Tag: disc golf

Axiom & MVP March 2018 New Releases

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March has been a big month for MVP and Axiom! Axiom has released one new disc, and MVP has released some molds in new plastic types.

Let’s kick it off with the Tantrum.

The Tantrum is Axiom’s first 24.5mm rim distance driver. Basically, it’s the first of the really thick rim discs for Axiom. MVP released discs of same rim width last year- so it’s looking like this will be the year for big rimmed Axiom discs.

They picked the perfect mold for debuting the big rims- the Tantrum is a stable to straight long distance bomber. Coming in around 14, 5, -1, 2, you can use this for maximum distance. Even with a lower arm speed, it’ll fly straight for a good while before fading. This disc should be accessible to most Intermediate players and up. Axiom describes this disc as “a longer Defy“.

This disc was released with a stock stamp, plus a special edition “Artist Series” featuring art from John Dorn.

MVP’s new contributions include the Matrix in Neutron plastic (with special stamp), the Catalyst in Plasma plastic, and a fresh Skulboy stamp on the Electron Atom.

 

 

We’re looking forward to the next new releases from MVP, Axiom, and Streamline!

Three New Releases from VIKING DISCS

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Viking Discs from Finland entered the scene with a fun, diverse disc lineup in 2017 and now they’ve added three new discs to that lineup for the 2018 spring and summer disc golf season. These three discs add very nicely to their existing arsenal, providing some flight characteristics that were not yet present with their brand. Let’s take a look at those three new discs from VIKING DISCS.

VALHALLA – Distance Driver

The newest distance driver that Viking has added to the mix is the VALHALLA which is available in their base plastic blend, Ground, as well as in their premium blends, Storm and Armor.  Without the maxed-out rim width of the Thunder God Thor, this new driver falls more into the realm of usefulness to a wider group of players. While still overstable with a consistent fade, that fade is not overly exaggerated or premature when thrown at a speed that most intermediate and experienced players can manage. It is more likely to take the position as the workhorse distance driver fro the Viking Discs selection so far with their previous distance drivers falling more into the category of “utility discs” with the exception of the very manageable Ragnarok.  As with other Viking Discs, if you plan to throw this with any power, it’s worth paying for the premium plastics because the Ground plastic will not stand up to many collisions with trees (or the ground) without eventual damage.

BARBARIAN – Control Driver

The Barbarian was introduced in base Ground plastic as well as in Storm and Armor. It also came out in “Fire” plastic which is technically Storm plastic with an attached LED light to the center bottom of the flight plate for night play. This is a solid, dependable control driver with consistent fade and manageable speed. It is stable enough to throw with higher power and still stay in control. I would be comparable to an Innova TeeBird and is better suited to intermediate and advanced play than the previously released Cosmos control driver which is designed much more toward the beginning player.

LOKI – Mid-Range

It has been difficult to find very overstable mid-range discs for a while, with the Dynamic Discs Justice pretty much standing alone as a very overstable utility disc for short shots. The Loki can now claim a spot among those very few beefy, overstable mid-range discs. It was released in base Ground plastic as well as in Storm and Armor. Whether thrown forehand or backhand, this disc will fade hard once it loses velocity, and at a “speed 4” it will not go far before it loses that velocity. So, expect a sharp, dumping fade at end-of-flight and know that this disc is designed for specific use as an overstable utility disc.

We look forward to seeing more discs added to the Viking Discs linup in coming months and years!

 

 

State of Disc Golf – What Brands Do You Know and Throw?

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In the 2018 State of Disc Golf Survey we asked some questions that we love to ask every year– we want to know which brands are most recognized and loved, plus how many players bag discs by those brands. Sometimes we see an imbalance between brand awareness and loyalty vs. what is actually inside a player’s bag. For example, last year we discovered that while more people claimed that Dynamic Discs and Latitude 64 were their favorite brands, there were actually more people who had Discraft in their bags than those who bagged Dynamic Discs or Latitude 64. Let’s take a look at how those results panned out in this year’s survey.

BRAND AWARENESS VS IN YOUR BAG

First of all, this chart excludes any brands that were under 1% of survey participants claiming to bag the brand. The “Regularly Follow the Brand” data is made up of those participants who said that they regularly follow the brand as apposed to “not aware of them,” “heard of them,” “I know some things about them,” etc. In other words, we only included the data where players ranked the brand the highest in terms of awareness.

Innova has taken the top spot again in terms of high brand awareness with Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, and Westside (all Trilogy brands) following behind. When it comes to bagging the brand, Discraft has now fallen right behind Dynamic Discs, but is still in front of Latitude 64. That is still a big disparity between people who regularly follow Discraft and those who bag Discraft — while they don’t follow the brand, they do have Discraft discs in their bag. It’s probably safe to assume that the extremely popular Buzzz mid-range has a lot to do with that.

Discmania is also making great headway in terms of the number of players who bag their discs, and their brand awareness is also growing rapidly. MVP and Axiom have picked up in the number of players bagging their discs. The awareness of those brands has also pulled up the awareness of their newer spin-off brand, Streamline, though not as many people bag that brand yet (at the time of this survey there were only two Streamline molds).

The rising of other smaller brands in awareness and disc use, like RPM, Mint Discs, Kastaplast, Hyzer Bomb, etc. is encouraging in showing that more players are becoming aware of newer or smaller brands, and are more likely now to add their discs to bags when compared to previous years.

FAVORITE MANUFACTURER

 

We also asked survey participants this question: If you could throw discs made by only one manufacturer, which would it be?

The “Innova Made” brands took the lead with 46.4% and that includes brands like Discmania, Hyzer Bomb, and Millenium, which are all manufactured by Innova.

Trilogy came in a strong second with 32.9% and that includes the brands Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, and Westside.

MVP also manufactures Axiom and Streamline Discs, and they now take up third place with 9.3%. Though quite a bit behind the two leaders, they are a fast-growing part of the disc golf market. They passed Discraft this year to take that third place spot.

Another ironic move in this year’s survey is that Vibram jumped into sixth place where they didn’t even hit the top eight last year. But since the survey they have opted to exit the disc golf business.

CHANGING BRAND LOYALTIES

Finally, we asked if survey participants had changed their favorite brand during the last year. The majority 74.5% said that they did not change favorite brands, while the other 25.5% said that they did. So, a quarter of disc golfers changed brand loyalties last year, showing that the market is still fluid when it comes to branding.

 

The Race is On for 2018 Best-Selling Discs

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When it comes to best-selling discs, we’re going to keep you posted as the 2018 year progresses. It is still early in the year, at this point, with only the winter months in play. However, we can already see which discs are taking a significant lead. We expect sales at Infinite Discs to speed up dramatically with the coming of spring, and that may shake up the sales figures. Upcoming new disc releases will also play into the ongoing tally.

THE TOP FIVE BEST-SELLING DISCS SO FAR…

#1 – Discmania P2

The P2 Putter picked up a lot of momentum throughout 2017 and that has continued into the new 2018 sales year. So far, Infinite Discs has been able to better keep up with the high demand as Discmania has beefed-up production for the P2. Plus, the 2018 tour support edition of the C-Line P2 for Simon Lizotte (called the “Sky God”) gave the sales an extra boost.

We expect to see the momentum with the P2 continue through the spring as many players begin stocking up on their favorite putters for the new, warmer disc golf season. After all, when it is time to start perfecting your putting skills, it helps to have more than just one or two.

#2 – Innova DESTROYER

The Destroyer distance driver has held the top spot for a long time when it comes to sales at Infinite Discs. But at the moment, it has fallen to 2nd place behind the P2. The top two discs are still in a close sprint, but well ahead of the next discs in line. As the tournament season accelerates, we fully expect to see the release of some signature editions that will increase the Destroyer sales even more. Last year there were a couple of very popular signature editions, including the Swirly Star Philo Brathwaite edition and the Splatter Star Steve Brinster edition. Regardless of what editions come out, we fully expect the Destroyer to keep a strong foothold in the top three or four all year long.

#3 – Innova AVIAR

The Aviar is the most popular Innova brand putter, by far. So far in 2018 it is taking up third place in the best-seller race. But just to clarify how far ahead the top two discs are, the Aviar has sold 1/3 the number of discs as the 2nd place Destroyer. So, there is a large void between those two leaders and all the discs that are chasing.

If 2018 is anything like 2017 then the sales for the Aviar will take a huge jump once this year’s McPro edition is released. Everybody is waiting to see what this year’s Paul McBeth tour support edition will look like, and it will likely become the best-selling edition of the Aviar once it hits the market.

#4 – Innova SHRYKE

The Shryke is the most popular newcomer when it comes to Innova drivers. It quickly sprang into popularity as a high-speed distance driver that can be handled by a wide range of players, from relatively new players to experienced players. With a little bit of understability upon release, the Shryke can fly in great s-curves, plus it has high glide for optimum distance results. For players who have trouble handling the often overstable flight of the Destroyer, a Shryke can fill the spot as a go-to for distance. This is a disc that has the potential to gain momentum as more and more players discover it and try it out, so we expect to see the Shryke stay within the top ten throughout 2018, even with a possible wave of new distance drivers hitting the market this year.

#5 – Infinite Discs EXODUS

The Exodus is the initial disc released in the new Infinite Discs line. Manufactured by Innova, the Infinite Disc branded discs will have a familiar feel while adding some quality molds to the market. It was perhaps expected that the Exodus would jump to the top of disc sales at Infinite Discs because the initial launch of the entire brand is only available through the Infinite Discs store. The max weight discs sold out within a couple of weeks of the first run release, leaving only low weights in the inventory until a second run is released (we do not yet know when that 2nd run will become available). So, as supply diminishes, the sales numbers will likely drop. With the very positive response to the flight characteristics of the Exodus, we expect to see the sales figures spike once another run is available to order. As a fairway driver that can handle torque, it is a great disc that fits a crossover position, straddling the line between control driver and distance driver. It is another disc that can find a solid place in the bag of players at all levels.

The Infinite Discs Chariot Has Arrived!

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In February of 2018, Infinite Discs launched our first branded disc model, the Exodus fairway driver. It was received warmly by disc golfers and the first run is already sold out of max weights, with just over a hundred of the lower weights still available in early March.

Infinite Discs now presents our first mid-range disc, the CHARIOT!

The Chariot first run is manufactured in Glow C-Blend Plastic which feels great, glows great, and flies great as well. There are only 700 discs available in the first run. All of the Infinite Discs stock stamps say exactly which run it is, and how many are included in the run!

The Chariot is a straight-flying mid-range disc with excellent glide and a knack for following the thrower’s angle of release. It can be guided on smooth hyzer lines, on anhyzer turns, or can be used for straight, precision approaches on the fairway. The Chariot finishes with a gentle and consistent fade and is ready for frequent use in your disc golf game.

All Infinite Discs branded discs are manufactured by Innova Champion Discs. 

When Did We Begin Playing Disc Golf and Are We Willing to Pay

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As we take a look at the results of the 2018 State of Disc Golf Survey, it is fun to measure the growth of the sport by finding out when people discovered disc golf as apposed to when they started playing disc golf. We also asked survey participants how much they are willing to pay for “pay-to-play” courses which are usually on private property. Some interesting trends have surfaced.

First let’s take a look at when people first heard about disc golf vs. when they started playing. It is very interesting to see that a large percentage of people discovered disc golf more than seven years ago. If we create a dividing line at the year 2010, we find that 64% of those taking the survey heard about disc golf before (and including) 2010, while 36% first heard about disc golf after 2010.

 

This seems to demonstrate that disc golf has been in the public eye for quite a while, with the majority of current players having heard about it several years ago. In more recent years, a steady stream of people are still discovering disc golf, but even more interesting is that the number of people starting to PLAY disc golf is growing more rapidly in recent years.

Perhaps people who hear about disc golf or become aware of the sport are slow to try it out? Though they may have become aware of the sport several years ago, they are just now starting to play? Of course, there are current players who both discover and dive in at the same moment, but there is an interesting disparity between people DISCOVERING disc golf and BEGINNING TO PLAY disc golf.

HOW MUCH WILL YOU PAY TO PLAY?

Another interesting trend when comparing the data from the 2018 State of Disc Golf survey to the data from the previous year is the attitude about “pay-to-play” courses. Many disc golfers embraced the sport because courses have traditionally been free to play. The vast majority of public courses are still free, but there are a growing number of privately owned courses that are charging a fee for a round of disc golf. Here is a look at how much survey participants were willing to pay for a round of disc golf in 2018 vs. the previous survey year.

Look at the lower end of the price spectrum. You’ll see that more people were willing to pay a lower price a year ago. Why would fewer people be willing to pay a lower price this year? Even more interesting is that this year’s survey found more players willing to pay higher prices in the $9 – $30 range! So, while they are less willing to pay a low price, they’re more willing to pay a high one. It looks like the “premium price” side of the market is growing, with more players willing to pay to play a course that they feel is truly special.

With more players coming into the disc golf scene every year, and more people willing to pay to play, it will be interesting to see how the disc golf market and course development evolves over the coming years.

Who Participated in the State of Disc Golf Survey – Demographics

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We plan to spend the next few weeks and months looking over the data from the 2018 State of Disc Golf Survey and sharing the information with the public through this blog. To kick things off, let’s take a look at who participated in the survey this year.  First of all, there were 6,194 survey participants. That is down from last year’s participation, but still represents a large cross-section of players from many locations. Here are the top ten states in the USA in terms of survey participation:

#1 – California – 6.5%
#2 – Texas – 6.1%
#3 – Michigan 5.8%
#4 – New York – 4%
#5 – Ohio – 3.9%
#6 – Illinois – 3.8%
#7 – North Carolina – 3.3%
#8 – Colorado – 3.2%
#9 – Wisconsin – 3.1%
#10 – Utah – 3.0%

There were also several other countries represented with the Scandanavian countries outpacing others.

We were surprised to see Utah hit the #10 spot since it is the home state for Infinite Discs. We admit that we’re happy that our home crowd made their voices heard. That brings up the question, how did survey participants find out about the survey? Here is where they said that they heard about the survey:

 

That is a full 50% of survey participants coming from Facebook, with another 34.2% coming from either the Infinite Discs website or email newsletter. Other contributing sources were social media sites like Reddit, Instagram, Twitter, DGCourseReview.com, Instagram, as well as from notifications from the PDGA.

Other interesting demographics from the survey are the male vs. female participation, the age of participants, marital status, and employment status. The biggest gap was between males, making up 94% of participants, while the females made up only 6% of those who took the survey.

The majority of survey participants are also married or in a domestic partnership at 59.4% with 35.6% being single and 5% answering as widowed, divorced, or separated.

Here is the age spread from the survey participants:

We’re excited to see a wide age spread participating in the survey and in the sport of disc golf. We’re also happy to see that disc golf is becoming a popular activity even among those over fifty with survey participants reaching well into their sixties, seventies and a few in their eighties. We’re hoping to see more growth among a younger, teenage crowd, bringing up the next generation of exciting professional and recreational players.


State of Disc Golf 2018 Prize Winners

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Infinite Discs has now completed the 2018 State of Disc Gold Survey, and that means we have some prizes to send out. These prizes were donated by some great brand sponsors, who we would like to thank once again for contributing to the success of the survey.

This year’s survey had 5,930 responding participants, so we have a lot of fun data to use as we share those results with the disc golf community in the coming weeks and months. We gave away a couple of prizes while the survey was in progress, to encourage participation.

Here were two of the prize winners along the way:

From the Infinite Discs FACEBOOK Page: Kim Zomberg won a Discraft Chainstar Lite, an excellent new portable basket!

From the Infinite Discs INSTAGRAM Feed: Kevin Stroud won a Dynamic Discs Ranger H2O Backpack, which is one of the top backpack bags out there.

Here are the winners from the random drawing at the conclusion:

Discmania Glow C-Line FD3 Winners:
Thomas Brown
Jacob Worlie
Zaq Jones
Christopher Coles
Caleb Miller
Justin Ponsor
Dave Bogaards
Nadia Coccaro
JT King

Innova Hat Winners:
Chad Klodowski
William Shinol
Daniel Panzer
Steven Poppler

Innova Starter Bag Winner:
Jason Bedell

Innova Heropack Winner:
TBA

Innova Super Heropack Winner:
Scott Hill

Dynamic Discs Ranger H2O Backpack Winner:
Michael Eiting

Axiom Pro Basket Winner:
Andy Hock

THANKS AGAIN to these QUALITY BRANDS that donated prizes!

 

 

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