Best Disc Golf Distance Drivers for 2024

Emperor Distance Driver - Best Selling Driver of 2023

When you want to get the most distance from your drives, you’re usually reaching for your high-speed drivers. Also called distance driver, this type of disc has the widest rim of all types, and the usually require the most skill to maximize the achievable distance. They are the super-athlete of the disc golf world, since they hold distance records, and are used by pros and amateurs alike. Much like our Best Putters of 2024 blog (HERE), we will look at the sales data to find the best disc golf distance drivers for 2024, and give you some ideas of discs you might want to try.

Top 50 Best Disc Golf Distance Drivers for 2024

Graph showing the top 50 distance drivers based on sales in 2023

The very top distance drivers for sales were similar to last year’s list. A couple molds changed position though. Taking the top spot for sales is the Innova Wraith. The Wraith is a speed 11 disc from Innova that has a flight similar to the other top discs on the list. Taking second is the Infinite Discs Emperor, followed by the most popular driver of all time, the Innova Destroyer.

Checking out the top plastic sales for the number one Wraith we find that the most popular Wraith plastic sold is Star plastic. Star plastic outsold second place Gummy Champion by three times! It was responsible for over a third of all Wraith sales last year. The third place most popular plastic is GStar.

Here are links to the top 10 discs on the top 50 list.

  1. Innova Wraith
  2. Infinite Discs Emperor
  3. Innova Destroyer
  4. Infinite Discs Pharaoh
  5. Infinite Discs Maya
  6. Innova Mamba
  7. Infinite Discs Aztec
  8. Thought Space Athletics Construct
  9. Innova Tern
  10. Innova Beast

Check out the top selling drivers HERE

Most Brands In The Top 50

There are twelve different brands who have a disc in the top 50 best discs. Let’s take a look at which brands are represented, and how many molds they have.

Disc Golf brands with best selling drivers. Innova tops the list with 11 other disc golf companies having at least one disc that made the top 50.

Two brands make up 40% of the entire list of top 50 distance drivers. Innova and Discraft are two of the biggest brand on earth, and are staples in the disc golf world. It’s never surprising to see those two on the top of any list.

Taking the last podium spot is Infinite Discs, but MVP and Thought Space Athletics were nipping at their heels. Several other smaller brands also made the top 50 list: Lone Star Discs, Clash Discs, and Finish Line Discs also had at least one mold each in the top 50. Lone Star is the most senior of those three brands, but has still only been selling discs for a little over three years.

Top Rated Drivers

We’ve looked at the sales data for the top distance drivers, and now we’ll look at the top RATED discs. The infinite discs website allows customers to leave feedback and ratings on discs and accessories, and is a good resource for finding highly rated disc products. Let’s look at some of the distance drivers with the highest ratings.

Highest Rated Distance Drivers

Infinite Discs Emperor - Highest Rated Distance Driver for 2024

Taking the number one spot with the highest consumer rating for distance drivers is Infinite Discs’ popular high-speed driver, the Emperor. The speed 12 driver has a popular flight that features a little turn with a reliable solid fade. It is available in numerous plastic types. It is also the signature disc of some of the top pros. The Emperor has a 4.83 rating out of 5.

Two discs tied for the second place spot, both with an average rating of 4.78 out of five, are the Streamline Trace and the Infinite Discs Aztec. Both the Trace and the Aztec have similar flight ratings, the Trace being a speed 11 and the Aztec a speed 10.

Highest Rated Overstable Distance Drivers

Discmania Power Driver - Higest Rated Overstable Driver of 2023

Since the Emperor is considered an overstable driver and is the highest rated driver, it is obviously going to be the highest rated overstable driver. Since we talked about the Emperor above, let’s explore the next-best rated disc. In second place with 4.71 stars out of five is Discmania’s PD. The popular PD is a great disc for headwinds, or when you need a strong fade at the end of its flight. It is also the signature disc of several pros. The third highest rated overstable distance driver is the Innova Wraith, rated at 4.68 out of five.

Check out the top 20 overstable disc golf distance drivers HERE and you can see all the top molds and what’s on sale!

Highest Rated Understable Disc Golf Driver

Infinite Discs Maya - Best Understable Driver of 2024

Looking at the other end of the stability spectrum we have the highest rated understable drivers. Topping the list are discs from Infinite, Innova, and Discraft. The currently highest-rated disc is the Infinite Discs Maya. Currently with a 4.68 rating, the Maya is a great high-speed disc golf maximum distance. With its understability the Maya is capable of giant turnover shots for some crushing drives. Or it can pick up some long distances on the ground as a roller.

The Innova Tern is the second-highest rated mold in this category with a rating of 4.63. The Tern has been a popular disc since it was released a decade ago. Like the Maya, it gives disc golfers a flight that can carve a lot of distance out of a long hole. It is available in most Innova plastics. Taking third place in the category is the Discraft Thrasher, with 4.57 out of five stars.

Check out the top 20 understable disc golf distance drivers HERE and you can see all the top molds and what’s on sale!

Highest Rated Stable & Straight Flying Drivers

Best Stable flying drivers of 2024 Infinite Dsics Aztec and Streamline Trace

Checking out distance drivers with a more neutral flight, meaning little turn and a less aggressive fade, we find the stable Aztec and Trace in a tie for the title of Best Stable Distance Driver. As mentioned above, the Aztec and the Trace have different speed ratings, but the same general flight. They both have a slight turn in flight, followed by a consistent, but not hard fade.

Having a nearly identical overall Infinite rating as the Aztec and Trace is the Discmania Enigma. Also nearly identical in flight numbers to the Aztec and Trace, the Enigma is slightly faster than Trace. The three discs that are the highest rated represent a similar flight at three different speed ratings. They would be excellent for a variety of skill levels.

Check out the top 20 stable disc golf distance drivers HERE and you can see all the top molds and what’s on sale!

Let Us Know About YOUR Favorite Drivers!

Those are our lists of the top distance drivers with sales and ratings data. Let’s add to the data by hearing from YOU! Answer one or more of the following questions:

1 – What is your favorite distance driver?
2 – What is your favorite over/understable distance driver?
3 – What do you think will be the best distance driver for next year?

We chose five random commenters to win an Infinite Discs gift card. Here are the winners, and their disc choices.

Caleb D – Caleb’s favorite distance driver is a Wraith. When he wants more stability, he reaches for his Destroyer or Slab. He predicts the Wraith will remain on top.

Marc H – A GStar Innova Corvette is at the top of Marc’s list of favorite drivers. For understable drivers, he throws a Viking Berserker. For overstability her prefers a Pharaoh. He thinks the Time Lapse will be the best driver next year.

Landon B – His favorite driver is a Ballista.

Ismael L – Ismael’s favorite driver is an I-Blend Emperor. For stability he’ll grab a Emperor. He plans on keeping the Emperor in his bag, along with a Trespass.

Jake Z – Favorite Driver: Valkyrie. For overstability he likes a Roman. When he needs a little turn, he throws a Hades. Jake thinks the Zeus will be number one next year.

Best Disc Golf Distance Drivers for 2023

In a recent blog we took a look at the top disc golf discs in each category (Distance Drivers, Control Drivers, Mid Ranges, and Putt and Approach). In this blog we wanted to focus on the Distance Drivers and take a deeper dive into the most popular molds in that category. We’ll look at the top 50 molds, some of the manufacturers on the list, and the best over- and understable drivers.

The top 50 list is based on the sales at Infinite Discs for 2022. They show which discs are in the most demand for the year. Here is the list of the top 50, and what percentage they sold of all distance drivers.

Top distance drivers by 2022 sales

Top of The Class

Nearly one out of every four distance drivers sold in 2022 were either an Emperor, Wraith, Destroyer, or Pharaoh. That’s a pretty impressive domination of the market! After the top four, the numbers drop off sharply, and then continue a slow decline in percent of sales.

Thoughts Space Athletics was the first manufacturer to break the Infinite/Innova streak, and the top ten, by finishing 8th and 9th. Those two molds represent 4.4% of all distance drivers. TSA had a couple other molds that made it into the top 15. In fact, there were quite a few brands that had multiple molds in the Top 50 List. Here are the numbers:

Top 50 Drivers by Disc Brand

Best Distance Drivers by Month

It’s always fun to see how the sales trends come and go. At the beginning of 2022 we were still affected by pandemic supply chain issues and so many popular distance drivers were unavailable or only available at limited quantities. In this living chart you can see the sales trends of the best distance drivers by month and can see the rapid accelerations of popular new releases.

Top Manufacturers

Long-time manufacturer Innova came out on top with over one-fifth of the top 50 molds. Five brands only had one mold. But that is one more than Prodigy and Legacy had. Lone Star and Dino Discs are two newer brands, but they each had a couple molds in the top 50. Now let’s see what percentage of distance driver sales were held by the top 50 molds:

Innova molds sold nearly one in every four distance driver discs in 2022. Infinite sold nearly one in five molds. Over half of all discs in this category came from Innova, Infinite, or Discraft! Innova and Discraft are well-established names in the disc golf world. And Infinite is, or course, our own brand. Although not quite up to the top three levels of sales, there are several newer brands that have made huge gains in the market in recent years. We will talk more about those brands in a future blog.

Now let’s take a deeper look at the Top 50 and break it down into stabilities. We will find out the top 10 overstable molds, and the top 10 understable molds. See how many of these YOU throw.

Top Overstable Distance Drivers

Overstable (and Very Overstable) discs will be defined as molds that have a flight rating Fade of more than 2. The Turn can vary, but is usually 0 to -1. Molds with those flight numbers are favorable among skilled players because they can be thrown very hard, not flip too much, and still have a reliable finish. Here are the Top 10 overstable discs:

Top 10 Overstable Distance Drivers of 2022:

  1. Infinite Discs Emperor
  2. Innova Wraith
  3. Innova Destroyer
  4. TSA Animus
  5. TSA Synapse
  6. TSA Omen
  7. Innova Orc
  8. Infinite Discs Czar
  9. Discraft Nuke
  10. Discraft Zeus

The top 10 Overstable list is divided among four brands. Innova and TSA have three molds each on the list. Infinite and Discraft have two molds each. The first and second molds account for more sales than the last seven combined.

Overstable Discs Approval Dates

I pulled up the PDGA approval date for the Top 10 Overstable distance drivers and there is quite a range of dates. Here is the list:

Disc

PDGA Approved
Innova Orc Jan-04
Innova Wraith Aug-05
Innova Destroyer Jun-07
Discraft Nuke Oct-09
Discraft Zeus Dec-18
Infinite Discs Emperor Feb-19
Thought Space Athletics Animus Jun-20
Thought Space Athletics Synapse Jan-22
Thought Space Athletics Omen Mar-22
Infinite Discs Czar Oct-22

The oldest three were approved in 2004, 2005, and 2007. The most recently approved molds just got the PDGA nod last year! The Czar was just a couple of months ago as of this writing. That is an impressive start in a very crowded field of discs.

Top Understable Distance Drivers

Now let’s check out the understable distance drivers. This sub-category includes molds that have at least -2 Turn. That is typically a good number for beginners or more advanced players who want to shape their shot a little more.

Top Understable Disc Golf Drivers by Sales 2022

Top understable disc golf drivers of 2022:

  1. Innova Mamba
  2. Infinite Discs Maya
  3. Discraft Avenger SS
  4. Discraft Scorch
  5. Axiom Virus
  6. MVP Inertia
  7. Dino Discs Pterodactylus
  8. Lone Star Disc Tumbleweed
  9. Dino Discs Tyrannosaurus Rex
  10. Innova Katana

Understable Discs Approval Dates

The Mamba and the Maya were the clear leaders for understable distance drivers. Those had double the sales of the third-place Avenger SS, and nearly as many total sales as the remaining molds in the top 10. Let’s take a look at the PDGA approval dates for the top 10 understable molds:

Understable Driver PDGA Approved Date
Discraft Avenger SS Feb-08
Innova Katana Oct-09
Innova Mamba Jan-12
MVP Inertia Feb-14
Axiom Virus Dec-14
Infinite Discs Maya Jun-20
Discraft Scorch Apr-21
Lone Star Disc Tumbleweed Mar-22
Dino Discs Pterodactylus Not Approved
Dino Discs Tyrannosaurus Rex Not Approved

The top two oldest molds are the Avenger SS and the Katana. And once again, there is a mold that sold enough to make the top ten, yet was approved less than a year ago. The Tumbleweed was approved in March of 2022. Nether of the Dino Discs have been approved by the PDGA. They are lightweight discs that are designed for beginners. (Learn more about Dino Discs HERE).

Next Up: Control Drivers

That does it for our look at the Top 50 Distance Drivers. Next up we’ll take a look at the Top 50 Control Drivers.

What are the Best Distance Drivers for You?

What will be the best distance drivers of 2023? Will they be new discs, or the same traditional classics. A new distance driver the Innova Charger was just announced that will likely make next years top list.

What is your favorite distance driver? What is the disc you have thrown the farthest? What distance drivers do you think will be the best selling in 2023?  Comment below to help others find the best disc golf drivers for their game.