Disc Golf Gear: Drivers, Midranges, Putters, Flight Numbers and Starter Sets

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The night before a round: dump the bag on the floor, sort the discs into putters, mids and drivers, wonder why you own four of the same driver, and put back the three you actually throw. Add a water bottle, the mini marker, a towel for wet grass and the bug spray. Disc golf gear is cheap compared with most sports, and a beginner really needs only three discs, but flight numbers, plastics and weights confuse almost everyone at first.

This page is disc golf gear in plain words: drivers, midranges and putters, what the flight numbers mean, starter sets, bags, practice baskets and shoes, plus the recovery gear players use after a long day on the course. Back to the disc golf guide.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw on Amazon in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

Disc golf gear checklist

Item	Beginner	Regular player
Discs	3: putter, midrange, slow fairway driver (or a starter set)	8–20: several of each type for different shots and wind
Mini marker	Usually included in starter sets	One you like, kept in a pocket
Bag	Small shoulder bag	Backpack bag that holds 18+ discs, water and snacks
Shoes	Sneakers with good tread	Trail or hiking shoes with grip for wet slopes
Practice	Putting at the course	Portable basket at home
Comfort and safety	Water bottle, sunscreen, hat, towel, tick repellent, a marker pen to write your name and number on every disc

Drivers, midranges and putters

• Putters are slow, deep and grippy, built to fly straight and land softly near or in the basket. Many players also throw them for short, accurate drives.
• Midranges are the control discs for approach shots and shorter drives. Innova’s Amazon listing calls its Shark midrange “excellent for beginners” and accurate enough for drives, approaches and even putts.
• Fairway drivers add distance with more control than the fastest discs.
• Distance drivers have the widest, sharpest rims. Innova’s own flight guide says high-speed discs are “not recommended for beginners as they require more power to fly properly.”

Whatever you buy, it has to be legal for tournaments: the PDGA requires approved discs, bans cracked or modified ones, and requires every disc to be identifiably marked.

Flight numbers, explained

Most discs carry four numbers, from a system Innova created and other makers adopted. They describe the flight for a right-handed backhand throw (flip left and right for left-handers or forehand throws):

• Speed (1–14): how fast the disc must be thrown to fly as designed. Faster discs cut into wind but need more arm.
• Glide: how well it holds its loft. More glide is best for new players and for distance.
• Turn (+1 to -5): how much it banks right early in the flight. More negative turn (“understable”) is easier for beginners; -3 to -5 makes good rollers.
• Fade (0–5): how hard it hooks left at the end. Zero finishes straightest; high fade is for spike and skip shots.

Disc	Type	Speed / Glide / Turn / Fade	About
Innova DX Aviar	Putter	2 / 3 / 0 / 1	$10
Innova DX Shark	Midrange	4 / 4 / 0 / 2	$13
Discraft Z Buzzz	Midrange	5 / 4 / -1 / 1	$18
Innova Leopard (in the starter set below)	Fairway driver	6 / 5 / -2 / 1	In sets
Innova Star Destroyer	Distance driver	12 / 5 / -1 / 3	$20

Innova notes that the numbers compare discs, not predict your exact flight: plastic, wear and your arm speed all change it. Beginners throw slower, so a disc rated for a pro’s arm will usually hook left early for a new player. That’s why the Leopard, which Innova calls “everyone’s first fairway driver,” is a better first driver than the Destroyer, which Innova says is “not suggested for beginning players.”

Plastics and weights

Base plastics such as Innova DX are grippy and cheap, and Innova says they change flight characteristics over time more quickly as they wear; some players like carrying the same disc at different stages of wear. Premium plastics such as Star, Champion or Discraft Z last longer and hold their flight. For kids and new players, lighter discs (many starter sets are about 150–160 grams) are easier to throw.

Starter sets

• Innova Disc Golf Starter Set with Bag (about $36): DX Leopard, Shark and Aviar in 151–159 g, a mini marker and a shoulder bag that holds 8–10 discs. The easiest single purchase for a new player or a child.
• Dynamic Discs Prime Burst 4-disc set (about $40): Judge putter, Truth midrange, Escape fairway driver and Trespass distance driver plus a mini, in grippy Prime Burst plastic.
• Innova 5-disc set (about $42): Aviar, Roc3, Leopard, TeeBird and Destroyer plus a mini, in 160–180 g, for players who want a fuller bag.

Bags, baskets and shoes

Bags: once you have more than a handful of discs, a backpack bag saves your back on hilly courses because it spreads the load over both shoulders. The Dynamic Discs Trooper (about $40) holds 18+ discs, with padded straps, an upper pocket for extra gear and a water bottle holder.

Practice baskets: putting practice is an easy way to work on your score, with far less strain on the arm than field work. The Innova DISCatcher Traveler (about $149) weighs 15 pounds, has 12 chains and packs into a tote; the MVP Black Hole Pro (about $140) has 24 chains, breaks into six pieces, and the maker says it’s built to PDGA height and size rules.

Shoes: tee pads get slick, and courses mean wet grass, roots and slopes, so grip matters more than anything else. Many players wear trail running or hiking shoes; the Altra Lone Peak 9 (about $145) is a trail running shoe with a zero-drop, wide-toe-box design. Our hiking guide covers boots and trail shoes in depth.

On the course: a 32 oz Nalgene for water (about $16), sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher as the American Academy of Dermatology advises, and tick protection: the CDC suggests EPA-registered repellent on skin and clothes treated with 0.5% permethrin. Want to track steps and heart rate over a round? See our best wearables for disc golf.

Recovery gear for disc golfers

Hundreds of throws plus hilly walking add up, and in surveys the elbow, shoulder, back and knee are where disc golfers hurt most. Recovery tools don’t treat injuries, but many players use them to loosen up after a round or a tournament weekend:

• TriggerPoint GRID 1.0 (about $40): a 13-inch multi-density foam roller for calves, quads, hips and upper back. See our foam roller guide.
• Theragun Mini (3rd gen) (about $220): a small massage gun with three speeds and three attachments that fits in a disc golf bag. Compare others in our massage gun guide.
• OOFOS OOahh Slide (about $60): a soft recovery slide for after the round, from our recovery shoes guide.

Elbow or shoulder pain that keeps coming back is a reason to see a sports medicine doctor or physical therapist, not to buy more gear. More on our disc golf injuries page and recovery page; ball golfers can compare our golf gear page.

Our disc golf gear picks

Disc golf gear FAQs

How many discs does a beginner need?

Three is plenty: a putter, a midrange and a slow fairway driver. The PDGA notes you need only one disc for basic play, and a pro-quality disc costs roughly $15. Add more once you know which shots you’re missing.

What do the four numbers on a disc mean?

Speed, glide, turn and fade. Speed is how fast you must throw it, glide is how long it stays up, turn is how much it banks right early (right-hand backhand) and fade is how hard it hooks left at the end.

Should beginners throw distance drivers?

Not at first. Makers such as Innova say high-speed drivers need more power to fly properly, and most new players throw farther and straighter with a fairway driver or midrange until their technique and arm speed develop.

What’s the difference between DX and premium plastic?

Base plastic like DX is cheaper and grippier, but Innova says its flight changes more quickly as it wears. Premium plastics such as Star, Champion or Z cost more, last longer and keep their flight.

Is a portable disc golf basket worth it?

If you want to score better, often yes: short putts come up on almost every hole, and a backyard basket lets you practice a little every day without a trip to the course. Look for real chains and a stable base.