Infinite Discs Blog

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

April 10, 2017 Alan Leave a comment

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.

Putting Styles Disc Golfers Use

April 9, 2017 Alan Leave a comment

Putting Style Used

With the exception of the “Turbo Putt,” the different putting styles are pretty evenly distributed among disc golfers. 28.5% of respondents said they use the “spin putt” while 25.7% said they push putt. 39.1% putt using techniques that combine elements of both the spin and the push putt. Less than 1% of putters regularly Turbo Putt from inside the circle, so if you’re among this minority, congratulations! You are in the 1%.

Putting Stance Used

When it comes to putting stance, almost all disc golfers use the traditional staggered approach. Only 10.9% of surveyed disc golfers use a straddle putt.

The Controversial Jump Putt

One of the more controversial disc golf calls is the “jump” or step putt. Those who don’t jump putt feel it is an unfair advantage. Those of us who do jump putt think the 10 meter rule is fantastic as it makes it easier to make long putts. Slightly more than half of those surveyed jump putt while 47.5% said that they do not jump putt outside the circle.

Limited Edition PILOT is Ready for Takeoff

April 6, 2017 Todd Durrant Leave a comment

There has been a lot of hype and a lot of anticipation for the first discs released on the MVP spin-off brand, Streamline Discs. The Pilot was announced to be the initial putter release, and the Trace was the long-range driver. Both discs were officially released to the disc golf market on Friday, March 31st, and sales for both discs were high. The Streamline spin-off was created separately from the existing MVP and Axiom brands because, unlike the discs on those brands, the Streamline discs would be made from a single mold, rather than an over-mold.

One of the unique features for Streamline Discs, as a single mold manufacturer, is the ability to stamp the discs in triple foil (3-color), just like with other MVP and Axiom discs, giving them the ability to present some fun stamps. Infinite Discs embraced that feature and arranged for a limited edition of both discs.

The Trace limited edition featured a dragon being shot at by missiles from a modern fighter jet. The dragon colors varied, making it fun to find a personal favorite. There were 100 of these stamps on Proton plastic and 100 on Neutron plastic, making a total of 200 limited Infinite Discs edition Traces.

Sales on the limited edition Trace soared and at the time of this blog, only a few remained.

Here Comes the Pilot – On 5 Different Stamps!

For the Pilot, Infinite Discs arrange to have a fun stamp series put together and available to customers on April 6th. The limited edition stamp comes in five different varieties. Each stamp features a pilot standing in front of his airplane, but there are five numbered planes, each from a different era of flight. These are the quantities made:

100 Discs – Plane #1 – Early flight
100 Discs – Plane #2 – World War I Fighter
100 Discs – Plane #3 – World War II Fighter
100 Discs – Plane #4 – Modern Fighter Jet
100 Discs – Plane #5 – Fantasy “Space” Jet
10 – Solo Pilot Discs (all black)

There are four different stamp colors for each airplane. These limited edition Infinite Discs Pilot discs can be purchased separately, or in multi-disc packs for enthusiasts and collectors! All of the stamps are on Electron Soft plastic, which is an ideal, grippy, soft plastic blend that works wonderfully for putters.

For those who want one of each of the 5 airplane stamps, there are a limited quantity of pre-assembled 5-Pilots Packs that can be purchased HERE.

For those who want all 5 airplane stamps as well as all four stamp color variations of each airplane, plus one of the unique Solo Pilot discs (these are black with a unique foil on each stamp, making each of the 10 a “unicorn”), there are an extremely limited quantity of the 21-Pilots Pack. In fact, there are only 10 of these packs, each with its own, unique solo pilot black disc.

These huge pack of putters is perfect for ultimate stamp collectors as well as for those who are excited to make the Pilot putter their primary putter, since there are plenty of discs for practice drills. Or, it could be shared with friends. You can find the limited 21-Pilots Packs available for order HERE.

Separate Electron Soft Pilots HERE

5-Pilots Packs HERE

21-Pilots Packs HERE

Top Selling Discs–Q1 of 2017

April 4, 2017 Jace Smellie One comment

Is it really April already? Hard to believe that the first quarter of 2017 has already come and gone! It has been an exciting and busy time here at Infinite Discs. The weather is warming up, and so is disc golf season! Like we do every quarter, it is time for us to look back on the top selling discs of the past three months. As I ran this report, I found a lot of surprises that I am excited to discuss! Like a new disc to reach the number two best selling disc overall, and lots and lots of new releases already claiming their spots on the top selling charts! So let’s get into the top 10 overall to start!

Top 10 Overall

So on what seems to be a regular occurrence, the Innova Destroyer was the number one selling disc overall. But how about the Discmania P2 Psycho jumping 5 spots to become the second best selling disc this quarter? Also, it is worth noting that we were out of stock on max weight D-Line and P-line P2s more days than we had them in stock. If we (and Discmania) had been able to keep more of these discs in stock, it would have been very interesting to see if the P2 would have been able to finally take the top selling spot from the Destroyer. The next few spots we see some of the same names in different slots, but then we find three new names in the bottom three slots! The Dynamic Discs Sheriff was a newly released distance driver this quarter that was a big hit in the Trilogy market. Also the Innova Shryke had a successful first full quarter of sales. Then we see a name that we haven’t seen discussed here in a while, the MVP Atom. This quarter MVP released the Atom in Proton plastic for the first time, and in conjunction with that release we ran a limited edition 3-color stamp Proton Atom that was very well received and sold out within 24 hours. So I think that definitely helped the Atom‘s sales numbers crack into the top 10 overall.

Top Distance Drivers

I generally mention at this point how Innova dominated the distance driver category. And yes, most of the discs in the top 10 are Innova discs, but they gave up a bit of ground this time, only claiming 6 of the top 10 spots. The newly released Dynamic Discs Sheriff made a splash into the number two spot. It will be interesting to see how that disc fares in upcoming quarters. We see the MVP Catalyst hold onto the 10 spot it took last quarter as well, but the number 9 spot is very interesting. The Dynamic Discs Trespass is one of DD‘s original molds, and always sells well, but I don’t remember the last time it was one of the top 10 selling distance drivers. Maybe this is just another indication of the continued growth of Dynamic Discs within the disc golf market.

One other quick note from further down the chart that I think is worth noting. March 31st (the last day of the quarter) was the release date for the new Streamline Discs. The Streamline Trace ended up being the number 12 selling Distance Driver. Not bad for only being released for one day of the quarter.

Top Control/Fairway Drivers

For the top 6 slots we see very little movement with just the Innova Thunderbird and Discmania FD Jackal swapping for the 2 and 3 spots. But at number 7 we see a new name to this chart, the Dynamic Discs Convict. When the Convict was first released, it was usually only available in fundraiser editions, but this quarter we saw the Paige Pierce Signature Series Convicts released. Also, the MVP Volt made a jump up from last quarter into a tie at number 8. I already mentioned how we are seeing the growth of Dynamic Discs in these numbers, but it definitely looks like MVP is once again making some waves in the disc golf world.

Top Midrange Discs

This quarter we didn’t see any Midrange Discs in the overall top 10 for the first time since I started writing these articles, but the Discraft Buzzz still held on to the top midrange spot (11th overall). The Roc3 took back the number 2 spot from the Roc, while the Discmania MD3 jumped ahead of the Innova Mako3 to take number 4. In the bottom half we see some mix-up with the newly released Latitude 64 Anchor jumping in at number 7. Then we see the Latitude 64 Compass jump back into the top 10 by snagging the number 9 spot. The Dynamic Discs Justice also cracked into the top 10 for the first time in a while claiming the final spot.

Top Putt and Approach Discs

There is a new king for putt and approach discs! The Discmania P2 Psycho jumped ahead of 4 putters to claim the top spot. What was once a two horse race has gotten a lot more crowded, and it will be interesting to see how the top continues to shake out throughout the rest of the year. Most of this chart features the same names in similar spots, except for the MVP Atom jumping all the way up to number 6. It will be interesting to see if the Atom sticks around at the top, or if this was just a flash because of the Proton Atom release.

*****Now, a very important bit of detail on the Gateway Wizard that I almost forgot. This year, we introduced a new product to our site, Wizard Putter Packs. These packs allow customers to buy multiple Wizards at a discounted price, and if you add in the individual discs sold in these packs to the totals sold individually, it would put the Wizard ahead of the top selling putter, the Discmania P2 Psycho, by 5 discs sold. This is a noticeable jump in the numbers for the Wizard, and by adding in the packs, it places the Wizard back on top of the Putt and Approach category that it dominated for our first few years in business. And naturally, this would make the Gateway Wizard the second best selling disc overall for Q1.

So, what to watch moving forward? I think both Dynamic Discs and MVP/Axiom and now Streamline will be interesting to analyze in the coming months. Will they continue to build off the growth we see in the first quarter? Also, while they gave up a few slots, Innova seems to be showing that they aren’t going anywhere, with an impressive quarter from the Innova Shryke, and their new putter, the Aviar3, finished just outside of the top 10 at number 11. But will those new molds hang on? Also a disappointing quarter for Discraft, only having one disc make it on any of these lists with a few dropping off from last quarter. Will they bounce back? Only time will tell!

What do you think? Any surprises or disappointments? What do you think is the most interesting disc from this quarter? Leave a comment and let us know!

General

3-Color Aztec Stamp from MVP Axiom

March 28, 2017 Todd Durrant Leave a comment

Infinite Discs continues the popular run of our Aztec stamp with a wonderful 3-color rendition on MVP / Axiom discs. We’re really excited about how beautiful these discs turned out, and the artwork seems to stare into your soul. The stamp is limited to a run of 300 discs on mixed models.

This is a comprehensive list of the molds and plastics that feature the 3-color Infinite Discs Aztec stamp. Click on the disc name to jump directly to the listing on the Infinite Discs website, then click “Select Your Disc” to browse what is available:

Neutron Catalyst
Proton Catalyst
Neutron Nitro
Neutron Octane
Proton Octane
Proton Matrix
Neutron Orbital
Proton Wave
Plasma Wave
Neutron (Axiom) Vanish
Proton (Axiom) Vanish
Fission Photon
Proton Photon
Plasma Photon
Neutron Photon
Plasma Anode
Electron Anode
Electron Soft Anode
Proton Soft Anode
Electron Soft Ion
Proton Soft Ion
Neutron Relay
Neutron Phase

We hope that players enjoy these special, limited runs of quality discs with the Infinite Discs Aztec stamp!

General

State of Disc Golf 2017–Wanna Throw Far?

March 28, 2017 Jace Smellie 2 comments

So, do you wanna throw far? Or at least farther than you can right now? As disc golfers, I think we all would say we’d like the ability to get our discs a little further down the fairway. Those of us who have had the opportunity to play long championship level courses know that the guy in the group with the longest drive has a nice advantage. Of course, you can argue, “drive for show, putt for dough” right? But I don’t think too many folks would disagree that a good drive won’t hurt your chances of pulling in that dough either.

How Far Do Disc Golfers Throw?

So, how do we throw far? I don’t think anyone will argue with or be surprised with the answer I found from the results of the State of Disc Golf Survey…but what looks like the key ingredient to throwing far is: Practice. Practice, practice, practice—specifically, field work. Let’s take a quick look at the numbers.

Here we see how all participants in the survey answered our question about average driving distance. In my last article, I analyzed how practice affected our skill levels, and I identified weekly field work as a good indicator and separator for how well we play disc golf. Well, as I broke down how far we throw compared to whether or not we did weekly field work, I found a pretty consistent pattern.

Field Work

This chart shows the percentage of people within each throwing distance that do field work at least once per week. Of everyone who took the survey, 31.5% said they do field work at least every week. As we can see, there is a pretty consistent trend—The farther you throw, the more likely it is that you are doing field work at least once per week. Again, I don’t expect any of this to be surprising, but there was one other pattern I found to be pretty interesting–disc ownership.

Disc Ownership

How many discs do we own? And is there any correlation to how far we throw? To analyze this, I broke down the answers for the number of discs we own into three based on the responses we get. Each account for about 33% of the total: 0-30 discs (33.3%), 31-80 discs (35.4%), and 81+ discs (31.4%). Then I plugged these three in with how far we throw in the same way I did with weekly field work, and here is what I found.

First, a look at those who own 30 or less discs. We see the highest response percentages with those who throw the shorter distances.

The 31-80 discs range has the most representation in the middle distances.

Then, naturally, the 81+ discs answer was most popular with the farthest throwing groups.

So, does this mean all you need to do to throw far is by more discs? Not exactly, but I think what this is a good indicator of is how involved we are in disc golf. The more discs you own, I’d think the less casual your disc golf experience is.

So the secret formula to throwing far isn’t all that secret—just get out there and practice! Field work works, and stay involved in disc golf (aka, let that disc collection grow a little bit :)). Of course, proper technique is key. There are so many great tutorials out there to help you, like this one from Will Schusterick:

So get out and throw, and throw far!

State of Disc Golf 2017 – Is Game Play Too Fast? Too Loud?

March 20, 2017 Todd Durrant 6 comments

In the State of Disc Golf 2017 Survey, we asked thousands of players a couple of questions about subjects that are sometimes a bit touchy when it comes to playing the game with others. First of all, we thought we’d ask about the speed of play. We’ve all met those players who like to take their time before each throw, seeming to measure the weight of each disc in their hand, drawing imaginary lines through the air, and finding their apparent moment of zen before finally taking their throw. Or, perhaps you are bothered by that pushy player that wants to step up and throw right away, regardless of who should take the box first according to turn order. Is the game generally too fast for you? Or is it too slow for you? Here is what the surveyed players thought:

Which statement about speed of play typically applies to you for recreational disc golf rounds?

Despite those occasional irritations when it comes to speed of play, the majority 57% of those surveyed felt that the rounds move along at the right pace. But when it comes to those who wish the speed of play were different, it is more about wanting to take their time, rather than wanting to push the pace up a notch. 35.6% of players like to take their time, so if you add together those who are content, and those who like to take their time, you come up with 92.6% who are fine with the way things are or who like to take their time, so apparently it is a vocal minority of 7.4% that wishes things would speed up.

The percentage of those who feel the game is too slow was higher when narrowed down to those who called themselves “professional” on the survey, with 12% feeling the game moves too slowly. However, those who called themselves beginners, recreational, intermediate, and even advanced, fell right in line with the majority who are fine with the pace of the game.

How important is it that those around you stand still and are silent before you throw?

This is another touchy subject in some casual and competitive rounds. We’ve heard announcers say things like, “Oh, that is a shame,” when an observer coughs or makes a sudden noise just as a professional is throwing. For a really good player, should it make a difference if there is some background noise or movement in their field of vision? Let’s see how those surveyed responded when it comes to stillness and silence before the throw:

For all the emphasis on being silent during putts or throws, it looks like it is a huge minority that fines the silence to be “very important”– so much so that they won’t throw with a potential distraction. That 7.7% pales in comparison to the 69.2% majority who feels that it is only “somewhat important” and who are not generally bothered by a little noise or movement. That 7.7% also pales in comparison with the 23.1% who feel that silence and movement is “not important”.

We looked at those who called themselves “professionals” on the survey to see if the competitive nature of their game play makes the distraction factor more or less important. It turns out that 17.1% feel that silence is “very important” and 66.1% feel it is “somewhat important”. That leaves 16.8% feeling it is “not important”. So, to a small professional players find distractions to be a nuisance.

In fact, moving through the categories from beginners to advanced, the more advanced the player, the higher percentage that said silence and stillness was important, though never a majority.

How Disc Golfers Throw

March 19, 2017 Alan Leave a comment

Dominant Hand

To no surprise, the vast majority of disc golfers throw right handed which helps to explain why disc manufacturers don’t focus on left handed discs (that’s a joke). 90.7% of disc golfers surveyed throw with their right hands, 7.1% with their left, and just 2.3% of disc golfers have the coveted advantage of being able to throw with both hands.

Primary Driving Style

The vast majority of disc golfers surveyed prefer the traditional backhand drive. What surprised me was how big the disparity was. Nearly 83% said that they primarily drive backhand while only 16% use the “forehand,” “sidearm,” or “flick” as the preferred option. And that guy that throws thumbers all the time is the rare exception as only .7% of disc golfers throw overhand as their primary driving style.

Primary Approach Style

When it comes to approach shots, the percentages are very similar to drives with slightly more disc golfers choosing the backhand from short range. Almost 85% of disc golfers surveyed will choose a backhand throw for a wide open approach shot.

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