Sometimes we step up to the tee, very confident in our shot selection. But then, we noticed the wind picking up from right to left… and we started second guessing our plans. Which disc should we throw now? How do we adjust for the wind?
David Feldberg is here to help. He talks us through the basics of reading the wind and shot selection. Let us know if you learned something in the comments!
We’d like to give a huge thanks to the sponsors of this year’s State of Disc Golf Survey! These sponsors graciously donated prizes to be given to survey participants. We had over 6500 survey participants this year, and nine amazing sponsors. We’re going to announce the sponsors here, in alphabetical order:
And Presenting the Survey, as well as donating prizes:
We’d also like to announce that all survey prizes have been drawn. If your email was drawn, we have sent you an email as of now. Please check your email and get back to us to claim your prize if you’ve won! We will be shipping out Prizes as we get your replies.
Thanks to everybody who participated in the survey this year!
Click the link above to see the data for this year! New results are posted several times a month as we parse the data and make some graphs to show interesting finds!
Every year we enjoy asking disc golfers questions about their disc purchasing habits and preferences. As a retailer, this is a subject that always interests us at Infinite Discs. We help customers at all different levels, from the novice who wants to know the best beginner discs to the hard-core collector who buys the hottest new releases. It’s time to share the data collected from the survey participants on the subject of how many discs we own and what motivates us to purchase more.
Many of us remember when we were new to the game of disc golf. The first time we see another player carrying a backpack loaded with discs is usually a shocker. Why could the possibly need so many discs? It doesn’t take long to learn why multiple discs are necessary as you become a more serious player. But some of us dive much deeper into the sea of plastic than others. Here’s a look at how many discs survey participants claim to own.
Of course, those who would take the time to participate in a State of Disc Golf survey are typically more serious players. Thus, the number of participants who claimed to own less than 10 discs was very low. The highest column on the chart is the one representing players who own 41-60 discs. That means that the sweet spot is somewhere around 50 discs. However, as the quantities go higher, the number of responses doesn’t drop much. The final quantity of 200+ discs is the 2nd highest on the chart. In fact, just over 14% of those surveyed own more than 200 discs!
Perhaps you are a player who thinks deeply about what you want in a disc, weighing the pros and cons of each purchase before pulling the trigger. But there are plenty of other players and collectors who have a fast trigger finger when it comes to disc buying habits. Some players only purchase a disc when they lose a favorite. Others purchase a disc in the hopes that it will improve their game. Others purchase discs to hang on the wall. In the end, how many discs did the survey participants purchase in 2019? Here are the results.
A good number of survey participants claimed not to have purchased any discs in 2019, but the vast majority made disc purchases. The largest column is the one that represents 10-14 discs purchased. That’s an average of about a disc per month, which sounds pretty reasonable for an avid player. You may find it interesting that 58 people claimed to have purchased more than 200 discs in 2019.
Let’s take a moment to measure how many discs were purchased solely for the purpose of collecting. When asked how many discs survey participants purchased only to collect, these were the results:
About 46% of those surveyed said that they purchased absolutely no discs for collection purposes. Another Another 24% said that they only purchased 1-3 discs in 2019 to collect. That makes about 70% who are probably not serious collectors. However, there are a good number of people who purchased large numbers of discs and who primarily purchased those discs for collections.
There is one more piece of data we’ll look at in this run-down, and that answers the question of where the survey participants acquired all of their discs in 2019. Was it at a local pro shop? Was it online? Was it at a tournament? Here’s the results.
Survey participants could choose as many answers are applied to their situation. So most people picked several sources. The most common answer was “Local Disc Golf Shop” which means that the pro shops and individual disc golf stores out there are still a vital part of the market. It is hard to compare online shopping with the feeling you get when you walk into a store, hold the disc in your hand, and thumb through a pile of plastic.
Online shoppers are still plentiful with 4127 people saying that they’d purchased a disc from Infinite Discs. That might be expected since we hosted the survey. But the 3799 survey respondents also said that they’d purchased from other online retailers as well, like Disc Golf Center, Marshall Street, etc.).
There were 1319 people who claimed to have purchased from Amazon.com and a smaller number at 972 from EBay. Those larger online retailers are important, no doubt, but in this case did not look as popular as other specialized local and online stores.
In a future blog post, we’ll take a look at the responses to the survey which indicate what factors are most important to players when they make their disc purchasing choices. Is it rarity, stamp design, brand, or something else? Stay tuned, and feel free to leave your comments below.
Welcome to another Disc Data blog! Today we’re going to take an in depth look at the Top 100 Distance Drivers. We’ll be using our sales data from the past year to determine which disc golf distance drivers are the most popular. We’ll first take a look at the Top 100 list, then we’ll break it down into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
Note: We can’t show exact sold quantities, but we can show you the sales figures when compared to each other. This still provides a great visual presentation of which discs are the most popular when compared to others.
That is a pretty long list of distance drivers, so let’s break it down by speed. That will allow us to see how similar discs compared to one another in sales.
The fastest distance drivers on the market are those which are given a speed-14 rating. That speed rating is based on the width of the rim. The wider the rim, the higher the speed. That basically means that the wider the rim, the faster (more powerful) the player must throw the disc to keep it aloft. Higher speed can equate to more distance, but only if the player has the skill and arm speed to keep it in the air. A speed-14 disc usually has a rim width of 2.5cm, the widest allowed by the PDGA.
The Corvette took the #1 spot for the highest speed discs, mostly because it was the newest distance driver from Innova in the 2019 year. The Ballista Pro came in 2nd as a very good driver from the Latitude 64 line, designed for experienced players.
Still on the faster side of the distance driver spectrum, the Speed-13 drivers are very popular. They are slightly more accessible to the general player pool than those with the widest possible rim. But they still require a lot of speed to maximize their distance performance.
The Infinite Discs Pharaoh has been a hot seller for Infinite Discs ever since it was introduced as the fastest distance driver in their disc line (manufactured by Innova). It likely takes the #1 spot because Infinite Discs was the only place to get one during the 2019 season. However, the Pharaoh will become available to other stores as 2020 progresses. The Shryke and Boss by Innova take the next two spots and then the relatively new Raider by Dynamic Discs took the #4 position.
The most popular speed rating in drivers appears to be the Speed-12 class. This rim size is more manageable for many players, including professional players who throw some of the most popular drivers in the market.
The Destroyer by Innova was once again the #1 selling distance driver of 2019 at Infinite Discs. It is thrown by a lot of professional players and amateurs alike. So, it also takes the top spot among speed-12 drivers, though the Zeus by Discraft (in the Paul McBeth line of discs) gave the Destroyer a run for its money when it was introduced in 2019.
Discs with a Speed-11 rating have been picking up in popularity among many players. While they may initially pull the trigger on a 12 or 13 because they see experienced players throwing them, those same players often discover that they can actually get more distance with a speed-11. For a lot of players, this is about as fast as they can honestly handle.
The Wraith by Innova is one of those distance drivers that has been increasing in popularity lately, taking off as the new favorite for more of the amateur players. However, you will see some professionals, including some of the best female players in the world, throwing a Wraith.
Usually a Speed-9 or Speed-10 driver is considered a good place to start for new players who want to test the distance driver category. It is fast enough, but not overly fast even for newer players. These are the best-sellers with a speed-10 rating at Infinite Discs.
The Beast by Innova took the #1 spot in this speed category. The Orc has something of a cult following, selling particularly well in the collector’s market, due to the incidental swirls and number of “pre-flight number” discs floating around. They are more rare when they are found without the flight numbers included on the stamp. The Avenger SS by Discraft has recently picked up steam as another Paul McBeth signature edition, though it is quite a bit slower and more beginner friendly than most other discs that he is seen throwing in tournaments.
The Speed-9 class of discs is actually that fuzzy line between a true “distance driver” and a “fairway driver.” Being slower, they are somewhat easier to control in precision situations and work nicely as entry-level distance drivers for newer players.
There are some speed-9 discs which are on the top-sellers chart because their manufacturer calls them “distance drivers.” However, there are other speed-9 discs that are not on this chart or included in the data because the manufacturer calls them “fairway drivers” or “control drivers.” Hot sellers that don’t appear here because of that designation would be discs like the Innova Firebird, or Innova Valkyrie, or Dynamic Discs Felon, etc.
So, when it comes to speed-9 discs, expect the numbers to be as fuzzy as the designation between being a distance or fairway driver.
Here is one more interesting chart for you. It shows the most popular speed class when the sales are separated into the speed categories. Once again, keep in mind that the Speed-9 class is fuzzy because it excludes the sales of many popular speed-9 discs that are categorized by their manufacturers as control drivers or fairway drivers.
It doesn’t take a trained eye to notice that the Speed-12 category is the most popular. That is the category that includes the top sellers like the Destroyer and the Zeus.
We hope that you have enjoyed looking at this data. Feel free to share your opinions and favorite distance drivers in the comments.
With the new year and tournament season under way, we thought it would be good to look at some of the new disc golf discs for 2020. There are many discs that have been PDGA approved, release date announced, and we are just awaiting the release date. With other molds, manufacturers keep details close to the vest until their announcement. Every year manufacturers introduce new discs to the sport. Some molds make a splash and instantly becoming popular, like last year’s Kong/Zeus. Others don’t have as much impact.
The PDGA approved 74 new molds in 2019. Most of them went to production. Some won’t arrive until later this year. Only time will tell how they fare with the DG community.
Let’s take a look at some the the upcoming releases for 2020. We will continue to check out discs throughout the year, as manufacturers approve or announce them.
We will start with Infinite Discs and the much anticipated Ruin putter. Do you love your Harp? Do you rely on your Zone? Is an overstable putter one of your go-to discs? You should give the Ruin a try! This beadless beauty will fight any headwind you will experience. When you throw the Ruin, you KNOW it gives reliable, hard fades for perfect placements. The Ruin is available in our durable C-Line plastic, our grippy I-Blend and now in amazingly colorful C-Blend dyed! Infinite Discs released the Ruin on January 17th with our awesome Alien stamp.
Discmania announced it will be expanding its Active line to include an Active Premium plastic. Three molds will be made in the new plastic, the Sensei, a low-profile putter, the Maestro, a small-diameter midrange, and the Mentor, a control driver. Although the Sensei has been sold in Discmania Mystery Boxes for a while, it hasn’t been released on it’s own. The Sensei, Maestro, and Mentor will also be available in the base Active plastic. The discs’ profiles and flights are not new. They are renamed versions of Discmania’s Tiger Warrior, Spring Ox, and Sea Serpent discs. The new names are retired. Also retiring are the Fox Spirit, which will become the Magician, and the Sun Bird, which is changing to the Genius. The Magician and Genius will only be available in base plastic.
The New Zealand disc golf company release its new, overstable driver Kotare (Pronounced Ko-Tar-Ray). The high-speed driver has a turn of 0 and fade of 3, making the disc excellent for straight or headwind shots. And that strong fade makes for great turnover shots. The flight rating is 12, 5, 0, 3
With Paige Pierce’s move to Discraft, it’s no surprise that the company would release a new mold to support the World Champion. Paige’s new prototype disc is a beadless, understable putt and approach disc, and Discraft released the disc on January 17th. Discraft announced the name of the new disc, the Fierce. Pierce is Fierce on the course!
Mint discs had the first release of 2020 with their popular understable control driver, the Freetail. They released the disc on January 6th.. Mint discs has a very loyal following and we went through the first order rather quickly. Fortunately, the Freetail is now back in stock.
Kastaplast, out of Sweden, saw their disc the Lots approved this year. It is a straight flying, utility fairway driver. It boasts a flight rating of 9, 5, -1, 2. They are available in K1 Plastic. Lots means “pilot” in Swedish and refers to one who navigates the harbor or coast. Just like navigating the course with a Lots
Latitude 64 added to its beginner-friendly line of discs with the release of the Sapphire. Initially available in the popular Chameleon plastic, the first run of the speed 10 driver quickly sold out. The mold is now available in Opto and Gold Line plastics. The driver has a flight rating of 10, 6, -2, 1.5. It is a 150-class disc.
Invictus means “unconquered” in Latin and for long range throws into a headwind, there’s no equal. Some pros refer to the Star Invictus as a “faster Firebird.” Innova Star Team’s Garrett Gurthie says, “If you think you have the power, you need this disc.” Keep an eye out for the Invictus at the end of March. The new mold features a flight rating of 10, 4, 0, 3.
Several other major manufacturers have had discs approved, and we await news about their release dates.
Innova is releasing the Avatar this year. The putter adds another overmold disc to their large library of discs.
Dynamic Discs got two approved at the end of last year: the Sergeant, described as a hybrid driver,
between a fairway and a high-speed driver, and the Bounty, a straight-flying midrange. They Bounty will be part of the Trilogy Challenge players pack. Dynamic Discs will release the Sergeant in April 2020.
Discmania recently got their Tactic approved. They are describing it as a disc that fills the gap between putters and mid-range discs. The the flight numbers are 4, 2, 0, 3.
Several smaller brands have had discs approved in the last couple months. Many of these companies are located in countries around the world:
XCOM has several discs approved by the PDGA:
XPT1 (Advanced Putt)
XPT2 (Advanced Mid-Range)
XPT3 (Beginner Mid-Range)
XPTe (Beginner Fairway Driver)
XPT5 (Advanced Distance Driver)
Crosslap Discgolf Park, a German company, got approved for their driver, the Vigil (Called the Pipeline as a prototype). It sports a flight of 8, 6, -2, 1.5, and will be available in Advanced, Maximum, and Platinum Plastic.
Disctroyer, the disc golf manufacturer in Estonia, was approved for their putter, the Sparrow (Varblane in Estonian). Discstroyer’s web site shows the flight numbers as 3, 3, 0, 2. The Sparrow joins the mid range Skylark (5, 4, 0, 2) and the high-speed Starling (13, 5, -2, 2) in the Disctroyer lineup.
Infinite Discs opened up a survey in February 2020 to the members of Team Infinite in order to see which Infinite Discs brand putters they liked the most. We also asked which plastic blends they wished to have with those putters. While Infinite Discs had released four putters in D-Blend plastic, not all of those putters have seen premium plastic releases yet. Since the brand is still new and we’re trying to discover what the players want most, we felt that feedback would be valuable.
First of all, let’s introduce you to the putters in the Infinite Discs line-up. At the time of this survey there were four primary putters. The RUIN has just been introduced, and while it has the dimensions of a putter, it is designed primarily as an overstable approach disc, so it is excluded here.
The MYTHThe MYTH was the first putter in the Infinite Discs brand lineup and we wanted to start strong. The Myth is a dependable, beaded putter with a comfortable rim that can be used for precision putting, or as a driving putter and approach disc. The Myth has a slight end fade and only moderate glide.
These are the flight numbers:
The TOMBThe TOMB is a flat-topped, low-profile, putt-and-approach disc with a comfortably smooth, beaded rim. The Tomb has just the right amount of stability to cover ground while threading the needle on approach shots, whether thrown forehand or backhand. It can also be used as a crossover mid-range, driving putter, or to hold the line while putting for distance or in moderate headwinds.
These are the flight numbers:
The SCARABThe SCARAB is a beaded putter that has a similar rim configuration to the Infinite Discs Myth, but with a different flight plate that provides a longer glide for longer putts and approaches. If you love throwing putters for distance, or you’re seeking pinpoint accuracy gets the job done. It has less fade and more glide than the Myth with a similar feel.
These are the flight numbers:
The COHORTThe COHORT is a unique putt-and-approach disc that is a great, beadless option for mid-range and approach shots with a comfortable rim for either backhand or forehand players. The revolution toward smaller-diameter discs for mid-range shots continues and the Cohort is stable enough to hold the line when thrown with confidence. When in a firm plastic blend, it makes a great putting putter for players who prefer a beadless rim.
These are the flight numbers:
As of February 2020, the players surveyed picked their favorites of these four putters. The results were quite interesting, showing that a lot of the players preferred the two putters which double more as approach discs. The Tomb and the Cohort are both very effective approach discs– one with a bead and one without. While the Tomb has been available in several plastics, including premiums like C-Blend and S-Blend, the Cohort was only introduced in D-Blend (base plastic) and R-Blend (a soft, flexible blend). Here is a look at a chart showing the favorites:
The popularity of the COHORT is particularly interesting since it was only released in limited editions to the Infinite Discs VIP Club and Team Infinite members in 2019 with remaining R-Blend discs sold to the public with a bottom stamp. Apparently those few people who have the disc ended up loving it! The TOMB, on the other hand, has a longer history and has been released in multiple plastic blends due to its popularity.
The surveyed Team Infinite members definitely had a lot to say when explaining why certain putters needed to be released in specific plastic types. There were too many requests and comments to share here. As a few examples, these were some thoughts:
There’s usually just as many requests are there are different tastes. But we tallied up those requests and found that the following were the most requested for future releases (top 6 in order of most requested):
We also thought that it would be fun to ask our Team Infinite members which colors they prefer for putters. They were allowed to name any color and vote for more than one if they have several favorites. This is what they picked as their favorite colors for putters:
We will continue to seek feedback from our team members as well as the public when it comes to the types of discs and the types of plastics used, as well as the preferred colors.
If you have any feedback on these putters or would like to request a special plastic type, feel free to comment below.
At last years Las Vegas Challenge we introduced the Emperor as a player pack disc for amateur participants.
Exactly one year later, the Emperor reigns on the pro stage with this incredible ace by Garrett Gurthie — on a par 4 hole making this shot both an Ace and an Albatross!
After a shot like this, you better believe that there will be a Garrett Gurthie G-batross Emperor available soon.
To celebrate this incredible shot, all Emperor’s are on sale through the end of the month, and you can save an additional 10% by using the discount code EmperorAce at checkout.
If you aren’t familiar with the Emperor, it is a stable/overstable distance driver similar to the Innova Destroyer. Each Infinite Discs run features a unique stamp with the run number, flight ratings, and quantity manufactured in that run. Because each run varies slightly, this system allows you to easily find the feel and flight characteristics that you like best.
Right now is the perfect time to try out the Infinite Discs Emperor.
It has become a tradition for the Ledgestone Insurance Open to release a bunch of unique tournament support discs from DISCRAFT every year. These discs are sold to help boost the payout for the players, and that helps make the tournament one of the biggest of the year.
The support discs are planned to be released in three waves for 2020. The first wave was just released and here is what you can find on the Infinite Discs website if you want these limited edition disc runs.
We expect to see WAVE 2 sometime in March with even more limited edition discs from DISCRAFT. If you’re a fan of any of Discraft’s molds, you’ll very likely see something special to add to your bag or disc collection!
