Introducing Elevation Disc Golf

 

Infinite Discs carries a large selection of brands and we want to introduce you to some of the brands and molds that you might not be as familiar with. Each week we will spotlight a different company and tell you a little more about them. Because of Covid shutdowns, our supply of discs was severely affected. Therefore, we may not have all of the molds from all of the brands we will talk about. But, it might put a few more molds on your radar for the future. This week we are traveling to the west coast to visit one of the newest manufacturers, Elevation Disc Golf.

First Elevation Disc

North of San Diego and southeast of Los Angeles lies the city of Temecula, California. It is home to one of the younger manufacturers that we will cover in this series. It is so new that its first mold was just released a couple of days ago. That first disc, the Interceptor, is the result of a year and a half of preparation, planning, and designing. (Infinite sold out of the Interceptor fast! We’re ordering a ton more.)

The Team

The company was founded by husband and wife team, Austin and Macy. Austin was working as a Biomedical Engineer and despite having a good job, he also had a burning desire to start a business. With some financial support from family, and lots of support from his wife Macy, he started Elevation Disc Golf. The name comes from the couple’s philosophy of life and of disc golf. The logo includes the image of a falcon, which represents peoples ability to conquer whatever mountains and obstacles come before them, and use those obstacles to climb to higher heights in life. They look at disc golf as an expression of individualism and freedom.

 

 

Macy was in the Army Reserve and finishing a doctorate degree when Austin had the idea for the business. Since he supported her while she finished her degree, she was happy to support him and his dream. She fills many roles in the company. Everything from shipping, media, and customer service, to testing the discs. All vital roles in a small business.

Starting With A 3D Printer

 

Austin started by getting a 3D printer and studying aerodynamics while experimenting with designs.

Once he felt like he could create usable discs, he knew he could start a business. After many attempts to find a prototype that would work, he came up with a design for an overstable midrange/approach

disc. That became the company’s first mold, the Interceptor. The mold name is a nod to the Peregrine Falcon. The Interceptor, like the bird of prey diving for its meal, will end its overstable flight by diving toward the basket. While the mold shape is definitely unique, so is the material used to make it.

Durable Rubber

 

Instead of the usual variety of plastics that we see with most manufacturers, Elevation went a different route for their discs. They found a premium rubber material that offers grip, comfort, and impact absorption not found in plastics. The flexibility of the disc helps it stick to the chains when you hit the target, or stick to the ground if you miss. My first throw with the Interceptor was straight into a tree. It didn’t ricochet in another direction. It just dropped. Currently, that material is the only option available from Elevation. In the future they will offer a variety of firmness’s. Right now they are in the process of making another run of Interceptors in three new color combinations.

Elevation doesn’t sponsor any pros at the moment. They want to focus on amateur players who are active on a local level. They also want to focus on underrepresented demographics, so that everyone feels like they can be part of the sport. For now, Austin will be representing Elevation on an amateur level when he plays in tournaments. As the company grows, they will have more opportunities to add more players to their team.

New Disc On Deck

 

Another thing that will change as they grow is the number of molds offered. Next up for Elevation Disc Golf is a putter. They are working on a straight-flying putter for approach shots or putts. Their goal is to have a disc that compliments their current midrange, the Interceptor. They have a couple of other mold ideas, too.

Moving forward, Austin and Macy will continue to grow the company and seek to accomplish some goals they have set. As the sport grows and as technology improves, they want to meet the needs of the market through their unique materials and innovative ergonomic designs. They will focus on staying at the forefront of creativity and engineering. However, creating new products isn’t their only goal.

All Inclusive

 

At Elevation Disc Golf, they want everyone to have an opportunity to enjoy our sport. That includes people who might not have conventional access to disc golf: people with disabilities and people who can’t afford equipment. Macy has worked with people with disabilities and even envisions a disc golf course that allows people in wheelchairs to play. She would also like to see equipment in underprivileged schools so children can play during P.E. or recess.

Another area of focus for Elevation is the environment. Austin and Macy want to use their company to draw attention to environmental and conservation issues. They plan on choosing good causes, then

using the sale of their discs to support those causes. They want to tie the causes to certain molds so disc golfers can support the ideas they are passionate about by purchasing the specific mold associated with the cause.

The Future

 

Elevation Disc Golf is optimistic and excited about the future of our sport. They are happy to be a part of the growth, and will continue to find unconventional designs and materials for the disc golf community. And they want to use their goals and business ideas to promote a positive influence in the world.

 

Check out Infinite Discs’ selection of Elevation discs here:

https://infinitediscs.com/elevation-disc-golf

See Elevation’s website here:

https://www.elevationdiscs.com/

Watch a video of the benefits of floppy discs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ4QRJOECIg

Elevation’s Instagram: @elevationdiscs

 

Comment About Elevation Disc Golf

If you’ve thrown an Elevation disc, let us know what you think.

Last Week: Wild Discs

Last week we looked at Wild Discs. We selected three random people who commented on that blog. Here are the winners:

Mike M

Micah M

Thomas H

Congrats! We’ll get your disc shipped out shortly.

 

TOP TWENTY TUESDAY – FEBRUARY 23RD 2021

Welcome to the Top 20 Tuesday chart! Every week we take a look at the twenty top-selling discs on the Infinite Discs website, broken down by plastic type as well. So these are the top sellers for the last seven days in order:

Top Twenty Tuesday for February 23rd 2021

#1 – Signature TSA Glow MANTRA
#2 – Ethereal MANTRA
#3 – Ethos MANTRA
#4 – TSA Glow MANTRA
#5 – Aura MANTRA
#6 – Elevation Rubber INTERCEPTOR
#7 – Prime Burst JUDGE
#8 – Z Line BUZZZ
#9 – Star DESTROYER
#10 – ESP ZONE
#11 – Cheengz Premium I-ONE
#12 – Signature Swirly S-Blend CENTURION
#13 – Extinct DIPLODOCUS
#14 – Moss ANKYLOSAURUS
#15 – BaseGrip P MODEL S
#16 – Champion Colored Glow TEEBIRD
#17 – Star SIDEWINDER
#18 – Star LEOPARD3
#19 – ESP NUKE
#20 – Star WRAITH

The strange charts continue this week with all of the top 5 spots taken by a single disc– the MANTRA by Thought Space Athletics. People went crazy over the restock of the Mantra, shooting it to the top of the chart in nearly every plastic type available. The #6 spot was taken by the new INTERCEPTOR by Elevation Disc Golf who is bringing floppy rubber back to the game of disc golf. That was an introductory release by a brand new brand, and it sold out in a few hours. Another complete newcomer, Cheengz Disc Golf introduced the I-ONE mid-range which also hit the chart in the #11 spot. This is definitely looking like a year where small brands can grab a lot of attention.

Here is a look at how many times the different brands hit the chart this week:

–> Each week we’ll invite you to leave a prediction for a certain chart position on next week’s TOP TWENTY TUESDAY report. The person to predict that chart position correctly in the comments will win a $10 gift card for the Infinite Discs website.

WINNER – The number 10 spot was the ESP ZONE. While the Zone usually gets a lot of guesses, it didn’t get any this last week. That’s another week without a winning guess. Give it another try for next week!

NEXT WEEK: Guess the #11 spot for next week. The first person to get it right (include the disc model and plastic type) will win!

THANKS FOR READING AND WATCHING EACH WEEK!

Get to Know Signature Team Member Kesler Martin

Welcome Kesler Martin! Not only is Kesler a member of our Signature Team, but he is also a member of Team Innova as part of the Ambassador Team. He is currently 1011 rated, and the second highest rated player in Utah! Kesler works at Infinite Discs full time as the creative director, or as I like to call him, the Stamp Master. Kesler was gracious enough to take some time to answer some questions. Get to know a bit more about Kesler Martin!

 

How did you get started in disc golf?

When I was about 10 years old, my dad took me out to play a round at our local course. He started playing in the early ‘80s with the classic Wham-O frisbee and let me use it when I first played. I definitely liked the sport, but I was using most of my free time practicing to make my high school golf team (I did eventually). We would play disc golf off and on as I was growing up, but I did not practice with the intent to get better/compete until I was 21 years old. Over the following 5 years, I increased my rating from 948 to 1011. Over the last ~2 years, I have oscillated between being the highest rated in Utah. I have had lots of big local wins along with mediocre results at the few tour events I have played. I finally got my dad to sign up for the PDGA in 2018. He played his first tournament in Logan, Utah where I was the tournament director. Today, he and I complete on a regular basis and often at the same tournaments. Having this relationship with my father has been a huge blessing in my life.

Is there anyone in particular you look up to or admire in the game?

Totally! I admire a few aspects of multiple professionals’ playstyles. Here are a few examples: Any backhand shot from Barry Shultz. Touch shots with the Nova from Paul McBeth. How flipping far Eagle can forehand. Dallin Blanchard’s consistency, Kevin Jones’ athleticism and Philo Brathwaite’s super silky-smooth putt.

 

What is your favorite type of shot to throw?

Hands down, I thoroughly love throwing perfectly straight shots. I feel like straight shots and turnovers are a lost art. I also love throwing shots that shape to tightly wooded fairways. All these shots give such a rewarding feeling that is very difficult to describe.

Which of your disc golf achievements are you most proud of?

This would probably be my back-to-back B-Tier winning streak in 2018. The first win was up in Idaho at the Southeast Idaho Invitational. I was keeping up with three 1000 rated players and finally pushed ahead during the final round. I was so confident, and it felt like I could not miss a putt. My final round was super-hot and pushed me clear of the tough competition by 5 strokes. The second win was the Creekside Open about three weeks later down in Salt Lake City, Utah. Had I not dropped from Ledgestone, I would not have been able to compete at this one. I was able to clutch a hot second round that gave me a comfortable lead. Both these tournaments netted me +$1000, and more importantly they revealed and gave me confidence that I could win big tournaments.

 

If you could play a round with only three discs, which would they be? And why?

I would choose the XT Nova, Champion Coyote, and Star Thunderbird. The Nova is my go-to putting putter and shot shaping throwing putter. The Coyote is a workable straight flying mid-range with tons of glide. The Thunderbird is by far my favorite driver. I will gladly exchange the bit of distance lost from choosing other distance drivers for the consistency and control I get from the Thunderbird.

 

 Other than disc golf, what else do you enjoy doing?

I am passionate about music (playing and listening) and graphic design. I adore spending quality time with my wife, family, and friends. I also enjoy both playing a variety of board games and selection of video games such as, Smash Bros Ultimate, Minecraft and many of the Zelda installments. Furthermore, I enjoy other individual sports like golf, pickle ball and ping pong.

What tips do you have for newer players or players looking to improve their game?

Practice your short game! Putting and approach shots are roughly half the strokes you take out on the course. Throwing far is helpful but its not everything. Consistency and control are paramount.

 

 If people want to follow along on your journey, where can they best follow you?

You can friend me on Facebook, and I can be found on Instagram and Twitter at @km4rt_special.

Be on the look out for Kesler this year! The Kesler Martin Signature Metal Flake C-Blend Meme Sphinx goes live on Thursday, February 25th. Be sure to get one fast before they’re gone and help support Kesler’s season. If you are interested in what the second highest rated player in Utah throws, be on the lookout for his in the bag coming soon. Tear it up this season, Kesler!

Focus Friday

Happy Friday, another week has come and gone. Making summertime all that much closer. Where it is Friday, its time for another discount code: FOCUSPMODELS. As we are focusing on the Prodigy P Model S, so over the weekend use that code to save 20% on all P Model S molds.

The P Model S is a fairly stable putter. Great for straight putts with little fade at the end of the flight. Its stability helps it to be a good driving putter as well. Coming in a variety of plastics it will be easy to use this disc for an approach disc or putting. Where this is a beaded disc, it’ll hold onto its stability for a bit longer than if it didn’t have the bead. Keep your eye on these as later this weekend we’ll add some glow plastic with a fun stamp on it.

Head on over to https://infinitediscs.com/Prodigy-P-Model-S/DuraFlex-Glow to select your P Model S. Once everything you want is in your cart, you can apply the discount code FOCUSPMODELS and get 10% off all P Model S molds in your cart.

Note: After placing your discs in the shopping cart and before checking out, click on the “Discount Code” box under the shopping cart and enter that code. Then proceed to checkout.

 

When Did You Start Playing?

 

2021 State of Disc Golf:

How Long Have You Been Playing?

 

In last week’s blog we looked at the ages, gender, and where we live. This week we will look at when we started playing, and check out some other data related to when we started. We will also look at people who started recently, as in during the pandemic, and see what their motivation was to start. I wanted to explore some other questions, but I think they will fit in better with other blog subjects.

We all got introduced to the sport of disc golf at some point, and in some fashion. For me, I’m happy to say that I invented disc golf! Well, sort of. My brothers and I were tossing Frisbees around the yard in the mid 70’s and we came up with a cool game. We selected nine objects around my parent’s spacious yard, and our disc golf course was born. It wasn’t until decades later that we heard there was actually a sport similar to what we were doing, complete with formal baskets and discs. It wouldn’t be for a couple more years before we would get actual discs and play on a ‘real’ course. (The first real course we played was Creekside in Salt Lake City).

Finally Getting Real

 

Although it wasn’t for another many years until we considered ourselves disc golfers, the seed was planted and we were hooked. Today, when people ask how long I’ve been playing, I refer to my 2013 beginning, since that was when I got some ‘real’ discs and played a league round with our local club. In this blog post, we will check out when people say they started playing. Then we’ll focus on a couple years or year ranges that had the highest number of people start disc golf. And we’ll look at a couple other survey results.

When Did You Start Playing Disc Golf?

 

The question we asked in the survey was ‘When did you begin playing disc golf?’ The choices were individual years for 2011-2020, five-year blocks from 2001-2010, ten-year blocks from 1971-2000, and the final category was ‘Before 1970’. If you were lucky enough to be able to answer ‘Before 1970’, good on you! Also, congrats for playing so long, and presumably still playing! Also, what is your PDGA number?!

Here are the results for when people said they started playing:

 

 

As you can see, there are a few people among the respondents who started playing more than 50 years ago! Interestingly, the biggest group are the people who started just last year. If you look at the next biggest group, it may be surprising to see such a large number of people in the 2006-2010 range. But, that’s when the five-year span starts. Here is a chart with all of the years from 2001-2020 in five year increments. It’s more of what we should expect.

 

 

Even with the overall graph looking like what we would expect, the statistic that is the most impressive is how many people say they started last year. Factoring in the Covid19 shutdowns, leaving people with more time on their hands and fewer activities that could be done safely, the large increase is not surprising. The big increase in sales for Infinite for 2020 can be partially explained by the large number of disc golfers who already played the sport, but now wanted discs, putters, baskets, etc. for quarantine activities. Even so, the sport has been growing the last few years and while some organic growth is to be expected, such a large number of new players is partially because of Covid19. Let’s explore some of the reasons why people picked up disc golf last year.

 

What’s The Appeal With Disc Golf

 

According to the first graph above, 1205 people said they started playing last year. For that group of people, we asked a follow-up question to learn more about their motives. We asked, ‘Why Did You Start Playing In 2020?’ With nine responses to choose from, we know there would be multiple reasons why people started playing, so we gave them more than one choice. Of those 1205 people, 25% of them listed the pandemic as all or part of the reason they started playing. I was happy to see that over half of the people listed ‘Friend invited me’ as one of their reasons. I’ve seen many people get into the sport simply because someone invited them to play. Invite your friends! Here is a chart showing the percentage of reasons given by the newest members of our sport. It’s good to see ESPN, CBS, and Brodie Smith contributing to the growth!

Age/Starting Year

I wanted to see the ages of people who started playing last year, to see if there were something that might stand out in the data. To start, here is the chart from last week showing the age divisions among all of the survey participants. Below that is a graph of the ages of the 1205 people who started last year.

 

 

The new player demographic is pretty much spot on the average of all disc golfers in the survey. Out of curiosity, I checked out the ages of people who said they started in the 2006-2010, since that was the largest group of years in the survey outside of 2020. You would expect the ages to look different, since a group that started 10 years ago would statistically be older than a group that started last year. But, I would expect the graph to still have the same general highs and lows as the average. But, that is not the case. Here is a graph of the ages of people who started playing in 2006-2010:

 

 

30-Somethings

To be clear, those are the current age groups of the people who said they started in 2006-2010. The early-30’s group is still the largest, but the general shape of the graph doesn’t look like the overall graph. Most notably is the smaller ratio of the 41-50 group. Since I wasn’t playing then, I don’t have an idea why that age would look different. It might be worth breaking down all of the groups by when they started and the age group they belong to.

 

If you have any thoughts on these stats, be sure to comment below. Also, if you have any survey results that you would like to have explored, let me know if the comments. Check back next week for more results of the 2020 State of Disc Golf

Click here for last week’s blog.

 

 

Introducing Wild Discs

Infinite Discs carries a large selection of brands and we want to introduce you to some of the brands and molds that you might not be as familiar with. Each week we will spotlight a different company and tell you a little more about them. Because of Covid shutdowns, our supply of discs was severely affected. Therefore, we may not have all of the molds from all of the brands we will talk about. But, it might put a few more molds on your radar for the future. We are back in the US this week and we’re featuring Buffalo, New York manufacturer, Wild Discs.

Wild in Buffalo

Buffalo, New York, sits next to Lake Erie in the western part of the state. It is just across the Niagara River from Canada.  It is home to the Buffalo Bills, and Wild Discs.

Wild

Discs was started in June, 2020, by Kyle Knab and Becky Fix. It was created out of a two-pronged desire: first, to grow the sport of disc golf by providing quality discs and accessories. And second, to give back to the world by committing 5% of all proceeds to wildlife conservation. The founders love disc golf, love animals, and love to spend time outdoors enjoying the wilderness. Wild Discs is a combination of their passions.

First Molds

The first disc approved by the PDGA for Wild Discs is the Hummingbird putter. The mold has a small, smooth bead and a straight flight with a lot of glide. It was approved at the end of 2020, and since then two other molds have been approved and released: the Orca and the Addax. The Orca is a high-speed driver whose flight is similar to an

Innova Tern. The Addax is their midrange with a straight flight and solid fade. The stamps for all of their discs are created by Co-founder, Becky Fix.

What’s An Addax?

Although most people are familiar with orcas and hummingbirds (the animals), the Addax might not be as familiar. You have probably seen a picture of one, without knowing its name. It is an African animal whose body shape is similar to an antelope, but with long, spiral horns. The animal is nearly extinct in the wild. Details about each the animals featured on their molds are found on Wild Discs’ website.

Wild Discs currently offers three plastic types for their discs. However, the have several more plastic types that they are experimenting with. Currently, the company lists Landslide, Quicksand, and Whirlpool as their available plastics. Landslide is a durable plastic that is firm, but still has good grip. Whirlpool plastic has even more durability than Landslide, and with a little more grip. Quicksand is a nylon based plastic mixed with some Landslide plastic, with a ton of grip – the most of all their plastics. It also has a soft flex and is very durable.

Coming to Wild Discs…

As mentioned above, Wild Discs has several new plastic types they are experimenting with. They are also working on expanding both their disc and product lines. What will the future hold? Coming out in a couple of months will be a fairway driver and a mid/approach disc. Even before those hit the market Wild will be releasing a new bag that, according to founder Kyle Knab, will be “the most eye-catching bag on the market” whose functionality is “next level”. Stay tuned to Wild Discs for their new releases! Here is a sneak peak of the bag.

Although Wild Discs is a new company, selling their first discs in October 2020, they are already looking forward to the future. One avenue of growth that Wild uses is supporting an ambassador team. Anyone can apply to be on the team. Details can be found on their website.

Growing And Supporting Conservation

In addition to adding more molds and products to their brand, they are excited about the growth of the sport. They are looking forward to getting more women and youth involved in disc golf and are glad to be in a position to make a difference. Even in the short time they’ve been a business, they have received a lot of support, kind words, and positive feedback from the disc golf community. They have already raised over $1,000 that will go toward wildlife conservation.

Wild Discs will continue to support conservation efforts, and that commitment is one of the unique aspects of their company. They will continue to contribute 5% of proceeds toward conservation efforts. Plus, they will be holding charity events and tournaments to further support the cause. Wild Discs’ commitment to animals is apparent in their mold names, stamp designs, and even their company name. Check out Wild Discs today! Then see below how you can win a Wild Discs mold.

Check out Infinite’s selection of Wild Discs molds here:

https://infinitediscs.com/category/Wild-Discs

Check out the Wild Discs website (and their awesome hoodies!) here:

https://wilddiscs.com/

See how you can support conservation efforts here:

https://www.wcs.org/

Comment About Wild Discs !

 

Do you throw Wild Discs? Tell us which mold is your favorite.

Never tried them? Tell us which mold you would like to try.

 

 

Last Week: Disctroyer

Last week we looked at Disctroyer. We selected three random people who commented on that blog. Here are the winners:

Colby S

Brian F

Harry S

Congrats! We’ll get your disc shipped out shortly.

 

TOP TWENTY TUESDAY – FEBRUARY 16TH 2021

Welcome to the Top 20 Tuesday chart! Every week we take a look at the twenty top-selling discs on the Infinite Discs website, broken down by plastic type as well. So these are the top sellers for the last seven days in order:

(NOTE: This chart is for the last 2 weeks this time, since we missed a week)

Top Twenty Tuesday for February 16th 2021

#1 – Crazy Tuff ZONE
#2 – ESP REAPER
#3 – Rubber Blend ZONE
#4 – Royal Soft BOBCAT
#5 – Royal BOBCAT
#6 –Signature I-Blend EMPEROR
#7 – Z-Line ZONE
#8 – Z Line BUZZZ
#9 – ESP NUKE
#10 – D-Blend ALPACA
#11 – ESP UNDERTAKER
#12 – Metal Flake Glow C-Blend CENTURION
#13 – Star X-Out DESTROYER
#14 – Basic JOKERI
#15 – Star DESTROYER
#16 – Star X-Out WRAITH
#17 – Feather ALLOSAURUS
#18 – Z Line HEAT
#19 – ESP RAPTOR
#20 – S-Line DD3

This week we have a chart that reflects the last two weeks of sales because of a vacation (sorry about that). Discraft dominated the sales chart with six of the top nine spots, with three of those been Zones in different plastics. The Royal and Royal Soft BOBCAT from Mint Discs took the #4 and #5 spots with a limited edition stamp release at Infinite Discs. The JOKERI made it onto the chart with a cool 10th Anniversary release in their original, grippy Basic plastic blend. With Innova, a couple of X-Outs made the chart since stock discs have been lacking, but we are restocking a lot of Innova right now and expect to see them on the chart in multiple spots.

Here is a look at how many times the different brands hit the chart:

–> Each week we’ll invite you to leave a prediction for a certain chart position on next week’s TOP TWENTY TUESDAY report. The person to predict that chart position correctly in the comments will win a $10 gift card for the Infinite Discs website.

WINNER – The number 9 spot was the ESP NUKE by Discraft. Nobody picked the Nuke, so we don’t have a winner this time. But please keep the guesses coming!

NEXT WEEK: Guess the #10 spot for next week. The first person to get it right (include the disc model and plastic type) will win!

THANKS FOR READING AND WATCHING EACH WEEK!

Get to Know Signature Team Member Jamie Kiep

 

 


Jamie Kiep is a member of Team Infinite as part of the Signature Team. He resides in Leesburg, Georgia and is currently 1007 rated! We were able to chat with Jamie and ask him some questions about disc golf and about himself. Enjoy learning a bit more about Jamie, and be on the lookout for his signature disc coming in 2021!

 

How did you get started in disc golf?

A buddy of mine introduced me. I used to make fun of him for playing, but he kept inviting me and I finally went. After my 1st throw I couldn’t stop.

 

 

Is there anyone in particular you look up to or admire in the game?

Calvin Heimburg, Chris Dickerson. Both players are humble, down to earth and good people.

 

What is your favorite type of shot to throw?

Full power hyzer!

Which of your disc golf achievements are you most proud of?

I was leading an A tier for 3 rounds at the South Florida Open. After only playing for my 2nd year. I was able to beat Eagle Mcmahon, Zach Melton, Calvin Heimburg but coming up just short of BIG Jeremy Koling

 

If you could play a round with only three discs,

which would they be?

Infinite Discs Concrete Slab, Infinite Discs Centurion, and EV-7 Penrose

 

Other than disc golf, what else do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy playing with my 4 children and hunting any animal in season.

 

What tips do you have for newer players or players looking to improve their game?

Always have the most fun and always follow through. Do those 2 things every throw and you are sure to see an improvement.

 

If people want to follow along on your journey, where can they best follow you?

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram

 

Big shoutout to Jamie for taking the time to answer some questions for us! Be sure to follow Jamie along on his journey this year. Good luck Jamie!

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