Best Disc Golf Drivers for Beginners

June 25, 2013 Infinite Discs 74 comments

Summer is here and disc golf courses are becoming overcrowded throughout the country. During this annual flock to the courses the great sport we call disc golf is being discovered by thousands of new rookies. As beginning disc golfers learn about the complexities of the game, the first thing they typically want to know is, “what are the best disc golf drivers?”

To a new disc golfer, the ‘best’ driver typically means the one that will fly farthest — It’s all about getting distance. Beginners rarely want to start out with a “slow” midrange or putter.

When a new disc golfer first glances the many varieties of available drivers, they often assume that high speed discs will go farther. Experienced disc golfers know this is rarely the case. Until a player develops sufficient technique, other discs are best.

True, not all new players to the sport will start be at the same skill level. Define beginner as you would like. What we want to know is which disc is the best for your typical beginner.

Best Discs for New Players

We’ve asked the following questions to our site visitors:

What prior disc-throwing experiences did you have before you played disc golf?
What drivers do you recommend for new disc golfers?
What discs worked well for you when you were new to the game? Why?
What new discs have you seen work well for beginners that you wish you would have had?
What disc advice would you give to a beginner?

Hopefully, advice from experienced disc golfers will help you select discs that will decrease the learning curve, and help you to get better more quickly.

Summary of Your Responses

After carefully reading all of your posts these are the main tips you’ve shared:

1. Disc golfers come from many different backgrounds including, but not limited to:
Ultimate, Catch-and-throw Frisbee, baseball, discus, catch with the dog, and badminton. Ok, that last one might not be true..

2. Here is a list of the most recommended drivers for beginners according to this post:

**22 other discs were mentioned one or two times.

3. Here are some discs that worked well for the experienced players when they were starting:

**20 other discs were mentioned one or two times.

4. Here are some discs that the experienced players wish they had when they started:

Others also mentioned:

5. Here are some common tips from the experienced players for those new to the sport:

Try driving with a putter, then moving to a mid-range, then finally a driver.
Play disc with others who are experienced and ask for tips.
Watch YouTube videos to learn proper throwing form.
Focus on your form first, not your distance.
Play often, and practice your throws in an open area.
Don’t get discouraged, and HAVE FUN!

One common theme among beginners is the desire for drivers that can provide maximum distance. However, it’s noted that beginners often assume that high-speed discs will automatically lead to longer throws, which experienced disc golfers know is not necessarily the case. Until a player develops the necessary technique, high-speed drivers may not be the best choice.

Based on the responses from the disc golf community, several drivers have emerged as popular choices for beginners.

Additionally, there were mentions of 22 other discs that were recommended one or two times, highlighting the wide variety of options available to beginners.

Experienced players also shared their experiences with discs that worked well for them when they were starting out. Some of the mentioned discs include the Innova Valkyrie, TeeBird, Shark, and Roc, among others.

Furthermore, there were mentions of discs that experienced players wished they had when they were beginners. The Discraft Buzzz was a popular choice with 7 votes, even though it’s not a driver. Latitude 64 Diamond received 3 votes as well. Several other discs were mentioned in this category, showcasing the diversity of options available to disc golfers.

Finally, the experienced players offered some common tips for those new to the sport. These tips included starting with a putter, then transitioning to a mid-range disc before moving on to a driver, playing with experienced players to seek guidance and tips, watching instructional videos on platforms like YouTube to learn proper throwing form, emphasizing form over distance, practicing frequently in open areas, and maintaining a positive attitude and having fun on the course.

This summary is a great overview of many posts. Feel free to read more below and find some real gems of advice!

Best Speed 7 Drivers

January 9, 2013 Infinite Discs Leave a comment

To my surprise, the highest rated disc golf disc is a speed 7 fairway driver. The Innova TeeBird is the standard of excellence and nearly every driver is compared with this top rated disc. While it’s not the fastest disc, the TeeBird is loved for its accuracy, control, and ability to resist turning over. From twenty different voters, the TeeBird has a perfect 5 star rating. Every voter has said that this disc is a “must have.” While there are 18 discs on our website classified with speed 7, only three of them have ratings above 4.5. Here is more information about the top rated fairway drivers as rated by our reviewers:

Innova TeeBird – The gold standard of disc golf drivers. This classic disc is found in the bag of thousands of serious disc golfers.

Here are some of the comments by the 20 voters who rated the TeeBird with a perfect rating of 5.0.

Sean Steele says:

Probably the smartest thing you can put in your bag for whatever skill level. If you’re a beginner a DX Teebird can be your max D overstable wind fighting driver. As you progress and get better you will get more in other plastics yet still love this disc. It’s the one disc I can reach for when I don’t know what else to throw and instantly give me confidence. Fights wind, bad form, and anything else you can do to make it not work and it still works. Best rating I can give for any disc.

Shane says:

I recently lost both of my TeeBirds in one round. I nearly quit the game of disc golf, not wanting to go on without the single greatest disc ever created. I’ve talked 2 friends into buying some and they’ve turned to it almost as much as I have. It’s the perfect problem solving disc that will help you out of any situation as well as give you added confidence to fire one down a narrow fairway. There’s really nothing this disc can’t do. Twas truly a dark day when they went missing. I mourned for the appropriate 5 days before getting back on the course.

Innova TL – A relative of disc golfs top rated driver, the TL (Teebird Less Overstable) has slightly less fade at the end of its flight. Not nearly as many disc golfers have experienced the TL, and from four votes, this disc has a rating of 4.75.

Clayton Upper says:

If you are ever stranded on a desert island, and that desert island for some reason has a ancient disc golf course, and you have one disc, this should be it. It is very versatile. It powers down nicely, so can be thrown mid range distance without a huge fade out. It can also be powered up nicely, especially on anny routes, to fall just a few feet shy of the big rimmers, with a lot more forgiveness. Beginner friendly and expert sexy.

Latitude 64 River – The River is loved for its amazing glide. For newer disc golfer, this disc will fly farther than anything else. While it glides farther, the River is “touchier” than the TeeBird, and it doesn’t have as high of rating. From 14 votes, the river has a rating of 4.5.

Kyle Cook says:

My current driver of choice, especially in the Gold Line plastic. Not only do these discs look AWESOME, they fly great. You can easily put the River on a variety of lines, and count on it to finish reliably every time. I like to throw disc on a straight line and just let the disc do the work The pearl look to the Gold Line is an added bonus.

To check out all the top rated fairway drivers with ratings and reviews, click this link.

Top Rated Discs

December 8, 2012 Infinite Discs One comment

The average disc golfer doesn’t want to try EVERY disc on the market just to find out what the best discs are. We’ve had discs on our site rated and reviewed by hundreds of avid disc golfers to help you determine the best golf discs. If you’re looking for the perfect disc, this is the place to start…

Top Rated Distance Drivers

When it comes to highly rated distance drivers, understable discs hold the top spots, and Latitude 64/Westside discs are highly regarded.

The Saint and Flow have the best overall ratings with nearly every reviewer saying these discs are “must haves.” It’s also interesting that the discs with the highest ratings are generally understable/stable and in the 9-11 speed category. This is likely due to the fact that the average disc golfer isn’t powerful enough for the ultra high speed discs. Moral of the story: If you don’t consistently throw for more than 350 feet, you’ll probably be happiest with a moderate speed distance driver.

View more on top rated discs, including:

Worst Rated Disc

In case you want to buy a disc that nobody likes, the Innova Groove is the one to choose. This is the only disc we have that has double digit, negative ratings.

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