General Archives

Introducing Trash Panda Disc Golf

April 30, 2021 Ted Hegemann 51 comments

Trash Panda Disc Golf

Infinite Discs carries over 55 brands of discs! We started this blog series to introduce you to some of the brands and molds that you might not be as familiar with. Each week we will spotlight a different company and tell you a little more about them. Because of Covid shutdowns our supply of discs was severely affected. Therefore, we may not have all of the molds from all of the brands we will talk about. But, it might put a few more molds on your radar for the future. This week we are hitting the road again, literally, to introduce you to Trash Panda Disc Golf.

Recycled Idea

Nestled in the suburbs of Denver lies a garage that is home to an unusual disc golf manufacturer, Trash Panda Disc Golf. I braved a couple snow storms to travel to Denver to interview Jesse, the founder of this new company. I stumbled onto Trash Panda Disc Golf when a video popped into my feed YouTube feed with the title stating something about making a disc. I got hooked on the YouTube Channel, and the theme for Trash Panda, which is growing disc golf sustainably. Jesse’s goal was to make a disc out of recycled plastic.

Man With A Vision

Jesse started Trash Panda Disc Golf last year and has already garnered a growing fan base. Trash Panda fans are not like the usual people who like a particular brand. Most people like a manufacturer because of the molds they produce. Not with TP fans though, because so far Trash Panda doesn’t have any molds on the market. Realistically, Trash Panda fans are more than a group of people following a brand. They also contribute to the goal of making a disc out of recycled plastic. Jesse has received tons of tip, tricks, suggestions, and even some machining by one loyal follower. The idea of recycling and disc golf really resonates with a lot of people.

Check out my interview with Jesse of Trash Panda Disc Golf in the link below. Then check out instructions on how you can be entered to win one of the new minis made from recycled plastic.

Comment

Comment below and let us know if you would pay a little more for the chance to make a disc out of recycled plastic!

Five names were randomly selected to win a mini from Trash Panda. Here are the winners:

Greg P

Jarrett J

Aaron F

Emanuel

Mike M

Check out Trash Panda Disc Golf here:

Website: https://www.trashpandadiscgolf.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trashpandadiscgolf

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trashpandadi…

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrkL-1VQP215VALlOJYPwg

General

Dynamic Discs New Release

April 16, 2021 Keith Barker Leave a comment

Dynamic Discs has recently come out with some new Discs to the market. They have also released a disc in a new plastic.

the EMac Judge

the Emac Judge was released on March 18, 2021 in Classic Blend. It is now available in Prime and in Classic Blend. It is available for purchase now, depending on the plastic you can purchase it here for $8.99 or $10.99.

This is a stable, go-to, putt & approach disc with a very straight flight path. This is Eric McCabe’s variant of the well-beloved Judge. It has a very similar flight path to the Judge. But offers a very different in-hand feel with the microbead.

the Evader

April 15, 2021 is the initial release for the Dynamic Discs Evader. The initial release was in the Lucid plastic. It is available for $14.99 here.

The Evader is meant to be a go-to fairway driver. Its overstability and low speed make for a straight flying disc with a reliable fade at the end. The Evader is a dependable disc that will become your workhorse for various types of shots.

the Sergeant

The Sergeant has been around for a while, but Dynamic Discs has released it in Fuzion plastic. Check this disc out now, you can purchase this for $15.99 here.

The Sergeant is an excellent distance driver with a crossover feel – it is not as fast as the Raider, but faster than the Getaway. It is an excellent disc for throws that a fairway driver may not reach, but you’re not a fan of powering down. It’s a comfortable disc for both backhand and forehand with a nice dose of stability to give you an end fade.

General

Introducing Dino Discs

April 15, 2021 Ted Hegemann 13 comments

We’ve travelled around the world during this blog series to introduce you to disc golf companies that might not be as mainstream as the larger manufacturers. For this one, we head home. In this case, ‘home’ refers to Logan, Utah. Logan happens to be the home of Infinite Discs. And Dino Discs. Sort of.

Logan is located in Cache Valley Utah. It is about 90 minutes north of Salt Lake, and less than an hour from Ogden, home of the 2021 PDGA World Championships! Cache Valley is clean, quiet place that is surrounded by mountains. There is nearby fishing, hunting, hiking, two ski resorts, and as of this writing, not a single 18-hole disc golf course in the valley. Cache Valley is also where you’ll find Dino Discs.

Interesting History

To tell the full history of Dino Discs, we have to take a little journey back in time and place. In our journey we’ll learn about a few different disc golf companies, and pay homage to a passed disc golfer. And we’ll meet several people who had a common goal: to grow the sport. The time we will start with is a little over a decade ago. The place is Illinois.

Winding Back the Clock

In 2010, long time disc golfer Dan Pastore received PDGA approval for several new molds for his new, Illinois-based company, ABC Discs. He saw the growth of the sport he loved, disc golf, and knew that there was a need for new manufacturers to help with the growing demand for discs. Dan combined his love of disc golf with his desire to find a career that fit him, and ABC Discs was born.

During the next ten years, Dan grew the company and helped grow the sport. He added another mold to his catalogue, and continued to promote disc golf. Sadly, last November Dan Pastore, PDGA #4320, passed away. With his passing, the future of ABC Discs was on hold.

Resurrecting Old Molds

Last year, in addition to Dan’s passing, the owner of Zing Mini Discs, Craig Myers, sent some discs to Infinite Discs that were made using ABC molds, but with the plastic he used for his minis. Although the discs were too light for a majority of the mainstream disc golf market, Infinite Discs’ Vice President Todd Durrant thought that the discs would be good for kids or people who can’t throw heavier discs.

With all of the disc shortages last year, Infinite was eager to get any discs possible, so they ordered a few hundred of the light ABC molds from Zing to test the market and see how they sold. Since the discs were primarily for kids and dinosaurs are popular among kids, the decision was made to call the discs “Dino Discs.” The molds would be named after dinosaurs.

Success!

The order of discs arrived. Some dinosaur shape images were licensed and Kesler Martin, the manager of Infinite Discs’ stamping department, touched them up for the simple stamps. They were added to the Infinite Discs website. Much to their surprise, the discs sold out quickly. Another batch was ordered then stamped, and they sold out as fast as they were put online. Infinite Discs was surprised to discover that their was such a high demand for ultra-light discs.

Since Zing was busy with their own business during the pandemic, they were not able to keep up with the demand for the light discs. It was during a conversation with Gateway Discs’ Dave McCormack that he offered a contribution to the Dino Discs lineup from Gateway. They could also make ultra-lightweight discs using some of their easy-to-throw molds. With the ten total molds sold under the Dino Discs name, five came from ABC molds and five came from Gateway molds.

With Gateway operating out of Missouri, Zing Mini Discs in Indiana, ABC discs in Illinois, and Infinite Discs based in Utah, Dino Discs is a multi-state disc golf collaboration, showing how several companies can work together to create a product that is needed in the disc golf community. Since there are multiple companies involved in the production, there are different ways to look at the most popular plastics. The best-selling molds are a little easier to analyze.

The Best of Dino

The top molds are the Spinosaurus, Pterodactylus, and Brontosaurus. Those are a control driver, distance driver, and midrange, respectively. The best-selling plastics are broken down by manufacturers. From Zing/ABC Discs, the Egg Shell Plastic is the best-selling. For Gateway Discs, the Extinct plastic is number one. Both of these plastics are colorful and sparkly, adding to their appeal.

When it comes to the PDGA, Dino Discs and their molds present an interesting case. None of the discs offered by Dino are currently approved by the PDGA for use in a sanctioned tournament. Since all of the molds have already been approved when ABC and Gateway originally released the molds, Dino Discs is hoping to get the discs approved without having to resubmit the molds and pay a fee. They are currently working out the details with the PDGA. Until the molds get approved, they will remain unapproved to play in a sanctioned event.

Moving Forward

What does the future look like for Dino Discs? Although there aren’t immediate plans to release new molds, there is a possibility that more could be added to the line later. Right now, the goal is to make enough of the discs fill the existing demand. Infinite Discs has started selling the Dino Discs line to other retailers who have found the same need in their communities and among their customers. You can ask your favorite retailer to stock these fun, lightweight discs and Infinite Discs will gladly support their efforts.

Dino Discs has certainly tapped into a market that wants and needs light, easy to throw discs. The rapid sales and increased interest is evidence of the need for this kind of disc. Kids like the discs, too. One of the sons of the owner of Infinite even got his first birdie with the Spinosaurus!

Although we’ve learned in this blog about Dino Discs and its success in the disc golf world, the brand has a unique distinction: It really isn’t a single company! It’s really a brand made out of experimental products by four different collaborating disc golf companies. That’s the power of some good ideas!

Check out Infinite Discs’ line of Dino Discs here:

https://infinitediscs.com/category/Dino-Discs

Check out Dino Discs here:

https://dinodiscs.com

Comment About Dino Discs

We want to hear from you about DIno Discs!

If you or someone you know has thrown a Dino Disc, which have you thrown?

If you haven’t tried one yet, which would you like for yourself, or someone who needs light discs?

Last Week: Yikun Discs

Last week we looked at Yikun Discs. We selected three random people who commented on that blog. Here are the winners:

Brian D

Mathew S

Kenneth E

Congrats! We’ll ship your disc out shortly.

General

TOP TWENTY TUESDAY – APRIL 13TH 2021

April 13, 2021 Todd Durrant 31 comments

Welcome to the Top 20 Tuesday chart! Every week we take a look at the twenty top-selling discs on the Infinite Discs website, broken down by plastic type as well. So these are the top sellers for the last seven days in order.

Top Twenty Tuesday for April 13th 2021

#1 – Star X-Out DESTROYER
#2 – Z Line ZONE
#3 – Signature Splatter S-Blend PHARAOH
#4 – Elevation Rubber INTERCEPTOR
#5 – ESP BUZZZ
#6 – Star DESTROYER
#7 – ESP AVENGER SS
#8 – Star WRAITH
#9 – Egg Shell PTERODACTYLUS
#10 – Prime Burst JUDGE
#11 – ESP STALKER
#12 – Egg Shell TRICERATOPS
#13 – Champion X-Out FIREBIRD
#14 – I-Blend X-Out PHARAOH
#15 – Champion FIREBIRD
#16 – Splatter S-Blend X-Out PHARAOH
#17 – Egg Shell STEGOSAURUS
#18 –Star X-Out LEOPARD
#19 – DX CLASSIC AVIAR
#20 – I-Blend X-Out SPHINX

The chart this week reflects what happens when inventory begins to drop very low on some of the top molds. We see several X-Outs on the chart, since those are the discs still available for some popular models. The Allison Haggett Signature Splatter PHARAOH had a strong debut at the #3 spot, trailing the #1 Star X-Out Destroyer and the #2 Z Line Zone. There were three Dino Discs in the mix this week as well.

We expect some new releases in the coming week so we’ll see more of a battle for the top spots. Here is a look at how many times the different brands appeared on this week’s chart:

–> Each week we’ll invite you to leave a prediction for a certain chart position on next week’s TOP TWENTY TUESDAY report. The person to predict that chart position correctly in the comments will win a $10 gift card for the Infinite Discs website.

WINNER – This week the #7 spot is the ESP Avenger SS, which was guessed by the same guy who picked last week’s correct disc…Jared. Two weeks in a row. Great job!

NEXT WEEK: Guess the #8 spot for next week. The first person to get it right (include the disc model and plastic type) will win!

THANKS FOR READING AND WATCHING EACH WEEK!

TOP TWENTY TUESDAY – MARCH 30th and APRIL 6th 2021

April 6, 2021 Todd Durrant 28 comments

We missed a week, so here are two charts– one from the week ending March 30th, and another for the week ending April 6th.

Top Twenty Tuesday for March 30th 2021

#1 – Signature ESP ZEUS
#2 – ESP FORCE
#3 – Z Sparkle ZONE
#4 – Tour Series ESP BUZZZ
#5 – G-Blend EMPEROR
#6 – Star WRAITH
#7 – OS Glo Jawbreaker BUZZZ
#8 – Star DESTROYER
#9 – Cosmic Neutron TRACE
#10 – I-Blend PHARAOH
#11 – Tour Series Z AVENGER SS
#12 – Signature Swirly S-Blend EMPEROR
#13 – ESP HEAT
#14 – C-Line X-Out MD
#15 – C-Blend ANUBIS
#16 – BaseGrip P MODEL S
#17 – Prime Burst JUDGE
#18 – D-Blend MYTH
#19 – Eternal LONGHORN
#20 – Champion MAKO3

Top Twenty Tuesday for April 6th 2021

#1 – Elevation Rubber INTERCEPTOR
#2 – Signature Metal Flake Glow C-Blend PHARAOH
#3 – Star DESTROYER
#4 – Star WRAITH
#5 – DX AVIAR
#6 – Tour Series Galactic AVIAR
#7 – ESP ZONE
#8 – ESP BUZZZ
#9 – Star X-Out DESTROYER
#10 – Signature I-Blend PHARAOH
#11 – BaseGrip P MODEL US
#12 – Cosmic Neutron TRACE
#13 – BaseGrip P MODEL S
#14 – Prime Burst JUDGE
#15 – Star X-Out WRAITH
#16 – I-Blend EXODUS
#17 – Tour Series ESP BUZZZ
#18 –G-Blend EMPEROR
#19 – Halo Star DESTROYER
#20 – Electron PROXY

The chart from two weeks ago shows a big influx of Discraft as some important models were restocked, but that surge definitely died down for the new week as those popular discs sold out quickly. This week’s chart shows a powerful first place showing with the new INTERCEPTOR rubber approach disc from Elevation Disc Golf. This one has really tweaked the interest of many players. The Dave Feldberg Metal Flake Glow PHARAOH also had a stunning 2021 debut with a jump to the number two spot. The Cosmic Neutron TRACE had a couple of good weeks with the new stamp featuring Sarah Hokom signature.

Here’s a look at how many times the different brands showed up in the chart this week:

WINNER – The number 6 spot was the one up for guessing a week ago, so we’ll be looking at the first chart on this blog (the one ending March 30th). That spot was the Star WRAITH. It looks like Jared is the winner, picking Star Wraith first. Congrats!

NEXT WEEK: Guess the #7 spot for next week. The first person to get it right (include the disc model and plastic type) will win!

THANKS FOR READING AND WATCHING EACH WEEK!

Thunderbird Power Bars

April 5, 2021 Keith Barker Leave a comment

Infinite Discs now carries Paige’s favorite brand of power bars, Thunderbird.

Thunderbird focuses on creating plant-based, paleo certified, and non-GMO food. Ensuring that their bars have “shockingly good flavor” without added sugar. They pack the bars with nutrient-dense ingredients by using a variety of superfoods. All the while, providing you with clean energy. Helping you to perform your best with nutrition that fuels you the right way.

There are a variety of flavors, ensuring that you can find one that you like! These are available online now, $2.25 a piece.

Professionals and Tournaments

April 1, 2021 Ted Hegemann Leave a comment

Photo courtesy JomezPro.com

Us And The Pros

The next best thing to being out on the course playing disc golf is watching the top pros in the sport play the game. There are many reasons to watch them play. It is so amazing to watch the lead card at a major tournament execute shots that require precision angles, impeccable timing, or gobs of power. Watching a skilled professional disc golfer ply their trade is a thing of beauty. Watching a skilled professional disc golfer shank a drive or drill a tree is also comforting. There is kind of a bonding feeling to see someone we admire because of their high level of talent, make the same mistakes that we do on the course. It’s also educational to watch them throw, then use that knowledge to improve our form.

For whatever reason, a lot of us choose to watch videos of tournaments. Sometimes we watch them live, committing three or more hours so we can see things in real time. Others of us prefer post-produced video, which is video that is edited so that you get to watch the throws and putts, but not all of the walking and waiting in between. Even if we like videos, many of us enjoy attending tournaments in person, too. But, a certain percentage of us are content to just play the game and not watch the tournaments, nor do we have pros that we follow. Let’s look at the different ways we consume disc golf tournaments.

Consuming Media

The question we posed was, ‘In which of the following ways did you follow professional disc golf in 2020?’ While Covid19 affected the tournament scene last year, there were still a lot of tournaments that were played and filmed. Here is a breakdown of the results:

Photo courtesy JomezPro.com

Only 2 percent of us say that we don’t follow disc golf, while 93.6 % of us say that we’ve watched post-produced tournament videos! A contributing factor to the large number of people who watch tournaments on YouTube is the high level of video quality we are seeing in the sport. Production crews like Jomez, Central Coast Disc Golf, Gatekeeper Media, The Disc Golf Guy, Par Save Production, GK Pro and others have taken video production to another level. We can now watch tournament rounds often within a day of when they were played, usually with commentary, replays, disc tracking, etc. Throw in production companies such as Ace Run Productions and Disc Golf Examiner, who offer video of local tournaments, and it’s really a good time to be a disc golf junkie!

Watching post-produced videos is easily the most popular way to watch disc golf videos. Half of us watched a tournament broadcast on ESPN or CBS Sports. That is impressive when you think that only a few tournaments were shown from those companies.

Watch Live or Watch Later

When it comes to watching tournaments life, and impressive 45% of us are willing to carve out enough time in the day to watch a live broadcast. I suspect a large number of those people are watching at work, which makes the decision a little easier. More people indicated they watch tournaments live than watch live scoring. A little under 43% of us watched live scoring last year. While nowhere near the number of people that watch post-produced videos, which is still a lot of people who want the tournament results instantly.

One survey result that surprised me a bit was how many people watch disc golf instructional videos. Over 76% of us watch those videos. There are so many good teachers and videos out there, and I am such a fan of these videos, that I thought that number would be higher. If you want to get a little disc golf coaching, check out some of the great online videos.

The final statistic in this segment is how many people attended tournaments as a spectator. The survey results indicate 11.5% of us watched a tournament in person. That is down quite a bit from 27.6% the year before, due to having fewer tournaments to attend and more restrictions at the tournaments that were held. Here is a graph of the results of the previous year’s survey results. Note: we did not ask about CBS and ESPN due to those companies not having a broadcast the year before.

One interesting survey result was that 94% of us said that we watch tournaments on YouTube, yet 13.2% of us said (in a separate question) we don’t follow professional disc golfer. I suppose we could be watching strictly for the love of the sport. For me, I’ve really started following certain players because I get to watch them on video or at a tournament. Here is the results of the question:

Choosing Favorites

For those of us who do follow professional disc golfers, most of us have a few favorites that we really like to watch and cheer for the win. We are fortunate in our sport at this point in time to have professionals that are so accessible. If you attend most high-level tournaments, you are rubbing shoulders with the best in the sport. They are usually happy to sign a disc or chat (if they have time). So, we asked in our survey who were are favorites. We let people choose more than one, since most of us like a few pros. Taking the top spot is none other than… Simon Lizotte. Over 18% of us chose him as one of our favorites. In second is Paul McBeth. Paige Pierce was the best ranked FPO player, with 7.5% of us choosing her. Here are the top 20 places:

To compare, let’s look at a graph of the favorite disc golfers from the previous year’s survey results. In it, we see Simon and McBeth in the top two spots again. And Paige is in fourth again. Two changes in the top five are that Kevin Jones and Eagle McMahon are now in, and Nate Sexton and James Conrad dropped a little. Here are the top 20:

Tune in next week when we’ll look at more survey results.

Introducing Yikun Discs

March 31, 2021 Ted Hegemann

The East China Sea borders Japan, Korea, and the East Coast of China. On the shores of the Sea sits the port city of Ningbo, China. It is home to the Tian Yi Ge library. The library was built in 1561, and is one of the oldest in the country. Ningbo is also home to disc golf manufacturer, Yikun Discs.

Six Schoolmates

When six university schoolmates were introduced to disc sports while in school, little did they know it would lead to starting a disc business. The group started playing ultimate frisbee and became the first Chinese ultimate players. It was during their final year in school that they decided to start a company whose mission was to promote flying disc sports and introduce a healthier lifestyle to the youth of the country.

In 2010, Yikun got involved in disc golf after Eric Xu learned more about the sport from some European disc golfers. Since then, Yikun has launched the first PDGA sanctioned tournament and opened the first disc golf course in China. Yikun became the first Asian company to get approved by the PDGA, World Flying Disc Federation, and USA Ultimate. They currently ship discs to over 40 countries.

First Mold For Yikun

The first disc golf mold approved by the PDGA for Yikun was the View in 2013. The View is an understable fairway driver. The next year they added the Wings and Claws, which are mid/hybrids and putters respectively. Since then they have added numerous mold to give disc golfers a variety of flight shapes.

Yikun currently offers four different plastic types. They have the Tiger line, which is their base plastic. Then they have three premium plastics: Phoenix line, Dragon line, and their Tortoise line, which is used on their overmold discs. The Phoenix line is a durable translucent plastic similar to Champion or Lucid plastic. Dragon line has more grip and is a little softer, similar to Gold Line. The Tortoise overmold plastic can be found on the Twin Swords mold, the Tomahawk, and the Meteor Hammer. The plastics they sell the most are the Phoenix and Dragon lines.

Coming Soon

Yikun tries to introduce new products to the market every year. Coming up this year or next, Yikun will be introducing two new plastics to the market. They be offering the Swift line and Soflex line. The Swift line is a light plastic, making it good for beginners. It even floats in water. Soflex also floats in water and is light, and is also very flexible.

In addition to the new plastics, Yikun also has plans for more new molds and some new accessories. The details of the molds aren’t available yet. However, Yikun indicates they will be releasing a new bag design. They will also be releasing an interactive electronic version of a basket.

Disc Golf In The Olympics?

Yikun has not started a sponsor program yet. Instead, they focus on growing the sport by making it available to school kids and hosting events. They would like to see enough growth that the popularity of the sport might make it a future Olympic event.

The philosophy of Yikun Discs is that disc golf is much more than a sport. They look at it as a lifestyle. And they believe it is a lifestyle that connects people from different nations and ideologies. Their hope is that more people will include programs with disc golf tournaments that promote international communications and cultural learning. If we can make the world a little smaller and more connected through disc golf, that sounds like a pretty sport. And an awesome lifestyle!

Top Selling Yikun

Below is a chart of Infinite’s top-selling Yikun molds. It’s interesting to see all of their overmolds in the top selling discs. Taking first is the straight-flying midrange, the Tomahawk. In a tie for second is the overstable putter, the Hammer (Chui), and the high-speed, stable driver, the Twin Swords. Here are the top ten molds and the percent of sales.

Comment About Yikun Discs

We want to hear from you about Yikun Discs! Let us know about your experience with Yikun.

If you’ve thrown a Yikun Disc, which have you thrown?

If you haven’t tried one yet, which one would most likely make it into your bag?

Last Week: CHEENGZ

Last week we looked at CHEENGZ. We selected three random people who commented on that blog. Here are the winners:

Paul K

Justin H

Kevin

Congrats! We’ll ship your disc out shortly.

General

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