Modern golf discs are designed and engineered to offer a variety of disc functionality to meet the needs of golfers of all skill levels. It’s crucial to comprehend the flying characteristics of the disc before selecting one to use. Even when you throw discs identically, they do not all fly in the same direction.
To maximize their performance in the game, players should be aware of the design and engineering features of the disc and be able to match it to their skill and experience level.
Disc Stability
When a disc is released from a player’s hand, stability refers to whether it will fly straight, turn to the left, or the right. A disc’s flight characteristics are affected by the downward or upward forces applied to the nose (front) of the disc as it spins, depending on how much air is above or below it.
Understable and Overstable are two of the most prevalent and sought-after stability types.
1. Overstable Discs
An overstable disc is designed to have more air pass underneath it than over it, pushing the right upwards and causing the disc to go left. Professional and advanced players with a lot of power typically use overstable discs to get their discs to turn to the left consistently.
In windy conditions, these discs are recommended because they can resist the wind and maintain their flight path. They are easy to control and great for navigating tight spaces and obstacles. Disc golfers sometimes use overstable discs for rollers, slope shots, and flex pics.
2. Understable Discs
An understable disc is designed to have more air pressure applied to its top than its bottom. When this type of disc is thrown clockwise, pressure on the right side will cause the disc to turn to the right. Understable discs tend to be lighter in terms of weight and tend to fly with a rightward turn.
In general, understable discs will have a higher glide rating than overstable models. Because of their lighter weight, you won’t get good performance from these discs in windy conditions. They only require less arm power, are generally simpler to throw, and give a lot more distance. They are excellent for beginners because of this.
Professionals use understable discs for special shots in difficult situations requiring a shot to turn right without slipping. Once you have mastered performing various shots with an understable disc, you can do other incredible shot forms like long anhyzer, backhand rollers, and hyzer flips.
How Can You Tell If A Disc Is Overstable Or Understable
The Turn rating of a disc can quickly tell you whether it is Overstable or Understable. This is usually the third track on the disc. Ratings for understable discs range from -5 to -3, stable discs from -2 to -1, and overstable discs from 0 to 1. Therefore, the more understable a turn is, the closer it is to -5; the more overstable a turn is, the closer it is to 1.
Different manufacturers’ rating systems may differ, and you might find that discs don’t always fly as you might anticipate, given their turn rating.
When To Use Understable Or Overstable Discs
Understable or overstable discs are advantageous under several circumstances. It’s just as crucial to choose the right disc for your skills as it is to choose the right disc for the throw type and the circumstance.
An understable disc can be helpful for backhand throwers who want to turn it in either a right or left direction, depending on their throwing hand. This can help when avoiding obstacles or staying on a course curve.
When throwing a backhand with your right or left hand, turning left or right will require using overstable discs. This could be helpful when avoiding obstacles or staying on a course curve. It can also be useful for throws like a hyzer if you attempt to turn the disc.
Factors Affecting A Disc’s Stability
1. Shape
The disc’s various parts and shapes can also significantly affect things. The disc’s shape and weight distribution across it impact how stable it is.
2. Type Of Plastic
The type of plastic may also impact stability. Plastics with greater durability tend to be more overstable. Plastics that aren’t as strong often are understable. The stiffness of plastic may also impact stability. Stiffer plastics are more overstable, while flexible plastics fly more stable than stiffer blends.
3. Parting Line
Parting line height is believed to be the main determinant of disc stability. The plastic’s parting line is where the two mold pieces come together during production. Meanwhile, the line height indicates how the plastic responds to cooling.
4. Dome Height
The height of the dome may also influence disc stability. Higher-domed discs are more stable, and flatter discs are more overstable.
Dome height may, however, only appear to influence stability by altering how much stability is felt by the disc. This is because a disc with a lower dome will have less glide and hold the release angle for longer during a flight, whereas a disc with a higher dome will have more glide and turn more.
Know Your Discs Better
With your newfound understanding of disc stability and how a disc flies, try experimenting with different discs to see if you can predict their stability from how they fly. To see what kinds of flight patterns you can achieve, you can also experiment with combining different throws with different disc stabilities.
Now that you know the differences between an overstable and an understable disc, choose a disc that will help you play better disc golf rather than one you saw used by another player.