To be honest I have never really paid any attention to weight of disc that I throw. I just always pick something in the 170+ range. How does weight affect a disc? Lets say take a Champion Monster 175g vs. Champion Monster 163g. Whast the difference going to be between the disc?

How does it affect the flight and distance?

The lighter a disc, the much more likely it is to turn over. This is why weaker arms throw 150 class because they can turn them over more and the pro's throw the max weight stuff because anything lighter they would be flipping over into the ground. Lighter stuff fights a head wind not as well because of this and also because it has less mass. I am sure others will have other reasons to chime in. I carry 2 CE Sabres from the same run in my bag right now. One at 166 and one at 174. The light one will turn over everytime and the 174 will just barely slide an inch right and then finish minimally left in no wind. Same mold, same plastic, same run, different flights.

I don't know if it's mental or what, but I normally throw 172-175, and when i try throwing much lighter than 170, it just goes up in the air and dies.

It usually just depends on the disc but I usually throw anywhere from 170 to 174 and never really notice a difference unless the disc is really stable or understable. I get really stable discs like a Flick or Firebird in the high 160's but with a Stratus or Stingray I would prefer a max weight.

'Up in the air and dies' indicates a nose up throw on your part. Nothing to do with the disc weight or mold.

To be honest I have never really paid any attention to weight of disc that I throw. I just always pick something in the 170+ range. How does weight affect a disc? Lets say take a Champion Monster 175g vs. Champion Monster 163g. Whast the difference going to be between the disc?

How does it affect the flight and distance?



I think the only difference will be about .5 to 1 stability change. Which means the 175 will finish more to the left and the 163 will finish slightly to the left depending on how the disc is thrown.

I started with 170+ discs and soon found 150's.
The differance was the 170's only flew 130-140' and the 150's fly 170+. My wife started with 150's and could only throw 80'-90' and now she throws only 114 clear Sabres 140'+. Bear in mind we are both in our 70's.

I've experienced that up to 5g's is unnoticeable.

To be honest I have never really paid any attention to weight of disc that I throw. I just always pick something in the 170+ range. How does weight affect a disc? Lets say take a Champion Monster 175g vs. Champion Monster 163g. Whast the difference going to be between the disc?

How does it affect the flight and distance?



this varies a lot from disc to disc. some molds will hold their characteristics better across weight changes than others. some will become more high speed stable as weight increases but fade similarly. others will not change very much at high speeds but will fade a lot more/earlier at low speeds.

i will second the notion that discs that are inherently overstable will have the least difference in flight across weights.

discs where weight change will generally have the greatest effect on flight:
1) larger diameter discs (increased gyroscopics)
2) discs with a large proportion of mass on the rim vs. the flight plate (increased gyroscopics)
3) discs that are generally "squirrely" in their high speed turn characteristics

as for distance, there are some rules of physics that apply and i will regurgitate them from other msg board posts from several years ago:
1) drivers have greater distance potential in lighter weights (due to glide)
2) midrange have greater distance potential in heavier weights (due to momentum and penetration)

Yeah as you can see, people tend to knock light weight discs. I, however, think that they have their place. With a light weight disc, an average disc golfer can generate more armspeed and gain more distance. They also might feel more controlable because you can chose where the disc goes by how much angle you put on it.

For more advanced players who have learned how to throw far, control is the most important factor. This is why we chose heavier discs. Even if they have less max distance, the added control and confidence in the hand produces better, more consistant shots. I throw drivers in the 170g range because I throw "old school" where hyser flips are the throw of choice. People now tend to throw flat or slightly anhyser off the tee.

The distance record is held by a 167g DX Valkyrie.

A good example is the Champion Orc's...

These Orc's can be used for spike hyzers in the 175g weight range. Once you go down to the mid 160's though they flip up a little more. They also seem to have a touch of more glide. Same with the Cyclone, they will hyzer out at the 176g max weight, yet they will flip up and be unconrollable at high speeds in the 160's range.

I have had and thrown two "174" dx teebirds alot and also thrown a "170" teebird alot. To me I seem to notice a difference right away when gripping them. I dunno if its solely because of the weight. The disc has to be either smaller or less dense, which could make a difference in how it feels, I dunno which it 'd be. I quoted the weights because I haven't weighed them myself and they could really be like 178 and 165 or something. The rip also feels different with different weights. My guess is its easier to get a good rip with lighter weights too.

Blarg.. that's not necessarily true.. FOr those that don't normally throw light discs they do seem to rise up very quickly.. must have to do with the lack of density compared ot the density of the air or something.. I threw one of my friends 150class dx leapords and i know i got th enose down and it still kicked up higher than i'd normally drive....
It could be nose up, but i think if they were thrown the same way the ligher one would probably rise a little higher..
just my 2cents

-Scott Lewis

I've also heard that the lighter discs get more lift, which would be due to density and weight I think. The thing that blarg probably noticed though was the disc goes up AND stalls. The stalling indicates that it is nose up.

I throw a 156 Valkyrie, My Brand new 157 Valk went considerably farther and finally turned over and just missed the bushes. making it...just as long as my valk 172

But I do normally throw my lighter weight disc farther up hill.

The most most noticeable things I have been told and found out on my own about weight has to do with wind. I throw a 170 flash (+1.3), a 176 JLS(+1.8), and a 174 Crush(+1.8). There is of course minimal difference as My Hero stated, I have just noticed that the more wind especially if the winds a tailwinds the heavier discs tend stay in the air better if thrown flat. I think the arm gets used to certain weights though. When I throw a 150-165 they do tend to turn over very quickly. My 170's seem to allow for an easier anhyzer. So these days I carry a few different weights of the same disc depending on wind and when I want it tail out. These are just observations I am by no means an expert.

For a weak arm like me (300' tops), lightweight drivers (150ish) are much easier to throw. Not only do I get more distance, but also better control; with a 175-180g disc, I feel like the disc is pulling me through, instead of the other way around. However, I prefer 170ish mid-ranges and putters, as I don't need full power on those.

In my experience, lighter discs will fly further than heavier discs for players (like me) with less power, if they're thrown right. The tradeoff, however, is that the lightweight discs are more finicky than heavy discs. The angle of release becomes even more important. A millimeter more or less of nose angle seems to affect the 150g discs a lot more than the 175g ones.
The upside of the light discs, for me at least, is that I can finesse them more easily than I can the heavy discs.

Easier on the arm too. I almost bought a 167 pro starfire at a tournament this weekend but resisted, I really like 166 weight in premium plastic drivers and 1 gram does make a significant difference. Rollsneagle doubted that; I hefted two sidewinders with my eyes closed and correctly picked out the 166 vs the 167.