Best Distance Driver For 2022
This article was written for 2022. Check out this article and data if you’re looking for the most up to date best distance drivers list.
Best Distance Driver of 2022
We looked at the best selling molds, the best rated molds, and counted your votes for your favorite mold, and we can declare the winner of the Best Distance Driver. And boy was it close! The Innova Destroyer and Wraith traded position on top of the sales and fan vote categories. And the ratings were separated by a hundredth of a point!
The top five were all Innova/Infinite, which is not surprising after seeing the results of the individual categories. Four of the top five molds have fairly similar flights, the exception being the 5th place Maya, the only understable mold. Here are the top molds and their ranking in the different categories.
| Mold | Sales | Rating | Fan | Total |
| Innova Destroyer | 1 | 4.63 | 2 | 7.63 |
| Innova Wraith | 2 | 4.64 | 1 | 7.64 |
| Infinite Discs Emperor | 3 | 4.75 | 3 | 10.75 |
| Infinite Discs Pharaoh | 4 | 4.71 | 4 | 12.71 |
| Infinite Discs Maya | 5 | 4.58 | 5 | 14.58 |
Here are some comments mentioned by fans:
Matt M – “Destroyer has to be my all time mold. Why? There are so many different throws you can make with it. A controlled spike hyzer, a sidearm flick, an all out distance bomber.”
David M – “My go-to is a seasoned Star Destroyer. It has a good feel for backhand and forehand. One at a lighter weight like 167-170 if I’m wanting a little more turn. The Destroyer is the gold standard for good reason.”
Tom – “My favorite driver has always been the Wraith. As they break in the develop a little instability so I can bag several Wraith of various plastic / beat in yet have the same grip. The Wraith is also very good in wind as I find it very reliable and wind resistant. Plus what is not to like about the Halo Wraith, wicked cool stamp.”
In this series exploring the best discs of 2022, we started with putters and have been moving up the speed ratings until this week. You can check out the survey results for Putters, Mid Ranges, and Fairway Drivers by clicking these links. Today, we will finally check out the highest-speed discs, the distance drivers, or high-speed drivers. Once again we will look at the sales data to see what people are buying. Then we will rank the molds by their Infinite rating. Finally, we will ask you to vote for the distance driver that you feel is the best. Then we will compile the information and declare a winner! We will also award one lucky commenter a gift card for their input.
Best Distance Drivers
There is something about the feel of a distance driver that sets it apart from other types of discs. The wide rim makes you feel like there is something significant in your hand, both in terms of mass and of potential distance. The sharper edge has a distinct feeling that is unlike other discs. Their higher speed rating requires a little more effort in your throw, making the movement a little more physical. All of these things add up to a different experience when you throw a distance driver.
The high-speed, or distance driver category has been the bane of many new disc golfers. Someone new to disc golf may not understand that the name of the category refers to how fast the disc must be 
thrown in order to fly like it’s designed to do. Instead, newer players regularly buy discs that they don’t have the skill to be able to throw properly. Therefore, many bad habits might be formed before the disc golfer understands the need to start by throwing lower-speed discs. Lighter plastics can help someone without the arm speed to throw higher speed discs. However, there are benefits to throwing lower speed discs when starting out.
High speed drivers account for slightly over a quarter of all disc sales at Infinite. That’s pretty close to where we could expect it to be. It does trail putters as a category by a couple of percentage points.
To find out which molds were the most popular, I pulled up a list of the top 20 discs that were sold in the past year. Below is a chart with the top discs, along with the percentage of all distance drivers sold:
| Rank | Brand and Mold | % of all distance drivers |
| 1 | Innova Destroyer | 10.5% |
| 2 | Innova Wraith | 9.0% |
| 3 | Infinite Discs Emperor | 6.5% |
| 4 | Infinite Discs Pharaoh | 5.2% |
| 5 | Infinite Discs Maya | 3.2% |
| 6 | Innova Beast | 2.3% |
| 7 | Innova Shryke | 2.1% |
| 8 | Innova Mamba | 2.1% |
| 9 | Discraft Avenger SS | 1.9% |
| 10 | Discraft Nuke | 1.9% |
| 11 | Innova Tern | 1.7% |
| 12 | Discraft Force | 1.5% |
| 13 | MVP Photon | 1.5% |
| 14 | Discraft Surge SS | 1.4% |
| 15 | Discraft Hades | 1.4% |
| 16 | Innova Boss | 1.4% |
| 17 | Discraft Zeus | 1.3% |
| 18 | Discraft Thrasher | 1.3% |
| 19 | Discraft Scorch | 1.2% |
| 20 | Innova Katana | 1.2% |
Brands in the Top 20
Although most people know about the popularity of the Destroyer and Wraith, they may not know that one out of every five distance drivers sold at Infinite is one of those two molds! Those are some successful molds. In addition to holding the top two spots in the category. Innova is also responsible for 8 of the top 20 distance drivers we sell. That ties Discraft, who also holds 8 of the top 20 spots. In a distant third place is Infinite Discs, with 3 of the top 20. There were only four manufacturers in the top 20, and here is a chart with the breakdown:
Although Infinite Discs only had three molds in the top 20, those molds accounted for a significant portion of the distance drivers sold. In fact, sales of Infinite’s three top-20 molds surpassed Discraft’s eight molds in the top 20. Here is a list of the four manufacturers in the top 20, with the percentage of overall distance driver sales for the past year:
Best Rated Discs
Now let’s take a look at the Infinite Discs rating for the top molds. These are the ratings that customers have given each mold when they give a review. The ratings give us a picture of how people feel about 
the disc once they’ve had a chance to throw it. That’s a more accurate indication of the long-term view of people’s opinions of the disc, assuming it’s been around long enough for a significant number of people to rate the mold. Infinite Discs’ Emperor and Pharaoh top the list, with ratings a bit above the rest of the group. Here are the top 20 discs, sorted by Infinite rating:
| Infinite Discs Emperor | 4.75 |
| Infinite Discs Pharaoh | 4.71 |
| Innova Wraith | 4.64 |
| Discraft Zeus | 4.64 |
| Innova Destroyer | 4.63 |
| Innova Tern | 4.61 |
| Innova Shryke | 4.6 |
| Discraft Surge SS | 4.59 |
| Infinite Discs Maya | 4.58 |
| Discraft Hades | 4.58 |
| Discraft Thrasher | 4.58 |
Fan Vote Results
We asked you to let us know which mold you considered to be the best distance driver. You responded by the hundreds, and we’ve compiled a list of the top molds. Just like the top mold sales, the fan vote was all Innova/Infinite. Topping the list wasn’t the popular Destroyer. It was the Wraith, which is like a slightly slower Destroyer. In addition to the brands you would expect to make the list, there were votes for many other brands, including Divergent Discs, Viking, Millennium, Legacy, Axiom, Kastaplast, Thought Space Athletics, and DGA.
Here is a list of the top voted discs, along with the percentage of people who voted for that mold.
| Mold | Percentage of Votes |
| Wraith | 13.9% |
| Destroyer | 9.4% |
| Emperor | 4.5% |
| Pharaoh | 4.1% |
| Maya | 3.7% |
| Boss | 3.4% |
| Grace | 3.0% |
| Mamba | 3.0% |
| DD3 | 2.2% |
| Shryke | 2.2% |
Thanks to everyone who voted!
Let Us Know Your Favorite!
Now it’s your turn to let us know about your favorite distance driver. Even if your disc didn’t make the list, let us know what it is, and why it is the best disc for you or the best driver for beginners. This is a great chance to show people looking for a distance driver why your favorite disc works for you!
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.
I’m pretty new, but just picked up an Innova Beast and I’m really enjoying it as someone just learning to throw drivers. Really pleased with how it flies!
Color Glow Champion Destroyer has a special place in my bag. My favorite driver
I started playing with the Innova Leopard3 but worked my way up to the Wraith. I love that driver.
I really like the Innova Wraith. Specifically Gstar and Halo variants!
My favorite driver is the MVP Fission Wave!
The Discmaina DD3 because it can hold up to my forehand power without flipping.
I prefer the under stable discs right now. So I’m using a Nuke SS
Zone because of the over stability but such a straight flying disc when beat in. Can use it for any flick shot.
Love my TSA Votum! I can flip it up, unlike my higher speed throwers, and expect it to ride that for just long enough before fading. I was skeptical of a brand focused on aesthetics but dang they nailed it!!
Innova Valkyrie is my go-to disc. it was my first disc, and I have different versions depending on my shot.
My favorite driver is the Axiom proton insanity! It is the disc I had the easiest time controlling when I was new to the game and now is my most reliable/controllable disc to put on a line!
I love my Infinite Discs Gummy Pharaoh.
The grip is great, the flight is perfect for me…I feel like I can use it in a lot of situations. I’m fairly new, but I really connect with this disc. Plus, the gummy versions of pharaohs are an awesome art. Infinite needs to make more gummy stamps and I will buy them…
My favorite distance driver is the Kona Panis I-blend Emperor. I love how it is slightly less stable than a new destroyer but still won’t turn into a roller. My best throws are always with this disc. Plus I-blend is the best plastic out there right now!
My favorite distance driver is a beat in star destroyer. I have a Ricky wysocki destroyer that I dyed and it is a perfect distance driver for minimal wind. Good flip up and ride. What’s good about destroyers are you are able to find some that are overstable and some that are understable. More often than other molds I feel.
My favorite distance driver disc and company wasn’t represented in these numbers and it’s the Latitude 64 Grace. It’s such a versatile disc and rather beginner friendly, feels great in the hand. I was shocked the first time I threw it and fell in love instantly so I picked up a couple more. I love the glide on it, the stability, and that it’s a higher speed without the rim feeling bulky in my hand. That’s my favorite distance driver for sure.
I love beast. I throw pretty dang far and straight. Perfect disc for a begginer. Throw great back hand a fore hand.
I can’t pick just 1 favorite disc! I have so many that I rely on. My DD3’s are go to for distance, then FD’s for control. I can do so much with an FD, a turnover, a straight shot or an overstable shot. My go to mids right now are the Buzzz, MD and MD1. Buzzz for turnovers, MD for straight, and MD1 for my slight right to left. And I put with P2’s, so reliable and consistent.
I realize now this was just supposed to be about distance drivers, whoops! Well I rotate 3 different DD3s: A CB1, CB3 and a very beat in S-line X-out. In that order is their stability, and the X-out is extremely flippy for a DD3.
I absolutely love the Maya. I’m convinced the Gummy C-Blend is the greatest hyzerflip disc ever made. Had to order another one once I lost my first one 🙁
Why? I love the Innova Shryke. I’m a new player and while I don’t really the arm speed for most high speed drivers, the Shryke flies consistently. Plus, I threw my first ace ever with my Shryke.
The Wraith (specifically GG Tour series in Halo plastic) was my favorite driver of the year. Absolutely my best forehand driver because it handle torque so well and glides forever. On backhand, now that it is beat in, it’s my farthest flyer. It can fly on any shape I need it to in fields or in woods when I need max distance and accuracy. Don’t even get me started on the skips with this thing. Haven’t aced with it yet, but I’ve hit countless baskets, especially off of forehand skips. It’s the best!