Discraft needs to step their game back up'

[Bardu]

FWIW, most of the serious players I know only come to DGCR for course reviews and the marketplace. They rarely read let alone post in the main forums due to the endless bickering and self-proclaimed experts.

Absolutely.

For one, I will keep buying Buzzzes. And props to Discraft for not releasing boatloads of chaff like everyone else.

 

[Three Putt]

I assume a lot. Here is how I assume it played out:

• Prodigy was no secret and Discraft knew there would be a play made for some of their team players.
  
• Discraft released the Ti discs as signature molds to sweeten the deal they had going with the players they wanted to keep.
  
• The Ti discs didn't really sell like hotcakes and didn't do much for the players bottom line, so they wanted more.
  
• Discraft saw the slow sales of Ti as evidence that the players endorsement really wasn't doing much to sell discs, so they really were not interested in giving them more.
  
• Discraft players jumped ship to other manufacturers. Discraft thinks they made the best business decision to let them go, and the players think they are worth more than Discraft offered.

It might not have played out like that, but that's what it looked like to me assuming from the outside.

 

[burdphil]

Just out of curiosity, did anyone on here stop throwing Discraft solely because EMac left?

 

[Smigles]

Those instructional videos (the ones with mark ellis, right) are a joke and Mark is a joker. Please dont make more of these.

Their discs are as good as they always were, buzzz and comet are still the two best midranges in the world.

Cant speak about how they treat their pros cause I dont follow that. But for me Discraft is as good as they have always been.

 

[Streets]

Those instructional videos (the ones with mark ellis, right) are a joke and Mark is a joker. Please dont make more of these.

Their discs are as good as they always were, buzzz and comet are still the two best midranges in the world.

Cant speak about how they treat their pros cause I dont follow that. But for me Discraft is as good as they have always been.

This is essentially the main point of the thread, in addition to the pro stuff and marketing. Discraft is currently in great shape, with great molds and are COMFORTABLE in their niche.

Basically there's is a "keep doing what we've been doing" kind of attitude. Is this a current problem? No. Could it affect them in the long haul against Innova and the booming crop of newer companies? IDK.

 

[kutz167]

I'll bet you there are snotloads of players who don't know any of those discs beyond the Buzzz or Roc, (possibly including the Roc3), because they don't do internet, and they don't have a dedicated disc golf store where they live, but there's a Dick's, Academy, Wallyworld or possibly a gas station in town.

Minus a few old school Millennium molds I've seen at Academy, I have yet to see a general merchandise retailer that sold anything outside of the big two. I know we cool kids don't shop those places, but a lot of new players who aren't in the know do. As long as they have that presence to themselves, the big two could care less what we message board know it all's think.

. . .

I know that Vibram had managed to put some discs in a few REI stores to test how they sold. I'm not sure if they still are, but I know that Vibram was in a major retailer at one point.

The Scheels in my hometown carries a lot of Innova and Discraft, but also has a decent selection of MVP, Trilogy, and maybe a few others. The guy who orders their discs asks the club in my hometown which companies would be good to get in.

My point is: some some of the smaller companies are gaining traction in big box stores.

 

[Rockwell]

One of the smartest marketing strategies I've seen in disc golf is discrafts ace races. Brilliant, fun, and brand building. Vibram and trilogy are trying to mimic its success.

 

[bogeyfreetilinfinity]

signature discs

Discraft needs to make a play for Climo. Getting him to jump would really make a splash in the dg world. 12x buzzes!? i'd love to see more pros names on discs. I would definitely buy a disc if it had one of my favorite local pro's name on it and I knew a portion of that was going to them.

 

[AndyJB]

They'd have better luck getting JK back.

And neither one would put more money into the Disc raft coffers.

 

[jenb]

I assume a lot. Here is how I assume it played out:

• Prodigy was no secret and Discraft knew there would be a play made for some of their team players.
  
• Discraft released the Ti discs as signature molds to sweeten the deal they had going with the players they wanted to keep.
  
• The Ti discs didn't really sell like hotcakes and didn't do much for the players bottom line, so they wanted more.
  
• Discraft saw the slow sales of Ti as evidence that the players endorsement really wasn't doing much to sell discs, so they really were not interested in giving them more.
  
• Discraft players jumped ship to other manufacturers. Discraft thinks they made the best business decision to let them go, and the players think they are worth more than Discraft offered.

It might not have played out like that, but that's what it looked like to me assuming from the outside.

Sounds reasonable.

And the TI plastic was so overstable that the pro's signature discs wound up not flying like the original molds they liked. For example, I recall some people complaining that the TI Stalker was "like a firebird with no skip." How is a pro endorsement supposed to sell a firebird with no skip?

 

[Menacewarf]

People seem to be missing the OP. I don't think AIM is talking about plastic per se, because they are still pumping out solid molds etc. They just aren't promoting and are very stagnant in that realm.

For example. On Facebook, I can usually count on seeing a post from either Innova, SpinTV, Discmania, Innova Pro Shop, DD and the other Trilogy related stuff almost daily whereas Discraft MIGHT have a single post in a week. And on YouTube, Innova and DD are kicking butt while the last Discraft vid that came out (if I remember right) wasn't even in 720p.

And they stole my march madness mold tournament idea :|. That or some very parallel thinking. To be honest I stole it from bill Simmons and grantland who does tournaments for every stupid thing.

 

[Menacewarf]

I assume a lot. Here is how I assume it played out:

• Prodigy was no secret and Discraft knew there would be a play made for some of their team players.
  
• Discraft released the Ti discs as signature molds to sweeten the deal they had going with the players they wanted to keep.
  
• The Ti discs didn't really sell like hotcakes and didn't do much for the players bottom line, so they wanted more.
  
• Discraft saw the slow sales of Ti as evidence that the players endorsement really wasn't doing much to sell discs, so they really were not interested in giving them more.
  
• Discraft players jumped ship to other manufacturers. Discraft thinks they made the best business decision to let them go, and the players think they are worth more than Discraft offered.

It might not have played out like that, but that's what it looked like to me assuming from the outside.

If all that is true than many people were blind to the fact they were essentially making discs in camouflage colors. To me that's clearly where TI failed big.

 

[eegor]

If all that is true than many people were blind to the fact they were essentially making discs in camouflage colors. To me that's clearly where TI failed big.

This is why I never spent a dime on Ti discs. The endorsements don't sway my decisions either.

 

[Menacewarf]

This is why I never spent a dime on Ti discs. The endorsements don't sway my decisions either.

Same here. I wanted to try it but never found one that didn't look like a leaf, patch of earth or shadow.

 

[burdphil]

Sounds reasonable.

And the TI plastic was so overstable that the pro's signature discs wound up not flying like the original molds they liked. For example, I recall some people complaining that the TI Stalker was "like a firebird with no skip." How is a pro endorsement supposed to sell a firebird with no skip?

The fact that some of the ti stalkers are like a firebird with less skip is exactly why I love them. Sometimes you don't want a big skip...

 

[T.Hizzle]

Discraft makes 90% of their profits from ultimate. Having a DG line-up is just a bonus to them.

 

[JAKE master]

Discraft makes 90% of their profits from ultimate. Having a DG line-up is just a bonus to them.

does anybody have any real numbers to dispute this? ive read this several times and im starting to believe that a handful of the last times i read this were people who also read the original post, and are now just repeating it.

 

[AndyJB]

does anybody have any real numbers to dispute this? ive read this several times and im starting to believe that a handful of the last times i read this were people who also read the original post, and are now just repeating it.

I don't have hard numbers but I have also heard that Ultimate is what keeps the lights on and the employees paid, and Disc golf is actually where they make their profits. Sort of (but not really) how the Wizard is what keeps Gateway in business and any other disc is profit.

Who knows? But I do know that the 175 gram Ultra Star is the only approved disc for Major League Ultimate, and every Ultimate player I know, including me, has at least two. So I would imagine the quoted numbers on this board aren't too far off.

On another note, if I can find a Ti Drone in bright pink, I'd be a happy camper.

 

[burdphil]

I don't have hard numbers but I have also heard that Ultimate is what keeps the lights on and the employees paid, and Disc golf is actually where they make their profits. Sort of (but not really) how the Wizard is what keeps Gateway in business and any other disc is profit.

Who knows? But I do know that the 175 gram Ultra Star is the only approved disc for Major League Ultimate, and every Ultimate player I know, including me, has at least two. So I would imagine the quoted numbers on this board aren't too far off.

On another note, if I can find a Ti Drone in bright pink, I'd be a happy camper.

Actually, Major League Ultimate has a deal with Innova and uses the Pulsar. The American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL, the original pro league that the MLU broke away from) uses the Ultra-Star, as does USAU.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

Im not sure how big ultimate really is but its likely a good part of their business being they are the only ones really doing it for sanctioned play that gets used like Wilson balls...

Current USA Ultimate Approved Discs

Championship Level
• Discraft UltraStar, Westland Mold – Hot Stamp
• Discraft UltraStar, Westland Mold – Supercolor Center
• Discraft UltraStar, Web Mold – Hot Stamp
• Discraft UltraStar, Web Mold – Supercolor Center
General Level
• Discraft UltraStar, Web Mold – Full Supercolor
• Discraft UltraStar, Westland Mold – Full Supercolor
• Innova Pulsar
• EuroDisc 175g Ultimate Standard
Youth Level
• Discraft J*Star


A simple google search tells you though that there are about 100 million different linked results for Ultimate vs only 30 Million for DG.