Review: The Latitude 64 Sinus

Weird golf discs are the most fun to review …

Two things initially attracted me to the Sinus:

Point No. 1 – As a member of Team Westside, Nikko Locastro threw ‘em like mad.
Point No. 2 – Should you bag one, you can say the following whenever you want …

“Let me clear out my Sinus before you putt.”

But how does the thing actually perform?

Let’s take a look …

The feel of the Sinus

Horrid.

Well, not always …

But brand new, the underside of the rim is so sharp, it’s painful to throw. And this isn’t just me getting a pair of bad ones, either. Look online, and you’ll see this is a thing. The good news, however, is that the Sinus only comes in Zero Soft, Zero Medium and Zero Hard polymers.

Latitude 64 labels those their “putter plastics,” so they beat in fairly easily. So while painfully sharp to start out, after a round or two, the excess, flashing-type plastic all but disappears.

Don’t let that fool you, though …

The Zero stuff is durable.

Speaking of Zero plastic, it’s what you’d expect from a quality putting polymer – plenty of grip. The two I used for this review were of the Zero Hard variety, so there wasn’t much give to ‘em. Regardless, however firm you like your putters, the Zero plastic shouldn’t slip on you.

Next, here’s something I LOVE about the Sinus …

It fills the hand.

If that description doesn’t make sense, grab an R-Pro Pig, and you’ll see what I mean – it fills the hand. Similar to the Pig, the Sinus carries much of its weight in the outer rim. So when it rests below the fleshy part of your thumb, there’s not much available space for it to move around.

This is big for a putter.

Also, it’s impossible to talk about the Sinus without mentioning the very thing they’re most known for – the three random track pads on the flight plate. From less coarse to most coarse, each one offers a different type of sandpaper surface for the thumb to rest on when throwing.

For as much as I love the attempt at innovation, these things are all gimmick – they don’t do anything. I suppose the most bristly of the bunch might offer something for a grip-obsessed disc golfer, but it wasn’t enough of a benefit for me to consciously feel for it before a throw or putt.

Also, it’s table-top flat and not overly deep …

For me, that’s half the battle with feel.

The flight of the Sinus

Here’s what the Sinus is working with:

2 (Speed) 2 (Glide) 0 (Turn) 2 (Fade)

To put those digits in perspective, the Yikun Discs Hammer (almost) has the same ones.

The Sinus flies true to its numbers, though I will say that a good bit of beating bumps that glide up a notch. After a week or so of work, I was able to comfortably stretch the Sinus out to just shy of 250 feet. Brand new, the lack of glide was brutally obvious – not so much shortly thereafter.

As far as the expected flight path is concerned, the Sinus soars straight, loses steam and dumps like a slow, moderately overstable frisbee should. Because of this, most devout Sinus-throwers use the disc for approaches or short, off-the-tee duties. Also, the Sinus works like a champ for both forehand and backhand approaches or drives. Don’t roll that wrist on a flick, though …

It’s not a Zone.

Lastly, don’t putt with the Sinus – it’s an AWFUL putting putter.

I’m sure there’s some old fart in your local disc golf club who’s banged chains with them for over a decade, but he’s likely off his rocker. Yes, as mentioned, the Sinus gets more glide with time, but it’s not nearly enough to compensate for what’s needed for short- and long-range putts.

It’s like putting with the Harp’s ugly step-brother …

I’d advise against it.

* Note #1: I never encountered the situation, but I could see it working as a headwind putter.

The aesthetic of the Sinus

The look of the Sinus is clean – I dig the font.

Also, I love the Latin the OLD stock stamp includes:

“Non sinet tactus venti.”

Or, in English, “The wind can’t touch it.”

The Latitude 64 Sinus: The (Old) Stock Stamp

I’ve never seen something like that on a disc, which is cool – brownie points for Latitude 64. Apparently, however, there were some translation issues with respect to the Latin phrasing. With more questions than answers, these days, the stock Sinus is a bit more boring – click here.

No more Latin.

* Note #2: Your best bet for finding the Sinus in stock is the Latitude 64 Factory Store.

Did the Latitude 64 Sinus make my bag?

The Sinus isn’t a bad disc, but it didn’t …

And I was never tempted to make space for it, either.

If you’ve not yet found an approach putter that works for you, the Sinus might be just the ticket. In addition to Locastro, Dave Feldberg swears by it, as well. Both of those guys know a thing or two about discs. Overstable approach putters are a dime a dozen these days, though. And since the Sinus was approved by the PDGA back in 2005, there are simply better options out there.

I’m not entirely giving up on it; I’ll bust it out for some pitch-and-putt golf. But the Sinus feels like it’s an acquired taste, and my tongue’s not yet digging the flavor – I’d guess it never will.

Still, it’s fun to own strange plastic.

The Final Green Splatter Grade: B-

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