If you’ve ever left a disc golf disc in a hot car or hit multiple trees during a round of disc golf, you know they can become warped and bent easily. Warping and bending of the disc can affect the flight in ways that you might not expect.
Luckily, there is a way to get your disc back to normal. Here are 3 methods for fixing a bent or warped disc and how to avoid common mistakes that can lead to a warped disc in the future.
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How Do You Flatten a Bent or Warped Golf Disc?
To flatten a bent or warped disc golf disc, use high-temperature heat or weight to re-form a plastic disc into the desired shape. The best method to flatten a bent or warped golf disc is using the sun to heat the disc, placing the disc in boiling water, or leaving a weight on the disc to force it into the desired shape.
Below is a step-by-step guide to using each of these three methods to flatten a bent or warped disc golf disc.
Why is a Warped or Bent Golf Disc Bad?
Disc golf discs are made from polypropylene plastic. Polypropylene plastic is great for golf discs but is susceptible to warping when exposed to high temperatures, UV rays, or pressure from heavier objects.
So, leaving a disc in a hot car, stored under a stack of discs, or underneath a heavy object is probably going to deform and warp the disc in some way.
Why is this bad? A warped or bent disc is going to fly in a less predictable path when it doesn’t have its intended shape. Throwing a warped distance driver can result in an unintended flight path over longer distances and can literally throw off your game.
Luckily, a person can overcome this by adjusting their throws to account for the warped disc shape, but a better idea is to fix the warped disc and return it to its normal shape.
Can You Repair a Disc Golf Disc?
Not all damaged disc golf discs can be repaired. If your disc has a large crack or puncture, it might not be repairable. If the disc can be repaired, using high heat or applying weight to the disc is the most common way of repairing it.
Small punctures can also be repaired by slowly heating the disc and re-forming the plastic.
Just because you can repair a disc, doesn’t always mean you should though.
A disc used in an official PDGA event can’t be modified in any way. This would apply to any repairs to a disc that modify it from its original shape.
The technical standards set forth by the PDGA state that the disc must “be essentially as produced, without any post-production modifications that affect the weight or flight characteristics.”
So, while a disc can be repaired in most cases, be careful not to run afoul of PDGA rules if competing in a sanctioned event.
3 Easy Methods to Fix a Bent or Warped Disc
Repairing a bent or warped disc golf disc isn’t as hard as you might think. Below is a quick step-by-step walkthrough of the 3 easiest ways to fix a golf disc that has been deformed or warped.
1. Place the Disc in Boiling Water
Using this method, we’ll place the warped disc in a pot of boiling water, then put a weight on top of the disc to re-shape the disc.
What this does is soften the plastic of the disc without melting it. The weight is then placed on top of the disc to force it to take shape.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Large pot
- Kitchen towel
- Small bowl or plate that fits into the inner disc
- Weight
- Water
- Wooden spoon
How It’s Done:
Step 1: Boil the Water
Start by boiling the water in the pot. This can be done on a stove or the water can be heated by another method and poured into the pot.
You’ll need enough water to be able to submerge the disc in the water, but not so much that the water overflows when the disc is placed into the water.
After the water is boiling, move to the next step.
Step 2: Place the Towel Over the Pot
Drape the kitchen towel over the top of the boiling pot of water. The kitchen towel should be large enough that it completely covers the pot.
The reason for this is that you want the towel to shield the disc from coming in direct contact with the metal of the pot and possibly melting the disc.
The towel will be pushed down into the water with the disc, so there should be some slack in the towel to do this.
Step 3: Place the Disc Upside Down in the Water
Place the disc upside-down on the towel covering the hot water. Using the wooden spoon, push the disc and the towel down into the water until they are both submerged.
Again, the purpose of the towel is to protect the disc from coming into contact with the sides or the bottom of the pot and melt the plastic.
Step 4: Place a Bowl or Plate on Disc with Weight
Use a bowl or small plate to place over the disc. The plate or bowl will do two things. First, they will hold the disc in the water, and keep it from floating to the top. Second, the plate or bowl will evenly distribute the weight that’s placed on top.
For the weight, it’s OK to use anything small enough that will press down on the disc. You can use a canned good or some other small object to apply weight.
Pro tip: Be sure that the plate or the bowl will fit the inside of the disc and completely cover the area of the disc. This will ensure that contact is made across the disc and the weight is distributed evenly.
Step 5: Leave Disc in Water
The water doesn’t need to be actively boiling during this process, but the disc should be left in the hot water for at least five minutes. This will give the plastic enough time to soften and the weight time to flatten the warped portion of the disc.
Step 6: Cool the Disc
Take the disc out of the water and visually inspect to make sure that the warping is gone. If there is still warping, repeat the process.
If you’re satisfied with the disc, place it in the freezer for several minutes to harden the disc.
2. Leave the Disc in the Direct Sunlight
You might be asking why you would want to leave the disc in the direct sunlight if that’s what warped it in the first place.
That’s a fair question, but this time, we’ll use the heat from the sun to our advantage.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Small weight
- Direct sunlight
How It’s Done:
Step 1: Lay the Disc on a Surface Exposed to Direct Sunlight
This time, we’ll use the heat from the sun to soften the disc. Choose an area where there will be constant direct sunlight. The heat from the sun must be enough to soften the disc.
This means that cloudy days or in the dead of winter might not give you the desired effect.
Step 2: Place the Weight on the Disc
Use a small weight to place on the warped or bent area of the disc. As the sunlight heats and softens the disc, the weight will flatten that part of the disc.
It’s best to use a weighted object large enough to cover the disc. This way another area doesn’t become warped too.
Step 3: Leave For 2 Hours
You’ll want to give the sun time to heat the disc, so leave the disc in the direct sunlight for at least 2 hours. Be sure that as time passes the disc won’t be blocked by shade.
Step 4: Visually Inspect the Disc
After several hours in the direct sunlight and under a weighted object, visually inspect the disc to see if it has flattened out again. If it’s still warped, leave it in the sunlight for a longer time.
3. Place the Warped Disc at the Bottom of a Stack of Discs
If you have a large number of golf discs at your disposal, this is an easy and hands-off way to flatten a warped or bent golf disc.
However, this method won’t work as well for discs that are very concave or have a puddle top.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- At least 5 golf discs
- Flat surface or table
How It’s Done:
Step 1: Find a Flat Surface or Table
Find a flat, stable surface with plenty of room to build a stack of discs. This can either be inside or outside. If the discs are in the sunlight, it could speed up the process, but direct sunlight is not necessary for this method to work.
Step 2: Stack Discs on Top of the Warped Disc
Start by stacking the discs on top of the damaged disc. You’ll need at least five discs to create enough weight, but stack as many as possible.
Step 3: Leave for 24 Hours
Leave the stack of discs for 24 hours. After this time the warped disc should have reverted to a circular form. If not, try again for 6-12 more hours. The time can vary depending on the severity of the warping.
However, 24 hours is normally enough time to flatten the disc.
How Do You Fix a Dented Golf Disc?
To fix a dented golf disc, submerge the disc in boiling or very hot water and leave for 5 to 10 minutes. After this time the disc should return to its normal shape. Another option to fix a dented golf disc is to leave it in the direct sunlight with a weight over the disc to flatten the dent.
No matter how careful you are, there are times when discs can get smashed or pressed against. This can easily cause dents or bends in the disc.
Even if keeping all discs in a bag, it’s still possible for something to press against the bag. This can cause damage to the golf discs inside.
Very hot water or direct sunlight are two of the best ways to flatten a dent in a golf disc.
How Do You Fix a Hole in a Disc?
It’s not always possible to fix a hold in a disc golf disc. If the hole is small enough, a heat gun can be used to carefully soften the disc. Wearing gloves you can use your hands to re-shape the plastic in the damaged area and attempt to close the hole as much as possible.
Be careful when using a heat gun not to melt the plastic of the disc, this can permanently damage the disc. Keep the heat gun at least 6 inches away from the disc and work over a large area.
This will avoid keeping the heat gun in one spot for too long.
How To Prevent a Disc From Warping and Bending
Preventing bending and warping of a disc comes down to two rules: don’t leave them exposed to extreme heat, and avoid collisions as much as possible.
Below are the different ways that a disc can become warped or bent, all of which should be avoided if possible.
- Washing a disc in the dishwasher
- Hitting a tree or other object with the disc
- Leaving a disc exposed to direct sunlight
- Stacking heavier objects on the disc
Final Thoughts | Golf Disc Repair
Normal use will bring some wear and tear to any disc golf disc over time. A lot of players prefer their discs to be what they consider “broken in”.
But, if a warped disc is affecting your throws or it’s completely unusable, it’s time for a little DIY maintenance to bring the disc back to normal.
Any of these three methods to flatten a warped or bent disc can be used, or used in combination to get your disc back to a usable state and ready for play once again.
