Let's start from the very beginning, a very good place to start.
What are the best discs to start playing disc golf with?
Disc golf always feels complex to begin with. Nonsensual jargon and the mass of unique discs for sale make buying the right ones an insurmountable mountain for beginners.
Enter starter packs! Disc golf manufacturers started handpicking their easiest-to-throw discs and grouping them into sets. This is awesome, now I know exactly which discs to get in one easy purchase! Think again.
There are now so many different starter sets the beginner disc golfer is back to square one! It's quite ironic!
Most players have experienced buddies to give them advice on which discs to throw. Chances are you already got some recommendations from them, maybe they even gave you some discs!
If you don't have any buddies to help you out I'll fill in for them! I'm Bradley a writer at DGD, and you can read this guide to learn exactly which starter set or discs to choose as you set out on your disc golf journey!
P.S. I won't be giving you any discs, I'm not that friendly, but you're more than welcome to buy some off our website ;)
Looking for individual discs? See our selection of beginner-friendly discs here.
You see all our starter sets for sale over here.
What Makes One Disc Golf Starter Set Better Than Another?
Okay, so why would one set of discs be better than another? I mean all frisbees fly the same right? Yes, but disc golf discs do not! Starting with the correct discs is crucial to improving your game and developing good throwing form in the early stages.
I recommend you read this article here to understand which discs are best for beginners and why.
The Discs
The most important aspect of the set is the discs included in it. If the discs are not right they negatively impact your scores and your overall enjoyment of the sport!
The best picks for beginners are understable and slower-speed discs. If you don't understand what understable means please read the article I just recommended.
While most manufacturers do feature suitable discs in their starter sets a few do not, and almost all of them could be improved.
The Plastic
There are two main types of plastic in disc golf, base plastic, and premium plastic. Base plastic is grippier and is damaged more easily. This damage is referred to as "beating in" in the disc golf world. Discs that are beaten in are more understable, making them more beginner-friendly.
Premium plastics are a little slicker, but are far more durable! They are the best option for midranges and drivers as these discs suffer the most damage. Almost all players prefer their putters to be baseline for the added grip.
The Problem With Premium Plastic Starter Sets
The problem with starter sets that feature discs made with premium plastic is this, the putter will also be premium plastic. Now while that isn't the end of the world it is far from ideal! A premium putter is great to have for throwing, and yes you can use putters off the tee in disc golf, but it's not so great when you're on the green.
Why disc golf manufacturers have not adjusted their starter packs to this clear pain point I can't say. Thankfully here at DGD, we have a solution, keep reading!
The Weights
Lighter discs are easier to throw, more understable, and go further! Anything under 167 grams can be considered light, although disc golf's best starter sets often feature 150-gram discs which is great!
There are some downsides such as less wind resistance, but for beginners, the benefits of light discs far outweigh the deficits! That's why some of the best starter sets for disc golf feature lightweight discs. There is a downside...
Once again the putter is an issue. You don't need your putting putter to fly further. Lighter putters are less consistent and accurate, and just wait till the wind gets up! Ideally, you want your putter to weigh somewhere around the 175-gram mark.
Once again no manufacturers have a starter pack with lighter drivers but a heavy putter. What should we do?
Glide
Discs with high glide are also great for beginner players. Why do the work yourself when you can have the disc do it for you? Discs with higher glide give beginners longer flights with less effort!
The Price
As with any product comparison price is always a factor. Most base plastic sets settle somewhere around the $20 mark. Some can go up to $30 if they include additional products like a bag. Premium plastic starter sets will generally be $45 and up.
All of these prices are reasonable and you wouldn't get the discs any cheaper if you bought them individually.
Add-ons
Some packs come with special extras! A few feature a small disc golf bag, which is not necessary, but is an awesome item to have. Especially when you purchase more discs down the line. Some sets come with a mini disc which you can use to mark your lie. (The spot you have to throw your shot from.)
The Top 5 Disc Golf Starter Sets
Without further ado, I give you our list of the best starter disc golf sets! While these are all great options that will give you everything you need to enjoy the sport I suggest you pay attention and select the set that sounds right for you!
Disc Golf Deal's Starter Set
Because I couldn't find a perfect disc golf starter set I decided to make a brand new one. I present to you the DGD starter set. It's not really a starter set. It's just the three best discs for beginners, and you'll have to add them to your cart one by one.
DX Innova Aviar - 175 gram
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The Aviar is just about the best beginner putter out there! It's glidey and straight making putting simpler for those still learning. The heavier weight helps resist wind and keep your putting stroke consistent! The Aviar is also featured in the Innova Starter Pack but it's a 150-gram model.
DX Rollo
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The Rollo is a fairly new Innova midrange that is very understable. While many advanced players got it for rollers newer players will find it to be a great disc to get started with! The Rollo has a ton of glide and is probably the easiest Innova mid to throw!
DX Leopard
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The DX Leopard is another disc included in the Innova Starter Pack. It's a great choice because it gives players a taste of how a driver flies, but it's fast enough to be unmanageable to beginners! If you can pick one up in a lighter weight. If not don't worry, the DX plastic will wear in quickly!
Disc Golf Deal's Starter Set 2
As your power increases and your discs take a beating from all the trees you've hit they'll start to become too understable! That's when you move on to set 2, just one notch up from set 1!
DX Innova Aviar - 175 gram
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Unless you've got something against it the Aviar is still perfectly suitable! If you did get a lighter one I highly recommend you try out a heavier option now!
Zero Gravity Fuse
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The Fuse is an understable midrange from Latitude 64 with a ton of glide! On top of this Lat 64's Zero Gravity plastic is incredibly light! Weights range from 120 to 130 grams! When this one becomes too understable get a Frost Fuse.
Discmania Active Premium Genius
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The Genius is a very understable fairway driver one speed up from the Leopard. It has plenty of glide and the understability to give new players a full flight! The Active Premium is a higher-grade plastic so you'll get a little more mileage out of this one!
The Innova Starter Set
Price - $29
The Innova Starter Set is undeniably the most popular pick on this list. I started in the sport of disc with my trusty lightweight Aviar, Shark, and Leopard.
DX Aviar - 150 grams
While this Aviar is unfortunately very light it's still a great disc! I do recommend you replace it with one of its heavier counterparts down the road. Practice your driving with your Aviar to perfect your form, before you move onto faster discs!
DX Shark - 150 grams
The Shark is a slightly overstable midrange, but in the starter packs the lighter DX versions are neutral. It's a great mid to start with, giving you accuracy and control. You can also use it for sidearm approaches!
DX Leopard - 150 grams
The DX Leopard is the perfect beginner driver disc because it's hardly a driver! It's only one speed up from a midrange putting it on the slower side of most fairway drivers! The understability and great glide make the Leopard the best disc for distance drives for beginners! You can also learn how to throw forehand shots with it!
P.S. As you get better it will be an awesome roller disc!
Pros
- Great discs for beginners
- Plastic is grippy
- Plastic beats in for more understability
- The midrange and driver are both lightweight for bonus distance
- You can find it for cheaper if you dig a little
Cons
- The lightweight putter is not ideal
- Not much cheaper than buying individual discs
Discmania Evolution 3-Disc Starter Set
Price - $27
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Our next best cheap disc golf starter set is Discmania's Evolution 3-Disc Set. It features great discs in their grippy baseline GEO plastic that will beat in for more understability. Unfortunately, the discs are not lightweight.
GEO Link
The Link is a great putter for players of all skill levels. This will also be a good weight and a nice grippy plastic for a putter. The link checks all the boxes in this set!
GEO Origin
The Origin is a stable midrange that can be used by pros and advanced players! While the Origin does the trick it would be more beginner-friendly to feature a more understable mid in the set. The GEO plastic should beat in soon enough and the problem will be solved!
GEO Essence
The Essence is an understable fairway driver from Discmania. I can't help wishing Discmania had used a slower and more understable disc here. Anyway the Essence is still beginner-friendly, and it'll go far when you can handle it!
Pros
- Cost is reasonable
- The discs included are relatively beginner-friendly
- The plastic is perfect
- The putter is just right
Cons
- The midrange and driver could be more beginner-friendly
Axiom Eclipse R2 Neutron Starter Set
Price - $32
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Axiom's R2 Neutron Starter Set looks great for a start! All the discs are black and the rims glow in the dark! The plastic itself is a higher grade meaning the discs will last you much longer! Unfortunately, the discs are not lightweight.
Proxy
The putter in this set is the Proxy. Unfortunately, R2 being a premium plastic is not ideal for putters, but it's grippier than most and will do the job to begin with! The Proxy excels as a beginner throwing putter and the premium plastic will help it take the extra wear and tear!
Paradox
This is a great disc to have in the starter set! It's a very understable midrange that new players will find easy to throw! In R2 it will keep going for far longer than a baseline disc!
Insanity
While the Insanity is understable and reasonably beginner friendly I feel Axiom could have done better for the driver slot! It's not going to be as easy to throw as a slower disc like a Leopard. It will be a bomber after you've spent a little time developing your arm!
Pros
- Premium grade midrange and driver
- R2 has good grip
- The Paradox is a great beginner disc
- Rims glow different colors in the dark
- The black color looks great
Cons
- More expensive
- Premium grade putter
- Not lightweight
MVP Eclipse R2 Neutron Starter Set
Price - $32
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The MVP starter set is very similar to the set from Axiom. It features the same plastic and the rims also glow! R2 is grippy and lasts longer than baseline plastics.
Atom
The Atom is a straight and glidey putter that's great for beginners. Unfortunately, the R2 plastic is not ideal for putting with, baseline would be better. The Atom also makes a great throwing putter, which is definitely something you should be doing as a beginner!
Uplink
The Uplink is an understable midrange that's perfect for beginner players! It has a ton of glide too, so this will be one of your furthest fliers! The R2 plastic will help it endure tree hits and general wear and tear.
Inertia
The Inertia is a fairly beginner-friendly disc but it's a pity MVP didn't go with a slower and more understable disc. When you have developed your form a little with the Uplink the Inertia will be great! It's also perfect for learning forehands.
Pros
- Premium grade midrange and driver
- R2 has good grip
- The Uplink is a great beginner disc
- Rims glow in the dark
- The black color looks great
Cons
- More expensive
- Premium grade putter
- Not lightweight
Prodigy Disc Ace Line Starter Set w/ Bag
Price - $33
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The Prodigy Starter pack is a little different in that it comes with a bag and a mini! These are both great to have when you're just starting. The bag will be especially useful when you start adding more discs to your collection! Unfortunately, the actual discs included are not the most beginner-friendly, but they are at least light and in baseline plastic.
P Model S
This putter from Prodigy is a little more overstable than ideal. It's also light which isn't great for a putter. The BaseGrip plastic does feel good in the hand, and the extra fade will make the putter a little more consistent.
M Model OS
For some reason, Prodigy chose a six-speed disc to fill their midrange slot. A four or five would have been more apt for beginners. The disc is also overstable. Perhaps if you beat it in enough this would be suitable for beginners. It could be really nice for sidearms.
F Model S
This is probably the least beginner-friendly disc mentioned in this entire article! It's a ten-speed with a very overstable flight. It'll take a fair amount of practice before anybody would be ready to handle this one!
Pros
- Comes with a bag and a mini
- Great price
- Grippy baseline plastic that will beat in
- Driver and mid are lightweight
Cons
- None of the discs are particularly beginner-friendly
- Costs more if you don't want the bag and mini
- Putter is light
Paul McBeth Premium 3-Disc Disc Golf Starter Set
Price - $55
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Paul McBeth is great, and I'm a huge fan, but his starter set leaves a little to be desired. The word premium implies higher-grade plastics but in truth none of these discs are!
The putter is baseline plastic which is better when it comes to putters. Unfortunately the mid and driver are X plastic, which is really a mid-grade plastic. You could buy these discs individually for a lower total cost!
The other issue here is that the discs are not even beginner-friendly!
Soft Luna
The Luna is the only beginner-friendly disc in this set. It's a very popular putter that has a great feel in the hand. I currently putt with them myself! The Soft plastic from Discraft has great grip so no worries in that sector! Also, note that the Luna is much less overstable than Discraft's flight numbers suggest!
X Malta
This is not a beginner disc! Don't get me wrong I love and bag the Malta! It's just a very overstable midrange that isn't going to yield satisfying results to players with a lower arm speed.
X Zeus
For a start, the Zeus is a much too fast disc for any true beginner! You should rather be sticking to speeds 6 and 7, and the Zeus is a speed 12! On top of that, it's also quite overstable! Once again the Zeus is a great disc, just not for disc golf newbs.
Pros
- Mid-grade plastic is slightly higher quality
- The Luna is a great putter
- The Soft plastic is great for putters
Cons
- The mid and driver are far from beginner-friendly
- Expensive
- Discs are cheaper if you buy them individually
Key Takeaways
The key takeaway here is a little negative. Unfortunately, a manufacturer has yet to build the perfect starter set! That's why I made some personal recommendations for discs that you can buy individually to create your own starter set!
Besides the custom sets the two that stand out are the Innova Starter Set, and the Discmania Evolution starter set. If you're ready to get into the sport you can pick up the Discmania set here.