There is a new brand of disc golf discs to hit the market, and it’s no small startup manufacturer.
Nerf. You know, the makers of the popular dart guns, gootballs, bow and arrow, basketball sets, and other flying discs, now has a set of three disc golf discs. They are working with Prodigy to help distribute them among the disc golf community.
There is a lot of hype about these discs because they are ultra lightweight but still can be thrown by disc golfers. They are made of a Nerf-like material instead of plastic and weigh around 100 grams, almost half the weight of a traditional disc golf disc. They are made in the soft, foamish material similar to other Nerf products. And even though they are lightweight, these disc golf discs have adequate stability, with professional players like Will Schusterick able to throw them without them just flipping over and becoming unusable.
The weight, brand name, and soft Nerf material make these a great option for children, school settings, and teaching disc golf. They are a much safer disc golf disc that is not going to cause damage if someone or something gets hit.
They could be very effective in introducing disc golf to more people, just from the brand awareness and distribution that the Nerf name already has.
But will these discs be used or make a difference among current active disc golfers used to traditional plastic discs?
I tested them out and played a round of disc golf using only the Nerf Discs.
And while they are throwable, and while they do work for disc golf, they don’t offer the control, distance, or flight options of traditional disc golf discs. I am currently a 920-rated disc golfer, but my round throwing only Nerf discs was rated just 750.
Reasons These Won’t Replace Traditional Disc Golf Discs
There are a few reasons why my score was so high using only Nerf Discs and that these aren’t likely to go “in the bag” of the traditional disc golfer.
1. Distance
Even though lightweight means more arm speed, and even though they have enough stability to handle higher-speed throws, I feel that these are so light they don’t have sufficient mass to continue cutting forward through the air. Their mass-to-air-resistance ratio isn’t strong enough to go very far. In addition, the existing driver isn’t exactly the most aerodynamic driver. Based on the rim width, the Nerf driver would be classified as about a 9-speed driver.
I was able to throw the driver about 270 feet when I got a full flight out of it, the midrange around 230, and the putter around 210 with a normal smooth release. And while this is fair distance for many recreational disc golfers, it’s not enough distance to birdie the average disc golf hole. With my normal discs, I am able to birdie most holes at the course where I played my Nerf-only round, but with the Nerf discs, birdie opportunities were impossible because I couldn’t get close enough to the pin off the drive.
2. Control
It’s just harder to consistently control a lighter weight disc, especially if there is any amount of wind. Less mass to withstand wind just leads to far less control. At the beginning of my round, I also had a lot of issues with early release from the disc slipping out of my hand. The foamlike material just doesn’t have a lot of grip to it, and I really struggled trying to get any kind of forehand throw to work. Once I slowed things down and didn’t actually try to throw the discs at full power, I had a lot more success getting them to go mostly where I wanted them to.
I really struggled putting with the slick, lightweight disc. I missed one putt that was just outside of tap-in range. Putting was really difficult with these, and by missing short putts, you add a lot of strokes to your game really fast.
Nerf Discs Review
There are currently three Nerf discs, simply labeled Driver, Midrange, and Putter. I was actually surprised with the stability of these discs, but for such a lightweight disc, they need a more stable design in order to withstand traditional arm speed.
Being made of foam, I was worried how durable these discs would be, but after smacking a few trees and fences pretty hard they survived with minimal visible damage. I think their lack of mass minimizes the damage from hitting objects.
Nerf Disc Golf Driver
It’s really hard to give flight ratings to this Nerf driver. When I threw it flat and nose down, it seemed to be quite understable. Once it started turning with a low-level throw, it didn’t have enough flight time to really come out of the flight. But as long as I released it at a hyzer angle and nose up, it was pretty stable. It would turn a little bit at high speed and then come back. At very low speeds, it is quite stable. I’d give it flight ratings of 9/3/-3/2.
Nerf Midrange
The midrange is probably my favorite of the three Nerf disc golf discs to throw. With a level throw, I was able to throw the midrange pretty straight for about 200 feet with a gradual fade. With higher power, it would turn over quite a bit but had enough stability to come out with a soft end-of-flight fade. I preferred using this for shorter approach shots over the putter, as at low power, the putter was too stable. I would give the Nerf Midrange flight ratings of 5/3/-1/1.5.
Nerf Putter
I was surprised how stable the Nerf putter is. It doesn’t stay straight for long, and if you throw it high and on a hyzer angle, it will drift in a swooping, curving motion for a long time. I had several approach shots that ended way off the mark from throwing in this manner. As a putter itself, I really struggled with this. There is nothing wrong with the shape and feel of the putter. It’s just the ultralight weight and slick feel of the material that made it hard for me to get a clean release that would go in the precise direction I actually wanted it to go. I would give it flight ratings 2/2/0/2.5
Final Thoughts
All in all, these are fun discs that have a purpose for children and educational settings. They are lightweight and a good, safe option for overcrowded parks and school settings. They work well enough to play disc golf, and I hope that they will be able to introduce more players to the sport. But these are not traditional disc golf discs and are not going to “change the game” for the majority of disc golfers. These discs are PDGA approved, but I would be surprised if I ever saw any of them used in a disc golf tournament.
These are worth a try, and I predict that they will be a fad product that many people will try. But in the long run, I just don’t think these discs have enough staying power to become a major disc golf product.
