Westside Discs BT Medium Harp

The Harp has been in my bag since very early on in my disc golf career, mainly because they always seemed to be available on the second-hand market and I am a cheapskate! I can see why some people don't get on with the Harp, because it is not an easy disc to put to flight; it is silly overstable and has that 90-degree square rim angle which takes getting used to. Most beginners looking for something like an overstable control approach disc will settle on the Zone, Berg or Pig, or maybe the Gator or A3. Even though I have always thought the premium plastic Jokeri was a "better" Harp than the Harp, the only reason I don't bag Jokeri is that the basic and premium plastics fly too differently to consider them useful partners in the bag.

In spite of the challenges, I stuck with the Harp because I felt there was magic in the mold waiting to be unlocked, and I was also intrigued by the dizzying range of plastic options available. A year later and perhaps 3000+ upshots into it, some of that magic has indeed been unlocked. I am going to make the bold prediction that Ricky it is going to set his game on fire with the Harp this year, and the Pig will be a forgotten animal.

For all its idiosyncracies, the Harp is absolutely reliable in almost any level of wind and is an essential disc in my bag. Once I learned its preferred release angles to control its hard-left death fade, it has become a sniper shot when attacking the basket, and takes away the risk of unintended glide past the target length.

Its legendary torque resistance can hold a max power flick with absolutely no fear of unintended turnover. If I take my most battered and beaten in Medium Harp, I can just about get a second and a half of high-speed turn on a max strenth 90m flat drive into a headwind, getting side-eye the whole time from the disc for forcing it do something it absolutely never wanted to do.

I will admit the Harp is a difficult weapon to master, but it pays off magnificently once you do. This review is for the BT Medium plastic because that is what I suggest you start off with. After a good year of regular use, it has reached that comfortable, grippy, chalky, puddled state which is perfect for straight finishing, flex-to-flat long approaches from 50m out, and C2 putts into headwinds. The chalky handfeel of BT Medium feels sure to the touch, even on wet and windy golf days.

I also use the VIP, Tournament, Hard and Soft plastic versions for the variety of flight styles and handfeel they offer, which gives me the feeling that the more I invest into the disc, more options will open up for me. I'll share my thoughts on those other plastics in their own reviews at some point down the line, especially when I get my hands on the new Ricky signature mold!