New 2018 Signature Discs from Discraft

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DISCRAFT has just released a new line of signature discs to support their touring pros for the upcoming season. These discs come in very attractive Glo Swirly ESP plastic, so the swirls and colors come with a subtle glow-in-the-dark effect. Here are the discs in this year’s pro series:

Austin Turner Glo Swirly ESP VULTURE

Tim Barham Glo Swirly ESP CRANK

Nate Doss Glo Swirly ESP BUZZZ

Valarie Jenkins Glo Swirly ESP THRASHER

Michael Johansen Glo Swirly ESP COMET

Throw some really cool discs and support some awesome pro players! Go Team Discraft!

Also be sure to check out all of the 2018 Ledgestone Open tournament fundraiser discs now in stock at Infinite Discs.

 

 

 

How Do We Feel About Out-of-Bounds

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One of the questions on the 2018 State of Disc Golf Survey asked disc golfers how they feel about out-of-bounds rules. It was a straight-forward question and the breakdown of the responses is pretty basic. While some players feel strongly in favor of, or against the use of “OB” in the game, most players seem indifferent and feel like the use of Out-of-Bounds is generally fine.

These were the possible responses:

–> I don’t like OB and feel it should only be implemented when necessary.  16.9%

–> I feel indifferent about OB. Some OB is good, and other OB detracts from disc golf. 64.6%

–> I like lots of OB and feel that added OB enhances the disc golf experience. Bring on the islands! 14.8%

–> N/A I don’t play out-of-bounds rules anyway. 3.7%

It appears that most players understand that OB lines can be necessary to discourage players from crossing fairways or throwing toward areas where discs shouldn’t fly. But when it comes to adding more OB’s just for the sake of adding difficulty to the course, slightly more players appear to feel that it can go too far (16.9%) while a slightly smaller number feel like more OB lines add to the experience (14.8%).

We asked our own crew what they felt about OB lines, and while most are as indifferent as the majority of survey participants, the most poignant response was from our Open level player. He basically said that OB’s which are drawn artificially around naturally occurring hazards, like trees or rough terrain, should be removed. Why? Because if you throw into those areas, then navigating out of the rough terrain or throwing out of trees can be like a penalty stroke already– you either pay the price by wasting a throw to get back onto the fairway, or you prove your skill by escaping unscathed. He feels that any time a stroke is added to his score card that he did not throw, it is unwarranted. The exception would be obvious out-of-bounds lines that protect other fairways, roads, foot traffic areas, etc.

If you have opinions about OB’s that you’d like to share, please feel free to leave comments below.

The Infinite Discs MYTH and SPHINX

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Infinite Discs is continuing to build a balanced line of branded discs manufactured by Innova. The 2018 year has already brought the Exodus fairway driver, the Chariot mid-range, and the Pharaoh distance driver. We’ve now added to more discs to that lineup, both released at the end of April 2018.

THE MYTH

The Myth First Run is in P-Blend plastic, which is a stiff pro blend which works great for both driving and putting. There was also a first run VIP Club edition in grippy X-Blend plastic. Though the VIP Club stamped versions were only available to the VIP Club members, there were a few of the X-Blend discs remaining which were bottom-stamped if you want a grippy version of the Myth. You can find the few remaining X-Blend Myth putters HERE.

THE SPHINX

The first run Sphinx was released in I-Blend plastic which is a special blend made by Innova for Infinite Discs. It is durable, yet has good flexibility and grip. This is a great disc for beginners and experienced players alike and is available in a variety of weights from below 150 grams (awesome for kids) up to max weight 175 grams.

Check out this wonderful video review which also shows the flights patterns for the Sphinx.

Watch for more discs coming on the Infinite Discs brand in 2018!

State of Disc Golf 2018 – Our Disc Buying Habits

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It is always interesting, particularly for those of us working in the disc golf industry, to look at the State of Disc Golf survey responses concerning spending habits and what motivates players to buy discs. Of course, just playing the game at all requires a certain number of discs. But how many of us go beyond what we really “need” to play the game when it comes to purchasing more and more discs?

When a few thousand players were asked to say if these statements described their disc purchasing attitudes, these were the results:

I Primarily Stick With Discs I Already Know and Throw

I Regularly Try New Molds By My Favorite Brands

I Regularly Try New Discs, Regardless of Manufacturer

I Only Buy New Discs to Replace Lost Discs

I Buy Discs Primarily to Collect

I Throw Every Disc that I Buy

From the above results, a few things can be noted. For one, people tend to experiment more with favorite manufacturers, though there is a good number (majority) of players who don’t mind experimenting across brands.

It also looks like it is a minority that only buys to replace lost discs– that means more players are buying for other reasons. One of those reasons might be collecting, but when asked if they only buy to collect, the vast majority didn’t feel like that described their buying habits. Around 25% swayed toward buying to collect, if only occasionally.  The last graph shows that despite the motivation for buying, the majority of those surveyed throw every disc that they buy. Only 17.4% does not throw all of their purchased discs.

How Likely Are We To Pay Extra for the Stamp?

Another motivating factor for buying discs is the design of the stamp on the disc. We asked survey participants how likely they are to pay extra for a special stamp in the same mold, weight, and color that they could have purchased in a cheaper, stock stamp. Though the “buy to collect” market may be small, the larger “buy to throw” contingency is definitely not opposed to spending more for a stamp design that they like.

How likely are you to pay extra for a special stamp in the same mold, wight and color as the stock stamp?

That is only 14.7% that claims it is very unlikely that they’d pay more for a cool stamp design on their disc.

We’ll continue to follow disc purchasing trends and opinions closely!

State of Disc Golf–Disc Golf Tournaments

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The 2018 Glass Blown Open is in the books! This annual event is considered one of the most inviting for disc golf fans and amateur players in the world. The host city, Emporia, Kansas, has a population of just over 20,000 and is considered by many the “Disc Golf Mecca.” So with another successful GBO coming to a close on Saturday, it seems like an appropriate time to discuss our participation in disc golf tournaments and the potential economic impact of that participation.

In our State of Disc Golf Survey at the beginning of the year, we asked disc golfers if they played in any disc golf tournaments in 2017. Just shy of 3/4 of us did compete in a tournament with 72.59% of survey takers answering in the affirmative. Of these disc golfers who played in a tournament, we asked how many PDGA sanctioned tournaments they played in as well as how many non-PDGA sanctioned tournaments. Here were the results:

 

What do these numbers tell us? It looks like the majority of us who play in tournaments still keep it casual, only playing in a handful of tournaments. We can see that more than half of us played in 3 PDGA and non PDGA sanctioned tournaments or less this year. I’d say I am a bit surprised by how low that number is, and I am also surprised that there isn’t a larger difference in these percentages. I would have imagined there would have been significantly more participation in PDGA events, but the spread is pretty even for both.

Now for some questions that lead to great info for those of us who are trying to grow the sport by getting our local parks and city officials to support disc golf. This info could also be useful when trying to seek out sponsors for your local events–How far are we willing to travel for disc golf, and how much money do we spend when we do travel?

Again, here I think the numbers should do most of the talking, so here are our responses to those questions:

 

 

 

As someone who has been involved in running tournaments and installing new disc golf courses, the statistical tidbit that I think I will use in future meetings is over a quarter of competitive disc golfers are willing to travel anywhere for a disc golf tournament. “If you build it, they will come,” right? If the courses are good enough and the payout high enough, the disc golfers will come and they will bring their wallets with them. Now city officials may not be ecstatic by the size of those wallets based on the results of the second question, but still, communities know that community events bring in money. If you get the chance, ask business owners in the small town of Emporia, Kansas what they think about disc golf tournaments. And if you don’t get a chance, take notice of all the “Welcome Disc Golfers” signs your friends who went to GBO posted on their social media accounts.

Getting back to our involvement in disc golf, my final takeaway is something that I think is pretty unique to disc golf. And that is disc golf fans are also disc golf competitors. Yes, there are community leagues for basketball and soccer that fans of those sports participate in, but do all fans of those sports also compete? In my last article, I reported that 77.4% of survey takers follow professional disc golfers. If we assume that the 72.59% of disc golfers who played in a tournament in 2017 also follow the pros, that would mean that less than 5% of those who follow the professionals don’t compete themselves. I’d imagine that number is much bigger for those who follow the professional game in basketball, soccer, or most other sports.

Why is that? Well, most of us learned about professional disc golf well after playing it first since pro disc golf is not in the mainstream. Also all we need to do to compete in disc golf is pay the tournament registration fee. Team sports require…well, a team of players who are willing to practice and play together. Also in most locations, disc golfers can practice and prepare to compete without spending a dime except for the money they spend on their gear. For other individual sports like ball golf or bowling, you can’t access the competition facility to practice for free. The ease of access is greater for disc golf competitors, so we see more participation in the amateur game.

Which leads to the common discussion in our sport of how much does the amateur game fuel the professional game? This year after the Las Vegas Challenge, participants were invited to provide their feedback for the event, and one of the main questions asked was if they should split the event into two weekends, one for amateur competition and one for the pros. This would allow for a larger field of competitors. You would have to contact Jeff Jaquart and the fantastic crew at the LVC for the results of that survey, but just by word of mouth I heard a lot of my fellow competitors express that they would likely not make the trip back next year if they didn’t get to see the pros compete that same weekend. But the question I have is how many fans would make the trip just to watch the pros if they weren’t competing themselves? Would the gallery be smaller for the final round of next year’s LVC? No matter the answer, I can’t help but think of the huge gallery I saw all 4 rounds of the Masters (that’s a kind of big ball golf tournament for those who don’t know :)), and it just makes me think that we still have a long way to go in disc golf.

What do you think? What are you most surprised by in these numbers? Comment and let us know!

Disc Golf Pros Who Throw Infinite Discs

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We’d like to welcome two new Pro players to Team Infinite! Plus we’re happy to announce two additional pros from Innova’s team who will have signature editions of Infinite Discs. First, let’s meet the two new team members:

GARRETT GURTHIE

Garrett Gurthie is making his big comeback to the professional disc golf touring season in 2018 and has already made a strong showing in several tournaments. You can follow his tournament results HERE.
https://www.pdga.com/player/13864

Garrett has already had a signature edition of the Infinite Discs PHAROAH on 100 of the first run discs. As soon as the second run is available, we’ll have a lot more with a cool signature stamp for Garrett!

Plus, we’re working with Garrett and Innova to bring back a signature edition of the max weight SONIC which is a classic putt and approach disc that uses minimal effort to glide through tight fairways right into the chains. Check out an example by clicking HERE.

NICOLE “PICKLE” DIONISIO

Pickle has been rocking the Women’s Open pro scene for a couple of years now and we’re glad to add her to Team Infinite. You can follow her tournament results HERE.
https://www.pdga.com/player/71562

Infinite Discs will be working with Pickle to bring future signature discs to the market that are as fun as she is. Watch for signature discs down the road!

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We’re also happy to announce that two members of INNOVA’s team are including Infinite Disc models in their bags and will soon have signature discs available!

JESSICA WEESE

Jessica Weese has kicked off a strong 2018 tournament showing. You can follow her tournament results and history HERE.
https://www.pdga.com/player/50656

You can already get your hands on Innova’s player support Swirly Star Shryke from Innova to help support her efforts on tour. She is a member of Innova’s Star team. Plus, the Infinite Discs store will soon stock four other popular Innova models which Jessica loves to throw, all with her own signature stamp design, so you can help her out while buying some great discs for your own bag. Watch for Star Destroyers, Star Wraiths, Champion Thunderbirds, and KC Pro Avairs coming soon!

Jessica will also have a signature edition of the Infinite Discs CHARIOT once we get to the second run!

ALEX GEISINGER

Alex Geisinger has a great touring history as a professional disc golfer. You can follow his history and tournament results HERE.
https://www.pdga.com/player/52063

Alex is now putting with the Infinite Discs MYTH and will have his own signature edition as part of the first run in P-Blend plastic! Watch for that to show up this summer and pick it up to support his future touring plans. He is a member of Innova’s Champion team.

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And we’d like to give a big hand to our Team Infinite CAPTAIN who has done some great work to build this year’s team and to pull together a great bunch of players from all over, and at all skill levels. Special thanks goes out to…

KESLER MARTIN

Kesler Martin works full-time at Infinite Discs but likes to get away from the desk job to play tournaments as much as possible. You can follow his tournament results HERE.
https://www.pdga.com/player/88497

Kesler continues to run and coordinate Team Infinite and we hope that he continues to rise in the rankings and make great showings in tournaments. As an artist, we know that he already has a bunch of signature disc designs that he’s ready to unleash on the world, once he unleashes his disc golf fame. But he’s already a champion at work. He is also a member of Innova’s Ambassador team.

For more information on what’s up with Team Infinite, follow our team blog here.

Ledgestone 2018 Special Edition Discs from Discraft

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We’ve seen some fun, limited edition Ledgestone Open discs come into the store at Infinite Discs so far this year, and we keep getting more. The biggest release so far was the serious of multiple Bee stamped Swirly ESP Buzzz discs. Those have excited both Buzzz throwers and collectors who want to add each different bee stamp to their collection.

Let’s take a look at the latest Ledgestone 2018 limited edition discs to arrive at Infinite Discs…

Elite Z Color Shift Zone

These are some cool discs in Elite Z plastic that have a decorative “Color Shift” effect in the disc. When you tilt the disc at different angles in the light, you can see it change from black, to green, to turquoise.

CryZtal Z Flag Died Zone

CryZtal Z is a great, translucent plastic blend, and now it comes with a cool American flag dye.

CryZtal Sparkle Thrasher

CryZtal  Sparkle is a beautiful, translucent plastic with added glittery sparkle that shimmers in  the light, and the Thrasher is a great distance driver for players at all levels.

Jawbreaker Glow Buzzz

The popular Jawbreaker plastic is given the glow-in-the-dark treatment on these limited edition Buzzz mid-range discs. It has great glow patterns in the plastic.

Jawbreaker Buzzz OS

The Buzzz OS is the overstable edition of the popular Buzzz mid-range and this is its first appearance in Jawbreaker plastic.

Jawbreaker Undertaker

The Undertaker is an excellent fairway driver that has a very dependable flight path with moderate fade. This is the first time it is available in Jawbreaker plastic.

Glo Swirly ESP Wasp

Though this batch of Swirly ESP plastic is supposed to glow, they certainly don’t glow very brightly. But they are nice looking discs with a limited edition Ledgestone stamp

Big Z Force

Big Z discs from Discraft have big picture stamps. Well, this Ledgestone edition Big Z Force has a Biz Z stamp…that says “Big Z”.

Swirly ESP Buzzz SS

The Buzzz SS is the super-straight version of the Buzzz mid-range disc and a wonderful disc for beginning players. Now you can get a limited edition in Swirly ESP plastic.

Keep watching for more Ledgestone 2018 tournament support discs at Infinite Discs, the proud retail sponsor of the Ledgestone Open!

State of Disc Golf 2018 – How We Carry Our Discs

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The State of Discgolf Survey has been tracking the trends in disc golf bags and the different ways that we carry our discs around the course. The trends leaned from traditional shoulder bags to a strong surge in backpacks, and has been moving steadily toward carts for the last couple of years. Here is a look at the survey results for 2018.

By far, the most popular way of transporting discs around the course is by using disc golf backpacks. Disc Golf Carts have now moved strongly into 2nd place, pushing aside the large bags (with and without shoulder straps). The small shoulder-strap bags still have the edge over large bags with shoulder straps. Here is what the results looked like in 2017:

Where disc golf carts used to be 4th place at 8.6% of survey participants, carts are now 2nd place at 15.47% of survey participants. The percentage of small bag users has dropped from 2017 to 2018 but still remains a good portion of players that prefer to travel light.

It appears the the trend is generally away from larger should-strap bags (even with added straps for backpack-style carrying) and toward either backpacks or carts, with small bags holding ground.

Going back to the 2015 survey, large disc golf shoulder bags accounted for 34.4% of those surveyed. That percentage has been cut to a third in 2018 with a total of 11.87% using large bags with or without straps. Disc Golf Carts were not included separately in the survey in 2015 and would have fallen into the “other” category which amounted to less than 3%. Carts are definitely an exploding part of the market.

To get in on the latest trends check out these links for ideas on getting the best disc golf bags or carts:

 

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