Disc golf discs often have numbers on them that seem mysterious to newer players. These disc golf numbers typically come in sets of four (though one brand uses five). These are called "flight numbers" or "flight ratings" because their job is to give potential buyers an idea of how a disc should fly.
Want to know what those numbers on disc golf discs mean and how to understand them? Read the whole post to become an all-around expert or jump directly to a topic by clicking or tapping it in the navigation below:
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- What do disc golf disc numbers mean?
Related topics:
-Are disc golf disc flight numbers scientific?
-Are disc golf flight numbers regulated or required?
-History of disc golf flight numbers
-Do different disc brands use different flight number scales?
-What does it mean if a disc doesn't have numbers on it? - What does disc golf disc speed mean?
Related topics:
-Do high speed disc golf discs fly farther?
-Why is speed always the first number on a disc?
-The relationship between disc weight and speed number - Disc golf disc numbers and wind
- What does disc golf disc glide mean?
Related topics:
-How does glide relate to other disc golf flight numbers?
-When should I use high glide disc golf discs?
-When should I use low glide disc golf discs? - What does disc golf disc turn mean?
Related topics:
-How does turn relate to other disc golf flight numbers?
-When should I use disc golf discs with high turn?
-When should I use disc golf discs with low turn? - What does disc golf disc fade mean?
Related topics:
-How does fade relate to other disc golf flight numbers?
-When should I use disc golf discs with high fade?
-When should I use disc golf discs with low fade? - What does the fifth number on Discraft discs mean?
- What numbers mean a disc is best for beginners?
What Do the Numbers on Disc Golf Discs Mean?
When golf discs have a series of four numbers on them, here's what they mean as you go from left to right:
- Speed (1 to 14): The higher the number, the faster a disc can cut through the wind/air and the faster you need to throw it for it to achieve its intended flight pattern.
- Glide (1 to 7): The higher the number, the longer a disc can potentially stay in the air.
- Turn (-5 to 1): The lower the number, the more likely a disc is to turn right near the beginning of its flight after a righthand backhand throw when thrown flat.
- Fade (0 to 5): The higher the number, the more a disc will move left near the end of its flight after a righthand backhand throw.
The number ranges above were created and popularized by disc golf brand Innova and have since become fairly standard industry-wide. Some brands vary slightly from those ranges or have created their own systems.
If you see numbers in a 2 x 2 square, speed is top left, glide is top right, turn is bottom left, and fade is bottom right.
The only brand that goes beyond four numbers is Discraft. They use five: Speed, glide, turn, fade, and stability (again, from left to right). To learn about this fifth number, tap or click to jump to the section on Discraft's five-number flight rating system farther down in this post.
Are Disc Golf Flight Numbers Science-Based?
As far as we know, no brand is testing how discs perform under tightly controlled conditions to determine disc golf flight numbers. Flight numbers appear to be educated guesses based on physical factors like rim width and observations of how a disc flies when thrown in an open field.
Most companies keep to flight number ranges and categories created by disc golf industry giant Innova in the early 2000s simply because that brand's popularity and wide availability established their flight rating system as the most well-understood in the game. Their numbers, however, are not based on any precise calculations that they've publicly discussed.
It seems likely that many in the industry create flight numbers with processes similar to the one depicted in a recent video documenting how the video's host decides on flight numbers for a new driver from eco-friendly disc brand Trash Panda. Though the host puts plenty of effort into his decision, the process is far from a series of physics calculations. The host even states in the video that he does "everything in disc golf based on feel" and that using "scientific data" to determine flight numbers would have been a non-starter.
Are Disc Golf Flight Numbers Regulated or Required?
The governing body for competitive disc golf, the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), does approve discs for competition but it does not regulate flight numbers in any way (and neither does anyone else).
The PDGA primarily assures discs adhere to rules related to size, weight, shape, and rim width because they're important for safety and fair competition. Brand-assigned flight numbers are not considered during the approval process, leaving brands free to make up whatever numbers or scales they want – or to avoid flight numbers altogether.
The History of Disc Golf Flight Numbers
There are few things that are certain when it comes to the invention of disc flight numbers.
As we tried to dig into their origins, we got in touch with Mike Hughes, a curator of the ever-expanding digital archive of disc history the Flying Disc Museum (FDM), to see what he knew. It turns out he'd gotten curious about the same topic a few years ago, but despite having contact with plenty of influential people from disc golf's earliest days, he didn't uncover much.
Hughes said that in an email exchange with a representative of Innova, he was told Dave Dunipace, co-founder of disc golf equipment giant Innova, invented the first four-number disc golf flight rating number system. Exactly when the idea came to Dunipace is unclear.
Our research has some sources saying "the 1990s," but we didn't see any sourcing proving that timeline. What the Innova representative did confirm to Hughes, however, is that Dunipace's disc flight number scale was finalized in 2001. The first time Hughes knows of the disc numbers being publicized was in Innova's 2002 catalog (see image below).
But it's clear that the idea of rating discs' flight characteristics by some sort of numerical system was floating around prior to 2001. In just one issue of Disc Golf World News published in the spring of 2000, there are two different instances of flight rating systems in print that predate the 2002 Innova catalog. One is a stability guide in a CHING Disc Golf Gear advertisement that appears to be identical to the scale currently used to create the fifth number on Discraft discs. The other is featured in disc reviews where a contributor named John Hime uses his own numerical system for rating stability, speed, and glide.
CHING even printed its stability scale and discs' stability ratings on discs ten years prior to Innova printing flight numbers on their discs.
Of course, CHING and Innova were very closely linked around the time Dunipace finalized his flight number system as CHING founder Michael Holgate described in an article he wrote for the Flying Disc Museum. Innova was producing the molds and discs used for CHING discs at the turn of the century – the very same ones that featured stability ratings on them. It also bought exclusive licensing to Holgate's patent on a portable disc golf basket and a process for full-color disc dyeing he'd invented.
None of this is intended to suggest that the disc flight rating number system as we know it today was not invented by Innova's Dunipace. It does seem clear, though, that he wasn't the only person at the time toying with the idea of quantifying discs' predicted flights so customers could quickly assess how discs should fly without having to throw them first or read lengthy text descriptions.
Do Disc Golf Brands Use Different Flight Number Scales?
Most brands give discs flight numbers based on the Innova-popularized scales for Speed (1 to 14), Glide (1 to 7), Turn (-5 to 1) and Fade (0 to 5) because they're best understood among experienced disc golfers. However, many tinker with Innova's formula.
Some brands, for instance, find Innova's use of solely whole numbers (e.g., 6 or 5) a bit restricting. They freely use decimals (e.g., 6.5 or 5.5) when they think their discs' flights fall between typical expectations for a whole number in any category. A few brands have also classified discs as faster than the 14-speed limit Innova's discs currently have. For instance, MVP has a number of 14.5 speed discs and Latitude 64° created two discs, the Raketen and Missilen, they rated as speed 15.
As we've said above, flight numbers are not regulated or created based on rigorous scientific testing. Brands are free to label discs with whatever numbers they want. Their only restriction is keeping their numbers in line with their customers' expectations.
What If There Are No Flight Numbers on a Disc?
These are the likeliest reasons a disc doesn't have flight numbers on it:
- The disc was made before a company started printing flight numbers on its discs (or made by one that still doesn't).
- A disc dyer erased the original stamping (numbers may still be visible with the right light and viewing angle)
- The stamp design for that disc didn't include flight numbers (common for commemorative discs, special runs, etc.).
Like we explain in an earlier section, a disc without flight numbers is perfectly legal to use in sanctioned competition as long as its PDGA-approved. If you're curious, you can likely find its flight numbers with a quick web search if you know the brand and name of the disc. Even if a brand doesn't use flight numbers, some popular retail sites have assigned them to their discs based on customers' or their own staff's feedback.
Though many companies adopted printing flight numbers on their discs after going years without doing it, Innova discs made prior to 2009 in particular are often referred to as "pre-flight number" or PFN discs. These are sought-after by some disc collectors.
Disc Golf Disc Numbers: What Does Speed Mean?
The disc golf flight number for speed (typically between 1 and 14) has two main meanings:
- How easily a disc cuts through the air
- How fast you should throw the disc for it to achieve its intended flight
The higher a disc's speed number is, the more easily it should cut through the air and the faster you need to throw it for the disc to fly as intended. It takes extremely good technique to throw normal weight, high speed discs fast enough for them to achieve their full intended flight paths.
You can usually tell low and high speed discs apart by their shapes. Slower discs have blunter edges and thinner rims that make them more controllable to throw but also less aerodynamic. Faster discs have wide rims that taper to sharp edges, giving them a lower profile that helps them cut through air and wind more effectively than lower speed discs.
Do High Speed Disc Golf Discs Fly Farther?
Despite what many companies' flight charts suggest, discs with higher speed rating numbers are not guaranteed to go farther than discs with lower speed numbers.
For one, you have to consider other parts of a disc's expected flight path. When thrown by the majority of disc golfers, a disc with 11 speed but no turn and high fade will likely not fly as far as something like a 9 speed disc with a bit of turn and low fade – especially if the lower speed disc has more glide (i.e., more potential to stay in the air longer). That's because the higher speed disc will fade out and stop progressing forward more quickly than the lower speed disc.
However, even higher speed discs with the exact same ratings for glide, turn, and fade as lower speed discs are not guaranteed to fly farther. This is because speed is not just a rating of how fast a disc is but how fast it should be thrown. If you have a 14-speed disc that's not lightweight, it will take excellent technique and power to throw it at the high velocity it needs to achieve its full flight. If quality of technique, age, or other factors don't allow you to put lots of speed behind a disc with a high speed rating, it will hyzer out (e.g., go left after a righthand backhand) fairly early in its flight.
This is why beginners, kids, seniors, and many others often throw low speed discs farther than high speed discs: Low speed discs need less power behind them to achieve their full intended flight patterns. Here's an explanation of this from disc brand Dynamic Discs' official YouTube channel:
You can also see some backup for our statements in this section by checking out a video on Instagram where the inventor of the disc golf flight number rating system, Dave Dunipace of Innova, discusses what speed really means. Here are a few relevant quotes in case you can't watch the linked video:
- "The higher the speed, the better it cuts through the wind – fast. Doesn't mean it goes farther, means it goes faster."
- "There's a distinct possibility for a lot of people a Wombat3 [speed 5, glide 6, turn -1, fade 0] downwind thrown properly can go farther than, let's say, a Wraith [speed 11, glide 5, turn -1, fade 3] for them."
- "The flight characteristics of a Wraith is [sic] such that you have to have a pretty good arm to keep it in glide mode long enough to give you the distance. If you don't have that and are going downwind, you're just likely to fall off while the Wombat3 catches up to it and then passes it."
By "downwind," Dunipace is referring to what most disc golfers call tailwind – wind blowing in the same direction you're throwing.
Notably, Dunipace does suggest in the video that high speed discs have more potential to go far when thrown into headwinds (wind blowing in the opposite of the direction you're throwing) because they're made to cut through the wind and should be less affected by it than slower, less aerodynamic discs. Still – no matter the wind direction – glide, turn, fade, and a thrower's power and technique quality are always important factors in how far a disc will fly.
Why is Speed Always the First Flight Number?
Disc numbers for speed suggest how fast you should throw a disc for all the other flight numbers to be valid (i.e., for the disc to achieve its intended flight pattern). We didn't see any company say expressly that this is why speed is always the first flight number, but this would be a reasonable explanation for it.
If you can't throw a high speed disc at a high speed, it will turn less and fade more than its ratings in those categories suggest. This also means the disc won't stay in the air as long as its glide rating suggests.
If you throw a low speed disc at an extremely high speed, it will probably turn more than its flight numbers suggest. Sometimes this means the disc will hit the ground and start rolling, which really makes "flight" numbers seem irrelevant (though discs of different stabilities do roll differently).
How Does Disc Weight Affect Speed Rating Number?
If you take two discs of the same mold in drastically different weights, they'll almost certainly not fly the same when you throw them. Still, it's the norm that companies give discs the same flight numbers no matter how heavy they are.
Though it's confusing in practice, this does make sense in theory.
It's a lot easier to throw lighter discs faster. They're not as heavy, so you need less power/strength to throw them fast. This means two things:
- Players with lower power are more likely to throw lightweight, high speed discs close to their intended speed and therefore get them to fly as far as they're intended to.
- Players with plenty of power accustomed to using the amount of force they need to put into heavier discs to get them to fly as intended are likely to release lightweight discs at faster-than-ideal speeds, making the light discs more likely to overturn and/or roll soon after release.
This is why lightweight discs are typically marketed to beginners, kids, and those whose power is restricted in other ways. It's also why some savvy amateur players seek out higher speed discs in lower weights.
Essentially, if you accept that the flight number for speed suggests how fast a disc should be thrown to fly as intended, giving two discs of different weights the same flight numbers makes sense. It's just easier for low-power players to achieve ideal release speeds and flights with lightweight discs and harder for powerful players to tone it down the perfect amount for lightweight discs to achieve the ideal speeds and flights they're used to creating with heavier discs.
Of course, this logic can be hard to follow in real life when you see two discs with the same numbers fly very differently when thrown in the exact same way. Most people have no idea how fast they're throwing a disc and even if they do, there's virtually no information about ideal throwing speed to flight number speed correlations.
Disc Golf Disc Numbers: How Wind Changes Discs' Intended Flights
Now that we've covered how important it is to throw discs at the right speed for them to fly as intended, (though, unfortunately, there is no real way to tell what that "right speed" is), it's easier to explain how wind affects disc flight.
For the sake of simplicity and your patience, we'll stick to two types of wind here: tailwind and headwind. A tailwind is a wind that is blowing in the same direction your disc is traveling. A headwind is a wind that is blowing opposite to the direction your disc is traveling.
Here's how a tailwind affects your disc in relation to flight number terms:
- Slower air speed
- Less turn
- More fade
- Less glide
Here's how a headwind affects your disc in relation to flight number terms:
- Faster air speed
- More turn
- Less fade
- Higher glide discs are made to capture more air underneath them, which means they're more likely to be greatly affected by headwinds – i.e., the effects of more turn and less fade will probably be more exaggerated in high glide discs.
And, yes, we know we threw a new term out there with "air speed." Here's the deal with it...
Excuse the nerdiness for a second, but Newton's Third Law of Physics is usually stated something like this: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." When you throw a disc, think of the "action" as your disc traveling forward and the "reaction" as the air pushing against it in the opposite direction of its flight. The faster your disc travels forward, the more air will push against it.
When you throw a disc into a headwind, more air is pushing against it than in a neutral wind, so the disc will act like it was thrown faster than you actually threw it. When you throw a disc with a tailwind, it encounters less pushback in the direction it's flying, so it will act like you threw it slower than you actually threw it.
And, as we discussed in the section on the relationship between disc speed and weight, how fast a disc is going changes a lot about how it flies.
If you'd like a more in-depth, disc golf-focused physics lesson explaining these ideas, check out this video from Best Disc Golf Discs:
Disc Golf Disc Numbers: What Does Glide Mean?
Glide (typically between 1 and 7) suggests a disc's ability to stay in the air – the higher the number, the longer it should stay aloft. With neutral wind or tailwind, if you throw two discs at the same angle and pace that have the same numbers for speed, turn, and fade but different glide numbers, the disc with the higher glide should theoretically stay in the air longest and go the farthest.
You might be asking, "If high glide equals more distance, why aren't all discs high glide?" Keep reading to find out.
How Does Glide Relate to Other Disc Flight Numbers?
- Speed: In order for a disc to achieve its full glide potential, it needs to be thrown at its intended ideal speed. People with less powerful throws will be most likely to see maximum glide from slower discs or lightweight higher speed discs. Faster discs at typical weights will likely not fly as far as they'd expect based on glide rating.
- Turn: The more turn a disc has, the more likely it is that less powerful throwers will benefit in terms of distance from it having a high glide rating. Powerful throwers can also use high glide, high turn discs, but they need to throw them with finesse for them to fly as intended. When seeking a disc they want to throw far and fairly straight, powerful throwers should look for high glide and low turn.
- Fade: The more fade a disc has, the less likely less powerful throwers are to benefit in terms of distance from high glide ratings. Powerful throwers can use high fade, high glide discs to achieve distance with a fairly predictable end result.
When Should I Throw High Glide Discs?
Discs with high glide numbers are excellent when...
- you want to throw a disc far (as long as the disc is an appropriate speed for your power level), or...
- you are throwing with tailwind (wind blowing in the direction you're throwing) or neutral wind.
Discs with high glide are meant to stay in the air for a long time, so if you're looking for maximum distance, high glide discs with appropriate speed ratings for your power level are often the right choice. They will also resist the adverse effects on distance tailwinds can have more than discs with low glide.
When Should I Throw Low Glide Discs?
Take out discs with low glide numbers when...
- you need accuracy more than distance, or...
- you are throwing into a headwind (wind blowing opposite to the direction you're throwing).
Believe it or not, there are times on the course when throwing far shouldn't be your main objective. Maybe there's a hole so short that you could easily blow by the basket with your glidiest putter or a baby upshot to a basket perched next to a cliff you really don't want to soar down. In situations like these, discs with low glide – i.e., discs that get to the ground fast – are a great choice.
Additionally, low glide discs won't be lifted and toyed with as much by headwinds as high glide discs. So if you feel strong winds blowing in your face, think about opting for a disc with low glide.
Disc Golf Disc Numbers: What Does Turn Mean?
The disc golf flight number for turn (typically between -5 and 1) is more specifically "high speed turn." If a right-handed player throws a disc backhand, the turn number suggests how far left it should go shortly after being released, i.e., when it's most likely achieving the top air speeds of its flight.
In contrast to how all other disc golf flight numbers work, low numbers mean high turn. So a disc with a -5 turn rating turns more than one with a -2 rating.
How Does Turn Relate to Other Disc Flight Numbers?
- Speed: The faster a disc is thrown, the more likely it is to turn. The slower it's thrown, the less likely it is to turn. This means powerful throwers can often make low turn discs turn more than their flight numbers suggest they should – and this gets more true as speed rating goes down and turn goes higher (remember, lower numbers mean higher turn). Less powerful throwers may see very little turn from discs with fairly high turn ratings because they're not throwing discs fast enough to make the "high speed turn" happen. The higher a disc's speed rating, the more true this should be.
- Glide: High turn discs typically won't fade as quickly for less powerful throwers, meaning they can enjoy the benefits of a high glide disc more when throwing a high turn disc. Powerful throwers will probably want to seek out discs with lower turn and high glide to achieve max distance because high turn discs may turn so quickly for them that they start to roll before they can glide.
- Fade: High turn discs tend to be fairly low fade, which means after they turn right, they don't come back too much to the left when thrown righthand backhand. Discs with low turn, however, can be low or high fade. A low turn, low fade disc should fly fairly straight and hold close to whatever line it's released on. A low turn, high fade disc results in flights that barely go right before fading left when thrown righthand backhand.
When Should I Throw High Turn Discs?
Here are good reasons to seek out and throw discs with high turn numbers:
- You're a player whose throw is on the less powerful side: Higher turn discs are likely to give you more distance if you throw at low speeds than lower turn discs.
- You're throwing a distance shot with a strong tailwind: As we talked about in the section on wind and flight numbers, tailwinds make discs less prone to turn and more likely to fade quickly. If you have a strong wind at your back and want to throw far, a disc with higher turn is more likely to help you achieve your goal.
- You need a disc that flips and stays flipped: If your game is based primarily on backhand or primarily on forehand, you'll eventually encounter some throws where you need a disc to turn early and stay turned. High turn discs with little or no fade are your best bet for achieving these sorts of shots.
- You need a roller disc: While some elite power throwers can roll pretty much any disc, most players seek out higher turn discs to use for rollers when distance is the goal.
When Should I Throw Low Turn Discs?
Disc with low turn numbers are good for people in these situations:
- You're a powerful thrower who wants a disc for distance throws: One of the most successful distance drivers of all time (and one of the most-mimicked by other manufacturers) is Innova's Destroyer, which has the fairly low turn rating of -1. While even powerful throwers will likely want a tiny bit of turn on their discs meant for maximum distance, discs with high turn rarely have enough fade to be true distance monsters for high-power players.
- You're a player with average to a lot of power and want a slower disc that holds a line: Innova's Mako3 midrange, MVP's Glitch putt and approach disc, and the lesser-known Hydrogen putter from Løft are just some slower discs made to stay on pretty much the exact angle they're released on throughout their flights. What do they all have in common? A turn rating of 0. While in faster discs, a 0 turn rating tends to come with significant fade, that's not the case with slower discs. So if you're looking for "a disc that flies straight" as so many disc golfers are, consider low speed, low turn, low fade discs.
- You're throwing into a headwind: When you throw into a headwind, discs turn more. To combat this phenomenon, it's best to throw lower turn discs than you would in normal conditions.
- You absolutely need to avoid something: You're a right-handed player throwing backhand and there's a lake to your right that means out-of-bounds strokes and the certainty of a lost disc? As long as there's plenty of safe space to the left, you might want to make absolutely sure you avoid the danger a high turn disc could land you in.
Disc Golf Disc Numbers: What Does Fade Mean?
Disc flight numbers for fade (typically between 0 and 5) more specifically describe "low speed fade." In other words, that's how much a disc moves left as it slows down near the end of its flight following a righthand backhand throw.
How Does Fade Relate to Other Disc Flight Numbers?
- Speed: It takes quality technique and power to throw high speed discs fast enough to reach their intended launch speeds. This means less powerful throwers will almost always throw fast discs too slowly and "low speed fade" will kick in much earlier, leading to discs dumping out to the ground before they gain much distance.
- Glide: To reap the distance benefits of a high glide disc, less powerful players will want to use discs with fairly low fade, especially with discs that are higher speed.
- Turn: Discs with high turn usually have low fade, and high turn, low fade discs tend to be great for less powerful players seeking distance. Discs with low turn can have low or high fade numbers. Low turn, low fade discs with lower speeds should fly fairly straight for most experienced players and also be usable by less powerful players. Low turn, high fade, low speed discs can be predictable short-range utility discs for many players. Low turn, high fade, high speed discs tend to be usable only for high power throwers.
When Should I Throw High Fade Discs?
Here's when to break out the discs with high fade numbers:
- You're a powerful player looking for predictability on distance throws: When discs get thrown very hard, they often turn more than they're intended to. When a power player picks up a disc with high fade, however, they can usually rely on it to eventually come out of the turn, which adds a bit more certainty to the end results of their throws.
- You need to be absolutely sure a disc will go in a certain direction: High fade means a disc is extremely likely to finish its flight in a certain direction. For instance, if you need a disc to absolutely finish left and you're throwing a righthand backhand, a high fade disc is likely a great choice. The same goes for a left-handed forehand.
- You're throwing into a headwind: When you throw a disc into a headwind, the disc will act like you threw it faster than you actually did. This means it will turn more. To compensate for this increased capacity for turn, you'll likely want to throw a disc with more fade to achieve the flight you'd expect from a lower fade disc thrown in neutral conditions.
High fade discs can also be useful if you like throwing flex shots or S-lines.
When Should I Throw Low Fade Discs?
- You're a less powerful player hoping for more distance: If you can't throw discs very fast, your discs will start fading (and not moving forward) very quickly. When you're looking for distance as a lower-power player, you should try discs with low fade ratings.
- You want a disc to hold a flat or anhyzer angle: If your goal is for a disc to go straight when you throw it flat or to stay on anhyzer when you release it with anhyzer, reach for low fade discs in the lowest speeds you can use to get the distance you need. High fade discs are not made to hold flat or anhyzer lines and the higher speed a disc is, the more prone it is to experiencing low speed fade.
- You're throwing with a tailwind: When you throw a disc into a tailwind, the disc will act like you threw it slower than you actually did. This means it will turn less and start to fade more quickly. To compensate for this decreased capacity for turn and more intense fade, you'll likely want to throw a disc with less fade to achieve the flight you'd expect from a higher fade disc thrown in neutral conditions.
What Does the Fifth Number on Discraft Discs Mean?
The disc brand Discraft adds a fifth number to its discs that stands for "stability." The scale goes from -3 to 3.
A disc with a stability rating of "0" should fly straight when thrown flat and at the intended speed. The deeper into the negatives a number is, the more likely a disc is to move farther right during its flight when thrown flat and backhand by a right-handed player. On the positive side, higher numbers mean more of a tendency for a disc to move left when thrown flat and backhand by a right-handed player.
What Are the Best Disc Numbers for a Beginner?
Here's a very basic breakdown of the sorts of disc flight numbers that will work best for most beginners:
- Speed: Don't try anything too fast. Maybe keep it around max 8 speeds. Test discs with different speeds out in a field and see if even slower discs tend to give you better results. If you absolutely want something fast, consider a lightweight disc (something under 160 grams – maybe even well under that).
- Glide: Look for higher glide discs to fill your slots for distance (4+) but try out some lower glide discs (especially ones with close to 0 turn and 0 fade) in the putt and approach department to see if they're better when accuracy is more important than distance.
- Turn: With discs on the faster end, stick to fairly high turn (-3 and under). Experiment with discs that have lower turn if they're both low speed (5 and below) and low fade (0s and 1s).
- Fade: For distance, seek out discs with low fade (0s and 1s), high turn (-3 and under), and speeds no higher than 8 or so. Even for approach shots, discs with fairly low fade (up to 2) will likely predictably fade hard for beginners.
If you live in a place where wind is a big factor, you may also want to bag a disc or two with more speed, less glide, less turn, and higher fade than what we suggest above because....physics.
We also want to note that the number suggestions above are extremely rough and inexact because, well, flight numbers are very rough and inexact. Even discs from the same brand with the same flight numbers in the same weight and plastic can sometimes fly in drastically different ways.
Take the suggestions as guideposts, and if you need to try out a bunch of discs to find the right ones for you, maybe the cheaper side of the used disc golf disc market will help you find them ina sustainable, affordable way.
