Discraft Luna vs. Clash Popcorn - World Series of Putters Regional Championship Round

We’re back from a brief hiatus with more action in the Disc Golf Reviewer World Series of Putters! In this series, 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.

We are down to the 8 final discs, and today we begin the Regional Championship Round with the Alpaca regional championship between the 2 seed Discraft Luna and the 9 seed Clash Popcorn. To reach this round the Discraft Luna defeated the 15 seed Viking Knife in the first round (63 to 52), the 10 seed Prodigy P Model US in the second round (66 to 49), and the Gateway Voodoo in the round of 16 (73 to 53). The Clash Popcorn defeated the 8 seed Westside Maiden in the first round (34 to 29), the top overall seeded Infinite Discs Alpaca in the second round (52 to 50), and the Divergent Discs Narwhal in the round of 16 (67 to 53).

You can find the full results of every first and second round match over at our main World Series of Putters post.

In the first round I gave an overview of each disc. In the second round I shared what surprised me about each disc. In the round of 16, I shared what I like best about each disc. This round, I’ll share something I got wrong about each putter–an incorrect assumption I made or something I’ve learned about it after putting with it for four separate rounds.

Discraft Luna

An assumption I made before throwing the Luna was that it would basically be a replica of an Innova Aviar. Paul McBeth putted with Aviars very successfully in his days at Innova, so I imagined his custom putter with Discraft would just be the same as an Aviar.

The Aviar and the Luna are similar, but they are definitely different as well. The Luna has a rounder rim shape while the Aviar has more of a beveled bottom. The Luna is also a touch more overstable, though I still think it flies less overstable than its flight numbers would suggest.

For this event, I’m using the Paul McBeth special plastic blend Luna. It feels kind of like an orange peel all the way around but still offers a consistent and smooth release.

Clash Popcorn

I didn’t know or have many expectations when I first held the disc. I’ve really loved the feel of the Hardy plastic blend from the beginning, and if anything I’ve only had that reaffirmed with every round so far.

But something I’ll touch on later in this match as well is just how much bigger the diameter of this disc feels compared to others. I’ve mentioned this throughout this series, but I’ve always excused it away as something that you probably wouldn’t notice when putting with it. But it has consistently been something I’ve noticed and had to be aware of while putting with it. It may not have a negative impact on the disc’s performance, but it is something that I got wrong in the sense that it is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.

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.

Luna

Popcorn

Flight Numbers: 3/3/0/3 (1.0 Discraft Stability Rating)

Luna Flight Path Discraft Luna vs. Clash Popcorn -- World Series of Putters Regional Championship Round

Flight Numbers: 3/3/0/1

Popcorn Flight Path Discraft Luna vs. Clash Popcorn -- World Series of Putters Regional Championship Round

Max Weight: 175.1gr

Diameter: 21.1cm

Height: 2.0cm

Rim Depth: 1.4cm

Rim Thickness: 1.1cm

Inside Rim Diameter: 18.9cm

Rim Depth / Diameter Ratio: 6.6%

Rim Configuration: 68.50

Flexibility: 12.13kg

Max Weight: 177.6gr

Diameter: 21.4cm

Height: 1.9cm

Rim Depth: 1.6cm

Rim Thickness: 1.1cm

Inside Rim Diameter: 19.2cm

Rim Depth / Diameter Ratio: 7.5%

Rim Configuration: 69.50

Flexibility: 6.48kg

IMG 8683 Discraft Luna vs. Clash Popcorn -- World Series of Putters Regional Championship Round

It’s time to talk about a difference I don’t think I’ve talked about at all in this series–disc diameter. I’ve mentioned that I’ve noticed that the Popcorn has a slightly larger diameter than the other discs it has matched up against, but something I haven’t mentioned is I’ve also noticed that the Luna feels like it has a slightly smaller diameter than the discs it is matched up against. As you can see, there is a .3cm difference in diameter between these two discs, and it was immediately noticeable when I held and began putting with these discs together.

In terms of rim shape and size these discs are similar to each other. The Popcorn has a flatter top which helps to make the edge of the disc slightly blunter than the Luna’s more pointed shaped rim. Both of these discs are beadless stable to overstable putters. The Luna is rated to be quite a bit more overstable, but at least on the putting green, the stability difference isn’t very noticeable.

I like both plastic blends being used in this matchup, though they are pretty different from each other. The Paul McBeth blend Luna has more of a traditional putter plastic feel except that it has a pretty unique speckled texture. The Hardy Popcorn has a really unique stiff rubbery feel that I’ve before compared to the feeling of a freshly unwrapped Laffy Taffy on a cold day. It is super unique, but it is so nice to grip for putting.

The Match

IMG 8669 Discraft Luna vs. Clash Popcorn -- World Series of Putters Regional Championship Round

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 cool windless 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 Discraft Luna. Here is how it all played out:

(2) Luna Scorecard	(9) Popcorn Scorecard
20ft: Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y Y (9/10 putts made)=27 points	20ft: Y N Y Y N Y Y Y Y N (7/10)=21 points
30ft: N Y N Y Y Y Y N Y N (6/10)=24 points	30ft: Y Y N N Y N N N Y N (4/10)=16 points
40ft: N N Y N N N N N N Y (2/10)=10 points	40ft: N N Y N N Y N Y N N (3/10)=15 points
Total: 61 points	Total: 52 points

The Winner

It was a bit lower scoring than what I was hoping for, but the 2 seed Discraft Luna still put up a score above 60 to secure a win over the 9 seed Clash Popcorn as well as a place in the semifinal round of the World Series of Putters. Final score: 61 to 52.

Notes from the Match

IMG 8672 Discraft Luna vs. Clash Popcorn -- World Series of Putters Regional Championship Round

In terms of the difference in diameter I mentioned above, I think there ended up being a slight advantage for the smaller diameter Luna. Maybe more than an actual advantage, I just found myself preferring the feel of the smaller disc for a putting putter more and more as the match unfolded.

And I do think it is interesting that this was the first match where I really felt like the larger diameter had a slight negative impact on the Popcorn. I think I just felt more in control and natural in my putting motion with the smaller shape of the Discraft Luna. The Popcorn is still a solid option for a putting putter, but I do think I’d recommend making sure you recognize the larger diameter before you commit to it. Take some time to try it side by side with a smaller disc and see if you find yourself preferring one over the other.

Beyond the difference in disc size, I didn’t really feel like one disc had an advantage over the other. I like both plastic blends a lot for different reasons, and I thought both performed well tonight. The Luna was just a little better in the end.

The Luna has been one of the most consistent putters throughout this event. It has put up a score over 60 points in every round so far. If it can do that again for another 2 rounds, it should have a decent shot at becoming the winner of this series.

My Recommendation

I like both of these discs quite a bit, but for a putting putter I’ll be recommending the Discraft Luna as it has proven to be a reliable option for the putting green in my experience.

Tomorrow we’ll have the P2 region championship between two surprising new discs, the 12 seed Lone Star Jackrabbit and the 15 seed Alfa Discs Snoopy. You’ll want to make sure to check back tomorrow to get those results!