Disc golf: The idea behind Dino Discs is brilliant

I like it when disc manufacturers carve out a niche for themselves. Not everybody can be Innova, Discraft, Discmania or Dynamic Discs. So when one of the smaller guys leans into what they do best, I support it. I might not love it, but I support it – looking at you, Elevation Disc Golf.

Speaking of Elevation, they do the whole rubber, mega-soft thing, picking up where Vibram (kind of) left off. Doomsday Discs and Lone Star Disc have built unique, one-of-a-kind brands. Even Prodigy’s somehow made flesh-carving plastic a real, dependable feature of their lineup. But there’s still a slice of the disc-golf pie most manufacturers don’t feel like touching …

Ultra-light discs.

This IS a need, though.

And wouldn’t you know it …

Dino Discs owns the space.

If you’ve never heard of Dino Discs, it’s a company that specializes in light-weight golf discs. The brand’s target audience is grade-school kids who are just learning the game. Or anybody, for that matter, who’s looking to throw 120-gram discs. Case in point, for as tenacious as my wife is, she’s got the upper-body strength of a wet napkin. Naturally, she loves paper-weight plastic.

You laugh, but give that girl an Opto Air Diamond …

She bombs.

For both parents and the painfully weak, it’s hard to consistently find feather-weight fliers. Sure, junior discs are a thing, but they’re rarely in stock. They’re also more toy than tool. And Innova did away with its StarLite series a few years back, so there’s yet another option that’s gonzo.

As a result, small children frequently find themselves tossing really understable discs – this is a good thing – that are simply too heavy for their developing arms – this is NOT a good thing.

It’s discouraging.

When you take a kid bowling, you don’t hook him up with a 16-pound ball. Instead, you hunt like mad for one of the six-, eight- or 10-pound variety. Able to get the ball to actually move down the lane with some pace, in spite of the festering foot fungus, the experience is better.

Which is good …

Because first impressions matter.

Kids need a good one with disc golf.

The light-weight stuff helps it happen.

Ideal for children ages 10 and under, all Dino Discs are between 110 and 140 grams. Though durable, they’ve got some give to them. Whether a putter, midrange, fairway driver or distance driver, the edges are noticeably more rounded, as well. The idea is that this general shape produces a safer product for children who don’t always look where they’re throwing.

They also float.

Every. Last. Disc.

And before you ask, no: These frisbees aren’t PDGA-approved. Strangely, the mold designs themselves are – see the below bullets. But given their target demographic, Dino Discs doesn’t see a need to pay the PDGA’s disc-approval fee. If a child has the skill (and patience) to play in a sanctioned event, according to the company, “They’ve probably outgrown Dino Discs.”

Bummer.

But an understandable bummer, at that.

As for brand specifics, Dino Discs is the product of four disc golf companies:

• Dino Discs’ original five molds were all plucked from the ABC Discs roster.
• Zing Mini Discs manufactures each of these five molds for Dino Discs.
• Gateway Disc Sports helps Dino Discs create new, kid-friendly molds.
• Infinite Discs handles the selling and hot-stamping of Dino’s gear.

* Note: To see the entire Dino Discs lineup on Infinite Discs, click here.

Is there a lot of money in Mesozoic-themed discs for kiddos?

Listen, I’m no expert, but I can’t imagine there’s much. If there was, the space would be far more crowded than it currently is. Of this much I’m certain, though: Dino Discs is doing the Lord’s work. And because of it, they’ll grow the sport, which is fine by me – and my kids, too.

Thank you.

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