Tag: Glow Disc Golf

Disc Golf at Night – Glow and Lighting Products

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The first time I tried playing a round of disc golf in the dark, I was hooked! It was so fun to watch the glowing discs fly through the air. And the overall feeling of playing at night made me appreciate and enjoy disc golf that much more.

As we head into the fall season, as of this writing, the days get shorter and it becomes more difficult to get in a full round of disc golf while it is still light out. It’s the perfect time to get ready for “glow season!”

Glow in the Dark Discs

There are many different molds that are available in glow plastic. If you were familiar with night rounds of disc golf, you might think that glow plastic was just a novelty. It is actually a great option for night rounds, but not the only option.

The advantage of getting glow plastic for your go-to discs is that you can play with them at night, and already be used to how it flies. If your regular discs aren’t made with glow plastic, you can still get them to glow.

One option for getting non-glow discs to light up at night is to attach LED lights. That adds a little weight to the disc, and also makes them non-PDGA legal. For casual glow rounds that is rarely an issue.

The lights can be taped to the top or bottom of the disc (or both) and provides a great alternative to glow plastic. They are fairly inexpensive and can be used for a few rounds. Especially if you turn them on and off as needed.

You also have the option of attaching glow tape to the disc. These products glow brightly and the glow lasts a while. That comes in handy when looking for discs that you threw several minutes ago.

 

Glow in the Dark Disc golf DiscsWhat Disc Golf Brand GLOWS THE BEST?

Several big brands have reformulated their glow plastics and we now have some great options. Prior to these new glow plastics, Kastaplast and MVP were two of  the best brands for bright, long-lasting glow. Now we also have Innova’s Proto Glow, Discrafts, Mega Glow, and Moonshine 2.0 (Trilogy brands) that have all leveled up their glow game. Lone Star Discs and Thought Space Athletics also have premium glow plastics.

What all of that means is that you can likely find your daily thrower in a good glow plastic. If you don’t like throwing glow plastic during the day, you could also have a glow set on hand for when you get the urge to huck at night. Or, use lights or glow tape on your day-discs, as mentioned above.

Disc Golf Accessories to Make Discs Visible in Dark

Make your discs glow, and stay glowing with a UV Flashlight

Disc Golf UV Flashlight

If you have glow discs, or if you choose to use glow tape, a crucial accessory is a UV flashlight. These amazing flashlights not only supercharge your glow disc/tape, but they are a bit easier on your eyes when you use them. The same thing holds if you need to use a light to see where you’re walking. Plus, if you’re looking for a glow disc that has lot its glow, you can look for it by shining a UV light in the area you think the disc might be. If it’s there, it will light up and start glowing.

If you want to charge your disc without seeing even UV lights, check out the Halo glow disc charger. This nifty little device sits in your bag between two glow discs. When you’re ready to throw, hit a button on the remote control and the Halo will charge your disc for a preset time, then shut off. They you simply remove the fully-charged disc from your bag and you are ready to throw. It’s easier on your eyes than flashlights.

How to Make Regular Discs Glow

I since discovered that a few little night round accessories that can get you playing disc golf after dark, even without a slew of discs in glowing plastic.

One of the quick ways to jump into the glow game is to pick up Glow Tape which are designed just for disc golf discs.

Glow Tape Vinyl

These are basic sticker rings that can be peeled off and stuck onto any disc to make it into a glowing disc. You can get enough sticker action out of a sheet to light up three, four, or even five discs, depending on how many sticker rings you decide to apply to each disc. They are light enough not to mess up the weight or flight tendencies of your disc. They also charge instantly with UV light and glow brightly for several minutes.

Now, if you have glowing discs, or if you have glow tape, you can charge them with traditional light, which takes a bit longer, plus lights up your fairway, or you can pick up a UV Flashlight which makes a LOT of difference in your ability to quickly charge and throw your disc.

Flat LED Disc Lights

Flat LED Disc attachment Light

These little LED lights are easily affixed to the bottom or top of your disc with packaging tape to light them up at night. The light works better on certain colors of discs, and best on plastics that are somewhat translucent. They are inexpensive and last quite a while. They are small enough that they don’t effect the flight of your disc. You’ll have to avoid water hazards because once your LED light hits the water, it will die.

Shop for Flat LED Disc Lights

I found some photos on Tumblr.com that appear to be time exposures with LED lights on discs. Leave it to awesome artists to find a beautiful way to highlight disc golf at night.

A couple tips:

  • Although it is more fun to stay in the dark the whole round, there are many reasons why you might need some extra light. It’s good to have a regular flashlight on hand for those times. It’s also good to warn people you are going to turn on a light, so you don’t blind them.
  • Glow sticks are a nice accessory for glow rounds. You can tape them to baskets to light up the target. You can attach them to your bag, so if you walk away from it, you can find it again. Also, if there are other people playing a glow round, you can see each other better as you move around. You can pick up some cheap glowsticks at dollar stores. Including glow bracelets and necklaces that can easily be attached to a bag.
  • Park courses are the easiest to play, and not trip over roots, rocks, and gopher holes. Although, we’ve play glow rounds at wooded, hilly courses.
  • You might want to check with local governments to see if it is legal to play on a particular course after dark. Many parks and courses close at dusk.

It really doesn’t take much to get ready for a night of disc golf under the stars. Get some glow discs, lights, or glow tape, an inexpensive UV flashlight, and you’re ready to go! The flight of a disc during the day is already a wonderful sight. The flight of a glow disc at night is MAGIC!

Let us know what you recommend for night rounds in the comments. We’d love to know!

 

Discraft Mega Glow Zone

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A disc golf basket lit up for a night round

If you’ve never played a round of disc golf in the dark, you are truly missing out on a fun time! Glow rounds are something different and unique. Watching a glow disc sail through the night air takes disc golf to another level. Seriously, see if your local club has a glow round scheduled. Or just get with some buddies and plan one of your own.

When playing a night round, you’ll need a way to see your discs so you can find them. There are lights that you can attach to your disc. Or, you can get discs made of glow plastic. Shine a UV flashlight on the glow disc, then let ‘er fly!

A UV flashlight

Good Glow Plastic

There is one thing about glow plastic that you need to know: not all glow discs glow with the same intensity or duration. Fortunately, at least one manufacturer put in the effort to create a glow plastic that rises above the fray. Discraft developed their Mega Glow plastic, and it does not disappoint!

Mega Glow plastic from Discraft shines bright and lasts a long time. That comes in handy because there is nothing worse that having a glow disc lose its glow before you can find it. With Mega Glow, that won’t be an issue.

Mega Glow Zone

In addition to having good glow plastic, it’s also important to get the discs you like to throw that are made in glow plastic. Infinite Discs partnered with Discraft to bring you one of the most popular driving putters on the planet in Mega Glow plastic: the Zone.

Discraft Mega Glow Zone

The Discraft Zone is now available in the amazing Mega Glow plastic. Infinite only has a limited number of Zones available with this Sample Run in Mega Glow plastic. Get your Zone while they are still available, then plan a night round at your favorite course!

How To Charge

Note: Mega Glow plastic reacts amazingly well with UV flashlights. Simply charge your Zone by shining a UV light for just a couple seconds. You’ll be amazed at how bright it glows and how long it lasts with just a quick charge.

Mega Glow Zone

UV Flashlights

Attachable lights

 

Best Glow in the Dark Discs

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A disc golf basket at night that is lit up with a light.

One of my favorite types of disc golf occurs in the dark. I get my glow discs ready, gather my disc lights and flashlights, and wait for the sun to set. I’m talking about a glow round, or night round. This type of disc golf is played with lighted discs and lighted baskets, and is a blast!

Watching glowing discs fly through the air is amazing, and a lot different than watching the flight during the day. In the dark you’ll see the lighted disc bounce off invisible trees, get knocked down by unseen obstacles, and skip at seemingly random places in space. You can even see a disc that gets buried in a bush much better than during the daylight hours. If you haven’t played a night round, do yourself a favor and put in on your list for this year. And keep reading to learn about glow rounds and the best glow discs.

Glow-in-the-dark disc golf discs

It is difficult to show the actual glow of a disc in a picture. These all look like they are glowing the same brightness. They are not.

 

Glowing Discs

Although there are many different ways to light up a disc, which we will discuss later, having a glow in the dark disc to play with is a great way to play at night. That does not mean EVERY glow disc is good for hucking in the dark. Not all glow discs are created equal. Some are barely visible in the dark, even after charging the plastic with a bright light. Others will maintain a bright glow long after playing a hole. When it comes to glow plastic, there is a wide variety of glow brightness. Disc color, manufacturers glow formula, and plastic type can all affect how bright the disc will glow.

Let’s look at some of the best glow discs and talk about what to do if you have a disc that is supposed to glow in the dark, but isn’t very bright when you charge it. Or if you prefer to throw discs in the dark that aren’t glow plastic.

Several glow-in-the-dark discs

Best Glow In The Dark Discs

I grabbed a UV flashlight and headed to a dark room to test a bunch of glow discs. A good glow plastic will appear bright immediately after the light hits it, and stay glowing for quite a while after you shut off the light. That quality is necessary because your disc needs to stay glowing long enough to find it after your shot. Fortunately there are several brands that have amazing glow plastic. Here are the top discs that I tested:

1 – (Tie) MVP Eclipse 2.0 and Innova Proto Glow (their new glow plastic)

Innova reformulated their glow plastic and it turned out great! It’s called Proto Glow and it debuted in their 40th Anniversary DX Aviar. That plastic glow really good, and their Champion Proto Glow plastic even better. The discs lights right up when you shine a light on it. And it stays lit for quite a while. The Proto Glow that I tested were neck-and-neck with the Eclipse 2.0 plastic. You are definitely going to want to check out Innova’s Proto Glow plastic!

MVP’s Eclipse 2.0 glow plastic is bright and long lasting. It’s been one of the best glow plastics for a while. The green glow plastic is much brighter than some of their other colors, although those other colors glow brighter than many other brands’ glow plastics. You can watch your glowing green MVP disc fly into the darkness, knowing it will hold its glow.

3 – Thought Space Athletics

 

TSA Glow plastic is another type of plastic that is excellent for night rounds. It stays bright for a long time, and still has a good amount of glow left after you’ve thrown the disc and go to look for it. Thought Space offers many of their molds in Glow plastic.

4 – Lone Star Disc

The Bravo Glow from Lone Star Disc is a shining example (sorry, couldn’t resist) of a great glow plastic. As a nice bonus, Lone Star makes the Bravo in pretty much every mold they make. You’ll be delighted in the disc selection and the quality of the glow.

5 – Kastaplast

Although the Kastaplast Glow discs that I tested weren’t as bright as the others I listed, they are still better than other discs on the market. I’ve read and heard a lot of people say the Kastaplast Glow is their favorite glow plastic. You won’t be disappointed if you pick Kastaplast for your night rounds.

Other great glow plastic brands include Infinite Discs glow plastic, Discraft’s Mega Glow, and Moonshine 2.0, found on Trilogy brands.

 

Other Ways To Light Up A Disc

If you want to skip the glow plastic altogether, there are other ways you can get in a round of disc golf at night. They involve taking your go-to discs and adding some light to them. This is accomplished with actual LED lights, or glow-in-the-dark tape or stickers.

disc golf glow tape

Glow Tape

Attaching tape or stickers that glow to your disc is a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive way to be able to play in the dark and still see your disc. It attaches directly to the disc and gets charged up with a flashlight. After the round the stickers can be easily removed for regular play. They add a negligible weight to your disc, and shouldn’t affect the flight. They are NOT legal for use in a sanctioned tournament, but most glow rounds are casual and/or unsanctioned.

disc golf disc light

Disc Lights

You also have the option of attaching an LED light directly to your disc with tape. Clear packing tape is a great option. I’ve seen lights come off a disc before, so make sure you are generous with the tape. Mine never come off because I use 6-7” of tape.

The lights have a switch that can be turned on and off as needed. Or you can just leave it on the entire round. The batteries will last for a couple glow rounds. Turning off the multicolor lights take a bit longer because you have to scroll through the colors. However, the different colors come in handy if there are several people playing who have lights with one color and you need a different color to distinguish your discs.

Disc Light Visibility

One thing to keep in mind with the lights or the stickers is that you might place them on one side of the disc, and it will land on the other side, making the tape or light difficult to see. It isn’t as bad with translucent discs, such as Champion plastic. But with opaque discs it can be difficult to see. It’s nice to put a sticker or light on both sides, just to make sure.

Other glow round enhancers

UV Flashlight for disc golf

UV Flashlights

Most people have a flashlight or two lying around that they could use to charge their glow discs. However, they are blinding and take a bit of the fun out of a glow round. A better alternative is a UV(Ultra Violet) flashlight. The UV light charges up a disc faster and is easier on your eyes. When the light hits the glow disc, it’s still pretty bright, but overall it’s much better than a flashlight.

Halo Red Disc Golf Charger

Wireless Glow Charger

With the Halo Red Disc Golf Glow Charger, you can press in included remote and charge two glow discs, without the blinding light that accompanies a UV flashlight. Just press the remote and the charger lights up to charge your disc, then shuts off after a pre-selected amount of time. The rechargeable battery lasts for two complete rounds. Get the glow you need, without disrupting the night round ambiance.

Light for a disc golf basket

Basket Lights

What good are amazing glow discs if you can’t see your target? Basket lights illuminate the target and give you something to aim at. They install easily and the batteries last a few rounds.  Grab a few lights and head to your local course to experience the fun of a glow round!

Check out all of our Night Round Accessories HERE

Check out all of our Glow Discs HERE and find on sale glow discs here.

New Night Round Accessories

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We have recently added some new Night Round Accessories onto our site. The majority of these items are coming from Vibe Disc Golf. This is a newer company, aiming to bring some good quality gear that you can use out on the course. The initial gear revolves mainly around glow round necessities.

Flash Lights

 

Vibe DP1X

This is a dual purpose flashlight that comes with a rechargeable battery. You can use the UV light to recharge your glow discs and you can use the normal light to help you navigate the course. By holding the button you change the brightness of the white light to match your needs. This is available now on our website for $28.49, get yours at this link.

 

Vibe BK2X

Vibe provides a multifunctional flashlight to help light up the disc catchers. This has two lights on it, an LED white light and a red/white bar light. It also features a magnetic end. Enabling you to stick it to the basket and chose the light you want to use to make the basket visible. This flash light is also rechargeable. You can purchase this light for $26.49 by clicking here.

 

 

Vibe UV1X

This UV light has an adjustable brightness to it, increasing the strength of the light and the speed to which you can charge your glow discs. This powerful light comes equipped with a mini usb port for recharging. It will also fit nicely in your hand. You can purchase the UV light for $23.99 by clicking here.

 

Infinite Discs Mini UV Light

This mini UV light is a great little light to take on your night rounds to charge your glow discs and to find them in the fairway. This will fit into most bags. Making it easy to bring along on those night rounds. This requires 3 AAA batteries to operate it, batteries are included. This is available for $7.99 by clicking here.

 

Mini Markers

 

Vibe Resin Minis

Vibe Disc Golf also has released some resin minis. They’re hand made of a clear resin material, with a unique blend of colors injected or formed inside it. Giving each mini a different swirl, pattern, or burst of color. These are durable and meant to be used during your game as your mini. You can purchase glow mini for $13.99 here, or a non-glow mini for $12.99 here.

 

Night Disc Golf: Don’t Stop Playing Just Because the Sun Goes Down

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Glow in the Dark Disc golf Discs

It’s getting to that wonderful time of year when we go to work when it’s just getting light, and often leave when it’s to dark for a traditional round of disc golf. While that can put a crimp on disc golf play, it doesn’t have to. Glow rounds are a fun way to continue playing disc golf in the evening, even when the sun sets early. At Infinite Discs we have the discs and accessories to make sure you have a fun night round, and still find your discs. Let’s check out some of the things that will make your night round a fun time in the dark.

The most important part of a night round is being able to find your disc after you throw it. The best way to do that is to make sure the disc is illuminated. There are several ways to achieve this goal.

Glow Plastic Discs

Most manufacturers offer numerous molds in glow plastic, including many of the Infinite brand molds. While some players throw these discs because of the added stability of glow plastic, they are excellent for disc golf night rounds. The advantage of using glow discs is that there is a good chance that your go-to disc comes in glow plastic, with a grip and flight you’re used to. After charging the glow plastic with a light source, the disc remains illuminated for a short time, giving you a chance to find the disc after you throw it.

A simple way to find all the glow discs for sale is to go to our advanced search, and under the “extras” category check the “glow in the dark” checkbox. If you need help doing this, this video will explain how our advanced search works.

Glow Tape Rings

Related to glow plastic are the UFO Glow Rings. In a package of Glow Rings you get a sheet of glow rings and circles that can be applied directly to your disc. The discs glow when exposed to a light source, just like glow plastic. These add no weight to your disc, so it will fly the same. Plus, you could put tape on the top and bottom, making it easy to spot your disc no matter how it comes to rest.

UV Flashlights

One of the best ways to both charge your disc and find it after the glow fades is with a UV Flashlight. These charge glow plastic significantly faster than a regular flashlight, without the blinding effect of bright light associated with a regular flashlight. Plus, if you do take a little longer than expected to find the disc after you throw it, you can use the UV Flashlight to help in the search. Simply shine the light around the area you think the disc is and when the UV light flashes across the disc, it will give it a little charge, making it easier to find. This come in especially handy if your disc lands in some bushes that are hard to peer into.

Disc Lights

A step up in the illumination department is to get actual lights for your disc. You have a few options when it comes to discs with lights. The first is to purchase battery powered tape on lights. These come in a variety of colors, even color changing, and can last several rounds. The advantage is that it will give you a good light source to find your disc.  By having players use different colors on their disc, it is easy to identify whose disc it is. The biggest advantage is that you can use your regular discs, so you know they all fly. There are a few downsides to the battery powered light. First, you need to tape it on to your disc, which means they might become detached from the disc after hitting something, making the disc hard to find. Taping the light on with clear packing tape in warmer temperatures makes the light stay on most of the time.

Another down side to the light is they are not waterproof. If you are playing a course where water may be a factor, make sure you completely cover the light with tape so water can’t reach it. One other potential downside is that if you are using a dark colored opaque disc and the disc lands light side down, you might not be able to see it. You could tape a light to the top and bottom to avoid that situation, if you don’t mind the weight. Visibility isn’t much of an issue with the more transparent discs. Infinite discs offers volume discounts on lights, so if you want to host a night round you can get the lights a little cheaper.

Nite Ize Discs

Another option for lighted discs is to purchase a disc with a built-in light. There are a few different discs for you to choose from. First, there is the NiteIze line of discs from Flashflight. They consist of three molds: a putter, a mid-range, and a driver. These discs are easily the brightest, most visible discs that you can buy. There is a single light source in the center of the disc, and fiber optic-like channels that carry the light all the way to the rim. And they look so cool in flight! The downside is that there are only those three discs, so if you don’t like the feel and flight, you don’t have a choice.

Viking Discs

One manufacturer added a line of discs that have a light built into the disc. Viking Discs offers their Fire Plastic line, which has an LED light on the bottom of the disc. The light is fairly bright. The nice thing about this option is that if you throw Viking discs, you could pick up a Fire Plastic version and be familiar with the flight. Viking has nice plastics, so even if you don’t throw them now, you could find some new discs to try. The light cover is removable to change the battery. Molds in Fire Plastic include the Rune, Nordic Warrior, Barbarian, Ragnarok, Thor.

So, there you have all of the information you need to have a great time hucking in the dark. Grab some buddies for a fun round. Or maybe host a glow tournament. Discover the fun of playing at night!

Night Disc Golf Products on Sale

To help you face the realities of the end of daylight savings time we have placed many night disc golf products including glow discs, lights, and UV Flashlights are on sale this week!

What tips do you have for playing disc golf after dark?

Do you like playing disc golf at the night? What discs glow best? What products help make your disc golf rounds after dark more enjoyable? Comment below for a chance to win a glow in the dark disc of your choice.