Category: General

Disc Golf Manufacturer Spotlight

 

Infinite Discs carries a large selection of brands and we wanted 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. Last week we featured Disc Golf UK/Launch Disc Golf. This week we leave England and travel across the North Sea to pay a visit to Guru Disc Golf.

Guru Disc Golf

 

Guru Disc Golf is another great example of how global our sport has become. The company is based in Oslo, Norway. It is one of many non-US based disc golf companies. Guru Disc Golf grew out of another company, Sune Sport, which was started in 1996 by Sune Wentzel, a multiple-time Freestyle Players Association Overall World Champion. Currently, Sune Sports carries a variety of hobby and sport related products.

Guru was started in 2016 by Wetzel and former European Disc Golf Champion, Espen Møkkelgjerd. They wanted to have a company that would add to the growth of the sport in Norway. To that end, the company offers molds that are excellent for beginner disc golfers, or more experienced disc golfers who can shape their shots. The first three molds released by Guru Disc golf are the Mjolner, the Thor, and the Midgard. The names come from Norse mythology.

Guru Molds

The Mjolner is a stable, beaded putter that flies straight and finishes with just a little bit of fade. It is available in D-Plastic, which feels like Innova’s DX plastic or Infinite’s D-Blend. Those plastic types beat in easier, giving you a seasoned flight more quickly. It shares the same name as Thor’s hammer. Their midrange mold is the Thor, named after the Norse god. It has flight numbers similar to the Innova Shark. The Thor flies straight, with a decent finish. It also comes in the base D-Plastic, and is available in C-Plastic, similar to Innova Champion plastic. The last of their initial molds is the Midgard. The Midgard is a speed-6 fairway driver that has a little turn and little fade, for an overall straight flight. It is available in D-plastic. The name also comes from Norse mythology. It refers to the inhabited, visible world.

Those three molds make up a starter set offered by Guru. Their flight numbers are excellent for beginners, and are a great way to introduce people to the sport. Since those initial discs were approved by the PDGA, two other molds have become official, the Sleipner and the Fenris.

 

Higher Speed Discs

 

Guru’s first foray into high speed discs is their Sleipner, a speed-10 disc similar in flight to an Infinite Discs Aztec. It is named after Odin’s eight-legged horse (Sleipnir) in Norse mythology. It is made in D-Plasitc and S-Plastic. The Sleipner, like the Aztec, is suitable for a variety of skill levels.

The other high-speed driver in their lineup is the Fenris. The Fenris (Fenrir) Wolf creature was featured in the Thor Ragnarok movie. He is the son of Loke. In mythology, it is It flies similar to the Infinite Emperor. The speed-13 disc comes in durable C-Plastic.

Growing Disc Golf

The folks at Guru Disc Golf have been active in growing the sport, particularly in their home country of Norway. They sponsor players from the pro ranks, to up and coming amateurs. One of their sponsored women is FPO player Anniken Steen, who has been racking up a lot of wins the last few years (see her in action at the PCS Open here. American pro Logan Bowers also uses Guru discs and equipment. Check him out battling with McBeth at the 2016 World Championships here.

Guru is excited about the future of the company and disc golf. Despite the challenges the world faced with the pandemic, the worldwide interest the disc golf has been increasing in Norway, too. The number of courses in the country has passed the 300 mark, with no signs of slowing down. Guru Disc Golf is excited about the number of young people discovering the sport, and the increased acceptance by the general public. They anticipates being right in the middle of the growth by sponsoring tournaments and continuing to introduce new players to disc golf.

Veteran Disc Golfers

One of the things that Guru feels is unique about their company is their experience in the sport. Sune Wentzel has been part of the disc sport community since the mid 80’s. Espen Møkkelgjerd has been involved since the 90’s. More recently, professional disc golfer and Norwegian champion Peter Lunde has been added to the team. Lunde, along with other local talent, is helping to bring growth and interest to the nation’s disc golf scene. Keep an eye on Guru Disc Golf, and Norwegian disc golfers!

Infinite’s Top Selling Guru Molds

Taking a look at the most popular molds by sales, the three molds that we sold in 2020 were fairly close. The Midgard took the top spot by just a few percentage points. Coming in second was the Putter, the Mjolner. Following the Mjolner is the Thor. Infinite has a shipment on the way from Guru, and we’ll post about it when it arrives.

 

Win discs from Guru Disc Golf!

 

Infinite Discs would like to hear which Guru disc would make it in your bag!. Head to Infinite (links below) and check out our listing of Guru Disc Golf molds. Then let us know:

Which Guru mold would you be the most interested in trying?

We’ll select a few random responses and ship out some swag. Check back in a week when we post the next disc golf manufacturer, and we’ll list the winners.

 

Last Week’s Winners

There were a variety of discs that people chose as the mold they would like to try from Disc Golf UK/Launch. We have a shipment from them on the way, but it will take a while to get here. We’ll get the word out when it arrives so you can try them out. Meanwhile, two molds tied for first for the disc people would like to try the most: the Count and the Duke. Both of these molds received over 26% of the votes. The Cipher was close at 23%. The rest of the votes were split among the Launch, Duchess, Lander, and Baron.

We picked three random winners from the comments on last week’s blog, and here are the three winners:

Jesse P

Justin H

Scott H

Congrats! We’ll get a disc shipped out to you shortly.

 

 

Infinite Discs’ Guru Molds

https://infinitediscs.com/category/Guru-Disc-Golf

Guru Disc Golf

https://gurudiscgolf.com/

 

 

 

Disc Golf Manufacturer Spotlight

 

Infinite Discs carries a large selection of brands and we wanted 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 travel across the pond to check out Disc Golf UK and their spin-off company, Launch Disc Golf.

Disc Golf UK/Launch Disc Golf

 

Disc Golf UK (DGUK) is a disc golf manufacturing company that started a few years ago in England. It was formed in 2014 and registered as a business in 2015. The founder, Richard Hatton, was already involved in the disc golf scene in England. He was a member of the British Disc Golf Association, an advocacy group that exists to organize and promote the sport in the Country. He felt like those goals could be better met by having a private business approach landowners and others about disc golf, instead of a volunteer organization.

Disk Golf UK is located in Warwick, England. It is near the Quarry Park disc golf course. (Check out the link below to a tournament at that course, featuring DGUK sponsored pro, 16-year-old Noah Smithson.) Its warehouse, shop and factory are south of Chesterfield, England.

Humble Beginning

 

The company was created to make inexpensive discs that could be rented out at the courses being created in the area. The exchange rate was not favorable for them, making discs expensive to import. The first mold they made was the Duke, an overstable midrange. However, once people started throwing the disc, people started raving about it! It wasn’t even PDGA approved at the time. The positive comments told them they were onto something more than a cheap rental.

 

A Quick Start

 

Shortly after the Duke was PDGA approved, the Baron and the Count were quickly designed and approved. That added a putter and a control driver to their portfolio. The Baron is a beadless overstable putt/approach disc similar in flight numbers to a Harp. The Count is a fairway driver with a little turn and a solid fade. It is similar to the Innova Eagle in flight numbers.

 

The Duchess, an experiment that turned out to be a success, was the fourth mold from DGUK. The Duchess is an understable midrange/approach disc. Its flight numbers make it great for people just starting out, and a shapeable disc for more experienced players. It is available in Noble plastic, which is their base plastic.

 

A New Brand Gets Launched

 

In 2020 DGUK launched a new line of discs under the Launch Disc Golf brand. Launch was started by Dan Whiteman, who is now the area manager for Southeast UK. Four molds have been released under the Launch brand: The Lander, the Code,  the Code X, which is the most recent release, and the Cipher. They are a putter, two mids, and control driver, respectively. The Cipher is the first disc released in the new premium plastic, Alpha. The new plastic is similar to Gold Line or Star plastic. The other molds are available in the Omega Plastic, Launch’s base plastic.

The Cipher is a fairway driver, and the first driver from Launch Disc Golf. The Cipher offers a slight turn, with a good fade at the end. Its flight is similar to a seasoned Thunderbird. The Code and Code X are midrange discs, with the Code X being the more overstable of the two. The Code X has a great wind-fighting flight and a solid, dependable finish. The Lander is the first putter from Launch, and performs nicely as both a driving and putting disc. The mold can give a little turn, or a slight hyzer-to-flat flight and sail until the fade at the end.

 

Hatton, the founder of DGUK, said that the Baron, the Duchess, and the Count are the top selling discs for Disc Golf UK. These three molds make up their starter sets and are found at courses all over the country. Outside of starter sets, the Lander and the Baron are the favorite molds of DGUK/Launch Disc Golf fans.

 

The Pros Throwing DGUK

 

Many of the company’s mold are thrown by the top disc golfers in the UK. Multiple-time British Champion James Luton throws the Duke, and calls it the best forehand disc he has ever thrown. Another British Open winner, Noah Smithson, uses his Lander as a driving putter. The 2020 National Matchplay Champion, Jon Tweed, used a Baron for every putt at the tournament. He has been throwing a prototype Cipher, too. FPO British Tour Champion Sian Lee loves the Duchess, and uses it as her go-to mid. All of the above mentioned pros are on Team Disc Golf UK.

In addition to the pros playing on Team DGUK, the company recently launched an ambassador team. These player were selected because of their contributions to disc golf, and their love of DGUK discs!

 

Popular Plastic

 

As for plastic types from DGUK, until the recent release of their Alpha plastic, only variations of base plastics were available. The Noble plastic is for DGUK molds, and Omega is for Launch molds. There are also glitter, glow options available in base plastic.

 

The Future for DGUK

 

DGUK has lots of plans for the future. Most importantly, they want to continue to add to their line of molds. They recently received technical drawings for three of their upcoming molds.  In addition to the molds, they have found a glow plastic formula that they like, and that has received positive feedback from testers due to the brightness of the glow. DGUK also want to expand their line of baskets and bags.  They will also be working hard to install more courses around the country. Their long-term goal is to have a course within a half hour of everyone in the country.  Plus, they will be working to grow the sport by introducing disc golf to school-age youth.

 

Infinite’s Sales of Disc Golf UK and Launch Disc Golf Molds

 

Here is a breakdown of the most popular molds based on Infinite Discs’ sales for 2020. For Disc Golf UK, the Duchess led the pack, a few ticks ahead of the Count for the most sales last year. Coming in third was the Baron.

For Launch Disc Golf, the results were a little closer. Their putter, the Lander, barely beat the Cipher for the most sales last year.

 

Win Some DGUK/Launch Merch!

 

Infinite Discs would like to give some swag to some random people who answer the question below. Head to Infinite (links below) and check out our listing of DGUK/Launch molds. Then let us know:

Which DGUK or Launch mold would you be the most interested in trying?

We’ll select a few random responses and ship out some swag. Check back in a week when we post the next disc golf manufacturer, and we’ll list the winners.

Last week we featured AGL Discs and selected three random commenters to win some AGL prizes. The winners are:

Nate D.

Austin D.

James H.

Congrats! I’ll send you an email to verify your mailing address.

 

 

Infinite Discs – Disc Golf UK

https://infinitediscs.com/category/Disc-Golf-UK

Infinite Discs – Launch Disc Golf

https://infinitediscs.com/category/Launch-Disc-Golf

Disc Golf UK

https://discgolfuk.uk/

Launch Disc Golf

https://launchdiscgolf.co.uk/

Noah Smithson at 25^th Quarry Park Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5O8NRodzSg&t=327s