I'm getting back in!

[dmoore1998]

Hello everyone, love that a forum like this exists!

Quick background. I started playing 30 years go because an elementary teacher was super into it. He got me hooked, he designed our local course, he was the only source of buying discs in the area, etc.

I played frequently from ages 10-25 and was pretty good for the competition in my area. Picked it up for about a year again around age 32 and got pretty good again. Then marriage, kids, work, etc...ate up my free time. I haven't played in 8 years. Now my kids are older, I'm working from home, I live near a course.

Things have changed! Last time I played there were no flight numbers on discs, I had cheap plastic discs, I could only buy discs that the local guy stocked in his man-cave for sale. I was literally buying discs based on what the edge looked like and if it felt good or not.

I'm a bit paralyzed by the information and options available now. I've read a LOT online, which has only served to be more confusing honestly. I'm probably not a beginner, I'm certainly not advanced, maybe I'm an intermediate?

I'm also a bit OCD, and very analytical, so I'd like to stick with a single manufacturer as much as possible (both for the OCD, but also because I'm likely to spend a lot of time analyzing my own flight patterns, distances, etc...and it would be nice to have them relatively comparable...as an example, I still have my Millenium Polaris LS driver that I loved, and different sites list it very differently in terms of flight numbers, I'd like consistency as I start back out).

Any recommendations? Supplier (I know the obvious seems like Innova, but I'm definitely open to smaller, high quality options)? Plastic type? Specific Discs?

I live in the Midwest, so cool/cold spring and fall, hot summers...I'm likely to just use the same discs year-round. I'm likely to be putting in a lot of rounds and practice time, as this is some of the only exercise I can get that's enjoyable (things like basketball are out into the foreseeable future for obvious reasons).

I've still got a few of the discs I used 20 years ago, so the current low inventories aren't a problem. I'd like to start building my bag though, and I'm sure if I scour hard enough I can find some options to start in with a specific supplier regardless of how their current availability is.

Thanks for any help! Looking forward to reading more of this forum!

 

[JRW III]

Lot of good new manufactures out there, but if you want a good range of selection and stability, I would stick with Innova. Many of the others are having issues keeping up with demand and it can be difficult to find the disc you are looking for.

 

[dmoore1998]

I probably don't need to go out and buy a complete set today since I still have some old discs lying around. I DO need a company with a good selection across their product line...but that selection doesn't have to be immediately available (and in fact, it may be in my wallet's best interest if I have to do some searching/waiting rather than dumping money on a bunch of discs up front).

For example: I've looked at MVP, Legacy, Daredevil (not exactly tiny, but I want someone with a lineup large enough for me to carry a single brand to start). I can't get a decent set from any of them at the moment, but I can get a disc or two here and there. I have a background in buying/selling sports cards, so definitely an aspect of "the hunt is as much fun as the kill". I have a TERRIBLE time trying to distinguish between "new manufacturer" and "good new manufacturer" though. For example, I look at MVP and think "Ok, more weight to the outside with the double mold...is that gimmicky or is that good?". I want to work toward an AWESOME set, even if it takes longer while I keep playing with my 20-year old DX plastic.

 

[biscoe]

Chances are your 20 year old putters and mids are as good as anything marketed today as long as they are in good shape. Drivers on the other hand...

With one or two exceptions all the companies make good discs. They are also all having significant inventory issues currently so I wouldn't count on being able to "build a bag" of one or another for a while.

 

[dmoore1998]

Chances are your 20 year old putters and mids are as good as anything marketed today as long as they are in good shape. Drivers on the other hand...

With one or two exceptions all the companies make good discs. They are also all having significant inventory issues currently so I wouldn't count on being able to "build a bag" of one or another for a while.

Some of it is in good shape. Good enough for NOW anyways. That's why I don't mind building slowly or going with another company that may not have a great available inventory at the moment.

At the moment I've got:

Pro Beast (which I'm pretty sure I've never thrown, but is pretty beaten up, so I must have inherited it from someone years ago)
Cobra which is in ok shape
Eagle (which has a massive chip in it)
Buzzz-D (ok shape)
Aviar Putter (pretty beat up but will work)
Millenium Polaris LS (my former go-to driver, which I don't remember running over with a truck, but someone sure did from the looks of it)

I could go out and play with those this year and be fine probably...but i've also broken enough discs at our local course in my younger days to know how quickly that plastic shatters. It's a lot of throwing long shots down tight corridors. I'd like to start working towards...something...even if it's not instant gratification.

Also love some advice on plastic types. I see plenty of "this is good for warm weather" "this is good for cold weather". Given that I live where there is both, and I'm not likely to have 2 bags for the different weathers...which one is better for the opposing weather?

 

[zontar]

Cobra Eagle Aviar! sounds like a perfect setup to me.

 

[BillFleming]

While I like to support the smaller brands....it can be difficult to find a mold that fits a need, or to find one in supply. Several small companies depend on other companies to make their discs. You will see Innova embossed on other companies discs for that reason.

Strictly for availability and the likely chance of having the type of disc you want, I'd stick with either Innova or Discraft. Although Latitude 64 makes their own and has a decent selection, many of their discs are light weight (150-160 gram area).

 

[DiscFifty]

Discraft is all the rage due to having the current MPO and FPO champions as sponsored players. Innova, Dynamic Discs, & Discraft are all obvious good choices. The best online supplier imop is: DiscGolfCenter.com

Regarding plastics, do you have a local store, PlayItAgain, etc, where you can personally check out the feel of all the new plastics? That's a huge part of the game imop. Good luck btw!

 

[dmoore1998]

Discraft is all the rage due to having the current MPO and FPO champions as sponsored players. Innova, Dynamic Discs, & Discraft are all obvious good choices. The best online supplier imop is: DiscGolfCenter.com

Regarding plastics, do you have a local store, PlayItAgain, etc, where you can personally check out the feel of all the new plastics? That's a huge part of the game imop. Good luck btw!

I do have a local place, there's a vape store about 45 minutes away, but I'm in the area a few times a month. I was going to stop in there just to get a feel of some things. I was trying to narrow down to a couple of plastics before going though, or at least narrow down to "if it's a varying climate from very hot to very cold, definitely avoid this type of plastic" or something like that. I don't want to go in, find a plastic that feels amazing to me, then find out that it's going to be terrible to use in some weather conditions.

I'm also trying to avoid retail spots as much as I can at the moment with Covid, particularly touching a bunch of stuff. Ideally I'd get a few recommendations, then order some factory 2nds (or some used stuff) online to get a feel for the plastics and decide.

Thanks for the recommendation on DiscGolfCenter, I've seen a lot of online places but not that one. I'll add that one to my list for sure!

 

[DiscFifty]

Good call on the Covid concerns. :thmbup: Fwiw... Re: Innova, I live down south so no need for seasonal plastic, but I think most would agree GStar is the gripper/gummier plastic and seems to be favored during colder/winter play. Champion / Star otherwise.

 

[dmoore1998]

Good call on the Covid concerns. :thmbup: Fwiw... Re: Innova, I live down south so no need for seasonal plastic, but I think most would agree GStar is the gripper/gummier plastic and seems to be favored during colder/winter play. Champion / Star otherwise.

So along those lines, is GStar going to be trash when it gets warm? Or is it fine and just not quite as durable?

I might also be vastly overestimating how much I will want to play when it is cold, given that it's often windy when cold here as well.

Maybe for now I'll just go with the more durable stuff due to all the trees we've got (and the wind, meaning I'm going to hit plenty of them) and just use my old DX stuff if I somehow decide cold-weather play sounds good...at least until I decide I'm serious enough to have seasonal bags.

I bit the bullet and just ordered 4 cheap discs (a couple used, a couple x-outs) Innova Star & Champion Leopard3 (to compare those 2 types of feel), Dynamic Lucid Vandal (the people who have shops in the general area here seem to like these and stock a bunch of them so I think if I like them I could have plenty of opportunity to buy them in person), and an MVP Neutron Photon (because in everything I've been looking at, the double-mold they use seemed to be the most "this is different than other discs" thing that I found, and I'm curious to see how it feels).

Also it's cold enough here now that I should get a good feel for whether any of them are just awful in the cold weather, but plenty of time that whatever I like I can start building a bag before the weather turns nice and at least have something to use when I inevitably smash all my old DX discs into trees.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

 

[DiscFifty]

Just commenting on the Innova stuff since it's all I throw. I live in Texas and throw GStar all year and it's very durable. In general the plastic is slightly less stable than it's Champion/Star versions. With that said, I rarely see any advanced/open players throw GStar plastic.

 

[itsRudy]

So along those lines, is GStar going to be trash when it gets warm? Or is it fine and just not quite as durable?

I never had problems with Star/Gstar durability, far better than ordinary DX plastic. But I got tired of losing nearly $16-20 discs vs $8-9 ones. They also never seem to break in (get more understable), which can be good or bad depending on player and disc. I also just like the tactile feel of dx/champion better.

My leopard driver and mako (sharks) are star/gstar that I'm sticking with but my Buzz/Rocs are champion and Dx and my putters are cheap plastic I would never get those specific ones in star again. If I'm expecting the disc to smack hard against trees like with hit-the-gap drives, star/gstar is good for withstanding that. If I want understability or needing a personal tactile touch for like short accurate throws/putts, I go for cheaper plastic.

 

[Casey 1988]

I probably don't need to go out and buy a complete set today since I still have some old discs lying around. I DO need a company with a good selection across their product line...but that selection doesn't have to be immediately available (and in fact, it may be in my wallet's best interest if I have to do some searching/waiting rather than dumping money on a bunch of discs up front).

For example: I've looked at MVP, Legacy, Daredevil (not exactly tiny, but I want someone with a lineup large enough for me to carry a single brand to start). I can't get a decent set from any of them at the moment, but I can get a disc or two here and there. I have a background in buying/selling sports cards, so definitely an aspect of "the hunt is as much fun as the kill". I have a TERRIBLE time trying to distinguish between "new manufacturer" and "good new manufacturer" though. For example, I look at MVP and think "Ok, more weight to the outside with the double mold...is that gimmicky or is that good?". I want to work toward an AWESOME set, even if it takes longer while I keep playing with my 20-year old DX plastic.

Discraft should still have some of the models you knew from back then in 1990's, one of them being the Magnet, Challenger, or Focus though Pro D is more like softer runs of DX not for drivers, and then the others like The Stalker from 2000 when Z was first on the market.

Others are like Innova might not be a bad option though good luck finding the Classic ROC in anything other then Star is impossible and the XD is only the + mold if those are you putters, they are still trying to push the Aviar molds big both the Ken Climo Big bead and the Standard with small/mini bead being the biggest push. The Gator/no bead Gator as the Cayman are getting used again as OS approach/long putter discs, the ROC still popular as ever especially now a flat top 3 version is out, and then the Rhyno is still a popular approach to long and/or windy putter disc as well just the Champion plastic disc is still as Domed as it was in 2000's I think that is just how the Champion molds up and R-Pro is like the Soft Pro. The Site https://proshop.innovadiscs.com/ and the limited section might have some older molds that sell but not enough to be in full production Like the Pegasus or the Bulldog from 2000.

 

[Casey 1988]

Sorry for the rant but I stopped from 2009 to 2015 almost fully but Getting some Champion Destroyer 2014 that had numbers on the discs though to be honest in 2009-2010 they were making new Innova molds and plastics for disc molds with the numbers on them. then in about 2014-2015 all the molds got the numbers on them. When I came back fully to the sport in 2015-2016 to see it has grown a tad more at this point by about double what it was in 2008 early 2009. In the time I was gone a brand from China opened and folded and owner of Lighting died with the molds and plastic getting sold off to Gotta Go Gotta Throw Who has promised they would make the disc molds after they ran out the huge stock they had of each mold in the plastics they are made in.

 

[autocrosscrx]

I've had an awful time getting a consistent clean release in the summer with GStar plastic. I'm in the southeast, so it is generally pretty humid for me.

 

[Casey 1988]

I do have a local place, there's a vape store about 45 minutes away, but I'm in the area a few times a month. I was going to stop in there just to get a feel of some things. I was trying to narrow down to a couple of plastics before going though, or at least narrow down to "if it's a varying climate from very hot to very cold, definitely avoid this type of plastic" or something like that. I don't want to go in, find a plastic that feels amazing to me, then find out that it's going to be terrible to use in some weather conditions.

I'm also trying to avoid retail spots as much as I can at the moment with Covid, particularly touching a bunch of stuff. Ideally I'd get a few recommendations, then order some factory 2nds (or some used stuff) online to get a feel for the plastics and decide.

Thanks for the recommendation on DiscGolfCenter, I've seen a lot of online places but not that one. I'll add that one to my list for sure!

Warning some Innova Facotry Seconds should be toss outs they are that bad, so if the rim feels off and it is not obvious try asking on here with pictures of the disc to help us tell. Also there is X and L rim of the Eagle with most now being X.

 

[dmoore1998]

I got my discs in the mail today and went outside, in the aftermath of a blizzard, just to see how they felt. Hands down the winner was the Leopard3 Star. The Champion, Neutron, & Lucid plastics just felt like they were flying out of my hand uncontrollably in the cold (admittedly it's a bit colder than I'm likely to play in, but the Star plastics just felt much nicer in my hands). Even just standing inside and holding the discs, I could tell I liked the grippier feel of the Star plastic. Planning to order some Innova discs, about half Star & Gstar.

Everything I've read sounds like both Star & Gstar are still pretty darn durable even though they aren't the super hard plastic, which is important with all the narrow alleys of trees where I typically will end up playing.

 

[DiscFifty]

Everything I've read sounds like both Star & Gstar are still pretty darn durable even though they aren't the super hard plastic, which is important with all the narrow alleys of trees where I typically will end up playing.

If you're digging the feel of Star, maybe just purchase a single GStar disc to see how it feels. I think there is a big difference between the feel of GStar vs Star plastic. I've had better distance with Star, but prefer the grip G*.

 

[dmoore1998]

If you're digging the feel of Star, maybe just purchase a single GStar disc to see how it feels. I think there is a big difference between the feel of GStar vs Star plastic. I've had better distance with Star, but prefer the grip G*.

I've got a couple of each coming (well technically 2 G* and 1 Star because I already have 1 Star), if only because while the star felt much better than the others, I'm going to want the additional grip that G* offers in the cold even if I don't like it quite as much as the Star for some reason (either distance or just feel). I've got a fairway driver and midrange coming in both (different discs, just those rough categories). Then from that I figure I'll know what I prefer when I start replacing my existing old plastic that's inevitably going to get smashed up on trees (or die due to old age at this point).

I'm hoping to get a better test done when it gets warm to see if the Champion is something I'd like better when my fingers aren't being frozen. I'm not likely to have seasonal bags at this point, but since I already got a couple harder plastics, I might as well see how I like them in better weather.