Following up on a prior article this piece will dive more into how an ultimate frisbee flies and how a disc golf disc flies. We will also compare the ultimate frisbee to each of three basic types of discs: the driver, the midrange and the putter.
So how does an ultimate disc fly? What is its main purpose and how do does it compare?
The Discraft Ultrastar, being the most common ultimate frisbee disc used, is a disc that has a lot of glide and is meant to follow the angle that you throw it on. They are very good for precise shots that can be bendy and predictable. They have a lot of glide so they will float down rather than crash down making them a little more difficult to throw far. However, when you look at the main use of the Ultrastar it is meant to float and be accurate so that you can give time to a receiver to make it down the field and catch it. It is also meant to make more bendy and accurate shots so that the thrower can get past a moving defense.
Disc Golf Driver Flight
Disc golf drivers are the speed demons of the disc golf world! They bomb down the fairway and are meant to eat up as many yards as they can before crashing down!
These discs have a very slim profile and shallow rims that allow them to cut down wind resistance and travel far before slowing down enough to begin falling. They tend to have more fade and stray from the original curve of the flight path as well, making them tougher to throw straight without a bigger arm or using a lighter disc.
Midrange Flight Path
Midranges, the favorite of many a new player to get distance out of their throws and a tough disc to master completely! The midrange style of disc is similar to the driver in its thinner profile, but the rim curves in and down providing a bit more surface for air to push on slowing them down but also providing more stability in the air.
Many midranges aren’t so difficult to throw straight and allow for some good distance to be made, while also being more easily controlled. They are great utility discs that can help with a variety of situations!
Flight of the Disc Golf Putter
Putters are the last but most certainly not least of the three basic types. They are what help us hit those sweet chains and feel good when we get a birdie, or feel terrible when it’s the third put in a row for double bogey. They are curved and can be flatter or more rounded on top but always have a blunt rim just like an Ultimate Frisbee.
Disc golf putters aren’t meant for range, but for accuracy and getting to where you want or need to be to sink a putt. They tend to hold angles as well as not fight against those angles once they are thrown. Some will, but the vast majority fly however you throw them.
How does an Ultimate Frisbee Flight Compare to Disc Golf Disc
Now with a brief description of each disc’s flight pattern we will wrap up with a quick comparison. How does the ultimate frisbee compare to a disc golf disc?
Well, it would be best placed in between a putter and a midrange. It has the shape of a putter, the glide of a midrange and the accuracy somewhere in the middle of the two due to it’s sometimes unpredictable float down to earth.
Ultimate Frisbee = Far Less Distance
The driver is the most unique of the four in both shape and its use as it is meant for not much more than getting down the fairway with big chunks at a time. So if you decide to pack along an ultimate disc, then know that you have a very unique utility disc that can get you to where you need to go, but won’t get you quite the distance you may desire on a long hole.