Element Discs’ Iridium putter is new to the market and is the first release from the new disc golf brand out of Long Island in New York. The Iridium is a medium speed putter offering the control and stability for excellent approach shots as well as confident putting near the circle.



Manufacturer’s Notes

“The first release from Element Discs, the Iridium, is a beadless putt & approach disc featuring one of the thinnest flight plates out there. The flight plate has a subtle thumb track for consistent grip/alignment every time. This versatile disc is great for putts and upshots, as well as driving off the tee. The Iridium excels as a spike hyzer bomber that stops dead in its tracks when it hits the ground.”

http://www.elementdiscs.com/store/p293/Element_Discs_Iridium.html

Available plastics: Basic

Flight Rating: 2, 3, 0, 2

Initial Reactions

Element Discs’ Iridium putter fit well in my hands, the plastic felt similar to Gateway’s special blend, a little chalky and kept up grip in cold and wet conditions. The top is similar to Reptilian Discs’ Scale both in shape and the presence of a thumb track, but the bottom is shaped similar to a Latitude 64 Pure with no concavity. The thumb track can be controversial for many disc golfers, but its subtle enough that I had no problems with it and it offered a good reference point for my grip. The Iridium has fairly low glide and is a straight flyer at first but utilizes a heavy fade at the end. I’d compare the initial turn to that of a Pure and the fade to that of a brand new Gateway Wizard.

By the Numbers

Element Iridium 2 3 0 2 Disc Specifications:

Diameter 21 Height 2.1 Rim Depth 1.5 Rim Width 0.9 Max Weight 174.3 Approval Date 2015-12-09 Customize Flight Chart:

Left Right Forehand Slower Normal Faster



The numbers are accurate, although I did notice that the Iridium displayed lower glide than I expected when thrown on an anhyzer line but extra glide when thrown on hyzer lines, regardless of the wind direction.

Putting Notes

Element discs created an excellent putt and approach disc in the Iridium. It holds most lines inside 50 feet and it’s quite consistent especially with the hard fade that kicks in just as you hit basket distance. Anhyzer lines are cut just slightly short as the Iridium lost glide on the anhyzer lines, but not as short as something like the Westside Discs’ Shield.

Because of the strong fade and low glide, the Iridium dropped hard when I missed the basket so I’d consider it quite safe. Even better, the thin flight plate reduced any bounces so it dropped and almost never rolled. Because the flight plate isn’t as tough it didn’t handle my turbo putts well so I stuck to spin putts and straddle putts and was quite pleased.

The Iridium putted decently in the wind also, but what stood out the most was its ability to fade hard and consistently in the wind. In head winds I was able to toss the Iridium high and let it float toward the basket then drop hard.

Upshots

The Iridium is a 2 speed so expect it to act like a 2 speed disc. Its control was excellent up to 225-250 feet and became less consistent beyond that. This putter greatly preferred a fan grip and handled throws up to 85% just fine. Stronger throws or power grips caused it to turn more than desired, but not to the point of becoming unmanageable. On straight lines the Iridium liked to flip up just slightly like a Pure for an excellent approach line, the differences were sacrificing glide for control and of course showing a much stronger fade. On hyzer lines it flew immaculately and often showed additional glide on the fade when it stood up on harder throws, but it always remained consistent. I was able to perform both hyzer spikes and long smooth hyzers with a fan grip and I even powered through a couple bushes and landed safely. I almost never had issues with skips or roll-always since it usually landed nose down and hardly bounced. Even after hitting the outside of the basket hard the Iridium wouldn’t bounce far.

As with shorter throws, the Iridium displayed a lack of glide on anhyzer shots and took a great deal of power to throw them and it took extra snap to achieve an elevator shot. However, despite the early drop I never lost control of an anhyzer line and it was accurate, just a little short.

Final Verdict

Element discs did a great job with their first putter release by making the Iridium a consistent and controllable stable putter that can handle power. The only difficulty I had was the lack of versatility because I couldn’t shape my anhyzer shots well, but that’s not usually the purpose of a stable putter is it? This disc should be great for beginners who are looking for a disc that can safely handle power and is forgiving near the basket but it should also work wonders for advanced players who are looking for a go-to stable approach putter that can handle rough conditions and all types of hyzer lines.

Go ahead and share this post with anyone who you think could use an Iridium or hasn’t heard of Element Discs!