Only two matches left in the Round of 16 of 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.
For today’s match we are moving back to the Aviar region of the bracket where the 5 seed Dynamic Discs Warden is taking on the 9 seed Discmania Link. To get to this point, the Warden had to beat the 12 seed RPM Ruru (53 to 31) and the 13 seed Westside Shield (59 to 44). The Link put up the highest score of the tournament so far in the first round as it beat the 8 seed Lone Star Disc Penny Putter (80 to 58), and in the second round it took care of business against the 16 seed DGA Steady (61 to 52).
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’ll be sharing what I like best about each disc.
Dynamic Discs Warden
My favorite thing about the Dynamic Discs Warden would probably have to be the rim shape. It is a similar height as the beaded Dynamic Discs Judge, but the shape of the Judge for some reason has always been difficult for me to get a consistent performance out of. But in this event with the Warden, though it is a bit shallower than my ideal putter, I’ve been having a really nice experience with this putter.
In this event I’ve been using the Classic Soft Warden. They are the softest base plastic blend in the Dynamic Discs lineup, which is pretty soft and flexible compared to other “soft” plastics out there.
Discmania Link
For different reasons than with the Warden, I think the rim shape is also my favorite thing about the Discmania Link (besides how well I putted with it in the first round). The Link is tall and beaded–the opposite of the Warden, but like the Warden, the rim shape is very comfortable in my hand. The bead is a nice size and shape that provides the support/guide in my grip without negatively impacting the release of the disc.
In this series we’ve been using the EXO Hard plastic blend Link. This plastic is a really nice stiff blend that still provides a reliable tacky grip.
Specifications and Flight Numbers
Like we do in every match, 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.
Warden
|
Link
|
| Flight Numbers: 2/4/0/0.5
|
Flight Numbers: 3/5/0/2
|
Max Weight: 176.0gr
Diameter: 21.2cm
Height: 2.0cm
Rim Depth: 1.5cm
Rim Thickness: 1.1cm
Inside Rim Diameter: 19.1cm
Rim Depth / Diameter Ratio: 7.1%
Rim Configuration: 66.25
Flexibility: 4.65kg
|
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
|
The Warden technically measures in here a touch taller than the Link. This is surprising to me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this measurement is slightly off, as we’ve found some of them to be throughout this series. But I also sometimes think that beaded putters feel taller than they actually are, which could be part of what’s at play here as well.
The Link has a high glide rating in its flight numbers, and while I am usually skeptical of flight numbers, the Link does seem to glide really well for me when compared to other putters in this competition.
These putters have a similar shape and a similar stability, with the Warden being rated a touch less overstable. That slight difference in stability is likely due to the Warden being beadless and the Link being beaded. Despite this slight difference, I really didn’t find the stability difference impacting the putts on the putting green.
Something that some folks may not recognize is that these discs are actually manufactured by the same company. Dynamic Discs is part of the trilogy brands that have all their discs manufactured by Latitude 64 in Sweden. The Link is part of Discmania’s Evolution line that initially launched a few years ago. All Evolution line discs are made by Latitude 64 as well.
So while I am using a Classic Soft Warden and an EXOHard Link, the plastics actually feel very similar in texture in grip, likely because they are made by the same folks in the same factory using a similar plastic polymer.
The Match
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 Discmania Link. Here is how it all played out:
(5) Warden Scorecard
|
(9) Link Scorecard
|
| 20ft: Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y (10/10 putts made)=30 points |
20ft: Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y (9/10)=27 points
|
| 30ft: Y N N N N Y N Y N Y (4/10)=16 points |
30ft: N Y N Y Y N N N N Y (4/10)=16 points
|
| 40ft: N N N N N N N N N Y (1/10)=5 points |
40ft: N N N N N N N Y Y Y (3/10)=15 points
|
| Total: 51 points |
|
The Winner
This one was close and a bit lower scoring than our other Round of 16 matches so far, but the 8 seed Discmania Link hit 6 of its last 7 putts to take down the 5 seed Dynamic Discs Warden 58 to 51.
Notes from the Match
The poor performance for most of the match from 40ft was especially frustrating for me in this one because I was draining 40ft putts from 40ft pretty consistently before I began the actual match. And to be more specific–I was consistently making them with the Discmania Link.
So although it was a lower scoring affair than I expected, I think the Discmania Link coming out on top feels like the correct result. The Discmania Link has definitely become a favorite for me, particularly from long range. Putting with this disc revigorates my confidence in beaded putters. The bead is a great size and the rim has a perfect height that is conducive to a very consistent release that allows for some solid accuracy from 40ft. Of course, it let me down a bit during the actual match today, but overall I feel very confident with this disc and it is one to watch as this event starts to wind down.
But I also have had a really nice experience with the Dynamic Discs Warden during this event. If I were to only throw putters from Dynamic Discs, the Warden would be my top choice, though it wasn’t before this event began. Its clean rim shape and smooth release has really won me over, and I am sorry to see this disc go out (though I would have been sorry to see the Link eliminated as well)
My Recommendation
Unfortunately, someone had to lose today. If I had to pick one of these discs for myself, I’d probably have to choose the Discmania Link because of the confidence it has been providing from longer range putts. But I can’t say enough good stuff about the Dynamic Discs Warden.
The final match of the Round of 16 comes to us tomorrow, and it is another juicy matchup in the Aviar region between the 3 seed Prodigy PA-3 and the 10 seed Birdie Marvel. You won’t want to miss it, so be sure to come back tomorrow!
