Review: The Innova Rollo

Ever heard these phrases during a disc review?

• “It feels great in the hand.”
• “It’s a stable-to-overstable flier.”
• “It’ll hold any line you put it on.”

I’ve used ‘em a million times before on this blog.

They’re often accurate, so I don’t regret it. What I will say, however, is that it’s refreshing to review a golf disc that won’t work with any copy-and-paste phraseology during the process.

That’s the Innova Rollo.

This’ll be fun.

The feel of the Rollo

The Innova Rollo’s not a bad-feeling disc. It’s not a great-feeling disc, either.

It’s just a disc.

And an alleged midrange at that.

I say “alleged,” because the instant you hold it, you’ll notice it feels somewhat like a fairway driver. If the Zone’s (controversially) considered a putter-midrange hybrid, the Rollo is easily a midrange-fairway hybrid. Interpret the “tweener” nature of the mold however you see best fit.

• It’s a low-profile midrange.
• It’s a tall, bulky fairway driver.

Both descriptions work.

I’d also add that it’s got a bead. The Infinite Discs website has it listed as a “beadless” midrange, but trust me – it’s there. It’s microscopic, though, so if you hate beads, don’t let that deter you.

You won’t notice it.

It’s more of the same on the dome-front, as well. No matter the mold, dome will vary from run to run. At its worst, the Rollo’s dome is mild. By and large, the Rollo is a fairly flat frisbee, though. Personal preferences will differ from disc golfer to disc golfer, but I like my plastic this way.

Lastly, the pair of Rollos I’ve been working with are of the Star variety. This means that, for a premium polymer, the plastic’s got some give, while not skimping in the durability department.

It feels great.

It flies great, too.

The flight of the Rollo

Speaking of flight …

THIS is what I’m most pumped to talk about.

Here are the Rollo’s flight digits: 5 (Speed) 6 (Glide) -4 (Turn) 1 (Fade)

You might’ve heard the Innova Rollo’s a great roller disc …

No lies detected: It very much is. And the one-two punch of flip and glide is juicy enough to make you weak in the knees. No joke, this frisbee is straight-up witchcraft when thrown well.

See for yourself:

But want to know what I appreciate most about the Rollo?

Its understable, never-fight-out flight – in the air. And perhaps of greater importance, the ease with which it achieves it for disc golfers of all skill levels. Real quick, though, before I dive headfirst into this thing, please note the two grips I use when throwing the Innova Rollo.

For virtually every air shot, I go with this modified fan grip:

And though seldom used, when I want it to roll, I opt for the three-finger power grip:

Forehand or backhand, the bulk of my time with the Rollo was (and will be) spent going airborne, so I leaned heavily on my iteration of the fan grip. The Rollo isn’t a full-throttle thrower – she requires some touch. I’ve found the fan grip helps me better achieve this.

* Note: This goes for the forehand, too. The Rollo works well with a split grip.

The Rollo takes some time to learn, because you have to account for two factors:

• Factor #1 – Angle.
• Factor #2 – Power.

For example, a Champion Firebird will impose its will: Mid-flight, eventually, it’ll do what it wants. The Rollo, however, in accordance with its natural understability, will follow your lead.

With a power grip, given full gas, even on a steep hyzer angle, the Rollo will flip and roll. In most cases, I’d find this annoying, but it makes me feel like my throwing arm’s bigger than it actually is. But with the fan grip and 65% of my power, here’s what my Rollo does:

• On a sharp hyzer, it’ll flip to flat, ride and hyzer out softly.
• On a gentle hyzer, it’ll flip, fly straight and finish straight-ish.
• On a flat release, it’ll turn and coast, so it needs some air under it.
• On an anhyzer, it’ll quickly roll, so adjust your angle for touchdown.

Pick your poison …

It’s a beautiful thing.

What I’ve described above is how the Rollo flies for ME with my form, skill level and arm speed in the high altitude of Utah Valley. Please understand that my experience might not be yours. Incredibly, with all of that in mind, this much I can say with complete confidence …

I don’t care if you’re Paul McBeth or Perla McMuffin:

You can (easily) get the Rollo to “work” for your game.

And have a blast in the process.

The aesthetic of the Rollo

The stock stamp on the Star Rollo features a hedgehog.

Pretty cute, right?

Fun Fact: In spite of what “Sonic the Hedgehog” taught you growing up, hedgehogs don’t roll. They curl into a ball when they detect danger, but hardly as a means of transportation. So while I can approve of Innova’s attempt at outside-the-box branding, the name-stamp combo is wrong.

Which is a shame, because there are plenty of cool things that roll in this world: yarn, baking pins, bowling balls, etc. Heck, even chocolate-caramel candy pieces would’ve sufficed. For my part, I would’ve preferred the traditional, old-school look of a stock Star disc, but this’ll do.

It’s just not my favorite.

Did the Innova Rollo make my bag?

I hurt my shoulder throwing a forehand drive uphill six or so months back, and I’ve not yet fully recovered. As such, I don’t throw nearly as many sidearms as I used to – and for distance, almost none. Because of this, yes – the Rollo’s in my bag. It replaced my flat-top Champion Firebird. I’ve still got a Quantum Draco in there, so I’m covered for that slot on all backhand lines.

When I first made the change a few weeks back, I told myself it’d be temporary.

To date, I still tell myself that.

But given the undeniable fact that the Rollo is the single-most fun disc to throw I’ve ever picked up, and I’m only getting older and more frail, I’m likely to carve out a permanent space in my bag for it moving forward. Again, the instant-roller capability of the Rollo is nice …

But it’s a cheat-code “sidearm” for flick-less (and mildly injured) disc golfers that’s best.

As the ever-pessimist I am, it pains to say this: The Rollo is worthy of the hype.

Nab one for yourself.

The Final Green Splatter Grade: A

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Editor’s Suggestions:

• 4 reasons par exists in disc golf
• Gripe No. 55: Getting nailed by a golf disc
• Yes, par-twos are PDGA-legal (and why you don’t see them)

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