Disc Golf Goes Green(er)

Most players already know that disc golf is one of the most environmentally friendly games out there. Besides a few trees and branches that might be removed from fairways, a some dings in trees from errant throws, and inevitable erosion from foot traffic, there is no impact to the environment. But what about all those discs that you’re carrying around? They’re made from plastic, man, and plastic, like, comes from petroleum. That’s right, if you follow the Bush administration’s logic on drug users supporting terrorism, then by playing disc golf, you are supporting the war in Iraq.

A couple disc golf manufacturer’s, though, are making strides to reduce the game’s dependency on Middle Eastern oil. When Innova introduced their newest high speed driver, the XCaliber, they offered it in their new “Eco-Star” plastic. Eco-Star is made from a process of recycling pre-consumer waste. When discs are made, a bunch of plastic pellets are melted and poured into a mold. What Innova is doing is to take the discs that do not make it through quality control for whatever reason (overweight, imperfect mold, etc.) and grind them up into pellets to mix a new batch of plastic for a run of their Eco-Star. Now, I know some people are thinking “That’s not really ‘eco-plastic’ if they’re still using the same petroleum based materials.” For those, I encourage them to remember the “3 R’s” of conservation (reduce, reuse, recycle). By recycling the plastic that they would normally be throwing away, Innova is reducing the need to order more plastic pellets, they are reusing the plastic they already have, and of course, they are recycling.

Gateway Discs has taken the notion of environmentally friendly plastic a step further though. Gateway is known for running many experimental blends of plastic, and have recycled their plastic before producing what’s known as their “Eraser” plastic (because it is pink and tacky, resembling a pencil eraser). They have gone a step further though, and included a corn-based polymer with their recycled rubber and run a batch of “Organic Eco Wizards”. Consider it the bio-diesel of the disc golf world. Reports say that the discs feel rubbery and tacky, and have a unique smell. The smell varies with interpretations, apparently, some think the discs smell akin to maple syrup, while others just think they “stink”. Whether you consider the odor to be pleasant or not though, it fades over time. The discs have only been made in limited runs so far, but the demand is increasing and many retailers are on the wait list for the next batch of the organic Wizards to be shipped.

I commend both Innova and Gateway for taking these steps to make our sport even friendlier for good ol’ Mother Earth. If I have to voice one gripe about the discs, it’s that the companies have chosen to advertise their “greenness” by making the discs themselves green. Don’t get me wrong, green is a great color (heck, we chose it for our logo), but when looking for a disc in the shule, it’s about the last color you want to be hunting after. Apparently, Innova is working on another blend of recycled plastic, this time with DX, which comes out being a kind of mocha brown. Great. Keep up the good work guys, but let’s see if we can’t get some pigments (environmentally friendly, of course) besides “Won’t-Find-Me Green” and “I-Look-Like-a-Dead-Leaf Brown”.

Update 6/20/08: I finally managed to get my hands on one of the Organic Wizards, and the first impression is: SWEET! The plastic feels very similar to their Eraser plastic, though it feels slightly softer than the Eraser Wizards I already have. Its not so soft, though, that it’s floppy or mushy, it remains nice and firm in the hand and the flightplate is flexible enough that you can feel your fingers underneath. Just about perfect as far as my tastes in putters go. This is one that I’ll only use for upshots and putts though, I still prefer a firmer putter if I’m going to be driving with it. Oh, and the smell? It smells good to me, not quite like maple syrup, but definitely a sweet smell. I tried to point it out to my friend though, and to quote him exactly, he thought it “smells like shit.” So the odor of the disc may be subjective, but for anybody that likes Wizards, I think it’s safe to say you’ll like the Organic Wizards.