Disc Golf as Exercise – Motivation to Play Disc Golf

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In today’s State of Disc Golf article we are taking a look at a new topic that was on our survey for the first time this year. What motivates us to play disc golf–specifically, is exercise part of what motivates us? Do we view disc golf as an exercise activity? This topic is especially interesting when we talk about disc golf transitioning from a casual “game” that friends play in a park to a “sport” played by professional athletes.

Do we view disc golf as more of a “game” or a “sport?” While we didn’t ask that last question specifically, I think how we view disc golf as exercise will shed some insight on that as well. So let’s take a look at the data!

How much is exercise a motivating factor in your disc golf play?

  • Biggest Motivating Factor–5.12%
  • Important Motivating Factor–48.53%
  • Slight Motivating Factor–35.66%
  • Not a Motivating Factor–9.63%
  • N/A (didn’t answer question)–1.05%

I don’t think there are too many surprises here, but it is interesting that over half of us view exercise as at least an important factor in why we play. Again, this is the first year we asked this question, so I can only assume, but I’d imagine as disc golf grows as a sport, more and more people will view exercise as an important motivating factor.

But how far would we take that view of disc golf as exercise?

There have recently been new exercise equipment hitting the market that are designed to improve your disc golf game, to strengthen you and to help prevent injury. But would we even consider using such equipment? We asked you in our survey, and here were your responses:

Would you consider exercise equipment to improve your disc golf game?

  • Yes–48.58%
  • No–18.13%
  • Maybe–32.85%
  • N/A (didn’t answer)–0.44%

Now in hindsight, maybe a better way to word that question would have been to specifically question our willingness to purchase this type of equipment. Because I know at least for myself, if you ask me if I’d be willing to try something new, I’ll probably say yes. But if you ask me if I will buy that something new…maybe not. But either way, I think it is significant that nearly half of survey takers would consider this type of equipment. We as disc golfers are always looking for ways to improve our game, so why wouldn’t we be willing to give equipment like this a try?

What disc golf exercise equipment is there? Well for a long time Gateway has made Training Wizards, which are simply heavy weighted versions of their Wizard putters. While these are unique discs, their legitimacy as a training/exercise tool for disc golf has been questioned.

But a new piece of equipment that has grown in popularity is the ProPull Disc Golf Trainer. The ProPull is basically a resistance band training set that features an attached disc that allows players to practice their disc golf form while building their strength. The ProPull is a pretty revolutionary item when it comes to disc golf training equipment, and it will be interesting to see if similar products are developed over the next few years. The ProPull Disc Golf Trainer is available at Infinite Discs.

So do you view disc golf as a form of exercise?

Do you think that influences how you view disc golf as a “game” or a “sport?” And have you used any exercise equipment like the ProPull? How has it affected the game? We’d love you hear your experiences. Let us know in the comments!

Dave Feldberg Putting Tip: Slow Down and Hit the Mark

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In this two minute putting clinic, disc golf legend Dave Feldberg explains the importance of consistency when putting. To be a more consistent putter, you need to hit the mark. Start your motion at the same point where you will release the putter. When you drop the disc back, a slower drop back will provide more consistently to help you hit the mark. When you’re hitting the mark more consistently, you will make more putts.

TOP TWENTY TUESDAY – MARCH 26TH 2019

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Infinite Discs is happy to present another Top 20 Tuesday chart, looking back at the discs that sold the most during the last week. We break these charts down by plastics as well so you can see which plastic types are most popular for each disc. New discs will often spike in the chart as other top sellers shuffle position. It can be fun to see which discs keep up the pace.

Here we go…

Top Twenty Tuesday for March 26th, 2019

#1 – ESP KONG
#2 – Prism INSANITY
#3 – Discraft Special Blend LUNA
#4 – Elite Z RAPTOR
#5 – Champion Colored Glow FIREBIRD
#6 – Swirly Star BOSS
#7 – Signature ESP BUZZZ
#8 – Star DESTROYER
#9 – Star CORVETTE
#10 – D-Line P2
#11 – ESP BUZZZ
#12 – I-Blend X-Out EMPEROR
#13 – Fission PHOTON
#14 – Plasma MOTION
#15 – Star ORC
#16 – Metal Flake Glow C-Blend PHARAOH
#17 – Star WRAITH
#18 – Signature Elite Z ZONE
#19 – 400 X-Out D1 MAX
#20 – Elite Z BUZZZ

For anybody who knew in advance that the KONG was being released last Friday (which apparently was a lot of people) it was no surprise that that new disc from Discraft’s Paul McBeth line would take the top spot this week. Coming in 2nd place was the Axiom INSANITY in the new Prism plastic– the first time we’ve seen a durable translucent rim on products from MVP / Axiom. The LUNA first run putter followed up closely in 3rd place. In strong 4th place went to the new RAPTOR from Discraft and 5th place went to the ever-popular Sexton glow FIREBIRD.

The Discraft BUZZZ mid-range took three spots in this week’s top 20 with strong showings in the McBeth Signature ESP edition, the regular ESP edition, and the regular Elite Z edition. Two other strong movers this week were the Fission PHOTON and the Plasma MOTION by MVP.

The brand chart looks quite impressive for Discraft this week, where they took the most places on the chart with seven of the top 20, while Innova follows closely behind with 6 spots:

–> 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 #5 spot this week was the Sexton Champion Colored Glow FIREBIRD and we had a few people give that disc a guess. We’ll give it to the first three who guessed right, so congratulations to Derek, Christopher, and Clint!

GIFT CARD PREDICTION FOR NEXT WEEK:  Leave your comment below this blog to predict the #6 spot for next week’s chart.

How Much Has Disc Golf Grown in 2019?

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I loved writing this topic about The 2019 State of Disc Golf Growth because I myself am new to the sport of disc golf. I have heard of disc golf before, but never actually had gone out and played disc golf. I decided to see how the sport has grown from 2018 to 2019. As a newcomer to the sport, I think this article was helpful to me to know what I can do as a new disc golf player to help generate more popularity for disc golf brands and for the sport.

Most of us are familiar with the popular hashtag #GrowDiscGolf).

The shared belief behind the rallying cry began with the first disc golf pioneers and became an integral part of the sport’s very personality as it spread to the next generation of new players, and then the next. The conviction that we have a duty to share the sport is encoded in the DNA of every die-hard player and has been for decades, long before the advent of social media.

The 2019 State of Disc Golf survey asked several questions that sought to measure and identify the details of this most singular aspect of the sport – a topic which is finally attracting some well-deserved attention. Disc golf’s continuous and quick growth is obvious as we had more responses than the year before. Disc golfers across the globe are doing their part to grow the sport and with an increase of almost 10% in responses in our survey, you let us know what you’re doing to grow disc golf.

GROWTH

In just the past three years we saw that nearly 14% of respondents had heard about disc golf for the first time. Compare that to when respondents actually played disc golf for the first time and that number is up to over 53%! We did see a slight dip in growth from 2017 (19.2%) to 2018 (17.4%).

Our survey also showed that disc golfers are doing an amazing job at sharing the sport with others. 85% of our disc golfers have shared equipment, ran a disc golf league, or helped install a course physically. Last year, this number was at 88%, so again a slight dip in growth, but players are doing an amazing job at sharing the sport with their friends and family.

DISC GOLF COURSES

Disc Golfers still have trouble growing the sport because the lack of courses available made to us. In our survey 63% said there were no permanent courses added to their area, and 30% said only one course was added to their local area. The number of courses added from last year to this year in our survey dropped about 10%! There is still growth being made but with well over half our respondents not having a new course built in their area means there’s still room to grow.

Most of our disc golfers do have access to multiple courses. 63% of our respondents said they have between 3-6 courses in their local area. The lack of new courses built
could help explain why disc golf didn’t grow as much in 2018 as in 2017. What improvements do you all want to see in the growth of the sport in the year 2019? What are you going to do to continue to help Grow Disc Golf? Comment below and let us know.

What improvements do you all want to see in the growth of the sport in the year 2019? What are you going to do to continue to help Grow Disc Golf?

 


 

 

Paul McBeth In the Bag 2019

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On the heals of his big win at the Waco Annual Charity Open where he threw a perfect -18 on his 2nd round, Paul McBeth has released his “In The Bag” video for 2019. Now you can see what Paul’s first year throwing Discraft looks like!

Thanks to JOMEZ PRODUCTIONS for producing the video and for capturing that great performance in Waco as well! Here is the video for you, followed by links to the discs that Paul McBeth is bagging this year:

So what discs are Paul McBeth throwing?

LUNA – Putter 

  • Speed: 3.0
  • Glide: 3.0
  • Turn: 0.0
  • Fade: 3.0
  • Primary Use: Putt & Approach

 

ZONE – Putt and Approach

  • Speed: 4.0
  • Glide: 3.0
  • Turn: 0.0
  • Fade: 3.0
  • Primary Use: Putt & Approach

 

 

DRONE – Mid-Range

  • Speed: 5.0
  • Glide: 4.0
  • Turn: 0.0
  • Fade: 4.0
  • Primary Use: Mid Range – Overstable

 

BUZZZ – Mid-Range

  • Speed: 5.0
  • Glide: 4.0
  • Turn: -1.0
  • Fade: 1.0
  • Primary Use: Mid Range – Straight

 

WASP – Mid-Range

  • Speed: 5.0
  • Glide: 5.0
  • Turn: 0.0
  • Fade: 3.0
  • Primary Use: Mid Range – Various Flights

 

 

TRACKER – Fairway Driver

  • Speed: 8.0
  • Glide: 5.0
  • Turn: -1.0
  • Fade: 3.0
  • Primary Use: Control Driver – Moderately Overstable

 

 

PREDATOR – Fairway Driver

  • Speed: 9.0
  • Glide: 4.0
  • Turn: 0.0
  • Fade: 4.0
  • Primary Use: Control Driver – Overstable

 

 

UNDERTAKER – Fairway Driver

  • Speed: 9.0
  • Glide: 5.0
  • Turn: -1.0
  • Fade: 2.0
  • Primary Use: Control Driver – Straight

 

FORCE – Distance Driver

  • Speed: 12.0
  • Glide: 5.0
  • Turn: 0.0
  • Fade: 3.0
  • Primary Use: Distance Driver

 

KONG – Distance Driver

  • Speed: 12.0
  • Glide: 5.0
  • Turn: -1.0
  • Fade: 3.0
  • Primary Use: Distance Driver – Overstable

 

 

Watch These Discs In Use

Now, for your enjoyment, watch Paul throw these discs in his -18 round at the Waco Annual Charity Open. Obviously, he did not take long to adapt to his new bag of discs and makes great use of the different flight characteristics of his discs.

 

TOP TWENTY TUESDAY – MARCH 19TH 2019

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Infinite Discs is happy to present another Top 20 Tuesday chart, looking back at the discs that sold the most during the last week. We break these charts down by plastics as well so you can see which plastic types are most popular for each disc. New discs will often spike in the chart as other top sellers shuffle position. It can be fun to see which discs keep up the pace.

Here we go…

Top Twenty Tuesday for March 19th, 2019

#1 – Star CORVETTE
#2 – Champion Colored Glow FIREBIRD
#3 – Star DESTROYER
#4 – I-Blend X-Out EMPEROR
#5 – VIP GATEKEEPER
#6 – Classic GUARD
#7 – K1 GOTE
#8 – Signature C-Line Colored Glow FD
#9 – Star ORC
#10 – 750 Spectrum H2 V2
#11 – DX AVIAR
#12 – Star VALKYRIE
#13 – K1 FALK
#14 – BT Medium MAIDEN
#15 – Signature ESP BUZZZ
#16 – Jawbreaker ZONE
#17 – Tour Series Galactic AVIAR
#18 – Star WRAITH
#19 – D-Line P2
#20 – Pro AVIAR YETI

It’s a very interesting chart this week, dominated by new releases. The Innova Corvette took the top spot, but followed closely by the signature Sexton Glow Firebird which is still a hot disc. The Destroyer followed up with 3rd place, but close behind was the Infinite Discs Emperor distance driver– probably the first time a brand has introduced a new disc in X-Out (factory 2nd) plastic, but it was too tempting to release the X-Out stamp on the Ides of March (the day Caesar was assassinated), given the new Roman theme of the driver and the dejected-looking emperor in the design.

Other new releases that spiked on the chart were the Gatekeeper mid-range by Westside discs, the Guard putter by Dynamic Discs, and the Gote mid-range by Kastaplast which became available in larger quantities. The Falk by Kastaplast also made it onto the chart as that import brand begins to make more waves in the USA. The Prodigy H2 V2 also continued to sell well in the 750 Spectrum plastic with the cool Kevin Jones stamp. That plastic is simply gorgeous!

Here is a look at how the brands stacked up this week with the number of times they appeared in the Top 20:

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

WINNER – The #8 spot this week was the Signature C-Line Glow FD “Night Strike II” by Discmania. Alex boldly predicted the glow FD as the #8 spot this week, which is impressive since it wasn’t on the previous chart. Good job!

GIFT CARD PREDICTION FOR NEXT WEEK:  Leave your comment below this blog to predict the #5 spot for next week’s chart.

New Golf Discs for 2019

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Throughout the year, we will try to keep this post up to date with all of the latest discs that have been or will soon be introduced in 2019.

Axiom

So far, we only know of one new disc that will for sure be released in 2019. In February the Axiom Pyro was PDGA approved. This new disc will also be released in a new plastic blend called Prism plastic.

  • Pyro – The Pyro is a straight to overstable midrange disc. The disc was released this summer, and is featured in Axiom’s new Prism plastic blend. Prism plastic is an ultra-durable, and features “a beautiful array of multicolor translucent core and rim combinations.” The flight numbers for the Pyro are 5/4/0/2.5.
  • Delirium – The Delirium was also released during summer. The Delirium is a very overstable distance driver with a thick 24.5mm rim. This is Axiom’s thickest rim and most overstable driver in it’s rim class.

Discmania

Discmania sent shock waves throughout the disc golf world on February 14. They announced a new manufacturing partnership with Latitude 64 and Yikun. Previously, Discmania’s discs were exclusively manufactured by Innova. Innova will still manufacture discs for Discmania, but they won’t be alone. So now, Discmania will have 3 seperate “series” of discs. All of their previous discs and new molds made by Innova will be considered Discmania Originals. The Discmania discs made by Latitude 64 are part of the Evolution series, and Yikun manufactured Discmania molds are part of the Active series.

  • DD3 – The Discmania DD3 was PDGA approved and released before the new partnerships were announced. The DD3 was initially released as a tour fundraiser disc for Eagle McMahon in Swirly S-Line with the nickname, “Cloud Breaker.” The DD3 is a high speed driver that offers a long stable flight.
  • Instinct – The Discmania Instinct is the first disc to be released in the Discmania Evolution series. It is a straight/stable fairway driver that is sure to fit in the bags of many.
  • Method – The Method is the first mid-range in the Evolution series. It’s a fairly overstable mid with flight numbers of 5/5/0/3.
  • Link – The Link is the first putter disc in the Evolution series, it was released in the summer. The Link is a neutral flying putter that is good for putting inside the circle and approach shots alike.
  • Enigma – The Enigma is the first distance driver in the Evolution lineup. It is now available, and those looking for big distance will love it. Flying similarly to the Destroyer, the Enigma will be a big hit for Discmania fans.
  • Sea Serpent – The Sea Serpent is the highest speed driver in the Yikun made Active Line. It’s slightly understable, promising big distance to slower arm speeds.
  • Fox Spirit – The Fox Spirit is a great fairway driver in the Active Series. It’s an all-purpose fairway that can handle some power and turn, but still finish with consistent fade.
  • Sun Crow – The Sun Crow is an awesome, understable driver for beginners. This disc is the perfect choice for new disc golfers. It’s also a great disc for roller shots.
  • Spring Ox – The Spring Ox is a stable mid-range that is made for everybody. You’ll find great reliability in the Spring Ox.
  • Tiger Warrior – The Tiger Warrior is a low speed, neutral flying, all purpose putter. This disc was in Eagle McMahons bag for some time!

Discraft

Discraft has also already made waves this year. Paul McBeth joined team Discraft this year, and we are already seeing new molds as a result of that move.

  • Luna – The Discraft Luna was first released as Paul McBeth’s new prototype putter. It is a beadless and stable putter available in a tacky blend that is a little different than Discraft’s standard Jawbreaker plastic blend.
  • Zeus– Formerly known as the Kong, the Discraft Zeus is a new Paul McBeth specialty disc. It is a high speed overstable driver, offering big distance to the intermediate/advanced players (and up). The Zeus flies similar to an Innova Destroyer, but seems a tad more understable.
  • Raptor – The Raptor is an overstable fairway/control driver. It has a flat top and a very reliable overstable flight. This disc is perfect for forehand and backhand alike.
  • Sol – The Discraft Sol is the stock run of the 2018 Ace Race disc. This disc was a popular midrange disc that is great for disc golfers of all skill levels.
  • Anax – The Anax is Paul McBeth’s new signature fairway/power driver. The name is actually pronounced “Onyx”. This speed 10 driver offers overstable flight with reliable fade. It can bring surprising distance to those with big arms.
  • Malta – The Malta is Paul McBeth’s new mid-range. It offers what you’d imagine a Buzzz + a Zone would bring to the table: longer flight than a Zone and more overstability than a Buzzz.

DGA

DGA brought one new mold to the table so far in 2019!

  • Rift – The Rift was released during Pro Worlds as a fundraiser disc, then as a stock disc in September. The Rift is the perfect point-and-shoot midrange, offering a clean smooth flight in whatever direction you let it soar.

Dynamic Discs

So far, we only know about 3 new disc molds that are set to be released by Dynamic Discs.

  • Raider – The DD Raider is a new high speed distance driver that has recently been PDGA approved. It is rumored to be a little more overstable than the DD Sheriff.
  • Vandal – The DD Vandal will be the Dynamic Discs disc in the 2019 Trilogy Challenge, which means the stock release will not be available until at least this fall. The Vandal will be a fairway driver that is supposed to be great for all skill levels. It has been described as being a longer flying DD Maverick.
  • Guard – The new Dynamic Discs Guard is a deep dish putter. It has been described as being a beadless Lat 64 Dagger.

Gateway

Gateway seems determined to prove that they are more than just a putter manufacturer with two new control drivers recently PDGA approved.

  • Blade – The Gateway Blade is a new overstable fairway driver. Judging by the flight ratings it looks like it could be similar to an Innova Thunderbird.
  • Spear – The new Gateway spear is a straight flying fairway driver that offers more stability than the Blade.

Infinite Discs

Our big news last year was that we began a partnership with Innova to manufacture our own line of discs. In 2018 we released our 8 initial molds, and in 2019 we have at least 7 molds planned for release.

  • Emperor – The Emperor is our new high speed distance driver. We came out with an initial release in I-blend that was part of the Las Vegas Challenge player packs. Our stock release will come out in the coming weeks. The Emperor is designed to be similar to the Innova Destroyer, which adds a little more stability to our high speed driver line.
  • Ra – The Infinite Discs Ra is our new overstable midrange. It features a flat top and a beaded rim. It is a great choice for facing the wind and when you need an overstable fade.
  • Scepter – The Scepter is a flat-top, overstable fairway driver. It’s very similar to a board flat Firebird, which has everyone here at Infinite Discs very excited about it!
  • Scarab – The Infinite Discs Scarab will be a new putter in our lineup. It is similar to the Infinite Discs Myth, but with a little more glide in the flight.
  • Cohort – The Cohort is a new putt & approach disc, similar to the Innova XD of old. This is a great, beadless, disc geared towards midrange approach shots, but can still be used as a putter.
  • Centurion – The Centurion is a very workable fairway driver. It holds any line you put it on, causing it to be called the faster/longer Anubis. So far, the Centurion is available in Splatter S-Blend.
  • Aztec – The Aztec is coming out later this fall. It’s a speed 10, neutral distance driver. Depending on plastic the Aztec could be slightly overstable to slightly understable, making it a great choice for so many players. It will surprise you with how far it goes as a speed 10 disc.
  • Ruin – The Ruin is the pending name for a new overstable putt & approach disc. This disc will be the overstable putter that everybody throwing Innova has wanted. It will change the game for the Innova/Infinite throwers.

Innova

Innova already has a few new releases in the works for this year, including the new Lion Midrange which was available in a special Las Vegas Challenge edition during that event.

  • Lion – The new Innova Lion is an overstable and beaded midrange disc that features a flat top. We don’t know a lot about the specifics yet, so we are excited to try this one out when it has a stock release.
  • Corvette – The Corvette is the newest 14 speed driver in the Innova lineup. It looks like it should be a pretty stable flyer with an impressive glide rating of 6.
  • Firefly – The new Innova Firefly has already gotten a lot of hype. It is the new signature Nate Sexton putter and it is featured in a brand new plastic blend called Nexus.
  • Croc – The Croc is a newly approved disc from Innova. Not much is known about it yet.

Latitude 64

Latitude 64 has already had a couple of new releases for 2019:

  • Recoil – The new Recoil is a 12 speed driver that features an overstable flight. Judging from the numbers, it looks like it is designed to be a slightly slower Ballista Pro.
  • Keystone – The Latitude 64 Keystone will be a beadless understable putt and approach disc. It sounds like it has been designed to be ideal for turnover driving putter shots. This disc will be included in the 2019 Trilogy Challenge
  • Catch – This one is a bit interesting. Latitude 64 recently announced a new Ultimate Disc called the Catch, but it was recently announced that the Catch was PDGA approved. We will watch for more info on this.

Legacy

Legacy Discs recently released their new disc the Recluse, but beyond that we are unaware of other discs that will be released in 2019.

  • Recluse – The long awaited Recluse from Legacy Discs was just released. The Recluse is a very overstable midrange that features a big bead. It is designed to fight the wind.

Mint Discs

Mint Discs has been a one disc show for a while now with their very popular fairway driver, the Alpha, but now they offer two new discs and one more on the way.

  • Bobcat – The new Mint Discs Bobcat will be a slightly overstable beadless midrange disc. We are excited to finally see the second disc in the Mint Discs lineup.
  • Profit – The Profit is Mint Discs new putter, it features great feeling “velvety” plastic. It has a beaded rim and is an awesome all-purpose putter.
  • Freetail – The Freetail has been approved, but not announced. It looks to be Mint’s first bigger rim distance driver.

MVP

As always, MVP is sure to have a large assortment of new plastic types and limited edition stamps to feed the collector frenzy. The only new mold to come out this year, however, is the Entropy.

  • Entropy – The MVP Entropy has been in the rumor mill for a while, but it was recently PDGA approved. It is the long awaited overstable putter in the MVP line.

Prodigy

Last year Prodigy saw greate success releasing the “V2” series of their “H” series. It looks like they will take a similar approach in 2019, but this time they are updating their “D” series. Already they have had the D1 Max, D2 Max, D3 Max, D4 Max, and D5 Max PDGA approved. These are designed to add a little more distance to the original D Series.

  • D1 Max – The D1 Max is the first disc in the new Max lineup to be released. It features a slightly smaller rim than the D1 and a smooth profile.
  • D2 Max – The D2 Max has a slightly smaller rim than the original. If offers a flight similar to the D2, but perhaps a little longer.
  • D3 Max- We anticipate this one to be similar to the other Max discs–a slightly smaller rim of the original.
  • D4 Max- We anticipate this one to be similar to the other Max discs–a slightly smaller rim of the original.
  • D5 Max- We anticipate this one to be similar to the other Max discs–a slightly smaller rim of the original.
  • MX-3 – The MX-3 is an alternate edition to the M3. It offers a slightly overstable flight, designed for high level control and performance. It is a beaded mid that many disc golfers will love.
  • FX-2 – The FX-2 is a newly approved Prodigy mold. Not much is known about this mold, but we suspect it will be a modified version of the F2 and have a similar flight.

RPM Discs

Our friends from the Southern Hemisphere continue to produce great discs, and they have already added another disc to their lineup in 2019.

  • Huia – The new RPM Huia is a stable to overstable fairway driver. We at Infinite Discs were even lucky enough to get our hands on a few with Prototype stamps that are currently still available in Atomic plastic blend.

Westside

Westside continues to put out excellent discs in their lineup in fantastic trilogy plastic blends.

  • Gatekeeper– The Westside Gatekeeper will be the newest Midrange disc in the Westside lineup. It will be a straight to overstable midrange designed to hold whatever line you put it on. It will be included in the 2019 Trilogy Challenge.

Yikun

While Yikun may not be as well known as some other brands, they have some solid offerings. Last year they introduced their first “Double Overmold” disc, the Twin Swords. This year, they have released two new double overmold discs.

  • Tomahawk – The Tomahawk is a straight flying, deadly accurate midrange.
  • Meteor Hammer – The Meteor Hammer is the Tomahawk’s little brother. It’s a dead straight putter, perfect for putting and driving.

The State of Disc Golf–Our Favorite Pros and Why

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The 2019 disc golf season has arrived! We have already had a few exciting events and we are looking forward to watching the rest of the Waco Annual Charity Open this weekend. That means it is time to start analyzing the data we got back from our annual State of Disc Golf survey. Around this time last year I wrote an article breaking down who our favorite professional disc golfers are and why. There were a few surprises last year, and with all of the sponsorship changes that happened this offseason it will be interesting to see how we responded to the survey this year.

First of all, let’s take a look at how many of us actually follow professional disc golf. According to the state of disc golf survey, 79.4% of us said that we follow professional disc golf. That is a slight increase from the 77.6% from last year. Professional disc golf is growing, but so is disc golf in general, and I always find it encouraging for our sport that there is still a significant amount of disc golfers who care enough about the sport to fill out an online survey but still don’t take the time to follow professional disc golf.

But for those of us who do follow professional disc golf, who are our favorite disc golfers? In the survey we allowed multiple answers. We had thousands of survey takers, and not everyone has perfect spelling or like to use full names of their favorite disc golfers. But I did my best to try and make sure all of them were counted for this post. Again, we had well over 50 different disc golfers named as favorites, but here is the top 10 breakdown:

Our Favorite Disc Golfers

  1. Paul McBeth–27.92%
  2. Nathan Sexton–21.76%
  3. Simon Lizotte–21.37%
  4. Ricky Wysocki–9.97%
  5. Paige Pierce–9.96%
  6. Eagle McMahon–9.94%
  7. Gregg Barsby–9.22%
  8. James Conrad–7.76%
  9. Paige Bjerkaas–5.35%
  10. Jeremy Koling–4.41%

So I think there is one clear surprise here, and that is Ricky Wysocki being named as a favorite by less than 10% of disc golfers who took our survey that follow disc golf. I was shocked when my data analysis came back with this result. I double and triple checked and tried all sorts of crazy spellings for his name, but this is what it came back with every time. Last year he was the third most favorite disc golfer of survey takers with over 20% of survey takers naming him as a favorite. What could have caused such a drop? We will get to more of that in a bit.

Paul McBeth prepares to Tee off on the Infinite Discs Course

Paul McBeth was once again the most favorite with about a 2.5% increase from last year. Gregg Barsby also saw a similar increase after winning his first world championship last year. Paige Bjerkaas is the only newcomer to the top 10 after she also won her first world championship. Paige Pierce also saw a significant decrease in her percentage from this year to last year (about 5%).

Now, why did we choose these disc golfers as our favorites? Like last year, in the survey we were given five options: Attitude, Abilities as a Disc Golfer, Personality, Personal Interaction, and The Brand They Represent. We could choose all of these that applied. Here is what we said:

Why we Chose our Favorite Disc Golfers

  1. Abilities as a Disc Golfer—86.04%
  2. Attitude—82.61%
  3. Personality—84.25%
  4. Personal Interaction—37.78%
  5. The Brand They Represent—16.70%

When we compare the top four cited reasons to last year, they are all within a couple percentage points of each other.

In fact, the Personal Interaction ended up with the exact same percentage. But that final reason is where things change. That reason is The Brand They Represent, which might be confusing in other sports, but those who follow disc golf know this means who their disc manufacturer sponsor is. Last year just shy of a quarter of survey takers (24.49%) said that this influenced who they chose as their favorite disc golfers. But this year that dropped by just shy of 8%. What caused this decrease?

I have some opinions, but first let’s look at a couple of crucial facts. Paul McBeth is now sponsored by Discraft after years with Innova as a sponsor. Ricky Wysocki is now sponsored by Innova after years with Latitude 64. So what happens when we take those facts and mix them with the two biggest changes/facts from our survey today: A lower percentage of disc golfers named Ricky Wysocki as one of their favorite disc golfers, and a lower percentage of disc golfers said that they brand their favorite disc golfers represent influenced their choice in favorite disc golfers?

Well, first there is Paul McBeth. His popularity increased by about 2% after a pretty good season overall and then announcing a change in sponsorship to Discraft. A few years ago this kind of move may have upset the Innova fanboys because Discraft was the only other big sponsorship team, but the Trilogy brands (Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, and Westside Discs) have taken that spot as Innova’s rival. For more context, I wrote a recent article about the recent influx in disc golf sponsorship teams and how it has influenced our disc golf culture.

Now obviously we are getting into the opinion side of interpreting these facts, but when we look at just Paul McBeth, there is a simple conclusion you could draw. It would be easy enough to say that with McBeth changing sponsorships, those who had previously cited his Innova sponsorship as a reason that he was one of their favorite pros just didn’t cite that as a reason that he was a favorite this time. Because obviously, a favorite professional athlete in any sport changing the equipment they use would never influence their fan base right??? Well, this isn’t just any sport, this is disc golf, and apparently we care about that kind of stuff (again, I refer to my previous article.)

This takes us back to Ricky Wysocki and his decreased popularity. Now, to be fair, this was also the first year that Ricky didn’t win a world championship in a couple years, and he wasn’t as dominant in other events as he had previously been. So some of that decrease may have been because he didn’t play as well as the previous year. I would argue that McBeth’s increasing popularity negates that argument, but it is worth considering. But, again, what are the two biggest changes in data from last year to this year? The percentage of disc golfers who named Ricky as a favorite decreased by over 10%, and survey takers who cited the brand their favorite disc golfers represent decreased by about 8%.

I really wish we had a way to know how many of the people who said Ricky was one of their favorites didn’t name him as one of their favorites this year. But like I cited earlier, Innova and the Trilogy brands have become a bit of a rivalry while Paul McBeth and Ricky Wysocki have become rivals out on the disc golf course. So when Ricky announced Innova as his new disc manufacture sponsor, the Trilogy fanboys may have seen this as him joining the enemy. But wouldn’t such a decrease in those who cited brand representation as a reason for choosing their favorite disc golfers mean that it would be the last reason Ricky’s popularity decreased? In my opinion, it is the opposite. The question asks why you chose the disc golfers you named as your favorite, not why you didn’t choose the other disc golfers.

And I think this bit of data supports my theory. This year, of the survey takers who named Ricky as one of their favorite disc golfers, 14.67% of them cited the brand they represent as one of the reasons they chose their favorite pros. Running the numbers from last year shows that same percentage at 27.80%. So Ricky as a favorite disc golfer decreased by just over 10%, and the percentage of disc golfers who named him as a favorite and cited the brand their favorite disc golfers represent decreased by over 13%. My simple interpretation–he lost the Trilogy brand loyalists.

Our disc golf culture is fascinating isn’t it? Imagine Tiger Woods losing half of his fans because he changed the brand of clubs he played with. It just wouldn’t happen.

But let’s not forget, there was an overall significant decrease in how many people said that the brand their favorite disc golfers represent influence who their favorites are. I think that Paul and Ricky changing sponsors influenced that, and as the game grows and sponsorships change, I think we will continue to see that percentage decrease over the coming years as well.

So what do you think? Were there any other surprises that I failed to talk about? Am I taking this team culture thing too far? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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