Best Disc Golf Fairway Drivers of 2018

Disc Golf Tunnel Shot

Note, this article was written in 2018. If you’re interested in more details of the best fairway drivers this year, check out this article as well:

Last week we kicked off our new series of posts naming the best disc golf discs on the market. We chose our pick for the best distance driver, and today we will take a look at the fairway drivers. Like the distance drivers, there are lots of new fairway drivers for players to choose from. Do you just want someone to tell you which one is the best? Well, let’s try to answer that question today.

Before I list our nominees for The Infinite Discs Best Disc Golf Disc: Fairway Driver, let me break down what we are looking for in a fairway driver today. Like the distance drivers, our keywords for choosing nominees will be popularity and utility. We will select popular fairway drivers that can be utilized by disc golfers of all skill levels. This especially gets interesting for control/fairway drivers, because we see a larger spectrum of stability and uses for different types of control drivers. Just a reminder from our last post as well, we will avoid nominating similar discs from the same brand (think TeeBird and TeeBird3).

So first, lets look at which fairway drivers have been the best sellers in 2018 so far.

Top sellers of 2018:

  1. Innova Firebird
  2. Innova Teebird
  3. Innova Thunderbird
  4. Discmania FD
  5. Innova Valkyrie
  6. Innova Leopard3
  7. Innova Leopard
  8. Infinite Discs Exodus
  9. Innova Teebird3
  10. Innova Roadrunner

Innova has traditionally dominated the best sellers in the distance driver category, but in 2018 they have really made gains in the fairway drivers as well. But what is interesting to know is of the next 10 best sellers, only 2 of them are Innova discs. Nearly all brands have released a competitive selling fairway driver.

But like I said, it takes more than popularity to receive a nomination and be named the best! So here are the nominees:

Latitude 64 Diamond

The Latitude 64 Diamond is considered by many to be the beginner driver.

This fairway driver is very understable and only comes in lighter weights. That combination makes it perfect for younger players or newer players who are still working on their form. Even more experienced players who like to throw at slower speeds have been able to put the Diamond to work for their game.

 

Dynamic Discs Escape

The Escape was the first Fairway Driver made by Dynamic Discs, and it has been a staple of the lineup ever since.

The Escape offers a pretty straight and neutral flight that can be used at all skill levels. The Escape gets a little more distance than some of the other fairway drivers nominated, and it is offered in a variety of DD’s plastic blends.

 

Discmania FD

The Discmania FD has been around for seven years now, but it has really just grown in popularity over the last 2 or 3 years.

Many players consider this the slightly understable cousin of the Innova TeeBird. The FD is straight to understable with a glide rating of 6 that is no joke. The FD is a sneaky far disc with a flight pattern that can accommodate all skill levels.

 

Dynamic Discs Felon

The Dynamic Discs Felon falls in the more overstable side of the fairway driver category.

With a flatter profile and overstable flight, many would consider this disc a primarily forehand or flick disc, but more seasoned players can manage this disc throwing backhand as well. What sets the Felon apart is it isn’t a true “meathook.” This disc, when given the right power, will hold straight before delivering a reliable overstable fade at the end of the flight.

 

Innova Firebird

The Innova Firebird‘s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years due to the Nate Sexton Glow Firebirds.

But even before then, the Firebird was known as a reliable overstable fairway driver perfect for getting around a corner or when you needed a disc to hold up in the wind without turning over. The Firebird along with the Felon are probably the least beginner friendly of our nominees.

 

Innova Leopard/Leopard3

We decided to list the Innova Leopard and Leopard3 together. If we were putting this list together last year, we probably would have just nominated the Leopard. But over the last year the Leopard3 has jumped way up on the sales charts and is becoming more and more mainstream. They are similar discs, with the Leopard3 offering a little more speed and stability. The Leopard is a very popular beginner’s disc, especially in DX plastic where it is inexpensive and offered in lighter weights. But both the Leopard and the Leopard3 have a flight that all throwers can find a use for.

 

Latitude 64 River

The Latitude 64 River has moved down the sales charts a bit over the last year, but it still is a very popular disc that has a unique mold and flight.

The River is slightly bigger than most drivers, but it has a smaller rim and a slight dome. I personally don’t know the science of it, but the River has great glide that allows the disc to stay in the air for what seems like forever. This disc is a long, straight flyer that can accommodate all arm speeds.

 

Innova Roadrunner

The Innova Roadrunner has been around for over 13 years, but it is experiencing a bit of a resurgence.

It has always been a very popular understable disc that is great for beginners. But recently the Roadrunner is growing in popularity as a distance roller disc for more experienced players. That being said, bigger arms will still enjoy this disc for long understable air shots.

 

Innova TeeBird

The Innova TeeBird will turn 20 years old in 2019, and throughout that time it has been an extremely popular disc for players of all skill levels.

It is in that sweet spot in stability where it isn’t too overstable for newer players, but it is overstable enough to handle big power from the pros. The TeeBird has a reliable flight and is available in a large variety of plastic blends and weights.

 

Innova Thunderbird

The Innova Thunderbird is often described as being a faster TeeBird, offering a little more distance. And if you just go by the manufacturers flight ratings, that is exactly right.

The higher speed makes this disc a little less beginner friendly, but is still very popular among all disc golfers. If you have found a shot that the TeeBird just comes up a bit short on, try a Thunderbird and you should be pretty close!

 

MVP Volt

MVP and their Gyro technology disrupted the disc golf world when they first hit the scene.

At first they just offered putters and midranges, but at the end of 2012 they brought the overmold to the drivers with their release of the Volt. The Volt has continued to be one of MVP‘s best selling discs ever since. It is a straight to slightly overstable fairway driver that delivers a consistent flight pattern.

 

We have quite a few more nominees for our fairway drivers than we had distance drivers, but like I mentioned, the fairway driver category covers more types of flights, so we felt that there were more discs that deserved nominations in this category.

Best Fairway Driver of 2018

All of these fairway drivers are very popular and can enhance the game of disc golfers of all skill levels. But today we have made our decision for the BEST fairway driver on the market. And the winner is…

THE INFINITE DISCS BEST DISC GOLF DISC: FAIRWAY DRIVER

INNOVA TEEBIRD

It is hard to make a case against the Innova TeeBird. The TeeBird has been the standard of the fairway driver category for years, and it offers a flight that can compliment the game of all skill levels of disc golfers. The TeeBird is available in a large variety of plastic blends and weights, so if you haven’t, check out the TeeBird today.

What’s your favorite fairway driver? Share your opinion with the disc golf world by commenting below.

29 comments

  • The leopard3 hands down my favorite fairway driver! After learning how to play disc golf with the starter 3 pack leopard I was so excited to try a new take on a classic disc!!!

  • Although I’m REALLY loving the Infinite Discs Exodus for tight controlled lines, it is hard to beat the Star Teebird! I use a 171g, AJ, Star Teebird that flies crazy straight with a very predictable fade and sometimes skip. If I put a little more whip it is able to flex out nice and smooth before finishing back to the right (LHBH).

  • I’m an undertaker man myself. Rival is pretty sexy to. My dream is to own all the infinite brand discs but so far I have none.

  • Star teebird3 and a similar disc that is underated is a champ tl. I shot a one disc round with a champ Tl and got my all time best score.

  • Legacy Mongoose – such a great fairway driver for controlled hyzer flips. As long as you aren’t relying on it into a headwind which requires you to stable up a little, it is such a consistent, cool, and fun disc to throw.

  • The Tee-Bird is my favorite fairway driver. The Tee-Bird comes in just about all of Innova plastics and weights, making it easy to get the flights you want. DX plastic breaks in fairly quickly to get an understable flight, and a Star or champion plastic will hold its stable to overstable flight for a long time. Overstable, straight and understable all in one mold.

  • I’ve never been a big arm on the course. As such I throw a lot of 9 speed drivers. At first I threw a lot of Teebirds and Eagles. The Thunderbird has been amazing since coming out a few years ago. I love this disc. A beat in Star Thunderbird turns over nicely and gets some great distance, while the Champion Thunderbird is a bit more overstable. I can throw either as hard as I can and they just go and go.

  • Hands down sexton firebird. Needs no explanation.

  • I throw almost exclusively discraft, and my favorite disc is the vulture, basically discrafts Thunderbird, and it is my go to fairway driver. I love how straight and predictable it is. That said gotta give a shout out to the firebird, one of the only non discraft discs I bag, I use it for hyzers mostly, flex shots and flicks as well, and my first ace was a firebird! I really like the discraft predator which is basically a firebird but for some reason I keep losing them, and I just seem to keep getting free firebirds so I stuck with them. Got a couple other utility fairways but the vulture is just so useful, flicks, softer flexes, force annys, sky bombs, straight up the gut, rollers, skips, flares, whatever I need it to do it just seems to work. If i minimized my bag to one disc per category, it’d be a Soft Roach putter, buzzz mid, vulture fairway, and crank driver. Discraft for life!

  • The Escape is a slighly longer and slightly more overstable FD. Compared to and FD it give me a little more seperation from my mids and I can trust it in most wind conditions. The Escape is my workhorse!

  • I started throwing the Vulture late this summer and love them. I also really like the lat 64 explorer and DD maverick.

  • The Gstar Leopard. I like playing in the woods and this disc gets it done.

  • Fairway drivers make up the bulk of my bag and rightly so- they provide such great control and versatility!
    My choice for best fairway disc is the Thunderbird. It is stable enough to fight through wind, has a consistent straight flight, and is versatile to be thrown backhand or forehand. What is great too, having this disc is different plastics and weights can allow for less stable flights to accommodate slower arms.
    I personally enjoy throwing the Thunderbird forehand, and get a nice flex with the Champion Glow plastic. This disc will be a staple for as long as I play!

  • It beyond ridiculous that the Latitude 64 Saint is not on this list.

  • My favorite of the group is hands-down the Teebird. It is consistent in fairly strong winds, and flies nice and straight with a consistent fade left at the end. I have a Thunderbird in my bag also, but it is very stable and more difficult to throw. I used to throw a River, but it did not handle the wind as good, and I had problems trusting it unless the conditions were perfectly calm. I also carry an escape, but it seems more overstable than the T-Bird. Finally, I have thrown a Bolt and while I liked it, it never was as consistent as the T-Bird.

  • I love my tee bird. But the mantis from disc craft in my lucky tie dye, can get me out of any jam it’s definitely my favorite utility driver. Tomahawk, bomb, roller, anhyzer , hyzer, forehand, backhand, skips no problem with the nice champ plastic. Always mantis why don’t they have a mantis emoji

  • I really enjoy my FD and would say at this point in my game it is my favorite fairway driver. Thrown on a slight hyzer the disc goes straight and has amazing glide, thrown flat it has a bit of turn before a slight fade back. Number two in my bag is the trusty TeeBird.

  • Dcn Ambrose Dobrozsi

    Gotta say, I have absolutely loved my Infinite Discs Exodus. I picked it up immediately at launch – 171g S-Blend, and I love it. It’s perfect for the slot – it’s overstable, with the slightest touch of turn so that it carries perfectly straight and softly fades up to 330 or so. It holds angles beautifully for flex, forced turnovers, or long sweeping hyzers. The rim is perfect, and the plastic blend has held up to Cincinnati woods golf for almost a whole year of constant use now. I plan on picking up a second one in C-Blend, because it’s such a good mold.

  • One of the first discs I got was a used Roadrunner and I’ve had it for like 4 or 5 years now. It is beat beyond repair but it is an amazing disc to say the least. My main roller disc by far, but built great for long anhyzers when my forehand can’t quite reach. Hasn’t gotten me an ace yet but it has tried its best for a long time, love it!

  • I’m really enjoying my Discmania FD as my go to fairway driver. Number two would be my Innova TeeBird.

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