Dave Dunipace: Shaping the Sport of Disc Golf

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With nothing more than a soldering iron, matte knife, plastic, a trowel, and sandpaper, Dave Dunipace created prototypes of discs that would turn the fringe game of Frisbee golf into the rapid-growing sport of disc golf played by millions across the world today. Dave experimented with shape, size, material, and weight, cutting up existing discs and welding bits and pieces back together to create faster, farther-flying molds. Many experiments never made their way to full production, but all were vital in teaching Dave how discs fly. 

Dave discusses the first models for the Eagle, Aero, Aviar, Dart, and Phoenix. Like most ground-breaking innovations, Dave’s new molds saw major push back from the established community in Frisbee golf. Great players at the time told him that he had ruined their game when, in 1983, Innova Champion Discs was created and the first modern golf disc, the Eagle, was released. In reality, with his early inventions, Dave Dunipace built the sport of disc golf we enjoy today. Since then, Dave and Innova have been at the forefront of every major advancement in disc technology and continue to be the leading edge in disc golf innovation.