Disc Buying Guide

What's a Frisbee? Well, these days there's a lot more to flying discs than meets the eye - If you want to learn about all the different type of recreational and golf discs available, then this guide is just what you need.

 

FRISBEE DISCS

All of the 'Frisbee' and ultimate discs we offer are of the highest quality and can be thrown by players of ranging abilities. Some of the discs are better suited to different abilities and purposes though.

For young children learning to throw and catch the Aerobie Dogobie is ideal as it is small and easy to throw and catch. The Aerobie Superdisc is also ideal for young children but can also be used by older children and adults due to its larger size. Both these discs are excellent for beginners as they have soft rubber rims which are soft to catch and provide great grip for throwing.

For more experienced players who have mastered the basic techniques of throwing and catching it is better to use a ‘rimmed’ disc made from a harder plastic. A ‘rimmed’ disc has a large deep rim running around the outside of the disc which gives the disc more stability and allows the player to experiment with more advanced throws, i.e. the hammer.

The three ‘rimmed’ discs we offer are the Sky-Pro, the Sky-Styler and the Ultra-Star, all designed and manufactured by Discraft, USA. All three are professional sports disc ideal for learning advanced techniques and improving your Frisbee abilities. The 125g Sky-Pro is the ideal disc for children as it is small in size and lightweight, making it more manageable for small hands. The 160g Sky-Styler and the 175g Ultra-Star are more suited for older children and adults as they are larger in size and also heavier. Both these discs are excellent for all round use in many aspects of disc sports although the Sky-Styler excels in freestyle and the Ultra-Star shines in Ultimate Frisbee.  

There are literally 100’s of golf discs on the market and understanding what type of discs are best suited for you can be an overwhelming and confusing task for newcomers to the sport. This section will help make the disc selection process easier for you.

To start off with the four main types of golf disc will be described to outline the types of discs available.  

Distance driver – usually small in diameter with a low profile and a sharp edge, these discs are generally the most difficult to control, but also the longest flying. 

Fairway driver – these discs are slower and do not have the same distance potential as distance drivers. However, fairway drivers are also much easier to control and usually glide better than most distance drivers.

Midrange disc – these discs fall somewhere between the fairway drivers and putt & approach discs in terms of distance. They are even slower and more accurate than fairway drivers and are also the most versatile discs. The majority of your throws on the course will be performed with midrange discs.

Putt & approach disc – these discs are the slowest and shortest flying of the disc types. Often high profile, these discs usually have good glide and are very easy to control and are generally the most accurate discs available.

Stability of Golf Discs

Along with the type of disc the stability of the discs is a very important thing to consider when purchasing new discs. The stability is related to the way a discs flies and a disc can be over-stable, under-stable or neutral.

Over-stable – a general term used to describe the flight of the disc when it has a tendency to pull to the left. Over-stable discs have the most consistent flights and are good in the wind but are hard for newer players to control.

Under-stable – a general term used to describe the flight of a disc when it has a tendency to turn to the right at high speeds. These discs are the easiest for newer players to throw as they do not require a lot of power to fly properly.

Neutral – a general term used to describe the flight of a disc when it holds a flight path consistent with the angle it is released with. These are the most accurate disc and excellent for beginners as they flight straight, a lot like recreational discs.

Golf Disc Selection
While it is true that people can make a disc fly almost any way they want to, it is important during the learning period of disc golf to throw discs that are within your ability to control without having to make extreme adjustments. This is essential for developing proper technique and keeping your disc options open further down the road as you develop more power and prevent you from forming bad habits that you will have to unlearn in the future.

Most of the distance drivers that have been released within the past couple of years simply require too much power for the average beginning player to throw for distance and accuracy. Selecting discs that are suited to your level of play will make playing and learning disc golf much more enjoyable.

Most players starting out will have the best success with neutral midrange discs or fairway drivers. While these will probably not remain as your primary drivers for very long but will still have a place in your bag after you are throwing distance drivers much farther.

Golf Discs For Beginners
For newer players, we generally recommend starting with a set of three discs, an easy to control distance driver (Stratus X), a neutral midrange disc (Comet), and a stable putt & approach (Soft Magnet) as a set including all three will give you the best impression of what you should expect from discs of these type in the future.

The best plastics to start out with are generally the less expensive plastics. While these are generally the least durable, they 'break-in' (become seasoned) quickly and will actually fly farther and be easier to control for newer players. Innova's DX plastic and Discraft's Pro-D plastic, will give the best results for those who are still developing their technique and do not yet have power to spare.

Beginners will also be interested in the extra durability and performance offered from the higher grade plastics such as Discraft’s Elite-Z and Elite-X plastics. Both of these plastics are smoother, and therefore have less air friction. This makes these discs faster and further. For players that can control them though they produce more consistent flights and are more accurate. The Elite-Z and Elite-X plastics are both very durable and resistant to high speed impact on obstacles dsuch as trees, etc. Both plastics also have excellent grip.

The premium grade plastics available, Discraft’s ESP and Innova’s Star plastic, are made from advanced polymers. These plastics offer all of the benefits of the higher grade plastics but also offer more grip than Elite-Z plastic and have a higher durability than Elite-X plastic. This makes these plastics superior and they deliver unrivaled results.   

Golf Disc Weights
The weight of the disc plays a large role in the way in which it performs. As a general rule, heavier drivers are more accurate as they rip out of the hand more consistently, are less affected by wind, and will be more over-stable. Lighter drivers will fly farther and have more glide (especially when thrown downwind), and will be less over-stable. Midrange and approach discs will actually fly farther in heavier weights assuming that you have the power to throw them.

If you are an active adult male we generally recommend starting with a max weight driver and working from there. For women and younger players we would suggest starting with a lighter weight driver. If you feel the disc is too light, try heavier with your next purchase. If you feel the disc is flying too over-stable and with too little glide, try lighter. For midrange and approach discs, the weight is less important for success among newer players.

Future Golf Disc Purchases
As you gain more experience playing disc golf and experiment with different stabilities, plastics and weight of discs you may wish to add more discs to your bag. A ‘complete’ set of discs includes drivers, mid-range and putt and approach discs. Within these categories there will be discs that will fly straight, curve left and curve right. We advise you to carry enough different types of disc to accomplish what you need to without extreme modifications to your throw that you cannot perform well.   

 

Any questions?

If you would like to talk to us to help you decide which discs to go for, please call Chris on 07977 216 355.