Best Overstable Distance Drivers
All distance drivers can typically be split into three categories: overstable, stable, and understable. Overstable drivers have a tendency to fade earlier in their flight path, to a greater degree, and at higher speeds than drivers of other types.
This is what gives them the name “overstable”. They fight against the tendency to flip over, which can be a good thing. You can give an overstable driver a lot of arm speed and it will fly true to its flight path without turning over on you.
Generally speaking, overstable discs are great options for forehand throws and shots where a huge fade is needed.
So what are the best overstable distance drivers in disc golf? Here are our top seven picks for overstable distance drivers:
- Innova Destroyer
- Discraft Zeus
- Innova Wraith
- Innova Firebird
- Dynamic Discs Trespass
- Westside Discs Sword
- Dynamic Discs Enforcer
Each of these overstable distance drivers has its own unique qualities and flight paths, so I’ve gone into greater detail about each disc below. I’ve also included the flight numbers and flight path for each disc.
1. Innova Destroyer
About the Innova Destroyer
This may not come as a surprise to many disc golfers, but the Destroyer by Innova earns the number one spot for Best Overstable Distance Driver overall. It’s a great 12-speed driver made famous by professional disc golfers like Paul McBeth and Ricky Wysocki. A new Destroyer holds your line even with a ton of power and speed behind it, and it has a reliable and predictable fade.
The Destroyer has a slight degree of turn (-1), which gives the disc plenty of glide (5) and distance. It will also beat in quite a bit over time, pronouncing the turn and becoming more and more flippy, which can be an asset in certain situations. One of the primary discs used by professionals, this disc is also designed for less experienced players and those throwing forehand.
Purchasing a destroyer in Innova’s Champion plastic guarantees that your Destroyer stays true to its overstable roots for as long as possible.
To buy the Innova Destroyer, click the link to Infinite Discs below, or find it on Amazon here.
2. Discraft Zeus
About the Discraft Zeus
If you have a powerful arm and you’re looking for maximum distance, then Discraft’s Zeus is the overstable driver for you! With a speed of 12, this disc is ideal for intermediate to advanced disc golfers. In fact, the Zeus is Paul McBeth’s go-to distance driver.
One of the most popular discs ever released, the Zeus offers consistent stability for both forehand and backhand throws, in part due to its fairly wide rim (2.3 cm). It can also take a beating from whatever obstacle it hits, such as trees, gravel, and roots, without suffering any major scuffs or dings.
Another useful component about Discraft’s Zeus is that it offers excellent grip regardless of the weather, temperature, or moisture that collects on it. This way, you can be confident it will stay put until you’re ready to release it. With identical flight numbers as the Innova Destroyer, you can’t go wrong with the Zeus by Discraft!
Pick up your own Discraft Zeus by clicking the link to Infinite Discs below, or find it on Amazon here.
3. Innova Wraith
About the Innova Wraith
The Innova Wraith is an overstable distance driver with decent speed and glide, and sports a very predictable fade (3). Intermediate players who find that they don’t quite have the arm for higher speed discs (e.g., Innova Destroyer or Innova Boss) will find that the Wraith is a better fit.
For this reason, we recommend the Wraith to beginners looking for an overstable driver with a speed rating that lines up more closely with the level of speed a beginner or slightly intermediate player might have. Of course, more advanced players love the Wraith as well, and once your arm speed reaches a level above 11, the Wraith is still a great disc to throw a little bit powered down, or used as a turn over disc for utility. It’s versatile and flies far with a tailwind, making it popular for forehand and backhand throws.
Keep in mind that the Wraith tends to be very touchy once broken in, so it’s recommended that you purchase this disc in the Champion plastic for maximum durability. This will keep your Wraith flying like new for as long as possible.
Pick up your own Innova Wraith by clicking the link to Infinite Discs below, or find it on Amazon here.
4. Innova Firebird
About the Innova Firebird
Fast, predictable, and superior stability are just a few reasons why Innova’s Firebird is such a popular distance driver. With a slightly slower speed (9) than the first three discs in our list, this disc is overly stable, allowing it to easily face headwinds.
The Firebird works well with forearm throws and on certain obstacle-laden shots because it does exactly what you expect it to. It’s also excellent for hyzer, skip, or long-range flex shots, making it best suited for intermediate to advanced players.
Combine its awesome stability, unparelleled predictability, and consitent accuracy, and you’ll see why the Innova Firebird is a must-have addition to your disc golf bag.
To find the Innova Firebird that’s right for you, find on Amazon here, or click the Infinite Discs link below.
5. Dynamic Discs Trespass
About the Dynamic Discs Trespass
The Dynamic Discs Trespass is very similar to the Destroyer by Innova. This 12-speed disc holds a very straight line with a slight turn and a predictable fade. It’s a great disc for both backhand and forehand throws and has a moderately thin rim (1.9 cm) for players that feel more comfortable throwing smaller-rimmed discs.
This is a great disc for intermediate players who throw fast and want a disc with a little bit of turn, but that won’t flip over. For the Trespass, we recommend this disc in Dynamic Discs’ Lucid plastic, as this material is tough as nails and still holds true to its original flight characteristics for as long as possible.
To purchase the Trespass by Dynamic Discs, click the link to Infinite Discs below, or find it here on Amazon.
6. Westside Discs Sword
About the Westside Discs Sword
The Westside Sword is a slightly underrated disc that’s similar to the Trespass and Destroyer. It’s a 12-speed disc with a slight bit of turn and a nice, reliable fade. When thrown with enough power, the Sword will deliver an S-curve with great glide and accuracy.
The Sword is a fantastic disc for beginner and intermediate players who are just starting to see more speed and power in their throw. This disc offers long distance without flipping over. We recommend the Sword in Westside Discs’ VIP plastic for the best durability, so that it can maintain its flight characteristics.
To get your own Westside Discs Sword, click the link to Infinite Discs below, or find it on Amazon here.
7. Dynamic Discs Enforcer
About the Dynamic Discs Enforcer
The Dynamic Discs Enforcer is the slightly more overstable big brother to the Trespass, also by Dynamic Discs. With very little turn, the Enforcer has a super straight flight path that won’t flip over when given lots of power.
Beginners without enough power will find this disc to be a meathook to be used as a utility disc, curving around obstacles on the course. With enough speed however, this disc will fly straight as an arrow with a reliable fade. It’s recommended to get this disc in Dynamic Discs Lucid plastic for the best durability and flight path retention over time.
To add the Dynamic Discs Enforcer to your bag, click the link to Infinite Discs below, or find it on Amazon.
The Flex Shot – Overstable Is The Way To Go
When it comes to the flex shot, you want to be throwing an overstable disc. Flex shots are big anhyzer throws that start left (when throwing RHBH), flow to the right because of the anhyzer angle, then flip back up to stable and finish left, back in the fairway. This is a nice S-curve line for huge distance and is a throw used by a lot of intermediate and professional players.
To throw a massive flex shot, you’ll need an overstable disc. The quality of overstable discs to want to fight to go left is what gives the flex shot the ability to come out of the anhyzer angle and flip back up to flat. If you try throwing an understable disc with a flex shot angle, chances are the disc will stay anhyzer and finish far right of the fairway.
Keep that in mind when practicing your the flex shot. I also suggest watching the video below by Dynamic Discs for a quick tutorial on the flex shot.
Best Overstable Disc for High Arm Speed
If you have a ton of arm speed and you’re finding that even discs such as the Destroyer or Enforcer don’t quite have enough speed for you, you may be wondering if there’s a perfect overstable driver that can handle much higher arm speeds.
What’s the best overstable disc for high arm speed? The best overstable disc for high arm speed is the Innova Boss. The Boss is a very fast overstable driver with a speed rating of 13. It’s one of the more popular ultra high-speed drivers and sports a flight path with a slight turn, great glide, and decent fade.
The Boss currently holds the world distance record for longest drive, which was thrown by David Wiggins Jr. for 1,109 feet! Take a look at the video below of the throw.
If you’d like to try out the Innova Boss, here’s the link to Amazon so you can research the different weight options to get the best disc at the best price.
Best Overstable Distance Driver for Beginners
Beginners tend to have a hard time getting the most distance out of overstable distance drivers. They find that they don’t have the arm speed or power to put enough force into the disc, and so they see the disc curves hard and fast as it’s released.
The reason this happens is because overstable discs are mostly made to handle high power. When a player with too much power throws a disc that isn’t stable enough, it’ll flip over and fly away from the intended flight path. Players with high power need overstable discs to fight that tendency to flip over. Adversely, this affects newcomers to the game who try to throw those discs, but don’t have enough power in their throw. The disc is trying to fight high power turnover, but if the power isn’t there, the disc just fades and loses a lot of that distance.
So, what’s the best overstable distance driver for beginners? For beginners looking for an overstable distance driver, I recommend the Innova Wraith. The Wraith has a speed rating of 11, making it accessible to most players. With just a few weeks of practice, you should see your arm speed around this level, which will allow you to get the most distance out of your Wraith.
When you notice your arm overpowering the Wraith and the disc starts flipping over, it’s time to switch up to a higher speed disc. Now you’re ready for the Innova Destroyer. This is a 12-speed disc that allows for longer distance than the Wraith at higher arm speeds.
Should I Be Throwing An Overstable Driver?
Overstable distance drivers have a couple of great qualities. The first is their ability to fight turning over. As you develop your form and increase your arm speed, you’ll find that your discs will start to turn over or flip over. When throwing RHBH, this means that your disc curves to the right instead of to the left, as you might expect. This is because your arm speed is overpowering the disc, which results in it turning the wrong way. Overstable drivers are made to fight this turn over and hold your line, even with high-powered throws. Because you can put so much power behind overstable drivers, they’re able to soar long distances.
The second reason is their utility on the course. Overstable drivers fight turnover at high speeds, but what happens when they’re thrown at lower speeds? That fade kicks in hard and fast much earlier in their flight path and can be utilized to hook around obstacles on the course. You’ll also find that they skip for a nice boost of extra distance.
Less Meathook
The term “meathook” is used to describe a disc that has a high degree of fade. This is generally an overstable disc that, when thrown, will want to turn hard and show a large curve in its flight path (hence the term “meathook”).
If you’re looking for an overstable distance driver with less meathookiness (is that a word?), I suggest taking a look at the Sword by Westside Discs. Yo’ll still get that predictable fade, but it won’t be as pronounced as some other overstable drivers, while still giving you that overstable quality of turn over resistance.
You should see a slight S-curve out of the Sword and a fair amount of glide to give you good distance.
Wrapping Up
So that’s it! Those are my suggestions for the best overstable distance drivers avilable today. I hope you all took something useful away from reading this article and that you’ll try an overstable distance driver the next time you hit the course.