how beat in it is, and your throwing strength.
An understable disc may need to even have a slight amount of hyzer when thrown to turn over where a stable disc like the Buzzz may need to be flat or with a little anhyzer.
As you do field work and test your discs when practicing this shot, you’ll slowly learn which discs provide the perfect amount of controlled turn to suit your needs.
When trying to add anhyzer to a disc for a turnover shot, the easiest way to do this is going to be how you're stance is during release. Being taller verses leaning over is the simple answer and will naturally add more anhyzer angle to your disc.
Worrying about adjusting your wrist angle brings in more chances for error forcing anhyzers.
The combination of the right disc thrown from a tall to slight lean back with the upper body helps to maintain the best pull-through and power pocket hit over and over again to have your turnover shots be very consistent.
Other turnover shot to considerations!
Like most throws in disc golf, taking note of the wind and it's direction are key when deciding whether or not to throw a turnover shot.
Headwinds can significantly force discs to turnover. This can come at a cost of a good shot or can be utilized for maximum distance if you know how to use it.
Discs that are too understable for the speed of the headwind will fly extremely understable and often turnover too harsh, get pushed too far off your line, or even turn into a roller.
The right stable to overstable disc can be helped by headwinds to not only keep you on the fairway, but gain massive distance that otherwise would be more difficult for that disc in normal conditions.
Another thing to consider is the stability of your chosen disc for a turnover. If the disc is super beat in or highly understable, throwing on an anhyzer will likely burn over your shot.
A hyzer-flip or at least a flat throw out of the hand will benefit you more for controlling your turnover shot In these situations.
Our last piece of info for turnovers is that the faster you throw a disc, the more likely it is to turn.
A disc's speed rating plays into your decision making here. Using a slower disc with a high speed throw will also effectively make the disc fly more understable and turn.
Think about this when comparing the distance you need with the discs in your bag. A 200 foot turnover shot may not need your 11 speed driver, but probably a mid-range instead but thrown at full power.
You can throw turnovers with each type of disc: putter, mid-range, fairway, and distance drivers. These shots do require practice because certain discs work better than others depending on the terrain and obstacles.
Also, understable discs sacrifice control to gain that wanted distance.
Really understanding when your disc wants to turn in it's flight will greatly improve your expected landing area or prevent your from possibly hitting those trees early that you're trying to swing around.
Which discs are best for turnovers?
Most amateurs (non-professional) will enjoy using understable discs for turnovers using their greater turn ratings to achieve those longer distances.
With understable discs, you can often throw them flat and/or on anhyzer to get them to turn over fairly easily.
Overstable discs can also be used for turnovers but are also called "flex shots" where the disc is thrown on a significant anhyzer and then the Fade rating forces the disc back over to it's finishing side quicker.
These are often used for getting around closer obstacles that have the basket sitting close by on the other side.
Stable and even slightly overstable discs can also be used, but often need to be thrown with more power or on more of an anhyzer angle to get them to turn over.
Luckily, we have broken down the best understable discs in other articles!
CLICK HERE for the best understable putters
CLICK HERE for the best understable mid-ranges, and
CLICK HERE for the best understable drivers.
Once you get your discs, it's time to go practice your turnover shot and then implement it the next time you're out on the course, good luck!
Shop all of the top understable putters and mid-ranges at Infinite Discs by clicking on the banner below!
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