Discraft Ace Race 2014 Review

For the 2014 Ace Race Discraft sped things up a bit and took a little stability out of things and produced quite the beginner friendly driver. The disc, which will be nameless until it goes into production, is in Discraft’s Z plastic with a flight initially described as a longer Avenger SS.

We picked up one of this year’s Ace Race discs to see what all the talk was about and quickly determined that nearly any level of disc golfer can enjoy the 2014 Ace Race disc. Last year’s disc, the Mantis was a touch on the stable side and made for a disc that was a little hard to throw during an Ace Race. With shorter holes in front of you, a more stable disc made it hard at times to really run at the basket. In the case of the 2014 Ace Race disc though, the control you get is nearly second to none.

For an Ace Race, or for disc golfers with under 300 foot power, the 2014 Ace Race disc will be a very straight flier. It is understable, but when thrown with a little less power, it will be very straight. Even if it shows a little bit of turn, it won’t roll over on you. Some of our best drives with the 2014 Ace Race disc came on throws where we took a little power off and just let the disc do the work. We had many ultra straight throws that carried to some nice distances with very little effort. While we haven’t attended an Ace Race yet this year, we can easily see how this disc would be much more fun to use when compared to last year’s.

At the end of throw with average power behind it, you’ll see very little fade. The glide will help keep things in the air and carry out, but it won’t cut hard to the left at all. The fade won’t produce any skips or any big finish, but it will give you a very straight end to the flight.

For anyone with 350 foot power the 2014 Ace Race disc might be a little too understable for you and could easily turn into a roller. At full power, it can produce some great big anhyzer shots when thrown correctly though. This isn’t a disc you throw with a lot of power if you want to keep it in the air. Either give it a great roller, or let the disc do the work.

The 2014 Ace Race disc is also a great combination of hand feel, rim size, and dome. It is a touch faster than last year’s Ace Race disc, but isn’t a very wide rim. Beginners will enjoy it due to the feel of a driver, but it isn’t overwhelming. There is a little bit of dome to the disc, but it isn’t a pop top. It has a pretty decent shoulder before a flatter top. When thrown, you can easily see the glide and that helps keep those lower power shots moving forward. To us, it almost glides like a midrange disc would. Just let it float out there and you’ll be able to gain some extra distance.

The blend of Z plastic used in the 2014 Ace Race disc isn’t the same as the “Big Z” plastic that has been used on a lot of the latest Discraft releases. Some of our testing team weren’t big fans of it, but others didn’t notice much of a difference. If you like the typical Z plastic Discraft uses, you won’t have much to worry about here.

Overall, we’d rate the 2014 Discraft Ace Race disc at 8.5, 5, -4, 0.75. You get a nice understable flight with very little fade and a nice amount of speed and glide.

We’ll even go as far as saying this might be the most beginner friendly driver available. It isn’t too fast, yet has a little speed. It isn’t overly domey, but has a nice amount of glide. Plus, the understable flight, when thrown with a touch less power, can be very straight. Even a slower arm can get a little turn out of the 2014 Ace Race disc, but it won’t turn too fast. The fade at the end of the flight is very subtle and will help some of those lower power throws finish nice and flat.

Due to the understable flight, we could also see the 2014 Ace Race disc being a great choice at elevation. Since added elevation will make discs perform more stable than when you are closer to sea level, any disc with such an understable flight should be a great option on many holes.

For the 2014 Ace Race disc from Discraft, beginners should instantly love it, while more experienced players will find a lot of utility type shots with this understable flier.