Contents
  1. Overview
  2. Flight characteristics
  3. Recommended uses
  4. Plastics & variants
  5. History
  6. Notable throwers
  7. Similar discs

The Discraft Nuke is a 13-speed overstable distance driver. With published flight numbers of 13 / 5 / -1 / 3, it is most often described as suited for maximum-effort distance drives over open fairways, power forehand drives at advanced arm speeds.

Overview

The Discraft Nuke is — per Discraft itself — a 13-speed distance driver that 'delivers virtually effortless maximum distance for moderate to expert players.'[1] With 13/5/-1/3 flight numbers (stability rating 1.6 on Discraft's internal scale),[1] the wide, heavy rim and refined aerodynamic engineering give the Nuke unparalleled velocity while keeping it useful for a wider range of arm speeds than typical 13-speed drivers.[1] John Anderson of Team Discraft calls the ESP Nuke a game-changer for reaching holes he couldn't with any other disc.[1]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers: manufacturer vs. community
SourceSpeedGlide TurnFade
Discraft (mfg) 13 5 -1 3 Published spec
Discpedia community Loading ratings…

Flight numbers describe the published behavior of the disc when thrown at its design speed. Real-world flight varies with plastic, weight, age, and thrower power. The community-averaged numbers above reflect crowd-sourced observations from real throws — typically slightly more understable than the manufacturer's published values, which is the most consistent pattern across nearly every commercial mold.

The Nuke shines on flat power drives over open fairways, max-distance hyzer drives, and shots where pure carry matters more than precision.[1] Team Discraft's Brad Schick notes that the Big Z Nuke has been his most-used disc for predictability + distance and is also excellent on the forehand.[1] ESP plastic is the workhorse run with outstanding grip; Z and Big Z offer more overstability and durability for headwind use; ESP FLX and Z FLX add a softer feel for fewer skips on landing; CryZtal is a clear premium variant for collectors.[1]

Best for:

  • Maximum-effort distance drives over open fairways
  • Power forehand drives at advanced arm speeds
  • Headwind max-distance shots
  • Hyzer-flip distance for big arms

Plastics & variants

The Nuke is available in the following plastic blends from Discraft:[1]

ESP, Z, Big Z, ESP FLX, Z FLX, CryZtal, Titanium

Plastic blend significantly affects flight character. Premium plastics like Champion, Z, or C-Line generally fly more overstable when fresh and hold their stability over time. Base plastics like DX, Pro, or Active beat in faster and become more understable workhorses with use.

History

The Nuke was PDGA-approved on October 31, 2009.[2] When it launched it represented Discraft's move into the 13-speed distance-driver class, and it has remained Discraft's flagship max-distance mold ever since. The Nuke spawned a family of variants: the Nuke OS (more overstable, separately PDGA-approved) and the Nuke SS (more understable, also separately approved), giving players access to the same Nuke rim feel across the stability spectrum.[2]

Notable throwers

John Anderson (Team Discraft), Brad Schick (Team Discraft)

Similar discs

References & further reading

Sources

Content on this page has been cross-checked against the following sources. Numbered citations in the prose above link to the matching entry here.

  1. Nuke — official manufacturer page (Discraft)
  2. Nuke — PDGA approved-disc database (approved 2009-10-31)

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