Author: Ted Hegemann

Ted is the Chief Writer at Infinite Discs. He is responsible for the State of Disc Golf Survey articles and most of the "best discs" posts. Ted runs all kinds of local disc golf leagues and tournaments and tournaments in Northern Utah.

Introducing Birdie Disc Golf Supply

8 comments

Infinite Discs started a blog series focusing on some of the smaller brands that we carry. That series continues this week with a look at a Delaware brand, Birdie Disc Golf Supply.

New Castle, Delaware, is located on the banks of the Delaware River, across from New Jersey. It was settled hundreds of years ago. It is home to the first dike made in the United State, the New Castle Presbyterian Church, which was built in 1707, and New Castle is home to Birdie Disc Golf Supply.

Retail to Brand

Birdie was started in 2018 by Derek Fell. It started as a retail disc golf store. After a few years, Birdie became a brand with the release of their first mold, the Marvel. The Marvel was PDGA approved in December, 2021. It is a beadless putter with a fairly straight flight. Since its introduction to the disc golf world, over 100,000 Marvels have been sold.

Following the Marvel, Birdie released their first fairway driver, the Strike. It is a speed seven driver with a good amount of glide and a solid fade. Birdie likes to pick names that are strong and exciting to the disc golf community.

As for plastic types, Birdie fans have quite a few choices. Their Putter Blends include Base, Stiff, AG, Soft, and Glow. Their Premium Blends are Premium, Premium Swirly, Color Glow, and Glow. The most popular of these is the Base Blend.

Sponsored Pros

Despite being a new brand, there are quite a few top pros that have been sponsored by Birdie. Ricky Wysocki and Casey White have been sponsored by them. Currently, Scott Stokely, Alex Geisinger, and Dylan Cease.

 

 

The Future…

What does the future hold for Birdie Disc Golf Supply? Keep an eye out for several new molds and plastics coming out this year. Their new overstable midrange, the Ultra, will be out in Color Glow plastic in a few months. The Strike will also be released in that plastic.

This summer, the Weapon will be released. It is an overstable control driver. Later in the year a new driver will be available.

Derek is optimistic about the future of Birdie. They are a family owned business which focusses on customer relations and service, and all of their molds are made in the USA. They have plans to keep growing their brand to include a complete lineup of discs.

As for the sport of disc golf, Derek says it will get, “bigger and better every day!”

Check out Birdie Disc Golf Supply HERE

Check out Infinite’s available Birdie Discs HERE

Comment And Win A Birdie Disc

Comment below about Birdie Disc Golf Supply and you might win one! Let us know which ones you’ve tried, and what you thought about them! Let us know which ones you would like to throw! We’ll pick three random commenters and send them a new Birdie disc.

Introducing Terminal Velocity Discs

21 comments

.

Infinite Discs started a blog series focusing on some of the smaller brands that we carry. That series continues this week with a look at a Texas brand, Terminal Velocity Discs.

About 25 miles from Dallas lies the city of Rockwall, Texas. The city gets its name from some naturally occurring formations that resemble a wall. Harry Myers disc golf course is located in Rockwall. The Nick Hyde Memorial pro/am tournament is held there every year. And Rockwall is home to Terminal Velocity Discs.

 

Terminal Velocity owner Zach Windell

When did your company begin, and who started it?

 

Terminal Velocity Discs started retailing for other companies in August 2020 and started making their own molds in January 2022. The store was started as a creative outlet for owner Zach Windell, who works full time but loves disc golf and was looking for a way to get more involved in the sport.

Can you give a brief history of your company?

 

As mentioned above, we started as a retailer for other companies in August 2020, at first just selling a couple brands and doing custom designs on discs when we could. Infinite has been crucial to our growth as a company from the start. Before starting Terminal Velocity, Zach bagged mostly infinite molds, so he wanted to have his favorite discs with Terminal Velocity designs. We still retail for other companies but we always dreamed of creating our own molds and designs. In the summer of 2021, we started reaching out looking for manufacturers to make Terminal Velocity molds. We tested several plastics, but fell in love with some of the plastic and molds Legacy Discs offers. We have been steadily building our company, with a busy 2023 planned with our new mold, the Cervini, coming out in the spring of 2023 and another run of Special Blend Ursus also in spring 2023.

 

 

Where is your headquarters located?

 

Our headquarters is in Rockwall, Texas (about 30 minutes East of Dallas).

 

What were your first couple of molds?

 

Our first mold is the Ursus (“bear” genus, 5/4/0/4) and we have released it in three plastics currently, and are working on a fourth (Quartz). The Ursus is a disc I quickly fell in love with as a player. I have always struggled with my forehand and this disc loves to be flicked and has really helped my game having a midrange I can forehand. Our second mold is the Cervini (“deer/elk” genus, 10/6/-4/1 in the Mica plastic). We are releasing this one in the next month or so and really looking forward to getting into players hands. Legacy did an amazing job with this disc. The Mica plastic is grippy, pearly, and loves to glide. Some of the initial Cervini I tested were a tad more stable (10/5/-2/1) so we are looking forward to releasing the Cervinin in our Quartz plastic this summer.

 

How did you choose the names for your molds?

 

I have always loved science. Our name, Terminal Velocity is a physics term that I thought meant something to disc golf. Terminal Velocity is the max speed an object can go (as in a throw) but also to me it means pushing limitations and achieving the most you can. And that’s what we’re trying to do at Terminal Velocity, with our limited resources, push as hard as we can to be the best disc company we can be.

Which is your most popular mold?

 

Our most popular mold is currently the Ursus by default, because it is the only disc released to the public but the Ursus may always be Terminal Velocity’s most popular mold. It is just a great disc that is unique and can be used in so many ways, I bag 3 Ursus right now (Glass, Granite and Calcite Glow).

 

What plastics do you offer, and what is your most popular plastic?

 

The plastics we currently have are the Glass, the Calcite, and the Granite. The Glass is a C-Blend type of plastic that uses an Italian blend of plastic and is a tad gummy and very grippy. The Calcite is our premium glow plastic. It is more grippy than Glass and beats in great. Our Granite plastic is a putter blend that we released the Ursus in last spring. It is a very unique disc in that plastic. The Ursus feels great in the hand, and in Granite has a straighter midrange flight. We are planning on releasing two new plastics this year, both with metal flake in them. We will have the Mica Cervini out soon, a metal flake S-Blend plastic, and the Quartz in a metal flake glass blend.

 

Can you tell us about some upcoming releases?

 

The Mica Cervini should be out by the end of the month (Feb 2023) and we are working on a Signature run of Quartz Ursus that will be released around March 2023. We also plan on doing a Quartz run of Cervini in the summer 2023 and hopefully one more new mold by the end of the year.

Who are some pros or other players that you sponsor?

 

We currently have a small team of about 30 players, most of which I have had a direct relationship with over the years. I wanted to keep the team as small as possible at first, so I have a real opportunity to help the players on the team. We are working on several collaborations with open bag touring pros. One pro that I can mention is Eric Oakley. Eric has been a huge supporter, he has been throwing the Glass Ursus for almost a year now and we are looking forward to dropping a signature EOursus this spring.

 

What does the future look like for you? 

 

We are excited to keep growing. We are gaining a lot of momentum going into 2023, and we think this will be a huge year for us with multiple releases and hopefully a couple new fans. Another aspect we are trying to grow in is running more tournaments in the Dallas area, and go from there. The Dallas disc golf scene is growing so fast. It’s been fun to see the exponential growth in talent the last couple years and we want to help feed that growth.

 

What will disc golf look like in the future?

 

It’s hard to say what disc golf in general will look like in the near future, let alone long term future. Obviously as a smaller disc golf company, we are just happy to go along with the ride, trying to take a piece of the pie and enjoy the sports growth.

 

What is something unique about your company?

 

I think Terminal Velocity is a very unique company. We try to do everything as genuinely as possible to express our creativity in every aspect of the sport. For instance, the plastic names and hard to pronounce discs named after Latin Genera. I knew it was a risk, but it’s something that I like and all I can hope is that some other people out there like it too. The deeper you dive into some of our designs and names the more you will learn. For example, all our plastics are named after minerals/rocks that represent the plastic they’re named after. Like our Calcite Glow plastic. Calcite is a mineral that is fluorescent, and naturally glows. We’re kind of the Snapple lid facts of disc golf.

Check out Terminal Velocity website HERE.

Check out Infinite’s Terminal Velocity discs HERE.

Comment about Terminal Velocity Discs

 

We would love to hear about your experiences with Terminal Velocity. Which discs have you tried? Which ones would you like to throw? Let us know!

 

Erika Stinchcomb Ask Me Anything

Leave a comment

On January 19, 2023, Infinite Discs hosted new team member Erika Stinchcomb (Emstinchcomb7) on our Discord server where she answered your questions. Here is a transcript of most of the questions:

 

 

zin the zinny:  Do you play disc golf valley? What video games do you play?

Emstinchcomb7:  Yes disc golf valley! Getting an Erika Sword on there was a dream come true. I only have a Switch, so Mario Kart and Fortnight mostly. I’ve been playing ghosts of Tsushima on my friend’s ps4, it’s amazing

Rivalmejr: Hi Erika! Welcome to discord. For my question, how are you liking your new sponsors? Will we see more of you on tour this year?

Emstinchcomb7:  I like my sponsors a lot! I’ll be doing a similar amount of tournaments as last year (20ish dgpt), but I think my new sponsors will help promote me more

Semomu: Have you settled on any discs to replace the mainstays of your own bag? Found anything new you’re enjoying that you had nothing like that before?

Emstinchcomb7:  New stamp and my original drawing hahahaha

Lord_Mortivore:  Hello erika! Have you joined the #tombgang yet?

Emstinchcomb7:  I’ve thrown a tomb, I like the stability but I’m not sure I am into the bead. I’ll keep trying it!!!

RSP: Can we get an (Erika Stinchcomb) Aztec?

Emstinchcomb7  I’ve only thrown an Aztec a few times! I am not sure what to do for my tour series

Beef Lips:  Erika! favorite new mold??

Emstinchcomb7 Big question! Peach and Wild Honey for Clash, Praxis and Mana for TSA, Maya and Cohort for Infinite. It’s early

Myle:  You were know from your sword. sword staying bag or something else like emperor?

Emstinchcomb7:  Sword staying for now, it’s a great discs and my hybrids are my babies, I just have a lot of trust. I haven’t found a replacement immediately but I want it to happen naturally. Also being open bag means I don’t have to switch!!!

Rivalmejr:  In what ways can we support you this year? (Drop plugs!)

Emstinchcomb7:  Skybreed discs has all my trilogy stuff, so buy AmErika Swords and Tursases and whatever else!!! Later I’ll have stuff on Infinite as well!!!! I’ll be vending with Eric and James at every DGPT event too

 

N8rtot73: why are your Tour of Amerika and Hot Goose stamps so fire always? more of a compliment but still lol

Emstinchcomb7: My guy Levi Whitpan is a genius! He takes what’s in my brain and makes the best art!

N8rtot73:  do you have a favorite dish or something you consider your signature dish you make when you are either touring or home for the offseason?

Emstinchcomb7: I make a turkey chili type thing, a jambalaya-ish thing, a lot of stir fry, poke bowls, spam musabi, pearl cous cous with veggies, Italian sausage/kale/mushroom/potato soup

 

N8rtot73: have you come across any that have surprised you? maybe you were not super sure you would like or something that gave you that “whoa…” moment?

Emstinchcomb7: Kon Tiki is the weirdest shallowest disc… but I think I like it

Lord_Mortivore:  You should try a Cataclysm from Doomsday Discs.

Emstinchcomb7: I’ve got a few Doomsday to try! The Landmine looks crazy hahaha

SuperBone:  Not really a question but I think we need a GOOSE Berry from Clash!

Emstinchcomb7: OMG

Zack P:  Have you tried out any DGA discs?

Emstinchcomb7: Not yet, but doing commentary for Catrina makes me want to try a Sail and a Bonzai for starters

Deuce2223: How does the Wild Honey and Maya compare. I am still looking for a US Control driver. I have a C Blend Maya but just ordered 2 Wild Honey

Emstinchcomb7:  Wild Honey is just as flippy as a Maya but with a bit more finish. The Maya has effortless drift for me, but not much fade. They fulfill different roles I think, Maya is more touchy/woods, big turn overs, Wild Honey is big distance on open shots (without wind haha)

Rivalmejr:  Will you be featured on more videos this year? I’d love to see more of you on tour be it in competition or in videos with say Tina and Eric

Emstinchcomb7: Yes! Lots of stuff with Eric and James I think, working with Connor for Infinite and Bobby for Clash

HeroesNeverQuit: Who are your top two players to have on your card when playing?

 Emstinchcomb7:  Ohn scoggins #1 all the time. I love playing with Missy for her positivity, and Callie so I can talk smack

Baja:  favorite chip ?

Emstinchcomb7: Oh man. Ummmm do Flaming Hot Cheetos count? It’s my favorite road snack because it’s a whole activity: eat, pant, repeat, try to clean fingers, eat more

 

Thanks everyone! I think got most people! I’ll come back! Erika

 

Best Disc Golf Putters for 2023

20 comments

We’re going to wrap up this blog series where we look at the best disc golf discs according to sales at Infinite Discs. We looked at the best distance drivers, the best fairway drivers, and the best midrange discs. Today we check out the top 50 putters.

Putters are the type of disc that we use on nearly every hole we play. They can be used as drivers or approach shots. And they are used almost exclusively inside the circle to finish a hole. Some putters are used just for drives and approaches, while others are used for both driving and short putts. Their rim profile is larger than other types of discs, and they can have beads or be beadless.

Let’s look at the top selling putters from 2022 to see which ones you might want to check out for 2023.

Top 50 Best Putt & Approach Discs

Best Selling Disc Golf Putters of 2022 Chart with percentages

Best Selling Putt and Approach Discs

  1. Infinite Discs Alpaca
  2. Infinite Discs Tomb
  3. Discraft Zone
  4. Axiom Envy
  5. Kastaplast Berg
  6. Discmania P2
  7. Gateway Wizard
  8. Innova Aviar
  9. Discraft Luna
  10. Dynamic Discs Judge

Two straight-flying Infinite molds top the list of best-selling putters. The beaded Tomb and the beadless Alpaca have been popular since they were released. These two molds, along with the third-place Zone, make up 20% of all putter sales at Infinite. The Zone is the most overstable of the top three, and is widely used as an approach disc and throwing putter.

Best Putters Monthly Trends Chart

It’s fun to watch the trends of putter popularity. By following the monthly living chart you can see when the best putters were newly released or were simply restocked as they climb up the sales chart in popularity.

 

 

 

 

 

Hot New Putt and Approach Discs to Watch

Several molds that made the top 50 were PDGA approved just last year. Those include the Thought Space Athletics Temple, MVP’s Glitch, and the Doomsday Discs Land Mine. The MVP Glitch’s position on the top charts is especially impressive considering it was released near the end of 2022. We’ll have to see if those molds move up the rankings with a full year of sales.

 

Top Putters Sorted By Brand

Best Disc Golf Putters by Brand

Despite Infinite Discs having the top two spots, Innova was the brand with the most molds in the top 50. Their popular Aviar family (Aviar, KC Aviar, Aviarx3, and Aviar Yeti) accounted for almost half of their top 50 molds. MVP and Discraft tied for second with five molds each. There were a total of 20 different brands in the top 50, and a whopping nine manufacturers that had one mold on the list. Those molds include the Divergent Discs Golem and Viking Discs Rune.

Best Putter Brands Sorted by Percentage of Sales

Percentage of putters sold by disc golf brand chart

When it comes to market share, Infinite Discs dominates the putter category, selling almost 6% more than the next brand. The top three brands account for almost one out of every three discs sold! Half of the brands on the list sold less than 2% of the total putter sales.

Top Throwing/Approach Putters

Although any putter could be used for short putts, there are many discs that are usually only used as throwing/driving/approach discs. These are usually overstable molds that can handle a solid drive. Here are the top ten best throwing putters according to 2022 sales data.

Best Approach Discs and Throwing Putters

Top 10 Approach Discs/Throwing Putters

  1. Discraft Zone
  2. Axiom Envy
  3. Kastaplast Berg
  4. Gateway Wizard
  5. Discraft Luna
  6. MVP Glitch
  7. Westside Harp
  8. Thought Space Athletics Muse
  9. EV-7 Penrose
  10. Lone Star Discs Penny Putter

The Zone is the popular throwing/approach disc that regularly does well in the sales rankings. It can handle a lot of power, and still finishes reliably. It is similar in flight characteristics to the Innova Pig, which was recently reclassified as a midrange.

A couple ticks behind the Zone is the disc that got a huge boost from James Conrad at Worlds, the Axiom Envy. Not quite as overstable as the Zone, the Envy is still a great approach disc that can be thrown by people of all skill levels.

Putter PDGA Approval Dates

Mold Approval Date Rank
Gateway Wizard 9-Jan-02 4
Discraft Zone 28-May-08 1
Westside Harp 28-Oct-13 7
Axiom Envy 12-Jan-14 2
Kastaplast Berg 27-Mar-15 3
Discraft Luna 28-Dec-18 5
Lone Star Disc Penny Putter 29-Sep-20 10
EV-7 Penrose 21-Nov-20 9
Thought Space Athletics Muse 27-Sep-21 8
MVP Glitch 27-Jun-22 6

Checking out the PDGA approval dates and comparing them to their mold rating, we see that the oldest two molds, the Wizard and the Zone, finished at or near the top of the overstable/approach discs. Two newer discs, the Muse and the MVP Glitch, were approved in the last couple years, but still made the chart.

Putting Putters

Best 10 Putting putters and their percentage of sales.

Top 10 Putting Putters

  1. Infinite Discs Alpaca
  2. Infinite Discs Tomb
  3. Innova Aviar
  4. Dynamic Discs Judge
  5. Axiom Proxy
  6. Prodigy PA-3
  7. MVP Nomad
  8. Streamline Pilot
  9. Dynamic Discs EMac Judge
  10. Dynamic Discs Warden

It is interesting to see that the top ten molds represents seven different brands. As mentioned above, Infinite’s two best selling putters make up a bulk of the sales, followed by the Aviar and Judge. After that, the numbers level out.

PDGA Approval Dates

Mold Approval Date Rank
Innova Aviar 1-Jan-84 3
Dynamic Discs Judge 7-Dec-12 4
Dynamic Discs Warden 14-Oct-13 10
Prodigy PA-3 25-Mar-14 6
Axiom Proxy 24-Sep-14 5
Streamline Pilot 22-Feb-17 8
Infinite Discs Tomb 29-Mar-18 2
Infinite Discs Alpaca 16-Nov-20 1
Dynamic Discs EMac Judge 5-Jan-21 9
MVP Nomad 22-Mar-21 7

The mold that has been around longer than many of the disc golfers throwing it, is the Innova Aviar. Approaching its fortieth birthday, the Aviar has been used by disc golfers of all skill levels. The Aviar got a podium finish behind the two Infinite molds. The MVP Nomad and the EMac Judge are the newest molds. They’ve only had a couple years to gain some traction in the disc golf world.

Highest Rated Disc Golf Putters

Our new website features highest rated pages that can show you exactly what the highest rated discs are based on reviewer ratings. Check out this link to see the top 20 highest rated disc golf putters.

What does Professional Disc Golfer Think of the Best Disc Golf Putters of the Year?

In this video, touring professional disc golfer Erika Stinchcomb tries out each of the top putters and lets us know which ones she likes best.

What are the Best Disc Golf Putters for You?

What will be the best putter of 2023? Will it be an existing mold, or a new one?

What are your favorite throwing molds? What is your go-to putting and throwing putters? Are there putters on our list that you consider approach discs or approach discs that you putt with? What putters do you think will be the best selling in 2023?

Best Disc Golf Distance Drivers for 2023

42 comments

In a recent blog we took a look at the top disc golf discs in each category (Distance Drivers, Control Drivers, Mid Ranges, and Putt and Approach). In this blog we wanted to focus on the Distance Drivers and take a deeper dive into the most popular molds in that category. We’ll look at the top 50 molds, some of the manufacturers on the list, and the best over- and understable drivers.

The top 50 list is based on the sales at Infinite Discs for 2022. They show which discs are in the most demand for the year. Here is the list of the top 50, and what percentage they sold of all distance drivers.

Top distance drivers by 2022 sales

Top of The Class

Nearly one out of every four distance drivers sold in 2022 were either an Emperor, Wraith, Destroyer, or Pharaoh. That’s a pretty impressive domination of the market! After the top four, the numbers drop off sharply, and then continue a slow decline in percent of sales.

Thoughts Space Athletics was the first manufacturer to break the Infinite/Innova streak, and the top ten, by finishing 8th and 9th. Those two molds represent 4.4% of all distance drivers. TSA had a couple other molds that made it into the top 15. In fact, there were quite a few brands that had multiple molds in the Top 50 List. Here are the numbers:

Top 50 Drivers by Disc Brand

Best Distance Drivers by Month

It’s always fun to see how the sales trends come and go. At the beginning of 2022 we were still affected by pandemic supply chain issues and so many popular distance drivers were unavailable or only available at limited quantities. In this living chart you can see the sales trends of the best distance drivers by month and can see the rapid accelerations of popular new releases.

Top Manufacturers

Long-time manufacturer Innova came out on top with over one-fifth of the top 50 molds. Five brands only had one mold. But that is one more than Prodigy and Legacy had. Lone Star and Dino Discs are two newer brands, but they each had a couple molds in the top 50. Now let’s see what percentage of distance driver sales were held by the top 50 molds:

Innova molds sold nearly one in every four distance driver discs in 2022. Infinite sold nearly one in five molds. Over half of all discs in this category came from Innova, Infinite, or Discraft! Innova and Discraft are well-established names in the disc golf world. And Infinite is, or course, our own brand. Although not quite up to the top three levels of sales, there are several newer brands that have made huge gains in the market in recent years. We will talk more about those brands in a future blog.

Now let’s take a deeper look at the Top 50 and break it down into stabilities. We will find out the top 10 overstable molds, and the top 10 understable molds. See how many of these YOU throw.

Top Overstable Distance Drivers

Overstable (and Very Overstable) discs will be defined as molds that have a flight rating Fade of more than 2. The Turn can vary, but is usually 0 to -1. Molds with those flight numbers are favorable among skilled players because they can be thrown very hard, not flip too much, and still have a reliable finish. Here are the Top 10 overstable discs:

Top 10 Overstable Distance Drivers of 2022:

  1. Infinite Discs Emperor
  2. Innova Wraith
  3. Innova Destroyer
  4. TSA Animus
  5. TSA Synapse
  6. TSA Omen
  7. Innova Orc
  8. Infinite Discs Czar
  9. Discraft Nuke
  10. Discraft Zeus

The top 10 Overstable list is divided among four brands. Innova and TSA have three molds each on the list. Infinite and Discraft have two molds each. The first and second molds account for more sales than the last seven combined.

Overstable Discs Approval Dates

I pulled up the PDGA approval date for the Top 10 Overstable distance drivers and there is quite a range of dates. Here is the list:

Disc

 PDGA Approved
Innova Orc Jan-04
Innova Wraith Aug-05
Innova Destroyer Jun-07
Discraft Nuke Oct-09
Discraft Zeus Dec-18
Infinite Discs Emperor Feb-19
Thought Space Athletics Animus Jun-20
Thought Space Athletics Synapse Jan-22
Thought Space Athletics Omen Mar-22
Infinite Discs Czar Oct-22

The oldest three were approved in 2004, 2005, and 2007. The most recently approved molds just got the PDGA nod last year! The Czar was just a couple of months ago as of this writing. That is an impressive start in a very crowded field of discs.

Top Understable Distance Drivers

Now let’s check out the understable distance drivers. This sub-category includes molds that have at least -2 Turn. That is typically a good number for beginners or more advanced players who want to shape their shot a little more.

Top Understable Disc Golf Drivers by Sales 2022

Top understable disc golf drivers of 2022:

  1. Innova Mamba
  2. Infinite Discs Maya
  3. Discraft Avenger SS
  4. Discraft Scorch
  5. Axiom Virus
  6. MVP Inertia
  7. Dino Discs Pterodactylus
  8. Lone Star Disc Tumbleweed
  9. Dino Discs Tyrannosaurus Rex
  10. Innova Katana

Understable Discs Approval Dates

The Mamba and the Maya were the clear leaders for understable distance drivers. Those had double the sales of the third-place Avenger SS, and nearly as many total sales as the remaining molds in the top 10. Let’s take a look at the PDGA approval dates for the top 10 understable molds:

Understable Driver PDGA Approved Date
Discraft Avenger SS Feb-08
Innova Katana Oct-09
Innova Mamba Jan-12
MVP Inertia Feb-14
Axiom Virus Dec-14
Infinite Discs Maya Jun-20
Discraft Scorch Apr-21
Lone Star Disc Tumbleweed Mar-22
Dino Discs Pterodactylus Not Approved
Dino Discs Tyrannosaurus Rex Not Approved

The top two oldest molds are the Avenger SS and the Katana. And once again, there is a mold that sold enough to make the top ten, yet was approved less than a year ago. The Tumbleweed was approved in March of 2022. Nether of the Dino Discs have been approved by the PDGA. They are lightweight discs that are designed for beginners. (Learn more about Dino Discs HERE).

Next Up: Control Drivers

That does it for our look at the Top 50 Distance Drivers. Next up we’ll take a look at the Top 50 Control Drivers.

What are the Best Distance Drivers for You?

What will be the best distance drivers of 2023? Will they be new discs, or the same traditional classics. A new distance driver the Innova Charger was just announced that will likely make next years top list.

What is your favorite distance driver? What is the disc you have thrown the farthest? What distance drivers do you think will be the best selling in 2023?  Comment below to help others find the best disc golf drivers for their game.

 

Best Midrange Discs of 2023

27 comments

In this blog series we have looked at the top disc golf discs for 2022 according to sales. Then we focused on each the top distance drivers and the top fairway drivers. This time we’ll look at the top 50 midrange discs. We’ll also find the top overstable and understable mid’s.

Midrange discs fill the gap between short shots and putts, and longer distance throws. Their slower speeds make them a good fit for beginners, and valuable tools for skilled players. They don’t skip like faster discs so they make great approach discs. Like the other categories, midrange discs come in different stabilities to help you achieve the flight you need. Let’s look at which molds were the most popular, and which ones you might want to check out for 2023.

The top 50 midrange discs is based on sales at Infinite Discs for last year.

  1. Discraft Buzzz
  2. Innova Mako3
  3. Infinite Discs Anubis
  4. Thought Space Athletics Pathfinder
  5. Innova Pig
  6. Discraft Buzzz SS
  7. Infinite Discs Chariot
  8. Innova Roc3
  9. Innova Roc
  10. Axiom Paradox

Far and away the most popular mid range disc is the Discraft Buzzz. The Buzz has been a hot seller for Discraft from the beginning. It has a straight flight and comfortable beadless grip. Plus, it comes in a variety of plastic types. The Buzzz sold almost three times as many discs as the second place Mako3. The Infinite Discs Anubis was in third place.

Best Selling Midrange Discs by Month

This fun graph helps to visualize the hot selling brand trends. Some months saw more obscure selling discs like the Doomdsday Discs Frag, and the Mint Discs Lobster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only did Discraft own the number one spot, they have the most molds in the top 50. The ‘most molds’ title has been held by Innova in the Top 50, Top Distance Drivers, and Top Fairway Drivers. In the midrange category, Innova had to settle for second place.

Top 50 Mid Ranges Sorted by Brand

Top Midrange Discs by Brand Chart

There were a total of 19 different brands in the top 50. Discraft and Innova are old-school brands, so it’s not a surprise to see them on the top of the list. How many names on the list are new to you? We’ve seen a lot of pros switch sponsor brands this year, so it will be interesting to see how much of an impact those changes make for their brand. Now let’s look at the sales percent.

Top 50 Mid Ranges Sorted by Sales

Market share of midrange disc sales by brand

As expected, the brands with the most molds in the top 50 had the highest percentage of sales. Discraft was boosted with the huge numbers from the Buzzz. Innova had four molds in the top 10, which helped their numbers. Infinite Discs also had top-10 molds to add to their total.

Top Overstable Mid

Top Selling Overstable midrange disc golf discs

Innova takes the podium when it comes to the overstable midrange discs. Their Pig, Roc3, and Roc accounted for about 8% of all midrange sales. There were six different molds in the top 10, although Innova and Discraft still made up half the brands. Let’s take a look at the PDGA approval dates to see if some which newer molds are taking a chunk of the market.

Mold Approval date Rank
Innova Roc Jan-87 3
Discraft Drone Feb-05 6
Innova Pig May-08 1
Discraft Buzzz OS Jul-14 4
Kastaplast Kaxe Z Oct-14 10
Dynamic Discs Justice Mar-15 5
Dynamic Discs EMac Truth Mar-16 9
Innova Roc3 Aug-17 2
Axiom Pyro Feb-19 7
Elevation Disc Golf Interceptor Dec-20 8

Although the Pig has been around for many years, it got a nice boost when Ricky Wysocki started throwing the mold. It has kept up the momentum ever since. The Innova Roc is celebrating its 36th birthday this month. It is by far the oldest overstable mold in the top 10. It was in the bag when Ken Climo dominated the 90’s, and remains a staple of the top Innova pros today.

At the other end of the timeline, the Elevation Interceptor (one of the staples in MY bag!) is just a couple years old, but still managed to land as the 5th most popular overstable mid range. The silicon disc is like Velcro when it hits the ground.

 

Top Understable Mid Range Discs

Best understable (easy to throw) midrange discs graph by sales percentage

Discraft leads the pack when it comes to understable mid’s. Three out of the top four molds come from Discraft. They also have four out of the top 10 discs. Dino Discs is the only other brand with more than one mold in the top 10. There were six different brands in the top 10. Here are their approval dates:

Mold Approval date Rank
Discraft Comet Oct-95 3
Discraft Meteor Sep-06 4
Discraft Buzzz SS Feb-08 1
Westside Tursas Apr-16 10
Discraft Sol Nov-18 6
Infinite Discs Kon Tiki Apr-21 8
MVP Uplink Jul-21 7
Axiom Paradox Jul-21 2
Dino Discs Brachiosaurus N/A 9
Dino Discs Stegosaurus N/A 5

The two oldest molds, the Discraft Comet and Discraft Meteor, are in the top four. The two most recent approvals, the MVP Uplink and Axiom Paradox, are less than two years old. Although it is apparent that some of the older molds are still selling well, it will be interesting to see how they hold up against the barrage of new molds on the market recently.
Dino Discs‘ don’t have an approval date because they are not PDGA approved. Dino decided that it wasn’t worth the cost, since their target market is beginners, and they are unlikely to compete in sanctioned tournaments.

In the next blog will look at the top putters.

Highest Rated Midrange Discs

Sales are one thing, but how much do disc golfers really like a midrange disc. Do they like it enough that they are going to want to come back to our website to leave a five star review? Our new website “highest rated” feature sorts discs based on these customer ratings. View the highest rated midrange discs here.

What are the Best Midrange Discs for You?

Will Discraft stay on top, or will a dark horse arise and claim the top spot for best midrange next year too?

We all have different throwing styles and preferences. What are your favorite overstable, understable and straight flying midrange molds?

 

Best Disc Golf Fairway Drivers of 2023

38 comments

In a recent blog we took a look at the top disc golf discs in each category (Distance Drivers, Fairway Drivers, Mid Ranges, and Putt and Approach). Then we checked out the top 50 disc golf distance drivers, including the top overstable and understable molds. This week, we’ll do the same with the top disc golf fairway drivers.

Fairway drivers have slightly slower speeds than distance drivers. They can be used for drives and approach shots in all but the longest distances. Their rims are narrower than distance drivers, making them easier to grip for most people. Plus, their slower speed makes throwing them within skill set of most people. Fairway drivers are also called ‘control drivers’.  Let’s see which fairway drivers were the most popular, and which ones you might consider throwing for 2023.

The top 50 list is based on the direct to consumer sales directly from InfiniteDiscs.com for last year.

Top Selling Disc Golf Fairway Drivers

Top 50 Fairway Drivers Chart. Percentage of sales of each of the best control drivers.

Sitting at the top of the chart is the Infinite Discs Dynasty. This speed 9 control driver is not even a year old, but is already working its way into many of our bags. This was one of Eric Oakley’s 2022 signature discs which helped propel it as one of the top fairway drivers. The Dynasty has a stable flight, with a little turn and a dependable, but not too harsh fade.

The Finish Line Era got a podium finish for the year. Finish Line was started by Drew Gibson. It is another very new brand, but is making a mark in disc golf. The Finish Line Era has a very similar flight to the Dynasty in Forged plastic, but is substantially more overstable in the Composite blend.

The Centurion, Sphinx, Exodus and Firebird round out the top five (the Exodus and Firebird tied for fifth) Three are sold by Infinite, and one is an Innova classic.

The Leopard and Teebird have been around for decades and are popular among disc golfers of all skill levels. Those two staples were the next two on the list, followed by Axiom’s entry in the top 10, the Axiom Insanity. The Innova Valkyrie Rounded out the top 10.

Best Fairway Drivers by Month

This moving chart shows top fairway driver sales by month during 2022. This is a fun way to watch the trends and see as hot new discs are released or restocked.

Brands In The Top 50

While most manufacturers make some great disc golf fairway drivers, only some of them have the brand following and marketing power to land their discs in the Infinite Discs top seller lists. Below we see how many different fairway molds by each brand made the top 50 list for the year.

Disc golf brands with number of top 50 Fairway Drivers

Innova was the top manufacturer for fairway drivers with 13 molds in the top 50. Discraft was in second, but several molds behind Innova. MVP and Infinite had the next most molds. Latitude 64 and Dynamic were the only other brands with more than two molds. There were a few manufacturers with two on the list, and a lot with one mold. In all, there were 17 different manufacturers in the top 50.

Let’s see how those molds translates to sales. We listed manufacturers of the top 50 fairway drivers and sorted them by the percentage of fairway drivers sold. There are a few interesting numbers on the list.

Percent of Fairway Drivers Sold by Disc Golf Brand

It is not surprising to see Innova on top, since they had the most molds. Infinite was next in line. Although Infinite is quite a bit ahead of third place, it is even more behind Innova. In third place is Discraft. The top three make up 50% of all control driver sales for the year!

Top Overstable Fairway Drivers

Just like the distance drivers, we will find the top 10 overstable fairway driver molds. This category is for overstable and very overstable discs. Here are the top 10:

Best Overstable Drivers Graph ranked by percentage of sales

  1. Innova Firebird
  2. Innova Teebird
  3. Innova Thunderbird
  4. Discraft Raptor
  5. Thought Space Athletics Votum
  6. Infinite Discs Scepter
  7. Discraft Anax
  8. Discraft Undertaker
  9. Discraft Captain’s Raptor
  10. Dynamic Discs Escape

Discraft has the most molds in the top 10 with 4, with Innova one mold behind them. Five brands had a disc in the top 10.

Overstable Discs Approval Dates

I like to see what dates each mold was approved to see which molds have been around for a while, and which ones are newer. The older molds are well established and have been popular for a long time. Newer brands might be hype, but they might also be the popular for a long time. Here are the dates.

Mold Approval Date Sales Rank
Innova Teebird May-99 2
Innova Firebird Mar-00 1
Dynamic Discs Escape Dec-12 10
Innova Thunderbird Aug-14 3
Discraft Undertaker Apr-16 8
Discraft Raptor Dec-18 4
Infinite Discs Scepter Apr-19 6
Discraft Anax Jun-19 7
Thought Space Athletics Votum Mar-21 5
Discraft Captain’s Raptor Dec-21 9

The oldest two molds are also the top molds. The Firebird and Teebird are more than two decades old. The Votum and Captain’s Raptor are the new kids on the block, each getting approved around two years ago as of this writing.

Top Understable Fairway Driver

For this blog, understable fairway drivers are those molds that have a turn of -2 or more. Understable discs are popular among beginners and people who don’t have a lot of arm speed. Here are the top 10 understable fairway drivers.

Top 10 Understable Drivers

  1. Infinite Discs Sphinx
  2. Innova Leopard
  3. Axiom Insanity
  4. Innova Valkyrie
  5. Though Space Athletics Mantra
  6. Innova Leopard3
  7. Discraft Heat
  8. Innova Sidewinder
  9. Innova Roadrunner
  10. Latitude 64 Diamond

Innova had half of the molds in the top 10. The other five spots were taken by five different brands.

Axiom and Latitude 64 made the understable list, but not the overstable list.

Understable Discs Approval Dates
Mold Approval Date Sales Rank
Innova Leopard May-99 2
Innova Valkyrie Aug-00 4
Innova Sidewinder Nov-04 8
Innova Roadrunner Aug-05 9
Latitude 64 Diamond Mar-11 10
Discraft Heat Oct-14 7
Axiom Insanity Dec-14 3
Innova Leopard3 Aug-17 6
Infinite Discs Sphinx Mar-18 1
Thought Space Athletics Mantra Oct-19 5

Just like the overstable molds, Innova has a couple discs in the top 10 that have been around for decades and have earned their way in our bags. That didn’t get them the number one spot, but they did get second in the top 10. Infinite took first with the Sphinx. While not as old as most of the Innova molds on the list, it has still been around for nearly half a decade. View the most recent listing of highest rated fairway drivers, according to reviews of customers here.

Next Blog Well Look At Mid Range Discs

What are the Best Fairway Drivers for You?

What will be the best fairway drivers of 2023? Will any brands catch up to Innova or Discraft? Or will the old school molds continue to dominate? The PDGA has already approved 17 new molds for this year (as of this writing). Maybe one of them will be a top fairway driver.

What is your favorite fairway driver? What fairway drivers do you think will be the best selling in 2023?

Introducing Team Infinite’s Erika Stinchcomb

One comment
Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Ramona California, about 45 minutes Northeast of San Diego. It’s a small mountain town, and obviously in moving to Western Montana, that secluded mountain vibe is a key part of who I am. There was a lot of open space to run as a kid. I loved where I grew up and honestly, I am sometimes sad that my parents moved away. I still have a ton of family in the area, including my younger sister and brother-in-law.

How did you discover disc golf?

Occasionally as a kid I would join my dad on his water delivery routes (think 5 gallon bottles of water delivered to homes and businesses). I loved to try to carry the heavy bottles all by myself, and climb on his big water truck, using the necks of the bottles as handholds. He’d always buy me a big Slurpee from 7-Eleven after our hard day of work.

One day when I was 8, during one of my take-your-daughter-to-work outings, my dad surprised me and took me to Morley Field Disc Golf Course. He bought me a DX Panther from Snapper at the pro shop, and we played. I barely remember it. Then 8 years later, suddenly he took me and my brother again. I was 16, and I thought “why haven’t I been playing this my whole life?” I was immediately hooked. My brother Jason and I would go to the park and work on our distance. My Dad would take me and Jason to Morley Field at the crack of dawn on Saturdays, so we could beat the rush for our first round, and then play a leisurely second round as it got crowded.

When did you turn pro?

I didn’t know there were tournaments until I graduated college in 2014. My first tournament was in July of 2014, after that I played FA1 and dabbled in FPO in 2015 and 2016. I didn’t officially consider myself a pro until 2017, when I decided to do a self-funded, unsponsored mini tour in 2017. I was able to tour for nearly 6 months and made it to the DGPT Championships. I did get sponsors as I traveled, but I would have been out there sponsor or no sponsor.

What was it like the first time you took cash as a pro?

My first cash was anticlimactic. I could have taken cash in 2016, but wanted to continue as an amateur. I didn’t cash until my 9th pro event of 2017, and that was in a field of 2 at the Challenge at Goat Hill. What I consider my first “real” cash was a month later, when I took 2nd at the Zoo Town Open, my home tournament held in Missoula, MT.

Who did you look up to when you were first starting out?

I never watched videos or even knew there were tournaments until I was 21 and started playing FA1. My role models became people I met. Zoe Andyke was the first person that when I asked “what do you do for a living” the answer was “disc golf” and my mind was blown. I got to play a round with Zoe at Daisy Chains in 2015 and her positivity was inspiring.

Later that year, I played FPO in the Phoenix Ladies Open, and felt both intimidated and outclassed. It was a small field and I was on the lead card for the second and final round; my nerves were palpable. Ohn Scoggins was on the card, and her support was unforgettable; her kindness that day is one of the reasons I am Ohn’s biggest fan. I would mess up a drive or upshot and she’d say “it’s okay girl, it’s just a jump putt!”

Don’t get me wrong, I’d go out and watch Paige Pierce, Catrina Allen, Sarah Hokom, Valerie Jenkins, Jennifer Allen and all of those big names whenever I got the chance, but for me Zoe and Ohn were my biggest inspirations. Being nice, welcoming, inclusive and making a living playing disc golf became my dream, just like Zoe and Ohn.

What are some of your goals for next year?

Last year I lost a bit of my fire for the game. Disc Golf felt more like a job, and the job was throwing way more big open shots instead of the finesse woods golf I loved. Signing with Infinite has literally opened my world up to try so many new discs and re-discover my joy of simply watching a disc fly. I want to enjoy disc golf next year more than anything else, rather than feel mind-crushing pressure to perform. I think with a more relaxed, joyful attitude, I am naturally going to play better next year. I decided I am not going to have specific performance based goals. I am lucky to be able to play disc golf and make a living, and I am going to celebrate those facts. I believe results will follow.

Will you be commentating again this year as one of the Two Hot Geese (with Madison Walker)?

Because we do not have an official agreement at this time, I am not sure if Madison and I will be doing commentary next year, but we hope to be calling the shots again in 2023!

What do you picture disc golf looking like in 5 years (Growth, competition, contracts, etc.)?

I couldn’t have guessed the sport would grow so much in the past 5 years, let alone where we are going next. From an FPO standpoint, 5 years ago, 25 was a great field size. Now we can hit 75 with relative consistency. Disc Golf media was much less comprehensive, very few people had contracts that paid in real money and not just an allotment of discs, the list goes on. In 5 years, I – like many – would love to see disc golf as an Olympic Sport. I hope that as a pro, having a tour card means you make a liveable wage without all the side hustle that is required for most mid-level pros.

Outside of professional disc golf, I truly hope the growth of our sport wasn’t just a byproduct of Covid, and it continues to grow. I’d love to see a lot of new courses, continued free or cheap entry to play, access for all walks of life, involvement from parks and recreation, forest service and other organizations to preserve and maintain the land courses are on, avid disc golf clubs and all the things we have now including fan access to pro disc golfers. I hope we don’t lose the fact that disc golf is a sport for everybody. I like to tell people disc golf is whatever you want, a solitary retreat, exercise, maybe a place to drink a beer with your dumb buddies; you can take your dog or take your grandpa, all are welcome.

 What Infinite molds do you throw?

I have not had a lot of time to adjust to new molds with the timing of switching contracts. Additionally, Montana winter golf doesn’t always allow for full-power shots. That being said, an I-blend Maya is my favorite right now, since it has effortless understability yet a reliable slight fade at the end. I have been throwing the Dynasty and Centurion for control drivers, and using a Cohort for straight upshots, as well as trying them for my putting putters. I am sure things will change and I am so excited to try everything!

Do you have any shout-outs or people you would like to acknowledge?

I have to give the biggest shout out to Eric Oakley, who gave me a hand when I felt like I was drowning. Leaving Westside was not the outcome I saw for myself in 2022 and I had very little time to decide what I wanted and how to get it. Todd Durrant has been kind and patient and I think that my vision of what I want disc golf to be totally aligns with Infinite’s. I also want to give a shout out to my husband Ian Harris, who has been a reassuring source of comfort and strength as we have toured the last 2 years; he always helps push me forward if I doubt myself. I want to thank my Mom for always watching UDisc Live Scoring even though it stresses her out. Lastly I want to thank my Dad – David Stinchcomb – for teaching me to play.

Infinite is on-board with working with my sponsors who have supported me for years: Whales Sacs and Skybreed Discs. I was scared that signing a new company meant losing my other sponsors. The sense of cooperation Infinite has is something to admire, and a way to grow the sport better than we can alone. Not only can I continue with my old sponsors, I also will get to work with Clash Discs and Thought Space Athletics this year. The opportunities I see are literally infinite and I can’t wait to get started.

1 … 16 17 18 19 20 … 28