Tag: Manufacturers

Introducing Trash Panda Disc Golf

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Trash Panda Disc Golf

 

Infinite Discs carries over 55 brands of discs! We started this blog series to introduce you to some of the brands and molds that you might not be as familiar with. Each week we will spotlight a different company and tell you a little more about them. Because of Covid shutdowns our supply of discs was severely affected. Therefore, we may not have all of the molds from all of the brands we will talk about. But, it might put a few more molds on your radar for the future. This week we are hitting the road again, literally, to introduce you to Trash Panda Disc Golf.

Recycled Idea

 

Nestled in the suburbs of Denver lies a garage that is home to an unusual disc golf manufacturer, Trash Panda Disc Golf. I braved a couple snow storms to travel to Denver to interview Jesse, the founder of this new company. I stumbled onto Trash Panda Disc Golf when a video popped into my feed YouTube feed with the title stating something about making a disc. I got hooked on the YouTube Channel, and the theme for Trash Panda, which is growing disc golf sustainably.  Jesse’s goal was to make a disc out of recycled plastic.

Man With A Vision

 

Jesse started Trash Panda Disc Golf last year and has already garnered a growing fan base. Trash Panda fans are not like the usual people who like a particular brand. Most people like a manufacturer because of the molds they produce. Not with TP fans though, because so far Trash Panda doesn’t have any molds on the market.  Realistically, Trash Panda fans are more than a group of people following a brand. They also contribute to the goal of making a disc out of recycled plastic. Jesse has received tons of tip, tricks, suggestions, and even some machining by one loyal follower. The idea of recycling and disc golf really resonates with a lot of people.

Check out my interview with Jesse of Trash Panda Disc Golf in the link below. Then check out instructions on how you can be entered to win one of the new minis made from recycled plastic.

Comment

 

Comment below and let us know if you would pay a little more for the chance to make a disc out of recycled plastic!

Five names were randomly selected to win a mini from Trash Panda. Here are the winners:

Greg P

Jarrett J

Aaron F

Emanuel

Mike M

Check out Trash Panda Disc Golf here:

Website: https://www.trashpandadiscgolf.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trashpandadiscgolf​

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trashpandadi…

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrkL-1VQP215VALlOJYPwg

 

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Introducing Dino Discs

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We’ve travelled around the world during this blog series to introduce you to disc golf companies that might not be as mainstream as the larger manufacturers. For this one, we head home. In this case, ‘home’ refers to Logan, Utah. Logan happens to be the home of Infinite Discs. And Dino Discs. Sort of.

Logan is located in Cache Valley Utah. It is about 90 minutes north of Salt Lake, and less than an hour from Ogden, home of the 2021 PDGA World Championships! Cache Valley is clean, quiet place that is surrounded by mountains. There is nearby fishing, hunting, hiking, two ski resorts, and as of this writing, not a single 18-hole disc golf course in the valley. Cache Valley is also where you’ll find Dino Discs.

Interesting History

To tell the full history of Dino Discs, we have to take a little journey back in time and place. In our journey we’ll learn about a few different disc golf companies, and pay homage to a passed disc golfer. And we’ll meet several people who had a common goal: to grow the sport. The time we will start with is a little over a decade ago. The place is Illinois.

Winding Back the Clock

In 2010, long time disc golfer Dan Pastore received PDGA approval for several new molds for his new, Illinois-based company, ABC Discs. He saw the growth of the sport he loved, disc golf, and knew that there was a need for new manufacturers to help with the growing demand for discs. Dan combined his love of disc golf with his desire to find a career that fit him, and ABC Discs was born.

During the next ten years, Dan grew the company and helped grow the sport. He added another mold to his catalogue, and continued to promote disc golf. Sadly, last November Dan Pastore, PDGA #4320, passed away. With his passing, the future of ABC Discs was on hold.

Resurrecting Old Molds

Last year, in addition to Dan’s passing, the owner of Zing Mini Discs, Craig Myers, sent some discs to Infinite Discs that were made using ABC molds, but with the plastic he used for his minis. Although the discs were too light for a majority of the mainstream disc golf market, Infinite Discs’ Vice President Todd Durrant thought that the discs would be good for kids or people who can’t throw heavier discs.

With all of the disc shortages last year, Infinite was eager to get any discs possible, so they ordered a few hundred of the light ABC molds from Zing to test the market and see how they sold. Since the discs were primarily for kids and dinosaurs are popular among kids, the decision was made to call the discs “Dino Discs.” The molds would be named after dinosaurs.

Success!

The order of discs arrived. Some dinosaur shape images were licensed and Kesler Martin, the manager of Infinite Discs’ stamping department, touched them up for the simple stamps. They were added to the Infinite Discs website. Much to their surprise, the discs sold out quickly. Another batch was ordered then stamped, and they sold out as fast as they were put online. Infinite Discs was surprised to discover that their was such a high demand for ultra-light discs.

Since Zing was busy with their own business during the pandemic, they were not able to keep up with the demand for the light discs. It was during a conversation with Gateway Discs’ Dave McCormack that he offered a contribution to the Dino Discs lineup from Gateway. They could also make ultra-lightweight discs using some of their easy-to-throw molds. With the ten total molds sold under the Dino Discs name, five came from ABC molds and five came from Gateway molds.

With Gateway operating out of Missouri, Zing Mini Discs in Indiana, ABC discs in Illinois, and Infinite Discs based in Utah, Dino Discs is a multi-state disc golf collaboration, showing how several companies can work together to create a product that is needed in the disc golf community. Since there are multiple companies involved in the production, there are different ways to look at the most popular plastics. The best-selling molds are a little easier to analyze.

The Best of Dino

The top molds are the Spinosaurus, Pterodactylus, and Brontosaurus. Those are a control driver, distance driver, and midrange, respectively. The best-selling plastics are broken down by manufacturers. From Zing/ABC Discs, the Egg Shell Plastic is the best-selling. For Gateway Discs, the Extinct plastic is number one. Both of these plastics are colorful and sparkly, adding to their appeal.

When it comes to the PDGA, Dino Discs and their molds present an interesting case. None of the discs offered by Dino are currently approved by the PDGA for use in a sanctioned tournament. Since all of the molds have already been approved when ABC and Gateway originally released the molds, Dino Discs is hoping to get the discs approved without having to resubmit the molds and pay a fee. They are currently working out the details with the PDGA. Until the molds get approved, they will remain unapproved to play in a sanctioned event.

Moving Forward

What does the future look like for Dino Discs? Although there aren’t immediate plans to release new molds, there is a possibility that more could be added to the line later. Right now, the goal is to make enough of the discs fill the existing demand. Infinite Discs has started selling the Dino Discs line to other retailers who have found the same need in their communities and among their customers. You can ask your favorite retailer to stock these fun, lightweight discs and Infinite Discs will gladly support their efforts.

Dino Discs has certainly tapped into a market that wants and needs light, easy to throw discs. The rapid sales and increased interest is evidence of the need for this kind of disc. Kids like the discs, too. One of the sons of the owner of Infinite even got his first birdie with the Spinosaurus!

Although we’ve learned in this blog about Dino Discs and its success in the disc golf world, the brand has a unique distinction: It really isn’t a single company! It’s really a brand made out of experimental products by four different collaborating disc golf companies. That’s the power of some good ideas!

 

Check out Infinite Discs’ line of Dino Discs here:

https://infinitediscs.com/category/Dino-Discs

Check out Dino Discs here:

https://dinodiscs.com

 

 

Comment About Dino Discs

 

We want to hear from you about DIno Discs!

If you or someone you know has thrown a Dino Disc, which have you thrown?

If you haven’t tried one yet, which would you like for yourself, or someone who needs light discs?

 

 

Last Week: Yikun Discs

 

Last week we looked at Yikun Discs. We selected three random people who commented on that blog. Here are the winners:

Brian D

Mathew S

Kenneth E

Congrats! We’ll ship your disc out shortly.

The State Of Disc Golf: Leading Manufacturers

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The State of Disc Golf 2014: Leading Manufacturers

This is part 5 of a seven part editorial series of the 1,422 responses from the survey “The State of Disc Golf: 2014”

Note 1: This article takes real data from real survey results, and then they are published with educated opinion. You may not agree with everything you read, and that’s completely ok. Please leave any of your thoughts or comments below. Rude, belligerent, or otherwise inappropriate comments will not be published.

Note 2: We acknowledge and emphasize to you that the results here directly reflect the disc golf community who is in some way, shape, or form, involved with disc golf online. We therefore recognize that it would be inaccurate for us to claim that this survey is a proper reflection of the entire disc golf community. The results portray disc golfers who found this survey via Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Google+, forums, E-mail, and other means. With over 1,400 respondents the statistical accuracy is high.

Manufacturers & Brands

While there are several brands, some manufacturers actually produce products for other brands.

To best illustrate this we’ll use the MVP as our example. In January 2014 MVP launched a new brand called Axiom. MVP discs & Axiom discs are both produced by MVP Disc Sports, however Axiom is its own product lineup and brand.

Q: Which manufacturer is the leader in disc golf today?

Which manufacturer disc golfers believed was the leader in disc golf today? The answer wasn’t even close. Innova took it by the largest margin of any other question in the survey. In contrast to the data in the last survey “Which brand is your favorite?” is what makes the results here more intriguing. While bias likely works into the answers for many when taking a survey such as this, it shows bias was largely set aside. 38% of people responded that Innova was their favorite brand, but 74% responded that Innova is todays leading manufacturer. 3 in 4 disc golfers voted that Innova is the top manufacturer today, even if Innova wasn’t their choice of disc.

Q: Which manufacturer are you looking forward to new releases from the most?

This question had a very nice spread when compared to the landslide of the last question. MVP is impressive here not only because they placed first With 20% of disc golfers most excited for releases from MVP, but also because this is a small company which currently has a very small market share. MVP has created hype around each release, and their distance driver lineup which is coming out this spring is the most anticipated release that we can remember. In addition, from our point of view MVP also lives up to the hype that they create with each release – consistency and quality is a staple when working with MVP.

The next three are Latitude 64, Innova, and Prodigy with 18%, 16% and 14% of the votes respectively. From our view Latitude 64 is establishing itself as a major player in the industry and has a strong following which faithfully buy whatever the product. Innova has also produced a handful of top selling discs the last two years with Krait, Tern, and now their overmold plastic options with the Atlas and Nova has also turned heads. Finally Prodigy, who according to their number system has released a majority of the discs which will be released, how will they adapt in 2014? More signature series?

Q: Which manufacturer has the best public reputation?

Innova takes first place again at 50%. Second place is Discraft with 16%, Latitude 64 with 11%, MVP with 7%, and everybody from there has just a small share.

Innova’s dominance in this category was honestly a surprise. While we are not questioning Innova having a solid reputation, I (the author) feel that many brands are also deserving of the top vote for many. Perhaps next time, this question will be rephrased to ask “On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the reputation of such and such company.” That question will give us a better thermometer reading of how different manufacturers are doing for the disc golf world.

Kudos to Innova for doing an overall fantastic job! The results don’t lie!

Q: Which manufacturer is the most Innovative?

And we’re back to MVP, except MVP now takes it by a larger margin. MVP certainly has a unique way of doing things, and it’s catchy… and according to respondents, it’s Innovative.

In second place is Innova, with less than half the votes of MVP. Innova is large, and continues to adapt. For example, noting the success of MVP, Innova developed their own overmold style. Innova has a steady stream of discs annually which frequently seems to fill a void in what seems to be a very well built lineup.

Latitude 64, Prodigy, and Vibram round out the next three – each with unique aspects they bring to the game!

Q: If you could have discs made by only one manufacturer, which would it be?

Innova strikes again. Most disc golfers would choose Innova if they could throw with only one brand, and it’s not hard to see why. Innova has something for just about everybody.

At the same time, it’s not hard to see why many of the other brands are chosen. The reality is, you don’t always need a disc for every possible situation, you need discs only for the scenarios which you play one. Many players choose only a handful of discs because they are versatile and they simply love them, so it’s easy to see where fan bias plays into this question more.

Latitude 64 takes second place with Discraft not far behind.

Q: Which manufacturer made the largest impact to disc golf in 2013?

First place goes to Prodigy who garnered 40% of the votes here, and again, it’s not hard to see why. January 1, 2013 was the first day most of the disc golf world ever heard the name Prodigy, and it is now common to nearly all disc golfers. In fact, in the next article we’ll focus on brand awareness, but to give a sneak peak, over 73% of respondents said they are familiar with the brand Prodigy. Only 8% said that are not familiar at all. That is an amazing feat in one year of business by nearly all standards. Be it the D1, or PA-1, it’s hard to play disc golf with a league or club where somebody does not regularly use a Prodigy disc.

Innova, MVP, and Latitude 64 were others who gathered a reasonable amount of votes. Each had a number of very popular releases which, like Prodigy, are hard not to find in a nearby players bag.

Q: Which manufacturer made the largest impact to disc golf in 2014?

People still expect big things from Prodigy in 2014, who gathered 18% of the votes for this question. However, first place goes to (you guessed it) MVP who gathered 19% of the votes.

There are many ways which a disc golf company can make an impact – PDGA National Tour tournaments, or grass-roots efforts like the Vibram Birdie Bash and Discraft Ace Race. To date, MVP has not done any of these things, but they have created a new brand, they’re releasing new discs – so 2014 has not disappointed yet.

Our Overall Impression:

Even though they’re small, MVP has made a splash! They’re tenacious and Is the best still to come from company which has already amazed in so many ways in 2014?

Near the top of the pack each time was Latitude 64, the manufacturer for Westside and Dynamic Discs. The Scandinavian-made plastic (aka, Trilogy), has earned a solid reputation as a fair sized contingent of the disc golf industry trades out their old plastic for any one of these brands. It is my speculation that given the current course of Latitude 64 they will be rivaling Innova for the top spot in the disc golf market.

Innova is #1. When you’re the largest disc golf manufacturer in the world, it is inevitable that complaints will be voiced. Innova has already been through the growing pains which others are currently experiencing, and they’re in a stride. They are still most respected as #1 and have set a high mark for others to rise to. Innova will be hard to catch as their current pace will not be shrinking. Instead, the way to catch up with Innova will be to continue to grow the overall disc golf scene (which companies such as Dynamic Discs have been doing a remarkable job) and to create brand loyal fans.