The Best Disc Golf Distance Drivers – 2020 Edition

disc golf distance drivers

This is a quick look at the best-selling disc golf distance drivers of 2019. Now you can be armed with the most popular discs as we head into the 2020 season. These rankings are based on sales at Infinite Discs, the largest online Disc Golf retailer. The sales usually reflect the degree of popularity of different discs, since players generally buy the discs that they love to throw.  Different factors may contribute to a boost in sales, so we’ll address those one at a time.  Let’s start with the 10th ranked distance driver and move up to #1 from there.

#10 – ORC by Innova

ORC by Innova

Speed: 10.0
Glide: 4.0
Turn: -1.0
Fade: 3.0

The Orc is a great distance driver for the general market since it is not too fast for most intermediate players, yet has enough fade to not get “flippy” or turn over with a moderately powerful release. However, the sales of the ORC were particularly strong at Infinite Discs because there was a run of “pre-flight number” Orcs (before they had the flight numbers printed on the stamp) which came out very swirly and in the upper 160 gram weight range. Infinite Discs reacted to that demand by ordering in a lot of that weight class. The players and collectors responded by purchasing a lot of extra Orcs from that particular run. So the disc ranked higher than it might have otherwise. People always love those extra swirly, lighter weight discs.

#9 – TERN by Innova

TERN by Innova

Speed: 12.0 
Glide: 6.0
Turn: -2.0
Fade: 2.0

The Tern is another great driver for intermediate level players. While the disc rim is wider than the rims on the Orc or Wraith, it is designed for straight flight. So, it should not exaggerate the end fade as much as discs with a similar speed rating. That intended neutrality in turn and fade is what makes the Tern a suitable option for a lot of players at a lot of different skill levels, and makes the the disc one of the top-sellers of 2019.

#8 – BOSS by Innova

BOSS by Innova

Speed: 13.0
Glide: 5.0
Turn: 0.0
Fade: 3.0

The Boss is definitely designed for power throwers, though it still finds popularity in lighter weights (like Blizzard Champion plastic) with players who likely couldn’t throw a max weight version very far. It is a wide-rim driver, thus high speed, plus it also has a significant end fade, so it’s definitely a disc that is targeted primarily for experienced throwers. The Boss has also enjoyed some time as the disc that holds the distance record for disc golf drivers. But keep in mind that the distance was achieved in high winds and thrown by a professional. Still, those kinds of bragging rights still help to boost the popularity of the Boss for a lot of disc golfers.

#7 – BEAST by Innova

BEAST by Innova

Speed: 10.0
Glide: 5.0
Turn: -2.0
Fade: 2.0

Have you noticed a lot of the top selling or best disc golf distance drivers are made by Innova? The Beast is even more popular than the Orc, Tern, or Boss because it not only features a relatively straight, neutral flight, but it is also only a “speed 10” driver. With that slower rim, it doesn’t need a lot of power to achieve great distance. It’s a very good precision and one of the best disc golf distance drivers for intermediate players.  The Beast is available in all of the most popular plastic types including Champion, Star, GStar, Pro, and Blizzard Champion for players who prefer the lightweight discs. It’s a great choice for new players who want to start testing out their distance capabilities on the disc golf course.

#6 – FORCE by Discraft

FORCE by Discraft

Speed: 12.0
Glide: 5.0
Turn: 0.0
Fade: 3.0

In the #6 spot, we find a non-Innova entry into the top 10, the Force by Discraft. The reason for the popularity of the Force in 2019 was entirely driven by the fact that it became a signature disc for professional disc golfer, Paul McBeth. Once he announced his switch from Innova as his sponsor to Discraft, hype built quickly for the Force. Paul McBeth used it as his primary distance driver for the first few major competitions of the year until splitting the distance duties with his later-released Zeus disc.  Once the Zeus was released, the sales for the Force dropped a bit because the Force is quite overstable with significant end fade, making it harder to handle unless you are an advanced player.  It will be interesting to see if the Force holds onto its popularity into 2020, or if other drivers, like the Zeus, complete away its moment of glory.

#5 – SHRYKE by Innova

SHRYKE by Innova

Speed: 13.0
Glide: 6.0
Turn: -2.0
Fade: 2.0

The Shryke is another high-speed and one of the best disc golf distance drivers with a wide rim. However, since it is designed for a straight flight, it is more neutral than other high-speed discs like the Boss or Destroyer, so it is favored by players who have pretty good arm speed but not the most power. It is popular in some light weights as well, which works well for newer players who want to experiment with high-speed discs.  Power throwers may find the Shryke to be a bit too understable as it can “turn over” when thrown too hard, but if you have a range around 300 – 400 feet, then it should be a great distance driver for your bag.

#4 – PHARAOH by Infinite Discs

PHARAOH by Infinite Discs

Speed: 13.0
Glide: 6.0
Turn: -1.0
Fade: 2.0

One of the reasons that the Pharaoh shows up so high in the sales rankings at Infinite Discs is because for the last couple of years, you could ONLY get a Pharaoh at Infinite Discs. It’s a great distance driver, for sure, but since it has not been sold in many other places, it’s hard to know where it fits when it comes to popularity across the general disc market. The Pharaoh is quite similar to the Shryke with a similar high-speed rim and flight pattern. The plastic type and run number can make quite a difference in the flight characteristics of your Pharaoh. The Pharaoh in I-Blend plastic is known to be more understable than the popular Swirly S-Blend plastic run, which can be more overstable. The Glow C-Blend plastic came out more domey with more glide, but also a bit more overstable as well. So, it is possible for a player to have multiple Pharaoh discs for different shots.

#3 – WRAITH by Innova

WRAITH by Innova

Speed: 11.0
Glide: 5.0
Turn: -1.0
Fade: 3.0

At the number three spot, we find a disc that has always hovered around the top, but that is seeing more of a renaissance lately with increased sales. Some of that popularity could be related to the top-selling Destroyer. A lot of people can’t throw a Destroyer, despite how popular it is with the pro players. So, when they look at the number, the Wraith is a single step downward in speed. Because of that reduced speed (slightly smaller rim width) the Wraith can be handled by more intermediate players. So, in a way, it has become the “Destroyer for the common man.” That appeal has definitely helped to carry the Wraith to the top of the sales charts.

#2 – ZEUS by Discraft

ZEUS by Discraft

Speed: 12.0
Glide: 5.0
Turn: -1.0
Fade: 3.0

The ZEUS was a brand new distance driver release in 2019 and was the first distance driver in Paul McBeth’s own line of discs with Discraft. Because of his name, hype, and the fact that he started throwing it in most of his competitive rounds for the latter half of the year, it became a huge seller. With a slightly higher price tag than other discs and the conductibility factor 100% in play, the Zeus discs just kept flying off the shelves, even if they weren’t always being thrown on the disc golf course. It is slightly less overstable than the Force, which was McBeth’s go-to driver for the first part of the year, so it is slightly more player-friendly and easily passed the Force in sales once it was released.

#1 – DESTROYER by Innova

DESTROYER by Innova

Speed: 12.0
Glide: 5.0
Turn: -1.0
Fade: 3.0

The Destroyer had an interesting year in 2019. It had been a Paul McBeth signature disc while he was with Innova as his main sponsor. But then he switched to Discraft in 2019 and took a lot of momentum with him. It felt like the Zeus was receiving all of the hype, but in the end, the Destroyer demonstrated that it had the long-lasting reputation to keep selling. Slow and steady sales ended up winning the race with the Destroyer once again taking the top spot. Professional disc golfer, Ricky Wysocki, moved from Latitude 64 as his primary sponsor to Innova in 2019 and he took the signature spot on the Destroyer for the year. While Ricky’s name on the disc may have changed its look and won over a few buyers, the popularity of the disc seemed to hold its own despite all of the shuffling around with the professional sponsorships. Available in the plethora of different plastic types, many of which fly quite differently from run to run, a lot of players don’t have the arm speed or power for a Destroyer, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting to try one. In the end, even if you are a newer player or have slower arm speed, you can likely find a Destroyer that is lightweight enough to still get the job done.

2019 Best Selling Disc Golf Distance Drivers

So, to list them in order from top to bottom, here were the top 10 best-selling distance drivers from January 1st – December 31st, 2019:

  1. Destroyer by Innova
  2. Zeus by Discraft
  3. Wraith by Innova
  4. Pharaoh by Infinite Discs
  5. Shryke by Innova
  6. Force by Discraft
  7. Beast by Innova
  8. Boss by Innova
  9. Tern by Innova
  10. Orc by Innova

It’s interesting to know that Innova still dominates disc golf’s distance driver scene. 7 of the top ten distance drivers on the best selling list are from the Innova brand, while the Infinite Discs Pharaoh is also manufactured by Innova Champion Discs. Check out our archives to compare this years list with our Top Ten Disc Golf drivers of 2018.

Feel free to comment with your opinion on these or other distance drivers that you enjoy throwing. 

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