World records are very hard to achieve. I mean, they’re WORLD records set by only one person in the entire world who’s ever done it to break the last record that was set. That’s honestly pretty incredible if you can accomplish a feat of this magnitude.
And disc golf has a couple of these records – 7 big records in all – that have been consistently broken over the last few years. So in this post we’re going to take a look at all of those records and the awesome disc golf discs that were used to break them. Then you can choose if you’d like to get a few of them through the links I’ve provided below!
Before we move on, I want you to know that I’ll do my best to keep this post updated as regularly as I can (at least once a year). But I highly encourage you to go check the world record distances for yourself. While some of them are actual Guinness World Records, others are official records through other sources like the World Record Academy or the World Flying Disc Federation.
You can check out the main page that I look at, the World Flying Disc Federation’s distance world records page to see those records for yourself. Check it out below ⬇️:
You can also see the pages for “disc golf” and “flying disc” here on the Guinness World Records website.
Other sites include the World Record Academy and YouTube.
What it (really) takes to break a world record
I won’t go too in depth with this section, but I did want to (really quickly) tell you how world records actually get broken…or at least explain the process leading up to the moment of attempting to set a record.
It all starts with pure dedication and/or an idea. A person is unusually good at something or wants to break a record and can gather a lot of people.
The next step is to apply to the Guinness World Records (or other world record agency) and wait. The application is free and it can take up to 12 weeks. But not everyone is accepted at Guinness. Only about 1,000 out of 50,000 total yearly applicants are accepted.
They set very strict guidelines and rules, which you have to follow exactly, or else your world record attempt won’t count. So make sure your attempt follows all guidelines that are given and be able to have your world record attempt observed by an adjudicator or have the proper video evidence. Do all that and you might be able to set a world record!
Here’s a post from business insider on the 5 things you should know if you want to set a record.
Without further ado, let’s check out the 7 best world record holding disc golf discs and the records that they set.
The 7 best world record holding disc golf discs
1. (Men’s) Longest Backhand Flight Distance
Disc Used: Innova R Pro Boss – 156 grams (white in color)
Record: 1,108.9 feet – 338 meters
Player: David Wiggins, Jr.
Year: 2016
Back in 2016, on the final day of the High Desert Distance Challenge in Primm, Nevada, David Wiggins Jr. slung his Innova Boss an insane 1,108.9 feet to absolutely destroy the previous men’s distance record of 903 feet set by disc golf pro Simon Lizotte. You can read all about this throw here in my post, “What is the Longest Disc Golf Throw?”
This record throw is currently in the Guinness World Records and you can see that here on their site.
If you’d like to see this throw, check out the video below ⬇️:
You may not be able to find an R-Pro Boss anymore, but you can get the Innova Boss here on Discgolfunited.com.
2. (Women’s) Longest Backhand Flight Distance
Disc Used: Innova StarLite Wraith – 151 grams (pink in color)
Record: 569 feet – 173.3 meters
Player: Jennifer Allen
Year: 2016
Jennifer Allen is a phenomenal disc golfer. Let’s just start with that. She also happens to hold the world record for Farthest Thrown Flying Disc with the Guinness World Records. On top of all that, she was able to break this record the same year Wiggins broke his record in 2016 at the High Desert Distance Challenge in Primm, Nevada.
She was the first to break an “official record” with the Wraith and surely won’t be the last. Her world record throw is currently in the Guinness World Records and you can see that here.
You can see her world record throw in the video below ⬇️:
You might not be able to find a StarLite Wraith, but you can get a Wraith here on Discgolfunited.com.
3. Longest Backhand Flight for Players Over 100 Years Old
Disc Used: Innova Star Mamba – 151 grams (orange in color)
Record: 189 feet – 57.61 meters
Player: Don Shinn
Year: 2020
You gotta’ love Don Shinn. He was the lovable 100 year old Asian disc golfer who trekked his local course every day and only used one disc: his 150 gram Innova Star Mamba. It was that disc and that disc only for 10 plus years of disc golf.
Don discovered disc golf when he was 90 years old and practiced every day for a decade. At 100 years old, Mr. Mamba, the centenarian disc golfer, crushed the “over 100 year old” distance record with a throw of 189 feet. His trust Star Mamba was the secret sauce of that throw.
But unfortunately, Don Shinn isn’t with us anymore. He passed about 2 months ago or so (as of the writing of this post in November 2021). I wasn’t able to find much about him online to confirm other than a Reddit post. If you’d like to read more about Don Shinn, check out his PDGA feature here.
To see a cool feature disc that Innova made featuring Don Shinn, check out this epic Innova Star Mamba Don Shinn Collab Edition here on gottagogottathrow.com. You may not be able to get it anymore, but it’s still pretty cool.
You can also see the world record page for Don Shinn’s world record throw here on worldrecordacademy.org.
Also, check out the video below showing Don Shinn’s world record disc golf throw ⬇️:
Lastly, you might not be able to get the Don Shinn Star Mamba, but you can get other Star Mambas here on Discgolfunited.com.
4. Longest Forehand/Sidearm Flight Distance
Disc Used: Legacy Discs Icon Cannon – 168 grams (color unknown)
Record: 624 feet – 190.19 meters
Player: Jason Cortella
Year: 2014
The Cannon is special in that it’s another world record holding disc. In 2014, Jason Cortella threw a 168 gram Legacy Icon Cannon a ridiculous 624 feet with a forehand throw to break the “Longest Forehand/Sidearm Flight Distance” record. There’s really not much online about this other than a few source pages on Reddit and elsewhere online indicating the record. I wasn’t able to find much other than the “record” was 624 feet. It’s not registered on Guinness World Record, WorldRecordAcademy.org, or on the World Flying Disc Federation’s record pages (not sure why – forehand is just as legitimate as an overhand or backhand shot).
If you’d like to try out the Cannon, grab one here on InfiniteDiscs.com.
5. Longest Overhand / “Upside-Down” Flight Distance
Disc Used: Discmania Meta Tilt – weight unknown (pink in color with green stamp)
Record: 579.6 feet – 176.6 meters
Player: Seth Day
Year: 2021
So this record was just broken about a month before I wrote this post (as of November 2021)! I was actually in the process of writing about the former record-holding disc, the Latitude 64 XXX, when I saw that this record had just been broken. That’s pretty epic. Anytime a record is broken, that’s a huge feat, but what makes this more interesting is the fact that it was broken by the featured disc: the Discmania Meta Tilt.
This disc was just released and it is a ridiculously overstable beast of a disc. This disc is pretty much going to be the king of overhand thumber or tomahawk throws. It is by far one of the most overstable discs on the market (if not THE MOST overstable disc) and does not hardly turn at all. This disc was designed by Discmania (with the input of disc golf pro Simon Lizotte) to be “Simon’s dream disc.” Basically, Simon wanted a ridiculously overstable disc and this is it.
And now it has the upside down record. To watch Seth Day break the record, you can watch the World Flying Disc Federation’s video below ⬇️:
To see a funny video of Eagle McMahon throwing the tilt completely upside down, check that out below ⬇️:
The Tilt is already hard to find. You’ll probably have to get it off of EBay from a private seller. Check out the listings here.
6. Highest Throw Speed (MPH)
Disc Used: Innova Blizzard Wraith – 130 grams (yellow in color)
Record: 89.5 mph – 144 km/h
Player: Simon Lizotte
Year: 2013
So this is a really interesting “record.” I haven’t been able to find any actual official records for this online besides the video posted on the Discmania YouTube account claiming that this is the record for “Highest Throw Speed.” Note: they do state on their YouTube account that this is the “unofficial speed throwing record.” Still pretty cool.
As for the disc itself, from purely a speed rating standpoint, the Wraith is nowhere near as fast as some other discs on the market. But the Wraith has a secret: it holds the record for “Highest Throw Speed (MPH).” This record, set at 89.5 miles per hour (or about 144 kph) by Simon Lizotte, was done so with an Innova Blizzard Champion Wraith – a super light and fast distance driver.
Overall, great disc. If you want to see the unofficial disc speed record throw, check out the video below ⬇️:
If you’d like to grab a Blizzard Wraith, you can get it here on InfiniteDiscs.com.
7. Longest Disc Golf Ace (Official)
Disc Used: Prodigy 400 plastic D2 – weight unknown but possibly 170-174 grams (red in color)
Record: 530 feet – 151.54 meters on the Maple Hill Disc Golf Course (hole 16)
Player: Kevin Jones (KJUSA)
Year: 2020
The longest disc golf ace on record, actually recognized by Guinness World Records, is Kevin Jones’ absolutely insane 530 foot ace at the Maple Hill Disc Golf Course in Leicester, Massachusetts. I mean, when I tell you that this was a good shot, you better believe it. This ace was thrown on a really tough hole, #16 on that course.
If you can simply make the shot itself without getting into trouble, it’s a good effort on this hole. But he threw this ace 530 feet, in the rain, through the trees, under the low ceiling, past the crazy elevation change, after slipping and falling (which initially looked pretty bad – but he was fine), and he sunk the ace. Crazy shot.
The disc itself is a fantastic, overstable distance driver from Prodigy. This disc is designed for strong and highly-skilled disc golfers. It is similar to the Innova Destroyer, yet fairly underrated in the disc golf scene until KJUSA sunk this ace.
Here is Kevin Jones’ page on Guinness World Records.
If you’d like to see the world record ace, check that out below ⬇️:
If you’d like to grab a Prodigy 400 plastic D2, check it out here on InfiniteDiscs.com.
So that’s about it!
You’ve just seen the 7 disc golf world records and the discs that helped those players achieve such an honorable feat. Now like I said earlier, I’ll do my best to keep this page updated but I highly encourage you to keep up with these world records on your own. Again, if you’d like to check these world records on your own, you can find them at the link at the bottom of this section. There are also some other interesting records on that page including distance records for every age under 18 (yes, including under 1 years old), wheelchair distance, roller distances, field goal distance, and a mini disc distance record. Pretty cool. Check them all out below ⬇️:
https://wfdf.sport/world-records/distance/
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Don’t forget to check out the book!
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the best beginner disc golf book on the planet, “The Disc Golf Player’s Manual.” This ebook is packed with over 200+ pages of the best tips, tricks, and advice for new players. This book is Epic. So don’t miss out!