Disc golf: To bead or not to bead? That is the question …

There are a few key decisions disc golfers make that put them in one of two categories:

  • Bag or cart?
  • Forehand or turnover?
  • Play quickly or slowly?
  • Max-weight or light-weight?
  • For putters and midranges, to bead or not to bead?

There are others, but that last one’s of particular interest

I say that, as – of all the seemingly mundane things disc golfers are passionate about – for some odd reason, this is one of the more fiery ones. You love beads or you hate the heck out ‘em.

For those who aren’t aware, a bead is the small, circular ridge that’s formed along the underside of some discs. It looks like a tiny curb. Many putters and midranges have them. Many don’t.

YouTube: Disc Golf Nerd

In an interview with SpinTV in 2013, Dave Dunipace, co-founder and CEO of Innova Champion Discs, revealed that the purpose of a bead is to “keep the disc stable for longer.” A bead doesn’t make a disc more overstable. Instead, as stated, it helps maintain a disc’s innate stability.

So, which is right for you?

Proponents of the bead almost always reference a level of comfort with it. They usually started the game with a beaded putter and stuck with it. As such, when it came time to build out a lineup of midranges, the bead was the best place to start. I fall in this category. The KC Pro Aviar was my first putter. And it’s still my putter. From there, I moved on to Rocs and Gators …

Both have beads.

DGPT: Aaron Gossage

The other side of the argument is often centered around the cleanliness of a release. On putters, beads are a great resting place for the index finger when inside the circle. When power-gripped for a forehand or backhand, they can get in the way. No bead means no additional friction.

My putters and mids all have beads. Maybe yours don’t. The best players in the world usually don’t care much either way. Ricky Wysocki made a name for himself with Latitude 64 throwing the Harp – it has a bead. Then, with Innova, the Pig became his calling card – it’s beadless.

Then again, why do you think the McPro Aviar even exists?

With Innova, Paul McBeth liked KC Pro plastic, but couldn’t stand the bead that came with it.

Try both. Decide what you like. Then, devotedly defend your decision for the rest of your career.

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Lucas Miller

Lucas Miller is the founder and editor-in-chief of Green Splatter. When he’s not out tossing a Champion Rhyno in his native Utah, he’s watching true-crime documentaries with his wife, wrestling his twin boys and praying the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rebuild passes quickly.

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