Ted Hegemann, Author at Infinite Discs Blog

Unlocking Your Disc Golf Potential: A Survey on Skill Improvement and Product Interest

September 5, 2023 Ted Hegemann One comment

Are you passionate about disc golf and eager to take your game to the next level? Are you a tad more casual about disc golf, content to grow (or maintain) by just playing rounds for fun? If you observe the members your local disc golf group you’ll likely see people in each extreme, and everything between.

Your Voice Matters

Disc golf is more than just a sport—it’s a community, a challenge, and a rewarding journey of self-improvement. We recognize that disc golfers come from all walks of life, each with their unique goals and interests. That’s why we’re conducting a survey. We want to gain insights into the diverse range of disc golfers’ skill improvement preferences and their readiness to invest in products to improve their performance on the course. At Infinite Discs, we like to cater to disc golfers of all skill levels and a variety of interest in self improvement. And we’re always looking out for new products that will help disc golfers achieve the skill level they desire.

Let us know how you feel about new products!

Comment below and let us know about YOUR interest in improving your game and how much you would invest in programs or devices. We surveyed our readers and here are the results of our survey.

Results

We opened up our survey for a few weeks to allow plenty of time for people to reply. Then we compiled the data and we present it in the graphs below. Here is what we found: We want to improve our skills because we aren’t completely satisfied with our skill level, and depending on the cost of an improvement device, we would be willing to invest in one.

Unsatisfied With Our Current Skill Level

According to the survey, only a tiny percent of us are Very Satisfied with our current skill level. Although more half of us are Somewhat Satisfied, less than half of us are Neutral or Not Satisfied. Even those Somewhat Satisfied have areas of our game that we would like to improve. Here are the survey results:

Want to Change

A whopping 94% of us indicated that we want to improve our skills, and actively do so. Although there are a small percent of us who just want to play for fun and don’t care about the results, most of us want to improve. That applied to beginners and touring pros alike. Let’s look at the graph.

Improvement Products

We wanted to find out which improvement products people are interested in purchasing. We also let people add products that were not in the survey. Participants could choose more than one answer.

The top product chosen is some kind of program with practice drills and exercises. There were a handful of people who added that they wanted a good program, and needed help finding one that would work for them. The next most popular is a training discs for specific technique. A handful of people included the desire for a disc with electronics to measure different aspects of the throw, such as rotation speed and nose angle.

Nearly half of us want personalized coaching, which slightly fewer of us would like video courses about technique. Here are the results:

Purchase Factors

It won’t come as a surprise to anyone to learn that we are looking for products that will work. More than four out of every five of us listed that factor. Cost was the next most popular answer (We will cover that in more detail next), followed by positive reviews. I thought a money-back guarantee would be more highly rated, but it cam in last place. Here is the graph:

Spending Limits

The last question we wanted to explore was how much people would pay for products that would help them improve. A few people noted that their budget would higher for products that get good reviews for their effectiveness. Much less than half of us would spend over $50 for an improvement product, and only 13% of us would spend over $100.

Conclusion

The results of our poll provide valuable insights into the preferences and attitudes of disc golfers towards skill improvement products. Disc golfers are eager to enhance their skills, with a strong majority actively seeking ways to improve. We value practical training methods, affordability, and products with a proven track record of effectiveness.

For businesses and individuals interested in catering to the disc golf community, this data serves as a valuable guide to tailor offerings that align with the desires and expectations of disc golfers looking to take their game to the next level. Whether it’s practice drills, coaching sessions, or training devices, there are ample opportunities to meet the needs of this growing community.

Survey

Best Disc Golf Retrievers

August 2, 2023 Ted Hegemann One comment

Best Disc Golf Retrievers

One of the irritating aspects of disc golf is searching for lost discs. When a disc lands in thick grass, bushes, trees, reeds, water, or some unknown landing place, it can appear that discs sometimes disappear off the face of the earth. Even more frustrating is when we can see a disc, but can’t reach it. Whether it is in a pond, up a tree, over a fence, or in a thorny bush, the idea of leaving a disc behind is very difficult.

Enter the retriever. Disc golf retrievers can make the task of getting our wayward discs back into our bags much easier – and in some cases they are the only way to get a disc back. In this blog post we will compare the different types and brands of retrievers, and recommend the best ones for you.

For the sake of this blog, we will categorize retrievers into two categories: retrievers that use a pole or extension device, and retrievers that use a rope or cord. We can then break down those two categories and talk about the variations of those categories. Then we’ll see which retriever is the best in each category.

Pole or extension devices

An obvious benefit to having an extension devices is that you can reach discs that you wouldn’t normally be able to reach. The poles come in a variety of sizes, from compact 6-foot poles to massive 20-foot poles. The smaller ones are lighter and take up less room, but limit the distance you can reach. Poles have different tips that can be used for different purposes. These retrievers can reach and retrieve discs that would be impossible for rope-type retrievers.

One of the drawbacks of having a telescopic pole is their use in water. Although they can successfully be used to retrieve a disc in a river or pond, they are sometimes difficult to control and can only serve to dislodge the disc, but not bring it to shore. The success of the retrieval depends on the body of water and the tip of the retriever. They can’t reach a disc that lies beyond their max extension. Plus, they can end up with water inside them, which might leak out into your bag or cause corrosion. It is also possible to break a pole if too much force is exerted.

The device on the end of the pole affect the success of the retrieval.

The suction cup works amazing in water. Preferably standing water, but it can also be used in rivers with a varying degree of success.

Max Stick w/suction tip

Hooks are useful in trees and can also be used to scoot your disc toward the shore when retrieving in water. They are a good universal tip.

Dynamic Discs Retriever

Metal loops are great for securing the disc to the retriever, but they can be cumbersome in trees. In moving water it might be difficult to ‘catch’ the disc.

Bird Dog Retriever

Rope Retriever Devices

One of the best reasons to have a rope device is because you can reach a lot further with them than a pole. If your disc is in water beyond the reach of your pole, you would be out of luck unless you had a rope retriever such as a Disc Claw or Golden Retriever.

This would be a good time for some pro tips that I’ve learned by having a rope-type retriever. The two issues that I recommend that owners correct are considered cons, but can easily be remedied.

First, get an additional length of paracord to attach to the end of the rope that comes with the retriever. It will greatly extend the distance that you can reach your disc. The length of rope that comes with the retriever device is not as long as you might need. Just make sure you tie a good knot so the retriever doesn’t end up permanently in the water.

Second tip, get a separate object to wrap the rope around besides the retriever itself, so you can just unwind the amount of rope that you need to reach the disc, instead of keeping the rope around the retriever and having to unwind the entire length of rope. I use a landscape string reel to hold my excess retriever cord. Take care of those two issues and you’ll eliminate some of the cons of the device.

There are a couple of other areas where the rope-retrievers fall short. First, it is mainly just used for water retrievals. You could use it on grass or ice, but it is designed for water use. Is your disc in a tree? This type of disc will likely not be the one you’ll need.

The second issue you might have is that the retriever isn’t as effective if the disc is on rocks. You need to be able to slide over the disc and ‘catch’ it in the retriever. If there are rocks in the way, you might be out of luck.

Best Disc Retriever Winners

With those pros and cons for each retriever in mind, let’s look at your retriever options.

Best Pole Extension Disc Retriever

In addition to deciding between rope and pole retrievers, with the pole retrievers you need to decide which attachment you would like on the end of the pole. The suction cup types are excellent for water, but not so good in trees. The hook ends are pretty good in water and trees. And the loop ends are better in water, but work decent in trees.

The winner? With its multiple head attachments, the Bird Dog retriever takes the win. The metal pole isn’t as long as some of the Max Stick poles, but its attachments are good for trees, rivers, and ponds. It even comes with a bag to store all the parts. It’s a universal-use solution that can be used in a variety of situations. Check out the Bird Dog here:

Bird Dog Retriever

Best Rope Retriever Winner

The Disc Claw and the Golden Retriever are both excellent choices for ponds that don’t have large rocks or branches. The enemies of either of those retrievers are rocks and branches, which can make a disc irretrievable and could possibly snag the retriever. If the pond has silt, sand, mud, or moss and you stand a good chance of getting your disc back. As mentioned above, extra rope and a something besides the retriever itself to wrap the rope around will make owning either of these a better option.

Winner? I’m going to call this a tie. The Claw had a few more snags on rocks that the Golden Retriever. However, as the Claw advertises, it kicks up less silt than the Golden Retriever. That keeps your disc visible for more attempts at retrieving it, should that be necessary. Plus, the Claw is a couple bucks cheaper.

Honorable Mentions

Wrist Rocket – Best Retriever for High Trees

I had heard that people have used wrist rockets to retrieve discs from trees, so I finally bought one to carry around. The first time I had a disc that was beyond the reach of my retriever, I broke out the sling shot and knocked it down after just a few tries. Just last weekend a group of us were able to get four discs out of a tree at a local tournament (although it did take quite a while and numerous attempts). They don’t take up much space and can be another option when the pole retriever can’t reach.

Wrist Rocket

Driver Diver

This little piece of plastic is a handy device that doesn’t take up much space. You attach the gadget to a stick with reusable zip ties and the stick becomes your retriever. Perfect for courses with a few smaller bodies of water and trees. Hang it from your bag until needed. Make sure you don’t leave it in a hot car, because it can warp. Mine did, so I took a heat gun to it and that fixed the warp.

Driver Diver

Conclusion

There isn’t one retriever that is best for every situation. But you can still minimize the chances of not being able to retrieve your disc by getting a couple different types. Although I carry an extendable retriever with me at all times, I also usually have a wrist rocket with me. If I’m using a cart and there are water hazards, I’ll also take along a Golden Retriever. If I’m not using a cart, I’ll leave the Golden in my car and get the disc later if needed. It’s worth the effort and increases my chances of going home with all my discs.

Check out our entire retriever inventory here.

How to Start a Disc Golf League

June 12, 2023 Ted Hegemann Leave a comment

Disc golf has been gaining popularity for a while now, and starting and running a successful disc golf league can be a great way to bring the community together and promote the sport. In this blog, we will discuss the steps you can take to start and run a successful disc golf league, including advertising, costs, locations, and getting the word out.

Step 1: Determine the Format of the League

The first step in starting a successful disc golf league is to determine the format of the league. Will it be singles, doubles, or a mix of both? Maybe a women-only league? How many rounds will be played, and how many courses will be used? Will there be a handicap system in place? You could put the choices up for vote, or just decide yourself.

Another format question to consider is what divisions you will offer. Since you’ll have players with different skill levels, you’ll want to think about having different divisions so people can be competitive. Consider if divisions for women or juniors will need to be included.

Step 2: Choose a Location

Once you have determined the format of the league, the next step is to choose a location. Look for a course that is easily accessible and has enough space for the number of players you expect to participate. You may also want to consider factors such as parking availability, restrooms, and concessions.

One other thing to think about with the location is how busy the course might be at the time you want to run your league. If you aren’t familiar with the course, either visit it at the day and time you want to run your league, or ask around to find some locals who know the course and can tell you when the course gets busy.

Step 3: Determine the Costs

Running a disc golf league does come with costs, so it is important to determine these upfront. Some costs to consider include league fees, course fees, and prizes. Selling bag tags is a good way to raise money for the league. Another fundraiser option is to run a trophy-only tournament where money is collected from registration fees, but only trophies are given out. Keeping a dollar or two from league registration on a weekly basis is another option to raise funds.

Determining the cost to play at the league is something to figure out in advance. We charge $5, which is all given out to division winners. Our club is located in a city with a University, so we have many students who play in our leagues. Because of that, I started offering a free division. I didn’t want the cost to prevent someone from playing. You don’t win anything in that division, but you can still participate with the club.

Step 4: Advertise the League

Once you have determined the format, location, and costs of the league, it’s time to start advertising. Use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get the word out about the league. You can also create flyers and posters to distribute at local disc golf shops and courses.

Step 5: Communicate with Players

As players sign up for the league, it is important to communicate with them regularly. This can be done through email, social media, or a dedicated website. Let players know when and where the league will be held, what they need to bring, and any special rules or guidelines. Keeping people informed about upcoming events is a great tool for keeping people engaged in disc golf.

Step 6: Run the League

Once the league is up and running, it is important to manage it effectively. This includes keeping track of scores, enforcing rules, and communicating with players regularly. Consider using a dedicated league management software or app to make this process easier. We’ve started using Udisc for our league and it makes the process of handling scores a lot smoother.

I prefer to use a spreadsheet on a laptop that I can take to league. I enter the names, divisions, and bag tag numbers as people sign in. Then after league I can enter the scores and sort to determine winners and give out bag tags. I also have a printed sheet of paper for people to use to sign in at the beginning.

One necessary part of league is to make sure everyone knows the rules for the course. If the rules aren’t on the tee signs or somewhere on the course, have a printed copy available to hand out.

Step 7: Offer Prizes, Awards, and Additional Chances to Win

Offering prizes and awards can be a great way to keep players motivated and engaged in the league. I encourage the sale of bag tags by offering prizes for bag tag holders in the form of Closest to the Pin (CTP) competitions on a couple holes. Players can choose to pay for additional CTPs to participate in other competitions. Occasionally I’ll use club money to buy a gift card to a local restaurant and have a CTP for the card. Inexpensive prizes like candy bars can be given out for ‘awards’ like the person with the OB’s or Bogeys or Birdies.

Optional Ace Pots are a fun addition to a league. Our Ace Pot is $1 to enter, and our Super Ace Pot costs $5 to enter. If no one gets an ace that day, the ace pots rolls over to the next week and continues to grow. (Our Super Ace Pot is currently sitting at around $1,300!)

Starting and running a successful disc golf league takes time and effort, but it can be a great way to promote the sport and bring the community together. By following these steps and staying organized and communicative, you can create a fun and engaging league that players will want to come back to week after week.

Education, Aces, and Transgender Players – State of Disc Golf

May 16, 2023 Ted Hegemann Leave a comment

Throughout our annual State of Disc Golf survey results blog series, we’ve talked about almost all of the poll questions. We’ve covered our demographics, tournament interests, and what we do or do not know about certain brands. We’ve talked about pros, how many discs we own, and what we look for when buying a disc, among other subjects. In other words, we’ve covered a lot of ground. However, we ended up with a few extra poll question that we still need to address.

We still need to find out how we responded to questions about our education, how we keep score in casual rounds, our ace numbers, and transgendered women playing in FPO. Realistically, I could have included each of those in one of the other blogs. But, they got skipped over. So let’s address them now!

Education

Although there were a couple percent of us (1.8%) who didn’t graduate high school, there are also a couple percent of us who are too young to have finished yet. There are 3.7% of us under the age of nineteen. That could easily account for most of those who didn’t graduate. For reference, the Department of Education stated that the graduation rate in the US is around 90%, and that number has been climbing for decades.

If you look at the percentage of us who went to a Trade School or got a degree, that accounts for over 57% of us. As for the 28.7% of us who got some college, we can also say that a certain percentage of respondents are still going and will end up graduating.

Comparing disc golfers to the general public, we have a higher percent of us who got a Bachelor’s Degree. The survey puts disc golfers at 37.6%. The US census (for 2021) shows that 23.5% of Americans got a Bachelor as their highest degree.

The advanced degrees for disc golfers were a little closer to the US average, but still higher. There were 14.4% of the US population with advanced degrees (Masters or Doctoral), and there were 16.1% of disc golfers with advanced degrees. Regardless of our education, I think we can all agree that we are smart enough to pick up a great sport like disc golf!

Keeping score

When it comes to keeping score in a casual round, I’m glad to see so many people use an app. If more rounds are recorded, it’s easier to take that data to a city or town and propose a new course. Most municipalities like the idea that a new course might draw in people from surrounding areas, as well as take care of the needs of their own residents.

There were 68.6% of us who indicate we use an app to keep score in casual rounds. Although there are numerous apps on the market, UDisc is the biggest. That app keeps score, give you stats, and helps you know how far you’ve thrown.

The number of people who either don’t keep score, or do so in their head, is around 29%. And a small percentage of us who still use a physical scorecard. Since there are reusable, waterproof scorecards that attach to your bag, it can be even easier to use a physical scorecard. However, most people would rather use their phone.

ACES

According to the Ken Climo Wikipedia page, The Champ had 103 aces in his 20-year PDGA career. That is five per year, and that is just in PDGA sanctioned competitions. Some people just seem to hit more aces than others. Part of that depends on the courses being played. But, part of that is skill (or luck!). In the survey, we asked how many aces people got last year. Let’s see how many people racked up some aces.

A whopping 60% of us didn’t card a single ace last year. If you happen to play longer or more difficult courses, you really don’t even have ace opportunities. Plus, even on the holes that you can reach, you might be laying up your shot for an easier birdie. If you come close to getting an ace, but miss the basket, you’re usually looking at a longer comeback shot.

One in five of us got one ace last year. And 9.1% got 2 aces. That means 90% of us got two or fewer aces. And only a handful of people (11 people) got 21 or more. I would be interested to see the average hole length for those aces.

Transgender Disc Golfers

If you follow the tournament scene in disc golf, you’re probably aware of the wild ride that transgender FPO player Natalie Ryan went on last weekend (as of this writing) at the OTB Open. In case you weren’t aware of her situation, Natalie is suing the PDGA and Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) in California because of a new PDGA rule regarding transgender players. (The rule can be seen HERE). That rule precluded her from playing at the Pro Tour competitions.

Just before the OTB Open, Natalie’s lawyers sought a temporary restraining order to allow her to play. The California court ruled in her favor, and she was allowed to play the opening round. However, the PDGA and DGPT then filed an appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court, which reversed the restraining order and prohibited Natalie from continuing to play, due to the PDGA rule. (If you are interested in the legal aspects of this and other disc golf related cases, check out the Disc Golf dot Law YouTube channel HERE.)

Which brings us back to the survey. We asked how you felt about the rule. Is it a fair policy? Is it unfair for transgender women? We narrowed the choices down to four options, out of necessity. Since there is much nuance to the subject, and a lot of strong opinions, we didn’t allow people to write in answers. That basically makes the data unusable, since there is such a variety of opinions. If you didn’t agree with three of the answers, you were able to select “No comment/other”.

A lot of people chose No comment/other as their answer. Nearly one in four either didn’t think the options fit their opinion, didn’t want to comment, or possibly haven’t come to a conclusion about how they feel. That is a significant number of people. There were 14.1% of us who felt the policy is too strict and unfair for transgender athletes.

Two categories that received the highest percent of people who selected them are the 31.8% of people who thought the ruling was not strict enough, and unfair to non-transgender female athletes (Chromosomally female, etc., as listed in Part A of the rule), and 30.9% who thought the rule was fair.

Since men make up a majority of those taking the survey, if we break the results down according to gender, the men’s chart looks pretty similar to the overall numbers. However, here are the results of the women who took the survey:

There is a significantly smaller percent of women who think the policy is fair, versus the total number, and a larger percentage who think it is not fair for transgender athletes. Also, a smaller percentage of women who indicated No comment/other. In light of the numerous FPO players who have vocally opposed Natalie playing in FPO, I would have thought those two results would have been different.

We’ll see how Natalie’s lawsuit turns out, and what impact it might have on disc golf.

That’s all for this year’s State of Disc Golf survey! See you next year!

State of Disc Golf 2023

Favorite Disc Golf Brand – State of Disc Golf Results

May 8, 2023 Ted Hegemann Leave a comment

It wasn’t long after I started playing disc golf that I started throwing only Innova discs. I’m not sure exactly why I made that decision, but it probably had to do with Paul McBeth. He was sponsored by Innova and was also winning World Championships. I was a big fan of his, and probably wanted to throw the same brand as him.

My bag has definitely changed since then. Now I try to support the home team and throw mostly Infinite molds. However, I definitely have a mixed bag. I currently have six or seven different brands in my bag. Many of the Innova molds that I started with were replaced with similar Infinite molds. I do still have my original Dart that I started putting with years ago, but most of the others changed.

Which Disc Golf Brand Is Our Favorite?

We asked a few questions in the State of Disc Golf survey concerning the brands that we consider our favorite, and whether or not that brand changed in the past year. Let’s take a look at the results and see which brands are the most popular.

We’ve seen in past surveys that most of us throw a mixed bag. Which means we have more than one brand in our bag. In fact, we might not even have a favorite brand. So, the survey gave us the choice to indicate our favorite brand, or which single brand that we had the most of in our bag.

Innova is the favorite brand of one in every four of us. That’s quite bit more than second place Discraft. Discmania is sandwiched between two trilogy brands near the top of the list. And MVP rounds out the top five. A total of 56 different brands were chosen by at least one person as their favorite in the survey.

There were quite a few people who gave answers such as, “I don’t have a favorite” or “I like several brands equally”. Sometimes it can be hard to pick just one. That is a good commentary about having so many brands that make quality discs.

Did Our Favorite Brand Change?

The follow-up question that we asked in the survey was whether or not people’s favorite brand changed last year. People can have a lot of different reasons for changing favorites. So we also asked the people who indicated that their favorite brand did change last year, why it changed. Here are the results.

Surprisingly, nearly a third of us decided to switch favorite brands! That is a lot higher than I would have guessed. Switching favorite brands means learning new discs and breaking them in. Let’s take a look at why people were switching favorites.

New Plastic and Flight Numbers

Keeping in mind that people could select multiple reasons for changing favorite brands, nearly three-fourths of the people who changed, said they did so in part because of the flight and feel of new plastic. As we learned in a previous survey blog, the plastic type and the flight of a disc are two of the most important factors we consider when looking at discs. So it should come as no surprise that those two factors would be the reason people might want to change favorites.

The second most popular reason people changed favorites is because of the company itself. There were 40% of people who changed because they liked what the company was doing for disc golf, while 5.1% changed because they didn’t like some things the company was doing. Both groups were voting with their money.

Just over 15% of the people who changed favorites indicated that they did so because someone introduced them to some molds/plastics. I’ve seen a lot of people add a mold to their bag because of the recommendations of a friend or card-mate, but never switched brand favorites entirely. I had to see what brand their friends recommended. Here is a chart that shows the new favorite brand for people who received a recommendation.

MVP apparently draws the most people into its lair with their overmold technology. Nearly a fourth of the people who changed favorites because of a recommendation did so by changing to MVP. I think MVP can thank Simon Lizotte for that one. His huge sponsorship appears to have paid off.

The next closest wasn’t really close. Discraft was a distant 9.9%. Lone Star was in third place, ahead of many larger brands.

Switching because a pro that you follow changed sponsors accounted for a decent number of us who indicated that is why we changed. I suppose that is why I chose my favorite when I started. Plus McBeth’s leaving Innova might have influenced my brand selection.

From One Brand To Another

The final question about favorite brands that we asked was meant to see which brands we changed from, if we had a change last year. We wanted to see which brands decreased in the number of people who chose them as their favorite, and which brands increased. Here is the data:

It looks like Innova took the biggest hit from their former fans. There were 35% of those of us our favorite brand was Innova in 2022. But this year, only 24.4% of us picked Innova. Discraft and Dynamic Discs also dropped some numbers.

MVP, on the other hand, more than doubled the number of people who indicated that the brand was their favorite at the end of 2022, vs the beginning. Latitude 64 and Axiom also picked up some loyalists.

People will always be switching brands and trying new plastic. With all of the selections out there, why not try something new? Whether or not we make a new brand our favorite remains to be seen. Maybe we love the brand that is our current favorite, but then our favorite pro signs a new contract…

Tune in next week for more results from the State of Disc Golf Survey.

State of Disc Golf 2023

Have You Heard Of These Disc Golf Brands – State of Disc Golf Survey

May 2, 2023 Ted Hegemann One comment

Although the sport of disc golf has been growing steadily for over a decade, none of the growth compares to the explosion in popularity that occurred during the pandemic. Disc golf was the perfect activity for social distancing, and many people discovered the sport during that time.

In addition to the increase in the number of participants of disc golf, we have also seen a growth in the number of new brands hitting the market. There have been new brands rolling out with regularity over the past decade, but the explosion in popularity of disc golf also saw a rapid increase in new disc golf brands. A quick check of the PDGA approved discs list (HERE) and we see that already this year there have been numerous new manufacturers getting molds approved. Even in the past month we see a couple new brands. It will likely take some time before people know about some of the new brands and the molds they are producing.

Which Brands Do We Know?

In the State of Disc Golf survey, we asked if how well everyone knew some of the newer brands on the market. We asked you to rank how well you knew each of 14 new brands. You could rank your knowledge from “Not aware of them” to “I regularly follow this brand”. Let’s take a look at which brands you know best and least.

Who Are They?

Let’s begin by discussing how you ranked each brand that you were unfamiliar with. Part of the challenge in starting a new brand is getting the word out about your molds and plastics. That can cost a lot of money that newer companies might not have. You can’t rely on a pro getting an ace on video using your disc, like Cole Redalen did with Wild Discs’ Sea Otter. Here is a graph showing how many of you didn’t know these brands.

Five brands have a similar percentage of individuals who are not aware of them. Momentum Disc Golf (Now Momentum Discs), Wing It Disc Golf, Goliath Discs, Premier Discs, and Pie Pan Discs are all within a couple of percentage points from each other. All of these brands are just a couple of years old, and only have a few molds. As they grow and add more molds to their lineup, maybe they’ll get more recognition. Word of mouth about a great disc can give a young company a big boost. Hopefully this blog will get people to check out these brands.

Sounds Familiar

Next, let’s look at the brands that people had at least heard about.

Birdie Disc Golf Supply and Doomsday Discs are two of the ‘most heard about’ brands on the list. Both of these brands have been featured in Infinite Discs’ blog series about smaller brands that we carry. Birdie is a Delaware company, and Doomsday is a very, very unusual company that is headquartered in Wyoming (I think) but uses a variety of manufacturers and distributors (Including Infinite Discs) around the world.

Check out the Birdie Disc Golf Supply blog HERE.

Check out the Doomsday Discs blog HERE

Joining Momentum at the bottom of the list is local (to Infinite Discs) manufacturer, Wing It Disc Golf. Check out the Wing It blog HERE. Only a small percentage of us have heard of these two brands. It will be interesting to see how they grow and become more well-known.

Know A Bit About Them

Moving on to the third level of knowledge about brands, we’ll look at how many of them we know some things about. Maybe we’ve been to their website or checked out discs that they make. Here is the chart:

At the top of the list we have two brands that have garnered some attention lately. Clash Discs has announced some big name pros that they are sponsoring. The move ensured that their name would be known among anyone who follows pros to any degree. They also advertise on live events, getting their molds in front of a big audience. Check out our blog featuring Clash Discs HERE

Trash Panda Discs had a decent-sized following long before they released their first disc. Jesse, the founder of Trash Panda, had a stated goal of manufacturing and producing discs that are made from recycled plastic and are fully recyclable. He achieved that goal and is now working to expand his lineup. I interviewed Jesse before Trash Panda was even a year old. Check out that interview HERE

Finish Line Discs is just a year old, but many of us know about the brand because it was started by one of the top touring pros, Drew Gibson. That certainly helps get exposure for a new company with just a few molds.

Let’s Chat About Them

Knowing about a company, and holding a conversation about the company, are two different things. To hold a conversation about a brand takes more than just seeing a commercial, watching a pro who throws the disc, or seeing one of their discs in someone’s bag. If we know a brand well enough to converse about it, that means that we’ve at least spent time checking out the company or listening to a buddy who throws their plastic. Here are the numbers:

Once again, Clash and Trash Panda are at the top of the list. UPlay made an appearance in the top five companies. That is the brand started by Infinite’s Zoe Andyke. UPlay has one disc, the Zeal. Their focus is on growing the sport of disc golf by introducing it to kids of all ages.

I Know Them Well

The final category which indicates the level of understanding is which brand we follow. These are the brands whose molds we are familiar with, and maybe we even throw some of their discs. Let’s look at the results.

Once again, Trash Panda has the highest percent. Over ten percent of survey respondents indicate that they regularly follow this brand. Since Trash Panda has a popular Youtube channel and a mission that resonates with a lot of people, it is not surprising that they are in the number one spot. The large gap between Trash Panda and the second place spot IS somewhat surprising. Their 10% number represents hundreds of people who took the survey. Well done, Trash Panda!

If we look at the number of people who either knows about the brand, can converse about the brand, and regularly follows the brand, we can find the brands with the most exposure to the disc golf public. Given the top two brand in the last couple of graphs, the winner pretty much comes down to two brands. Drumroll, please…

Trash Panda edges out Clash by just a few percentage points! Both of those brands can feel proud about the attention they’ve been able to draw to their brands in an ever-growing competition for attention. Congrats to both brands!

Check out Infinite’s selection of the brands mentioned:

Trash Panda Disc Golf
Clash Discs
Finish Line Discs
Doomsday Discs
UPLAY Disc Golf
Birdie Disc Golf Supply
Hooligan Discs
Terminal Velocity Discs
Alpha Discs
Wing It Disc Golf
Pie Pan Discs
Goliath Discs
Premier Discs
Momentum Discs

Check back next week for more State of Disc Golf Survey results.

State of Disc Golf 2023

Why Do We Choose THOSE Discs? Part 2 – State of Disc Golf Survey

April 25, 2023 Ted Hegemann One comment

Last week we looked at some of the factors that are important to us when we are buying a disc. We looked at some of the more important factors: Brand, Plastic Type, and Flight Numbers. Of those people who said that Brand was Very Important, we looked at which brand that they indicated was their favorite. That blog can be seen HERE

Color

This week we are going to look at some more factors and see which of them we consider important. We’ll start with color.

If we think about color we might be tempted to conclude that the people who value the factor of color are doing it for aesthetics. Maybe they look for their favorite color, or they might have a single-color bag, with all of their molds pretty much the same color. (I’ve seen bags with all orange, all pink, all green, all blue, and all yellow discs). However, there are pragmatic reasons for selecting disc colors.

The first reason, one which I subscribe to, is that certain colors are easier to see. When your disc lands in tall grass or dark bushes, a bright pink disc is one of the easier colors to spot. Black, on the other hand, looks amazing but is difficult to spot in certain situations. If you happen to be color blind, other colors might be better than pink, but the bottom line is that some people want to be able to find a disc that is most visible to them.

The second reason someone might chose a certain color is that there is a belief among some disc golfers that the color of a disc affects its flight. This isn’t an inherent property that colors hold, but rather how some colors cool faster or slower than other colors. I haven’t seen empirical evidence to conclude that color makes a difference, but I know people who swear by it.

Whatever the reason, over two-thirds of us felt that color was at least Semi Important, and one in five chose the option Very Important. That mean quite a few of us might be competing for certain colors.

Weight

Next up is another factor that is (not surprising) very popular among disc golfers. One factor that can be a deal breaker. It can make a disc unusable by a beginner, and difficult to control as a more experienced golfer. That factor is a discs weight.

For beginners, weight is important because it can be the difference between having a disc that can be thrown easily for good distance, and a disc that is yet another overstable disc. Since discs must be thrown at certain speeds for them to fly like they should, beginners might be unable to throw heavier discs at the required speed, and they their actual flight would appear to be overstable.

For more skilled players, they do have the ability to throw discs at high speeds, but if they have discs that are too light, they will overpower the disc and it will become very understable and difficult to control. Therefore, it becomes important for powerful throwers to have the heaviest discs they can find.

Looking at the chart we see that 90% of us find weight at least Semi Important. And over 40% of us find it Very Important. Those numbers are because of how important that factor is to the flight of a disc.

The final three factors we will look at are not at all related to the utility of the disc. As such, I would expect them to have a smaller number of people who felt they were important. Let’s start with the importance of the stamp or artwork on a disc.

Stamp/Art Work

There are discs out there that are works of art. I love when a manufacturer puts some thought and effort into their designs. Some of those creative designs I have and throw. Others, I bought just to collect as wall hangers. I definitely consider the stamp when buying a disc. Let’s see how the group answered the question.

While only about 15% of us find the stamp Very Important, over half of us find it at least Semi Important. I suspect most of us would prefer a cool stamp, all other things being equal, so we have at least a little bit of interest in the discs aesthetics. Mix in some collectors looking for certain stamps and I think that is why the overall numbers are fairly high.

Collectability

The second factor unrelated to the flight of the disc is its collectability. This wouldn’t be too important for anyone but collectors. And even they aren’t too worried about the collectability of their throwers. Let check out the graph.

There are still nearly one in five of us that find the collectability of a disc as least semi important. I don’t know how much that number will change over time. I figured that with the growth of the sport we would see a growth in the number of collectors. Hopefully that growth continues so we have a thriving collector market. In this survey we asked if you’ve bought a disc to collect and not throw. Here is what you indicated:

The survey indicates that well over half of us bought a disc just to collect and not throw. It would be interesting to learn why the disc was being collected. We may need to ask that question in future surveys.

Resale Value

The final factor we’ll look at is Resale Value. I would expect that people who indicated that this factor is important or semi-important is a small subset of collectors, or people who just want to flip the disc for a profit. Let’s look at the numbers.

There is still ten percent of us that find resell value important to some degree. But, not surprisingly, an overwhelming number of us don’t care much. Most of us buy a disc to throw, and likely will never sell it.

Tune in next week for more survey results.

State of Disc Golf 2023

Why Do We Choose THOSE Discs? – State of Disc Golf Survey

April 17, 2023 Ted Hegemann One comment

Picture yourself walking into a disc golf store to look around. If you don’t have a local shop, picture yourself hopping on InfiniteDiscs.com. What’s the first disc you want to look at? Do you check out the discs on sale? Do you look at the new releases? Are there some cool stamps that grab your attention? Or do you just look for a specific disc you had in mind that brought you to the store in the first place?

Now that you’ve decided on what to check out, think about what drew you to the disc. Did it have a cool stamp that you like? Was there a new plastic for a mold you like? Did you head straight to your favorite brand? Maybe it was the color of the disc that caught your eye? Or perhaps it was the flight of the disc?

In this week’s State of Disc Golf survey results we examine which disc qualities we like, and which ones are not important to us. This week we’ll look at the brand, plastic types, and flight numbers. Let’s find out which factors are the most important when we buy a disc.

How Important is a Disc Golf Brand?

There was a time when disc golfers only had a few choices for brands when they were looking for a disc. However, the past few years have seen an explosion in the number of new manufacturers and new molds. We now have such a large selection of discs that we might not be as loyal to one brand. However, we might still feel like certain brands are better than others, and stick to those brands. Let’s look at the numbers and see how important brand it to our disc buying preference.

Nearly 25% of us find the brand of a disc Very Important. Additionally, nearly half of us find the brand of a disc semi-important. Although more of us will likely be throwing a more mixed bag, since there are so many more options available now, those numbers may not change much in the future. Those of us who still value certain brands will just have more brands that we prefer to throw.

Out of curiosity, I wanted to see which brands were preferred by the people who indicated that brands are very important. Here is the chart showing the favorite brand, or the brand that makes most discs in our bag, by people who find the brand Very Important:

Over half of the people preferred one of three brands: Innova, Discraft, or MVP. Although MVP hasn’t been around nearly as long as the other two manufacturers, they have been around long enough to gain some traction in the disc golf world.

Year Started

The next thing I wanted to look at is what year this same group of people started playing. I wanted to see if newer players or players that started years ago were more likely to find the brand of their discs important. Here are the data:

Pandemic Choices

Over forty percent of us who say the brand is important started in 2019 or more recently. The numbers drop off prior to 2019 and are spread out relatively evenly. The worst year of the pandemic was 2020, which has the highest percentage of people who find brand important. That year there were major disruptions in the supply chain. Since people couldn’t always get the discs they wanted, they started buying any brands that were available. This introduced a lot of people to new brands. I wanted to see if the people who started playing in 2020, and who found brand important, had favorite discs that were not mainstream companies. Here are the results:

The top five brands are the same. Apparently, being forced to buy the brands that are available didn’t really gain those brands loyal followers. Or, at least those brands aren’t the only one that people are loyal to.

Importance of Plastic Type

Let’s take a look at another factor to consider when buying a disc. In fact, this factor had the highest number of people who said it is Very Important. The factor is Plastic Type. Here is the graph of the survey results:

A whopping 95% of all survey respondents indicated that they found plastic type either Semi-Important or Very Important. Over 63% said they found plastic type Very Important. I’m in that 63%. There are plastic types that I won’t throw, and others that I won’t throw with certain disc types. I hear other disc golfers express similar feelings about plastic types, so the numbers in the graph don’t surprise me.

Plastic types not only greatly affect how a disc feels in our hand, but affects the flight and durability of the disc. They also affect the cost of the disc. Less expensive plastics are not as durable, nor as stable as premium plastics. They do cost less and occasionally we might want a disc to wear a little faster so it will fly like we want.

Are Disc Golf Flight Numbers Important?

The second most popular factor that we look for in a disc is its flight numbers. Although flight numbers for a particular mold can vary significantly because of plastic type, wear, and weight, it is still the best system we have for a manufacturer to indicate approximately how a disc should fly. We can then use that knowledge to find out if a particular disc is the right one for us.

Over half of us rate flight numbers as Very Important, and nearly ninety percent think that they are at least Semi-Important. Although it would be nice if we could test the flight of each mold and plastic under controlled conditions with few variables, until we reach that point we’ll have to rely on the flight numbers to help us chose a disc. It appears that most of us value the numbers and use them to guide our purchases.

Tune in next week when we will conclude our examination of the disc factors that are most important to us.

State of Disc Golf 2023

« 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 16 »