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

The Innova Viper is a 6-speed very overstable fairway driver. With published flight numbers of 6 / 4 / 1 / 5, it is most often described as suited for flex shots that start right and finish hard left (rhbh), spike hyzers that stop where they land.

Overview

The Innova Viper is a very overstable driver rated 6/4/1/5.[2] Innova describes it as very stable to overstable and reliable in all wind conditions, and says it "becomes a more versatile flyer as it wears."[2] At 21.7 cm it is midrange-sized rather than driver-sized, and IsaacSam notes it came in weights up to 180 g — heavier than almost anything else Innova made at the time.[1] PDGA specifications: 21.7 cm diameter, 2.0 cm height, 1.3 cm rim depth, 1.6 cm rim thickness, and a 180.1 g maximum weight.[3]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers: manufacturer vs. community
SourceSpeedGlide TurnFade
Innova (mfg) 6 4 1 5 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 Viper's best uses as flex shots, spike hyzers and headwind shots, and recommends it for experienced players.[2] The 5 fade means it is a shot-shaping and utility disc, not a distance disc: thrown flat it will hook hard, and thrown on an anhyzer it flexes back across the fairway. Innova credits the Viper with changing how disc golf is played by becoming the first disc used for the flex shot, and calls it an excellent choice for sidearm throwers.[2]

Best for:

  • Flex shots that start right and finish hard left (RHBH)
  • Spike hyzers that stop where they land
  • Headwind drives that must not turn over
  • Overstable sidearm approaches and utility shots

Plastics & variants

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

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 Viper was PDGA-approved on December 3, 1991 under certification number 91-07.[3] It was the fastest disc Innova made at the time and held its stability well, which IsaacSam sums up by calling it "essentially the Destroyer of their era."[1] It also owns a place in the record books: the PDGA's official world distance progression lists Peter Albers at 193.58 m (635 ft) in 1993 and Niclas Bergehamm at 197.38 m (647.6 ft) later that year, both with an Innova Viper.[4] IsaacSam adds that Bergehamm's throw came only fifteen minutes after Albers', but no independent source confirms that timing, so treat it as an unverified community account.[1] IsaacSam also reports the Viper went out of print, while Innova's product page still lists DX at 150–180 g and the Innova Factory Store describes the Champion Viper as an "ever elusive" occasional run — availability is best described as intermittent rather than discontinued.[1][2][5]

Notable throwers

Peter Albers, Niclas Bergehamm

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 #2 (Phenix – Birdie) [1989–1991] — u/IsaacSam98
  2. Viper — Innova Disc Golf official product page
  3. Viper — PDGA Equipment Certification (approved 1991-12-03, cert 91-07)
  4. Open World Distance Records since 1970 — PDGA official record list
  5. Innova Viper Flight Chart — Disc Golf Puttheads

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