The Discraft Venom is a 13-speed very overstable distance driver. With published flight numbers of 13 / 5 / 0 / 3, it is most often described as suited for maximum-distance forehand bombs, headwind drives that must not turn over.
Overview
The Discraft Venom is a high-speed, overstable maximum-distance driver rated 13/5/0/3 with a Discraft stability rating of 2.1.[1] Built on a wide 2.2cm rim,[3] it is designed for powerful arms: Discraft markets it for slicing through headwinds and executing long, controlled drives, with a stability profile suited to forehand and overhand throws.[1] With zero turn and three points of fade at speed 13, it demands serious arm speed to reach its full flight and finishes hard and left (for a right-hand backhand) every time.[1][4]
Flight characteristics
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.
Recommended uses
The Venom is a power thrower's wind and forehand driver.[1] Reach for it on maximum-distance sidearm bombs, headwind tee shots where a straighter driver would flip, thumbers and tomahawks, and hyzer lines that need a hard, repeatable finish.[1] Discraft produces it in grippy, durable ESP as the primary blend, with Z-line runs also available.[1][4] Slower arms will find it acts like a meat-hook; players below advanced power levels are better served by a slower overstable driver.[4]
Best for:
- Maximum-distance forehand bombs
- Headwind drives that must not turn over
- Overhand shots — thumbers and tomahawks
- Big-arm hyzer lines with a hard, dependable finish
Community notes — how players actually use this disc
Plastics & variants
The Venom is available in the following plastic blends from Discraft:[1]
ESP, Z
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 Venom has two lives. The original was PDGA-approved March 22, 2005 (certification 05-04) as a wide-rim overstable driver of the early Elite Z era,[2] but it eventually fell out of the regular lineup. Discraft brought the name back with a retooled version approved December 26, 2022 (certification 22-232), reconfigured as a modern 13-speed maximum-distance overstable driver.[3] The reborn Venom released in 2023 in ESP plastic and was featured that year as Anthony Barela's 2023 Tour Series disc, cementing its place as one of Discraft's premier overstable distance molds.[5][1]
Notable throwers
Anthony Barela
Similar discs
- Discraft Force · 12/5/0/3
- Discraft Nuke · 13/5/-1/3
- Discraft Zeus · 12/5/-1/3
- Discraft Raptor · 9/4/0/3
References & further reading
- How to read disc golf flight numbers — Discpedia primer
- PDGA Approved Disc List — search for "Venom" to find the Discraft Venom entry (PDGA-approved 2005)
- Discraft official site — manufacturer product page
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.
- ESP Venom — Discraft (official product page: flight 13/5/0/3, stability 2.1, ESP)
- Venom from Discraft — PDGA Equipment Certification (original: approved 2005-03-22, cert 05-04)
- Venom (retooled) from Discraft — PDGA Equipment Certification (approved 2022-12-26, cert 22-232, dimensions)
- Discraft Venom — 1010 Discs (very overstable distance driver, plastics)
- Discraft Tour Series ESP Venom — Anthony Barela (2023) — Flight Factory Discs
This is a community page. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Suggest a correction — every edit is reviewed before it goes live.