The Island Disc Golf Society - Promoting the Sport of Disc Golf in Victoria and on Vancouver Island

Golf Discs from all manufacturers are reviewed here. Although a certain amount of bias may be assumed with respect to a manufacturer, each manufacturer can be relied upon to produce discs with similar characteristics and capabilities.

[PUTT AND APPROACH]

[MID-RANGE]

[DISTANCE DRIVERS]

Disc Golf Dictionary:

This assumes you are a right-handed backhand thrower. If you throw right-handed forehand or left-handed backhand, the disc will travel in a path opposite to that described here.

Anhyzer:
Throwing the disc with the edge farthest away from you angled up, above parallel to the ground. Most discs will curve to the right thrown like this.

Hyzer:
Throwing the disc with the edge farthest away from you angled down, below parallel to the ground. Most discs will curve to the left thrown like this.

Low Speed Fade:
This happens when the disc is near the end of its flight. The disc will tail to the left as it slows down.

High Speed Turn:
This is the tendency of a disc to turn right immediately after being thrown quite hard.

Turnover:
This is when a disc curves to the right despite being thrown flat or hyzer.

Overstable:
How much a disc will fade at the end of it's flight path and how difficult it will be to high speed turn it. (It is hard to turnover and will have lots of fade at the extremes)

Understable:
A disc that will turnover, high speed turn and fade less.

Nose Down:
When throwing, tilting the front edge of the disc down. Certain discs will fly better when thrown nose down.

Nose Up:
When throwing, tilting the front edge of the disc up.
This can result in what is called an "airbounce" which takes power off your throw.

Stall Out:
This happens when a disc is at the apex of its climb and then drops off to the left with little or no glide. If you throw your disc "nose up" or airbounce it, this is likely to occur.

S-Curve:
The disc begins its flight turning to the right. It then gently curves back to the left. Generally, this is a way to achieve distance with an overstable disc.

Roller:
The disc is thrown so that it will land upright on an edge and then roll down the fairway.

Snap:
This describes the armspeed and power a player applies to their throw. More snap generally makes the disc fly faster and further.

PUTT & APPROACH

Manufacturer: Discraft
Disc: X-Putt'r
Reviewer: Matt MacDonald

Review:
X Putt'r- After years of putting with an APX, the X-putt'r wrecked a happy marriage and took over my putter pocket. There are so many opinions in what makes a good putter, be it stable or overstable, rigid or soft, white or pink. For those who want a perfectly stable putter though, the X-putt'r is the one for you. Especially for longer putts and short approaches, this disc holds beautiful lines. Also, its lip is nice and fat (perhaps from a run in with my old APX) which allows for a nice feel and a sweet touch. One should note that the second run is a stiffer mold than the first release. Perhaps its one downfall is that the X's wider old school rim makes it a bit flippy in windy conditions. For these circumstances i still love that APX afterall...what a happy ending.

Manufacturer: Innova
Disc: Rhyno
Reviewer: Jon Newnham

Review:
The Rhyno has been the only real putter in my bag for the past 4 years. It was my first putter, and although I use it less now it's still my "old reliable", holding the place it's earned in my bag. It's available in champion (candy), regular and soft plastic. I prefer the soft plastic because I think the soft minimizes the chances of a really bad roll or bounce. The Rhyno has a thumbtrack that feels very comfortable and gives the beginner some confidence in directing the disc to the target. The Rhyno is very steady downhill and into the wind. It falls away over the last 10% of its glide, making for easy and safe approaches. The disc is definitely not the best choice for an "up and down" putt with the late fade. Overall, the Rhyno is a decent putter that is steady in putt and approach and ideally suited to new discgolfers.

Manufacturer: Innova
Disc: KC Pro Aviar (175g)
Reviewer: Jayson Momeyer

Review:
I recently put this disc back in my bag, after removing it for the champion Rhyno. While I still use the rhyno in windy situations, I feel that the Aviar gives me MUCH MORE glide. Glide is a really great thing when you are just trying to lay-up towards the pin. With the aviar I find I can make a run at the bottom of the target, and if it lifts too much, I am not far beyond it. It is very straight flying, with little to now fade at the end of its flight.

Manufacturer: Innova
Disc: Millenium Super Soft Omega (175g)
Reviewer: Jayson Momeyer

Review:
This is my main putter, anything inside 30ft; I go to my omega supersoft. This disc is very similar to the Aviar (that’s because Innova, Millennium’s parent corporation, uses the same mold, if you look underneath, the stamp says Innova discs) straight. The main advantage to this disc over any others, with the exception of the DGA Blowfly, is the grip. This disc is so grippy it’s silly, you can always be confident going for the pin, because you know that it will not slip out of your hand.

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MID-RANGE

Manufacturer: Discraft
Disc: Wasp
Reviewer: Matt MacDonald

Review:
Wasp- The 'wasp' appears to be the latest and greatest in mid-range discs. I've even heard die-hard 'roc' enthusiasts say they prefer the slightly more stable wasp. It's reliable finish makes it great in high winds and forgives over-flipped shots. The wasp also seems to be the must have disc for most discraft tour pros.

Manufacturer: Discraft
Disc: Elite-Z Wasp (175g)
Reviewer: Jayson Momeyer

Review:
Let me start off by saying I used to use the Roc all the time. Its not that I don’t like the roc, its just that I like throwing a disc that flies the same every time I throw it. The roc is not available in Innova’s premium plastic, and tends to need replacing much more frequently. The wasp in Discraft’s Z plastic gives me the same flight path every time I throw it (of course that’s if I throw it well). The wasp flies great in the wind, is dead straight at high speeds, and has a great, predictable fade at the end of its flight path. For shots between 200-300 ft where I need either a straight shot, or hyzer, the wasp is in my hand for sure!

Manufacturer: Discraft
Disc: Comet
Reviewer: Jon Newnham

Review:
The Comet was my first disc, recommended by a friend as a great disc for beginners. It broke in quite quickly and as I was still very new I became dissatisfied with it. A couple years later I threw one in a bag for a tourney and when I finally threw it again was enthralled. The disc goes exactly where you point it. It's difficult to get it to fade if you throw it hard, it's natural tendancy is to go straight. It is very easy to turn over in the "anhyser" for holes that go against your fade. You can also throw it hard and high and it simply floats straight on down to the target, going MUCH farther and straighter than you think it possibly can. I recommend buying it in the new hard plastic as it will take longer to break in. Once the disc really gets worn, it loses its float and tends to turn over too easily. Be careful throwing it hard in the wind! This is an AWESOME disc for beginners.

Manufacturer: Innova
Disc: Champion Panther (175g)
Reviewer: Jayson Momeyer

Review:
): This is my favorite disc for straight shots around 250ft. This disc in the champion plastic tends to be more overstable than its DX counterpart. It will flip over at high speeds but at speeds were you just need to thread a tight hole in a wooded area, the panther is the disc for me. I have found it to not perform well in the wind however. This is my “bread-n-butter” disc, but as much as I like it, If I am going for more than 250ft, or throwing in the wind, I have to use my wasp.

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DISTANCE DRIVERS

Manufacturer: Discraft
Disc: Crush
Reviewer: Matt MacDonald

Review:
crush- Discraft needed an answer to Innova's hugely popular and long flying 'beast', and consequently the 'crush' was born. This disc is beyond fast and although it doesn't glide as much as say an XL, it has a reliable hyzer finish, even into the wind. I haven't quite matched the distance I've found with a dx beast or valkyrie, however, discraft has announced the eventual release of an X version of the crush, which I predict will slay its long range rivals.

Manufacturer: Innova
Disc: Champion Orc (175g)
Reviewer: Jayson Momeyer

Review:
The Orc is the fastest disc I have thrown. It has great glide (in heavier weights) and is perfectly overstable for all those people who have trouble flipping their maximum distance drives. With a flat to somewhat anhyzer release and lots of snap this disc will go straight for 75% of its flight path and then gradually hyzer out. This is not a disc intended for beginners, as they will probably find it too overstable to get good distance. It is also very hard to flip this disc (assuming no wind)

Manufacturer: Innova
Disc: Champion Beast (161g)
Reviewer: Jayson Momeyer

Review:
The Beast is currently Innova’s most popular distance driver. It is intended to have a very fast flight speed that gives a nice S-curve. Personally I release my discs with a lot of snap, I consistently flip my beasts. It makes a great long distance anhyzer disc in lighter weights though. The beast is a good Medium level driver. The faster discs are generally more overstable, but this disc is sufficiently understable at high speeds that an amateur player should have no problem with it. Newer players might want to start with a slower disc to get more distance. I know this sounds crazy but it works.

Manufacturer: Innova
Disc: Champion Viking (175g)
Reviewer: Jayson Momeyer

Review:
The Viking is just like a fast teebird, with less glide. This disc is great for low ceiling shots that have to go dead straight. At first I didn’t like this disc, it flipped sometimes and hyzered on me other times. My Viking took a period of “adjustment” I took it to Pender and it got really beat up. After I got back it went so straight with minimal effort, and if I put a lot on it I could flip it and it would give me a great S-curve, very predictable, for me that is. I have heard a lot of bad things about this disc from others, but this again is just what us golfers are always arguing about: It’s not the arrow; it’s the Archer.

Manufacturer: Innova
Disc: Champion Firebird (167g)
Reviewer: Jayson Momeyer

Review:
I use a light Firebird for trick shots. Over the tops of trees, really short S-curves, or big Hyzer bombs, this is my disc. The firebird is one of the most overstable discs in the business. At top speed, throw flat, it will hyzer-out at about 60% of its flight. At a lower speed (which is what I normally throw it with) thrown with lots of anhyzer, it will flip for 50% then abruptly flip back, ending hyzer. A great wind penetrator (this basically means that while all of your discs are flying all over the place in the wind, this one will act pretty-much the same in any wind condition)

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Published on: 2004-04-18 (7470 reads)
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