If you are new to disc golf and looking for a new driver than you’ve come to the right place. I’ve done multiple hours of research and searched the internet to find the best disc golf drivers for beginners. The discs on this list aren’t the fastest or most overstable but that’s a good thing. When you are starting out a slower, understable disc is perfect for you. Another added bonus is each disc on this list has tons of glide so you’ll get that extra distance you crave with each throw.
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Here are my picks for the best disc golf drivers for beginners:
- Innova Leopard
- Discraft Heat
- Dynamic Discs Witness
- Latitude 64 Maul
- Prodigy F7
- MVP Relay
Innova Leopard – Speed: 6 Glide: 5 Turn: -2 Fade: 1
The Innova Leopard is a great starter driver for any player. It’s so good at this that you’ll see it regularly sold in starter disc sets. Its combination of high glide and understability make it easy to throw far for players with slower arm speeds. While the disc does make a great beginner disc, advanced players like it too. It works great for turnovers drives and can even roll. Put one in your bag and you won’t feel sorry.
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Discraft Heat – Speed: 9 Glide: 6 Turn: -3 Fade: 1
Discraft made a great beginner driver when they created the Heat. It has more speed than the Leopard but still brings a high glide and turn rating. Newer players will find it easy to get more distance out of this disc. If you are looking for a go-to driver and you’re a beginner consider picking up the Heat.
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Dynamic Discs Witness – Speed: 8 Glide: 6 Turn: -3 Fade: 1
If you like the Dynamic Discs brand and are new to disc golf than the witness is a great driver for you. This disc has a lot of glide to get you some extra distance and keep your disc floating through the air. With a turn rating of -3, this disc is unstable and easier to throw for players with lower arm speeds. Grab one for your bag and don’t look back.
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Latitude 64 Maul – Speed: 7 Glide: 7 Turn: – 2 Fade: 1
New to disc golf and looking for a driver? If so, Latitude 64’s Maul might be the perfect disc for you. It’s a highly controllable fairway driver with a lot of glide and turn. This makes it perfect for players that are starting out and haven’t perfected their driving technique. If you are new to the sport don’t think twice about getting the Maul. Tear into your local disc golf course today.
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Prodigy F7 – Speed 7 Glide: 5 Turn: -3 Fade: 1
Prodigy designed an excellent disc for beginners with the F7. This fairway driver is very understable which makes it perfect for new players. With a glide rating of 5, this disc will float for days. So if you are a new player and need a little bit more distance from your driver, get an F7. You won’t be disappointed.
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MVP Relay – Speed: 6 Glide: 5 Turn: -3 Fade:1
When MVP released the Relay in 2015, it designed the perfect driver for a beginner. This disc has a ton of glide and will fly a long way. It’s a highly controllable fairway driver and easy to throw in the hands of new players. So if you are looking for a new driver to put in your bag, you should really check out this understable driver from MVP.
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My Assumptions About Beginners
When I made this list for beginning disc golf players, I made some assumptions about them. I assumed that beginners have a slower arm speed than the average disc golf player. I made the assumption that beginners are looking for more distance out of their drives. I also assumed that newer players are driving using a backhand technique and not a forehand technique. So if you are using this list to decide on which driver to go with, keep these assumptions in mind.
What Makes A Good Beginner Driver?
When making this list I was looking for discs that were understable and had a high amount of glide. This is important because newer players tend to have a slower arm speed and with this slower arm speed will get more distance out of an understable disc. The reason glide is important is because the higher the glide the longer the disc tends to stay in the air. Disc with high glide will remain in the air longer and tend to fly further.
My Thoughts On Disc Weight For Beginners
For beginners, I would recommend a lighter weight for drivers, especially when it comes to women and younger players. New disc golfers will be able to pick up a lower weight disc and throw it farther. Some exceptions to this recommendation might be more athletic individuals and people you have a lot of experience in a throwing sport, like baseball. For discs, the range of 180g – 169g is considered max weight and beginners would definitely want to stay away from these weights. New players might want to start at 160g or lower weight disc and for younger players 150 for lower.
What To Do With These Discs After You Advance?
As beginners advanced they improve their technique and their arm speed goes up. So you if you are driving with one of these discs, over time you might notice that they will turn over more or aren’t flying in their normal path. When this starts to happen you will want to transition to a more stable driver. But don’t take these discs out of your bag. They will still work great for turnover shots, rollers, and hyzer flip shots.
Final Thoughts
Newer players will definitely benefit from throwing understable discs at lighter weights. When I started playing, I wanted to quickly move from the leopard to a more stable disc but then I quickly moved back because it was more difficult to throw and I wasn’t getting the distance I was used to. If you are a new player, I hope you’ll consider grabbing one of these discs in my list. If not, I hope you’ll remember my recommendations when looking for a driver. To recap, you are looking for an understable, fairway driver with high glide at a lower weight. Use a disc like that and you’ll have a much better time on the course and see more distance off the tee.
Image Credit Flickr Creative Commons – Michel Curi