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

The Gateway Element is a 5-speed understable midrange. With published flight numbers of 5 / 5 / -1 / 1, it is most often described as suited for straight midrange shots that need to hold the release angle, anhyzer lines that keep turning to the finish.

Overview

The Gateway Element is a straight-flying midrange rated 5/5/-1/1 by Gateway.[2] Gateway’s own description is unusually specific about how it behaves on each angle: “The Element is a fantastic all around mid-range. This disc will hold any angle you throw with unbelievable glide. If you throw it flat it will go extremely straight with very little fade at the end of its flight. Anhyzers will keep turning, and hard-thrown hyzers will flip up to flat.”[2] The PDGA measured it at 22.1cm across — wider than any modern mold, since the current 21.4cm diameter limit post-dates its 2004 approval — with a 1.3cm rim and a 183.4g maximum.[1]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers: manufacturer vs. community
SourceSpeedGlide TurnFade
Gateway (mfg) 5 5 -1 1 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.

Treat the Element as an angle-holder rather than a fade tool. Its shallow 1.3cm rim and matching 1.3cm rim depth put it firmly in beginner-friendly territory, and Gateway sells it in weights from ultra-light SureGrip runs up to 175g-and-above Diamond.[2] Flat releases run long and straight on the strength of the glide rating; anhyzers keep turning rather than correcting.[2] Marshall Street files it as “slightly understable” and notes it “will hold any line you give it.”[5] Heavier Diamond runs are the closest thing to a stable version.

Best for:

  • Straight midrange shots that need to hold the release angle
  • Anhyzer lines that keep turning to the finish
  • Hyzer-flip shots that stand up and run flat
  • Beginners who want a controllable, high-glide midrange

Plastics & variants

The Element is available in the following plastic blends from Gateway:

Diamond, NXT, SureGrip, Diamond Hemp, Organic Hemp, SureGrip Superglow, NXT-G

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 Element was approved on 7 October 2004 under certification 04-12.[1] Gateway founder David McCormack discussed it on the PDGA discussion boards within days of approval, writing that “The Element has just been approved and will probably be main stream by next week. The Element flys similar to the Buzz, so there’s your G6i right there!” — positioning it as the replacement for Gateway’s discontinued G6i.[4] In the same thread he described the mold as it then stood: “The current stable to understable version of the Element appeals to the newbie and is really easy for them to control,” and noted Gateway was “only on our 8th mold.”[4] A more overstable companion followed almost immediately: the Element X was approved on 1 December 2004 under certification 04-14, and its measurements confirm it is a separate mold rather than a plastic variant — a 1.8cm rim against the Element’s 1.3cm, and a stiffer 9.98kg flexibility reading.[3][1] McCormack described it in advance as the “next version of element with broader nose and less abrupt transition to flight plate.”[4] Element X is no longer in Gateway’s lineup; the original Element is still sold in seven or more plastics. No designer is credited, and no professional is documented bagging one — Sam Smigiel and Austen Bates have signature Element stamps, but a stamp is not bag evidence. DG Puttheads prints the turn as -2 rather than Gateway’s -1, and adds that “the Diamond run actually displays more turn and the Sure Grip is more likely to fly straight (especially when new)”; Gateway’s number is used here.[6]

Notable throwers

Currently no information

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. Element from Gateway Disc Sports — PDGA
  2. Element – Diamond — Gateway Disc Sports
  3. Element X from Gateway Disc Sports — PDGA
  4. Ask David Mac about Gateway Discs — PDGA discussion archive (2004)
  5. SureGrip Element — Marshall Street Disc Golf
  6. Gateway Disc Sports Element Review — DG Puttheads

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