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

The Gateway Warlock is a 2-speed stable putt & approach. With published flight numbers of 2 / 3 / 0 / 1, it is most often described as suited for straight putts inside the circle for players who dislike a bead, turnover approach shots that need to hold a right line.

Overview

The Gateway Warlock is the beadless sibling of the Wizard, rated 2/3/0/1 by Gateway.[2] Gateway’s own description is unambiguous about the relationship: “The Warlock is very similar to the Wizard but without the signature bead. As a result, the Warlock is dead-straight and stable out of the box with a later low-speed fade when thrown hard.”[2] Removing the bead does not change the rim depth — Gateway noted at the time of the first mold run that “players will feel as though the Warlock has a shallower rim, but the rim depth is actually the exact same.”[3] The PDGA measured it at 21.1cm across, 2.3cm tall, with a 1.6cm rim depth and a 175.1g maximum.[1]

Flight characteristics

Flight numbers: manufacturer vs. community
SourceSpeedGlide TurnFade
Gateway (mfg) 2 3 0 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.

The Warlock is a putting and short-game disc for players who want the Wizard’s feel without a bead digging into the fingers. It putts dead straight, takes a turnover line more willingly than the Wizard once it wears in, and holds up as a short tunnel driver.[2][3] Gateway markets it as a companion rather than a replacement: “You’ll find the Warlock to be a great putter to complement your Wizard.”[2] Players who need a hard, reliable fade should reach for a beaded mold instead.[5]

Best for:

  • Straight putts inside the circle for players who dislike a bead
  • Turnover approach shots that need to hold a right line
  • Short tunnel drives off the tee with a putter
  • Beadless complement to a Wizard already in the bag

Plastics & variants

The Warlock is available in the following plastic blends from Gateway:[2]

Suregrip SS, Suregrip SSS, Suregrip SSSS, Suregrip Nylon, Lunar, Diamond, Eraser, Organic Hemp Super Soft, Pure White, Money

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 Warlock began as a failed experiment. Gateway ran the first beadless Wizard mold on 15 December 2006 while trying to build an understable putter, and reported that “the stability of the discs is not exactly what we were looking for as it is not ‘UNderstable’ but more DEAD STRAIGHT STABLE.”[3] The mold had been intended to carry the name Magic; Gateway renamed it instead — “We are going to call this disc the Warlock not the Magic and will work on the Magic pretty soon and it will be understable for sure” — and shipped roughly 300 of them to team members and distributors on Christmas Eve 2006.[3] The first runs were “all SUPER Glow and a medium/firm,” and the debut stamp was Grateful Dead artwork, chosen because the band was originally called The Warlocks.[3] PDGA approval followed on 8 March 2007 under certification 07-16.[1] A lower-profile reissue, “Warlock GE,” was separately approved on 23 February 2023 as certification 23-57 and measures 1.9cm tall against the original’s 2.3cm.[4] Two flight-number sets circulate: Gateway publishes 2/3/0/1 today, while the legacy 3/5/-1/2 set preserved from Gateway’s old site still appears on some retailer pages.[2][5] Gateway has never published a designer credit. Gateway has issued signature Warlocks for Gavin Rathbun, Lindsay Fish and Brian Allen, but a signature stamp is not evidence that a player bags the mold, so no throwers are claimed here.[2]

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. Warlock from Gateway Disc Sports — PDGA Approved Disc Record
  2. Warlock — Gateway Disc Sports
  3. NEW PUTTER by Gateway “The Warlock” — PDGA Discussion Board Archive
  4. Warlock GE (variant) from Gateway Disc Sports — PDGA Approved Disc Record
  5. Gateway Warlock Review — Disc Golf Puttheads

This is a community page. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Suggest a correction — every edit is reviewed before it goes live.