Disc golf: How many backup discs are too many?

I hate clutter – I have my father to blame for this …

Growing up, he was always harping on the mass accumulation of “stuff” at our house. Because of it, as an adult, I’m one of those guys who goes through his closet, kitchen and garage every six months to donate or throw away stuff that might be in okay condition, but just doesn’t get used.

As a disc golfer, though, this mentality is TOUGH to maintain …

Which brings me the topic of today’s blog post:

How many backup discs are too many?

My “real” answer is lame, but I’ll explain: It depends.

First, if you came to this article looking for the “green light” to go on a MASSIVE spending spree at Infinite Discs, Disc Golf United, Foundation Disc Golf or any other online retailer, the below five reasons should get you what you need – present them to your spouse, if need be:

1. You can’t live without an OOP mold

Lucas goes on and on (and on) about the wonders of the Classic Roc: That’s a good example.

Innova does this with a bunch of their molds: After a number of years, they retire ‘em or sell ‘em or lease ‘em out to other companies when building partnerships. The problem is that you’re not privy to those details. And there’s always a chance that, yeah – a mold is simply gone for good.

You haven’t lived until you’ve thrown a Classic Roc.
— Green Splatter (@GreenSplatter) February 20, 2022

And it’s not just Innova: Pretty much ALL manufacturers do this to a certain degree. Remember the Dynamic Discs Suspect? Gone. What about the ESP Cyclone by Discraft? Same deal, sadly.

To avoid paying a criminal amount for ‘em on eBay or Facebook, you might want to stock up on them while you still can – that way, your bank balance doesn’t (literally) pay the price later on.

* Note #1: “OOP” stands for “out of production.” You’ll see this acronym all over the place.

2. The ultimate excuse: Practice putters

I like to try out new molds just as much as the next guy. I’m of the mindset, however, that – once you find a putting putter that feels good in your hand – stick with it for the long haul. I mean, let’s be real about this: Inside the circle, all putters are doing the EXACT same thing.

Find a putter mold you like – then, buy a stack of 10 of ‘em.

Yeah, seven or eight of them will technically serve as “backups,” but you’ll work them in on a practice basket more than any other disc in your bag. If you have a disc-buying itch that needs immediate scratching, ALWAYS go with more putters – very seldomly will you feel bad about it.

3. There’s a specific trait you need in a disc

I throw the flat-top Champion Glow Gator more than any other disc in my bag …

The “flat-top” characteristic MAKES the disc: Any dome, and I want nothing to do with it.

No, this isn’t the hardest disc to find on earth, but if you take to a secondary market to nab one, you’re paying a MINIMUM of $50 for one – the “Champion Glow” plastic is super desirable.

Four or five years back, I couldn’t sleep and was fiddling around on the computer – it was 1 a.m. I was clicking through Infinite Discs and noticed a fresh batch of 25 flat-top Champion Glow Gators had been uploaded to the site – they were all of the “Factory Second” variety, too.

Knowing how hard these were to find, the rates secondary sellers were demanding and how BIG the disc was to my overall play out on the course, the $16 price tag was a steal: I bought five of them on the spot without batting an eyelash. To date, I’ve only lost one – best haul of my life.

* Note #2: Characteristics matter, but specific runs of a disc do, too – something to consider.

4. Your go-to frisbees are in camouflaged colors

I have no earthly idea who decided that clear, all-black or grass-green colors would be good for golf frisbees – Dave “Daddy” Dunipace, maybe? Anyway, I suppose if you manufacture and sell ‘em for a living, having buyers lose them on the regular is good for business – ingenious.

You don’t always have a choice: Sometimes the disc with the best “feel” or flight just comes to you in a crappy color – I get that. Should that be the case in your bag with a few of your go-to fliers, you’ll want to get some backups. Especially in the fall, woods golf can be BRUTAL.

5. The more ‘losable’ the disc, the more backups you need

And this time around, I’m NOT referring to color …

I’m mainly referring to fairway and distance drivers: You know, the stuff that, in an ideal world, leaves a healthy bit of real estate between you and the disc once it fully comes to rest – there’s plenty of time and space for the thing to “discappear.” And if it can, eventually, it will.

Sadly, not every reason’s a good reason …

I did say “it depends,” though …

Remember?

If your desire to purchase one, two or fifteen backups is a result of ANY of the below, it should be a hard pass on your end. Write in a journal, talk to a friend or go on a walk – you can do this:

Fear of missing out or “FOMO,” as it’s called – there will (usually) be another drop.
You just got paid and can’t stand the thought of sitting on your hard-earned cash.
Late-night boredom will get you, if you’re not careful – maybe … see above.

Here’s my FINAL answer on this thing …

Beyond the milquetoast “it depends,” if you put a gun to my head and demanded a number, I’d go with four backups for each of the set-in-stone molds in your bag. You lose one, and you’ve still got three in the chamber after cycling one into the everyday rotation – that’s comforting.

Do build out a robust arsenal of practice putters, though: That ish matters.

Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.

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