Early thoughts on the Nerf / Prodigy discs
Not a full review or anything, just first impressions after a few dozen throws with each. I picked up the putter, mid and driver. I did not get the Ultimate disc.
TLDR: They fly way better than I expected for being around 96 to 100g, especially the driver, but I do not think they are the obvious best beginner/kid option at the current price. I am glad they exist though, and I hope they push more companies to experiment with safer, lighter, more park/school-friendly disc designs.
Before getting into the flights, I do want to say that I am glad these exist. Even if they are not perfect, I think the general idea is good for the sport. Anything that gets younger people interested in disc golf is probably a good thing, and I think there is a real place for softer, lighter discs in PE classes, small parks, short beginner layouts, or anywhere safety is a bigger concern.
I also think this is an area where the industry could do more. Not every disc golf setting needs to be a full course with normal-weight plastic flying around. Shorter, safer layouts could be a great way to introduce people to disc golf, especially in cities or smaller parks where full courses are harder to build. They could also make the sport more accessible for kids, older players, and people with mobility issues.
So with that said, here are my actual impressions of these discs.
For context, I am right handed, but I have been throwing lefty for a few months because of an elbow injury. My lefty backhand is around 55 mph, and I usually throw lefty around 275 to 325 feet with stuff like a DX Wraith or Fission Wave.
On my scale, the driver and mid were both 96g, and the putter was 100g. I did not see weight markings on them, but maybe I missed them.
The biggest surprise is that they fly way better than I expected for how light they are.
The driver especially surprised me. I expected it to be really flippy, but on a flat release it went pretty straight for a while and still had a dependable finish. Most throws were probably around 250 feet for me, which is not as far as my normal lefty distance drivers, but closer than I expected.
Very subjective flight numbers for the driver would be something like 7 / 4 / -.5 / 2.
That said, I think the driver would probably be too stable for young kids to get a full flight out of. It flew well for me, but I still had to throw it pretty hard to get that flight. For a kid with much lower arm speed, I would expect it to hyzer out pretty quickly.
The mid is definitely flippier, but not unusably flippy. I would put it around 5 / 3 / -2 / .5. On anhyzer, it did not really fight back much. It mostly just kept turning, so I had better results with flat releases or slight anhyzer for turnover shots.
The putter was also more throwable than I expected. It is very slow and floaty and not long, maybe 125 to 150 feet for me, but it was surprisingly torque resistant. You can throw it pretty hard and it does not immediately burn over.
One thing I noticed with all of them is that once they start losing speed, they slow down fast. They do not really keep pushing forward the way a normal disc does. That could actually be useful for approaches, since they do not skip much and probably will not blow way past the target. The driver skips a little, but nowhere near a normal disc.
I have not thrown them in much wind yet, but I would expect them to be pretty touchy.
They are also kind of weird at lower power. The driver especially does not seem like something that powers down well. At 50 percent it kind of acts like a much faster disc and just falls out of the sky. It seems like you need to actually rip on it to get the intended flight. The mid and putter handle lower power better.
That said, the foam is still firmer than I expected. It is definitely the softest disc I have thrown, but I would not say it is incapable of hurting someone. Getting hit in the face at short range would still suck. It just seems a lot less risky than getting hit by normal plastic.
My biggest hesitation is the price. I bought mine individually at a brick and mortar store for $18 each. That feels steep for what I assume is partly meant to be a beginner or kid-friendly option. I did not see a 3-disc starter pack there, and buying all three individually adds up fast.
The packaging also felt like a lot. Molded plastic packaging, cardboard backing, and a plastic insert inside the disc. I assume that is so they can hang on toy-store style racks, but it still felt pretty wasteful. It also doesn't allow you to feel the disc in the hand before buying.
For kids or beginners, I still think the Latitude 64 Zero Gravity discs probably make more sense. They fly more like normal discs, feel better in the hand, also come in a starter set, and are usually cheaper per disc ($15 vs $18). The safety difference is real, but I am not sure it is big enough to make the Nerf discs the obvious choice at this price.
Where I think this gets interesting is the possibility of more companies experimenting with safer disc designs. I would love to see something closer to a normal disc with a soft foam rim or bumper. Something that still flies like a golf disc, but is safer for short courses, small parks, schools, city layouts, or places where normal discs are harder to justify.
Overall, these are cooler than I expected and they fly better than I expected. I do not think they are the best beginner option at the current price, but I am glad they exist.