By disc type
Throwing Putter vs Putting Putter
Both say 'putter' on the box and they do completely different jobs. The flight numbers tell you which is which.
By Selena H. Published October 17, 2026
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A putting putter is speed 2 to 3 with 1 point of fade or less, in soft grippy plastic. A throwing putter is speed 3 to 4 with 2 or more points of fade, usually in firmer plastic. Same category on the shelf, two different jobs. The distinction is not marketing — it is visible in the published numbers, and once you can read it you will stop buying the wrong one. A putting putter has to drop straight down from 25 feet. A throwing putter has to fly 150 feet on a predictable line and then stop. Nothing does both perfectly.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Key spec | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Innova Aviar The reference putting 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 | Dynamic Discs Warden The straightest putting putter here | a beginner who wants the straightest finish available — half a point of fade is as close to none as this registry gets | 2 / 4 / 0 / 0.5 · Putter | |
| 3 | Dynamic Discs Marshal The throwing putter | an intermediate player who wants a straight putter with a wider rim for throwing rather than putting | 3 / 4 / 0 / 1 · Putter | |
| 4 | Discraft Zone The overstable throwing putter | an intermediate or advanced player who needs a short-range disc that finishes left every single time, in any wind | 4 / 3 / 0 / 3 · Putter |
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1. The reference putting 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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2 / 3 / 0 / 1 is the profile. Speed 2 means release errors barely change the line, 3 glide means it does not float past the basket, and the single point of fade arrives so late that from 25 feet it effectively drops straight down. Buy two in DX so you can practice with a matched pair — that matters more for putting than any other gear decision.
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. The straightest putting putter here
Dynamic Discs Warden
- Flight numbers
- 2 / 4 / 0 / 0.5
- Speed
- 2
- Glide
- 4
- Turn
- 0
- Fade
- 0.5
- Disc type
- Putter
- Stability
- Neutral
- Plastics
- Prime, Classic Blend, Classic Soft
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2 / 4 / 0 / 0.5, and that half-point of fade is the lowest in our registry. For a player who pushes the putt rather than spinning it, less fade means less to correct for, and the Warden is the clearest expression of that in any brand's lineup. The extra point of glide over an Aviar also carries a soft putt the last couple of feet instead of leaving it short.
How it flies
The flattest-finishing putter in the registry. Dynamic Discs publish it at 0.5 fade, which means on a level release it comes down almost exactly where it was pointed. That makes it very forgiving for a new putting stroke, and poor at anything that needs the disc to curve.
Best for a beginner who wants the straightest finish available — half a point of fade is as close to none as this registry gets.
Look elsewhere if you need the disc to finish left at all; with 0.5 fade it essentially does not.
What works
- Almost no fade, so what you aim is what you get
- Deep rim is comfortable for large hands
- Inexpensive in Prime plastic
What does not
- No fade means no wind resistance and no hyzer finish
- Narrow use case beyond putting
Specs read from Dynamic Discs’s own published product page.
3. The throwing putter
Dynamic Discs Marshal
- Flight numbers
- 3 / 4 / 0 / 1
- Speed
- 3
- Glide
- 4
- Turn
- 0
- Fade
- 1
- Disc type
- Putter
- Stability
- Neutral
- Plastics
- Prime, Classic Blend, Lucid
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3 / 4 / 0 / 1 — a speed faster than an Aviar with real glide, which is exactly what a throwing putter needs. On a 150-foot approach you want the disc to actually travel, hold a line, and finish gently, and speed 3 with 4 glide does that where speed 2 falls out of the air. This is the disc for the shot that is too long to putt and too short to midrange.
How it flies
A point of speed above the Judge with the same glide, turn and fade, which in practice means it carries a little further on a thrown approach while still finishing straight. The extra speed comes from a wider rim, so it rewards a throwing grip over a putting grip.
Best for an intermediate player who wants a straight putter with a wider rim for throwing rather than putting.
Look elsewhere if you want one disc for putting and approaching — the wider rim is noticeably less comfortable in a putting grip.
What works
- Carries further than a speed-2 putter on an upshot
- Still essentially straight
- Holds an anhyzer line well
What does not
- Wider rim is less putt-friendly
- 1 fade gives little wind help
Specs read from Dynamic Discs’s own published product page.
4. The overstable throwing putter
Discraft Zone
- Flight numbers
- 4 / 3 / 0 / 3
- Speed
- 4
- Glide
- 3
- Turn
- 0
- Fade
- 3
- Disc type
- Putter
- Stability
- Overstable
- Plastics
- Z, Big Z, ESP, Jawbreaker, Titanium
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4 / 3 / 0 / 3. The far end of the throwing-putter category, and a terrible putting putter — 3 points of fade from 25 feet means it dives left of the basket. What it does instead is land and stop, which is why it lives in so many bags as a dedicated approach disc. If your 100-foot shots keep rolling away past the pin, this is the fix.
How it flies
Speed 4 and 3 fade on a putter-height rim makes this the most dependable approach disc in the sport. It flies flat for most of its distance then turns hard left, and because the glide is only 3 it stops where it lands rather than skipping away. In a headwind it does the same thing — the 0 turn means wind cannot flip it.
Best for an intermediate or advanced player who needs a short-range disc that finishes left every single time, in any wind.
Look elsewhere if you are looking for your first putter to actually putt with — 3 fade means it will not drop straight into the chains from 25 feet.
What works
- The most predictable finish of any disc on this site
- Immune to headwind flip
- Low glide means it sits down near where it lands
What does not
- Too overstable to putt with for most players
- 3 fade costs you distance on a straight shot
Specs read from Discraft’s own published product page.
The numbers that separate them
Three numbers do the work. Read them in this order:
- Fade is the giveaway. 0 to 1 is a putting putter. 2 or more is a throwing putter. Fade is how hard the disc hooks left as it slows, and a putt is mostly the slow part of a flight — so fade is the number that decides whether the disc arrives at the chains or beside them.
- Speed sets the range. Speed 2 discs fall out of the air past about 120 feet. Speed 3 to 4 keeps flying. If you want a putter you can throw 150 feet, you need the faster number.
- Glide decides whether it carries or drops. Low glide (3) lands and stays; higher glide (4) carries a gentle throw further. For putting, both work — it is a question of whether you tend to leave putts short or sail them long.
| Number | Range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | 1 to 14 | How fast the disc has to be thrown to fly as designed. Higher speeds cut wind better but need more arm. |
| Glide | 1 to 7 | How well the disc keeps itself in the air. Higher glide means more distance for the same throw. |
| Turn | +1 to -5 | How much the disc banks right early in flight. -5 turns most; +1 resists turning most. |
| Fade | 0 to 5 | How hard the disc hooks left at the end. 0 finishes straightest; 5 hooks hardest. |
Ranges as published in Innova’s flight ratings system. All four numbers describe a right-hand backhand throw.
Every putter in our registry, sorted
Sorted by speed. The top of this table is putting territory; the bottom is throwing territory, and the line between them sits at about 2 points of fade.
| Disc | Speed | Glide | Turn | Fade | Type | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discraft Challenger | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | Putter | Beginner, Intermediate |
| Discraft Roach | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | Putter | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
| Dynamic Discs EMAC Judge | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | Putter | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
| Dynamic Discs Judge | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | Putter | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
| Dynamic Discs Warden | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0.5 | Putter | Beginner, Intermediate |
| Innova Aviar | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | Putter | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
| Discraft Luna | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | Putter | Intermediate, Advanced |
| Dynamic Discs Marshal | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | Putter | Intermediate, Advanced |
| Innova Aviar3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Putter | Intermediate, Advanced |
| Innova Dart | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Putter | Beginner, Intermediate |
| Latitude 64 Pure | 3 | 3 | -1 | 1 | Putter | Beginner, Intermediate |
| Discraft Zone | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | Putter | Intermediate, Advanced |
| Innova Pig | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | Putter | Advanced |
Note how few discs are genuinely in the middle. The Luna at 3 / 4 / 0 / 2 and the Challenger at 2 / 3 / 0 / 2 are the closest things to dual-purpose putters here, and both lean slightly toward throwing.
Plastic matters more here than anywhere else
A putting putter is the one disc you hold for several seconds before releasing, which makes grip a performance feature rather than a preference. Soft blends — Dynamic Discs Classic Soft, Discraft Putter Line and Jawbreaker, Latitude 64 Zero Soft, Innova DX — stay tacky in cold and damp conditions where a premium plastic goes glassy.
Throwing putters go the other way. A firmer, more durable plastic holds its stability through tree hits and skips, which matters because an approach disc takes far more abuse than a putting disc does. A Jawbreaker Zone and a Z Zone are genuinely different tools for that reason. Our soft versus hard putter guide goes through the firmness question properly.
How many putters should you carry?
Three is the standard answer and it is a good one:
- Two identical putting putters. Same mold, same plastic, same weight. Practicing with a matched pair is what makes a putting routine repeatable, and having a spare means a lost disc does not change what you putt with.
- One throwing putter. A Marshal or a Zone, depending on whether you want your approaches to glide in or stop dead.
Beyond that, advanced bags often add a second throwing putter at the opposite end of the stability range — an understable Pure for turnover approaches alongside an overstable Zone. See our long-putt picks and beginner putter picks for the two ends of that.
Common questions
What is the difference between a throwing putter and a putting putter?
Fade and speed. A putting putter is speed 2 to 3 with 1 point of fade or less, so it drops straight down from short range. A throwing putter is speed 3 to 4 with 2 or more fade, so it flies 150 feet and finishes predictably.
Can I use the same putter for putting and approaching?
You can, and plenty of players do with a mold like the Discraft Luna (3 / 4 / 0 / 2). But a disc with 2 points of fade will drift left of the basket on a 25-foot putt, and a disc with 1 point will not hold a 150-foot line.
Is the Discraft Zone a good putting putter?
No. Three points of fade means it dives left of the chains from putting range. It is an excellent throwing putter and approach disc, which is a different job entirely.
What plastic should a putting putter be?
A soft, grippy blend — Dynamic Discs Classic Soft, Discraft Putter Line or Jawbreaker, Latitude 64 Zero Soft, or Innova DX. You hold a putter longer than any other disc, so grip in cold and wet conditions is a performance feature.
How many putters should I carry?
Three: two identical putting putters so your routine is repeatable and a lost disc does not change it, plus one throwing putter for approaches.
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
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