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

The Innova Mako is a 4-speed stable midrange. With published flight numbers of 4 / 5 / 0 / 0, it is most often described as suited for dead-straight midrange shots that hold the release angle, turnovers that stay turned over.

Overview

The Innova Mako is a large-diameter midrange rated 4/5/0/0 that Innova describes as flying and finishing remarkably straight — the flight characteristic of a putter with the glide and speed of a midrange.[2] At 21.7 cm across with a narrow 1.2 cm rim and a domey 2.1 cm profile, it takes and holds whatever angle you release it on: turnovers stay turned over, hyzers stay hyzer.[2][3] IsaacSam describes it as Innova's answer to the Discraft Buzzz, which was then generally considered the straightest midrange available.[1]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers: manufacturer vs. community
SourceSpeedGlide TurnFade
Innova (mfg) 4 5 0 0 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.

The Mako is an angle-holding disc rather than a self-correcting one, which makes it excellent for threading narrow wooded fairways and for placement shots where you want the disc to finish exactly where you aimed.[2] Innova team players describe it as reliable for left or right upshots just outside putting range, and note that its glide keeps carrying on shorter right-turning drives.[2] Smooth throwers get more out of it than power throwers, since it holds a line rather than fighting back.[1]

Best for:

  • Dead-straight midrange shots that hold the release angle
  • Turnovers that stay turned over
  • Smooth hyzers that stay on hyzer
  • Threading narrow wooded fairways
  • Accurate approach shots just outside putting range

Plastics & variants

The Mako is available in the following plastic blends from Innova:[2]

EchoStar, Glow Champion, Star, Champion, Metal Flake

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 PDGA approved the Mako on September 18, 2009 under certification number 09-22.[3] It was an immediate hit and picked up fans across every level of the sport; per IsaacSam it was especially popular with older Innova professionals such as Dr. Rick Voakes, because it behaved like an older-style disc — an Aero or a Stingray — and fit their smooth, control-oriented play styles.[1] Bradley Williams has continued to bag one for years.[1] The Mako went out of production not because it failed, but because Innova replaced it: the most common complaint was that Makos ran too domey, so when the flatter Mako3 arrived most players switched.[1] A minority still prefer the original dome, and max-weight premium Makos — Metal Flake and Glow Champion above all — are sought after on the used market.[1] Innova's product page still lists EchoStar and Glow Champion runs.[2]

Notable throwers

Bradley Williams, Dr. Rick Voakes, Alan Beaver

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. "A quick guide to every single Innova disc" — u/IsaacSam98 on r/discgolf (dedicated Mako chapter)
  2. Mako — Innova Disc Golf official product page
  3. Mako from Innova Champion Discs — PDGA Equipment Certification (approved 2009-09-18, cert 09-22)

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