Best Glow in the Dark Discs
One of my favorite types of disc golf occurs in the dark. I get my glow discs ready, gather my disc lights and flashlights, and wait for the sun to set. I’m talking about a glow round, or night round. This type of disc golf is played with lighted discs and lighted baskets, and is a blast!
Watching glowing discs fly through the air is amazing, and a lot different than watching the flight during the day. In the dark you’ll see the lighted disc bounce off invisible trees, get knocked down by unseen obstacles, and skip at seemingly random places in space. You can even see a disc that gets buried in a bush much better than during the daylight hours. If you haven’t played a night round, do yourself a favor and put in on your list for this year. And keep reading to learn about glow rounds and the best glow discs.
It is difficult to show the actual glow of a disc in a picture. These all look like they are glowing the same brightness. They are not.
Glowing Discs
Although there are many different ways to light up a disc, which we will discuss later, having a glow in the dark disc to play with is a great way to play at night. That does not mean EVERY glow disc is good for hucking in the dark. Not all glow discs are created equal. Some are barely visible in the dark, even after charging the plastic with a bright light. Others will maintain a bright glow long after playing a hole. When it comes to glow plastic, there is a wide variety of glow brightness. Disc color, manufacturers glow formula, and plastic type can all affect how bright the disc will glow.
Let’s look at some of the best glow discs and talk about what to do if you have a disc that is supposed to glow in the dark, but isn’t very bright when you charge it. Or if you prefer to throw discs in the dark that aren’t glow plastic.
Best Glow In The Dark Discs
I grabbed a UV flashlight and headed to a dark room to test a bunch of glow discs. A good glow plastic will appear bright immediately after the light hits it, and stay glowing for quite a while after you shut off the light. That quality is necessary because your disc needs to stay glowing long enough to find it after your shot. Fortunately there are several brands that have amazing glow plastic. Here are the top discs that I tested:
1 – (Tie) MVP Eclipse 2.0 and Innova Proto Glow (their new glow plastic)
Innova reformulated their glow plastic and it turned out great! It’s called Proto Glow and it debuted in their 40th Anniversary DX Aviar. That plastic glow really good, and their Champion Proto Glow plastic even better. The discs lights right up when you shine a light on it. And it stays lit for quite a while. The Proto Glow that I tested were neck-and-neck with the Eclipse 2.0 plastic. You are definitely going to want to check out Innova’s Proto Glow plastic!
MVP’s Eclipse 2.0 glow plastic is bright and long lasting. It’s been one of the best glow plastics for a while. The green glow plastic is much brighter than some of their other colors, although those other colors glow brighter than many other brands’ glow plastics. You can watch your glowing green MVP disc fly into the darkness, knowing it will hold its glow.
3 – Thought Space Athletics
TSA Glow plastic is another type of plastic that is excellent for night rounds. It stays bright for a long time, and still has a good amount of glow left after you’ve thrown the disc and go to look for it. Thought Space offers many of their molds in Glow plastic.
4 – Lone Star Disc
The Bravo Glow from Lone Star Disc is a shining example (sorry, couldn’t resist) of a great glow plastic. As a nice bonus, Lone Star makes the Bravo in pretty much every mold they make. You’ll be delighted in the disc selection and the quality of the glow.
5 – Kastaplast
Although the Kastaplast Glow discs that I tested weren’t as bright as the others I listed, they are still better than other discs on the market. I’ve read and heard a lot of people say the Kastaplast Glow is their favorite glow plastic. You won’t be disappointed if you pick Kastaplast for your night rounds.
Other Ways To Light Up A Disc
If you want to skip the glow plastic altogether, there are other ways you can get in a round of disc golf at night. They involve taking your go-to discs and adding some light to them. This is accomplished with actual LED lights, or glow-in-the-dark tape or stickers.
Glow Tape
Attaching tape or stickers that glow to your disc is a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive way to be able to play in the dark and still see your disc. It attaches directly to the disc and gets charged up with a flashlight. After the round the stickers can be easily removed for regular play. They add a negligible weight to your disc, and shouldn’t affect the flight. They are NOT legal for use in a sanctioned tournament, but most glow rounds are casual and/or unsanctioned.
Disc Lights
You also have the option of attaching an LED light directly to your disc with tape. Clear packing tape is a great option. I’ve seen lights come off a disc before, so make sure you are generous with the tape. Mine never come off because I use 6-7” of tape.
The lights have a switch that can be turned on and off as needed. Or you can just leave it on the entire round. The batteries will last for a couple glow rounds. Turning off the multicolor lights take a bit longer because you have to scroll through the colors. However, the different colors come in handy if there are several people playing who have lights with one color and you need a different color to distinguish your discs.
Disc Light Visibility
One thing to keep in mind with the lights or the stickers is that you might place them on one side of the disc, and it will land on the other side, making the tape or light difficult to see. It isn’t as bad with translucent discs, such as Champion plastic. But with opaque discs it can be difficult to see. It’s nice to put a sticker or light on both sides, just to make sure.
Other glow round enhancers
Most people have a flashlight or two lying around that they could use to charge their glow discs. However, they are blinding and take a bit of the fun out of a glow round. A better alternative is a UV(Ultra Violet) flashlight. The UV light charges up a disc faster and is easier on your eyes. When the light hits the glow disc, it’s still pretty bright, but overall it’s much better than a flashlight.
What good are amazing glow discs if you can’t see your target? Basket lights illuminate the target and give you something to aim at. They install easily and the batteries last a few rounds. Grab a few lights and head to your local course to experience the fun of a glow round!
Check out all of our Night Round Accessories HERE
Check out all of our Glow Discs HERE