You walk into your local disc golf store to grab yourself some new discs and are immediately blown away.
All sorts of thoughts fill your mind,
"That's a neat color!"
"Oooh I like that one too!"
"Wow! There are so many options, where do I even start?!"
Even if you know what brand, model, mold, and weight you want to get, which can be challenging in and of itself, one of the biggest things you may get hung up on is simply...
The Color.
White, blue, purple, chartreuse, orange, yellow, black, green, red, clear, teal, aqua, tie-dye, stripes, swirls...
If you can think of a color or color combination, then you can find a disc somewhere in the world in that color. There truly are that many options to choose from.
So how do you pick a disc color?
Well, there are several factors to consider that we are going to dive into in this very article.
These factors include:
Visibility
Personal Preference
Organization, and
Variety
While these probably aren't the only factors out there, they simply are the ones that matter the most and the ones most of you will likely ponder when choosing a disc and disc color.
Without further ado,
Let's get into it!
1. Visibility
Probably the biggest factor, at least in my humble opinion.
Is visibility.
By visibility, I don't mean just visible in flight and watching the disc fly through the air (which is a beautiful thing).
While this is important, it also means being visible when the disc lands. And some colors can be an absolute
Nightmare
to find when they hit the ground.
Many courses throughout the states are wooded, and the ones that aren't are almost sure to be grassy and filled with shrubs and brush.
So as you can imagine, all "natural" colors such as greens and browns can significantly hinder a quick recovery on a rogue throw or when you don't see exactly where you parked your disc.
Dark shades of green obviously can make recovery challenging, but you'd be surprised how difficult even a bright, fluorescent green color like the one shown in the first picture can be to find among flourishing weeds in the summertime. (I can speak from experience!)
Certain yellow variations can create some challenge as well but true yellow is generally a moderately safe choice for visibility.
Various shades of purples and even some darker oranges fall into this "natural" category as well, but brighter, more fluorescent shades of these 2 colors are safer bets and will stand out well.
Surprisingly, black is also notoriously difficult to recover in many different types of environments.
In addition, any disc that has a "clear" quality adds some difficulty to everything already discussed.
You may be thinking to yourself now, "geeze, do any colors stand out?"
Well,
On the flip side, colors that are easier to see include:
reds
oranges
blues
white
pinks, and as mentioned
true yellow
If you're not sure what color you want to get, pick something that is going to be easy to find! Unless of course it has a sweet stamp!
If you have a disc that you like but is not very color friendly for finding, considering dyeing your disc like Brandon did for his Ezra Signature Series Nuke shown below.
This transparent green was the only option available, so Brandon added some
red to it to help make it stand out just a little bit better
Not sure how to dye your own disc? Then check out THIS ARTICLE to learn how!
2. Personal Preference
If you aren't necessarily worried about losing a disc or if it is easily visible once it lands, then simply choosing one you like is the next best solution.
Does the disc have a cool, unique stamp?
Is it in your favorite color?
Or does it flat out just look really cool?
These are all reasons you could decide to buy a disc and there is nothing wrong with any of them!
If you like it, buy it!
3. Organization
If visibility doesn't matter too much, and you're not too fussy on the color, then next you could consider,
Organization.
In our article,
We mention that some players choose to organize their bag by color, where each type of disc in your bag is represented by a specific color.
For instance, all of your putters are white, all your mid-ranges are blue, fairway drivers are red, and distance drivers yellow.
Another example would be for players who carry multiples of the same disc in varying degrees of wear, at which point they carry that disc all in the same color so they know which disc is which with a quick color reference.
While these are examples, the point is some players choose a disc's color based on where it is going to go in their bag.
Sometimes this is with visibility and preference in mind as well, and sometimes it's completely random.
4. Variety
Lastly, players will often choose a disc color simply to add some variety to their bag.
When I first started playing, this is actually how I would choose a disc color.
If I had 3 discs and colors to choose from, I would just pick a color I didn't have yet.
Now that I have been playing for a few years, I still tend to pick colors I like that I don't already have, but I also try to keep visibility in mind so that I am less likely to lose my favorites.
If all else fails, make your bag a rainbow and pick up as many new colors as possible!
So,
Now that you know how to pick a disc color, it's time to go and get some discs and get playing!
Not sure what discs to buy? Then head on over to our article:
to get an idea of what you should look for!
Not sure where to buy discs? You can either check out THIS ARTICLE or click on the banner below to shop all the discs you could ever want at infinitediscs.com
Happy Disc Golfing!
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