Discraft needs to step their game back up'

[Three Putt]

Jim did come out of that era when disc golf was less popular than guts and mta, and so did I. Freestyle was king. But as disc golf grew and evolved, it and ultimate became the main disc sports. I was in Michigan from 1987-1999 and got to see the sport (dg) take off there, especially in and around Ann Arbor. Jim was always a big part of A3Disc, and seemed like he had a big passion for disc golf. I have played several rounds of dg with him myself and although he may have made a lot of money with the ultimate discs, it seemed to me that his heart was in disc golf.

You would know better than I. When I was retailing discs I talked to everybody but Jim Kenner. He was never at any event that I was at and Discraft had a great habit of not returning my calls. The only things I've ever heard about the man were second-hand info from Gateway since he and Dave McCormack were friends.

 

[Three Putt]

Actually, I think I'm not being very clear. I don't want to imply that Discraft doesn't have a heart in disc golf. Discraft has been in this game forever and does not need to apologize for anything they do. Support the PDGA? They have run GLO for years. They were always supporters of other big northern events like the Minnesota Majestic. They responded to Innova's USDGC by hosting Am Nats. They have always sponsored World's. I don't think they need to answer for anything they have done there. They are not pumping out a new disc a day, but that's a business decision. They have a right to run the business anyway they want. The fact is that they have been making golf discs for years. They have been making Frisbees longer than anybody in disc golf at this point. Their actions show that they are in the game. The word always was that they had a warehouse of golf disc stock that moved out at a slow pace and a wall of UltraStars that ran out the door and the wall of UltraStars made them more money than all of those slow-selling golf discs combined. If they were not committed to disc golf, they could have ditched the golf discs a long time ago.

What I was poorly trying to suggest is that Discraft is diversified. They have had more of an overall Frisbee plan from the start and are in Ultimate and Freestyle in a huge way. They don't have to force disc golf to be anything. If disc golf blows up, they are there and ready to sell us discs. If it continues the slow growth it has over the last 30 years, they can roll with that as well since Ultimate is growing as well. Some of these other disc golf companies have all their eggs in the disc golf basket so the dramatic moves to make disc golf a pro sport and the new golf disc a day marketing strategies probably make more sense to them than Discraft. I don't mean that to say that Discraft has less heart in the game than anybody. Obviously if they had no heart for the game they would have bailed years ago. They might just have a different outlook than the other companies their actions are being compared to.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

I was told that back when Innova's patent existed, other companies had to pay Innova every time they made a disc, due to the patent being on the "golf disc". Discraft was one of very few disc golf manufacturers to exist during that time, and the only one to thrive under those stipulations, and pretty much the only one of those that is still relevant today. That should say something.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Discraft has been the long time sponsor of The Memorial and now the Ledgestone with the largest purse ever. Their annual Ace Race might be the biggest event globally where every player "buys" two of their discs.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

I was told that back when Innova's patent existed, other companies had to pay Innova every time they made a disc, due to the patent being on the "golf disc". Discraft was one of very few disc golf manufacturers to exist during that time, and the only one to thrive under those stipulations, and pretty much the only one of those that is still relevant today. That should say something.

Not really. Innova and DC just ran the show.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

Not really. Innova and DC just ran the show.

"Not really" to what?

Innova definitively had the market on lockdown back then, Discraft was a very distant second. When I first started playing, I viewed Discraft as Innova wanna-bes, but I learned the error of my ways pretty quickly. Once I became educated on the "wedge-shaped edge" lawsuit from 1993, I started to really develop some respect for Discraft. If the biggest manufacturer in the game percieves a rival company as that viable of a threat, they probably make a good product. And, they do.

 

[thrembo]

Actually, I think I'm not being very clear. I don't want to imply that Discraft doesn't have a heart in disc golf. Discraft has been in this game forever and does not need to apologize for anything they do. Support the PDGA? They have run GLO for years. They were always supporters of other big northern events like the Minnesota Majestic. They responded to Innova's USDGC by hosting Am Nats. They have always sponsored World's. I don't think they need to answer for anything they have done there. They are not pumping out a new disc a day, but that's a business decision. They have a right to run the business anyway they want. The fact is that they have been making golf discs for years. They have been making Frisbees longer than anybody in disc golf at this point. Their actions show that they are in the game. The word always was that they had a warehouse of golf disc stock that moved out at a slow pace and a wall of UltraStars that ran out the door and the wall of UltraStars made them more money than all of those slow-selling golf discs combined. If they were not committed to disc golf, they could have ditched the golf discs a long time ago.

What I was poorly trying to suggest is that Discraft is diversified. They have had more of an overall Frisbee plan from the start and are in Ultimate and Freestyle in a huge way. They don't have to force disc golf to be anything. If disc golf blows up, they are there and ready to sell us discs. If it continues the slow growth it has over the last 30 years, they can roll with that as well since Ultimate is growing as well. Some of these other disc golf companies have all their eggs in the disc golf basket so the dramatic moves to make disc golf a pro sport and the new golf disc a day marketing strategies probably make more sense to them than Discraft. I don't mean that to say that Discraft has less heart in the game than anybody. Obviously if they had no heart for the game they would have bailed years ago. They might just have a different outlook than the other companies their actions are being compared to.

Well said.

 

[thrembo]

"Not really" to what?

Innova definitively had the market on lockdown back then, Discraft was a very distant second. When I first started playing, I viewed Discraft as Innova wanna-bes, but I learned the error of my ways pretty quickly. Once I became educated on the "wedge-shaped edge" lawsuit from 1993, I started to really develop some respect for Discraft. If the biggest manufacturer in the game percieves a rival company as that viable of a threat, they probably make a good product. And, they do.

Lightning discs was there early on also, and was real competition to Innova and Discraft for many years. (Wham-o tried to stay in the game too, for a while).

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

Lightning discs was there early on also, and was real competition to Innova and Discraft for many years. (Wham-o tried to stay in the game too, for a while).

Lightning was before my time, I started playing in 2002, bought my first disc in 2003.

I have heard Lightning is making a comeback with modern polymers, which would be awesome if it is indeed true.

 

[AikoAdam]

"The World Leader In Disc Sports" pretty much sums up your post.

Actually, I think I'm not being very clear. I don't want to imply that Discraft doesn't have a heart in disc golf. Discraft has been in this game forever and does not need to apologize for anything they do. Support the PDGA? They have run GLO for years. They were always supporters of other big northern events like the Minnesota Majestic. They responded to Innova's USDGC by hosting Am Nats. They have always sponsored World's. I don't think they need to answer for anything they have done there. They are not pumping out a new disc a day, but that's a business decision. They have a right to run the business anyway they want. The fact is that they have been making golf discs for years. They have been making Frisbees longer than anybody in disc golf at this point. Their actions show that they are in the game. The word always was that they had a warehouse of golf disc stock that moved out at a slow pace and a wall of UltraStars that ran out the door and the wall of UltraStars made them more money than all of those slow-selling golf discs combined. If they were not committed to disc golf, they could have ditched the golf discs a long time ago.

What I was poorly trying to suggest is that Discraft is diversified. They have had more of an overall Frisbee plan from the start and are in Ultimate and Freestyle in a huge way. They don't have to force disc golf to be anything. If disc golf blows up, they are there and ready to sell us discs. If it continues the slow growth it has over the last 30 years, they can roll with that as well since Ultimate is growing as well. Some of these other disc golf companies have all their eggs in the disc golf basket so the dramatic moves to make disc golf a pro sport and the new golf disc a day marketing strategies probably make more sense to them than Discraft. I don't mean that to say that Discraft has less heart in the game than anybody. Obviously if they had no heart for the game they would have bailed years ago. They might just have a different outlook than the other companies their actions are being compared to.

 

[jmgdiscgolf]

Just saw Discraft now has the ringer,roach,and zone available in soft elite x plastic. Might try out a Zone.

 

[lyleoross]

I always find Discraft very interesting. Unfortunately, their 21 mm to 22mm rimmed discs, the Surge and the Surge SS don't work well for me. On the other hand, I will put their consistency against anyone else. Years of buying Innova has shown me that about one in five discs is an anomaly. It flies way off the standard for the disc in question, taking into account the disc type and plastic. This doesn't seem to happen for Discraft. If they say a disc is .5 in such and such plastic, it is .5 no matter how many I buy. I use Buzzes as my mids, and every one flies exactly how advertised. When I tried out Surges, I bought thirty of them, and everyone flew the same as the one before. Even more, if you look at their discs off the shelf, they all seem flat. By that, I don't think I've ever found a "domey" Discraft disc.

The downside is that I can't get the discs I want in the plastic I want. Innova is spotty on their plastics too, but they have the discs I want in the plastic I want, for the most part. If Discraft widened their plastic choices on their fairway drivers, both long and short, I'd be much more willing to commit to a wider range of their discs.

No matter how you slice it, they are doing something right, at least for what I see.

 

[PMantle]

There are domey X Forces and X Nukes. Pretty cool discs. I like the Forces because they are cheap and reliably OS for this hole over water where the drive must end left. The water is the type where recovery is never going to happen.

 

[lyleoross]

I have to admit, I never buy X plastic. Most of the Discraft discs I've bought were Z, that may be the difference.

 

[Disc of Cheese]

I have a Domey Z Flash and a Flat Z Flash. The domey is quite dome too.

Also
PRO D BUZZ OS! mine are on the way, I hope they are flat... but then, why wouldn't they be.

 

[thatdirtykid]

Pro D buzzz os, hopefully its a good blend of pro d. Once upon a time I cycled pro d wasps and stopped when pro d got too soft and warped too easily. Elite x wasps were also sweet... No more elite x wasps and x preds going oop was the beginning of the end for discraft for me.

 

[JeremyKShort]

At least they have ultimate -- probably as big of market for them as DG.

I really think Ultimate is what they're planning to be their bread and butter. They make a ton off Ultimate, and looking at how they promote Ultimate you can see that it is their big product. They make well off of disc golf, but it's no longer priority number one.

I haven't been in disc golf that long, but I've seen Discraft fall from solid number two in the market, to sharing that spot with DD/Trilogy and Prodigy.

 

[Three Putt]

Pro D buzzz os, hopefully its a good blend of pro d. Once upon a time I cycled pro d wasps and stopped when pro d got too soft and warped too easily. Elite x wasps were also sweet... No more elite x wasps and x preds going oop was the beginning of the end for discraft for me.

No more X Preds was a crime against disc golfers. That one still blows my mind.

 

[Halcón]

I haven't been in disc golf that long, but I've seen Discraft fall from solid number two in the market, to sharing that spot with DD/Trilogy and Prodigy.

I don't think Prodigy is doing that well.

 

[Keller]

I don't think Prodigy is doing that well.

Not around me anyway, I saw a total of 2 Prodigy discs on the course last year and one of them was my P3.

Discraft doesn't seem to be flying off the shelf around here either, they just don't offer enough plastic options. It's not all that hard to be labeled "consistent" when most of what they make is only available in "Z" plastic.

More ESP and "X"!