Choosing exclusivity without a sponsorship? You're gonna have a bad time!

Reference: You're Gonna Have a Bad Time - SOUTH PARK

I used to exclusively bag Innova discs. Innova was and is everywhere. I could find Innova in almost all of the sports stores near me which made it very convenient to find and replace discs as needed. But recently that has changed, and it has changed for the better! No longer am I limiting myself to ONE company for no good reason!

I'm not sponsored by Innova and I don't need to be a walking advertisement for them without receiving some form of compensation (even if my current bag has their logo slapped right on the front of it). Don't get me wrong, I still love a lot of their molds and plastics but in the world of disc golf, there are SOOOOO many companies, so why limit myself to only one when I have no valid reason to do so?

After having that epiphany (far too late in my career), I switched from bagging molds created by ONE company (Innova) to now bagging molds created by NINE different companies (Discraft, Discmania, Dynamic Discs, Gateway Disc Sports, Infinite Discs, Innova Discs, Kastaplast, MVP, and Prodigy Disc) and I couldn't be happier!

Is it REALLY That Many Different Companies You're Bagging?

Before you complain in the comments about my statement, I am aware of (most) of the crossovers between major manufacturers / producers and the disc golf brands they produce discs for. So technically speaking, sure, it might not be considered that many completely different companies.

Some examples of crossovers and partnerships include:

Currently Produced by Discraft (but not always)

The Infinite Discs Line, Hyzerbomb, Innova, Millennium and pre-June 2021 Discmania Originals

Produced by Innova

Trilogy brands (Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64 and Westside Discs)

Produced by Latitude 64

Also includes (some) Discmania and (some) Kastaplast

Above Ground Level (AGL), AquaFlight, Black Zombie, Full Turn and Reptilian

Produced by Gateway Disc Sports

Axiom, MVP, Remix, Streamline, Mint Discs and Thought Space Athletics

Produced by MVP Disc Sports

Hooligan Discs

Produced by Lone Star Disc

(some) Discmania and (some) Prodigy Discs

Produced by Yikun Discs

Anyway, that's not why we're here today. We're here today because just like the title says, even though I've switched away from exclusively bagging a SINGLE producer (Innova), I have found that Prodigy's discs seem to be fighting to make me go back to bagging a SINGLE company because their discs are (slowly) TAKING OVER MY BAG!

Where it all Started (Falling in love with the Prodigy A3)

Hello Prodigy👋👋! Nice to Meet You... Again!

I used to be frustrated with Prodigy, and honestly, it wasn't for any valid reason. Every time I went to Play it Again Sports, the shelves were filled with Prodigy Discs, so accessibility wasn't an issue. No one I knew threw Prodigy, but that didn't mean that I couldn't. I saw pros on coverage sponsored by them throwing their plastic, so why didn't I try it? What was holding me back from ever trying any Prodigy disc?

Prodigy's naming scheme for their molds and plastics was a bit hard to interpret at first from a player who was used to the Innova way of doing things. That was kind of the first turn off, but it wasn't until I had found a no-name, no-number Prodigy Falcor and threw it for the first time that I had decided I should look into Prodigy more. The more I tried to understand Prodigy's way of doing things, the more I began to appreciate the simplicity of how they do it.

I stumbled across this video by Whyzer Productions which thoroughly explained Prodigy's naming scheme and provided some cross comparison with Innova and Discraft plastics making it even easier to understand.

Side Note - Discmania's naming scheme for their "Originals" molds is similar to Prodigy's but executed in the opposite direction. Their plastic types are more akin to other companies (C-Line, S-Line, D-Line, etc)

With my newfound knowledge, I was ready with an open mind to give Prodigy a shot and compare their options against the other companies / producers out there.

The Pilgrimage to G3T - Finding the Right Forehand Approach Disc

As I've progressed in my Disc Golf career, I learned that my top three priorities for purchasing a disc are the SHAPE and IN THE HAND FEEL of the disc, the GRIP and IN THE HAND FEEL of the PLASTIC and the INTENDED FLIGHT of the disc. Notice how TWO of the three items in my top three priorities involve HAND FEEL. If the disc does not feel comfortable to hold and the plastic doesn't feel comfortable, then I lose all confidence in throwing the disc.

Going to a store like Gotta Go Gotta Throw (colloquially referred to as G3T by the locals), allows me to experience the HAND FEEL of discs in person and find something that both feels good and has the intended flight characteristics I am looking for before I purchase it.

Flight Numbers - Side Rant

As a side rant, simply basing your disc choices on comparing flight numbers between companies is probably one of the worst things you can possibly do. Flight numbers are truly imaginary, even Dave Dunipace (one of the founders of the Four number [Speed, Glide, Turn, Fade] flight numbers system) talks about how people misinterpret flight numbers all the time! Flight numbers should only be compared within a single company's / producers products.

Disc Consistency - Side Rant

There are so many factors that affect the flight of a disc such as plastic type and color, parting line height (PLH), weight, production run and many more. All of those factors cause flight characteristic changes to discs. Yes, that includes discs produced from the same injection mold no matter how much a company or producer claims their products and plastic are high quality and consistent. So the only way to find "consistency" is to go to a store and compare the same mold side by side, taking note of the weight, PLH, run (if possible) and overall condition of the discs (dome height, rim bubbles, damage, etc). Even then, it's not a guarantee that it WILL be consistent but at least you're on the right track.

Back to the Pilgrimage to G3T

My goal for this G3T trip was to find a mold to fill that all-important forehand approach disc slot. I had historically tried several different molds but had never landed on one that I was fully confident with. I had historically tried the Discraft anger GT, Innova AviarX3, Discraft X Soft Zone, Kastaplast Berg, MVP Entropy, MVP Deflector, Innova Rhyno, Innova Caiman, Innova RhynoX, and Innova Pig. Each of them "worked" but the weren't quite what I was looking for.

This time around I wanted to feel the following discs:

I held many discs in my hand, heavily scrutinizing the feel of each of them and after a lot of side-by-side comparison, I landed on the Prodigy A3 in 750 plastic.

For those unaware, the A3 is almost identical in shape to an Innova Gator except lower profile. The Innova Gator is a disc I already throw and love (for backhands) but I was never quite sold on how it felt with a forehand grip. It is a bit too "deep" in the hand for my liking. The lower profile of the A3 feels much more comfortable in the hand to throw forehand than any Gator ever did (including flat top Gators or the 3-Series of Gators).

G3T had quite a few X-Out 750 A3's in stock so I was able to pick out three of them for about the price of one brand-new A3. The 750 A3's I got are slightly domey, so they have a really nice hand feel and are less overstable than their board flat brothers and sisters. Essentially, the exact disc I was looking for.

Falling for the A3

After a few throws out on the course, I fell in love with the A3. The flights of the 750 A3's I purchased are relatively neutral with a strong overstable finish which is exactly what I was looking for. Something that's workable without being crazy overstable. Since I fell in love with the 750 A3, I ended up picking up more A3's in various plastics:

Two 300 Soft plastic A3's (super grippy, slightly domey and the least overstable)
One 400 plastic A3 (grippy, board flat and VERY overstable)
One 400G plastic A3 (gummier than 400 [good for cold weather golf], relatively flat and moderately overstable)
One 500 plastic A3 (grippier than 400, board flat and VERY overstable)

I'm now bagging three A3's in my summer bag to cover the three main stabilities I like to have for each "slot" or "class" of disc (Understable, Neutral, Overstable). Here's some pictures of those A3's:

The End of a Journey... Maybe

I had been on a journey for a while to find the perfect forehand approach disc and the A3's I now bag cover all of my approach shot needs and then some! Little did I know, this would start a trend of me finding myself bagging more Prodigy plastic and having Prodigy (seemingly) slowly taking over my bag!

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