Discmania Link vs. DGA Steady-World Series of Putters Round 2

Today we begin the second round in the Aviar region of the Disc Golf Reviewer World Series of Putters. We are searching for the best putter in the world and hoping to provide the disc golf community with a plethora of information along the way to help everyone decide what putter is right for them. This is an NCAA basketball style tournament and project where every day I test two putter molds against each other on the putting green in a head-to-head competition before posting here about my experience and the results.

In today’s match we have a couple of very similar putters facing off. The 9 seed Discmania Link will be looking to repeat its high scoring performance against the 16 seed DGA Steady. The Link took down the 8 seed Lone Star Disc Penny Putter 80 to 58, and the Steady pulled off the biggest upset of the first round by knocking out the 1 seed Innova Aviar 58 to 56.

In the first round matchups I gave an overview of each disc (you can find links to every first round match at our main World Series of Putters post). For the second round, I’m sharing what surprised me the most about each disc the first time I threw it.

Discmania Link

I think the biggest surprise for me the first time I threw the link was just how tall the disc is and feels in the hand. It is a nice middle between the Gateway Wizard and the Latitude 64 Dagger in that regard. Personally, I think it is just right for a high glide beaded putter, which is probably why I scored an 80 with it in the first round. The Link had the single highest score in the first round by 13 points, which was also a pretty big surprise.

For the World Series of Putters we are using the EXO Hard Link, which is a stiff and grippy base putter plastic blend.

DGA Steady

The Steady pays homage to the creator of disc golf, “Steady” Ed Headrick. I think the biggest surprise for me was the big bead along the bottom of the rim. I knew the Steady was a beaded putter, but not all beads are created equally. I don’t have the exact measurements, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Steady’s bead were the largest in this competition. Despite its size though, it doesn’t feel sharp or obtrusive to the grip for me like other beads can.

For today’s match I used the DGA D-Line Steady. D-Line is DGA’s most base plastic blend. It is pretty soft with a nice reliable grip.

Specifications and Flight Numbers

Let’s take a look at some of the specs courtesy of the PDGA and break down the major differences between these two putter molds.

Link

Steady

Flight Numbers: 3/5/0/2

Link Flight Path Discmania Link vs. DGA Steady--World Series of Putters Round 2

Flight Numbers: 2/3/0/2

Steady Flight Path Discmania Link vs. DGA Steady--World Series of Putters Round 2

Max Weight: 176.0gr

Diameter: 21.2cm

Height: 1.9cm

Rim Depth: 1.5cm

Rim Thickness: 1.0cm

Inside Rim Diameter: 19.1cm

Rim Depth / Diameter Ratio: 7.0%

Rim Configuration: 71.00

Flexibility: 7.84kg

Max Weight: 176.0gr

Diameter: 21.2cm

Height: 2.0cm

Rim Depth: 1.4cm

Rim Thickness: 1.0cm

Inside Rim Diameter: 19.3cm

Rim Depth / Diameter Ratio: 6.6%

Rim Configuration: 56.00

Flexibility: 6.92kg

IMG 8594 Discmania Link vs. DGA Steady--World Series of Putters Round 2

I’m really surprised to see that the Discmania Link is actually the shorter of these two discs. In the hand the Link feels a touch taller than the DGA Steady, but that is probably because it has a slightly deeper (or in other words, taller) rim. That additional rim depth means there is more air space underneath the disc, which in theory should make the Link float and glide more during its flight. The flight numbers aim to indicate this, as Discmania has given the Link a very high 5 glide rating.

Flight numbers are an imperfect system though as I often say in these posts, and you shouldn’t expect a really dramatic difference in how these two discs fly, particularly on the putting green. They are both tall beaded putters with a very similar shape, and as such, they are going to fly similarly. The Link is just going to float a touch more on some shots.

The Match

IMG 8579 Discmania Link vs. DGA Steady--World Series of Putters Round 2

For more info on the format and scoring system I used to test these putters against each other, be sure to check out our main World Series of Putters post.

I conducted this match on a perfect evening under a conveniently placed streetlight at my local disc golf course on a permanent Innova Discatcher basket. After warming up, I flipped a coin to see which putter would be thrown first for the first round of putts, and it was the Discmania Link. Here is how it all played out:

(9) Link Scorecard	(16) Steady Scorecard
20ft: Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y (9/10 putts made)=27 points	20ft: Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y (9/10)=27 points
30ft: N N N Y Y Y N Y Y Y (6/10)=24 points	30ft: Y N N Y N Y Y N Y N (5/10)=20 points
40ft: N Y N N N Y N N N N (2/10)=10 points	40ft: N N N N Y N N N N N (5/10)=5 points
Total: 61 points	Total: 52 points

The Winner

The Steady’s Cinderella story comes to an end in the second round as the 9 seed Discmania Link defeated the 16 seed DGA Steady with a score of 61 to 52.

Notes from the Match

IMG 8582 Discmania Link vs. DGA Steady--World Series of Putters Round 2

I was really hoping for a high scoring shoot out after the way both these discs performed in the first round, but both of their scores were down this time, especially from 40ft. 61 and 52 are still on the high end for the tournament, but I just expected more (of myself, really) in this round.

I think the difference makers in this round were two elements that I talk about often–plastic blend and glide.

The D-Line DGA Steady isn’t crazy soft, but it is significantly softer than the EXO Hard Link. I’m starting to also think that a softer plastic is especially worse for me personally with a beaded putter, as it is an additional element to navigate when trying to get a clean release. Softer putters more easily give way when you grip them, which makes a consistent grip more difficult to achieve.

As mentioned above, the Link is the higher glide option in this match, and I’ve found that especially comes into play on longer putts. Neither putter did great from long range today, but the Link had an advantage due to its ability to stay in the air a touch longer before beginning its fade.

My Recommendation

This one was a close one, and I really like both of these discs. I think the DGA Steady is one of the most underrated discs, and this event has made me curious to try out the more popular Steady BL (beadless). But like I said above, The Link more and more feels like the perfect height and shape for what I’ve traditionally looked for in a putter. So I’d recommend both these discs, but if I were choosing for myself, the Discmania Link would get the pick.

The Aviar region’s second round continues tomorrow with a match between the 5 seed Dynamic Discs Warden and the 13 seed Westside Shield. See you there!