A Year of Fun Stamps from Infinite Discs

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About a year ago, Infinite Discs decided to improve our selection of discs for our customers by adding some unique and diverse stamp designs. The new stamps could be presented across a number of different brands, or limited to a single brand or even a single mold. After all, we do believe, as a core part of our company philosophy, that a large and diverse selection of discs is best for disc golf shoppers.

One Year of the Infinite Bomber

One of the first stamp images that we presented was the “Infinite Bomber” which is a simple, logo-style image of a bomb with wings. Now, a year later, the Infinite Bomber lives on as a regular part of our disc inventory, and it has also been presented in a few different versions through the year (Blitzkrieg stamp, Atom Bomb Stamp, etc.). To celebrate an entire year of that stamp design, we’ve just released a pair of trucker hats for players who like the Infinite Bomb.

The hats are manufactured by a leading sport hat brand called Headsweats, and they’re comfortable, flex-fit hats for using out on the course. These limited edition hats can be ordered from Infinite Discs HERE. There is a white-and-black version with a colored bomb, and an all-black hat with a grey bomb.

 

The Monster and the Aztec

One of the next big stamps for Infinite Discs was the Monster, which was released for Halloween of 2016 featuring a three-headed beast. This stamp was limited to a few disc models from Innova and Discmania and was only a one-time run of about 300 discs. A few stayed in the vast disc inventory at Infinite Discs for a few months before eventually selling out.

To kick off the 2017 year, Infinite Discs presented two stamp designs after a dispute among company employees. The younger employees generally believed that a stamp design featuring a tough, gun-toting cat would be very well received, given the popularity of cats online and in other markets. However, the older guys believed that an ancient Aztec design would be more popular. Thus, 300 discs were stamped with each design. The disc models and quantities were exactly matched, using Innova as the brand testing ground. Whichever stamp sold the fastest and the most in a month’s time would continue on as a regular Infinite Discs stamp design.

The contest was presented to our customers as “stamp wars” and a couple of Facebook fan pages were created where people could proudly display photos of their newly acquired discs. Though the contest was close at first, the Aztec stamp eventually took off and left the Tommy Cat stamp in the dust. Thus the Tommy Cat was abandoned (all discs eventually selling out, not to be seen again), while the Aztec stamp moved on to other disc brands like Dynamic Discs, Discmania, Latitude 64, Westside, and more. It has since been restocked on some brands and will be a regular part of the Infinite Discs selection for the foreseeable future.

Limited Edition Stamps

Along with the new year came announcements of new discs. Three of the first to be announced by Trilogy were the Dynamic Discs Sheriff, the Latitude 64 Gladiator, and the Latitude 64 Anchor. With two new distance drivers and an overstable mid-range in the mix, Infinite Discs decided to try a limited edition stamp which would be unique for each. Using the names of the discs as inspiration, three stamps were designed for the three discs. The Sheriff turned out to be the hottest selling of the three, and though it had the largest number of discs made with the stamp (250 total), it was the limited edition that became the most sought-after. The Gladiator limited edition had 150 stamped discs, some of which are still available. And then the Anchor had only 100 limited edition stamped discs featuring the only female character of the three discs– a woman disc golfer holding…well…an anchor.

Other single-mold stamps followed and were received well, including discs like the Dynamic Discs Slammer, Streamline Pilot, Streamline Trace, and very recently the Axiom Mayhem. Others are planned to be released as new discs hit the market, again focusing on fun and interesting stamp designs.

Most of the Infinite Discs stamp designs so far have come through the hard work of a talented artist who uses the online name of NEOmi-triX. The same artist helped to design several stamps for the Infinite Discs VIP Club, which is a subscription service that presents a limited edition stamped disc each month to the disc enthusiasts who subscribe. Most of the VIP Club discs have already become popular collectors pieces, as well as favorites in the bags of many subscribers who choose to throw their limited edition discs.

Sprucing Up Vibram

Vibram’s disc golf branch is a unique disc manufacturer because all of their models are made with rubber rather than plastic. Their discs are high quality in both material and performance. Fans of Vibram are very loyal and dedicated.

However, one thing that disc golfers will immediately notice about Vibram discs is that they do not feature traditional stamps. They are generally “blank” with only an embossed disc name and the Vibram logo. While that clean presentation is a plus for many players, it is also a missing element for other disc enthusiasts who like to have a little more personality and flair with their discs. One of Infinite Disc’s new 2017 efforts in increasing variety and selection is to add some unique images to Vibram’s great discs. So far, fans have been able to collect and throw Vibram discs with full-color Aztec variations, as well as with a really cool Medusa art image, and a new volcano graphic. More designs are planned in the future to spruce up Vibram discs for those who want to try the brand.

Infinite Discs plans to continue approaching different brands and working together on our mission to create an infinite supply of infinite disc choices. The journey will continue through 2017 and beyond!

 

Latitude 64 and the New Overmold Discs

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Most disc golfers who fall into the category of “disc enthusiasts” are familiar with the overmold approach used by MVP Disc Sports and their spin-off sister brand, Axiom. Aside from the obvious decorative effect of overmold discs, the combination of separate plate and rim plastics is also supposed to enhance the flight of the disc. There is apparently science to the approach of having differently weighted materials on the inside flight plate and the outside rim of the disc. However, the true test of how well that theory plays out on the disc golf courses comes from player experience. If a disc golfer feels like they are getting better results from one disc rather than another, then I’m not going to argue the point, whether the disc is an overmold model or a standard, single mold model. There are those who swear by the results, and those who aren’t believers. Those who wholeheartedly embraced the overmold philosophy have proudly given themselves the name of “gyro-heads.”

Overmold technology was briefly touched upon by Innova when they put out their extremely popular Nova putt-and-approach disc, and their not-so-popular Atlas mid-range. But at the moment, Innova’s interest in overmold discs has not continued beyond those two molds. We shall see if the future brings any continuation of their own unique approach.

A NEW PLAYER?

But now a new company has jumped into the overmold market, and that is Latitude 64, who not only has their own brand, but manufactures discs for Dynamic Discs and Westside all within their factory in Sweden. Latitude 64 has come at the overmold approach with a different angle, combining both of their premium plastics into their initial models. So far, they have used their durable, translucent Opto plastic for the flight plate, and the their durable, opaque Gold Line plastic for the rim. They call the combination of the two plastics “Opto-G.” They claim that this approach makes the entire disc not only more durable, but more predictable in flight.

Let’s take a look at the three flagship overmold discs from Latitude 64, all of which seem to be aimed at the larger beginner-to-intermediate disc golfer demographic.

SAREK

First of all, let’s take a quick look at the putter. The Sarek is designed for precision with a very straight flight path and very good glide. It has very light end fade, so the Sarek can hold a line for long putts or approaches and would even work well as an easy-throw driver for a novice player. If you guide the angle of release with the tilt of your wrist, the Sarek holds that angle nicely as well.The putter can also be used for gentle forehand flicks with accuracy.

The rim is not too deep for my personal tastes, and the shape feels comfortable in the hand. I would feel comfortable recommending the Sarek as a putter for players of all experience levels.

GOBI

The Gobi really surprised me when I took it out for a few throws. For a mid-range, this disc can really go. I don’t usually throw my mid-range discs with much power (that’s not really the point of a mid-range) but once I saw how well it glides, I had to throw the Gobi with a little more heat. I wanted to see what kind of distance it could attain. With a little hyzer angle on the release, I got this disc to stand up and fly up to 300 ft. It doesn’t move fast, but it keeps going, and the gentle comeback fade at the end-of-flight results it even more distance.

But aside from surprising distance from the Gobi it is a really accurate, easily controlled mid-range for upshots and for working the fairway. It isn’t too understable, but it isn’t too overstable either. It’s a straight-flyer that obeys your command, and finishes with a gentle fade.

BRYCE

The Bryce is a great introductory fairway driver in Latitude 64’s overmold line. It is designed as a neutral driver with just enough stability to hold a straight line under respectable speeds. When thrown with too much speed, it flips a bit too much to the understable side, but that is because it is not designed as a high-speed distance driver. When thrown at a lower speed it can be easily controlled for accuracy and consistency at distances between 200 and 300 feet.

Latitude 64 is smart to make this introductory overmold driver accessible to the majority of players who work within the realm of novice to intermediate. So the speed and stability are just right at those skill levels. The excellent glide gives the flight just a little extra distance. New players can build up their speed and control with a disc like the Bryce, and then continue using the disc as a manageable fairway driver even as their skills increase.

Overall, all three of these discs cast a hopeful light on Latitude 64’s attempts at moving into the overmold territory. All three discs were particularly strong in terms of their glide, much like the classic Latitude 64 River. It will be interesting to see what they do when they start to stretch into more overstable and higher speed thresholds.

Six New Disc Golf Drivers for the Summer of 2017

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Heading into the summer months of 2017, we’ve seen a good number of new drivers from different disc brands, vying for attention. Let’s take a look at six of them, which just scratches the surface when it comes to new drivers for the year, but these should give you a place to start if you want to add something new to your bag when it comes to distance.

Prodigy X4 – Slightly Understable for Huge Distance

Let’s kick off this overview with one of my personal favorites, the Prodigy X4. I thought that the line of “X” drivers from Prodigy had been abandoned when the beefy, overstable X1 seemingly vanished from production, but alas, along came the new X4 for summer of 2017. It is the much more understable installment in the X Series, which has now been joined by the more manageable overstable X2 as well.

The X4, while being generally straight-to-understable, can handle the torque associated with high-power throws. It pulls very nicely to the understable side, but still provides and end-fade to get some serious distance, while not straying too far in one direction or the other. The X4 works well even for lower powered throws as a distance driver with dependable fade, but can be thrown at high speeds for wonderful distance results. It is hyped as a great driver for tunnel shots, though I found that the S-Curve flight characteristics would require a fairly wide “tunnel.” This is the kind of disc that I can have fun taking to a large fairway and just ripping it as hard as possible without sacrificing too much in the way of accuracy.

I have a feeling that the X4 will become the top-selling disc in the X Series since it is not “too much disc” for the largest demographic of throwers who can toss in the 250-350 foot range, but is also fun for those who want to push it over 400 feet.

The Punisher – A Disc for the Power Throwers

Discraft has kicked off 2017 with a couple of beefy, overstable drivers for experienced power throwers, and the Punisher is the latest. First of all, the Machete was introduced as a highly overstable fairway driver for forehand throwers and wind-fighting, then the Punisher was released as an overstable distance driver to push the limits for power drives.

Discraft has often held an image as being a very beginner-friendly brand, using only a one-number stability rating and making discs that are manageable and even easy to throw for new players and the huge intermediate market. Of course, they have put out more advanced discs, but they are readily recognized for popular “easy throw” discs like the Avenger SS, the Buzzz, the Comet, the Heat, the Stratus, the Thrasher, and the new Archer. In 2017, Discraft seems to be interested in expanding that image into the competitive advanced and professional market.

A disc like the Punisher is much more difficult to throw as a novice, and it really takes some power to get impressive distance. It could fight head winds for a straighter result, but still requires a strong release. After a few throws, I felt like the Punisher was a Discraft answer to powerhouse distance drivers like the Innova Destroyer, with a manageable rim size– a 2.2cm rim, rather than the ultra-wide 2.5cm rimmed Nuke series. It’s a disc that I could see professional players actually carrying in their bags.

The Mayhem – Pretty in Flight

Axiom is a spin-off sister company to MVP, and the discs from the two brands often seem to mirror each other. The Mayhem is the first in the 23mm (wide rim) distance driver series for Axiom, following up last year’s 23mm distance driver releases from MVP. It is meant to be a high-speed distance driver that lands somewhere between the stability of the MVP Octane and the MVP Catalyst, with the Catalyst being the most understable of the two.

After field testing the Mayhem, I had a really hard time telling the difference between its flight characteristics and those of its MVP cousins. That isn’t saying that the results weren’t great, because the Mayhem is a very good distance driver with reliable and predictable fade, but it didn’t feel like a new disc. When it comes to Axiom, one of the great appeals is the combination of plate and rim colors and the often striking multi-color stamp editions that are often released. They are basically MVP discs that look more “pretty” if you want to throw with decorative style.

The Mayhem may have a name that sounds somewhat threatening, but the flight attributes of the disc are really not very threatening. I wouldn’t recommend the disc for new players, since it is indeed a high-speed driver, but it really isn’t too much disc for most intermediate players who should find the Mayhem to be an excellent driver off the tee.

The Drifter – A General Purpose Driver for All

Now let’s take a moment to recognize a new driver from a very young disc golf company, Full Turn Discs.  Full Turn is new on the scene and is still building the foundation of their brand. The Drifter is their 2017 driver release, and it is focused on a very large chunk of the disc golf market. Many players tend to be able to handle discs in the “speed 9” range, which is the no-man’s land between fairway and distance driver. For a lot of players, that is about as fast as they can handle and still get respectable distance in the 200ft to 300ft range. The Drifter can easily manage those distances without too much exaggeration on the understable side or on the fade. It is a somewhat neutral disc that allows players to learn good throwing technique, rather than focusing on discs that minimize their throwing weaknesses.

Full Turn discs are manufactured with the same plastic blends as the popular Finnish brand, Prodiscus, and the grippy premium plastics feel very good in the hand. The Drifter is comfortable and accessible and has the potential to be a workhorse driver for players at many levels.

The Fortress – You Should Expect Strength

Westside is part of the Trilogy collaboration of brands and is known for their popular distance drivers like the Destiny, the King, the World, and the Catapult, among others. The Fortress is the newest addition to the family, and it is very fitting of its name– it is not a disc for the weak. While flight ratings on Westside drivers can sometimes seem a little bit off-base when compared to other brands who use the same 4-digit system, the Fortress seems to be right on point. It takes power as a “speed 10” to get the distance, especially since it has no understable turn and wants to fade as soon as the velocity drops in the slightest. This is a disc for experienced players who want to navigate around objects, fight a head wind, or who simply throw with a lot of power, but aren’t looking for maximum distance. The Fortress is very serviceable for forehand throwers who generally need more stability.

Don’t hand this disc to a beginner or they might quickly become disenchanted with the sport of disc golf. It it more designed for the intermediate to advanced players who have an overstable slot in their bag that needs filling.

The Teleport – A Driver for the Sake of Sheer Distance

The first maximum rim-width distance driver from MVP is the Teleport, and it hits the disc golf scene with something that a lot of players can’t resist– sheer distance. Now don’t get me wrong– you won’t be able to flick your wrist and watch this thing fly a mile. With a rim (wing) this size, you need to put a lot of speed behind the Teleport, but if you get it released just right, without letting it go too high, this thing will really get out there! It was a fun disc to field test!

MVP has argued since their inception that the “Gyro” (trademark) overmold disc design is just plain better, creating extra glide and control that is not present in traditional discs. I’m not sure I completely buy into the idea or understand the science behind it, because I’ve been able to throw traditional single-mold discs with just as much or more success than overmolds. But whatever they did with the Teleport seems to have given it a fun little turbo-boost.

I wasn’t able to get maximum distance with every throw, but when I released one “just right” it was fun to watch. The stability tuning was just right for a disc that is designed as a bomber without being too advanced for most players. Though the rim is definitely wide and may bother those who use a power-grip, I personally hold my drivers in a loose grip, so the wide rim didn’t bother me. The Teleport flies pretty darn straight for being a high-speed distance driver, if you can find a way to handle that rim. It is going to be a disc that a lot of players want to try. For some it will be a struggle, just because it needs a powerful release, but for others, the Teleport will be a disc they’ll want to throw again and again.

Keep your eyes open and your hands ready to grab onto other new disc golf drivers that are undoubtedly heading our way!

 

Pureline Tournament Series 2017 Discs are Available

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In order to support the Pureline Tournament Series, which is a series of tournaments in the western states, Infinite Discs now has a great selection of limited edition stamped discs from series co-sponsor, Innova! The Pureline Series allows players of all skill levels to play at different disc golf courses in order to accumulate scores that don’t only win payouts for each tournament, but that also take them toward grand prizes at the end of the series. Infinite Discs is happy to team up with the Pureline organizers to support this series through the selling of this discs.

The Pureline Series stamps feature a formation of fighter jets, drawing out flight paths, from understable to overstable, with their smoke trails. It’s a fun stamp and the discs are downright awesome! There are a lot of glow and colored glow discs, plus plastic types that are not the usual offerings for certain disc models, and just some fun, good-looking colors!

Once these 2017 series discs are gone, then they won’t be back, so get them while you can!

 

Which Discs Can You Get?

An easy way to browse all of the discs with the Pureline stamp is to click on Advanced Disc Search, and then click the check-box for “Stamp,” and then click the button to view all of the available discs. You can browse through pages of photos and add the ones you want to your cart.

Here is a list of the limited edition Innova discs with the Pureline stamp:

DX AVIAR
CHAMPION SHRYKE
CHAMPION MAKO3
STAR DESTROYER
STAR SHRYKE
PRO DESTROYER
DX GLOW AVIAR
GLOW KC PRO AVIAR
JK AVIAR
KC PRO AVIAR
CHAMPION GATOR
PRO COLT
CHAMPION GUMMY DESTROYER
CHAMPION GUMMY RHYNO
CHAMPION GUMMY TERN
CHAMPION GLOW BOSS
CHAMPION GLOW DESTROYER
CHAMPION ROC3
CHAMPION THUNDERBIRD
PRO GATOR
PRO GLOW GATOR
KC PRO ROC
GLOW KC PRO GLOW ROC
CHAMPION FIREBIRD
CHAMPION DYED TEEBIRD
CHAMPION DYED TERN
CHAMPION DYED DESTROYER
CHAMPION DYED FIREBIRD
CHAMPION DYED ROC3
COLORED GLOW JK PRO AVIAR
COLORED GLOW KC PRO AVIAR
COLORED GLOW KC PRO ROC
XT NOVA
CHAMPION GLOW AVIAR
CHAMPION GLOW FIREBIRD
CHAMPION GLOW GATOR
CHAMPION GLOW SHRYKE
CHAMPION COLORED GLOW DESTROYER
CHAMPION COLORED GLOW FIREBIRD
CHAMPION COLORED GLOW LEOPARD3
CHAMPION COLORED GLOW ROC3
CHAMPION COLORED GLOW TEEBIRD

 

Favorite Disc Golf Course Baskets – 2017 Survey Results

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Nowadays there are a lot of different disc golf basket options available.  Up and coming manufacturers like Prodigy, Dynamic Discs, and MVP have more affordable course basket options that are making it easier than ever to get a disc golf course installed.

With so many different basket options, which one do you choose? What is the best course quality disc golf basket?

In our State of Disc Golf Survey we asked, “How do you feel about the following baskets on the course?”

While some of the newer baskets are only known and have been tested by only a small population of the sampled survey, the most well known basket is clearly the Innova DISCatcher.

Disc Golf Basket Familiarity

From the basket options included in our survey, at the beginning of 2017 only 29.35% of respondents were familiar with the MVP Black Hole while 77% were familiar with the Innova DISCatcher.

Favorite Disc Golf Baskets

When we break down baskets by those rated “Above Average and The Best” the most favorable baskets are the Mach X, Innova DISCatcher, and Dynamic Discs Veteran.

Baskets Size

On disc golf podcasts and in the professional world there is talk about reducing basket size to align disc golf more with traditional “ball” golf. While a few pros are in favor of smaller baskets, the vast majority of those who participated in our State of Disc Golf Survey (88%) strongly feel that disc golf baskets are currently about just right. 9.7% wish that course baskets were bigger while just 2.3% want disc golf course baskets to be smaller.

Putter Wars 2017 – Which Disc Golf Putter Will Win?

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blue discmania p2 disc golf disc

Putters are very personal discs. Some players can go through a lot of different putters before settling on one, primary putter for running the chains. Other players like to keep a variety of putters on hand for different settings and conditions. Some putters are better for approaches or drives. We all have our favorites, and we could argue for hours about which one is “best,” but honestly, the “best” putter is the one that feels right to each individual player.

For example, I currently have a stack of TUI putters by RPM Discs as my primary practice putter. The owner of Infinite Discs has been putting faithfully, and very accurately, with MONEY putters from ABC Discs. Another Infinite Discs employee putts with the Latitude 64 MACANA. These putters all have something in common– none of them are best-selling putters. However, they feel right to each individual player.

So for the sake of argument, let’s take a look at the one thing that can help determine which putters are the “top” putters in terms of the numbers of players using them. That can be determined by the number of players purchasing those discs, and those stats are readily at hand.

Let’s Talk About SALES

We are now approaching the month of May 2017, and we are starting to see putter sales rise as players, both veteran and novice, stock up on putters for the season. Which putters are the hottest movers? Undoubtedly, we’ll see some well known, long established putters rising to the top, but there are also some new putters that are making a splash in 2017.

First of all, here are a couple of comparison charts for the top 10 best-selling putters at Infinite Discs so far in 2017 (4 months including January, February, March, and April):

The Judge by Dynamic Discs was the best-selling putter at Infinite Discs in 2016, but has fallen behind in the first four months of 2017, dropping to 4th place while the three top-sellers are running a close race.

The Discmania P2 “Psycho” has jumped to the top, with the base D-Line plastic exploding in sales. Both P-Line and S-Line are also pushing the sales through the roof.

In second place, we see the juggernaut Aviar by Innova. With many different plastic types, it consistently adds up to being one of the top-selling putters. The McPro Aviar is the plastic blend that is pushing the sales much higher, accounting for more than 1/3 of total Aviar sales so far in 2017.

Third place is held by another long-time best-seller, the Wizard by Gateway. With probably more different plastic blends than any other putter out there, the Wizard is the top-selling disc for the Gateway brand. The most recent blends are the 4S (the most flexible, even more so than Super Stupid Soft) and Evolution Diamond, which is a premium, durable blend. Wizard sales at Infinite Discs have been given a big boost in 2017 with the addition of Wizard 6-Pack bundles which allow customers to grab a bunch of Wizards at once.

Fifth and Sixth place are both owned by discs which are actually more notorious as approach discs, rather than discs for putting. The Westside Harp is very popular, primarily because of the high profile use of the disc by pro disc-golfer, Ricky Wysocki. Sales of the Harp would be higher, possibly giving the Judge a run for the money if the most popular BT Hard plastic had been in stock. But the BT Hard blend has been out of stock from the manufacturer for most of early 2017.

The Nova by Innova is likewise popular as an approach disc, with its reputation boosted by pro disc-golfer, Paul McBeth. The sales have been helped recently by a love for the artistic frame that the over-mold design of the Nova provides. With attractive stamps and great dual color combinations, customers race to buy the most appealing discs whenever a new supply arrives.

The Atom by MVP is making a surprising run into the top 10 best-selling putters of 2017, lifted by the new release of the Atom in Proton plastic. Many fans of the Atom had clamored for a more durable Proton plastic version of the disc for driving, and it was delivered. The Atom was also released in the new Electron Firm plastic blend right at the end of April.

The Pure by Latitude 64 has been a consistently selling putter at Infinite Discs for quite a while, released in glow-in-the-dark Moonshine Plastic in April 2017.

The 9th and 10th place putters are both 2017 newcomers. The Aviar3 by Innova flew off the shelves as a flat-topped, faster, more overstable version of the famous Aviar. Being presented as a new variation of the Aviar, it is no wonder that players want to give it a try. The momentum will likely carry on as the Aviar3 is released in more plastic blends.

The Pilot by Streamline, a brand new spin-off company from MVP in 2017, made a very strong introductory showing, spiking to 10th place so far. A lot of those sales at Infinite Discs were due to a special edition Pilot in Electron Soft plastic with five stamp variations for collectors. There were also 5-Pilot Packs and a massive 21-Pilots Pack which boosted initial sales. The long-term sales of the Pilot are yet to be seen, but it has started off the year strong.

Other Strong Newcomers

Aside from the Aviar3 and Pilot launching with impressive sales in 2017, there are some other putters that are making a splash, and as the year pans out, they have a shot at reaching the top 10.

The Slammer by Dynamic Discs is another disc which could fall more into the category of being an approach disc, though it works wonderfully as an overstable headwind putter. With limited editions helping to build anticipation, the launch of the Slammer was certainly strong, and we will see if that momentum continues.

The Caltrop by Latitude 64 is an interesting putter, being the first by Latitude 64 with a thumb-track. Sales were initially strong, as it was the first major putter release of 2017, though the momentum has slowed under the shadow of other new putters like the Aviar3, Pilot, and Slammer.

The Crown by Westside is another new putter that came out in the spring of 2017, and the initial reviews have been very positive. With a feel and style similar to two of the top 4 putters in this article, the Wizard and the Judge, it has the potential to at least become the best-selling putter released by Westside so far.

Other putters are on the way in 2017, and we will soon see what kind of a splash they make in the disc golf market. Will they dethrone other newcomers like the Crown, the Slammer, or the Pilot? Or will they fade into a growing arsenal of discs that are pouring into the market each year, becoming yet another lesser-known favorite for a few players. Stay tuned, and we’ll find out!

 

 

State of Disc Golf – How Much We Spend on the Sport

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Looking at the results of the 2017 State of Disc Golf Survey, we can get a glimpse of how much money is spent by disc golfers during the past year. On this year’s survey, we didn’t ask if that money was spent specifically on equipment, or on tournament fees, or on travel, etc. but instead asked the survey participants to generally consider how much total they spend on the sport. These are the results:

As you can see, the majority replied that they spent between $200 and $499 on disc golf in 2016, with the next largest groupings made of people who spent slightly less than that, or who spent up to $999. If you put those three highest groups together, then you have almost exactly 70% of respondents spending between $100 and $999 on disc golf during the year.

By looking at the answer choices, you’ll noticed that the spread became larger as we moved to higher dollar amounts, so the first three choices went from $0 to $199, where the latter four choices covered from $200 to $2000 or more. Thus it was natural that more people would fall somewhere in the middle. But what might seem surprising is that 13.76% of respondents claim to have spent $1000 or more on disc golf in 2016, and 32.73% spend $500 or more on disc golf in 2016. That’s a respectable percentage of players that are spending a significant amount of money on disc golf.

How Did We Spend that Money?

Undoubtedly some of that money is spent on discs, bags, and other accessories. But one factor which could likely tally the higher expenses which would take players into the $500+ categories are things like tournaments and travel. Let’s look at responses that shed some light on the costs of tournaments.

So, with 73.1% of respondents who played in tournaments in 2016 (the vast majority), and those tournaments all have registration fees. And then we figure that 63.4% of players would travel 4 hours or more to play in a tournament, it makes sense that significant travel and tournament play is a contributing factor in disc golf spending. In fact, 22.7% of survey respondents said that they’d “go anywhere” to play a tournament. That implies fuel costs, boarding costs, and more.

Now let’s look at how disc purchases might have calculated into those spending totals:

Looking at these survey results, it would appear that many players are quite conservative when it comes to buying discs. We can see that 42.5% purchase between 0 and 9 discs. If you average a cost of $12 per disc (some are much more expensive, and some are less), then you’re looking at an investment under $100 or just over that amount on discs in a year.

Once we move into those people who bought 10-29 discs, which is a collective 40.1% of those surveyed, then we can estimate that they spent at least in a range of $120 – $350 on discs during the year.

Even though disc golf is an inexpensive sport compared to many others out there, where most courses are free to play, and equipment costs are very low, the truth is that players find ways to spend money on the sport they love. If not in buying discs and equipment, then in tournaments, travel, league fees, and more. Those spending choices are not a bad thing when it comes to the growth of disc golf. The fact that so many players are slapping money on the barrel for equipment, accessories, and tournament support means that disc golf can continue healthy growth, with more opportunities for players, and a growing body of enterprise surrounding the sport we love.

 

How We Carry Our Discs – 2017 State of Disc Golf Results

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There are many ways to carry disc golf discs around. It’s not uncommon to see recreational disc golfers simply carrying around a disc or two in their hands. Many diehards use carts or strollers where they can wheel around dozens of discs at a time. In the 2017 State of Disc Golf survey we asked, “What kind of disc golf bag/cart do you predominately use?”

The majority of surveyed disc golfers use some sort of backpack bag. The backpack has been the trendy way to carry around discs over the past half decade, and with the recent addition of the more affordable backpacks like the Prodigy BP3 and Dynamic Discs Sniper, we expect this trend to continue to rise.

For the recreational disc golfer, the single strap “starter bag” is still an adequate way to carry more than a handful of discs along with a water bottle, keys, phone and other on the course necessities. Small disc golf bags with a single shoulder strap had the second greatest share at 13.7%.

In addition to the increased popularity, the share of disc golf carts, especially among tournament players, is on the rise. 8.6% of surveyed disc golfers said that they primarily use a cart. Go to any PDGA sanctioned tournament and the percentage of cart users is substantially higher. When we ran the survey in 2015 disc golf carts were not even an option.

Over the last two years the biggest decline in disc golf carrying is the “Large Disc Golf Bag.” In the 2015 survey, 34.3% of those surveyed used a large disc golf bag with or without shoulder straps. Almost half as many (16.8%) primarily use a large disc golf bag according to the 2017 survey.

 

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