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

The Innova TL3 is a 8-speed stable fairway driver. With published flight numbers of 8 / 4 / -1 / 1, it is most often described as suited for accurate fairway drives that need to finish flat, tunnel shots through tight gaps.

Overview

The Innova TL3 is an 8-speed fairway driver rated 8/4/-1/1.[2] Innova calls it "the evolution of the TL" and says that, much like the longer, faster TeeBird3, it has a bit more speed and a little less glide for more control — "TeeBird control, straighter flight AND finish."[2] IsaacSam describes the TL3 as the most neutral of all the TeeBirds, a bit more stable than the generally understable TLs, and a fantastic control driver for intermediate players.[1] PDGA specifications: 21.2 cm diameter, 1.7 cm height, 1.1 cm rim depth, 1.8 cm rim.[3]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers: manufacturer vs. community
SourceSpeedGlide TurnFade
Innova (mfg) 8 4 -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 TL3's best uses as accurate fairway drives, tunnel shots and placement shots.[2] The reduced glide relative to the TL is the point: it holds a tight line and drops where it is aimed rather than gliding past the target, which is what makes it a tunnel and gap disc.[2][4] Puttheads characterises it as a point-and-shoot fairway driver that resists early turn and lands in a small window, and notes it also works well on forehands.[4]

Best for:

  • Accurate fairway drives that need to finish flat
  • Tunnel shots through tight gaps
  • Placement shots to a specific landing zone
  • Controlled forehand drives at fairway speed

Plastics & variants

The TL3 is available in the following plastic blends from Innova:[2]

Halo Star, Star, GStar, Champion, DX

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 is a blend of two Innova classics — the name comes from TeeBird plus Leopard.[5] After both the X-wing TeeBird and the L-wing TL proved popular, Innova produced "3" versions of both, and IsaacSam notes that both the TeeBird3 and the TL3 became as popular as the originals.[1] IsaacSam dates the TL3's actual release to 2015, well before its PDGA paperwork.[1] The PDGA certification is dated August 29, 2017 (cert 17-99), part of the en-masse approval batch that covers Innova's 3-series molds.[3] Innova's own product page confusingly prints an approval date of 03/08/07 and a diameter of 21.1 cm — both are the original TL's figures (cert 07-17), not the TL3's.[2][3] IsaacSam names James Conrad, Nathan Queen and Mason Ford as notable TL3 throwers.[1]

Notable throwers

James Conrad, Nathan Queen, Mason Ford

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 #12 (Manta – AviarX3) — u/IsaacSam98
  2. TL3 — Innova Disc Golf official product page
  3. TL 3 — PDGA Equipment Certification (approved 2017-08-29, cert 17-99)
  4. Innova TL3 Flight Chart — Disc Golf Puttheads
  5. The Innova TL (or TL3) is disc golf's purest fairway driver — Green Splatter

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