Disc golf: How to flatten a warped disc (the best method)

This was probably a year or so ago …

I was on one of those all-Innova collector pages on Facebook. I’d been connected with a guy who had a few discs I wanted. As luck would have it, I had a couple he wanted, too. So instead of money changing hands via PayPal, we worked out a two-disc swap – two coming and going.

Long story short, one of the discs I was getting from him was to be a flat-top Champion Glow Gator – like, REALLY flat. That was the whole point of the deal, actually: I wanted some beef.

The day came. The package arrived.

You know the feeling: It was Christmas morning.

I opened up the thing – the “gummy” Champion Rhyno was in near-perfect condition – check. The other disc, however? Eh, not so much: The flat-top Gator didn’t have a flat top, exactly …

It was warped.

This is an Innova Toro, but it looked EXACTLY like this:

I wonder if the dome on my Toro will make it more overstable? First impressions is it feels like floppy piece of trash in my hand 🤷🏻‍♂️ #discgolfreview #discgolftwitter pic.twitter.com/EmubUyZc6L

— Short Arm Golfer (@Trex530) April 22, 2022

Panicked, I reached back out to the seller – no luck on that front. From there, I went to Disc Golf Course Review to see what others had done in this situation. There were a crap-ton of ideas for restoring the disc to its table-top state: Everything from car dashboards to stacks of books …

I tried ‘em all …

Here’s the one that works best:

• Step No. 1 – Lay the disc on a smooth, flat surface – the flight plate should be on top.
• Step No. 2 – Place a glass pie plate directly atop the disc – make sure it’s centered.
• Step No. 3 – Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a strong, consistent boil.
• Step No. 4 – Fill the glass pie plate with the water you previously boiled.
• Step No. 5 – Leave the water to cool overnight – remove it in the AM.

This method works like a dream …

The scalding-hot water softens the warped plastic. Once malleable, gravity causes the weight of the water and glass pie plate to press down on the disc. Simultaneously, as the water cools and gravity does its thing, the flight plate hardens – this time, in a flat, firm position …

And without any warping.

* Note #1: For the best, most dependable results, do this to discs in premium plastic.

* Note #2: Adjust the amount of water used based on how flat you need the final result.

* Note #3: This method is most effective on molds intended to be flat: Harp, Felon, Justice, etc.

One final word about all of this …

Doing this is TECHNICALLY against the PDGA’s Official Rules of Disc Golf.

In one way or another, though, amateur and professional golfers alike manipulate the shape of their discs – all the time. Heck, unprovoked, I’ve even had one of the biggest disc golf retailers on the World Wide Web offer to “flatten” (for a fee) a slightly domey disc for me, so yeah …

It’s a thing.

No worries: Your secret’s safe with me.

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

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