The year was 2018. The leaves were almost all off the trees and the temperature was dropping further and further every day. A brisk, late-autumn breeze blew outside, but inside the Discraft factory, the disc golf world was about to heat up.
Paul McBeth took pen to paper and signed a 4-year deal with the World Leader in Disc Sports.
Four years for a 4x World Champion and the most transcendent, dominant player the sport had ever seen. The contract included an agreement of $1 million with plenty of room to earn more, specifically through the production of a brand new line of discs created hand-in-hand with McBeth himself.
“When I first moved to Discraft, we had a plan for four McBeth molds and four signature discs with Discraft,” he said.
After McBeth secured another pair of world titles, the total number of molds ballooned to seven, with additional designs still in the works. Each mold is connected by one main theme: mythology.
Though most disc golf fans generalize the McBeth line as “Greek-mythology themed”, the eldest disc in the lineup is named after Luna, the Roman moon deity. But from there, the discs have taken a more Greek theme.
Zeus, the sky god and king of Olympus, fit perfectly for the overstable distance driver, while Hades, Zeus’ brother and lord of the underworld, naturally matched the creation of an understable distance driver. Anax is a powerful tribal leader, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, Kratos is the god of strength, and Malta means “honey” in Greek, so that slotted nicely into Discraft’s bee-themed midranges.
“The mythology naming system stems from my love of history and the stories behind these names,” the 6x World Champion said. “I really put a lot of thought behind each name matching the disc.”
In December, 2018, less than two months after the signing of the ground-breaking contract, the first two McBeth molds were approved by the PDGA. The first was a putter which was given the name “Luna”. The second was a distance driver which eventually settled on the name “Zeus” (though the naming of the driver has a larger story).
The Prototype Luna was the first McBeth disc to hit the market. Players across the world rushed to get their hands on it and instantly fell in love.
“The release order was planned,” McBeth said. “We started with a putter which is a disc that all skill levels can putt with as well as approach or drive with. I’ve always believed putting wins championships, so that had to be disc No. 1.”
The initial release came in a special plastic blend featuring a combination of Discraft’s Jawbreaker and Rubber Blend plastics with the idea to create a tacky feel while still maintaining stiffness.
Since then, the Luna has flourished alongside the popularity and success of the 6-time World Champion and has become one of the most used putters on the planet. The Luna’s beadless rim, limited glide, and overstability inspire confidence in both high-speed and low-speed arms. The overstability makes the Luna a popular choice for a throwing putter as well.
Of all seven discs in the McBeth line, the Luna stands out as McBeth’s favorite.
“It’s an incredible putter from all distances, but its unique design allows it to be thrown like a driver, unlike any other putter on the market,” he said.
A few short months after the Luna took the disc golf world by storm, the Zeus hit the market. However, for a brief time, it wasn’t referred to as the Zeus. At first, it was called the “Kong”, a name originating from a failed attempt in the early 2000s to create the fastest disc in the sport.
“When I took my first tour of the Discraft warehouse, they showed me the molding room where they kept all the discs they’ve made, approved or not,” McBeth said. “There was a cloudy white one that just had ‘KONG’ written on it. I asked what it was, and they shared the story. It sparked my mind to name my first fast distance driver ‘Kong’. Thankfully, that name didn’t work out and it allowed us to take a different approach.”
The Zeus is an overstable distance driver that can handle wind and has enough torque resistance to fit both forehand and backhand throwers. The wide rim and consistency between runs makes it the most reliable option for players looking to gain big distance on the course.
The Zeus is unique beyond just being McBeth’s bomber. It is the first disc in Discraft’s lineup to feature a nose bead. This means it has an intentionally blunted nose instead of a tapering thin one.
“We found that with a more blunt nose, the disc can still fly maximum distances, but with a stabilizer on the outside,” McBeth said. “This allows for a more controlled, straighter flight versus needing a lot of space to fly.”
June 2019 brought the introduction of the Anax, an overstable fairway driver known for its wind-fighting abilities and predictable finish. For slower arm speeds, the Anax is a reliable disc for shorter drives, while power throwers are able to push maximum distance.
Three months later, the Malta rounded out McBeth’s first year with Discraft. This midrange disc has a consistently overstable finish to the end of its flight. The Malta sports a pronounced, beaded rim to ensure a smooth release while maintaining a low profile in the hand.
For the remainder of 2019, the Zeus, Anax, Malta, and Luna represented the Paul McBeth Line at Discraft. One disc for each flight category.
But McBeth had just won another world title in 2019 and, inevitably, this meant another new disc creation.
In March 2020, the Hades became a reality. This max-distance driver was designed for hyzer-flips and long turnovers while still maintaining a reliable fade. As COVID-19 rocked the world and online disc golf business began to boom, the Hades was the hot release a lot of new players got their hands on. The understability makes the Hades easy to control for new players and its popularity rose quickly because of that.
Certain molds take a long time to create and some come together basically overnight, said McBeth. The Athena and Kratos, the most recent two releases in the McBeth line, are prime examples of both of those scenarios.
“If you’re familiar with drafting, or how houses used to be done before AutoCAD took over, that’s how I enjoy putting my ideas onto paper before sharing with the designers at Discraft,” the 6x World Champion said.
It was over 26 months between the release of the Hades and the Athena. COVID had a part to play in that, but countless iterations of the Athena were drafted and produced before McBeth and Discraft found the perfect combination of what they were looking for.
“Being a controlled fairway driver, the Athena had to be perfect before production,” McBeth said. “I was looking for a specific flight for power throwers, yet still controllable for all power levels. We made a few discs that were great, but not what we were looking for.”
One of the attempts at the Athena actually went into production a year later under a new name: Cicada.
The Athena may have taken months-to-years, but the Kratos came together basically overnight.
“Discraft may be the only company that could have an idea in their head and have a disc in hand within 24 hours, ready to be field tested and put into production instantly,” the Discraft star said. “Some molds come together very fast like the Kratos.”
The Kratos is a putter with limited glide and overstability, inspiring confidence in both high-speed and low-speed arms. The overstability makes the Kratos a strong candidate for a throwing putter as well as a putting putter. It boasts a very similar flight and feel to the Luna with the addition of a bead, helping hold the Kratos straighter in the air for longer periods of time, but ensuring a more overstable finish.
Each mold in the McBeth line has created a niche collectors market. Some molds have brought more attention than others, but the resale value from online flippers has consistently been higher than MSRP.
McBeth is honored by the success and popularity of each release.
“I don’t have a personal say in the (resale market), but I love seeing that going on because it means there is a lot of interest in the molds,” he said. “I like that the fans create the market. I don’t make any more money if a $20 disc resells for $150, but I’m happy for the fans making a business out of it and for the players or collectors getting their favorite discs to throw or collect.”
Blog by: Jacob Arvidson
