What are Disc Golf Flight Numbers?

If you have ever picked up a disc golf disc, you have probably noticed the 4 numbers on the bottom of the disc. This system is now pretty universal across all disc golf manufacturers and exists to help give you a rough idea of how a disc is going to fly before you ever take it out to the course. If you don't know what each number means though, then one of the best disc buying tools for newer players is useless. After this article, you will be equipped to choose your next disc with confidence!

Speed

The first number you will see is the discs "speed." This number is determined by the width of the rim of the disc. The wider the rim, the higher the speed (also referred to as a faster disc). The number does not directly correlate to how far the disc is going to fly but instead illustrates how much arm speed is required to get the disc to fly in the intended fashion. Essentially the higher this number, the faster the disc will need to be thrown for the rest of the numbers to be true. If you are a beginner, I, with over a decade of disc golf experience, would advise you stay away from any discs that have a speed higher than 7.

Glide

The second number you will run into is the discs "glide." This represents the tendency for the disc to want to stay up in the air during it's flight. I would not worry too much about this number as it is the least important of the 4 when deciding which disc you need for your game. Without getting too much into the weeds, this is the number that is most likely to be incorrect as it is directly affected by the dome of the disc, plastic type, plastic stiffness, etc. and will seem to be inconsistent if you treat it as 100% accurate. 

Turn

The third number you run into is the disc's "turn" or sometimes called "high-speed turn." This is probably the most important number for players, especially beginners, to understand. This number is typically a negative number and refers to how much a disc will stray or "turn" from the original flight path when thrown flat. Below are two flight charts to show the approximate flights of a disc. The one on the left is a disc with a turn number of 0 and the one on the right has a turn of -2. All other numbers are equal to help you visualize what I mean when I refer to a disc turning off of the original released flight path.

Fade

Last but not least we have a disc's "fade" or sometimes called "low-speed fade." This number represents the very end of a disc's flight and how much it will fight to the left for a RHBH throw (opposite if you are a lefty). This number combines with the turn number above to give you a full picture of the flight when thrown at the appropriate speed from the first number. The higher this number, the more the disc will want to dive to the ground at the end of it's flight. Beginner players should want this number to be as close to zero as possible if they want to achieve a straight flight out of the disc.

Putting it all together

So now you have a basic understanding of what each number means and how they relate to one another. One important thing to remember is that this is a guide for you as a purchaser and not a perfect system of exactly how every disc is going to fly. So many things go affect a disc's flight that there is no way for this system to be perfect every time. Hopefully with a basic understanding now you will be able to at least feel more confident that your disc choice is close to what you need to fill your bag. This is also why we created Foundation Care here at foundationdiscs.com. Every disc purchased in the USA is covered for 30 days no matter how much you use it and if you get deceived by flight numbers or just don't like the feel of the disc, you can exchange it on us for one that you know you love! No strings attached.