Major League Baseball’s World Series begins tonight, and it is the last day of the first round of the Disc Golf Reviewer World Series of Putters! 32 days ago, we began this project to find the best putter in the world and provide the disc golf community with a plethora of information to help them 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 our final first round match we are in the Aviar region where the 2 seed Kastaplast Berg is going up against the recently released 15 seed Latitude 64 Faith.
Kastaplast Berg
The Kastaplast Berg has been a big hit ever since its release a few years ago. It is a very unique mold and shape that makes it a very popular option for a driving or approach putter. I’d describe it as a mix between a thumbtrack putter like the new Dynamic Discs Sockibomb Slammer and a groove top disc like the the Discraft Banger GT.
The Berg is beadless with a pretty blunt beadless rim that gives it a slower speed. Its grove design makes the disc feel much shorter than it actually is when you hold it because the whole flight plate sits quite a bit lower than the height of the rim.
Today we used a K3 Berg. Kastaplast has really built its brand around their very unique plastic blends, and K3 is their stiff and tacky base putter plastic blend.
Latitude 64 Faith
The Faith is one of two putters recently released in Latitude 64’s new Royal line. The Royal line of discs are manufactured with a focus on creating a literally seamless feeling disc that allows for a comfortable grip and a reliably smooth release.
The Faith is a tall beadless putter with a shape similar to the popular Discmania P2 or the Infinite Discs Alpaca. It flies straight with a slight overstable finish at the end of flight.
The Latitude 64 Faith is exclusively available in Royal Sense plastic blend. Royal Sense is a smooth but still grippy traditional putter plastic blend. It has a bit of flexibility but doesn’t feel too soft in the hand. I think it is a really nice putter plastic.
Specifications and Flight Numbers
Let’s take a look at some of the specs courtesy of the PDGA and break down some of the similarities and differences between these two putter molds.
Berg
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Faith
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| Flight Numbers: 1/1/0/2
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Max Weight: 175.1gr
Diameter: 21.1cm
Height: 2.0cm
Rim Depth: 1.4cm
Rim Thickness: 0.9cm
Inside Rim Diameter: 19.3cm
Rim Depth / Diameter Ratio: 6.6%
Rim Configuration: 87.00
Flexibility: 4.31kg
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Max Weight: 176.0gr
Diameter: 21.2cm
Height: 2.2cm
Rim Depth: 1.5cm
Rim Thickness: 1.1cm
Inside Rim Diameter: 19.0cm
Rim Depth / Diameter Ratio: 7.1%
Rim Configuration: 59.50
Flexibility: 12.05kg
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These are two very different putter molds, and the biggest difference I notice when holding each disc is their height. .2cm doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is a big difference in putters. Also, because of the Berg’s shape and how the flight plate drops down from the top of the rim, it makes the Berg feel even shorter when gripping it. The Faith however feels all of 2.2cm tall while gripping it, and it glides very well in the air just like I’ve come to expect from taller putters.
The difference in speed between these two discs can’t be ignored either. While the Berg has a slightly less blunt rim than other 1 speed putters I’ve tested in the World Series of Putters, it is still very blunt and therefore the disc flies pretty slow on the putting green. It took me a while to get the hang of this speed difference while preparing for the match.
I also want to give a shoutout to both of these plastic blends. Kastaplast’s K3 and Latitude 64’s Royal Sense both do a really nice job of balancing grip and texture. Both feel smooth which allows for a consistent release, but also, they have a really nice tackiness, so the grip never needs to be questioned or doubted. I really enjoyed putting with both of these plastic blends.
The Match
I conducted today’s match on a cool evening at a local disc golf course on a permanent Innova Discatcher basket under a streetlight. After warming up with both discs, a coin flip determined that the Kastaplast Berg would go first on the first set of putts. Here is how it all played out:
(2) Berg Scorecard
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(15) Faith Scorecard
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| 20ft: N Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y Y (8/10 putts made)=24 points |
20ft: Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y (10/10)=30 points
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| 30ft: N N N N Y Y N N N N (2/10)=8 points |
30ft: N N N N Y N Y Y N Y (4/10)=16 points
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| 40ft: N N N N N N N N N N (0/10)=0 points |
40ft: Y Y N N N N N N N N (2/10)=10 points
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| Total: 32 points |
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The Winner
In the words of Sir George Michael, I’ve gotta have Faith!! The 15 seed Latitude 64 Faith pulls off the “upset” over the 2 seed Kastaplast Berg with a final score of 56 to 32.
Notes from the Match
While this is technically an “upset” based on the seeding, I don’t think this result should be too much of a shock for those familiar with these two discs. The Kastaplast Berg is a great approach disc, and I think it could be argued that we shouldn’t have put it in this competition at all since it is a disc that is designed to be more of an approach disc than a putter.
But I’m glad we did include the Berg so that we have the opportunity to talk about putting with nontraditional putter discs. I know some folks do use the Berg and other approach discs as their putting putter. Some may like the feel of it, others maybe just wanted to be a little different. Whatever the reason, I think it is important to recognize that the discs we use in this sport are designed with certain types of shots in mind. When choosing a putter or even a driver or midrange, do some research and consider why the disc is designed the way that it is. If you choose to use a disc designed to deliver accurate straight and sticky approach shots like the Berg for a different purpose like putting from inside the circle, you are not using that disc for what it was designed for. Maybe it works for you, but at least consider the possibility that you are making it harder than you need to because there are discs that were designed to putt into the basket from around the circle, like the Latitude 64 Faith.
Sorry for the slight tangent, but I think that sums up the main issues at play with this match. The Berg struggled the further I got away from the basket no matter the type of putting form I tried it with. Also, the Faith felt very natural in the hand for a putting putter.
My Recommendation
For an approach disc, I’d highly recommend the Kastaplast Berg. But for a straight and reliable putting putter, I’d highly recommend the Latitude 64 Faith. I’m really excited for its match in the next round with the Birdie Marvel.
This concludes the first round of the 2022 Disc Golf Reviewer World Series of Putters. Tomorrow we will be taking a short break from the action to post a recap of the first round. We will break down some of the stats and trends we saw during the first round of action. Then the next day, we will be back at with round 2. The first match of the second round will be back in the Alpaca region where the number 1 overall seed Infinite Discs Alpaca will take on the 9 seed Clash Popcorn.
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.
