How to Pick Discs for Disc Golf

If you’ve ever walked into a disc golf store or opened a disc golf website and thought, “How am I supposed to know which one of these I need?”, you are not alone.

There are hundreds of disc molds, multiple types of plastic, different weights, four confusing numbers on the bottom, and words like understable, overstable, glide, and turn that probably mean absolutely nothing when you’re first starting out.

The good news is that picking a disc golf disc is much simpler than it looks.

You do not need to understand every disc on the market. You just need to understand a few basic things about your throwing ability, the type of disc you need, and the flight you want.

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly how to pick a disc golf disc, including disc types, arm speed, stability, flight numbers, weight, plastic, and how to match a disc to the shot you want to throw.

Quick Answer: How Do You Pick a Disc Golf Disc?

The easiest way to pick a disc golf disc is to start with your experience level and throwing speed, then choose a disc type and stability that matches what you can currently throw.

As a general rule:

• New players: Start with a putter and/or midrange.
• Players developing their form: Add a slower fairway driver (7 speed or below).
• Players with more arm speed: Start experimenting with faster fairway drivers and distance drivers.
  
• More powerful throwers: You may need more overstable discs to keep your throws under control (last flight numbers being 0,2 or 0,3).
• Want a straight flight: Start with a neutral or slightly understable disc.
• Need a disc for strong winds: Look toward more overstable discs with low glide.

The most important thing is to choose a disc that you can actually get up to speed. The fastest disc in your bag is not necessarily the disc that will fly the farthest. I remember Paul McBeth one time explaining to us that his Anax (a 10 speed) was his farthest flying disc at the time. Get the idea that speed always equals distance out of your head.

Start With Your Skill Level

Before you worry about plastic, flight numbers, or finding the perfect mold, ask yourself one question:

How well can I currently throw a disc?

If you are brand new to disc golf, you are probably going to get better results from a slower, easier-to-control disc than you will from the 12-speed driver that looks really cool sitting on the shelf.

This is one of the biggest mistakes new players make.

A faster disc requires more speed to produce the flight you see on the manufacturer's flight numbers. If you cannot generate enough speed, that disc may simply fade out early and travel less distance than a slower disc.

That is why we generally recommend that new players start with putters and midranges. They are easier to control, easier to throw straight, and can often travel surprisingly far for a newer player.

If you're brand new and want specific recommendations, check out our Best Disc Golf Discs for Beginners guide.

But if you're trying to understand why certain discs work better for certain players, keep reading.

Understand the Different Types of Disc Golf Discs

There are three broad categories of disc golf discs:

1. Putters
2. Midranges
3. Drivers

Drivers can then be broken down into fairway drivers and distance drivers.

There are also approach discs and utility discs, but you don't need to understand every category to start choosing discs.

The easiest way to understand the difference is to think about the shape of the disc.

Generally speaking, putters are the tallest and most rounded, midranges are somewhat shallower but still have a thin rim, fairway drivers have a sharper edge and a bit larger rim, and distance drivers have the widest rims and thinnest profile.

The thinner and faster (wider rim) a disc becomes, the more throwing speed it requires to fly as designed.

Putters

Putters are the easiest discs to control and are usually the best place for a new player to start.

And despite the name, putters aren't only for putting.

You can use a putter for:

• Putting
• Short approaches
• Straight drives
• Tunnel shots
• Touch shots
• Short tee shots

A neutral putter is particularly useful when you're learning because it doesn't try to hide your mistakes.

If you throw it poorly, it is probably going to show you that you threw it poorly.

That is actually a good thing.

When you're learning proper form, being able to throw a neutral putter straight is one of the best ways to build a foundation that will eventually translate to faster discs.

Some popular neutral putters include the Aviar, Warden, Roach, Proxy, PA-4, and Pure.

The most important thing when choosing a putting putter, however, is how it feels in your hand. There is no universal "best" putter because hand size, grip, depth, bead, plastic, and personal preference all matter.

Midranges

Midranges are the next step up from putters.

They have a sharper edge and generally provide more distance while maintaining a high level of control.

A midrange can be used for:

• Longer approaches
• Straight drives
• Controlled tee shots
• Tunnel shots
• Turnover shots
• Hyzer-flips
• Learning to shape lines

For many new players, a midrange is actually the most useful disc in the bag.

When choosing your first midrange, look for something that is neutral or understable rather than extremely overstable.

An understable midrange generally requires less arm speed to produce a useful flight, which can make it easier for a new player to get the disc moving down the fairway instead of watching it immediately fall out of the air.

Some examples include the Discraft Sol, Latitude 64 Fuse, Axiom Paradox, Innova Fox, and Discraft Meteor.

Fairway Drivers

Fairway drivers are designed to give you more distance than a midrange while maintaining more control than a distance driver.

This is usually the first driver category that makes sense for a developing player.

Fairway drivers are great for:

• Longer tee shots
• Controlled distance
• Tunnel shots
• Hyzer-flips
• Shaping fairways
• Controlled turnover shots

The important thing to remember is that fairway drivers still require more arm speed than mids and putters.

For a newer player, look for a slower and easier-to-throw fairway rather than immediately jumping to an extremely overstable 9-speed.

Popular examples for developing players include discs such as the Leopard, Diamond, Heat, and other neutral or understable fairway drivers.

Distance Drivers

Distance drivers are the fastest discs in disc golf and generally require the most throwing speed.

They're also the discs that everyone wants to throw when they first start playing.

I get it.

You see somebody throw a driver 400 feet and think, "I need that disc."

Unfortunately, buying the same disc doesn't give you the same arm.

Distance drivers are designed to trade some control for additional distance. When thrown with enough speed, they can fly farther than fairway drivers. When thrown without enough speed, however, they can simply fade out early and end up going no farther than a midrange.

That is why you should not feel like you are missing something if you don't throw distance drivers yet.

If your fairway driver is going farther than your distance driver, you probably aren't ready for the faster disc yet.

That's completely normal.

Match the Disc to Your Arm Speed

This is one of the most important things to understand when choosing a disc.

Disc speed is not the same thing as distance.

A 12-speed disc is not automatically going to fly farther than a 7-speed disc.

The speed number is essentially telling you how much speed the disc is designed to handle in order to produce its intended flight.

If you don't throw a disc fast enough, it may behave much more overstable than its numbers suggest.

For example, imagine you throw a 12-speed driver and it immediately goes left and dives into the ground.

You might think:

"I need a more understable driver."

Maybe.

But you might also simply need a slower disc.

If you throw a 7-speed fairway driver and it flies straight down the fairway while the 12-speed driver dives left, the fairway driver is probably a much better tool for your current game.

A Simple Progression

For a newer player, a progression might look something like:

Putter → Midrange → Fairway Driver → Faster Fairway Driver → Distance Driver

You don't have to move through these categories on a schedule.

Move up when your current discs start feeling easy to control.

If you can consistently throw a fairway driver straight and are looking for more distance, that's a much better reason to experiment with a faster disc than simply wanting the highest speed number you can find.

What Does Stability Mean?

Once you start shopping for discs, you're going to hear three words constantly:

Understable. Neutral. Overstable.

These terms describe how a disc wants to fly.

Understable

An understable disc tends to turn more during the high-speed portion of the flight.

For a right-handed backhand throw, that generally means it wants to move toward the right before eventually fading back.

Understable discs can be particularly useful for:

• Newer players
• Slower arm speeds
• Straight shots
• Turnover shots
• Hyzer flips
• Getting more distance without maximum power

The important thing to understand is that understable does not mean bad.

An understable disc might be exactly what a beginner needs today and become a valuable turnover or roller disc later.

If you live in an area with mainly wooded courses, I almost guarantee that the best player in your area throws mainly understable discs. Just because it is good for beginners does not mean that it is ONLY good for beginners

Neutral

A neutral disc is designed to fly relatively straight when thrown correctly.

These are some of the most useful discs in a player's bag because they allow you to see what your throw is actually doing without the disc dramatically changing the result.

Neutral putters and mids are especially valuable when learning.

The higher the speed of the disc, the harder it will be to get an actually neutral flight out of it regardless of a player's skill level.

Overstable

An overstable disc wants to resist turning and finish harder at the end of its flight.

Overstable discs are useful for:

• Strong winds
• Reliable fades
• Hyzer shots
• Skip shots
• Flex shots
• Utility shots
• Players with more arm speed

Overstable discs are extremely useful.

They're just not usually the easiest place for a brand-new player to start.

Learn the Four Disc Golf Flight Numbers

If you've ever looked at the bottom of a disc and wondered what something like 5 / 5 / -2 / 1 means, you're looking at the disc's flight numbers.

The four numbers represent:

Speed | Glide | Turn | Fade

Here's the simple version:

Flight Number	What it tells you
Speed	How much throwing speed the disc generally needs
Glide	How much the disc wants to stay in the air
Turn	How much the disc can move toward the understable side during high-speed flight
Fade	How strongly the disc wants to finish as it slows down

Speed

Speed is the first number.

A higher speed generally means a wider rim and a disc that requires more throwing speed to produce its intended flight.

A 3-speed putter and a 12-speed distance driver are going to feel very different in your hand because they are designed for very different jobs.

Don't automatically choose a higher speed because you want more distance.

Choose a speed that matches your current throwing ability.

Glide

Glide is the second number.

Higher-glide discs tend to stay in the air longer.

Glide can be particularly useful when you're looking for distance without dramatically increasing throwing power.

It is also important to remember that flight numbers are not scientific guarantees. A disc with 6 glide doesn't literally stay in the air twice as long as a disc with 3 glide.

Think of the number as a general description of the disc's intended flight characteristics.

Turn

Turn is the third number.

Turn describes how much a disc can move toward the understable side of its flight while it is traveling at high speed.

For a right-handed backhand throw:

• More negative turn generally means more rightward movement during the high-speed portion of the flight.
• A disc with 0 turn will generally resist that movement more.
• A disc with -3 turn will generally show more high-speed turn than a similar disc with 0 turn.

This is one reason understable discs can be easier for newer players to throw straight.

Fade

Fade is the fourth number.

Fade describes what the disc wants to do as it slows down at the end of the flight.

For a right-handed backhand throw, more fade generally means a harder finish to the left.

A disc with a lot of fade can be extremely useful when you need a predictable finish, while a lower-fade disc may be better when you want the disc to continue pushing forward.

If you want a much deeper explanation of flight numbers, check out our 2026 Disc Golf Flight Numbers Explained guide.

What Disc Weight Should You Throw?

Disc weight is another factor that gets overlooked when people are choosing discs.

Most golf discs fall somewhere in the range of roughly 150–180 grams, although legal weights vary by disc diameter and manufacturer.

So does a heavier disc fly differently?

Absolutely.

A lighter disc generally requires less effort to accelerate, which can make it easier for a newer player or someone with slower arm speed to get the disc moving.

The tradeoff is that lighter discs can be more affected by wind.

Heavier discs generally provide more resistance to the wind and can feel more stable and substantial in the hand.

What should beginners do?

You don't need to obsess over finding the perfect weight.

If you have a slower arm speed, experimenting with lighter discs can be worthwhile.

If you regularly play in strong wind or have plenty of throwing speed, heavier discs may give you more consistency.

And if you have the opportunity to hold the disc before buying it, how the weight feels in your hand matters too.

People typically think that lighter discs are more understable, but that is not always the case. This is typically caused more because a player is actually getting the disc up to speed or throwing it faster than the intended speed which is creating the understable flight. You can still find 150g discs that are VERY overstable.

How Does Disc Golf Plastic Affect a Disc?

Once you know what type of disc and flight you want, you still have another decision to make:

Which plastic should I buy?

This is where disc golf can get a little ridiculous.

Every manufacturer has its own names for its plastics, and two plastics from different companies can have completely different names while serving very similar purposes.

Baseline Plastic

Baseline plastics are generally softer, grippier, and tend to wear in faster.

They're commonly used for putters and are almost always less expensive than premium plastics.

Examples include:

• Innova DX
• Discraft Putter Line
• Dynamic Discs Prime
• Prodigy 300

Baseline plastic can be a great choice when you're starting out because it gives you a relatively inexpensive way to try a mold and learn how it feels.

Premium Plastic

Premium plastics are generally more durable and hold their original flight characteristics longer.

Examples include:

• Innova Champion
• Discraft Z
• Dynamic Discs Lucid
• Prodigy 400

Premium plastic is particularly popular for throwing discs that are going to take a beating on trees and rough terrain.

Premium Blends

Many manufacturers also offer premium blends that combine durability with a different feel, flexibility, or grip.

Examples include:

• Innova Star
• Discraft ESP
• Dynamic Discs Fusion
• Prodigy 750

The exact characteristics vary by manufacturer and even by individual run.

That's why plastic is something I recommend experimenting with.

If you find a mold you really like, try it in different plastics and see how the feel and flight change.

A general rule of thumb is that the stiffer the plastic, the more overstable the disc will fly. Plastics like Champion, Z, Lucid, etc. will normally be the stiffest and result in the most overstable option for that disc. 

How Do I Pick a Disc for a Specific Shot?

Once you understand the basics, choosing discs becomes much easier.

Instead of asking:

"What is the best and most popular disc?"

Ask:

"What do I want this disc to accomplish for me?"

That question will get you much closer to the right answer.

I want a straight shot

Look for a neutral or slightly understable disc with enough speed for your arm.

A neutral putter or midrange is often a great starting point.

I want more distance

Don't immediately jump to the fastest disc you can find.

Try a disc with enough glide and an appropriate speed for your arm.

A slower fairway driver can often produce more useful distance than a distance driver that you cannot get up to speed.

I keep throwing everything too far left

For a right-handed backhand player, this can be a sign that the disc is too overstable or too fast for your current arm speed.

Try a slower or more understable disc and see whether it produces a straighter flight.

I keep turning everything over

If your discs are turning excessively and never coming back, you may be throwing something that is too understable for your current power or release.

Try moving toward a more stable disc.

This problem, however, is typically solved by a form change more than a disc change. 

I need something for the wind

This is where overstable discs become extremely useful.

A more overstable disc is generally going to resist turning over in strong winds and provide a more predictable finish.

Just remember that wind direction matters. A disc that works well into a headwind may not be the same disc you want throwing downwind.

In all wind, an overstable disc is going to have a predictable finish which is why we recommend starting there even before you understand the effects of a headwind, tailwind, crosswind, and every combination of those.

I want an easy-to-throw driver

Look for a slower driver with some glide and an understable or neutral flight.

You don't need a 12-speed disc to get driver distance.

Common Mistakes When Choosing Disc Golf Discs

There are a few mistakes I see newer players make over and over.

Buying the fastest disc possible

The biggest mistake is assuming that higher speed automatically equals more distance.

It doesn't.

A disc only helps you if you can throw it.

Buying the same disc a professional throws

Pros can throw almost anything.

That doesn't mean the disc they throw is appropriate for your arm speed.

A professional's Destroyer might be an incredible disc.

That doesn't mean you should buy one if you're currently throwing 200 feet.

Assuming understable discs are only for beginners

Understable discs are useful at every level.

As your arm speed improves, a disc that once flew straight may start turning more.

That same disc can then become useful for hyzer flips, turnovers, rollers, tailwind shots, and other lines.

Buying too many discs

You do not need 25 discs to learn how to play disc golf.

In fact, learning what a small number of discs actually do can teach you much more than constantly switching between molds.

A putter, midrange, and fairway driver can cover an incredible number of shots.

Choosing a disc based only on flight numbers

Flight numbers are useful, but they're not the whole story.

Two discs with similar numbers can feel completely different in the hand and fly differently for different players.

The numbers are a starting point.

Your throw is the final test.

How Many Discs Do You Actually Need?

If you're brand new to disc golf, you really don't need a huge bag.

You can play an entire round with:

• One putter
• One midrange
• One fairway driver

And honestly, you can play with just one disc.

The goal when you're starting isn't to have an answer for every possible shot.

The goal is to learn how to throw.

As you improve, you'll naturally discover situations where you want another disc.

Maybe you need something more overstable for the wind.

Maybe you want something more understable for turnovers.

Maybe you want a faster driver for maximum distance.

That's when adding another disc makes sense.

A Simple Disc Selection Cheat Sheet

If you're staring at a wall of discs and just want to know where to start, use this:

If you want...	Look for...
Your first disc	Neutral putter
A straight beginner disc	Neutral or slightly understable putter/mid
More control than distance	Putter or midrange
More distance without jumping to a distance driver	Fairway driver
Easy distance	Slower, glidey, understable driver
A straight flight	Neutral or slightly understable disc
More turn	More understable disc
Less turn	More stable or overstable disc
More fade	Overstable disc
A wind-fighting disc	More overstable disc
A disc for a slower arm	Lower speed with useful glide
Maximum distance	A driver your arm can actually get up to speed

So, What Disc Should You Buy?

If you've made it this far, here's the simplest answer I can give you:

Buy the disc that matches the throw you currently have, not the throw you hope to have someday.

If you're brand new, start with a neutral putter and midrange.

If you're starting to develop your form, add an easy-to-throw fairway driver.

If you're consistently throwing your fairways well and want more distance, start experimenting with faster drivers.

And as your game develops, you'll eventually find yourself wanting discs with more specialized flights.

That's one of the best parts of disc golf.

There isn't one perfect disc.

If you're ready to start looking for that disc, use our disc sorting tool to filter discs by type, stability, manufacturer, and other characteristics on the sidebar of our collections.

And if you aren't sure what you need yet, that's okay.

Start simple, throw a lot, and let your game tell you what to buy next.

That's how you build your bag.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best disc golf disc for a beginner?

Most beginners should start with a neutral putter and a controllable midrange. These discs generally require less throwing speed than drivers and make it easier to learn consistent throwing technique.

What disc speed should a beginner throw?

Most beginners should start with slower discs rather than immediately jumping to high-speed distance drivers. A putter, midrange, or slower fairway driver will generally be easier to control while you're developing your throwing technique. Keep it 7 speed or below.

Should beginners throw understable discs?

Understable discs can be excellent for beginners because they generally require less throwing speed to produce a straight or turning flight. As your arm speed improves, those same discs can become useful for different shot shapes.

What are the four flight numbers on a disc?

The four flight numbers represent speed, glide, turn, and fade. Together, they provide a general description of how a disc is designed to fly.

What is the difference between a fairway driver and a distance driver?

Fairway drivers are generally slower and easier to control, while distance drivers are faster and designed to produce more distance when thrown with sufficient speed. A fairway driver combines the control of a midrange with the distance of a driver. 

What weight disc should a beginner throw?

A beginner can experiment with lighter-weight discs because they generally require less effort to accelerate. However, lighter discs can be more affected by wind, so there is no single weight that works for every player.

Why does my disc immediately go left?

For a right-handed backhand player, a disc that immediately fades hard to the left may be too overstable or too fast for the player's current throwing speed. Trying a slower or more understable disc can help produce a straighter flight. This flight can also be caused by a nose-up release. If you feel like you have tried the slow understable disc already, work on your form instead!

Why does my disc turn over?

A disc that turns excessively may be too understable for the amount of power being applied, or the release may be contributing to the turn. Moving to a more stable disc can help, but improving throwing technique is also important.

Do I need distance drivers to play disc golf?

No. You can play an entire round with putters and midranges. Distance drivers become useful when your throwing speed and technique allow you to control them effectively.

How many discs should a beginner have?

A beginner can play with just one disc, although having a putter, midrange, and fairway driver gives you a useful range of shots while keeping your bag simple.

What is the easiest way to choose a disc?

Start with the shot you want to throw, then consider your arm speed, disc type, stability, and flight numbers. If you are unsure, choose a slower and more controllable disc and build from there.