The process of making discs inherently leads to inconsistency. Can it be solved?
February 19, 2025 by Zach Hyatt in Analysis
The author, Zach Hyatt, is a Product Manager for the PDGA. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA).
The racks full of colorful discs at the local disc golf shop, all lined up and organized by their brands and types, are a sight to behold. To the naked eye, the nearly identical sizes and shapes of discs with the same name suggest a simple decision is ahead: just pick your favorite color because they will all perform the same.
But if you were to test throwing multiple copies of discs with the same name from the same manufacturer, with an equivalent plastic, weight, and even run, a different story would emerge. Despite them all having the same flight numbers and otherwise appearing the same, each individual disc varies in how it flies compared to the others, and sometimes dramatically so.
Like many of the plastic products we use every day, disc golf discs are manufactured using a process called injection molding. This involves pushing molten plastic into a metal mold that has a cavity in the shape of the final product. Because the same mold is used over and over again, it produces very consistent pieces — at least at the moment they come out of the mold.
Once out of the mold, though, the material begins to cool and subtle differences in plastic composition, air temperature, airflow, humidity, and other factors cause minor variations in the final shape it takes on. In most products, these small differences aren’t a problem, but when it’s a plastic disc being thrown more than 70 mph, these changes can result in significantly different flight patterns from one to the next. Spend enough time in the sport and this story will become familiar.
Add to this issue that manufacturers do runs of the same discs using the same molds but at different times. That is, they might use a mold this month to generate a set of discs and then a few months later use that same mold again in a different run. These would then be sold under the same name and often with the same flight numbers. The problem is that the odds of changes in the overall setup between these runs are greater, and this means the potential variations in the final discs between runs are even higher.
But is this lack of flight consistency in discs always a problem? Ask a group of disc golfers and their answers are likely to vary, depending on several factors — what their skill level is, why they play disc golf, what their budget is, and what parts of the sport they enjoy the most.
Many players enjoy exploring different discs, relish the process of adjusting their game to new plastic, or otherwise aren’t as concerned about being able to find discs with the exact same flight patterns. There are also plenty who are happy with their game and their bag, who will want to avoid making frequent changes to how they throw when they need to replace a disc. These players, quite a few who compete and could be winning money for their efforts, place a premium on having a better chance of finding an exact replacement for a disc they lost or that’s worn in too much.
Evidence of this premium can be found in the values of certain discs on the secondary market — out-of-production Tour Series Destroyers, old Nate Sexton Firebirds, specific runs of DD3 Cloudbreakers, the list goes on. Players who liked the flights they got out of the original run are willing to pay more for another from that same run in the hope that it has similar flight characteristics. Sometimes they do fly the same, sometimes they don’t, yet prices in the multiple $100s are not uncommon for these types of discs.
This suggests an opportunity may exist in the market for anyone who can make it easier to find the exact flight characteristics a player is looking for. That is exactly what a couple of new disc golf companies are hoping to do – and they are taking quite different approaches to solving the problem.
The first approach actually flips the problem on its head a bit: instead of trying to make the discs themselves more consistent, Disc Analyzer is a company creating technology to provide more accurate details about the disc shape. Currently, the details available to customers about the shape of discs are general and fairly limited. Manufacturers’ flight numbers and the weight of the discs are the most commonly available details, but given the manufacturing variations, they aren’t as useful without measurements of other features.
This new company is being formed by the creator of TryDiscs.com, Azeem Feroz, and is building out a photogrammetry-based solution to automate more accurate measurements of the Parting Line Height (PLH) and the amount of dome on discs. These two characteristics are on the top of the list for players seeking out discs with specific flights and are common areas of variation between discs during the plastic cooling process.
The higher the dome on a disc the more it will glide in the air and hold the lines it is put on longer than flat ones – both helpful flight characteristics for certain longer-distance shots. As for the PLH, a disc from the same mold that has a lower one will be more “flippy” – that is, have more turn to it – than a disc with a higher one.
The Disc Analyzer team is hoping these new measurements can be captured by the retailers and shared with customers to help inform their decisions. In fact, they confirmed that a few of the disk analyzing rigs are already in hands of a few store owners who are testing and providing feedback for fine-tuning the setup.
They also expect to release more public information about the technology in early 2025. As these new measurements become more commonplace and experienced players understand what these same characteristics are for their favorite discs in their bags, they will have a better chance of finding the perfect replacement when they need one.
The second approach is tackling the problem more directly – finding a way to actually make consistent discs. ProtoFlyte, whose founders have backgrounds in aerospace engineering, CAD design, and machining, is one company making this bold move. Their approach only uses injection molding to create the initial solid block of plastic, which is then put on a lathe and carved into the final disc using a proprietary CNC machining process.
Because the plastic is already cooled when they machine it, they can create discs with very exact specifications and repeat the same process for every disc. This means buying the same disc design from them today and a year from now should provide the same initial flight patterns. That is not something any other manufacturer can claim.
But it isn’t yet clear what their strategy is in bringing the benefits of this new process to the market. Back in November 2023, they had an early prototype of their “CNC” driver approved by the PDGA and followed up with two more polished versions of it for approval in March. After launching publicly in April, they announced testing of a new mid-range in May, but then updates became sparse. That is until another disc manufacturer – Trash Panda – published a video about making their own mid-range and using Protoflyte to build the prototype.
Prototyping discs for other manufacturers makes sense for Protoflyte. In the video, Jesse from Trash Panda explains that getting a throwable disc with accurate handfeel and similar flight characteristics to what an equivalent injection molded version would have is very difficult. Or it was, until the much cheaper and faster CNC method came along.
The company also confirmed they are exploring the possibility of setting up a custom disc program. Customers may be able to send a CAD model of a disc they want produced, or work with Protoflyte to design one. Anyone who has ever dreamed of designing their own disc but didn’t have the equipment to create one may be able to do so soon — for the right price. They might even be able to help with the PDGA approval process on the disc, a potentially unique offering in the industry.
While prototyping using CNC is cheaper for manufacturers, disc golfers hoping to pick up a Protoflyte disc should expect to pay more than usual due to the process being more time and labor-intensive. Current prices are about double what a typical premium plastic disc goes for today, with the “CNC” distance driver retailing for $39.95 on their website. And who knows what the custom disc design program will run.
It’s hard to tell what Protoflyte will be focusing most of their effort on, but they appear to be testing out different ways to generate revenue from their unique manufacturing approach. Whether making prototypes for other manufacturers is key to their longevity (the name of the company might even suggest that was their original thought), or if they will find a way to build out a full line of discs or streamline the process for creating custom ones, it appears they will be involved in disc manufacturing for the foreseeable future.
With differing opinions in the sport on whether flight inconsistencies are an issue, only time will tell whether there is enough of a market to sustain the approaches these new companies are taking. Will having more specific measurements of discs be enough to satisfy customers looking to dial in their purchases? Will a more exact replica between discs justify the higher price point for serious players? Or is there some other solution to the issue that will come along?
Regardless of how you feel about these attempts, it is exciting to see a continued push for innovation and evolution in our sport. As for me, let’s just say that I’d be willing to try throwing the newest, uniquely manufactured distance driver in my bag over the pond on hole 1 at Maple Hill. My wallet might not like it, but when it inevitably splashes down, I feel more confident in how the replacement I purchase will fly.
