Best Disc Golf Distance Drivers of 2018
***Update***
This post was written for 2018. If you’re looking for the best drivers of 2020, check out these more recent articles.
Choosing a disc golf disc isn’t as easy as it used to be. Over the last 5 years alone the disc golf industry has exploded with new manufacturers and molds that has given the disc golfer more variety and options than ever before. But what is a blessing can also be a curse for folks who are new to the sport. They might feel intimidated by complex flight charts and numbers. While working at Infinite Discs, I have often been asked by newer players, “Could you just tell me which is the best disc?”
Well, that’s the question this new series of posts will hope to answer. Over the next few weeks, we will be naming nominees for the best disc golf disc in a variety of categories and awarding one of the nominees with the title of The Infinite Discs Best Disc Golf Disc in each category. Will our nominees and winners be subjective? Absolutely, but we will do our best to be fair and impartial judges.
How will we choose our nominees and winners then? The two key words we will use to guide us in the nomination process will be popularity and utility. We want to select a popular disc that can be utilized by disc golfers at a large variety of skill levels and arm speeds. We will also try to avoid nominating similar discs from the same brand. For example, we won’t be nominating both the Destroyer and the Wraith from Innova. While they are two different discs that can be used differently, that difference is slight enough to not merit nominating them each individually.
Today, let’s discuss the best disc golf distance drivers. We will first take a look at the top 10 selling distance drivers of 2018, and then I will name our nominees.
Top sellers of 2018:
- Innova Destroyer
- Innova Wraith
- Innova Shryke
- Infinite Discs Pharaoh
- Innova Boss
- Innova Tern
- Innova Beast
- Dynamic Discs Trespass
- Discmania PD Freak
- Innova Orc
If you have followed any of our sales reports, this shouldn’t be a very surprising list. The one that surprises me the most would be the Discmania PD. It wasn’t a new release this year, but its popularity has grown significantly over the last few years. This is a category that has been dominated by Innova for a while now, but as you will see in our nominees, there are other manufacturers that are producing high quality distance drivers that continue to grow in popularity.
So, without further ado, here are the nominees for the Infinite Discs Best Disc Golf Disc: Distance Driver:
Discraft Crank
The Discraft Crank was originally released in 2013. Ever since then, it has been a staple in the Discraft lineup that has provided throwers with a long, slightly understable flight that works great for intermediate players who are just getting the hang of the distance drivers, but it still has enough stability for more expert throwers who need a reliable understable flyer that can just sail forever.
Discmania DDx
The DDx set the disc golf world on fire during the summer of 2016 with a hot release that was highly anticipated. The DDx is rumored to have been created by combining a Destroyer top and a Tern bottom. I’m not sure how true this is, but this allows for a great explanation for the DDx‘s flight pattern that is enjoyed by players of all skill levels. It isn’t too understable like a Tern is for some, and it isn’t too overstable like a Destroyer is for others. The DDx is a straight, stable flying disc with glide for days.
Westside Destiny
The Westside Destiny might be the most understable distance driver nominated, but don’t assume you have too much arm speed if you haven’t tried it yet. The Destiny offers higher arm speeds a reliable hyzer-flip disc that (in the right conditions) can turn over and sail a long time before slowly stabling up to have a soft fade to finish. If you’ve tried throwing the other discs nominated here and can’t seem to get the distance your more experienced friends are getting, try out the Destiny.
Innova Destroyer
The consistent king of the sales charts, the Destroyer definitely ranks high in popularity. It has an impressive performance as well that nearly all disc golfers can incorporate into their game. It may not be considered the most beginner friendly, but this disc is available in a wide variety of weights and plastic types that make it accessible for nearly all skill levels, and it is a disc that players do not outgrow. There has been some speculation already that the Destroyer will suffer from the recent Paul McBeth news, but they have a short memory. The Destroyer has been a game changer since 2007, and I think it will be just fine without the McBeast.
Discraft Nuke
The old question in the distance driver world was do you prefer the Nuke or the Destroyer?
Since then the distance driver world has gotten much more crowded, but the Nuke still remains a favorite for lots of disc golfers who prefer the higher speed and larger rim that it offers.
Like the Destroyer, Discraft has made the Nuke available in a wide variety of plastics and weights.
Dynamic Discs Sheriff
The Sheriff came to town in 2017 with a very welcomed reception. The Sheriff offers a little more stability than the Westside Destiny, making it one of the most utilizable distance drivers in the trilogy lineup.
The Sheriff can be hyzer-flipped by the big arms, and it offers reliable distance for nearly all skill levels.
Innova Shryke
The Shryke has had a somewhat sneaky climb into prominence. It rose above other understable high speed drivers that Innova released before by offering that perfect balance in stability that allows higher arm speeds to still enjoy and maximize the distance in the Shryke.
For many players, the Shryke has become the Destroyer light.
Dynamic Discs Trespass
The Trespass was one of the first discs that Dynamic Discs released when they began manufacturing discs in 2012. It has been a strong seller ever since, and it was one of the first discs that really disrupted the “Nuke or Destroyer” train of thought. It disrupted the market with a similar flight in the now popular Swedish plastic blends, and now the Trespass has become a household disc golf name.
Those are the nominees for The Infinite Discs Best Disc Golf Disc:
And the winner is….
Best Distance Driver of 2018
THE INFINITE DISCS BEST DISC GOLF DISC: DISTANCE DRIVER
No upsets here. The Innova Destroyer was a game changer when it was first released over 10 years ago, and it continues to be a force in the disc golf community. It is available in nearly all plastics and weights, so if you haven’t given this disc a shot, you should be able to find a Destroyer that will fit for your game. We have thousands of Innova Destroyer’s in stock in dozens of fun and limited edition stamp types.
Air Bolt is the first disc I could throw far enough not to be embarrassed when playing with my younger buddies who can bomb it. It needs a little room to work but it is so nice to have a 13 speed disc that weak armed older guys can throw a long way! Keep trying to find something longer for me and keep coming up empty except possibly the now defunct Vibram unlace. Air Bolt flies long and true and is definitely a disc I suggest you try!
Hands down the Dynamic Discs Captain is my best distance driver. I can sling it as hard as I can and it never turns over, but at the same time I can go 75% power and get it to fly straight pretty much the whole flight with just a little fade at the end. It’s like a laser.
My Star Destroyer @ 160g has been my most consistent driver to date. With a lighter weight it will flip up and sail most of its flight before fading out.
The Wahoo is the best distance driver ever. If you suck at disc golf, but need to throw over 200ft of open water, you can rely on the Wahoo to faithfully float in the water allowing you to stay dry until after you throw a more trustworthy disc from the drop zone. Yes, grab yourself a Wahoo, you won’t regret it. This is just a personal experience, but one time, my friend was drowning in the ocean during a tournament, and I threw my Wahoo right too him. He was able to use it to stay afloat until the coast guard came and delivered him to the next basket. He went on to become the rec. division world championship. True story. Get yourself a Wahoo, save a life.
The Westside King was the first distance driver that I was able to consistently get farther than 300 feet and started to really hoard. In Tournament Plastic, the King is really understable and great for distance for weaker arm players who have trouble breaking 300 feet. For a little bit more stability but still excellent power, the Destiny became my other main distance drivers. Now I just use the IBlend Pharaoh for both spots, in lighter weights it’s really understable and in heavier weights it’s really similar to the Destiny, but I love the feel of I-Blend plastic more. It’s super grippy and I feel I get more spin and distance throwing the Iblend Pharaoh compared with other distance drivers and even the Pharaoh in other plastics.
I came to disc golf late in life. I’m 66 and have been playing for about 3 years, usually only 1 round on a weekend, so I’m clearly an amateur with a maximum distance of a little over 300′. Because of my slower arm, I use several discs for different circumstances but rely heavily on the DGA SP Line Sail. I’ve thrown it over 330′ with a nice skip and although I can make it go seriously right, it will give me a terrific S curve as long as I give it a proper hyzer angle on the launch. I always carry two in my bag, one relatively new, and it’s my most used disc.
The shrike is my go to distance disc. At 66 I can still pump it out about 300 to350 at 160 to 167 grams.
I am an intermediate DG player and am working my way up the speed ladder. Right now the disc that works most consistently is the Innova Beast. Had one in DX and it became severely understable as it beat in. Now using a Star plastic model that will retain flight characteristic longer
I’ve been playing for about a 1.5 yrs and I can crush my MVP Excite. I love that disc and even had my first ace with it. The local disc golf shop owner talked me into it even with the higher speed rating and I just love it.
Currently loving my glow Falk, it feels great in the hand. I don’t have much of an arm so its understability is great for me. If only it had a nicer stamp!
Innova Wraith for distance all day, I usually rely on my Blizzard Champion for easy distance. Or max weight Star Wraith for windy days.
MVP and Axiom drivers need to be on this list. FH/BH does not matter . I throw 3 mvp’s (Teleport longest, Impulse Long Stable in neutron, and an Axiom Insanity is also a 400 footer. I have thrown almost all of the discs mentioned above and Trilogy= MVP AXIOM, STREAMLINE(Single mold only)
As a forearm thrower, I have to go with an Innova Firebird. It allows me to throw a hard anny that can flex out for long distances. It’s stable enough that I know that it will always come back right.
I throw RHBH and the innova Shryke was the first high speed driver that i could throw 300+ consistently. For my forehand shot I like the Streamline Trace.
DDX – I max out around 375′ – 400′ and the DDX is the most reliable disc for me. 170g S Line for tailwinds or slight right finish, 175g S Line for when I need to air it out or forehand, and 175g Glow C-Line for headwinds.
The Vulcan in Blizzard Plastic – between 160-165 – will glide and hover for miles.
I can see Spock in the cockpit when its flying at warp speed.
I love my max weight MVP Catalyst in plasma. I don’t have a huge arm, but the overmold design really helped me get more snap on the disc. I could forehand and backhand it up to flat, and the high glide would just let it sail. But apparently it liked to sail too much, because one day it grip-slipped right into the middle of a lake. Never coming back. :'( But I would definitely recommend the MVP Catalyst for those looking for a high speed driver but don’t have the power to flip a Destroyer or a Nuke.
We all have our favorite discs for certain shots and big distance and my nomination is no exception. The Innova Orc is great for all armspeed players, forehands and backhands, and utility shots. I throw mine in 175g champion plastic and have gone through a few in the last couple years (my current one being yellow with black spider web). This is the first disc I could ever get past 250 and remains my go to forehand driver.
It would be remiss of me if I did not leave a comment with respect to the Missilen and Raketen from Latitude. I personally think that there is something to the “hex” tech with these discs that other companies need to explore.
For me, I can’t think of a more versatile driver than the DD Sheriff. I am able to throw stable hyzers with my sparkle lucid, long S-lines with my standard lucid and rollers with my fuzion. The disc is a must in my bag at all times!