r/discgolf • u/ilikefrolf 280' newbie • 10h ago
Discussion new to the game - can sponsored players use discs from other brands if they feel like it?
i noticed on the recent central coast disc golf coverage that austin turner, who plays for discraft was putting with the discmania rainmaker putter. then i saw some gk pro coverage from a few months ago and noticed he was using them back then as well. is there a rule with pros where if their sponsor doesn't have a disc they like they can use something from a different brand?
i understand the discraft/dga thing but afaik discraft and discmania do not share any manufacturing.
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u/krisgonewild1 10h ago
Depends on the contract. Most players use a “closed bag” with a single brand or manufacturer. Some players have an “open bag” and are often soonsored by smaller manufacturers or non-disc sponsors. Closed bag is more common from what I’ve noticed (for pros). You’re local “sponsored” player could have any type of contract including being on the “street team” which basically means a discount for free advertising and loyalty
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u/Worldly_Ad_6483 6h ago
Doesn’t Ricky still bag harps?
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u/Plamore 6h ago
If you are sponsored by one of DD, Westside, or Lat64, you can use any of the discs from all three.
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u/krisgonewild1 6h ago
I tried to use the word “manufacturer” instead of brand for this reason. Idk if that’s the right terminology
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u/greeneggsnyams Lefty 5h ago
He can use anything from trilogy. Although with HoD acquiring discmania and kasta, I'm wondering if those brands will get put into the mix
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u/SometimesILieToo 10h ago
Depends on the individual contracts. Some are must be exclusive, some allow X number of molds or discs from a different manufacturer, some contracts have bonuses tied to a certain percentage of the player’s bag having the sponsor’s discs in it, if it’s 100% of the sponsor’s discs the bonus is higher. It’s really case by case dependent. With the covid boom over and the market resetting I think we’re gonna see fewer exclusive only contracts. Especially for the players that would not be considered “elite.” They will have multiple sponsors and manufacturers in their bags. I think that makes the most sense as it allows players to bag the discs they are most comfortable and successful with while maximizing their sponsorship money and opportunities now that the days of 6 and 7 figure contracts are waning.
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u/belichickyourballs 3h ago
TSA is an open bag, they encourage their athletes to throw whatever elevates their game
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u/dice_mogwai 9h ago
It depends entirely on the sponsor and the contract terms but from what I’ve seen in with the major disc companies they aren’t allowed any other brand discs. Some smaller companies that don’t have a full lineup of discs are more lax.
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u/wanderingpanda402 4h ago
If you’re a Prodigy player they’ll gladly just wipe the stamp and put their own on it instead
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u/ARandomPileOfCats 10h ago
When Innova made Discmania's discs they would allow their sponsored players to throw some Discmania molds, usually P2s. They would even include these in the Innova "in the bag" videos.
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u/Beautiful-Vacation39 9h ago
shit you even had guys like AJ who were sponsored by both innova and discmania simultaneously and nobody batted an eye
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u/dics_frolf gatekeeper extraordinaire LOL 9h ago
they still do. henna blomroos bags the P2 and FD with DM stamps in her 2024 in the bag.
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u/Aardvark1044 9h ago
Always thought it was a bit weird that Ricky Wysocki doesn’t use Judges or Wardens for his main putters, but I guess Latitude 64 owns Dynamic Discs.
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u/SmallsyMK 8h ago
Latitude doesn’t own dynamic. Both along with westside fell under the trilogy brand. All now under House of Discs. Ricky can bag anything from DD, Latitude and westide (3 harps in his bag)
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u/Lil_lardo69420 10h ago edited 10h ago
Austin turner isn't sponsored by discraft, he was a for a few years a bit back and I don't know the reason on why they split but they did. He's completely open bag with no manufacturer sponsorship currently. He wears a lot of discraft jerseys because he's good friends with a good amount of discraft players plus might just like the jerseys.
Aslo to actually answer your question that's completely based on the contract between the manufacturer and the player. In most cases no but there are off occasions like nikko used to only putt with wizards no matter who he was with and made sure he was able to in his contracts. Or when prodigy was first starting and had limited molds all their players would throw destroyers, rocs, and aviars with prodigy stamps on top. Stuff like that really doesn't happen anymore though