Find Your Best Disc Golf Utility Disc!

Today’s post will explore the brilliance of having a disc golf utility disc in your bag. Personally, when it comes to getting out of those tight jams, I always go for my Innova Mirage. But this post is also an opportunity for you to chime in with similar discs that you go to in a tight spot. And while I will be promoting the Mirage, I also recognize that there are plenty of discs out there that I’ve never thrown before (most of them) and I want to hear about your experiences as well. In the end though, what I really want is for each of us to have a utility disc that we can trust and feel confident in when we find ourselves in a tight spot.

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The Beauty of the Utility Disc

When I first started ball-golf, there was no such thing as a utility club. As usual, when I first heard of such a thing, I shunned it as “gimmicky”. After, I didn’t give it a second thought. Then everyone had one and I was forced to revisit the idea. Ultimately, I caved and bought one.

And it changed the way I played golf (I don’t know why I have to be so stubborn).

Now, when my ball was in that thick rough 300 yards from the hole, I didn’t have to pitch out or take a hack with my 3-iron and hope for the best. I could reliably swing my utility club and know that, as long as I did my job, the ball would go 180 yards straight up the fairway and set me up for a manageable approach shot.

A utility disc in disc golf is used for the same thing. When you are staring down that difficult shot with obstacles galore, you can pull out your utility disc and shape your shot to avoid obstacles and give yourself a good look at your next shot.

Personally, when I’m looking at these difficult shots, I don’t hesitate about what disc I go for. I’m going for my Innova Mirage. In this post, I will certainly extol the virtues of the Mirage. But I also leave open the possibility of other discs.

You see, unlike that know-it-all golfer of my youth, I am now a more open, evolved human (read: life has force-fed me some humble pie). I’m not here to tell you that the Innova Mirage is the best and only utility disc to own. The truth is, I don’t know that to be true. It’s just the best one that I have found for myself so far… I’ll show you why I like it so much, and I’ll also discuss its limitations. Then, I want to hear from you and hear what discs you pull out in those jams we all find ourselves in on the course.

Ultimately, like I talked about in my post entitled Know Thy Disc, it’s about finding a disc that you feel confident in. This confidence transfers to better shots and lower scores when you are on the course. This is what I’m all about, and the true intent for this post is all about putting the best disc for you in your hands.

About the Innova Mirage

Flight ratings are a good way to get an initial feel for a disc. I wrote a post on flight ratings here, that you can check out here if you want a better understanding of them.

The Mirage is listed as having a Speed of 3, a Glide of 4, Turn of -3, and a Fade of 0.

For me, these numbers only tell part of the story, and I’ll explain why a bit later. Another part of the picture gets filled in when you read Innova’s description on their site of the Mirage (found here btw).

Innova claims the Mirage “was designed for easy control and low stress approaches”. It also says that it’s “easy for beginners to throw straight” and is “perfect as an all-around disc for new players and for one disc rounds.”

Reading that description, I can see why I like it so much. I’ve been a beginner my entire disc golf career and I’ve found the Mirage to be a natural fit for me from the jump.

But, in their description there seems to be a lot of emphasis on “beginner” and “new player”. I plan to use this disc well into my career as I ascend up to intermediate, advanced and eventually… I’m not going to embarrass myself with a failed joke here. But I plan to use this disc a lot. To prove it, I’ll tell you about my “investment” I made in the Mirage.

First, here’s my take on the disc and why I like it so much.

Why I like the Mirage so much!

There’s one more line in Innova’s description that unveils why I like the Mirage so much.

For each disc there is a “Best Choice For” section. For the Mirage it reads “Best Choice For: Turnover approaches, Finesse Shots, Low Profile Putter”.

Those first two “turnover approaches” and “finesse shots” get closest for me. Basically, when I have to get a lot of “shape” on the shot in a short amount of distance, the Mirage is the go-to disc for me. These are finesse shots.

But my absolute favorite part of the mirage is this: The Mirage holds the line in short range better than any disc I’ve thrown!

That means that if I can put it on an angle that leads to specific landing spot (hopefully the basket) the Mirage will hold that line all the way through.

So many of my discs will start on a line and then start to flip over or change their flight path. The mirage just keeps that steady line so I can envision the shot and execute it.

In short: I can see the Mirage! (Ugh!)

Envision a basket 40 feet in front of you. Halfway there, put a grove of 15 foot pine trees blocking your direct line to the basket. On the left, however, there is a gap. If you need to bend around the pine trees and give the basket a run, the Mirage is my disc to do that with.

If I can see an arc that leads to the basket, then the Mirage will hold it. Now, it’s just on me to execute the shot. But I don’t have to calculate when the disc will start flipping or turning over nearly as much. It holds the line I envision, and that gives me confidence I can make the shot.

As a result, I’ve made good runs and holed shots I had no dreams of making prior to the Mirage. And because I love the Mirage so much, I made an investment in it. Unfortunately, I jumped the gun on the investment, but bad news for me is good news for you! I’ll explain…

Putting my Money Where My Mouth Is!

Recently, I just spent $35 on a used Factory Second Star Mirage on ebay. If you know anything about me, you would know that this is highly uncharacteristic. In my post Disc Golf: I do it all for the Money, I highlight how wonderfully affordable disc golf is and how that was a big draw for me. That post also dabbles in what you can do with your disc golf savings in order to grow your money, retire early and ultimately play more disc golf. Give it a look and let me know what you think!

Some day, when I have a better understanding of different plastics, I’ll do a post on it (especially when I understand the various plastics for different brands). For now, I’ll just say that I got the star plastic Mirage for a few reasons. First, I like the grippy feel of star plastic. It gives me that extra bit of confidence and touch that I like for these types of shots. Secondly, Star plastic is more durable than Dx plastic. Dx is Innova’s base plastic. And while I don’t mind it (especially for putters) I had a problem with my Dx Mirage. Basically, my 3-year-old destroyed it.

Like a true “finesse” disc, the Mirage has to be babied a bit more. It’s thinner in parts and more prone to cracking. The first one I bought, in DX plastic, cracked and is now layered with Gorilla tape (see photo). My toddler is free to use that one as he deems fit. My own Star version, is safely in my bag away from my son’s path of destruction.

Still, it doesn’t add up to $35. Star plastic is nice and all but new discs don’t cost that much. A factory second means it didn’t meet the highest standards at Innova (though it still flies the same) so that should be discounted. Then, throw in the fact that it was used and it should cost even less.

So what gives? Well, there in lies the problem. Let me explain…

The Best Ability is Availability

I often hear that phrase (“The best ability is availability”) thrown around in sports. I especially hear it in contact sports like football. Well, if the Mirage were a football player, it would be the oft-injured, high-ceiling, blazing speed, water bug quickness, finesse running back that catches balls out of the backfield and makes players miss.

In other words, it’s worst trait is availability!

The reason I spent $35 on a used, factory-second Mirage is because Innova had stopped making the star Mirage. All the online retailers I visited had it listed as “out of stock” as well. Now, the only way I know how to get one is by overpaying for it on ebay.

To be clear, at the time of this post, you can still acquire the Mirage in the DX plastic.

*And breaking news! I just checked and you can now get the Mirage in Star plastic once again!* Better yet, it’s at normal prices. I’ll try to disregard the fact that I got hosed and be happy that you can get it at a good rate!*

The Dx may be a great option for you. As long as you don’t trash it like my 3-year old (I think he stomped on it. The animal!), you can probably get great life out of it. But now that the star is available, I do have to recommend that. Check it out below.

Utility disc Call to Action

If I had my choice, my call to action would be “Innova, make the damn Mirage in the damn star plastic again damnit.” (Update: Thank you for making in star again damnit! Also, I was on a roll when I wrote this so I chose not to alter what I had, so just take it with a grain of salt…) But what good would that do? I am but a mere ant at the bottom of the disc golf totem pole…

No, if we are going to get everybody a utility disc that they want, then we can’t sit around and wait for Innova to make the change.

We need to branch out and find other utility discs that get you the same (perhaps better?) results. So, here is where I call on your collective expertise…

Tell me, what is your go-to utility disc for shot-shaping finesse shots? Put it in the comments below and let’s start collecting ideas. Eventually, because I can’t help myself, I’ll get each of those discs in my hand and start reviewing. Then, we’ll all have that go-to disc to get us out of a jam.

Who knows, maybe I’ll find one I like better and I can sell my Mirage on ebay myself. Maybe by then it will be so rare and so coveted that I can charge hundreds of thousands for it and retire early. It’ll be the Honus Wagner card of disc golf discs or something?

Or maybe that’s just a mirage (I just couldn’t help myself)…

Mirage and Utility Discs – In Summary

As a burgeoning disc golfer, it’s not uncommon that I find myself staring at some pretty tight shots. When I’m looking at shots with sharp angles and small windows, I go for a utility disc.

For me, that utility disc is the Innova Mirage. It holds the line for most angles I throw it at and helps me envision a difficult shot all the way to the completion of its flight.

Luckily, the Mirage is back up and running and can once again be found in Star Plastic. See below…

Realistically, this means that we need to find a utility disc that is more prevalent. That way we can all stare down these difficult shots with confidence. As such, I’m on a quest to find a utility disc that I can recommend to anyone reading this post. Your ideas on the matter (and any other matter) are very welcome.

In the end, the utility disc helps you feel less daunted and far more confident when you get in a jam. That way you can keep fearlessly disc golf’n around obstacles and dropping shots from your score. And that vision my friends, is no mirage! (I’m hopeless).

Afterthought to readers

Thanks again for reading everyone. If you have comments on anything other than my mirage puns, post them below. What the heck, I’ll even take comments on that… But most importantly, I want to hear about your favorite utility disc for those tight spots. Have you used the Mirage? Did you stick with it or have you found one that’s even better for you? In time, I’ll review them all and put together a comprehensive post based on your thoughts.

Finally, I want to invite/encourage you to join the site and subscribe. At the time of this post (5/22) Disc Golf Around is a new site and I hope to bring great value (along with entertainment) to anyone that reads. Subscribing only means that you get the posts delivered to your inbox about once every month. It will also fuel me to keep burning and churning out content that you want to read. Any and all suggestions for content are welcome. Reach out and contact me any time. In the meantime, keep disc golf’n around trees and getting out of those tight spots with a nice utility disc!