Level one
How Many Disc Golf Discs Do You Need?
Three to start. Seven or eight to cover every shot. Here is why more than that usually makes you worse, not better.
By Selena H. Published October 1, 2026 Updated October 13, 2026
Hyzer & Chain is reader-funded. We earn a commission when you buy through a link here, at no extra cost to you. Picks come from published manufacturer specs and current retailer availability, never from who pays most — here is how we pick.
Three discs is enough to start: a putter, a midrange and a fairway driver. Seven or eight molds covers every shot shape a player at any level actually needs. Beyond roughly twenty, extra discs stop improving your scores and start diluting your practice. Below is the breakdown by level, and the specific slots each number fills.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Key spec | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Innova Aviar Disc one — the putter | a brand-new player who needs one disc that does exactly what they aim it at, and for every level above that as a putting disc | 2 / 3 / 0 / 1 · Putter | |
| 2 |  Discraft Buzzz Disc two — the midrange | any player from their second round onwards who wants one midrange that flies the same line every single throw | 5 / 4 / -1 / 1 · Midrange | |
| 3 |  Innova Leopard Disc three — the driver | a beginner taking their first step beyond a putter and midrange — at speed 6 it is slow enough to actually fly for a new arm | 6 / 5 / -2 / 1 · Fairway driver |
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1. Disc one — the putter
Innova Aviar
- Flight numbers
- 2 / 3 / 0 / 1
- Speed
- 2
- Glide
- 3
- Turn
- 0
- Fade
- 1
- Disc type
- Putter
- Stability
- Neutral
- Plastics
- DX, Pro, Star, Champion, GStar
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The first slot in any bag, and the one most people fill last. Everything inside 100 feet plus every putt comes off this disc, which makes it the highest-usage item you will own. In a three-disc bag it is doing roughly half the work.
How it flies
Speed 2 with 3 glide and a flat 0 turn means the Aviar goes where you point it at any arm speed. The single point of fade shows up only at the very end, so from inside 30 feet it drops almost straight down rather than drifting left. That predictability is the whole reason it has been the most-bagged putter in the sport for decades.
Best for a brand-new player who needs one disc that does exactly what they aim it at, and for every level above that as a putting disc.
Look elsewhere if you want a putter that fights a headwind — the Aviar's 1 fade gives you very little resistance when the wind picks up.
What works
- Flies the same line for a 150-foot arm and a 500-foot arm
- Available in DX (cheap, grippy) all the way to Star (durable) so you can buy the same flight in whatever plastic suits you
- Low speed means a bad release barely changes the line
What does not
- 1 fade is not enough to hold a line in real wind
- DX plastic wears noticeably after a season of tree hits
Specs read from Innova’s own published product page.
2. Disc two — the midrange
Discraft Buzzz
- Flight numbers
- 5 / 4 / -1 / 1
- Speed
- 5
- Glide
- 4
- Turn
- -1
- Fade
- 1
- Disc type
- Midrange
- Stability
- Neutral
- Plastics
- Z, Big Z, ESP, Titanium, Jawbreaker
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The second slot, and in a three-disc bag the workhorse: it covers 120 to 280 feet, which on most courses is the majority of shots that are not putts. Pick a straight one so it does what you tell it.
How it flies
The -1 turn and 1 fade cancel each other out almost exactly, which is why the Buzzz is the reference straight midrange. Thrown flat it flies a long, flat line and finishes with the gentlest left drift. Thrown on a hyzer it holds the hyzer. Discraft's own page calls it their most popular midrange because it suits a wide range of player styles, and the numbers explain why: there is nothing in them to catch out a developing arm.
Best for any player from their second round onwards who wants one midrange that flies the same line every single throw.
Look elsewhere if you need a midrange that fights hard wind — 1 fade and -1 turn is a neutral combination that a headwind will flip.
What works
- The most repeatable flight in the sport — the same line at 250 feet and 350 feet
- Works at beginner arm speed and still earns a bag slot at tournament level
- Z plastic barely changes flight over years of use
What does not
- Neutral stability means a real headwind will turn it over
- So common that it is rarely the cheapest option
Specs read from Discraft’s own published product page.
3. Disc three — the driver
Innova Leopard
- Flight numbers
- 6 / 5 / -2 / 1
- Speed
- 6
- Glide
- 5
- Turn
- -2
- Fade
- 1
- Disc type
- Fairway driver
- Stability
- Understable
- Plastics
- DX, Pro, Star, Champion, GStar
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The third and final slot of a complete starting bag. One driver is genuinely enough for a beginner, and a slow understable one is the right choice because it is the only kind that will fly for you.
How it flies
-2 turn with only 1 fade is the classic beginner driver shape. At modest arm speed the turn gets the disc moving right and the single fade point brings it gently back, so the result is a long, shallow S that reads as straight. The low speed 6 means you do not need power to get it up to flight — the most common reason a new player's drives go nowhere.
Best for a beginner taking their first step beyond a putter and midrange — at speed 6 it is slow enough to actually fly for a new arm.
Look elsewhere once you are throwing over 300 feet; the -2 turn will start rolling the disc over on you.
What works
- Genuinely flies at beginner arm speed, unlike a speed-11 driver
- The shallow S-curve adds real distance without demanding technique
- DX plastic is cheap enough to lose
What does not
- Turns over once your arm speed grows past it
- 1 fade gives nothing in a headwind
Specs read from Innova’s own published product page.
The numbers, by level
- Brand new: 3 discs. Putter, midrange, slow fairway driver. Covers every shot in a round.
- First season: 5 to 6. Add a second putter so you can practice with a matched pair, and one more driver — either an understable one for S-curves or a straighter one as your arm grows.
- Intermediate: 7 to 10 molds. Two or three matching putters, a straight midrange, an overstable midrange, a straight fairway driver, an understable driver, and one very overstable disc for wind and forehands.
- Tournament: 20 to 30 discs, but still 8 to 12 molds. The extra discs are duplicates, not variety — see tournament bag counts.
Why more discs usually makes you worse
Consistency comes from repetition with a known quantity. A player who throws the same midrange two hundred times knows precisely what it does at every power level and angle. A player with four midranges throws each fifty times and knows none of them properly.
There is also a decision cost. Standing on a tee choosing between eight drivers is a slower and worse decision than choosing between two, and the extra deliberation does not produce a better throw. The strongest argument for a small bag is that it makes every shot simpler.
The right reason to add a disc
Add a disc when you have identified a shot you genuinely cannot throw with what you have. Not a shot you throw badly — a shot the discs in your bag physically cannot produce. If every disc you own finishes left and you need something that goes right around a tree, that is a real gap and an understable disc fills it.
Do not add a disc because it is new, because a better player bags one, or because it is on sale. Those are the three reasons most twenty-disc bags exist, and none of them has ever lowered a score.
The duplicates exception
Duplicates are the one place where more discs genuinely helps, and it starts with the putter. Two or three identical putters let you build a real putting routine — throw three, walk once — and mean the disc in your hand on a scoring putt feels exactly like the one you practiced with.
At tournament level the same logic extends to key drivers: losing your only overstable driver on hole 4 should not change how you play the rest of the round. See how to build a disc golf bag for the full slot-by-slot version.
Ready to move up?
Gear that suits you depends far more on how far you actually throw than on how long you have played. If these picks are starting to feel wrong in either direction, the matching page one level away is the better place to shop.
Common questions
How many disc golf discs should I have?
Three to start — a putter, a midrange and a fairway driver. Seven or eight molds covers every shot shape at any level. Tournament players carry 20 to 30 discs but still only 8 to 12 distinct molds, the rest being duplicates.
How many discs are in a disc golf set?
Most starter sets contain three: a putter, a midrange and a driver. Some run to four or five, usually by adding a second midrange or a faster driver.
Is it bad to carry too many discs?
It dilutes your practice. Consistency comes from repetition with a known quantity, so four midranges thrown fifty times each teaches you less than one thrown two hundred times.
Should I buy multiple copies of the same disc?
For your putter, yes — two or three identical putters make a real putting routine possible. For drivers, duplicates only start mattering at tournament level where losing a disc mid-round matters.
Every flight number and spec on this page was read from the manufacturer’s own published product page, linked beside each pick. We do not throw these on a course — here is how we pick.
Sources
Read next
How to Build a Disc Golf Bag
The seven slots that cover every shot shape, and the molds that fill each one.
How Many Discs in a Tournament Bag?
Why tournament bags hold 30 discs but only 10 molds, with the slot breakdown.
Best Disc Golf Discs for Beginners (2026)
The three-disc core every new player should start with, plus two worth adding next.
Best Disc Golf Bags for Beginners (2026)
Sling bags and entry backpacks sized for a starter set rather than a collection.