The Innova Aviar3 is a pointless putter

By: Taylor Larsen

I love Innova.

The fanboy in me is strong.

Sure, there are a few swings-and-misses, but all major disc manufacturers have them. The Groove gets plenty of hate online. To this day, I still have no earthly idea why the Lion ever became a thing. And for as much hype as the Polecat receives, trust me – it’s a trash frisbee.

Today, I’d like to file away another mold in the “What Were They Thinking?’ folder …

The Aviar3.

First, let’s review the flight numbers: 3 (Speed) 2 (Glide) 0 (Turn) 2 (Fade)

Innova 3-Series discs have a lower profile with a slight uptick in speed. This makes them more torque-resistant for bigger arms. With the Aviar P&A a 2 | 3 | 0 | 1, the math checks out on that logic. The problem here, however, is that the AviarX3 exists – and it’s the FAR superior disc.

DGPT: The 2023 Las Vegas Challenge

Its flight numbers are identical to that of the Aviar3, but with a fade of 3. So in terms of speed and stability, in theory, someone would go with an Aviar P&A for putting duties, the Aviar3 for stable-to-overstable approaches and drives and the AviarX3 for the same, but with more finish.

Listen, I don’t care how much extra space you’ve got in that gargantuan bag of yours, nobody in their right mind is rocking that exact, three-Aviar lineup – they cut the “tweener” disc every time.

Unless you’re a pro, the difference between the flight of an Aviar3 and AviarX3 is negligible. And even then, the only Innova-sponsored pro I’ve seen bag one is Eveliina Salonen. Apart from her setup, the most common place you’ll see them is used bins at your local shop for five bucks.

Don’t believe me?

Here’s a time-stamped comparison of the two putters in flight:

Apples to apples.

Next, read this real-life review of the Aviar3 on Infinite Discs …

It’s painfully accurate.

And don’t you dare accuse me of cherry-picking this review, either. At the time of this post’s writing, it was literally the first review on the disc’s sales page – you can’t make this stuff up:

Infinite Discs: KeithBroth, Aviar3 Review

Assuming you’re an Aviar fan, putt with your preferred iteration – there’s a crap-ton of them. From there, pass on the Aviar3, opting for virtually the same disc, but with the deeper puddle-top the AviarX3 provides. Furthermore, even if it’s often little more than an on-paper perk, the extra high-speed stability is what most arms are looking for in a forehand-backhand approach putter.

For die-hard Aviar throwers, it’s the smart move.

It’s also the sane one.

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Photo of author

Taylor Larsen

Taylor Larsen is a staff writer for Green Splatter. He uses disc golf to self-reflect, pondering questions like, "Where the heck did I throw that?" and "What happens if the disc lands on top of the basket?" He resides in Utah with his dog, Banks, who loves to chase frisbees of all sorts.

7 thoughts on “The Innova Aviar3 is a pointless putter”

  1. Ouch. I bag three A3 putters (putts, turbos, and shorter approaches) and one AX3 (putter drives and longer approaches). I absolutely love mine, and don’t see how anyone could hate the mold so much that they write a whole article about it. Sure, the player’s review on Infinite is fine. It’s a review, so it’s an appropriate place to air out short grievances. But the mold sells well enough for Innova to maintain production status, so it’s obviously got enough positives for all players to at least throw a buddy’s and consequently fall in love with it. I’m not even a PDGA registered amateur, let alone a professional, and it’s still pretty easy for me to see that this is just a filler article written by an author who was looking to blame a couple bad rounds of disc golf on their putter for that day.

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  3. The Aviar3 is arguably Innova’s best driving putter. The only way this article’s point of view makes sense is if the author is unfamiliar with the mold. The DX Aviar3 flight is straight to fade when brand new, straight to straight when slightly used, and an awesome turnover disc when beat in. The Envy is essentially an Aviar3 copy. You know, that super crazy popular disc….

    Star and and Champ Aviar3s hold their straight to fade flight for almost a year of use.

    The limited edition kc pro Aviar3 is the hidden gem of stiff shallow putters with a mellow flight.

    The AviarX3 is beefy is every single plastic….

    You can’t imagine not wanting to bag a driving putter that isn’t beefy? OR TURNS OVER?! 👀 Uhh, okay…

    You suggest the regular Aviar is interchangeable, but they are wildly different in height, glide, and fade.

    Again, the only way article ever came to fruition is if the author is unfamiliar with the disc, and that’s a terrible look for Greensplatter. Now it makes sense that the author doesn’t even have an active PDGA number.

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  4. I prefer the Aviar3 over the X3. Having a less fade is not a negative attribute. Certainly not useless. There are too many overstable putters and approach discs in my opinion, anyhow. It’s also about personal preference with the “hand feel”. Disc trends are kind of wild nowadays:) It’s all about what works for you, at the right moment.

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