Disc Selection

Plastic Types Explained

Base vs premium plastic — durability, grip and cost.

Why it matters

The same mould in two plastics is two different discs over time. Base plastic grips better and wears in quickly; premium plastic holds its flight for years. Choosing deliberately means your discs change when you want them to rather than on their own schedule.

How to do it

Base plastic — names vary by brand — is cheaper, grippier in the hand and wears in fast. It is excellent for putters and for discs you want to season deliberately.
Premium plastic is more durable and keeps its stability for a long time. It is what you want for a disc whose flight you rely on.
Use base plastic where grip matters most: putters, and approach discs in wet weather.
Use premium where consistency matters most: the drivers and midranges you have built your shots around.
Accept that base plastic in a driver is a disc with a shelf life. That is not a flaw, it is the trade you chose.

Common mistakes

Buying a key driver in base plastic and being surprised when it turns over after a season.That is exactly what base plastic does. Premium for the discs you depend on.

Dismissing base plastic as cheap.It grips better than anything in the rain, and it is the right choice for putters for exactly that reason.

Expecting two plastics of the same mould to fly the same out of the box.They usually do not, even when new. Treat them as separate discs and learn each.

Key points

Premium plastic keeps its stability far longer than base.
Base plastic beats in faster — handy for grippy putters.

The drill

Drill · Two plastics, one mould — 10 throws each with the same mould in base and premium. If you can borrow both, throw ten of each at one target. The difference when new is usually modest and the difference after a season is large. Knowing which of your discs will change under you is what stops a favourite quietly becoming something else.

Watch: Base vs Premium Plastic: Which Disc Golf Plastic is Best for YOU? — Robbie C Discgolf