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Most found disc
- Thread starter Monkeypaws
- Start date
Casey 1988
Shun the frumious Bandersnatch!
That's because they're losing them on my courses now.
Lucky, unless you are the one loosing the Pro Wraith discs. Keep them if they do not have a name in them or just a first name. Otherwise leave them on the tee pad of the hole you found them on.
BuiltTooLong
Double Eagle Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2014
- Messages
- 1,716
DX Leopard, DX Shark, DX Valk, DX Beast. In that order. I have accumulated a box of these, so now I'm able to just give them out during my clinics.
Twmccoy
* Ace Member *
I found Terns for a while too....and then suddenly it seemed like Shrykes started replacing the Terns.
Both seem to be frequently lost molds.
Casey 1988
Shun the frumious Bandersnatch!
Can see the DX Shark, Leopard, and Valkyrie since those both come in the DX Starter set from Innova. DX Beast is not but I can see that since it is like a faster Valkyrie in flight but with an odd rim that I do not like. I could see a player liking the Valkyrie and after a year of playing trying to go up with the Valkyrie number discs. Most of those discs except maybe the Beast are beginner discs after they have been using a putter and possibly a very slow putter shaped midrange for a few months.
Nice you can give those discs away at your clinics and thanks for giving back to the disc golf community.
gammaxgoblin
Eagle Member
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2016
- Messages
- 820
Gotta be grooves right?
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2008
- Messages
- 4,783
DX Valkyries for me.
I've found a few discs, but nothing else as often as DX Valks.
I've found a few discs, but nothing else as often as DX Valks.
wims
Double Eagle Member
Leopards. Star, Pro and Champion, but rarely DX for some reason
Arisugawa
Par Member
The course nearby our home has the front and back nine divided by a very long grove of trees lining either side of a creek valley. On the front nine, these trees are on the right side of holes 1-4. On the back nine, they are on the left side of holes 10-12. We call it "Griplock Gulch" on the front nine and "The Forest of Overstable Drivers" on the right.
We have pulled a lot of Wraiths, TeeRexes, Orcs, etc out of there. Also, when the local sporting goods store near the courses was still open, it sold a healthy amount of Discraft, so we've also pulled a lot of NukeOSes out of there as well.
We have pulled a lot of Wraiths, TeeRexes, Orcs, etc out of there. Also, when the local sporting goods store near the courses was still open, it sold a healthy amount of Discraft, so we've also pulled a lot of NukeOSes out of there as well.
Casey 1988
Shun the frumious Bandersnatch!
Not sure if this got shared but if it did sorry.
My brother Found a friends disc a DX Rhyno he was using but the guy owed him about what a new DX Ryhno would cost so he kept it. Odd enough the Ryhno had been out in the elements for what we guessed was about a week in summer so the disc was almost like an old Soft DX Rhyno or a new R-Pro/Old Pro when new. The guy switched in high school from making his DX Rhyno soft like an old soft DX to just using a DX Rhyno as he was able to put more snap on the disc, the new one he used as a driver rotating to putter when worn in and putting a P on the disc. My bother just did a ink out with a Sharpie over the name on the disc to effectively make the disc so his friend could not clam it, the name in ink pen was into the disc plastic fairly well. I think this was his driver as no P was on the other side and it was newer.
My brother Found a friends disc a DX Rhyno he was using but the guy owed him about what a new DX Ryhno would cost so he kept it. Odd enough the Ryhno had been out in the elements for what we guessed was about a week in summer so the disc was almost like an old Soft DX Rhyno or a new R-Pro/Old Pro when new. The guy switched in high school from making his DX Rhyno soft like an old soft DX to just using a DX Rhyno as he was able to put more snap on the disc, the new one he used as a driver rotating to putter when worn in and putting a P on the disc. My bother just did a ink out with a Sharpie over the name on the disc to effectively make the disc so his friend could not clam it, the name in ink pen was into the disc plastic fairly well. I think this was his driver as no P was on the other side and it was newer.
Last edited:
Posted this on Reddit a while back. Planning on doing an update next year or 500 discs found, whichever comes first. It's a cut/paste so if the format is off, sorry!
Over the last two or so years, I've found roughly 184 discs. The number is probably a good 30 higher than that, but 184 is what I have documentation for. I decided to break down the data as best I can to verify some hunches I've had over the years. Figured somebody out there would find it to be interesting reading so I'm sharing it with y'all.
Before we get too far, you can play a little game with yourself. Take your best guess regarding the answer to the following questions. Before you do, here's a touch of context.
Total Discs Found - 184
Disc Location:
Water - 70%
Woods - 18%
Fairway - 9%
Weeds - 2%
Snow - 1%
Here's your questions! I'll be giving the top 5 findings or so for most categories.
How many discs were marked?
What is the disc return rate?
Which brand did I find the most of?
Which speeds did I find the most of?
Which colors did I find the most of?
Which molds were the most common?
I readily acknowledge this data isn't perfect and the conclusions that can be drawn from it are thin at best. Did I find a lot of a particular color because it's lost more or because it was easier for me to see and find in the first place? Did one brand get lost more because of wonkier flight or because it's more popular and thus more likely to be lost? It's sort of fun to look at irregardless! Additionally, the data isn't 100% complete. While I did record a majority of the discs I found and marked discs have excellent records due to texts, there were a large number that were returned too quickly or just slipped through the cracks. Given that I was able to work with text records, the unmarked discs are probably underrepresented. Some numbers are off a bit as well due to partial information if I was lazy about recording everything.
You returned these discs, right?
As many as I could! If there was a number, they were texted. Sometimes they were called. If that didn't work, I'd ask around at a league night or two. Truth of the matter is, disc golfers don't seem to be all that desperate to get their discs back!
Total Discs Found: 184
Total Discs Marked: 97 (53%)
Total Discs Returned: 54 (56% of marked, 29% of total found)
So only about half of folks mark their discs and only about half of that actually gets back to the owner despite my best efforts.
Quite a few things contributing to the return rate being what it is. Not much that's going to be done regarding unmarked discs. If an unmarked disc is found I ask other groups I come across on the course about it. This sometimes (rarely) returns the disc to the owner. I used to check social media to see if they lost something but as a non-Facebook user it was onerous and frankly from what I could tell there just wasn't a lot of information flowing on 95% of these pages - only one course that I visit had a public page that appeared to have somewhat active online members, and even then I suspect they were the minority of a minority. It wasn't worth my time chasing people down for these.
The next problem came with the numbers themselves. Sometimes people didn't bother putting one on the disc, just a name or PDGA number. I tried to track down a few of these online but it was waaaay too much time for the amount of success I was seeing. Generally I would ask around with the regulars. If nobody knew them, into the donate/trade-in pile it went.
Disconnected/illegible numbers were another issue. While sitting in a pond for a long while doesn't really obliterate the numbers sometimes they fade just enough that poor penmanship basically kills it. Sometimes there was no hope of reading the number in the first place. A large number also simply never responded to the texts.
The most frustrating group were the ones that made contact, sounded excited to get their discs back, then never did a damn thing to facilitate it. I play a lot of disc golf - like 3 or 4 times a week or more. I travel to a fair number of courses. If I've texted a person a dozen times about arranging a meetup and all I get is "I'm busy" or worse, no answer, and the pattern continues for a couple of months without a single proposed time by the disc owner then I'm giving up and doing whatever the heck I want with the disc. I've left plenty of discs under trash cans and passed them along to owner's friends. I'm a flexible fella, but dang you need to do your part!
So what gets lost the most?
Brand:
Innova - 48%
Discraft - 15%
MVP: 9%
Dynamic: 8%
Prodigy: 4%
DGA: 4%
Westside: 4%
Axiom: 3%
Lat 64: 3%
Gateway: 1%
Lightning: 1%
I'm not sure what to make of these numbers. We have a good selection of discs available at stores in our area so I would have thought there'd be a somewhat more even split. Kastaplast isn't sold at all in our area and, no surprise, none were found. Similarly, there's not much in line for Gateway or Lightning or those weird Chinese brands available.
Color:
Blue 16%
Pink 16%
Red 13%
Green 11%
Yellow 10%
Orange 10%
White 9%
Purple 4%
Tye Dye 3%
Gold 2%
Violet 2%
Clear 1%
Somewhat surprising here as Blue and Pink are usually identified as being some of the best colors to throw due to their tendency to stand out in the field. Given that by far most of the discs I found were from water hazards color may have little to do with what I'm finding. Alternatively, maybe I'm just not finding some of the goofier colors because they're harder to see!
Plastic:
Grippy Premium (Star/Gold Line/Neutron/etc) - 39%
Clear Premium (Champion/Lucid/Proton/etc) - 28%
Base (DX, ProD, whatever) - 24%
Flexible Premium (Gstar, Zflx) - 4%
Lightweight (Air, Blizzard) - 4%
Glow - 1%
I never find glow discs
Mold:
Destroyer - 12
Shryke - 6
Beast - 6
Drone - 5
Vulcan - 4
Wraith - 4
Katana - 4
Firebird - 4
Boss - 4
I want to say there should be a few more Bosses and Katanas on there but I don't have them recorded. Destroyers far and away in the lead along with a lot of other high speed drivers. Not sure if it's because they are harder to throw correctly or if you throw them longer and are thus more likely to have them lose line of sight. Was really weird seeing the Drone up as high as it was though, not sure what that's about.
Speed/Class
13 (15%)
5 (14%)
9 (13%)
12 (12%)
11 (11%)
Shocked to find that speed 5 midranges were the 2nd most common to find. My hunch would be that they turn over and end up in the water unexpectedly when you try and force them out too much, but then again there were a lot of Drones found. Maybe folks coming up short? Risky forehands? Or maybe they are the mold of choice on wooded holes? Who knows. Despite the Destroyer reigning supreme for lost discs all the Nukes, Bosses, Katanas, Vulcans, etc added up for 13's to take the top slot. Speed 14's were way down the list, tied with 2nd to last, so they must not be the most popular things around.
And just for funsies
Disc Finding Rate: .89/round
That works out to roughly just less than 1 disc per round played, which sounds about right. It's worth noting that I don't find a disc literally every time I play, but there are some days I find multiple so it balances out.
Most Discs Found in One Day: 14
Pond finds along with a seasonal pool drying up just enough to walk through and see to the bottom. This was split between 3 courses. I believe this was a muck boot and rake day.
Most discs returned to one person: 4
I don't know how this guy affords to play!
Found discs actually in bag: 4/13 - Buzzz SS, Hornet, Trespass, Renegade
Ace Discs Returned: 3
These always get a bit of extra effort - never failed on getting one back yet despite some pretty sparse clues!
What happens to these discs?
The vast majority get donated to new players. The high speed stuff 12+ mostly gets traded in for credit at a local disc shop where I generally buy putters since so few are typically lost and new players all need one!
So there you go. May not be the best study in the world but I thought it was interesting at least!
Over the last two or so years, I've found roughly 184 discs. The number is probably a good 30 higher than that, but 184 is what I have documentation for. I decided to break down the data as best I can to verify some hunches I've had over the years. Figured somebody out there would find it to be interesting reading so I'm sharing it with y'all.
Before we get too far, you can play a little game with yourself. Take your best guess regarding the answer to the following questions. Before you do, here's a touch of context.
Total Discs Found - 184
Disc Location:
Water - 70%
Woods - 18%
Fairway - 9%
Weeds - 2%
Snow - 1%
Here's your questions! I'll be giving the top 5 findings or so for most categories.
How many discs were marked?
What is the disc return rate?
Which brand did I find the most of?
Which speeds did I find the most of?
Which colors did I find the most of?
Which molds were the most common?
I readily acknowledge this data isn't perfect and the conclusions that can be drawn from it are thin at best. Did I find a lot of a particular color because it's lost more or because it was easier for me to see and find in the first place? Did one brand get lost more because of wonkier flight or because it's more popular and thus more likely to be lost? It's sort of fun to look at irregardless! Additionally, the data isn't 100% complete. While I did record a majority of the discs I found and marked discs have excellent records due to texts, there were a large number that were returned too quickly or just slipped through the cracks. Given that I was able to work with text records, the unmarked discs are probably underrepresented. Some numbers are off a bit as well due to partial information if I was lazy about recording everything.
You returned these discs, right?
As many as I could! If there was a number, they were texted. Sometimes they were called. If that didn't work, I'd ask around at a league night or two. Truth of the matter is, disc golfers don't seem to be all that desperate to get their discs back!
Total Discs Found: 184
Total Discs Marked: 97 (53%)
Total Discs Returned: 54 (56% of marked, 29% of total found)
So only about half of folks mark their discs and only about half of that actually gets back to the owner despite my best efforts.
Quite a few things contributing to the return rate being what it is. Not much that's going to be done regarding unmarked discs. If an unmarked disc is found I ask other groups I come across on the course about it. This sometimes (rarely) returns the disc to the owner. I used to check social media to see if they lost something but as a non-Facebook user it was onerous and frankly from what I could tell there just wasn't a lot of information flowing on 95% of these pages - only one course that I visit had a public page that appeared to have somewhat active online members, and even then I suspect they were the minority of a minority. It wasn't worth my time chasing people down for these.
The next problem came with the numbers themselves. Sometimes people didn't bother putting one on the disc, just a name or PDGA number. I tried to track down a few of these online but it was waaaay too much time for the amount of success I was seeing. Generally I would ask around with the regulars. If nobody knew them, into the donate/trade-in pile it went.
Disconnected/illegible numbers were another issue. While sitting in a pond for a long while doesn't really obliterate the numbers sometimes they fade just enough that poor penmanship basically kills it. Sometimes there was no hope of reading the number in the first place. A large number also simply never responded to the texts.
The most frustrating group were the ones that made contact, sounded excited to get their discs back, then never did a damn thing to facilitate it. I play a lot of disc golf - like 3 or 4 times a week or more. I travel to a fair number of courses. If I've texted a person a dozen times about arranging a meetup and all I get is "I'm busy" or worse, no answer, and the pattern continues for a couple of months without a single proposed time by the disc owner then I'm giving up and doing whatever the heck I want with the disc. I've left plenty of discs under trash cans and passed them along to owner's friends. I'm a flexible fella, but dang you need to do your part!
So what gets lost the most?
Brand:
Innova - 48%
Discraft - 15%
MVP: 9%
Dynamic: 8%
Prodigy: 4%
DGA: 4%
Westside: 4%
Axiom: 3%
Lat 64: 3%
Gateway: 1%
Lightning: 1%
I'm not sure what to make of these numbers. We have a good selection of discs available at stores in our area so I would have thought there'd be a somewhat more even split. Kastaplast isn't sold at all in our area and, no surprise, none were found. Similarly, there's not much in line for Gateway or Lightning or those weird Chinese brands available.
Color:
Blue 16%
Pink 16%
Red 13%
Green 11%
Yellow 10%
Orange 10%
White 9%
Purple 4%
Tye Dye 3%
Gold 2%
Violet 2%
Clear 1%
Somewhat surprising here as Blue and Pink are usually identified as being some of the best colors to throw due to their tendency to stand out in the field. Given that by far most of the discs I found were from water hazards color may have little to do with what I'm finding. Alternatively, maybe I'm just not finding some of the goofier colors because they're harder to see!
Plastic:
Grippy Premium (Star/Gold Line/Neutron/etc) - 39%
Clear Premium (Champion/Lucid/Proton/etc) - 28%
Base (DX, ProD, whatever) - 24%
Flexible Premium (Gstar, Zflx) - 4%
Lightweight (Air, Blizzard) - 4%
Glow - 1%
I never find glow discs
Mold:
Destroyer - 12
Shryke - 6
Beast - 6
Drone - 5
Vulcan - 4
Wraith - 4
Katana - 4
Firebird - 4
Boss - 4
I want to say there should be a few more Bosses and Katanas on there but I don't have them recorded. Destroyers far and away in the lead along with a lot of other high speed drivers. Not sure if it's because they are harder to throw correctly or if you throw them longer and are thus more likely to have them lose line of sight. Was really weird seeing the Drone up as high as it was though, not sure what that's about.
Speed/Class
13 (15%)
5 (14%)
9 (13%)
12 (12%)
11 (11%)
Shocked to find that speed 5 midranges were the 2nd most common to find. My hunch would be that they turn over and end up in the water unexpectedly when you try and force them out too much, but then again there were a lot of Drones found. Maybe folks coming up short? Risky forehands? Or maybe they are the mold of choice on wooded holes? Who knows. Despite the Destroyer reigning supreme for lost discs all the Nukes, Bosses, Katanas, Vulcans, etc added up for 13's to take the top slot. Speed 14's were way down the list, tied with 2nd to last, so they must not be the most popular things around.
And just for funsies
Disc Finding Rate: .89/round
That works out to roughly just less than 1 disc per round played, which sounds about right. It's worth noting that I don't find a disc literally every time I play, but there are some days I find multiple so it balances out.
Most Discs Found in One Day: 14
Pond finds along with a seasonal pool drying up just enough to walk through and see to the bottom. This was split between 3 courses. I believe this was a muck boot and rake day.
Most discs returned to one person: 4
I don't know how this guy affords to play!
Found discs actually in bag: 4/13 - Buzzz SS, Hornet, Trespass, Renegade
Ace Discs Returned: 3
These always get a bit of extra effort - never failed on getting one back yet despite some pretty sparse clues!
What happens to these discs?
The vast majority get donated to new players. The high speed stuff 12+ mostly gets traded in for credit at a local disc shop where I generally buy putters since so few are typically lost and new players all need one!
So there you go. May not be the best study in the world but I thought it was interesting at least!
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
- Messages
- 6,340
I found a Tournament plastic king last year and I've found at least 3 Buzzzes. All had no name on them except the King which said LINK in huge letters on the back. A blue Big Z Buzzz SS and 2 Tie dye Buzzzes.
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
- Messages
- 6,340
White DX wraiths are what I seem to find around here. And actually I've contributed to the lost white DX wraith situation years ago by losing one in the river at a local course. I got my first ace with that disc too.
Twmccoy
* Ace Member *
Most discs I ever found in a day was 86. Those were what I deemed keepable. I ditched all the really poor quality DX or other cheap plastic discs. Total number was well over 100.
It was seriously one of those insane days where I stepped on disc after disc in the lakes where I was wading. I've never encountered that many before or since.
I don't notice any correlation between lost discs and what color they are. Most of the discs I find aren't visible anyway, so color means nothing. I step on them in water that's at least a foot deep and murky.
Tie dye discs aren't ridiculously common, but nor are they rare. If I find 50 discs in a day, 4 or 5 of those will usually be nice tie dyes. I have found some tie dyes in dense foliage, making me wonder why someone chose to throw them on a certain hole in the first place. They are often very hard to see.
My 3 most common molds found are still Valks, Beasts, and Leopards. I find a lot of Destroyers too, but I still feel like those numbers pale in comparison to the other 3 molds.
I figure I find about 95% of my discs in deep water/lakes. 5% in foliage/weeds.
It was seriously one of those insane days where I stepped on disc after disc in the lakes where I was wading. I've never encountered that many before or since.
I don't notice any correlation between lost discs and what color they are. Most of the discs I find aren't visible anyway, so color means nothing. I step on them in water that's at least a foot deep and murky.
Tie dye discs aren't ridiculously common, but nor are they rare. If I find 50 discs in a day, 4 or 5 of those will usually be nice tie dyes. I have found some tie dyes in dense foliage, making me wonder why someone chose to throw them on a certain hole in the first place. They are often very hard to see.
My 3 most common molds found are still Valks, Beasts, and Leopards. I find a lot of Destroyers too, but I still feel like those numbers pale in comparison to the other 3 molds.
I figure I find about 95% of my discs in deep water/lakes. 5% in foliage/weeds.
