You might have noticed that a new disc golf disc will fly differently when thrown than discs that have been used for years. A disc can eventually be broken-in through regular use.
There are faster and more direct ways to break in a disc golf disc ahead of schedule. If you like the way that a beat in disc feels and flies, you’ll want to implement some of these tips to break in your disc.
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How Long Does It Take To Break In a Disc Golf Disc?
On average, it will take 6 to 12 months to break in or beat in a disc golf disc. Breaking in a disc golf disc will eventually change the original flight characteristics of the disc. The time it takes to break in a disc can vary depending on the quality of disc plastic and the amount of use of the disc during regular play.
In this article, I’ll cover the 7 common ways to break in a disc golf disc and why different discs can react differently to these methods.
How Do You Break in a New Golf Disc?
There are many different ways to break in a new disc golf disc. This can take a shorter or longer amount of time depending on the premium quality of the disc plastic or how often it’s used.
Some players will bend their disc back and forth, put it in the dishwasher with hot water, or throw the disc against a tree to soften and beat in the disc.
Here are some methods to break in a disc that players use but aren’t recommended here:
- Wrapping the disc in a towel and running through the dryer
- Putting the disc in a dishwasher
- Throwing spike hyzers on asphalt
- Throwing the disc against a brick wall
- Hand turning the disc
- Throwing against trees
While these methods can work for some players, they aren’t always the best ways to break in a new disc golf disc. Doing it this way can damage your new disc and leave it completely unusable.
Below, I’ll give you 7 better ideas for breaking in or seasoning your disc to your liking without risking major damage to the disc.
What Does it Mean to Beat in a Disc?
Beating in a disc golf disc is exactly how it’s described. The disc has impacted objects like trees, the basket and chains, the ground, and any other object.
The accumulation of these impacts can over time, slowly change the way the disc flies.
For some players, this is a good thing. They describe their disc as being “seasoned”. What is happening, is that the disc will eventually become more understable.
So, if your disc was overstable as a brand new disc, eventually it will move to a neutral or understable flight characteristic.
What this means is that the disc will start to fade to the right when thrown by a right-handed backhand thrower. The more understable the disc, the more it will fade to the right.
What Are the Advantages of a Beat In Disc?
The advantage of a beat-in disc is that when the disc has finally broken in to your liking, you’re going to be left with a disc that flies exactly how you want and expect it to.
This can mean the disc is a little more understable than it was originally meant to be as a brand new disc. Other advantages will be the familiarity and comfort of the disc.
This can mean more accuracy and consistency for a player using a disc that they know exactly how it will react when thrown. This is a major advantage of a disc that has been broken in.
The Quality of the Disc Plastic Makes a Difference
Golf discs are made with various grades of plastic that can affect the amount of time it will take to beat in a disc. Generally, the higher grade of the plastic, the longer it will take.
The feel of the grip can also be changed depending on the grade of the plastic used. The grip can affect the release of the disc when thrown.
Here are the different types of plastics used for disc golf discs:
- Basic Quality: Low-grade plastic that wears quickly and easily. Susceptible to nicks and scratches.
- Medium Quality: Few discs use this grade. Slightly more expensive than the basic grade but only marginally better quality.
- Ultra Quality: Hard plastic that is durable even after high-impact use. Keeps it’s original flight characteristics longer.
- Premium Quality: Outstanding grip and durability. Most expensive grade with outstanding quality.
How Long Does It Take to Beat In a Disc Golf Disc?
The amount of time it takes to break in or beat in a disc golf disc can vary wildly. This is why I give a range of time from 6 to 12 months for a disc to break in.
Different factors can play into the length of time it takes.
- Grade of plastic
- Amount of time played with the disc
- Number of times thrown
- More aggressive methods for disc break-in
- How understable you prefer the disc to be
So, depending on these main factors, a disc could be broken in less than 6 months after it’s brand new or even up to several years.
But, on average you’re going to be in a range of 6 to 12 months to break in a brand new disc golf disc.
7 Ways To Break In a Disc Golf Disc
The following are 7 different ways to quickly break in the disc you already own, or how to find a mold that will bypass the breaking-in process altogether.
1. Play Several Rounds With the One Disc Only
The quickest way to break a disc in without having to risk damaging it is to just go out and play rounds with the one disc only.
By playing several rounds using the same disc for every shot, you’re going to be able to break that disc in much quicker and also get very accustomed to the disc too.
You probably won’t set any personal records, but the point here is to break the disc in as quickly as possible.
2. Throw Rollers with the Disc
Throwing rollers with a disc will create some impact when it hits the ground and make the plastic more pliable in the process.
Throwing rollers over and over will get the job done, but it can take some time. Some people will do this on a hard surface like asphalt, but that can chunk up the disc and make it brought to handle and throw.
3. Spike the Disc
To spike the disc, throw a spike-hyzer and let gravity bring the disc straight down onto the ground.
Throwing a spike-hyzer will eventually break the disc in, but it also takes a very long time to get the desired effect.
4. Throw Your Disc as a Second Shot
Throwing the disc that you want to beat in as a second shot during your rounds will have the same effect as playing the round with one disc only.
The advantage of doing it this way is that you are still able to practice with your other discs during the rounds, while still getting extra throws to break in the disc.
Be sure to let anyone you’re playing with know beforehand what you’re doing, and remember that the purpose of the second shot is to beat in the disc, not throw a perfect shot.
Also, remember to use the disc when putting as well. This will get the disc in contact with the chains to beat the disc even more.
5. Buy a Used or Second-Hand Disc
Checking a second-hand or used sports equipment store can be a great way to get your hands on a disc that has already gone through the process of being beat in.
This might be the quickest way to find a disc that is already beat in and skip the 6 to 12 months required to get a disc seasoned the way you want it to be.
Finding the right used disc can mean you’re ready to go from day one.
6. Use a Lesser Grade Plastic
As discussed earlier, the grade of plastic used can go a long way to determining how long or quickly it takes for a particular disc to become broken in.
A premium-grade plastic is very hard and durable, so it will take the longest amount of time to beat this disc in.
Choosing a disc of a lesser grade plastic will break in quicker, but it might also reduce the overall lifespan of the disc.
You will have to weigh the pros and cons of using this method to speed up the process.
7. Buy and Understable Disc to Start
When people are talking about breaking in a disc, what is happening is you’re going to take a disc that is overstable and beat it in to the point where it’s slightly less than neutral or understable.
So, why not just buy an understandable disc, to begin with?
This can be done, and just bypass the entire time and headache involved with breaking in a disc at all. The disc is out of the box understable, and you’re good to go.
But, if the newly understable disc is too understable, there is no going back. You won’t have an opportunity to play round after round with the disc and get it to that “sweet spot”.
Final Thoughts | Breaking in a Disc Golf Disc
“Breaking in”, “beating in”, or “seasoning” a gold disc, whatever you choose to call it can be a monotonous process.
Six to twelve months is also a very long time to wait for your new disc to hit that sweet spot and get to the point where it’s flying exactly how you want it to.
Using one or a combination of these methods can cut that time down so you can have the confidence that your disc is going to fly exactly how you want it, every time.
