Best Disc Golf Fairway Drivers for 2024
Disc golf drivers can be broken down into two categories: Distance drivers and fairway drivers (also called ‘control drivers’). For longer shots most disc golfers reach for their distance drivers. For more controlled or technical shots, control drivers are the go-to type of driver. They have slightly slower speeds, more narrow rims, and are easier to throw at a speed that will allow shaping your shot.
Top Selling Fairway Drivers
Much like our Best Putters of 2024 and Best Distance Drivers of 2024, this week we will look at the Best Fairway Drivers of 2024. We’ll look at the top selling molds, the most popular brands, and the highest rated discs. Let’s start by checking out the top 50 according to Infinite Discs sales:
Infinite Discs took the top three spots on the list, rounded out with the third-place Centurion. One place in front of the Centurion is the popular understable fairway driver, the Sphinx. Taking the top spot by a sizable margin is the Infinite Discs Dynasty. The Dynasty represents over 6% of all fairway drivers sold, and is coming up on its two-year birthday (Approved Jan. 2022). It is a signature disc for a couple touring pros. Both Eric Oakley and Maria Oliva throw the speed 9 Dynasty.
Top Dynasty Plastics
Checking out the Dynasty sales we see that nearly one in four discs sold was in Signature Halo S-Blend. That is Eric Oakley’s signature disc. The second-most popular plastic is the more overstable C-Blend Glow. Third and fourth were close, with Signature Swirly S-Blend and C-Blend taking about 9 percent of the sales each.
Top Fairway Driver Brands
Although Infinite’s mold took all three spots of the podium, there were two other brands that had more discs in the top 50. Once again, Innova and Discraft are number’s one and two for the most molds, and combined they have 20 percent of the molds in the top 50. Innova is in first with a whopping 13 molds, nearly doubling Discraft’s seven molds. Infinite has 6 molds. Smaller brands such as Dino Discs and Finish Line joined Doomsday, Dynamic Discs, and Kastaplast, all having one mold in the top 50.
Highest Rated Fairway Drivers
Shifting from the best disc golf fairway drivers based on sales, we look at the highest rated fairway molds. Infinite Discs allows customers to rate individual discs and products to help other disc golfers see how other people feel about discs and accessories. If you would like to contribute YOUR reviews you can earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards.
A quick check of the highest rated fairway drivers and we see that the Infinite Discs Sphinx is the highest rated with 4.89 out of five stars. The second place Centurion is just a tick behind the Sphinx with 4.88. Taking third place for the highest rated fairway driver is the first mold from Thought Space Athletics, the Mantra. It has an average rating of 4.86. It’s easy to see why these three sell so many discs. Based on the reviews, people really love them!
Highest Rated Overstable Fairway Drive
Our website has two different classifications of Overstable. The “Overstable” classification is used for slightly overstable discs, while the “Very Overstable” classification is used for the real meat hooks of disc golf, those discs that are overstable for players of all abilities.
The highest-rated overstable fairway driver is a mold that has been part of the disc golf scene for a couple of decades. That mold is the Innova TeeBird. It tops the list with a rating of 4.76 out of five stars. Just behind the TeeBird is the second-place Discraft Raptor, with an average rating of 4.75. Discraft also holds third place with its slightly overstable Undertaker. The speed 9 Undertaker is rated 4.73
Highest Rated Stable Fairway Driver
Fairway drivers that have minimal high-speed turn and fade are considered ‘stable’. These discs can be shaped to suit the needs of a particular situation. The mold with the highest rating in this category is the Infinite Discs Centurion. The speed 7 Centurion has a little bit of turn at high speed, and a relatively mild fade at the end of its flight. It has an Infinite rating of 4.88, making it one of the higher rated discs of any category. In second place for fairway drivers is the Discmania Essence, rated at 4.79. A couple tenths behind the Essence is the Innova TL3. The TL3 is a faster version of the TL, which is a less overstable version of the TeeBird. It has an rating of 4.59
Highest Rated Understable Fairway Driver
Sometimes you need a bit more turn on your throws in order to either shape the shot you want, or keep turning over until you get a roller. In other words, you need something understable. Here is a list of some of the highest-rated molds that have a bit more understability in their flight.
Sitting at the top of the list as the highest rated and top selling understable fairway driver is Infinite Discs’ Sphinx. It is a flippy speed 9 disc that can definitely give you some turn in your flight. The Sphinx is rated at a whopping 4.89 out of five stars. Second place is another speed 9 mold, TSA’s Mantra. It is rated at 4.86. In third place with a pretty high rating is the Axiom Insanity. The Insanity is rated 4.71.
What are Your Favorite Fairway Drivers?
Let us know your favorites!
Those are our lists of the top fairway drivers with sales and ratings data. Let’s add to the data by hearing from YOU! Please answer one or more of the following questions:
1 – What is your favorite fairway driver?
2 – What is your favorite over/understable fairway driver?
3 – What do you think will be the best fairway driver for next year?
Let us know if the comments below.
We selected five random commenters and gave them an Infinite Gift Card. Congrats to the winners:
Drew H – Is favorite fairway driver is a TSA Votum. He likes its reliability.
Kevin M – Tops on his fairway list is the Latitude 64 Explorer
James V – He likes both the Birdie Strike and the Discmania FD
Morgan L – A disc golfer after my own heart, chooses the Infinite Discs Sphinx
Matt Y – He is bagging the Discmania FD
Find out about current giveaways HERE
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.
Gotta be the FD!
1 – What is your favorite fairway driver?
– I-Blend Centurion
2 – What is your favorite over/understable fairway driver?
-OS – Star Eagle
-US – I-Blend Exodus
3 – What do you think will be the best fairway driver for next year?
– Centurion
Favorite: Thunderbird
OS-Raptor
US-Sphinx
Best for next year: Dynasty
Favorite: DX Teebird (running OS to US)
Favorite understable: Hatchet
Favorite overstable: Vulture, also Teebird
Looking forward to: have a new TSA Coalesce to try out
1 – What is your favorite fairway driver?
Gstar Leopard3
2 – What is your favorite over/understable fairway driver?
Overstable: Mad Cat
Understable: Sphynx
3 – What do you think will be the best fairway driver for next year?
Cicada
Favorite: Wing It Stratophere. An underdog choice here for sure but I love the plastic, love the rim, it fits in my hand beautifully and I get an arching, smooth turnover with every shot even when I crank it or underpower it. As reliable as they get for me.
OS: Undertaker in ESP or ESP Flex. Without a powerful arm this is my wind fighter and does the job well, fits in my hand and performs consistently in ESP
US: Other than my Stratosphere, I would pick my Heat in ESP FLEX. Another great disc I can coax more distance out of and has decent glide. the margin for error is a touch wider for me on this disc and therefore it slots in under the Wing It for now.
Best: Hard to answer as the term ‘best’ is highly subjective, however, I’ll make a case for the lowly Leopard. I think its best because almost every disc golfer in the game at least in the US and likely more has had or thrown a Leopard. Its a teaching disc that creates opportunities to get deeper into the game for almost everyone. Name someone who cant throw a leopard or someone that cant learn something from throwing one. They’ll always have a special place in my heart and its my candidate for best control driver based on its legacy and continued high level sales.
Have to agree with the sphinx as my favorite. I’m a novice player having started in 2020. I max out around 350 on a good day. The understability of the sphinx is really helpful for me and I would guess most amateur players. I also bag a Dynasty and an Aztec which I could easily see being favorites next year as my form and distance improve.
Favorite – Halo Centurion
Favorite Overstable – CG Champion Firebird
Favorite Understable – Star Roadrunner
Next years favorite – Quantum Vela (I don’t think it will be a top seller, but I do think it’s one worth checking out in 2024).
My most used was probably the Exodus. Specifically that first Oakley run.
Favorite: ESP Passion
Overstable/understable: Gossage Raptor/orbit eye maverick
2024: Passion. It’s always a passion
1 – My favorite fairway driver has become the Discmania CD1. People of all skill levels can utilize this disc.
2 – My favorite overstable fairway driver is my halo firebird. It has the reliable fade needed for those headwinds and tight fairways where you need something to ride a line as best as possible.
My favorite understable fairway driver is the Mint Discs Jackalope. People of every skill level can use this disc.
3 – I’m hoping the Jackalope can be one of the best selling fairway drivers. It deserves more recognition.
Favorite: Hawkeye
OS: Lone Star Mad Cat
US: Prodigy F9
Favorite fairway driver is the TSA Votum! Such a reliable predictable flight, every single time.
My favourite fairway is an old out of production Discraft Elite-X XS.
Favourite overstable fairway is an Big Z Predator.
Understable my go to is a Proline Swirl DGA Vortex
With the Dynasty so far ahead is sales, I can’t see it dropping from #1 this year. This blog post will probably give it a bump in sales already.
Lat64 River, straight flier with lots of glide. Can throw this just as far as higher speed discs and just love the way it rides the air.
I love my Gummy C Blend Centurion!!!!
1) Favorite is the TSA Mantra. With the different plastics and flights from them, it gets used a lot from my bag. Crave is a close second.
2) Understable: Ethos Mantra Overstable: Ethos Coalesce
3) This coming year? I’m not sure. I’d love to see TSA come out with a straighter 6/7 speed.
Crave! I have it in R2, Fission, and Proton, but Proton is by far my favorite plastic for it.
Just one word…Saint by Latitude 64.
Straight, glide for days, and a slight finish at the end. Love this disc.
I like to keep it simple
Os- Firebird
Neutral- dynasty
Us- Hawkeye
As for my favorite of all time that’d have be a Valkyrie because I can make that disc do whatever I actually want whenever I want.
Favorite fairway driver: Infinite C-blend glow Dynasty
Favorite under stable fairway driver: Innova Champion Roadrunner
Favorite over stable fairway driver: DGA Avalanche
Really hoping that the Dynasty keeps its place but would love to see the Teebird3 climb higher up the list!