Westside Longbowman

The Westside Longbowman is a 9-speed overstable fairway driver. With published flight numbers of 9 / 4 / 0 / 3, it is most often described as suited for headwind fairway drives, spike hyzers.

Overview

The Longbowman is Westside's overstable fairway driver, rated 9 / 4 / 0 / 3.^[1] Westside describes it as a small-rimmed disc that releases easily for a range of arm speeds, which is unusual framing for a driver carrying three points of fade.^[1] The PDGA approved it on February 25, 2016 under certification 16-19, filed under the name "Longbowman (Jousimies1)", jousimies being the Finnish word for an archer.^[2] The record lists it at 21.3cm across and 1.6cm tall, with a 1.1cm rim depth, a 1.8cm rim and a 176.8 gram cap.^[1][2]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers describe the published behavior of the disc when thrown at its design speed. Real-world flight varies with plastic, weight, age, and thrower power. The community-averaged numbers above reflect crowd-sourced observations from real throws — typically slightly more understable than the manufacturer's published values, which is the most consistent pattern across nearly every commercial mold.

Recommended uses

The Longbowman is a wind and utility fairway driver. With 0 turn and 3 fade it resists turning over at full power, which makes it a headwind driver, a spike hyzer disc, and a forehand option for players who want a controlled skip at the end. The 1.6cm height and narrow rim keep the profile low, so it holds a hyzer line rather than flipping up out of it. It is not a beginner disc. Below moderate arm speed it will fade out early rather than travel, and a Stag or Hatchet will cover the same distance more easily.^[3]

Best for:

• Headwind fairway drives
• Spike hyzers
• Forehand approaches with a controlled skip
• Hyzer lines that must not flip up

Plastics & variants

The Longbowman is available in the following plastic blends from Westside:^[1]

VIP, Tournament, VIP-Ice

Plastic blend significantly affects flight character. Premium plastics like Champion, Z, or C-Line generally fly more overstable when fresh and hold their stability over time. Base plastics like DX, Pro, or Active beat in faster and become more understable workhorses with use.

History

Westside Discs is a Finnish brand whose molds carry medieval and Norse names, and the Longbowman follows the pattern in both languages: the PDGA filing preserves the Finnish name Jousimies alongside the English one.^[2] The disc was approved on February 25, 2016 under certification 16-19.^[2] It joined a fairway-driver range that already included the Northman and the Stag, taking the overstable end of the lineup, where it now sits alongside the Ahti and the Fortress.^[3] Westside sells it in Tournament plastic, an advanced version of VIP containing technical polymers that the company compares directly to Latitude 64's Gold Line, as well as in VIP and VIP-Ice.^[1] Stock weights are sold in 165 to 169, 170 to 172 and 173-plus gram bands.^[1] No individual designer is publicly credited for the mold.

Notable throwers

Currently no information

How it compares

How the Longbowman lines up against the discs players most often weigh it against, using each manufacturer's published flight numbers.

References & further reading

• How to read disc golf flight numbers — Discpedia primer
• PDGA Approved Disc List — search for "Longbowman" to find the Westside Longbowman entry (PDGA-approved 2016)
• Westside official site — manufacturer product page

Sources

Content on this page has been cross-checked against the following sources. Numbered citations in the prose above link to the matching entry here.

1. Tournament Longbowman — Westside Discs
2. Longbowman (Jousimies1) from Westside Golf Discs — PDGA
3. Fairway Drivers — Westside Discs
4. Westside Longbowman — Infinite Discs

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