Top Selling Discs–Q2 of 2019

July 22, 2019 Jace Smellie Leave a comment

The always hectic summer in the disc golf world is in full swing! We are doing everything we can here at Infinite Discs to stay on top of it all. This post is a little late, but it is time to take a look back at the top selling discs of the second quarter in 2019!

Top 10 Overall

The disc formerly known as Kong, aka the Discraft Zeus, has been flying off the shelves, but it still wasn’t enough to beat out the “original” Paul McBeth distance driver. The Innova Destroyer stayed at number one this quarter, but it will be exciting to see if the stock stamp release of the Zeus will push it up to the top spot. Beyond that, we see most of the same names we saw last quarter with the most movement coming from the Innova Firebird that dropped from 5 to 10.

Top Distance Drivers

As always, we see Innova with a strong presence in the distance driver category. They manufacture 8 of the 10. But the other two discs may not be going anywhere soon. The Zeus has proven to be a hit, and the Raider was an instant success for Dynamic Discs. It will be interesting to see if both of these discs can continue to compete with the rest of the Innova made distance drivers that seem to always be at the top of the charts. Oh, and don’t sleep on the newly released Infinite Discs Emperor. I think we will continue to see this disc in the top 10 for a while.

Top Control/Fairway Drivers

Like with the distance drivers, Innova manufactures 8 of these top 10 discs. I think this is the first time we have seen the Innova Thunderbird take the number one spot. It is always near the top, but the new Swirly Star Jeremy Koling Thunderbirds finally bumped it to number one. The newly released Discmania Evolution Instinct came in at 6 with a lot of hype. We will see if it continues to sell well down the road. Beyond that, we have a lot of the same in the fairway drivers.

Top Midrange Discs

The top half of the midrange chart stayed nearly identical featuring the same top 4 as last quarter, but the bottom half shook up a bit. We haven’t heard a lot about Mint Discs since they released the very successful Alpha a few years ago, but now they add a midrange to the mix with the Bobcat taking our 7 spot. Also we see Discraft continuing to have a positive year on the sales charts with the Buzzz SS making its first appearance on the top 10 for as long as I can remember.

Top Putt and Approach Discs

This is something I’ve never seen before. All top 8 selling putt and approach discs this quarter are in the exact same position as last quarter. I guess we are pretty consistent with our putt and approach game here at Infinite Discs :). The Streamline Pilot cracked the top 10 this quarter with help from a Special Edition release in Streamline’s Neutron and Cosmic Neutron. The MVP Entropy is a newly released overstable approach disc that fills a great slot in the MVP lineup.

And that does it for our 2019 Q2 top sellers! Do any of these charts surprise you? What discs did better/worse than you would have expected? Tell us in the comments! And see you next quarter!

State of Disc Golf 2019–Disc Buying Habits

May 23, 2019 Jace Smellie 4 comments

We are getting into our busy season here at Infinite Discs! People are playing lots of disc golf which means they are buying lots of discs. So it seems like a perfect time to take a look back at our disc golf buying habits from 2018.

How Many Discs Do We Own?

First, let’s look at how many discs we own. Are we a bunch of hoarders? Let’s find out!

Surprise, (not really) we own lots of discs! The pie chart is a bit crowded, so here is a bar graph featuring the same information:

The most popular response was 41-60 discs, and from the pie chart we can see that almost 3/4 of us own more than 30 discs, which is more than you can fit in an average disc golf bag or cart. I remember when I first started playing disc golf and I saw someone on the course with a backpack full of discs. I thought there was no way I could ever own enough discs to fill a backpack bag. Now I have boxes and boxes of discs…

But that is the literal state of disc golf and disc ownership! And it is something that is pretty unique to our sport. You don’t see many golfers who have multiple bags of clubs, or casual basketball players who have closets full of different basketball shoes. We don’t just own the discs we need to play, but we also collect disc golf equipment.

How Many New Discs Though?

So how many new discs did we add to our collections in 2018? Again, here is both the pie chart and bar graph with this data:

So from this we could say that a rough “average” for the community as a whole is around 10-14 discs since a little over half of us bought at least 10 discs in 2018. I personally would say that is a little higher than I expected. 10 discs is a lot, especially for players who have a pretty established bag. But I think there are a couple of factors that drive us to buy more and more discs.

First of all, there are new releases. I usually write our quarterly sales reports on the blog, and almost every single time one of the top selling discs in every category is a new release disc. We for some reason in disc golf love trying out and collecting new disc molds, and there are definitely more than 10 new molds released every year.

I also think there is a sweet spot in the competitiveness and experience of disc golfers in correlation with how many discs we purchase. Beginners often purchase a lot of discs because they are excited about this new thing in their life and they are jumping in full swing. These new disc golfers are figuring out how to play and what molds will work in their bag. Then after maybe a year or more, once that disc golfer has gotten the hang of things, their purchasing may slow a bit.

This is that sweet spot. Experienced disc golfers who have for the most part found their comfort zone in the game. They don’t feel as strong of a need to buy more discs. However, if that experienced disc golfer becomes more competitive and play more frequently, they become more involved in the replacement market of disc golf. Depending on the types of courses they play, they might be losing more discs than average. Also their discs get worn in quicker and may need to be replaced sooner.

But something else that always needs to be remembered when analyzing this data is that the data is from people who cared enough about disc golf to take a survey put out by a disc golf company. We get a large number of respondents every year, but they are generally more active in the online disc golf community. So it makes sense that our numbers might be higher than expected when it comes to disc golf purchases.

How Many Discs Did We Collect?

Now, back to the data! And an interesting question that gets back to my comments earlier about us being collectors: How many discs did we acquire to collect and not throw? I think just the pie chart is sufficient for this one:

Again, we are collectors! Over half of us got a disc that we had no intention of ever throwing. This also doesn’t include discs that we collect but also want to throw a few times before hanging it on the wall or storing it away in plastic totes. This is great news for disc golf manufacturers and retailers. As we can see, their special edition, signature series, and first run discs are working in getting us to spend more money on new collectible discs.

But Where Do the Discs Come From?

So where do we get our new discs from? We asked that question, and provided survey takers with a variety of options for their responses. Here is how we answered:

As it is with the rest of the retail world, online is a dominant avenue through which we acquire new disc golf discs. So some may be surprised to see that the most popular selection was local disc golf stores that are focused primarily on selling disc golf equipment. This is encouraging for small business owners who have invested in building their own small business. It is also why companies like Dynamic Discs have opened several locations across the country.

But in a world that has seen brick and mortar stores go under because of the pressure from online retailers, why would most survey takers still buy discs from local stores? Again, this gets to a quirk in disc golf–there are benefits to seeing and holding a disc before you buy it. It is always nice to try on shoes and see them in person, but a size 11 of the same basketball shoe is going to be the exact same whether you buy it from a local Foot Locker or from Amazon or Eastbay online.

However, a max weight Star Destroyer from your local shop may be different from all of the max weight Star Destroyers available right now on Infinite Discs or any other online retailer. One might be more domey or have any other idiosyncratic feature you have learned that you like or dislike in your Star Destroyers.

I know when I worked in the warehouse at Infinite Discs I always got calls asking how flat a certain Champion Firebird was that we had listed online. Well when you shop in with a local disc golf store, you can inspect the disc however you want before buying your purchase. Due to overhead, some local stores may have higher prices than online retailers, but it may be worth the extra cost knowing exactly what you are getting before you buy it.

Over the last few years, I have been able to help out at our local Infinite Discs store in Pocatello, Idaho. I have seen the above scenario play out several times, but also I think a local pro shop is more inviting to newer players who may feel overwhelmed by all of the options available. Online retailers try their best to provide new players with information, but for many people it is nice to be able to have a face to face conversation with a store associate who knows about disc golf and are qualified to answer their questions.

But another interesting aspect of local disc golf stores being the most popular way that survey takers acquired discs is simply the fact that that many people have access to a dedicated local disc golf store. It would be interesting to know how many disc golf stores have opened over the last few years, but from this survey we know that at least over 60% of survey takers have access to a local disc golf shop, which is exciting for the growth of the sport.

So there you have it! What bit of data stood out to you? Is there something I failed to discuss that should have gotten more attention? Please let us know your thoughts and feelings in the comments!

Tracking the Pharaoh and Emperor Run Numbers

May 2, 2019 Todd Durrant 5 comments

When Infinite Discs first launched our own disc brand with manufacturing by Innova, we wanted to make sure that each run had its own identification. We’re aware that different runs of the same mold in different plastics and at different times can have slight variations. Because of that, we figured that players who fell in love with certain runs or who sought specific characteristics would appreciate a way to know which one they have, which one they want, etc.

When we create a stock stamp, that run number and the run quantity (number of discs in the run) is displayed on the stamp at the bottom. With some of the limited editions and signature editions, the run number and quantity is not necessarily described on the stamp. But we still want you to know what you’re getting.

Here is a quick run-down of the runs that have been produced and ordered for the Pharaoh and the Emperor as of May 2019, for your reference:

THE PHARAOH

PROTOTYPE:
Swirly S-Blend
Quantity 224
This run came out flat with a moderate fade.

RUN 1:
Swirly S-Blend
Quantity 800
This run came out relatively flat with a moderate fade. A few of these were released in Garrett Gurthie signature edition.

RUN 2:
Swirly S-Blend
Quantity 1100 (plus 88 “Test Run” stamp)
This run had more dome on the flight plate than the first run and slightly less fade for some players. Some of these were released in Garrett Gurthie signature edition with a new stamp.

RUN 3:
I-Blend
Quantity 1100 (plus 120 “Test Run” stamp)
This run was again quite flat, but more understable than any of the S-Blend runs.

RUN 4:
Metal Flake Glow C-Blend
Quantity 1000 (plus 79 “Test Run” stamp)
This run turned out very domey with a lot of glide and more overstable than the other runs. This run featured an XXL Alien Pharaoh stamp and also a bottom stamp.

RUN 5:
Swirly S-Blend
Quantity 1203
This run is once again flat, like the first run, with more color variety.

THE EMPEROR

RUN 1:
I-Blend
Quantity 850 (plus 27 “Test Run” stamp)
This run was the introductory run and had an early release with a unique stamp at the 2019 Las Vegas Challenge tournament. The X-Outs were released on the Ides of March as a teaser, with stock stamp following. This is a more understable run, though it still has plenty of fade for average players.

RUN 2:
Splatter S-Blend
Quantity 900 (plus 133 “Test Run” stamp)
This run turned out much more overstable than the first run and was made to release primarily as a David Feldberg signature edition disc for 2019.

RUN 3:
Metal Flake Glow C-Blend
Quantity 900 (plus 41 “Test Run” stamp)
This run has a nice fade that is slightly less than Run 2, but more than Run 1. It is released with an XXL Alien and also has a Garrett Gurthie signature edition stamp.

State of Disc Golf 2019–Brand Preferences

April 22, 2019 Jace Smellie 6 comments

Which brands do we prefer to use? Did our favorite brands change this year? This is an especially interesting year in disc golf to take a look at the survey responses that relate to this topic because of the many sponsor changes made by top professional disc golfers this offseason.

In fact, we tried to address the big offseason changes directly by adding a new question to this year’s survey. This survey was taken at the beginning of this calendar year during a time that was well after the news broke that Paul McBeth would be sponsored by Discraft and Ricky Wysocki would be sponsored by Innova. So we decided to ask straight up–Have you thought about purchasing Innova because of the Ricky Wysocki switch? We also asked–Have you thought about purchasing Discraft because of the Paul McBeth switch? Here is how we responded:

Well, if you didn’t know already, Paul McBeth really is the king of disc golf in so many ways. As you can see, just over a third of all survey takers have thought about purchasing Discraft product strictly because Paul McBeth is now throwing their discs during tournament play. And then, as we saw in the favorite disc golfers post, Ricky Wysocki’s change to Innova doesn’t seem to have been as well received. I’ve mentioned this before, but I really think it is because the fans Ricky Wysocki gained over the last few years while he was sponsored by Latitude 64 viewed Innova as more of a rival than the fans of Paul McBeth viewed Discraft. This is a fascinating anomaly in disc golf.

But as the data has proven in multiple ways, we as disc golf consumers care about which brand of discs sponsor our favorite pros, and it influences our buying habits.

One little tidbit of data is especially interesting in this enigma that is the relationship between favorite disc golfers and favorite brands it what I would call the Eric Oakley effect.

Eric Oakley is one of the best touring pros not just at disc golf, but at marketing himself using social media outlets. This makes him an especially valuable team member for any sponsor. His manufacturer sponsor over the last few seasons has been Dynamic Discs, one of the Trilogy brands (Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, and Westside).

In the survey we asked survey takers if their favorite brand of discs changed this year, and if they answered yes, we asked who their new favorite brand is now. So we took a look at survey takers who named Eric Oakley as one of their favorite disc golfers. Then of those participants, we looked at which ones changed favorite brands. Of these survey takers, 83% said their new favorite brand was one of the Trilogy brands. We see this trend when looking at other professionals as well, but Eric Oakley seemed to have the strongest influence this year.

However, when asked why they changed favorite brands, survey takers did not cite professional influence at so high a rate:

So if data trends show professional disc golfers making a significant influence on our brand preferences, why did so few cite them as reasons for changing their favorites? In my opinion, I think it is fair to say that perhaps these survey takers tried out discs made by their new favorite brands because of the influence of their favorite professional disc golfers, and they stuck around for reasons like the feel and flight of their discs. As was previously mentioned, nearly 33% of all survey takers said they would consider throwing Discraft discs just because of Paul McBeth–before Paul had even thrown a Discraft disc in tournament play!

Of course, this leads to the question–for those who changed their favorite brands, which manufacturer was their new favorite? Well first of all, it is important to note that only 20.76% of all survey takers said that their favorite brand changed during the last year. So for the most part, disc golfers stayed true to their previous favorites. But let’s look at which brands that 20% chose as their new favorites:

TOP 5 NEW FAVORITE DISC MANUFACTURERS

Dynamic Discs–17.45%
Discraft–13.33%
Discmania–10.97%
MVP–10.46%
Innova–9.50%

Remember that Eric Oakley effect I talked about? We can definitely see that influence carried over here. You could also argue from these results that the McBeth effect is so strong that he doesn’t even have to throw a disc to make people change their favorite manufacturer.

We also asked survey takers if they could only throw discs made by one manufacturer, which would they choose? For this question, we put together different brands made by the same manufacturer. Here are the overall results:

IF YOU COULD ONLY USE DISCS MADE BY ONE MANUFACTURER, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Innova/Discmania/Millennium/Hyzerbomb/Infinite–45.84%
Dynamic Discs/Latitude 64/Westside–27.73%
Axiom/MVP/Streamline–10.47%
Discraft/DGA/Plastic Addicts–10.20%
Prodigy–2.22%

I think a lot of this comes down to selection. If you look at how many discs are available from each of these manufacturers, it pretty much coincides with these results. But it is significant that almost half of all disc golfers who took the survey would choose to only throw discs made in an Innova factory if they had to make that choice. All other manufacturers were selected by less than 1% of survey takers.

This leads us to what I believe is the ultimate indicator of our true brand preferences. We can claim certain brands as our favorites, but which brands are we actually throwing and including in our disc golf bags? Let’s look:

I don’t think that Innova being the most popular is too big of a surprise, but over 80% of survey takers having at least one Innova disc in their bag is a bit surprising to me. It just goes to show how dominant their influence has been in the disc golf world over the years. I also was a little surprised to see that Discraft was number two. I would have predicted Latitude 64 to be the number two. Which means I was also surprised to see that Dynamic Discs was higher than Latitude 64.

That being said, it is important to note that the question just asks which brand of discs are in our bag. So if a survey taker has only one disc of a certain brand (like the extremely popular Discraft Buzzz) then they would include that brand in their response.

The trilogy brands together were the third, fourth, and fifth most popular brands. For a long time Latitude 64 was the only of the three that had a “complete” lineup, so they were always the most popular. However, both Dynamic and Westside Discs have released more and more discs giving players–especially those loyal to Trilogy–more options.

Looking further down the chart it looks like things shook out as expected. I was a little surprised at how low Prodigy was considering it wasn’t that long ago that they took the disc golf world by storm and had a large team of professional disc golfers. But Prodigy has been a little more aggressive this year with newer molds being added to their lineup like the recently hyped D2 Max. It will be interesting to see if they can get these new molds into the bags of disc golfers.

So we have thrown together several charts and lists here today, but what does it mean? No, I’m really asking, what do you think it all means? Let us know in the comments what you think of this data and what it says about our current state of disc golf!

Top Selling Discs–Q1 of 2019

April 8, 2019 Jace Smellie 2 comments

The weather is warming up, Spring has sprung, and the 2019 disc golf season has begun! It’s April, which means it is time to once again take a look at our top selling discs of the first quarter! As we go through the top sellers, we will see a lot of changes from last quarter. Most of those changes can be traced back to one person…yep, Paul McBeth!

Top 10 Overall

If you are still of the belief/delusion that Paul McBeth doesn’t influence sales numbers, hopefully looking at this overall top 10 and comparing it to all of the top 10 charts from last year will be enough to change your mind. Paul’s signature has been printed on over half of these discs at some point in time. While it isn’t unheard of for new releases to crack into the top 10, the Luna debuting at number 5 is very impressive. Also the Discraft Force has never been on this or the distance driver top 10 list. For what it’s worth, if March had been one day longer, we’d probably have another McBeth disc on this top 10 list (the Kong). So overall I think it is safe to say that Discraft has taken full advantage of adding Paul to their team so far. Discraft numbers are way up across the board here at Infinite Discs.

Top Distance Drivers

The previously mentioned new Discraft Kong made it all the way to number 7 on the distance driver chart after selling out in just a few hours on its release date. I think it will be interesting to see how the Force and the Kong perform in sales throughout the rest of the year since McBeth mostly used one distance driver with Innova–the Destroyer. Of course, that might be the key–how much McBeth uses either disc. Beyond the new Discraft additions, it is mostly more of the same for the distance driver category this quarter.

Top Control/Fairway Drivers

Last quarter I mentioned that the Discraft Undertaker surprised me by cracking into the top 10 at the number 9 spot. Well, it made another big jump this quarter finishing as the number 2 fairway driver. The big surprise this quarter is the Axiom Insanity coming in at number 6. The high sales numbers this quarter are primarily because of the special release Axiom did for their new Prism plastic blend. We also see the Innova TeeBird3 cracked back into the top 10.

Top Midrange Discs

The top 7 on this chart is pretty business as usual with only a couple of small shifts from last quarter’s top 10. But the last 3 are all new names to this list, or they at least haven’t been on the list for a while (looking at you Discraft Buzzz OS). One of the biggest surprises of this whole article for me is the newly released Kastaplast Gote finishing as the 10th best selling midrange. New releases have a tendency of making surprise appearances in these top charts, but this might be the first Kastaplast mold to crack into a top 10, which may be an indication that the small Swedish disc manufacturer is continuing to grow into the mainstream.

Top Putt and Approach Discs

There aren’t too many surprises here besides the two Discraft molds making such a big jump up the charts. The Dynamic Discs Deputy made it back into the top 10 after not making it last quarter. Also the Westside Harp is the lowest it has been ever since making the top 10 if I remember right. It will be interesting to see how the Harp performs throughout the year now that Ricky Wysocki is not throwing it and Paul McBeth is throwing a similar mold in the Discraft Zone.

And that’s all we have for this quarter! What will the next 3 months of sales look like? Was there anything that surprised you this quarter? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Disc Golf as Exercise – Motivation to Play Disc Golf

March 30, 2019 Jace Smellie 5 comments

In today’s State of Disc Golf article we are taking a look at a new topic that was on our survey for the first time this year. What motivates us to play disc golf–specifically, is exercise part of what motivates us? Do we view disc golf as an exercise activity? This topic is especially interesting when we talk about disc golf transitioning from a casual “game” that friends play in a park to a “sport” played by professional athletes.

Do we view disc golf as more of a “game” or a “sport?” While we didn’t ask that last question specifically, I think how we view disc golf as exercise will shed some insight on that as well. So let’s take a look at the data!

How much is exercise a motivating factor in your disc golf play?

Biggest Motivating Factor–5.12%
Important Motivating Factor–48.53%
Slight Motivating Factor–35.66%
Not a Motivating Factor–9.63%
N/A (didn’t answer question)–1.05%

I don’t think there are too many surprises here, but it is interesting that over half of us view exercise as at least an important factor in why we play. Again, this is the first year we asked this question, so I can only assume, but I’d imagine as disc golf grows as a sport, more and more people will view exercise as an important motivating factor.

But how far would we take that view of disc golf as exercise?

There have recently been new exercise equipment hitting the market that are designed to improve your disc golf game, to strengthen you and to help prevent injury. But would we even consider using such equipment? We asked you in our survey, and here were your responses:

Would you consider exercise equipment to improve your disc golf game?

Yes–48.58%
No–18.13%
Maybe–32.85%
N/A (didn’t answer)–0.44%

Now in hindsight, maybe a better way to word that question would have been to specifically question our willingness to purchase this type of equipment. Because I know at least for myself, if you ask me if I’d be willing to try something new, I’ll probably say yes. But if you ask me if I will buy that something new…maybe not. But either way, I think it is significant that nearly half of survey takers would consider this type of equipment. We as disc golfers are always looking for ways to improve our game, so why wouldn’t we be willing to give equipment like this a try?

What disc golf exercise equipment is there? Well for a long time Gateway has made Training Wizards, which are simply heavy weighted versions of their Wizard putters. While these are unique discs, their legitimacy as a training/exercise tool for disc golf has been questioned.

But a new piece of equipment that has grown in popularity is the ProPull Disc Golf Trainer. The ProPull is basically a resistance band training set that features an attached disc that allows players to practice their disc golf form while building their strength. The ProPull is a pretty revolutionary item when it comes to disc golf training equipment, and it will be interesting to see if similar products are developed over the next few years. The ProPull Disc Golf Trainer is available at Infinite Discs.

So do you view disc golf as a form of exercise?

Do you think that influences how you view disc golf as a “game” or a “sport?” And have you used any exercise equipment like the ProPull? How has it affected the game? We’d love you hear your experiences. Let us know in the comments!

Best Unique Disc Golf Disc

February 25, 2019 Jace Smellie 38 comments

This award’s category is a bit different than our other ones we have done so far. Today we are looking at unique discs. These are discs that you notice are different from the first time you see them or throw them. They could be drivers, putters, or some kind of hybrid. We are looking for the weird and unusual, but also don’t forget the first word of the title of this post: Best. Is this weird disc actually useful out on the course? And don’t forget our two keywords which are popularity and utility.

The popularity may not play as big of a role in today’s article, but we are still looking closely at utility. We are looking for the discs that are getting use out on the course still. We want uniqueness that provides something useful for the disc. So all that being said, let’s get to our nominees for The Infinite Discs Best Disc Golf Disc: Unique Disc.

Discraft Banger GT

The GT stands for “Groove Top,” which is pretty self explanatory. The Discraft Banger GT features a groove along the top of the disc that is designed for placing your thumb in the groove when you grip the disc. This disc is used as a putting putter, but is also a popular approach disc.

Innova Condor

The Innova Condor is our nomination from the disc golf “super-class” category of discs. These are large diameter discs that are PDGA approved. Most of these discs are pretty much irrelevant in modern competitive disc golf, but the Condor is still popular in some communities as an approach disc or even a roller disc with it’s large blunt rim. The Condor is also a popular disc for playing catch to warm up before competitive rounds.

Innova Groove

I often call the Innova Groove the punchline disc of disc golf. I give it this name because it is often joked about as being one of the worst discs. However, for those who have actually used this distance driver, it isn’t a bad disc at all and could even be described as underrated. It gets the jokes because of why it is named the Groove. There is a dip/groove in the rim of the disc that is kind of weird looking. However, when throwing the disc backhand, you can’t feel the groove at all. It may influence forehand shots, but for stable distance backhand shots, the Groove is a great disc.

Dynamic Discs Justice

The Dynamic Discs Justice is unique not because of how it looks but how it flies. The Justice is a ridiculously overstable midrange disc that has pretty much no glide at all. The insane overstability makes this disc is a popular choice in windy conditions. But this unique disc is not only used in those conditions. It is a popular choice for approach shots and trying to get around a tight bend.

Prodigy M5

The Prodigy M5 might be the worst selling disc among our nominees today, but it has something so unique that it is worth adding to our list. It is the most understable midrange in the Prodigy lineup, and it features a really funky rim. When you look at the bottom of the disc, it almost looks like there is a smaller disc stuck inside of a larger disc. The M5 looks like it has two rims. It isn’t a bead, but it is just two bumps that look like the bottom of two different beadless midranges. It is kind of weird and very unique.

Latitude 64 Missilen

The Latitude 64 Missilen was the first ever disc released with a speed rating of 15. And to my knowledge, it is still the only disc with a speed rating this high. To achieve this rating, the Missilen features one of the larges rims in disc golf, but that isn’t even the most unique thing about this disc. Across the top of the flight plate there are little hexagonal pock marks in the plastic which is designed to influence the flight of the disc. It does influence the flight offering a unique flight that is a little tricky to get the hang of at first, but those who have learned how to use the Missilen are able to throw the disc very far.

HyzerBomb Moab

The HyzerBomb Moab is a super overstable disc that flirts with the line between midrange and fairway driver. It is one of the only discs that is comparable with the Dynamic Discs Justice as far as how overstable it is. This disc is a meethook that will fight any wind. It also has a unique rim that is more aerodynamic on the edge like a driver, but it has a divot in it that kind of functions as a really large bead. The Moab is a different kind of disc to say the least.

Innova Nova

The Innova Nova wasn’t the first disc to be made with an overmold, but it features one of the most unique overmolds in disc golf. MVP/Axiom features only discs with an overmold, but when you look at their shape, they look similar to other discs that don’t have an overmold. But The Nova has a totally different shape, featuring a very tall rim. Also this disc flies like no other with hardly any fade at all due to this unique overmold.

Latitude 64 Sinus

The Latitude 64 Sinus is a pretty popular approach putter. It features three textured “patches” along the top of the disc designed to offer extra grip for your thumb placement when gripping the disc. Each patch has different textures so you can choose the one that is most comfortable for your grip. In flight, the Sinus is pretty overstable and is a good choice for battling the wind.

Innova Sonic

There are several older Innova putters that are pretty unique now, but most of them are basically obsolete. But the Innova Sonic has seen a resurgence in recent years. Garrett Gurthie has even made it one of his signature tour series discs. It is a straight flyer that is similar to the Nova in that it is very fade resistant. It has a rim that is similar to an ultimate disc and features grooves on the top for thumb grip. and it has a unique flight plate that is reminiscent of cheap promo discs you will get for free at a parade or from a dentists office. But don’t let that fool you. The Sonic is a great straight flying disc for approach and even putting.

Reptilian Stego

The Reptilian Stego is an often forgotten disc coming from a smaller name brand. The manufacturer’s turn rating for this disc is a +1. For those of you unfamiliar with turn ratings, this means that the disc does not turn, which means the Stego is a massively overstable midrange disc. It also features a little lip on the top near the rim called a thumb track.

The Best Unique Disc Golf Disc

THE INFINITE DISCS BEST DISC GOLF DISC: UNIQUE DISC

INNOVA NOVA

There were so many great unique discs nominated, but ever since the Innova Nova was released in 2013, it has been in a class of it’s own as far as uniqueness goes. While all MVP/Axiom discs feature an overmold, the Nova overmold is different and unlike anything else on the market. Also the flight is unique offering an ultra-straight flight pattern with almost no fade at all. And considering how well the Nova sells and how often you see top pros throwing it, the disc’s uniqueness is working for it. If you have never tried the Innova Nova and feel like trying something different and unique, give one a try today!

What Discs Did Paul McBeth and Ricky Wysocki Throw in the First Round on Tour With New Sponsors?

February 23, 2019 Jace Smellie 13 comments

The 2019 Las Vegas Challenge kicks off the 2019 tour, and The MPO and FPO divisions played their first round on the beautiful Infinite Discs Course at the Wildhorse Golf Club on Thursday. One of the feature cards of the MPO division was the “Champions Card” which featured four previous champions of this event–Philo Brathwaite, Paul McBeth, Ricky Wysocki, and Eagle McMahon. This card was filmed by JoMez Productions, and can be watched on their excellent YouTube channel that just reached over 100K subscribers.

This round was highly anticipated in the disc golf world, because it gave us our first chance to see the two best disc golfers in the world play disc golf for the first time on tour with discs from their new sponsors. Just in case you have lived under a rock over the last few months, Paul McBeth and Ricky Wysocki announced that they will be changing up their bags due to new sponsorship agreements. Paul McBeth is now sponsored by Discraft, and Ricky Wysocki is now sponsored by Innova.

So I have decided to collect some of the information that everyone is concerned about–what discs are they throwing now? Below is a breakdown of every disc that both Paul and Ricky threw during their first round on the Infinite Discs course. I personally am not at the event, so as you will see there were a handful of discs that I am not positive about. But if you know which discs they are, please let us know in the comments.

So here is the data!

Paul McBeth’s First Round at LVC on the Infinite Discs Course

Course Par: 59

Round Score: 50 (-9) (two penalty strokes)

Hole by Hole Breakdown:

Total Disc Molds used: 8

Most Used Disc Mold: Luna (50%)

Most Used Driver: Force (13% of total)

Most Used Midrange: Wasp, only thrown twice.

Round Overview:

Paul had a decent round overall. The disc I felt he was the most accurate with was his Forces. He didn’t have to break it our a ton, but he seems to have really figured that disc out already. The disc he struggled with the most was his putter, the Luna. It is common to see these pros need some time to adjust when they change up their bag, and that’s all I’m going to credit this to. There were several long runs that we’re used to seeing Paul hit or at least draw metal on, and it just wasn’t there this round.

Ricky Wysocki’s First Round at LVC on the Infinite Discs Course

Course Par: 59

Round Score: 48 (-11)

Hole by Hole Breakdown:

***updated from earlier post due to new info

Firebird, KC Aviar (white), KC Aviar (orange)
KC Roc, KC Aviar (white), KC Aviar (orange)
Destroyer, KC Aviar?? (not filmed), KC Aviar (orange)
Firebird, KC Aviar (white)
Monster, KC Aviar (white)
KC Aviar (white), KC Aviar (white), KC Aviar (white)
Firebird, KC Aviar (white)
Firebird, Pig, KC Aviar (white)
Destroyer, AviarX3, AviarX3 (tap in)
Firebird, KC Aviar (white), KC Aviar (white)
Firebird, Pig, Firebird (tap in)
Max, KC Aviar (white)
Firebird, KC Aviar (white), KC Aviar (orange)
Destroyer, KC Aviar (white)
Firebird, KC Aviar (orange)
Firebird, KC Aviar (white), KC Aviar (orange)
Firebird, KC Aviar (white), KC Aviar (white)
Destroyer, KC Aviar (white), KC Aviar (white)

Total Disc Molds used: 8

Most Used Disc Mold: KC Aviar (54%)

Most Used Driver: Firebird (23% of total)

Most Used Midrange: KC Roc, only thrown once.

Round Overview:

Ricky played a solid round overall. He seemed to be really comfortable with his green Champion Firebird that he was throwing off the tee all day. Similar to Paul, he seemed the most uncomfortable with his putter. He hit a few long putts, but he kept switching back and forth from a white putter to an orange putter. I am almost positive that they are both KC Aviars, but if I get news contrary I will update this post. He also fell victim to a vicious strong side spit out on hole 17 that may have impacted his confidence on an inside the circle putt on hole 18 that he left short.

All in all, it was just fun to watch disc golf again, and it is always fun watching these two professionals go at it on the course. I am excited to see how this event finishes out, and I am very excited to see these two get more accustomed to their new equipment throughout the season. I’m sure we are going to see some memorable moments from these two on this year’s tour.

What did you all take away from watching their first rounds? Did I make a mistake on my disc identifications? Please let me know in the comments!

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