Dynamic Discs DISCover shoe: Interview, Review [UPDATED]

Every few months we seem to be writing about a new venture for Dynamic Discs. First there was the disc line in their new partnership with Latitude 64. Then came their new line of bags from OGIO and even a full warehouse at the Distribution Center. Today, Dynamic Discs is releasing their first shoe. The Dynamic Discs DISCover is a skate style shoe designed to be your everyday casual shoe.

The DISCover will go on sale at DynamicDiscs.net at 11 p.m. Central Time tonight (June 26). Dynamic Discs sent us a pair earlier this week and we’ve had a few days with them to give an initial reaction. While our review is below, come back in a few weeks for a deeper look the DISCover after we’ve had some more time with them. Before we give our thoughts, we had to talk with Dynamic Discs’ Jeremy Rusco first to get the details on the DISCover and when their disc golf shoe will be released.

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All Things Disc Golf: With just a $49.99 price point, its clear you’re striving to make this casual shoe affordable for everyone. How much did the end price factor into the shoe overall? Changes in materials or form could have adjusted that price, correct?

Jeremy Rusco: Yes, hitting the $49.99 price point was very important for us to get introduced into the market. We think that is an attractive price point that makes for an easier purchase compared to other similar shoes on the market. We actually requested the highest quality components to the shoe as we could. While there were limitations and there are plenty of other higher quality shoes out there, we felt confident about the final product that has been produced.

All Things Disc Golf: I know one question that will be asked is how these hold up for disc golf. Because of the flat sole, these aren’t the best choice for disc golf, right? The DISCover is more for day to day casual wear from what we can tell.

Jeremy Rusco: Exactly! Casual wear is exactly what these were designed for. We want to encourage us disc golfers to be more visible out in the public to open up more discussion about disc golf and introducing these shoes seems to be a great start to moving forward with getting disc golf more recognized. With that said, these shoes actually hold up great while playing disc golf and we have recognized that a fairly significant amount of players actually like to play in skate shoes depending on the style of the course. A flat course that mostly has a smooth playing surface and the DISCover shoe makes for a comfortable round of golf.

All Things Disc Golf: With that said, how are the plans on the disc golf shoe coming along? When can we expect that to be released?

Jeremy Rusco: The shoe geared towards playing disc golf has been a much more time consuming process. We have already received 4 different sample pairs and none have been what we needed them to be. They were either not as functional as we wanted them to be or they were just not high enough quality. Here recently we made a slight break through I’d like to think and we anticipate these shoes to be introduced for the Christmas holiday rush. The main thing here again is a price point that is attractive and a high quality product for that price.

The most important thing that we are going to stress with these shoes is that they are not going to last forever and they are going to break down and wear out. Regardless of the type of shoe and the quality and price point, it is rare to get a year of hard use let alone 6-9 months. We want the consumer to know, understand, and even appreciate that they can get the same quality product from Dynamic at an affordable price but don’t want the perception to be that these are specifically designed to last a lifetime. The feedback that we have received steers towards the consumer preferring to order one pair of shoes at a more affordable price point twice a year instead of spending $100-$150 and seeing them break down in about the same amount of time.

All Things Disc Golf: Seeing a disc golf company produce a shoe for the more casual side of things, it really marks a shift from just a disc golf company to more of a lifestyle brand. Even beyond the shoes, you have the new “Be Dynamic” apparel out which pull away from the disc golf theme a little. Did you ever imagine this shift to try and attract a wider audience?

Jeremy Rusco: Yes, this is the direction that I/we have wanted to see things go for several years now but everything takes time to develop. I really like the lifestyle brand and we hope to eventually see some Dynamic product in some larger retail chains across the country to help get disc golf some increased visibility. We have limited funds, limited resources, and limited knowledge or background in this so we can only get things to happen so quickly, or slowly however you want to see it. If the right things continue to happen and we continue to get the amount of support that we need to continue to push forward, things are going to happen sooner than later which is exciting for everyone.

All Things Disc Golf: Can we expect more apparel to further this lifestyle brand idea?

Jeremy Rusco: Absolutely! We are putting forth more time, effort, and energy into making this happen.

All Things Disc Golf: What else is up the sleeve of Jeremy Rusco? haha

Jeremy Rusco: Oh man! There is never a dull moment around here it seems! Let’s focus on these shoes for this interview and discuss what is coming next at a later time. We do have some exciting things down the pipeline for sure though!

All Things Disc Golf: Is there anything else specifically you want to cover here?

Jeremy Rusco: I think that pretty much covers everything! Keep up the great work with ATDG as the information and articles that you are posting are valuable and a piece and part of disc golf history. To the fans of ATDG and Dynamic Discs, thank you so much for the continued support!

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Dynamic Discs DISCover Review

Dynamic Discs sent us the DISCover for this review and while we’ve only had a few days with it, we can already tell there is little to dislike about the shoe. Check back in a few weeks for a more detailed review after we’ve had some more time, but we feel confident in giving our initial reactions.

The DISCover has a very similar profile and feel to many skate style shoes on the market today. There aren’t any flashy features and there isn’t anything that will turn you off when you first see it. It really is a very solid shoe with a clean look that can easily be worn as your every day casual shoe. The tongue and ankle area are very padded and give you a very comfortable feel.

When it came to selecting my size, I had to do this without having the chance to try it on. I went with a pair of shoes that I wear tot he gym as a baseline and selected a size 11. The DISCover fits like a glove. They seem very true to size, if not maybe a hair larger. We wouldn’t say go down a half size though, the difference isn’t that much. If you are ordering these online and can’t make it to a Dynamic Discs shop to pick one up, go with your gut on size.

While we haven’t been out to the course yet to see how the DISCover performs as a disc golf shoe, we have had a chance to wear them after work while running around town and around the house. Never once did I feel like my feet were sore or the shoe needed some time to break in. Right out of the box the DISCover is very comfortable. There isn’t a lot of arch support in the DISCover, but that is also typical of most skate style shoes like this. If that is a concern, throw a set of inserts in there and you’ll be fine.

Typically I wear a trail type shoe on the disc golf course. The DISCover has a very flat sole with small treads that might work for some. Like Rusco stated above, many people do play in a skate style shoe and for $49.99, the DISCover might just do the trick. We will test how the DISCover holds up on the course over the next few weeks.

I think Jeremy’s point about understanding that these shoes are not like discs, or even bags, where they can hold up for  years on end and still be used round after round. Shoes will wear out and there isn’t much you can do about that. At just $49.99, it is a very minor investment if these shoes wear out on you. Just think of the last time you went to your local store or online shop and ordered around four new discs. Your total was likely at or above $50.

We’ll provide an update in a few weeks, but just after a few days of wearing the DISCover, for $49.99 you’ll be hard to find something in a dramatically better quality. There is a lot of comfort to be had with the DISCover and looks like a great first step into the footwear world from Dynamic Discs.

UPDATE – August 6, 2014

Now that we’ve had some extended time with the DISCover, we wanted to update you with just how these perform on and off the course. As an everyday, casual shoe there isn’t a lot to dislike. We’ve worn similar skate style shoes that have as similar or slightly higher price tag and can’t find a lot that is different between them. The padded tongue was always very comfortable. We never felt like it got in the way or took away from the comfort of the shoe.

If you are one who needs or wants a lot of arch support, you won’t get much with the DISCover. The soles are very flat and the inside of the shoe itself is relatively flat. A simple insert can resolve this problem, but is worth noting if you do fall into this category.

We also took the DISCover onto the course to see how it could perform as a disc golf shoe. Typically we play in more of a trail style shoe and that remains our preference. We know some like to play in a skate style shoe, but it isn’t our personal preference. Typically a trail shoe fits pretty tight to the foot and helps with some of your footwork since you aren’t “dragging” a shoe along with you. It is very tight to your foot and almost a little hard to explain. The DISCover has a lot of added room inside the shoe and that allows your foot to move a little more than in a trail shoe. When walking around casually, no problem, you would welcome this comfort. On the course though, we would still lean toward a trail shoe. Don’t forget though, since the beginning, these weren’t intended to be a disc golf shoe. Just a shoe made by a disc golf company.

There were also a few times when we walked into a room and had compliments, mainly from non-disc golfers, on how good the shoes looked. People were attracted to them and didn’t know about the Dynamic Discs brand. This falls in line with Dynamic Discs’ idea to turn the brand from just a disc golf company into more of a lifestyle brand.

Overall, we can stick with our initial thoughts on the DISCover. As an everyday, casual shoe, it certainly fits the bill. While it lacks some arch support, these can be worn daily with little problem. On the course, we’ll still reach for other options, but we could see this popular in the right crowd on the course. They have worn in predictably and still look in great shape after steady use. For $49.99, the Dynamic Discs DISCover stacks up well against the competition and is a nice first step into the shoe world for Dynamic Discs.