How To Read Disc Golf Disc Ratings
All the pros will tell you that the most important aspect of a great disc golfer is your ability to run as fast as your can across the tee pad and hurl the disc as hard as you possibly can throw it. And when that doesn't work, and you've blown out a knee and ripped your shoulder to shreds, take the time to learn how to interpret the disc golf rating system, pick the right disc, slow down and chill out on that tee pad.
Disc golf really is a finesse game more than a strength one, at least for us mere mortals. Let's be honest, must of us will never throw a disc 500 feet. Therefore, in order to finesse the disc down the fairway and into the basket, we need to pick the right disc for our capabilities and approach to playing disc golf.
The disc rating system is actually pretty easy. There are four number ratings for each disc. If you're like me you buy factory seconds and misprint discs, you'll need to look up the disc rating online and then write it on the disc yourself. Fancy retail quality discs usually have the rating on them, depending on the graphics.
| Speed | Glide | Turn | Fade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 15 | 1 - 7 | -5 - +1 | 0 - 5 |
Speed
The speed rating can be between 1 and 15. A lower the number indicates a slower disc. A high number would be for a faster disc.
The Buzzz is one of my favorite discs. Here's its rating. The Buzzz is a mid-range.
| Speed | Glide | Turn | Fade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 | -1 | 1 |
The Buzzz has a 5 speed rating. Since 15 is the fastest disc, the Buzzz is pretty slow.
Now let's look at one more. This time we'll choose the Innova TL3. The TL3 is becoming my favorite fairway driver.
| Speed | Glide | Turn | Fade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 4 | -1 | 1 |
As you can see, the TL3 ratings are almost the same. The only difference is that the speed rating for the TL3 is three more than the Buzzz - up from 5 to an 8.
From my personal experience, these discs do basically the exact same thing, it's just that the TL3 is faster. That means that the TL3, will travel farther than the Buzzz, but on essentially the same line, if thrown correctly.
Glide
TBD
Turn
TBD
Fade
TBD