Why every disc golf manufacturer makes their own “Zone” | The Disc is in the Details 

My first time with a zone was really cool. I spotted at Hudson mills 08 dglo tournament and mark Ellis gave my buddy an unmarked zone and told him to try it out. He said its brand new and it's going to change the short game forever. I threw it a few times and immediately fell in love. They only had d plastic at that time and I bought 2. The shots that disc created for me were absolutely amazing. It deserves all the hype and praise imo.

You could say the same thing about the destroyer from Innova, literally, every disc manufacture has a 12 5 -1 3 disc.

I use a DD Lucid Justice instead of a Zone. It's a speed 5 but it's a great head wind putter and flicks great

I played disc golf for 20 years before I started throwing forehands. The zone is the disc that did it. 5 years later and I have a balanced game. I bag two zones and 4 drivers specifically for throwing forehands.

Is anyone else jealous how smooth this college guy can FH?

Great video! The Zone is definitely a must have in any players bag.

The "Zone slot" defines my approach game for sure. I've been trying to find other "Zones" just to explore what's out there. So far I'm really enjoying the Kastaplast Jarn as well.

I'm a huge fan of the zone hand feel, but the new runs of champion that the toro has been released in captured my heart--some of the best feeling plastic in my bag. It's got the perfect tack and give while looking beautiful.

Feldberg says the Sinus is the real inspiration for the Zone

I bag 2 "zones"... one a well seasoned ESP Zone that I can manipulate in any way I really want, but it still has the reliable Zone low speed stability. The other is a Gateway Devilhawk in Suregrip that has less glide, less groundplay and is a little more overstable.

Soft Tactic and flex Zone I didn't understand the need for this slot until I got one. Fun to throw and definite stroke saver.

This is such a cool video! I'm surprised about the Marwede statistics! I didn't realize he was such a good putter! A Michigan boy! Love it 😁🥏🥏🥏⛳

I carry a zone and a Golem. The zone is super consistent and the Golem is for when I need it to hit and stick because it’s rubber and super flexie

0:52 - This is not an accurate claim, sorry. The Zone was not the first overstable throwing putter. The (simply amazing) Lat64 Sinus was approved by the PDGA 2+ years prior in Feb 2006. The Zone is inspired by the Sinus, but isn't as good in my view. Lat64 understood what the market needed - and the other overstable putters do not have the ultra-sharp bottom rim of the Sinus, which stops it from skipping and sliding when it lands. I call the Sinus a "Negative Driver" - for its sharp bottom edge, and also because the Sinus is NOT a flying disc. The Sinus (and some other discs) are in fact "spin-stabilised ballistic discs" which do not generate ANY lift over their top surface. All they do is create mechanical left from thee ramp below the parting lane.

I bag a lone star disc harpoon in victor 1 plastic and it is a great alternative for anyone who has small hands and finds that even the zone is a bit deep. The victor plastics are notably overstable. Maybe close to the new zone OS although I’ve only had a few throws with the zone os to compare.

ESP Zones come stock as well, I think the only plastic reserved for special editions is the metallic Z. Same thing with the Razor Claw mold, only the Tour Series versions have the really flat top all the way to the edge, and the stock and Neo ones are made in a different mold.

my go to overstable putter is the obsidian discs splinter. flies very similarly to a zone but the handfeel is imo much nicer

Old R-Pro innova roc. That’s what the zone reminds me of. I’m talking 1990s/ early 2000s R-Pro plastic. Wish they still made those.

The Gator and the Cro, were beadless overstable midranges well before the Zone. FH throwers have been throwing beadless midranges forever. The Zone just made it more popular. I recently switched to a royal savior by lat 64. As ive been trying to find a disc that has that feel of a star Cro. Also love the Justice when you need something just a bit more stable.

I've had a Z Zone for a while now and I love it! Only thing I'm not such a fan of is that it has a tendency to skip a lot. Therefore I just bought a cryztal flx zone in hope of getting a little less ground play in that one.

Love this I need more

My alternative is a Jokeri from Prodiscus

I subscribing to the Järn. Love the Kastaplast K1 plastic and the Järn has a definitive overstability. It's my goto to scramble back and up the fairway from sticky situations. It will regain horisontal position from extremely anhyzered forehand shots. I'm still gearing up to its abilities as a approach disc (but that's 'cause I'm still somewhat new to the sport). The Järn just does something no other disc in my back does.

Im glad you mentioned the slammer. I miss the original run of slammers before ricky signed to DD. I still bag a sockibomb for backhand but the deep rim throws of my forehand. My zoneslot is huge. Classic slammers, Sockibolb glow slammer, justice, Caiman. Im not a brand loyalist. I just use what works.

i threw the DGA Breaker for years before discovering my love for the Innova Rhyno. i now have a (very beat) RPro Rhyno and a Champ Rhyno in my bag

I can't speak to the other brands, but one disc Innova makes filled the overstable putt and approach disc slot since 1998, and that's the Rhyno. It's been available in every major plastic type, and the Ontario molds are apparently the most overstable. The Rhyno is differentiated from the Zone in that it has a thinner rim, is less aerodynamic, and not flat-top (some runs can be domey). And though not quite as stable or fast, up until the release of the Zone, the Rhyno was the closest to that slot to that point. The Zone did push the boundary of overstable approach discs, but it wasn't alone. Coincidentally the Pig came out the same month the Zone did, is more stable than the Rhyno, but had a thicker rim, yet because of the Thumbtrac, is less aerodynamic than the Zone. That said, the Pig has generally been flatter than the Rhyno, without being flat top. The Pig and Zone are a lot more similar in terms of overstability, and arguably could fill the same spot, but the Rat (2017) and Toro (2021) have been the closest to a "Zone clone" to fill that slot, though in my experience the Rat is a touch less stable in comparable plastic, and the Toro a touch more stable, than the Zone.

besides pig/rhyno also the sinus came out prior. The zone is far from being first over stable approach disc... Not sure why they said it was the first of it's kind...

Gateways Demon was doing this 2 years before the Zone. Also, Star Rancjo Rocs were this slot way before the Zone, too. Don't forget about the OGs of the game

No, we owe it all to the Gator. Or to go back even further, the star whippet-x.

I bag both an ESP Zone and a Mr. Putt. They fly nearly identical, but the Mr. Putt has zero ground play. It literally just stops dead every time it hits the ground. Also because of the blocky flat rim, the Mr. Putt is a great forehand roller too.

I love my A2, but it is slightly faster and over stable, however,, the new distortion to me matches my zone almost perfectly. I can get it to land a flat like my zones and the speed is slower than the a2. Prodigy nailed it with the distortion.

What about the Pig? That seems to fill the same slot? Ricky's Slammer seems to be trying to reproduce that.

I bag 3 harps Beat in Tournament harp for the straight shots VIP glimmer for super stable Cycle in New Tournament for main approach disc

I'm excited to get my mvp circuit challenge tempo on september 2nd to try it out.

Love me some tactics ;)

Always in the bag.

I'm an A2 guy now days but I did pick up a jarn recently for more teepad work

The harp is easily my favorite, that said I started only a week ago.

The z flx zone is the best disc I've ever owned

The prodigy A2 you showed had so much flashing hahaha

My gold line Claymore has made many over 90’ throw ins. It’s sort of flat like the zone. Also mako 3.

Very well done video and an interesting watch. That being said, it's only natural that every company has their "Zones" just like they have their Destroyer, Firebird, Teebird and Buzz clones as well. I feel like if you miss any of the aforementioned counterparts in your lineup, it will become a big issue for potential customers considering changing the whole bag (or sponsorship) to the said brand.

I bag the Toro. But before the Toro, there was the Caiman 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨. I bag both. But I also bag a Bobcat, and a Pyro. Similar over stability, but different uses. I like the the Toro and Caiman for forehand approaches, and the others for backhand. And I get it, the the only one that’s probably ‘approach’ type is the Toro. But mids and approach discs are fun. Rarely, I will even putt with my Toro.

Wow. Shoutout to andrew marwede.

I have never really needed a Zone. I just find myself needing an overstable putter that feels good to forehand. That would be like Innova claiming the rights that all overstable drivers are Destroyer knock offs. And I don't think that I would go that far. People just need a disc for that overstable putter slot. Right now my favorite is the A2. Thrown the tactic, zone, harp, entropy and so far I like the A2. It probably will not always be that way. I do like all the discs that I mentioned. Entropy feels weird atm to forehand. I don't know what it is. Probably just me though.

Me months to trust my buddy when he'd tell me "it's a zone shot" lol for sure this disc can do a lot of shapes.

My "zone" slot is Innova Pig, mostly because thumtrac and more putter like handfeel. I still count Pig 3 speed what ever Innova say it's not even that bad to putt whit

Lonestar has the walker definitely zone like just one speed higher at a 5

A lot of manufactures have that one disc that’s copied by all other manufacturers: Discraft Zone Innova Destroyer Kastaplast Berg

Get Freaky Crystal Flex Zone is my favorite approach disc

The Rhyno, Pig, and Gator were all approved before the zone.

The zone for me is a throwing outter but my jawbreaker plastics film is wearing off because I grip in the same spot every time lol. I need to get a premium plastics zone type disc.

I will say the sinus was approved 2 years before the zone, making it the earlier os approach disc of the 2 Edit: I personally use the tactic because it’s deeper and unbeaded so I can throw it both FH and BH

dude. the gator was out for decade before the zone. a beadless gator is a zone. star gators 2008-2012 were majority beadless.

how about the Innova Rat? I believe it is also similar to the Zone

4-speed OS is equivalent to the pitching wedge in ball golf.

Sinus came before the Zone tho.

It’s the vip harp for me

I have a 5 speed MVP deflector that’s technically a mid but I have not found a disc more cash for overstable approach discs. The thing is beef

I bag a harp, but want to try out the zone.

Gateway's Devilhawk is more overstable out of the box and in the suregrip, it will never skip.

I wouldn’t even include the Ricky Slammer on here for comparison. Completely different disc

I still haven't settled on one. I was a pig man, then a jarn man, and then a tactic guy, and currently the slot is open in my bag. Debating a get freaky or a zone os. I threw a pig in that spot for over a decade, maybe I'll pick another pig up. This weekend I'll be throwing nothing in that slot. The most over stable mid ranges in my bag are an A4 and an EMAC truth. Maybe I'll toss my wife's entropy in the bag for the weekend. No idea. This was a great video, you got yourself a new subscriber with it!

I’m a tactic guy. Just like how it feels.

My alternative is the Drone.

Crystal flex zone is goated

DGA Breaker!!!

So 1st the stabilizer is nothing like a zone besides that it's overstable. It is shaped more like a putter it has dome and has a putter like rim. 2nd the harp doesn't have a bead, it has a midrange style rim. 3rd if any of these disc's tip their hat it's not to the zone. The zone was created to mimic the beardless roc which I think was the rancho roc being a flat beardless version of the roc meaning it's a more overstable roc and the rocs numbers were already 4 3 0 3.

FYI: a puddle top does not increase disc stability. I have puddled many discs over the decades (accidentally and on purpose) and their stability does not increase - sorry. Talk to Yeti about the Aviar Yeti Pro: it is not more stable than a standard Aviar P&A despite having a puddle top. The Puddle top is to improve putting grip and promote a nose flat or nose-down putt, which is very difficult to to with a domed putter.

I am one of the lucky one who has this 2018 Ledgestone Crystal Z flag dye zone.. if I lose it.. I do not know with what I can replace it, maybe Estonian Edition Crystal Zone is the closest one...

Does the Legacy Recluse qualify?

I dont' bag a zone or anything like it. The closest is an aviar x3 and I've been playing for 23 years.

Its a tragedy the pig was never mentioned 😭

pig was before the zone but cheers

I’m a big fan of the pig

TORO FAN

You forgot the New soft Zone.

Would love to see what Ricky could do with a zone..

Prodigy a2 is far superior

The harp was first

Zone os would be more comparable to a toro