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

The Innova TL is a 7-speed stable fairway driver. With published flight numbers of 7 / 5 / -1 / 1, it is most often described as suited for straight fairway drives that finish flat, turnover shots and gentle anhyzers.

Overview

The Innova TL is a 7-speed fairway driver rated 7/5/-1/1.[2] Innova calls it "the brother of the reliable TeeBird" and explains the name: the "L" stands for "Less Overstable" and "Longer."[2] It carries the same speed and glide as the TeeBird but flies straighter with less fade at the end, which Innova pitches as the answer for players wanting a straight-flying maximum fairway driver.[2] PDGA specifications: 21.1 cm diameter, 1.6 cm height, 1.2 cm rim depth, 1.8 cm rim thickness, and a 175.1 g maximum weight.[3]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers: manufacturer vs. community
SourceSpeedGlide TurnFade
Innova (mfg) 7 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.

Innova lists the TL's best uses as turnover shots, a first driver and touch shots.[2] The single step of turn against a single step of fade is what makes it a placement disc rather than a power one: thrown flat it holds its line and finishes gently instead of hooking left the way a TeeBird will. IsaacSam notes there is substantial overlap between the TL, the Discmania FD and Innova's own Hawkeye, all of which occupy roughly the same straight-fairway slot.[1]

Best for:

  • Straight fairway drives that finish flat
  • Turnover shots and gentle anhyzers
  • Touch shots where a TeeBird would fade out early
  • A first fairway driver for developing arms
  • Controlled forehand fairway shots

Plastics & variants

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

Star, Champion

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 TL was PDGA-approved on March 8, 2007 under certification number 07-17, filed with the PDGA under the name "TeeBird L (TL)."[3] IsaacSam explains its origin: like the Eagle, the TL came about during the CE era, when the TeeBird in premium plastic proved a bit too overstable for some players' liking.[1] He adds that the TL became nearly as popular as the TeeBird itself and remains in production today — a notable outcome given that the TeeBird is considered the greatest fairway driver Innova ever made.[1] Innova later produced a "3" version, the TL3, which IsaacSam says became about as popular as the original.[1] Team Innova player Gregg Hosfeld's testimonial on the official page calls the CE TL "bar none, the greatest disc golf driver I've ever owned."[2] The mold is currently listed in Star at 160–175 g and Champion at 165–175 g.[2]

Notable throwers

Gregg Hosfeld

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, Part 5 (Eagle – Firebird) — u/IsaacSam98 on r/discgolf (used with permission)
  2. TL — Innova Disc Golf official product page
  3. TeeBird L (TL) — PDGA Equipment Certification (approved 2007-03-08, cert 07-17)

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