Like most of the disc golf world, we don’t yet have our hands on the Discraft Zone OS yet but we’ve seen and heard the hype. Discraft did a similar thing with their new distance driver, the retooled Venom. As of last week, Discraft rolled out the “Test Flight” non-PDGA approved Zone OS (officially approved on 03/06/23) and now right before WACO, every Discraft pro is showing it off. But do you need it?
Initial Thoughts
The Disc Golf manufacturing community has gone crazy for overstable discs. In his latest practice round video, Brodie Smith, mentioned how the entire Discraft team had been asking for a more overstable zone. Looking a little bit deeper, almost every disc golf manufacturer has expanded their overstable disc offerings.
- Innova: Juggernaut, Toro (2022)
- Latitude 64: Savior, Honor
- Discraft: Captain’s Raptor, Zone OS, Venom
- Discmania: MD5 (New)
- Axiom – Tempo
- Birdie Disc Golf Supply – Ultra
- Dynamic Discs – Supreme Fugitive
Are Overstable Discs Bad?
It’s less a question of, are overstable discs bad or not and more so a question of how are they affecting the game of disc golf. More overstability could be seen as an increase in the amount of technology available. These new discs are less prone to wind and offer a new range of shots previously not available – similar to polyester strings in a tennis racquet and their effect on spin and ball control. That being said, the Innova Firebird hit the market officially in March of 2000, sporting 9/3/0/4 flight numbers. That’s 23 years ago.
Overstability might not be new, but the amount of offerings reflect the state of the sport. Consumers are hungry for new discs and trends will always be trends. Right now, overstable discs are the trend. Overstability on a broad scale makes discs easier and more reliable to throw – you may not be able to get them to go far, but they’ll always reliably finish hard.
What’s Next for Disc Golf Discs
If 2022 and 2023 have marked the seasons of overstability, what will 2024 and beyond bring? The game has gotten powerful and courses have reflected that. With Par 4’s reaching 900 ft and beyond and some par 5’s edging on 1250 ft and more, the game is demanding its players to be stronger and to use equipment to get them there. Sadly, you can’t throw flippy if you want excel in the modern long game. Until the courses become more varied and less reliant on “Ball Golf” course design, overstability is here to stay.
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