Disc Golf Weight Explained – Choosing the Best Disc Weight

September 28, 2026 Todd Durrant 7 comments

Why Weight Matters in Disc Golf

When you shop for a new disc, you likely prioritize finding a weight range that you like. If a disc is too heavy for you, get the distance you want. Too light of a disc and it may be too flippy to be useful. The weight of a disc affects its speed, stability and the way it will fly. In this blog we will discuss how the weight of a disc affects the flight of the disc as well as your disc purchases.

Disc Speed and Distance

There is a solid relationship between how fast a disc is thrown to how far the disc will travel. The faster the throw, the greater the potential to get more distance. There is an exception to this ‘rule’, which we will talk about, but there is a good general relationship between speed and distance.

According to Best Disc Golf Discs’ YouTube Channel, for every mile per hour of disc speed, there is an average increase of about seven feet in distance. Theoretically, an easy way to get more arm speed is to throw a lighter disc. Research shows that throwing a lighter disc can lead to increase in throw speed. As an example, throwing a disc that is 20 grams lighter can result in an increase in speed of 6.5 MPH. That would mean an increase in distance of over 45 feet!

Light Discs = Big Distance

Moving beyond theory and into practice, we have a perfect example of using lighter discs to gain distance. In 2016, David Wiggins Jr threw an R-Pro Innova Boss 1,108.92 feet. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the Boss weighed 154g. There was a ripping tailwind that contributed to Wiggins crushing the former record by a couple hundred feet.

The former distance record was set the day before by Simon Lizotte. Lizotte was the first person to throw a disc over 900 feet (903.9 feet). The disc he used was a 157g Innova Blizzard Boss. Although angle control and massive tailwinds played a part in both records, so did the lighter discs used.

Disc Stability Also Matters

We’ve established that lighter-weight discs can get you more speed and possibly more distance. Now let’s discuss the flight numbers of the disc and how weight affects those numbers, specifically the stability of the disc (the third and fourth numbers in the four number flight rating).

Because a lighter disc can be thrown faster, it has a tendency to turn to the right more at the fastest part of the throw. How much it turns depends on how fast you throw the disc and what speed rating the disc has.

If you are an advanced player that buys overstable discs that can handle your power, throwing lighter discs might give you nice S-turns that translates to longer throws. If you already throw molds that have a good amount of turn, lighter versions of those molds might be too flippy to handle.

If you are a newer player who struggles to throw 280 feet, lighter discs might be just what you need to get a good flight and break that 300-foot barrier.

Light Discs in the Wind

As a general rule, the lighter the disc, the more it will be affected by the wind. That isn’t always a bad thing. While a headwind will make a disc more flippy and prone to turn (maybe even too much turn), a tailwind will tone down the turn, and likely give you more distance (refer to the record-setting throws above).

Cross winds can also affect lighter discs more than heavier discs. They will either push a disc farther in the direction of the wind, or drop the disc faster, depending on the angle of the disc and the direction of the wind.

Choosing Your Disc Weights

The bottom line in selecting a disc is that it flies good for you at your skill level. If your discs are turning to much for you, you may need faster, heavier, or more overstable discs. If every disc you throw is a meat hook, look for slower, lighter, and more understable discs. Here are a few guidelines for disc selection:

Putter or Midrange Discs

Since putters and midrange discs are typically used for control shots rather than long distance, getting max weight is fine. They won’t be affected by the wind as much as lighter discs, which will help with accuracy. Midrange discs can also be heavier than max putters due to their larger diameter.

If you want a little more distance out of your putter or midrange, you could get a lighter disc. Many midrange discs and putters come in 160’s weight. Lighter discs make it easier to make take longer putts, although they would be affected by the wind a little more.

Fairway and Distance Drivers

The max weight for most fairway and distance drivers is 175g. The lightest discs can dip below 130g. The disc weight that would work best for you depends on your skill level and the flight you are looking for.

Newer Players

Newer players typically lack the skill to throw a driver very fast, which means it won’t go very far. Lighter discs are easier to get faster throws with, and should be the focus for beginners. Look for molds in the 150g range (or possibly even lighter discs), and ones that have a little more turn (-2 to -4). As your skills improve and you can throw faster, you will see more turn in your flights. That would be a good time to look for slightly heavier discs, say around 165-170g.

They would also have the option to look for molds with higher speeds with the same weight, which will mean they will turn less since they require a faster throw. The advantage of getting heavier disc at the lower speed is that the wind won’t affect it as much. A good way to save a few bucks while you are experimenting with discs is to look for sales, misprints, and factory seconds.

Advanced Players

More advanced players can throw faster speeds and often need max weight (and overstable) discs to keep the it from turning and crashing to the ground. Even so, they could still benefit from keeping a lighter driver in their bag for times when they are throwing in a tailwind or up a steep hill.

Many players will have several discs of same mold in their bag, all with different weights, plastic types, or levels of wear. Then they can get a variety of shot shapes with the same familiar feel of the disc.

Other Things That Affect Distance

In this discussion of the weight/distance relationship theory, we are assuming that all other variables that come into play are the same every throw, so we can isolate the role that weight plays. In practice, many other factors come into play when we throw. Grip, nose angle, wobble, and spin all affect the flight shape and distance of a disc. However, for this discussion we just wanted to focus on the role that weight plays in our throws, so we will imagine that everything else is perfect and consistent.

How Are the Weights Listed on a Disc?

Different brands indicate the weight of their discs in different ways. Some give the exact weight listed on their scale when they weigh them individually. This can be done with ink or with laser etching. Other brands just list a range of weights, even though they are still weighed individually. So, how does Infinite Discs approach the manufacturer’s declared weight?

Long ago, Infinite adopted a policy of trusting the manufacturer to put the correct weight (or weight range) on the disc. They have a vested interest in giving the most accurate weight as possible. Infinite simply lists what ever wight the manufacturer indicates on the disc. If there is a weight range on the disc (like Discraft does) we list the lowest weight in the range. If the manufacturer lists 173-175g on a disc, we go with 173g on our listing. We do that because our system doesn’t allow us to post a range.

We have considered weighing the discs and posting the weight by the picture of the disc, but there are drawbacks to that. Different scales sometimes give different readings for the same disc. Our scales might not agree the manufacturer’s scale, nor with a customer’s scale, which might result in some upset customers! Instead, we post the weight from the manufacturer.

What if We Post the Wrong Weight?

We try to be as accurate as possible when we post the weight of a disc. We even double check before we ship out discs to make sure the weight, color, and mold are the same as what is listed on our website. Even with those guardrails in place, we may end up mislabeling a disc weight. If that happens, we’re happy to help the best we can. Just know that we genuinely try our best to get the disc listed.

We hope that this information has been helpful in understand a little bit more about disc weights and how they affect flight. We hope you better understand how brands mark the weight of their discs, and how we at Infinite Discs work with those brands and trust in those manufacturers to indicate the weight of their discs so that our buyers can make an informed purchasing decision.

Frolf Discs – Best FRisbee gOLF Discs

September 28, 2023 Alan Leave a comment

You probably found this page because you’ve played a round of frolf or two, or three, and are ready to get your own frisbee golf discs.

What does Frolf mean?

The word frolf simply combines the first two letters from FRisbee and the last three from gOLF. Frolf simply means playing a golf like game with a frisbee or disc. Some people also abbreviate this even more and call the game FOLF.

There are primarily two types of frisbee golfers: those who play occasionally and refer to the flying discs as “frisbees” or “frolf discs,” and hard core players who refer to these objects only as “discs.” Now, the terminology varies by location, years playing, etc., but here is my basic run down of the difference between frolfers and hard core disc golfers.

Difference Between Frolfers and Disc Golfers

	Disc Golfers	Frolfers
Use the terminology Frisbee Golf	No	Yes
Own Multiple Discs	Yes	Not Usually
Use Discs Not Designed for Disc Golf	Never	Sometimes
Don’t Own any Discs	Never	Sometimes
Spend Hours Learning Proper Form	Sometimes	What is That?
Play Multiple Courses	Yes	Frisbee Golf has courses?
Refer to the “Basket” as the Goal	No	Sometimes
Play in Tournaments	Yes	Is playing with my friends a tournament?
Understand Disc Golf Flight Numbers	Yes	No
Understand Disc Stability	Yes	Is that like different weights?
Know of multiple disc golf brands	Yes	There are different disc golf brands!
Can make a disc hyzer flip	Yes	Frisbee Golf discs turn right!
Throw Less than 200 Feet in Total Distance	Usually	Occasionally
Watch Professional Disc Golf	Yes	People play disc golf for money!
Consider Frolf a Cuss Word	Yes	No
Shop at Infinite Discs	Yes	Starting Today..

Frolfers use one to three discs per round, sometimes actual Frisbees not designed specifically for disc golf, and can rarely throw more than 200 feet. Frolf Discs include Ultimate Frisbees, aerobies, or even the cheap-o plastic frisbees you get at a parade.

While frolf is sometimes played on actual courses with chain filled baskets, it is also played using trees, poles, or other objects as targets. Frolf is a recreational activity, a time out with friends and family and is not primarily a competitive activity. Sure, there may be some competition, but there is no training or practicing. There is actually a website devoted to frolf and its true definition.

Frolfers do not know disc golf terminology are not concerned about technique, form, foot faults, or following the rules. In fact, they likely don’t even know what good form is, or that there even is a disc golf form. And there are official rules to disc golf? But aren’t you just throwing frisbees?

But… It happens all the time. Frolf is so fun, maybe you were the best at your family reunion and you’re ready to play it some more. If you’re ready to buy your own discs designed exclusively for disc golf, then you might be advancing to that of a disc golfer.

Hard Core Disc Golfers own literally dozens of discs in many different plastic variations and blends. These players have huge backpacks or carts they use to haul around their discs made by companies such as Innova, Discraft, and Latitude 64. These disc golfers can throw their distance drivers 300, 400, and sometimes even 500+ feet!

As a good frolfer, I thought I could throw a frisbee pretty hard until I went to a disc golf league and started playing with with real hard core disc golfers.

Hard core disc golfers shun the word frolf, folf, and frisbee golf, and are likely to take offense if you use one of these f-words.

Is it Okay to use the term Frolf?

Yes. But ONLY if you are not at a disc golf league, tournament, or around people who consider this term offensive to their beloved sport. If you’ve decided that you are going to become a disc golfer, then you should try your best to move the f word out of your vocabulary.

Best Discs for Frolfers

There are literally hundreds of different frisbee golf discs available in dozens of plastic varieties. The reality is that most discs made specifically for disc golf are not suitable for frolfers. Throwing “high-speed overstable discs” will simply be frustrating for a player trying to learn the basics game.

Our site has several tools to help golfers find the absolute best frolf discs.

1. Sort by discs that are recommended for beginners.

Using our “find the perfect disc” feature, one of the options is, “player skill level.” By selecting beginner, you’ll be able to see different putters, midrange discs, and drivers, that will help improve performance for a round of frolf and make it more fun. Click this link for a recommendation of the best frolf discs for beginners.

2. Beginner Frisbee Golf Sets

One of the best way to get good golf discs for beginners, at an excellent price, is to purchase beginner sets. We offer several different variations of starter sets from the leading disc manufacturers. Here is the link to all of the beginner sets that we sell.

Warning for buying disc golf sets on the internet: Be very careful when buying disc golf sets on Amazon, E-Bay, and Walmart. Many of the discs in these sets are complete garbage made by Chinese manufacturers who no nothing about disc flight or disc golf. These discs are not even fit for the most casual frolfers. Here is our list of disc golf sets frolfers should avoid at all costs:

- Franklin
- Halex
- ESP Emsco Sports Products
- Gooso
- Sportneer
- Faster Disc Golf
- Naissgo
- NQV
- HIAARO

3. Our Most recommended for beginners pages.

Our website has thousands of disc golf reviews. Every time a player reviews a disc, they are asked to rate how “beginner friendly” the disc is.

Those rated most “beginner friendly” appear at the top of each page.

4. Beginners Guide to Buying Golf Discs

Our beginners guide to buying frisbee golf discs goes over some of the basics of disc golf flight, as well as tips to help navigate our site. This will help you to understand what the many different disc golf options mean, like the differences between plastic types, disc weights, and the best ways to get cheap frisbees. Read the beginners guide here.

Cheap Frisbee Golf Discs

If you’re looking for cheap, inexpensive discs, then you have also come to the right place. We offer the best price for frisbee golf discs. For even lower prices on quality plastic, be sure to check out our “on-sale discs” page.

While there are many different manufacturers and models of disc golf discs, the biggest key to determine which discs are inexpensive has to do with the plastic type. The cheapest frolf discs available come in an inexpensive plastic that isn’t very durable.

For most frolfers, these inexpensive discs work just fine and fly well enough, even when they are “broken in” a little and have a few dings. If you plan to get into competitive disc golf, we don’t recommend base plastic discs, but if you know you will always be a recreational frolfer, these discs will work just fine. Simply sort by price for any disc model you look at.

The brands that have the cheapest disc golf plastics include:

X-Com Discs (Thanks China) base plastic price is just $6.99
Yikun – Base plastic price is $7.79
Viking Discs – Base Ground Plastic is $7.95
Discmania – Active Line (These discs are made by Yikun Discs in China) and are priced at just $8.49 each

On Sale Selection

Every week on Wednesday we select a new batch of products to put on sale. These products are typically on sale because we are overstocked on these molds (our bag) or just have something special we want to promote. (You’ll find we like promoting the Infinite Discs line, a lot). These are GREAT Discs and at GREAT prices.

Disc Golf Sets, X-Outs and Misprints

Another great way to get inexpensive discs is buy purchasing x-outs, misprints, and disc golf sets.

X-Outs – X-Outs also known as factory seconds are manufactured discs that do not meet the manufacturers quality standards. These discs often have coloring issues or imperfections in the plastic. The imperfections should not effect the intended flight of the disc, but even if they do, these discs are still adequate for the casual frolf round. You can buy base plastic X-Out discs for less than $6 per disc.

Misprints – Like X-Outs, misprints are cheaper discs because something went wrong at the disc golf factory. The difference between x-outs and misprints is that the error with misprints happened during the hot stamping process (where they put the disc name and logo on the disc). With misprints, you will get the intended flight of the disc as the only error is with the visual display.

Package Sets – Package sets allow you to save money on discs through bundle savings. There are a variety of different bulk sets including starter sets (which typically include 3 discs for beginners) and Mystery Boxes. Mystery Boxes typically consist of large quantities of discount discs. The catch with mystery boxes is that you don’t know what discs you are going to get. If you don’t know what discs you want, this is a perfect way to get new frolf discs. You can even purchase a large mystery deals box and share the discs with a group of friends.

Buy Your Frolf Discs Online From Infinite Discs

Buying discs online is very easy, and our shipping is incredibly affordable. Most disc purchases arrive at your home in two to three days. Even after the cost of shipping, our prices are much better than local sporting good stores and most other online retailers.

Frolf, Folf, Frisbee Golf, Disc Golf, or whatever you want to call it, is a great sport. We at InfiniteDiscs.com want to be your disc supplier, regardless of how serious you are about the game.

If you’re looking for an even more simple selection of highly affordable discs, we recommend that you check out DiscountDiscGolf.com for the lowest prices on the internet.

Best Discs

State of Disc Golf Survey 2022

February 1, 2022 Todd Durrant 15 comments

It is time for our annual State of Disc Golf Survey where we ask for all disc golfers everywhere to share their thoughts and experiences with the sport through some simple survey questions. This survey has become a great way to see how the sport is growing and evolving. We have really appreciated everybody’s input in the past.

Where to Take This Year’s Survey

You can take the 2022 State of Disc Golf Survey by going to THIS LINK

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd64quY1SNFa0rAPZawSnrTYRWJgelTN6UU4u898n2wHMXAxw/viewform?usp=sf_linkhttps://forms.gle/3wgCzP2uKWkbERfeA

Feel free to share that link on social media and with your disc golfing friends. The more opinions that are shared, the better!

Where to See Previous Survey Results

We always share the data from these surveys through the Infinite Discs blog. You can click easy links to see those different articles presenting the results. Here are links for the previous three years:

State of Disc Golf 2021 Blog Posts

State of Disc Golf 2020 Blog Posts

State of Disc Golf 2019 Blog Posts

It’s worth taking a look at those blog posts for all of the fun charts and analysis. Here’s an example from the 2019 survey showing how many discs did survey participants collect without any intention of throwing in 2018?

Random Prize Winners Will Be Selected

As usual, we will be giving away a few prizes to randomly selected participants. We’ll be giving away some slinger bags, discs from boutique brands, and other prizes and you have a chance to win if you take the survey this year. Winners will be contacted after the survey is complete.

THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!

2020 Christmas Gift Ideas for Disc Golfers

December 5, 2020 Todd Durrant 62 comments

Every year at Infinite Discs, we put together a unique, fun list of gift ideas for disc golfers. Let’s take a look at the 2020 holiday ideas that we feel would please any disc golfer. This is your 2020 Disc Golf Gift Guide!

Discs!

Of course, no disc golfer will turn down more discs for the holidays. But where do you start if you don’t know which specific discs they need? Opt for something fun to throw, collectible, or even holiday-themed. Whether they use it or keep it as a memento, they’ll appreciate it.

Special Edition Discs — Limited edition or signature discs supporting pro players are always a hit. In 2020, these became rare, selling out quickly. Infinite Discs offers a great selection of Pro Tour Championship Discs that are both functional and collectible.

Browse Limited Edition Discs Here

Holiday Edition Discs — From spooky Halloween themes to festive holiday designs, several manufacturers release special holiday discs each year.

Check out the Holiday Selection Here or Browse Halloween Stamps Here.

Large Gift Items

Zuca All Terrain Cart — A premium choice for disc golfers who want to carry a lot of discs in style and comfort.

Explore other options like the MVP Rover Cart or browse Cart Accessories Here.

Mid-Range Budget Items

Infinite Disc Slinger Bag — A versatile, budget-friendly bag perfect for beginners or quick rounds.

Upgrade to the Deluxe Disc Slinger Bag for enhanced durability and capacity.

Stocking Stuffers

Flight Towel — A dual-purpose towel and warm-up tool that’s both practical and fun for disc golfers.

Disc Dots — Help players improve their putting focus with these fun and functional practice aids.

Gift Cards

E-Gift Cards — Deliver a code via email for online purchases.

Physical Gift Cards — A tangible option to include in stockings or gift boxes.

We Want Your Input

Have other gift ideas for disc golfers? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Introduction – Dallin Blanchard & His Signature Tomb

November 2, 2020 Keith Barker 2 comments

Dallin Blanchard is one of our top tier sponsored players, he doesn’t have the opportunity to tour as much as he would like, so many people aren’t aware of who he is. And with the recent release of his signature tomb, we thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce him through a little Q&A post. He is a phenomenal player, ranked 12th in the world, per the latest PDGA ranking update. He lives in Idaho, has a wife and four kids, and works full time. Without further ado, read more about Dallin, and give him some support by buying his signature Tomb which is now available on InfiniteDiscs.com.

How did you learn about disc golf?

My dad, brothers and I used to play “frisbee golf” while growing up. We would play with ultimate frisbees while on camping trips and in the backyard. We didn’t know there were actual baskets and that this was an actual sport so we would use trees and other obstacles as our targets. My oldest brother picked up disc golf while at PA school in Las Vegas. He told me about it and I was immediately hooked.

How long have you been playing disc golf?

I started playing disc golf in the spring of 2013 which makes it close to 8 years. I started playing casually while living in Washington DC and then got more serious when I moved back to Idaho in the summer of 2014. I played my first tournament in 2014 in the Intermediate division. In 2015, I decided I wanted to be a pro, so I played my first Open tournament and took 5th. Since then, I have only played in the Open division with the exception of the 2016 Memorial Championship where I played Advanced and tied for 5th place.

Within the disc golf world, who do you look up to?

Paul Mcbeth because he is the best and I want to be the best and beat the best. I still have a ways to go though… Garrett Gurthie because of his amazing skills with the disc and amazing attitude on and off the course. He is very easy to root for! I look up to several other players but these 2 guys stick out the most.

What’s your favorite Driver – why?

My favorite backhand long distance driver is the Star Destroyer. The Destroyers that are in my bag both give me max distance with a very consistent turn at the beginning of the flight and left fade at the end of the flight. My favorite forehand driver is the Infinite Discs Slab. I love that I can throw this disc as hard as I want and will always know that it will finish to the right for me. Both drivers are very consistent and have given me lots of birdies!

What’s the best aspect of disc golf? – ie) Long drives, hitting gaps, long putts, meeting people or something else?

While all the things you mentioned are really good things about disc golf, my favorite aspect is the competition. I grew up with 5 boys in my family and pretty much all we did growing up was play sports and compete against each other in the backyard. I love competing against myself and being able to push myself to be the best. I also enjoy competing against better players than myself because it gives me a drive to figure out how to get to their level.

What is your favorite course, and what made it so?

I have 2 favorite courses. My first favorite is Freeman Park in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The reason this is my favorite is because this is the course that I “grew up” on. It is a beautiful well maintained park with big mature trees and grass fairways. There is a small creek that runs through about 5 holes of the course. This course has everything needed to make an elite disc golf player. My second favorite is Camp Sekani in Spokane Washington. This was one of the first wooded courses I played. I love the big tall pine trees and wooded fairways that require you to shape your shot to get into birdie position. I am a fan of all types of courses whether it is in the park or in the woods.

What brand is your favorite?

I currently throw discs from the Innova, Infinite, and Discmania line up. My favorite brand has always been Innova because that is where it all began for me.

Other than disc golf, what are some of your hobbies?

As mentioned above, I am a sports fanatic and played basketball, baseball and football growing up and through high school. I love riding bikes around our neighborhood with my wife and 4 kids. I enjoy everything about the outdoors and love camping and hiking with my wife and kids. I also do a little hunting and fishing each year as well. Also, another favorite hobby of mine is cooking food on my Green Mountain Grill smoker.

Will we see you tour more in the future?

Having a full time job, a wife, and 4 kids definitely makes it very difficult for me to be on the typical disc golf tour. My plans for 2021 are to play in 2 pro tour events, Worlds, qualify and play USDGC, and play several A tiers and B tiers in the Idaho, Utah, Montana, and Washington areas. As disc golf continues to grow and sponsorships continue to increase, I definitely hope there are opportunities for me to tour more in the coming years.

Thank you Dallin for giving us the time to answer these few questions. Keep an eye out for him this upcoming year, as he has plans to play in two pro tour events among other events. You can even look him up on social media, he has had multiple shout-outs there. Or follow him on Instagram: dallin_blanchard. If you like the tomb, you should check out his Concrete Signature Tomb, it is a great looking disc.

David Feldberg’s Distance Driver, the Pharaoh

July 31, 2020 Keith Barker Leave a comment

David Feldberg in cooperation with Infinite Discs now releases a new signature stamp on the Pharaoh. Behold Dave’s new stamp on this excellent distance driver:

Add this to your disc golf collection, whether it is on your wall for good lookin’ discs, or in your bag to make long distance drives out on your local disc golf course. You can pick this uniquely designed disc online now by clicking here. Also, it glows in the dark! What is not to love about this newly stamped distance driver Pharaoh from David Feldberg and Infinite Discs?

How the Pandemic Has Affected Disc Golf and the Supply Chain

June 5, 2020 Todd Durrant 29 comments

Nobody saw the surprises, challenges, and often bizarre events of 2020 coming. It has been a very unexpected year. On top of the obvious heartbreak of sickness, death, job losses, and disrupted lives, even small sports like disc golf and pickleball have had its disappointments with the cancellation of major events. But let’s really dive into the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on disc golf in terms of growth and the marketplace.

“Skip the Course. Stay Home”

A lot of people, especially tournament directors and touring professionals, felt an acute sting when the PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) suspended all sanctioned events starting March 14th. It felt like much of the year was ruined for competitive disc golf. And yet, many players still felt like they could enjoy recreational play to some extent, especially since many jobs were sending people home, schools were switched to online courses, and other public events were all cancelled. People had time on their hands and parks seems a safe place to socially separate while doing something fun.

Then on March 23rd, the PDGA sent out a letter to registered members to please “skip the course and stay home.” They encouraging leagues not to gather and basically requested that all players avoid their local courses. It wasn’t long before many courses in the most populated cities started pulling their baskets out, just to make sure nobody would gather to play. The request made total sense. After all, the world was in a panic, Covid-19 is very contagious, and staying away from one another is a good way to avoid the spread of disease.

But did everybody get that memo? Conditions can vary greatly in the many different parts of the country. In more rural areas, things pretty much continued as usual because cases of Covid-19 were barely present, if detected at all. More densely populated areas had to take more drastic measures. But it would be incorrect to claim that everybody everywhere was staying at home. Many disc golfers continued to play, whether in small groups, with family members, or alone. Disc golf, in many ways, it a socially distant sport when tournament and league play is removed.

With all that said, there are many people who know nothing about the PDGA. They aren’t members, or they play casually, or they discovered disc golf while looking for a way to pass the time. Those people obviously did not hear or head the call to stay home. How do we know? Because disc golf exploded.

A Great Way to Pass the Time

Maybe it was the number of people in forced quarantine from work, school, and other events that fed the interest in disc golf. Maybe the outdoors simply feels safer than staying pent-up in a building. Whatever it was that created the perfect storm, disc golf suddenly became a very popular way to pass the time during the pandemic.

Infinite Discs has a unique perspective into the disc golf growth and interest trends, being a seller of disc golf products. Here is a look at website traffic that hit the InfiniteDiscs.com website from the end of 2019 to the present (June 5th).

The candlestick in June is shorter than the others because the week was not over when the chart was made. We’re not sure if the apparent growth will settle to a new plateau or if it will continue in an upward trend. But the increase in traffic, even dwarfing 2019 holiday sales, shows an obvious increase in interest. The dark blue represents “organic searches,” meaning that those are people who found and visited the website through their own searches and exploration. That is where most of the increase was generated– new people looking for discs.

Disruption in the Supply Chain

While the growth and interest in disc golf and the coinciding desire to purchase discs increased, the ability to supply those discs dropped. With the declaration of a worldwide pandemic, many states in the USA mandated the complete shutdown of “non-essential” businesses and manufacturing. Disc golf apparently is non-essential, but that did not stop people from wanting discs. More people were spending more time either on the course or playing in the backyard. Most of the major manufacturers and distributors of discs and targets (baskets) were forced to shut down or operate on a skeleton crew. Suddenly, manufacturers like Innova, Discraft, MVP, Prodigy, and others were unable to feed the growing demand. Not only could they not keep up, but they were falling behind on previously scheduled manufacturing runs, meaning that the supply would take a long time to catch up, even when allowed to turn the machinery back on again.

For an visually stunning look at the conundrum of disc golf supply vs demand during the pandemic, take a look at the following graph. It shows the sales trend at Infinite Discs from October 2019 through May 2020. The red shaded area roughly designates the time period that several major manufacturers were forced to close and had very limited ability to ship restock.

So, during the steepest time of growth, the disc manufacturers were unable to continue functioning. The obvious effect of that pattern is a drastic drop in inventory levels at disc golf retailers. When new supply is unavailable, old supply drops precipitously.

Infinite Discs took up a mantra of “More the 50,000 discs in stock” in 2017 when we were able to move into a larger facility and increase our inventory levels. It was our goal to stay well above that level for the long term. We printed thousands of promo cards stating that mantra. But the supply chain challenges of 2020 made it impossible. Here is a graph showing Infinite Discs disc inventory levels starting in November of 2019 (the peak of inventory before Black Friday sales kicked in) to the present.

When we combine the sales levels with the decrease in inventory levels, you can easily see the correlation. Again, when interest and sales increase, but the ability to restock is removed, the balance of supply vs demand is broken.

Sorry, We’re Out of Stock

One easy product to discuss when pointing out the effect of the pandemic on disc golf purchases is baskets (or “targets”). With many people taking up backyard putting to pass the time, the demand for disc golf baskets sky-rocketed, quickly clearing retailers out of inventory. Much of the time, large items like baskets are drop-shipped from the manufacturers when they are ordered through online vendors. That is a logical way to avoid the issues of storage and the high shipping costs of moving heavy items around the country. A customer buys a basket, then the online retailer sends an order to the manufacturer to ship directly to the customer.

But if the manufacturers are closed…then drop-ship orders are no longer available. So even if the baskets are technically in a warehouse, they aren’t accessible. Infinite Discs tried to battle that problem as things started to shut down and immediately ordered large shipments of baskets that in some cases took weeks to arrive. Suppliers were basically piling baskets on pallets and shipping them out before having to lock up and go home for an indefinite period of time.

So in many cases, the choices were few when it came to obtaining portable baskets at a time when people most wanted portable baskets. That lack of supply existed with other products as well.

Where Are the Popular Discs?

For many years, Innova has been the highest-selling brand at Infinite Discs. Without making detailed comparisons through the years, it is safe to say that they represent a large portion of the disc golf market. Innova’s manufacturing facilities are located in California, and that was one of the first states to shut down businesses because of the pandemic. If the discs in highest demand were not being manufactured for a couple of months, then how do you think things are looking for Innova now that they are back in business and trying to catch up?

Once again, here at Infinite Discs, we can share a little bit of insight into that problem. We have an algorithm which calculates the number of discs we need for each disc model and in each plastic type based on 30-day vs 90-day sales vs discs in stock. That way we can restock based on the sales trends in an attempt to keep the right quantities in stock for every disc. We recently placed a restock order with Innova for nearly 16,000 discs based on that algorithm because the demand was so high and the inventory levels so low after the shutdown. At the time of this blog post, our current inventory level for all Innova discs in stock is 3,975 discs. That means that the shipment that we’re still awaiting should have four times our current inventory, just in restock! But Innova is struggling to meet those quantities as they have spent days putting the shipment together, because they have many more retailers making similar demands, and they too are at very low inventory levels after having a couple of months without manufacturing.

Take a look at popular Discraft disc models. In the case of Discraft, where signature Paul McBeth discs are a huge boon to the brand, keeping certain discs in stock at all is a challenge for the same reasons. Last week, Infinite Discs had these totals available for certain models:

Luna = 0
Malta = 0
Anax = 0
Zeus = 0
Zone = 0

Those are some of the hottest discs in the current Discraft line-up, aside from the Buzzz. None of them were in stock. Not a single disc in any kind of plastic. After a small restock, we’re back to zero again this week.

In May the new Paul McBeth Hades was announces as soon as Discraft was able to open up their operations again, along with a slew of other signature discs. With nearly 1,000 Hades in stock at midnight of the release day, Infinite Discs was sold out by morning. One of the most hotly anticipated signature releases, the Paul McBeth Tour Z Swirly Luna, was one that we’d asked for 1,200, but received just short of 100. To this day, we’ve still received no more than 300 total of the disc after two small, follow-up shipments. Why? It is Discraft’s fault? Nope. They also cannot keep up with the new demand and the depletion of inventory when they too are trying to make up for lost time.

When Will Things Turn Around?

Basically, the Pandemic caused a huge increase in interest, when it comes to Disc Golf. The cancellation of tournaments and the plea not to assemble in groups didn’t stop new players from picking up the game. The new increase in demand has drained the market of discs and other supplies. How long will it take for the market to catch up to the new demand and eventually normalize? We don’t know. We’re struggling to keep discs in stock, but people won’t stop buying them. Will there be an eventual shortage? Will it take months or years for disc makers to meet a new surge that was never anticipated or expected?

What are your thoughts on the pandemic and it’s effects on disc golf? Did you see an increase in interest in the game? Are more people on your local courses now? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Infinite Discs Stamp Wars 2020

December 18, 2019 Todd Durrant 3 comments

It is time once again for STAMP WARS where we accept stamp designs from aspiring artists and then let the public decide which ones will appear on special runs of discs. Here is a quick look at how it will work.

STAGE ONE – December 2019 – SUBMIT YOUR DESIGN

In order to submit your stamp design for voting, you must read and agree to the rules and submit THIS FORM along with your stamp design file.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO ARTWORK SUBMISSION FORM

It is important to understand the rules, so be sure to read them. Basically, you will be promising that your work is original, not taken from anybody else, and not including any copyrighted material or characters. We’ve had to disqualify some stamps in past years for being traced or flat-out copied from other people’s work. That included some clip art submissions and monochrome versions of existing photos. We will also disqualify any stamp that we consider tasteless, pornographic, or offensive. Please stick with your own, original designs and in good taste.

Get your creative juices flowing and get your ideas submitted. THE SUBMISSION DEADLINES IS JANUARY 15th, 2020!

STAGE TWO – The VOTING

Once the submission process is over we’ll begin the process of elimination through a voting process. The Voting will be open to all Infinite Discs customers. We will announce the voting each week through our social media. The field will be narrowed each week until there are only four remaining finalists.

You are welcome to encourage your friends to vote and to campaign as much as you’d like for your design. On our end, we’ll simply move the stamps with the most votes during each round of voting onward to the next level. Voters will not be able to vote more than once on each round. IF WE DISCOVER CHEATING then we can remove the contestant.

STAGE THREE – THE FINAL FOUR

The final four stamp designs remaining after the voting process will be stamped onto discs to be released in the Infinite Discs store. We will stamp the same quantities on the same molds of the same brands in order to make sure that there is no unfair advantage for any of the four designs. Then the grand prize winner will be decided by which design sells the most or the fastest. We will either wait until for a period of one month if there is a close race, or we will declare the winner if the disc quantity for one of the stamps gets low enough that it becomes the obvious winner.

PRIZES

The prize for reaching the final four is a $100 gift card to the Infinite Discs online store, plus 5 discs with your design. The prize for winning 1st place after the sell-off is an additional $250 gift card to the Infinite Discs store. Plus, we’ll continue to use that winning design on additional runs of the stamp across several popular brands.

We’re excited to see your designs, so let the 2020 Stamp Wars begin!

DESIGN HINTS:

To be usable as a disc stamp, please make your designs monochrome (black “ink”).
Do not submit full color or multi-colored artwork.
Do not make thick, filled patches in the artwork– those thick areas would trap bubbles under the foil which causes drop-out when stamped.
Any shading should be line-shading or half-tone shading, since a foil can’t “fade out”.
Stamp designs which fit nicely into a circle will typically look better on discs, rather than very wide or very tall images which “shrink” the circular space in which they are presented.
Incorporating an Infinite Discs logo in some way is always a plus.

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