Welcome to February. Six more weeks of Winter got you down? Me too, but its one more week of Disc of the Week, and we have a fantastic one for this week! This week’s Disc of the Week is the one and only Discmania DDX!
The Discmania DDX was one of the most successful new releases of 2016. This high-speed driver has found a home in many disc golfers’ bags. This disc is said to be a combination between the Innova Destroyer and Innova Tern, which makes it perfect for golfers who find the Destroyer to be just slightly too overstable and the Tern too understable. The DDX is one of those discs that pretty much any disc golfer can find a shot that he or she could use it for.
If you haven’t had a chance to try this new driver out yet, this week is the week to do it! This week only, take 15% off the DDX by using discount code: DWDDX17. As always, stay tuned to the Facebook page for your chance to win a DDX of your choice!
INFINITE DISCS is proud to introduce the annual INFY AWARDS! This is our fun end-of-year voting for disc golf awards to recognize the discs and players that made the year better.
We’re a little late in launching the voting for the 2016 INFY AWARDS because we were running the much more extensive State of Disc Golf Survey through the month of January, but in the future, the voting will take place right at the end of the year, so you can all have the year’s highlights fresh on your mind.
So, think back to the year 2016, and let’s take a look at the nominees…
If you’d like to freshen-up on the discs that were released in 2016, you can see a helpful run-down HERE. Then when you proceed to voting, you’ll be able to vote for your favorite putter, mid-range, and driver as well as for the disc that you consider the very best new disc of 2016.
You will also be given the opportunity to vote for both the female and male Pro Player of the Year. This would be a player that you feel made the biggest impact on the game in the year 2016. The players in the voting among the top-ranked by the PDGA. You will be able to write-in any player that you feel deserves the spot, if they are not listed.
Now, let’s look at the nominees for Most Memorable Disc Golf Moment of 2016…
Paul McBeth Gets Revenge at Memorial
video: Smashboxxtv
In 2015, Paul McBeth lost the Memorial Championship in a one hole playoff to Jeremy Koling after having his bag stolen before the final two rounds. McBeth came back in 2016 and after battling back and forth with touring partner Nate Sextion on the final few holes, he managed to pull out a one stroke victory to take back the Memorial Championship title
Ricky Wysocki Sinks Long Putt on the Final Hole of Master’s Cup to Take Down McBeth
video: thediscgolfguy
Ricky v Paul–A rivalry that has been defined over the last few years by Paul finding a way to hang onto a lead or Ricky finding a way to squander his. But this moment was where things started to shift in Ricky’s favor. Tied going into the final hole, Ricky sunk a huge putt to put pressure on McBeth to hit a long putt of his own in order to force a playoff. McBeth couldn’t answer, Ricky found a win, and we all saw the birth of Ricky’s “Raptor Legs.”
Cam Todd Wins GBO–Shows He’s Still Got It
video: Jomez Productions
Remember Cam Todd? If you didn’t before the 2016 Glass Blown Open, he made sure that you will remember him now. The 2002 World Champion showed that he still has some magic left in him. He battled at the top of leaderboard all week long, and going into the final hole he led young guns Paul McBeth and Ricky Wysocki by one and two strokes respectively. He managed to hold them off, and take home the Glass Blown Open title.
“Chipmunk-Gate”–Epic Playoff Finish Between Michael Johansen and Bradley Williams at Vibram Open
video: Another Round Productions
What would life be without a little bit of controversy? The Disc Golf Pro Tour kicked off at the Vibram Open. It went to a playoff that had an unlikely ending. In watching live, Johansen’s approach shot took a very unlikely skip up and over a rock wall and out of bounds, which left the door open for Williams to get up and down and take hope the win. But take a closer look a that approach shot…
Philo Brathwaite Cans an Unforgettable Albatross on Par 5 at Beaver State Fling
video: Central Coast Disc Golf
The disc golf shot seen around the world. This incredible shot at the Beaver State Fling was featured on ESPN and a handful of other sporting and science shows. Philo Brathwaite hit an albatross by getting the 850ft Hole 6 at Milo McIver West in just two throws. Absolutely incredible.
Majestic Playoff at the Majestic–Nate Sexton and Ricky Wysocki
video: Prodigy Disc
In one of the most exciting finishes of the 2016 season, Ricky Wysocki and Nate Sexton battled for what felt like hours in a playoff where they went back and forth between holes 1 and 22. Sexton had a chance to take the win with a short inside the circle putt, but he clanked it off the front rim. The next time around on hole 22, it looked like Sexton would have another chance as Wysocki shanked his drive wide right, but Wysocki once again showed us what his range and “Raptor Legs” were all about with another long putt that Sexton could not answer.
Paige Pierce Gets an Ace During Pro World’s Doubles Competition
video: thediscgolfguy
Another highlight that was featured on the Sports Center top 10. Paige Pierce hit a beautiful ace at Jones East in Emporia, Kansas during the World Championships mixed doubles event. She and her partner Jeremy Koling would go on to win the event.
Valerie Jenkins Wins Her Fourth World Title–First Since 2009
video: Prodigy Disc
The Women’s Open field over the last few years has been primarily dominated by Paige Pierce and Catrina Allen, but one competitor that has consistently fought to not be forgotten is Valerie Jenkins. So this year at Worlds she showed that she still has what it takes to compete at the top level by grabbing her fourth career world championship, and her first since 2009.
Ricky Wysocki Gets His First Victory at Worlds
video: Jomez Productions
A day that Ricky Wysocki had dreamed of for years finally came to a reality this summer. The World Championships had been McBeth’s event 4 years in a row, but Ricky was determined to prove that 2016 was his year. Ricky played an incredible tournament from start to finish, playing nearly mistake free golf to prevent any late round heroics from McBeth to stop him. The elusive World Title was finally Ricky’s, and the stage was set for another epic battle for 2017.
McBeth Strikes Back at Ledgestone Insurance Open
video: Prodigy Disc
Just one week after losing the World Championships for the first time since winning his first title in 2012, McBeth was determined to show he still means business. He came out hot and stayed hot throughout the weekend, culminating in a course record setting final round at the notoriously difficult (and slightly controversial) Lake Eureka disc golf course.
Jeremy Koling Wins First USDGC–Final Round Cancelled Due to Hurricane
video: The Spin TV
Jeremy Koling had a respectable 2016 season, but it ended with a bang, and lots of rain. Koling fought to get ahead of fellow competitor Eagle McMahon to finish the third round. The entire event had been in suspense waiting for Hurricane Matthew. The Hurricane held off for the first 3 rounds, but the tournament directors decided the conditions were unacceptable to continue play, and cancelled the final round, giving Koling the title of United States Disc Golf Champion.
Another week of Winter, another 2017 Disc of the Week! This week’s disc is no stranger to cold temperatures, as it is manufactured in the furthest North (probably) disc golf factory in the world. We are happy to announce the Latitude 64 River as this week’s disc of the week.
The Latitude 64 River is a versatile fairway driver. It is one of those rare drivers that both brand new disc golfers and top pros can utilize in their game play. The River is a stable to understable driver with a uniquely wide diameter and a small rim that fits easily in every size of hand. Though this is a slower driver, it flies sneaky far with an insane glide rating of “7.” New disc golfers will love how easy it is to throw and get distance out of, while more experienced players will enjoy the easy controllable distance they can find in the River. So come, let’s go down, down to the River to play…disc golf.
If you haven’t tried the River before, this week is a great time to do it! This week only take advantage of 15% off all Latitude 64 Rivers in stock by using discount code: DWRIVER17. As always, check our Facebook page for a giveaway that we will post shortly for your chance to also win a River!
We are now finishing up the final days of the 2017 State of Disc Golf Survey. If you have not yet taken the survey, you may TAKE THE STATE OF DISC GOLF SURVEY HERE.
Thanks to our 2017 Survey Sponsors!
Infinite Discs would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the sponsors of this year’s survey. These brand sponsors donate prizes and help us to reach out to even more participants. THANK YOU for your participation! These are the contributors for 2017, and check out the great prizes they’ve donated below!
This year we’ve got a great assortment of prizes that will distributed randomly to some lucky winners selected from those who took the State of Disc Golf Survey. These are just a few of the prizes that will be distributed:
Black Hole Pro – Practice Basket
Prodigy BP-3 Backpack
Prodigy Tournament Bags
Discraft Gift Cards
Innova Heropacks
Dynamic Discs Ranger Bags
Various Vibram Discs
Various Gateway Discs
Full Turn Traveler Discs
Prodigy Apparel
Various RPM Discs
Dynamic Discs Metal Minis
Set of Millennium Discs
Various MVP and Axiom Discs
Golden Retrievers
Assorated Faction Discs
Assorted Innova Discs
And MORE!
So, if you have not taken the survey yet, we encourage you to do it now, so you can be entered to win these great prizes. We look forward to analyzing all of the responses and getting a well represented snapshot of what the current disc golf scene looks like, and possibly what it might look like in the near future.
It all started in the break room at Infinite Discs…we’d just looked over a new stamp design by our favorite stamp artist, NEOmi-triX, and a couple of us were really excited about it– a stamp concept called the “Infinite Aztec”. But there wasn’t complete agreement on its appeal. We’ll just say that a couple of the younger members of the crew thought that Aztec art was, after all, very old-fashioned. They wanted something newer and more hip.
“Like what?”
“Like a cute kitty!”
To cut a long story short, it was argued that any disc with a cool cat on it would be more popular than Aztec art. The argument became heated enough that we decided on a stamp duel. We’d do a run of both stamps on popular disc models from Innova, with the same quantities of the same molds for each stamp. Then we’d let the disc golfers and collectors decide which was more appealing. Which ever sold the fastest would be the winner. Then we’d take that winning stamp on to other disc models from Dynamic Discs, Discmania, Gateway, and other popular brands. The losing stamp, on the other hand, would be banished. Once the remaining discs were sold, it would never be seen again.
It was a deal! But we were still missing one thing– a kitty stamp. The Infinite Aztec was ready, and had only gone through a couple of minor tweaks with the integration of an Infinite Discs logo on the forehead. But the kitty went through many variations and adjustments until it was finally turned in as a final stamp design called the “Tommy Cat.”
The original kitty concept was to have an over-the-top, cute kitty drinking from a bowl of milk. NEOmi-triX sent us a sketch of the original idea, which, when we looked at it, caused many laughing fits around the office. It wasn’t a finished piece and was missing things like whiskers and tufts of fur. It looked a bit like a pug, or a guinea pig. The stamp design changed vastly from that point, with the members of “team kitty” turning to a much tougher cat concept, rather than a cute kitty. A Tommy gun was added, changing the name to “Tommy Cat” and the cat eventually took over an entire cityscape before being fine-tuned into the finished design that focused entirely on the mafia-influenced cat.
The Infinite Discs crew is now split between TEAM AZTEC and TEAM TOMMY CAT and we’re excited to see which stamp wins the duel. We invite everybody to pick a side. There are Facebook Groups for each team, which you can join to show your preference:
FIVE free discs will be given away to disc golfers who take a side, and join one of the Facebook groups. Only the winning team will earn free discs, so choose wisely.
The winning stamp design will be decided at the end of February. Whichever stamp has sold the most will be declared the winner. Future stamp runs for the winner will carry into the spring and summer months. So this is where customers will ultimately decide which stamp will carry on, and which will be forgotten.
How to find discs with Aztec and Tommy Cat Stamps
Advanced Search
You can search and shop for special edition stamps by using the Advanced Disc Search feature on the Infinite Discs website.
Check the “extras” box and then scroll through the list of stamps and check the ones you want to see, then click the “View Individual Discs” button to see all the discs in stock with the stamp you desire. Click Here for a more extensive tutorial.
By using that Advanced Disc Search feature, you can also track which of the two stamps is selling fastest, simply by comparing how many discs are left of each. When you check-mark one of them, the number of discs remaining will appear to the right. Whichever one is lower, that is the one that has pulled ahead in our stamp duel.
If you’re having trouble deciding which team to join, consider these arguments:
Arguments For Team Aztec
When I was a boy about 3 or 4 my favorite toy was a little white cat, and you can probably understand why — they are so cute with their whiskers, and their big adorable eyes.
Then one day, the old lady who lived next door died. A family with cats moved into her house and then I discovered what they REALLY ARE. I thought I loved cats, but when I went to pet the black and white one named Sister, it viciously scratched me on the arm. I still have scars from that nasty kitty.
As I grew older I began to realize their greater evil. Every time I am around cats, my eyes water, I sneeze uncontrollably, my eyes swell up, and I get hives. Just this morning as I walked into my garage to leave for works, I noticed an awful smell in my garage. And as I opened the garage door, I saw the culprit. I saw the cat tracks.
Now some of the marketing team at Infinite Discs have inserted these menacing beasts on Innova golf discs! To make matters worse, they’ve given him a GUN, a tool designed specifically for killing. This is not a message we want to send to our children and future generations.
We can do something to prevent this stamp from spreading like feral cats in the alley to Trilogy, Discraft, Prodigy, Gateway, Legacy, MVP, and VIBRAM. To stop the insanity, we must choose Team Aztec.
Please, make the RIGHT choice. Join TEAM Aztec.
-Alan Barker, Owner of Infinite Discs
Arguments For Team Tommy Cat
So, the solemn responsibility of defending the honor of the Tommy Cat stamp has fallen upon my shoulders. It is a weight that I bear with pride and dignity. As I look at this war that has begun and tore apart our Infinite Discs family, the words of the great Don Vito Corleone, “How did things ever get so far?” and just like the Godfather, I don’t know.
It seems as though the only argument that team Aztec can come up with is, “Well, I don’t like cats.” Well, I stand here before you all, and I can say with confidence, I do not like cats, but I am a proud member of team Tommy Cat. Are cats my first choice for a house pet? Just ask my parents how I greet their cats every time I go home to visit and you will know the answer.
But does that change the cultural phenomenon that cats have become in our society? Just ask our friends at Dynamic Discs which Dyemax designs are the best sellers. Cats are in right now. It is a fad that has taken novelty t-shirts by storm. It is a fad that has even tugged on my heart strings and wallet a few times–yes even I, one who has long held felines in contempt. It is a fad that unifies us all in a love for all things cute, funny, and adorable, but also appeals to the strong and fierce. And it is a fad that we at Infinite Discs would have been fools to allow to pass us by.
I believe if we had kept this campaign free of propaganda and lobbyists, the numbers would have spoken for themselves, and the Tommy Cat would have blown the Aztec out of the water.
So I stand here today not to change your hearts, but to search your hearts more honestly, and discover what you already know. The Tommy Cat stamp design put together by our talented artist is too good and too pure for us to allow it to fall out of production. This cat deserves to fly for years to come. And while I do respect the Aztec design, it does not sway the heart with the same emotional vigor that is contained in the Tommy Cat. So let us unite together, to send a message once and for all that bold and powerful stamp designs like the Tommy Cat is what we want to see in our future.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to seeing the voice (purchases) of the people guide us in the following weeks.
Your Obedient Servant,
Jace Smellie, Assistant Owner of Infinite Discs (not to be confused with assistant to the Owner of Infinite Discs…)
Infinite Discs has officially completed four full years of business. A lot has changed in the disc golf world since we got started at the end of 2012. I thought it would be fun to put together some numbers that show the amount of inventory we’ve purchased from each manufacturer to see how disc preferences have changed.
Note that in 2013, we were a very small online retailer that did approximately one tenth of the business we did in 2016. The graphs and numbers in this chart are in no ways an indication of the overall success or popularity of individual disc brands. These figures simply demonstrate the popularity exclusively from InfiniteDiscs.com. The total volume of sales when demonstrated as a percentage makes it appear that some disc manufacturers are declining, when in reality, our total purchases from all the major manufacturers have increased every year.
Percentage of Sales by Year
2013
Innova has always been the dominating brand for disc golf sales at Infinite Discs, as you can see by the steady blue line at or above 30% of sales. Discraft took up the second-most shelf space in our warehouse, but accounted for significantly less sales at 11.15%. As the hot new thing, Prodigy and Vibram actually accounted for more sales than did Discraft. With many of the top pros switching to Prodigy, everybody needed to try their discs. All the new Prodigy releases flew off our shelves. The Vibram Lace was our most consistent seller throughout the year. In 2013, we purchased “Trilogy” discs directly from Latitude 64 in Sweden. At that time, Dynamic Discs was primarily a retailer, and had just begun manufacturing their own line of discs. MVP was still a rather new company and only offered a handful of disc models.
2014
In 2014 you can see the rapid rise of Trilogy and MVP plastic. At this point, Dynamic Discs became a major distributor and Trilogy discs became more mainstream. MVP introduced their first distance drivers as well as their secondary brand Axiom. Dynamic and MVP sales increased at such a rapid rate that Prodigy and Vibram sales accounted for a substantially smaller percentage of sales than the previous year.
2015
2015 sales follow a similar path as 2014. Trilogy and MVP sales continued to take a bigger share of the pie while Prodigy and several smaller brands became less significant in terms of sales. Dynamic disc sales especially rose with the popularity of their increasing line of disc golf bags. 2015 Vibram sales flat-lined while Legacy Discs started to see a small bump in percentage points with the release of the popular selling Outlaw. Discraft purchases were fairly steady, in large part due to the massive number of Ledgestone Insurance Open Discs introduced.
2016
Last year our biggest increase in percentage of sales came from Discmania. Because previous years Discmania purchases had always been made directly through Innova, these sales are still lumped in the same category. Discmania’s rise in popularity was at the expense of Trilogy, MVP and Discraft. Prodigy saw a slight bump last year, in large part because of the popularity of their inexpensive BP3 and Practice bags.
What will 2017 hold?
The one thing we know for sure is that disc golf will continue to grow and that it’s a great time to be in the industry. There will continue to be new discs and improvements that will help us enjoy the game even more. Innova and Trilogy may be the primary providers of the discs we throw, but you never know if someone, or something, might come along that will alter our disc preferences. We know by experience that one thing is true– most players never tire of exploring new discs!
Another week, another Disc of the Week! But this isn’t just any disc. Its the big one. The old reliable. The best selling disc in the history of Infinite Discs. The one, the only, Innova Destroyer.
The Innova Destroyer has integrated itself into the heart of disc golf culture. Very few disc golfers, if any, haven’t heard of this 12-speed driver. With the endorsement of 4 time world Champion Paul McBeth, the Destroyer has become in many respects, the disc of modern disc golf. While most of the world still think of Star Wars when they hear the term, “Star Destroyer,” those two words have taken on an entirely different meaning for disc golfers.
This week only, take 15% off the Innova Destroyer in every plastic type that we have by using the discount code: DWDESTROYER17. We are entering our latest Innova restock as we speak! So check right away to get the first pick, because we expect a lot of Destroyer orders this week! Also make sure to enter our Facebook giveaway that we will post later today!
It is time to announce this week’s disc of the week! The second 2017 Disc of the Week is another classic in the disc golf world–The Gateway Wizard.
The Wizard is one of the most used and best selling disc golf putt and approach discs of all time. It features a beaded rim along with a deep dish that isn’t too deep, which provides a great feel in throwers hands and a stable and predictable flight path. If you are looking for a straight to overstable putter with great glide, this may be the disc for you. Gateway has a plethora of plastic types for the Wizard as well to accommodate disc golfers who prefer a grip that is, soft, stiff, tacky, slick, or anything in between! This last year we saw the introduction of a few new plastic blends including SB (“Special” Blend), PWP (Pure White Prototype), and their newest, $$$ Super Glow (Money Glow).
As part of our disc of the week promotion, we will not only be offering an exclusive discount code, but we will also place all plastic types of the Gateway Wizard on sale! So followers of this blog and our other social media platforms can receive 15% off already discounted prices. The discount code for this week is DWWIZARD17. Use this code, and share it with your friends so they can stock up on this highly popular disc! Also, be sure to checkout the Facebook page for a giveaway that will be announced later today!
Golden Retrievers
To cut a long story short, it was argued that any disc with a cool cat on it would be more popular than Aztec art. The argument became heated enough that we decided on a stamp duel. We’d do a run of both stamps on popular disc models from 
The original kitty concept was to have an over-the-top, cute kitty drinking from a bowl of milk. NEOmi-triX sent us a sketch of the original idea, which, when we looked at it, caused many laughing fits around the office. It wasn’t a finished piece and was missing things like whiskers and tufts of fur. It looked a bit like a pug, or a guinea pig. The stamp design changed vastly from that point, with the members of “team kitty” turning to a much tougher cat concept, rather than a cute kitty. A Tommy gun was added, changing the name to “Tommy Cat” and the cat eventually took over an entire cityscape before being fine-tuned into the finished design that focused entirely on the mafia-influenced cat.
