Best Disc Golf Mid-Range?

January 6, 2017 Todd Durrant 3 comments

Why Not More Mid-Range Discs?

When it comes to mid-range discs, they are generally the overlooked and forgotten discs in a player’s bag. For a lot of amateur players, there is much obsessing over which putters will suddenly make all of those near misses fall in the basket, or which drivers will suddenly give them an extra fifty feet of driving range. But less often do those players think about which disc will navigate them through the twists and turns of shorter shots on tricky fairways, or fly moderate distances with great accuracy toward the basket. Mid-range discs really should be the meat and potatoes of most player’s games. Even pro’s often turn to mid-range discs for control shots and drives that they need to see land with precision. Yet for many players, it’s just hard to get excited about mid-range discs.

We can see in the sales statistics for 2016 at Infinite Discs, that certain mid-range models have won the hearts of the masses, like the Buzzz and the Roc3. But once you pass those top few best-sellers, the sales totals drop precipitously for other quality mid-range discs. It seems that many players purchase one or two of the most popular mid-range discs, and then consider that spot filled and move on to filling a bag with more drivers.

With all that said, here are the top 10 best-selling mid-range discs for 2016 at Infinite Discs, in order from first to last. This can help you discover which discs tend to rise to the top:

For a more updated rating of the best midrange, check out this detailed blog post for the best midrange of 2020:

Best Disc Golf Midrange Disc

Best Disc Golf Driver?

December 31, 2016 Todd Durrant Leave a comment

What is Best?

When it comes to disc golf drivers, there are many hundreds of different molds from dozens of different brands. Some are quite similar in purpose and design, while others have slight variations that give them a more unique feel and differing flight characteristics. When trying to judge “the best” disc golf drivers, it is a complicated task because the best driver for any given player is a disc that is “tuned” to that player’s throwing style, strengths, and weaknesses.

A player with a slower arm speed will find that a slower-speed fairway driver will probably be much easier to control and will even fly further for them than a high-speed driver that is designed in a way that requires more speed than that player can muster. Somebody who throws with a lot of speed and cocks their wrist in a certain way might find that overstable discs fly better for them while understable discs crash early onto the ground. There are many little factors that go into a player’s throw, and different drivers can exaggerate or negate those factors.

Thus, the use of words like “the best” really amount to “best for you”. But if you want to measure the popularity of discs, meaning that those discs seem to work wonderfully for larger numbers of players, then disc sales figures are a very useful tool.

Here are the best-selling drivers (both fairway drivers and distance drivers) at Infinite Discs in the year 2016. They are arranged in descending order, from number one through number ten. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments.

Infinite Discs Top-Selling Drivers for 2016

Innova DESTROYER (speed 12)
Innova TEEBIRD (speed 7)
Innova WRAITH (speed 11)
Innova VALKYRIE (speed 9)
Innova TERN (speed 12)
Latitude 64 SAINT (speed 9)
Innova BOSS (speed 13)
Innova FIREBIRD (speed 9)
Latitude 64 RIVER (speed 7)
Discmania DDX (speed 12)

Some new drivers from 2016 that really made an impact for being so new on the market were the Discmania DDX, the Innova Colossus, and the Westside Destiny. We’ll watch 2017 closely to see what trends fall into place with disc golf drivers.

Best Disc Golf Putter?

December 29, 2016 Infinite Discs 120 comments

Without question, the best way to improve your score in a round of disc golf is to make putts. With more than 100 different putt and approach discs on the market, choosing the right putter can be overwhelming.

We understand that there is no putter which will be the best for everyone, and that this debate can never be fully settled. After all, we all have different styles and preferences. In an effort to help you determine which putt and approach discs are superior, we ask for your opinion, “What is the best putter for disc golf?” Please leave your comments to share what you love about your favorite putter.

For your consideration, here are the 10 top-selling putters in 2016 at Infinite Discs:

Dynamic Discs JUDGE
Gateway WIZARD
Innova AVIAR
Westside HARP (popular approach/ driving putter)
Discmania P2 “Psycho”
Latitude 64 PURE
Dynamic Discs WARDEN
Innova NOVA (popular approach/driving putter)
Latitude 64 DAGGER
Discraft ZONE (popular approach/driving putter)

Two putters that made a splash and gained momentum from smaller brands were the Reptilian Discs Scale (overstable putter) and the Plastic Addicts Habit (an over-sized putter).

Best-Selling Disc Golf Backpacks of Summer 2016

October 27, 2016 Todd Durrant Leave a comment

We often look with great interest at the best-selling disc golf discs for given periods of time. Best-sellers of the summer. Best-sellers of the year. Best-sellers of the quarter, etc. It is about time that we take a look at some of the hottest selling backpack bags from the summer of 2016.

#1 – Prodigy BP-3 Backpack – The number one spot was quickly claimed by a new backpack, the BP-3, that came out near the end of the summer. It flew of the shelves and onto the backs of players for one simple reason: The PRICE was right at only $29.99! The sales numbers would have been higher, but they sold out at Prodigy’s warehouse. The BP-3 certainly fills a niche for players who want to use a backpack, but always found the price a bit higher than they wanted to pay. It has very basic features, but is certainly serviceable for casual play. It can even be used for hiking or camping, or as a school backpack. At that price, why not?

#2 – Dynamic Discs Commander – The second place spot goes to the Commander which it a high-end bag that lands in the reasonable $120 range. It has become a popular backpack with players who like a compact feel and the sturdy nature of the bag. The “Black Ops” edition recently came out with a blackened stars-and-stripes theme.

#3 – Dynamic Discs Sniper Backpack – Once again, price plays a factor in the sales for the Sniper backpack by Dynamic Discs. At $69.99 it is an affordable and dependable pack that gets the job done. It holds 16 discs in the main compartment plus has dual water bottle pockets. Perfect for a casual tournament round.

#4 – Innova Heropack – The Heropack is Innova’s more affordable, entry-level backpack at $89.99. It comes in a large variety of colors and it holds upwards of 25 discs plus putter pockets on the top and front of the bag. It also includes extra accessory pockets and a drink holder. It is a very well-rounded bag for the price.

#5 – MVP Voyager – The new Voyager takes the number five spot as another end-of-summer release. It is the newest backpack offering from MVP. It features a heavy duty padded back and straps for support, plus putter pocket, large upper compartment for storage, plus drink holders, accessory pockets, and straps for a stool, etc. It is a bag that competes on a professional level and sells for $139.95.

Those were the top-selling bags at Infinite Discs for the summer of 2016. It will be fun to see which backpacks get the most traction heading into the holiday season. Have fun out there!

Top Selling Discs by Brand (Summer 2016)

September 10, 2016 Todd Durrant 2 comments

It is always fun to take a look back at a period of time and see which discs are selling the most. Disc trends can come and go, but some discs manage to hold top-selling position for extended periods of time. Let’s take a look at the short-term sales at Infinite Discs for the 90-day period spanning the 2016 summer months. Let’s break it down brand by brand.

First of all, let’s take a look at the top 10 sellers for INNOVA, which is ranked by not only mold, but plastic type:

#1 – Star Destroyer
#2 – McPro Aviar
#3 – DX Roc
#4 – Star TeeBird
#5 – KC Pro Aviar
#6 – KC Pro Roc
#7 – XT Mix Nova
#8 – Champion Colored Glow Firebird
#9 – Champion TeeBird
#10 – McPro Roc3

Now let’s take a look at the top 10 sellers from DISCRAFT, by mold and plastic type:

#1 – Elite Z Buzzz
#2 – CryZtal Buzzz GT
#3 – Pro-D Buzzz
#4 – Elite Z Undertaker
#5 – Titanium Buzzz
#6 – Elite Z Flick
#7 – Elite Z Thrasher
#8 – Elite Z Buzzz SS
#9 – Ledgestone Titanium Crank SS
#10 – Elite X Stratus

Here is a look at LATITUDE 64 and their top 10 best-sellers:

#1 – Zero Hard Dagger
#2 – Gold Line Saint
#3 – Opto Saint
#4 – Gold Line River
#5 – Opto River
#6 – Opto Pure
#7 – Opto Fury
#8 – Opto Jade
#9 – Opto Maul
#10 – Zero Hard Pure

Here is a look at WESTSIDE DISCS and their top 10 best-sellers, where the Harp is obviously making a huge splash right now (thank you Ricky Wysocki):

#1 – BT Hard Harp
#2 – VIP Destiny
#3 – Tournament Destiny
#4 – VIP Harp
#5 – BT Medium Harp
#6 – BT Soft Harp
#7 – Tournament Harp
#8 – VIP Tursas
#9 – Tournament King
#10 – VIP King

Now let’s take a look at the top 10 best-sellers for DISCMANIA where the DDX sales more than double the sales of any other disc:

#1 – Swirly S-Line DDX
#2 – S-Line DDX
#3 – S-Line P2
#4 – D-Line P2
#5 – S-Line FD
#6 – C-Line FD
#7 – Signature Glow C-Line MD3
#8 – C-Line CD2
#9 – C-Line TD
#10 – P-Line P2

Here is a look at the top 10 best-sellers for MVP where the Catalyst distance driver is flying off the shelf. Interestingly, only one putter enters the top 10 which is otherwise entirely ruled by distance drivers:

#1 – Neutron Catalyst
#2 – Neutron Octane
#3 – Neutron Inertia
#4 – Neutron Motion
#5 – Proton Inertia
#6 – Fission Photon
#7 – Neutron Impulse
#8 – Neutron Orbital
#9 – Neutron Nitro
#10 – Electron Atom

Let’s take a quick look at the top 10 best-selling discs from Dynamic Discs:

#1 – Classic Judge
#2 – Classic Blend Judge
#3 – Lucid EMac Truth
#4 – Classic Warden
#5 – Lucid Justice
#6 – Prime Marshal
#7 – Lucid Trespass
#8 – BioFuzion Defender
#9 – Lucid Escape
#10 – Classic Soft Judge

Here are the top 5 best-selling discs from PRODIGY:

#1 – 400G A4
#2 – 400G D6
#3 – 400G D3
#4 – 350G PA-3
#5 – 400G M4

Here are the top 5 best-selling discs from VIBRAM:

#1 – X-Link Medium Onyx
#2 – Granite Medium Lace
#3 – Granite Medium UnLace
#4 – X-Link Medium Lace
#5 – X-Link Firm Lace

Here are the top 5 best-selling discs from LEGACY:

#1 – Icon Outlaw
#2 – Pinnacle Outlaw
#3 – Icon Cannon
#4 – Sparkle Enemy
#5 – Legacy Special Release Rampage

Here are the top 5 best-selling discs from DGA:

#1 – Pro-Line Sail
#2 – Pro-Line Pipeline
#3 – Signature Blowfly II
#4 – Signature Blowfly I
#5 – D-Line Steady

And here are the top 5 best-sellers from AXIOM:

#1 – Neutron Thrill
#2 – Neutron Soft Envy
#3 – Neutron Defy
#4 – Neutron Vanish
#5 – Plasma Envy

There are other disc makers that have discs that sell regularly, but the above cover the companies that sell enough discs to merit a ranking order at this point, covering the 2016 summer season.

Choosing The Right Practice Basket

December 23, 2015 Alan Leave a comment

A practice basket is one of the best ways to keep your putting technique sharp. From time to time people ask which basket they should buy. In this blog post I will discuss four types of baskets and make recommendations for each one.

Let’s break baskets down into four different types:

Foldable – DGA Mach Lite, Innova DISCatcher Traveler, Innova SkillShot

Narrow Target – Gateway Bullseye, Dynamic Discs Marksman

Light-Duty – DGA Mach 14, MVP Hive, Discmania Lite

Heavy-Duty – Innova DISCatcher Sport, Westside Black, Dynamic Discs Recruit

The two things I ask before I recommend a basket to someone is how much they want to spend, and how the basket will be used. Specifically, how often will the basket be moved around, and will it be used for leagues or tournaments. Generally speaking, I would recommend the heavy-duty baskets for their quality and being the closest to duplicating the performance of a professional-level basket. If you are okay with the weight, bulk, and cost of the heavy baskets, that would be your best bet. However, if you will be transporting the basket a lot, you might not want to deal with the weight and bulk of the heavy-duty baskets. In that case, a light-duty or foldable basket will better suit your needs. Or, if you just want an inexpensive basket to practice with, you’ll be satisfied with the light-duty or foldable types.

Infinite Discs asked a group of us to test all of the baskets mentioned above. After hundreds of putts on each one, from a variety of distances, we compiled our numbers and our opinions based on those numbers. The information below represents our results and views of the baskets.

With that in mind, let’s examine the four types.

Foldable:

This type of basket collapses down and fits inside a bag for ease of transport. They are great for practicing at home, and easiest to take elsewhere. They are comparable in price to the light-duty baskets. The Innova SkillShot has a smaller target area and because of that almost falls into the category of the ‘Narrow Target’ basket type. However, it catches discs much better than the other Narrow Target baskets and for that reason deserves to be in this category. Testing the SkillShot resulted in the most misses, which is not surprising given the smaller target area. The Traveler slightly edged the Mach Lite success rate, but not by much.

Recommendation: The DGA Mach Lite is a quality basket that performs well, is easy to set up or down, and easy to transport. It is the most expensive of the three foldable baskets, but worth the extra money. If budget is more of a priority, you’ll be happy with one of the other two. If you can pay the little extra, it’s worth it for the performance of the Mach Lite.

Narrow Target:

You are most likely considering this type of basket if you want to fine tune your putting. These don’t catch discs as well (it’s not their purpose) so you won’t haul it to a league or tournament very often. I have a Bullseye and like to use it to practice. It’s nice to train your brain to hit smaller targets. Since it is a smaller target, you will miss a lot more putts than on a regular basket. For that reason, I like to go back to my regular baskets after a bit. Even though you know a lot of those missed putts on a narrow basket would be successful on a bigger one, it’s nice to see a successful putt. I like to say that Narrow Target baskets are better as a second basket.

Recommendation: Both of these baskets are built well and look good, but the Marksman costs quite a bit less. For that reason, I would recommend the Dynamic Discs Marksman.

Light-Duty:

These baskets are slimmed down versions of the heavy baskets. They have fewer chains, and are lighter and less expensive. They aren’t as easy to fold up and move as the foldable type basket, but are easier than the heavy-duty baskets. Fewer and lighter chains mean more spit outs and misses, but not a significant amount less. These baskets cost $50-90 less than the heavier baskets, making them a good choice if you are on a budget.

Recommendation: I would be happy to have any of these three in my backyard. While testing these baskets we had a slightly higher success rate with the Hive and Lite, but fewer spit outs with the Mach 14. Since it costs a little less, my recommendation is for the Discmania Lite. It’s the least expensive in its class, but performs similar to the other baskets.

Heavy-Duty:

The closest to the professional baskets found at the disc golf course, these baskets are great for practicing at home or for playing extra holes at a tournament. Testing this type of basket led to the highest success rate and the least amount of spit outs. They are made well, with the higher price tag to go with them.

Recommendation: Although it costs more than all of the other baskets, the Dynamic Discs Recruit is worth the extra money. It looks good, performs well, and even has a wheel to make moving it a little easier. While testing it, we all liked the feeling of confidence we got while putting on the Recruit. Its large target area and band around the top gave us a great psychological boost. The basket looks and feels like a professional basket, while costing significantly less. Like the light-duty baskets, all three models are good. So, if the Recruit is out of your budget, you can spend a little less with one of the other two and still get a good basket.

2015 Christmas Disc Golf Guide

December 11, 2015 Alan Leave a comment

With Christmas just a couple weeks away, it’s a great time to think about the gifts for the disc golfer in your life. Whether it’s your sweet heart, a buddy, the guy who runs your club, or a blogger for Infinite Discs 🙂 , sometimes it’s tough to decide on the best gift to give to that special person. After all, disc golfers like specific discs and getting the right model, plastic, and weight for them can be a tough choice. Fear not! We’ve compiled a list of gifts that most disc golfers would enjoy and appreciate.

To the casual observer, the only thing a person would need to play disc golf is a few discs. However, to a disc golfer there are tons of additional items that make the game a little better.

– For example, how about a copy of the inFlight guide? If you’ve ever wondered the flight numbers for a certain disc, and how it compares to your favorite disc, the inFlight guide is for you. A handy reference full of universal flight ratings and flight charts, the guide will help you know the flight numbers for nearly every disc available.

– Do you know a disc golfer who plays in the rain or the sweltering heat? Chances are, they could use a Dirt Bag. The Dirt Bag helps disc golfer’s deal with moisture, humidity, and sweaty hands to achieve a better grip on their disc.

– Everybody needs a calendar. But, instead of pictures of puppies, cars, or beautiful models, why not get your disc golfer a disc golf calendar?! Featuring scenic shots from courses around the globe, the disc golf calendar is something every golfer would love.

– Disc golfers of any skill level would benefit from the advice given in the book, Zen and the Art of Disc Golf. This book gives practical advice for building a foundation for becoming a better disc golfer. It is a book BY a disc golfer, FOR disc golfers.

Bags: Okay, certainly every serious disc golfer already has a bag. But what about those days when they just want to carry a couple discs? Having a smaller bag around for those ‘putt and approach’ or tester rounds will make it easier to lug just a few discs around the course, along with some water or a snack. Is the special person in your life cramming all of their discs in an over-stuffed small bag? It might be a good time for them to move up to a backpack style bag. Plus, it gives them an excuse to get more discs to fill the new bag! One especially hot disc golf bag is the new Innova Heropack.

Stools (seats): If your disc golfer likes tournaments or plays in a league, chances are they would like to take a break while waiting at a tee box. A stool or seat is the perfect thing to allow golfers to take a break from the action and save precious energy for the game.

Misc: There are a variety of items that every disc golfer should have. A retriever, for example, has saved many a golfer from wading out into a pond or river to retrieve an errant disc. A good towel is invaluable for removing moisture due to rain, dew, or bodies of water. They also come in handy for cleaning mud from discs or for drying hands. If you really want to score points with the disc golfer in your life, give them a portable basket for Christmas! Every golfer wants to improve their putting, and a portable basket allows them to practice at home.

Discs: For the more adventurous gift giver, new release discs are a fun gift to give. Who doesn’t love to try the newest plastic or rubber to hit stores?

Christmas Edition Discs: For the holiday’s you can even purchase special stamped Christmas discs including the: Legacy Rampage, Hunter, Innova Leopard3, Thunderbird, Destroyer, Spider and MVP AMP (available December 14th).

For an especially inexpensive gift, Innova also has the OrnaMini. A tiny disc that serves as both a Christmas Tree Ornament and a mini-marker.

Apparel: Who doesn’t love sporting a shirt from Infinite Discs? Choose from comfortable cotton or moisture wicking shirts in a variety of colors, all with the Infinite Discs name and logo.

Gift Cards: Okay, let’s face it, some of us either don’t do well selecting gifts for others, or, we are searching for a gift for a very picky person. The safe bet is a simply a gift card from Infinite Discs. It’s the sure-fire way to know that the person will love what they get!

Top Discs of Summer 2015

October 5, 2015 Alan 3 comments

Summer is our biggest time of year for disc sales. During the third quarter (July – September), we typically see less new releases come out than we do during the spring months. The Q3 sales report gives us a good grasp on what the top disc golf discs really are based on sales data. From our third quarter sales, it’s clear that Innova is still the #1 manufacturer for disc sales. Trilogy and MVP continue to gain market share and grow in popularity while Discraft and Prodigy appear to be trending towards less relevant.

If you’re looking for a new disc to buy, but aren’t sure where to start, you may want to consider these. There is a reason disc golfers all around the world keep buying these top rated discs.

Top Disc Golf Discs for Q3 2015

Top 10 Overall

There weren’t a lot of changes in the top selling discs of the third quarter compared with the second quarter. The Innova Destroyer was still the top selling disc followed by the Discraft Buzzz, Gateway Wizard, and Innova TeeBird.

Top Distance Drivers

For Distance drivers, there is almost no change between the top selling discs from the second quarter. Call it the Paul McBeth effect, as Innova flat out dominates the distance driver market with seven of the top ten selling drivers.

Top Control/Fairway Drivers

Innova Champion discs also has a strong presence in in fairway driver sales. The TeeBird is still the #1 selling driver. While most of the top selling fairway drivers remain the same, the MVP Volt dropped from #3 to #6 during the third quarter. The Discmania FD, Westside Hatchet, and Innova Eagle made our top 10 replacing the DD Felon, Vibram Trak, Axiom Crave, and Latitude 64 Trident.

Top Midrange Discs

The Discraft Buzzz remains the top selling midrange disc, and is the only midrange that made the top 10 overall. While the Comet cracked the top 10, it is actually only our 73rd top selling disc. Entering the top 10 this quarter are the MVP Axis and Latitude 64 Fuse — replacing the Dynamic Discs Justice and Discraft Buzzz SS.

To Putt and Approach Discs

While Distance Drivers is the top selling category overall, Putt and approach discs are second. The Wizard, Judge, and Pure are all top ten selling discs with the Innova Colt not far behind. MVP/Axiom putters were not quite as popular this quarter as the Envy and Atom both dropped a few spots compared with Q2. A new disc, the Innova Colt, entered the top 10 at number four as a hot new item. It will be interesting to see if the Colt remains a top selling putter, or if it made the top 10 because it is new. The KC Aviar filled in the #9 spot replacing the Prodigy PA-3.

Top Selling Plastic Type

Innova Star
Innova Champion
Innova DX
MVP Neutron
Latitude 64 Opto
Latitude 64 Gold Line
Discraft Elite Z
Innova GStar
Axiom Neutron
Dynamic Discs Lucid

When it comes to the most popular disc plastics, to no surprise, Innova dominates taking the top three spots. It certainly helps that the Star Destroyer and Star TeeBird are two of our most popular selling discs. Star plastic actually jumped Champion as the top selling disc plastic type for the third quarter. While several of the MVP discs dropped in rankings this quarter, overall Neutron plastic rose a spot from 5 to 4 while Latitude 64 Opto dropped two spots. Innova GStar and Discraft Elite Z swapped spots in the 7th and 8th positions.

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