Best Disc Golf Utility Discs
What is a Utility Disc?
This disc has a few different names. It is the specialty disc or the get-out-of-trouble disc. Some people even call it their “Oh…shoot” disc. We are simply calling it the utility disc. It is the disc that you wish you had in your bag when you are stuck under a tree or are facing a unique approach shot. You can use it forehand, backhand, and sometimes even overhead or scoober. For a lot of disc golfers, while it isn’t used often, it is one of the most valuable discs in their collection because they find themselves using it more and more, and they would feel lost without it out on the course.
Discs With Unusual Shapes and Extreme Flight Characteristics
To find the best utility disc, we will be mostly looking at discs with a unique flight and shape. Our nominees will also mostly be overstable discs as they are common discs for this purpose. As always, our two keywords are popularity and utility. We are looking for popular discs that can be utilized by disc golfers of all skill levels. Also for this category we want discs that can be utilized in a variety of ways.
Best Utility Disc Nominees
So let’s take a look at our nominees for The Infinite Discs Best Disc Golf Disc: Utility Disc.
Innova Firebird
The Innova Firebird might end up with the most nominations by the end of these posts, but that’s what makes it a perfect nomination for the utility disc category. The Firebird is so versatile. It is an overstable fairway driver that is thrown backhand, forehand and overhand all over the course. And then if you find yourself in trouble, you can use it to get out of trouble in a variety of ways including overhead shots. The Firebird is consistently a best seller, and it is easy to see why.
Innova Gator
The Innova Gator hasn’t been in one of these posts for a little while, but it is a fantastic utility midrange disc. The Gator is a beaded midrange with a very overstable flight. It is great for getting around tight corners or fighting tough winds. In extreme winds it has even been seen on the putting greens in professional disc golf tournaments. So the Innova Gator is a great disc to have in the bag for those “just in case” situations.
Westside Harp
The Westside Harp has received a few nominees, and it is a great utility disc that can serve several purposes for disc golfers. It has a beadless rim and flat top that makes it very comfortable for forehand throws. The Harp is an overstable approach putter that can be used all over the course and like many of these discs, it offers extra help if some unexpected winds pick up during your round.
The Dynamic Discs Justice is a monster of a disc. Is in an extremely overstable beaded midrange. It is similar to the Innova Gator, but significantly more overstable. The Justice knows no glide. This disc wants to fall out of the sky as soon as you throw it. You might initially think this is a bad thing for a disc, but it helps fulfill the purpose of this specific disc. The Justice is a beast in the wind and offers a reliable flight that is crucial when selecting your utility discs.
The Innova Nova is our recent winner of the best driving putter. This disc is not anything close to overstable, so it doesn’t fit with most of these other nominees, but it has its own purposes as a utility disc. For one, it is an ultra-straight flying disc with nearly no fade at the end. So if you find your self in the trees with a tight tunnel to get back to the fairway, the Nova could do the trick. Also the unique overmold offers a very sticky landing. So if you are throwing onto a small island and don’t want your disc to skip or roll off the island, the Nova is a great choice again.
Latitude 64 XXX
The Latitude 64 XXX was one of our nominees for the best overhead discs. It is pretty similar to the Innova Firebird with a flatter rim. This rim makes the XXX a great choice for short overstable roller shots Have you ever been stuck behind a giant bush or tree and the basket is just on the other side? You don’t want to take two shots to give yourself a look at the basket, so a little flick or backhand roller shot could be just what you need, and the XXX is a great choice to execute this shot with (I might be speaking from experience).
The Best Utility Disc
The time has come for us to announce the winner for the Infinite Discs Best Disc Golf Disc: Utility Disc! This is a category that had several nominees that are great discs for all kinds of situations. Again, we know that these posts aren’t completely objective and free of bias, but we do try our best to be as objective as possible. All that being said, we feel good about our choice for this category. Before we reveal the winner, let’s first review the nominees:
And here is our selection for the winner:
THE INFINITE DISCS BEST DISC GOLF DISC: Utility Disc
The Innova Firebird has been featured in a few of these posts, and it seems like the clear winner for this category. The other nominees are great options as well, but what was the tipping point in favor of the Firebird is that it is a driver. This gives it a bit more versatility as a utility disc. It is great forehand and backhand, and if you need to navigate a straight shot you can put it on an anhyzer release and flex the flight. So whether it is an Innova Firebird or a similar disc, a dependable utility disc is an essential part of an experienced disc golfers bag.
What is your utility disc you keep in the bag? Which disc do you reach for when you are in trouble on the course? Is there a disc we overlooked? Tell us your favorite utility disc (nominated, or not nominated) in the comments. We will select three people who leave comments to receive their favorite utility disc for free from Infinite Discs!
Buzzz is my go to midrange disc, that can used as driver if necessary
For me it’s the titanium force, it works great for any forehand shot, flex shots, and gets a big skip when you need it. It works for drives but also getting out of trouble.
My go to is a glow champion gator. I bought it over 5 years ago and it is still the most overstable disc in my bag.
Jawbreaker Zone. Great forehand and backhand, very reliable disc.
Innova star ratings or prodigy 400 plastic A3
Great back hand, or forehand disc, works great on flex shots, and flies very differently when thrown hard or soft
Reptilian Stego! I never leave home without it. Very useful for crazy ‘I gotta get around this corner’ shots. Also isn’t likely to glide way further than wanted/expected too!
I’m all about my mortars. I have a frontline-x and a recon that can get me out of almost any rough situation that I may find myself in on the course.
I love my Star Mako for my get out of a jam disc. I feel like it really goes with the angle you put it on and gets to the spot without much skip or roll away.
EMac Truth is my get-out-of-a-jam disc. Always holds a predictable line for me, and it gets up to manageable speed when you need to hit something touchy.
I second the Emac Truth. It can power through thick branches and still hold the line. Always a go-to for most everything.
Gotta be the harp. Great all around “get out of jail free” disc
For me its the Prodigy A2. Great for all utility purposes including putting in a strong wind.
I use a goldline trident to get out of the junk. But it’s OOP. So my second choice would be an infinite discs emperor (I hope I win).
My get out of jail free card is my granite medium summit!
G Star Leopard 3 for flippy tomahawk throws out of the woods. I can hit windows up high and have the disc pan to the right, then drop back left, or hit a window straight ahead and have it quickly flip, hit the ground on it’s belly and either slide flat or get a skip.
Couldn’t scramble without it!
When things or wind looks weird I go for my Firebird!
I love my Justice. Fantastic in the wind and it bends like crazy to get around that obstacle close to the basket without going a mile past the pin. Easy to backhand or forehand. After it gets beat in a little you can get some distance. Awesome for a forehand roller. Throw it on a cut angle it stands right up and goes straight.
I bag a Firebird and a Harp, but I wanted something with a shallower rim for forehand approaches and decided to try out the Westside Anvil. Man it’s a game changer. The thing flies like an aerodynamic piece of concrete. Very overstable, sticks where it lands, and it’s a bit shallower than the Harp making it feel great in the hand. I’ve seen people calling it a beadless Justice and I would have to agree.
Zone or flat top firebird, depending on distance from target. Either are fantastic for overhands through tiny gaps or fading around obstacles.
I think it’s the gator because it allows a easy flick Forehand or backhand and execute a good shot and when your stuck behind a tree or in a bush it can be hard to get the power behind a disc like a firebird in order to execute the shot you’re looking for.