Mini Disc Golf Discs vs. Mini Marker Discs: What's the Difference?
If you have looked up "mini disc golf" and ended up on a page that talks about disc golf rules you are not alone… You’re not exactly wrong either. The confusion makes sense because the word "mini" appears in two different places in the disc golf world. The PDGA even refers to them as “minis” in their official rules twice (In the Q&Q and Appendix). This article is aimed at those wandering the web, looking for the same question many ask when they find out Mini Disc Golf is a competitively played sport.
Two Different "Minis"
Mini marker discs are an item used in regular disc golf. Their main job is to mark where your disc landed so you can pick up your full-size disc and get ready for the throw. In Disc Golf it is exactly how it works in the PGA (Pro Golfer’s Association). Minis become required in a few specific cases like when a disc goes out of bounds.
Mini Disc Golf is a game that uses small discs entirely. Instead of a marker that occasionally comes out of your bag, the mini disc is the equipment. Every throw, drive and putt is done with them on courses sized to match. That's what the Mini Disc Golf Federation (MDGF) governs: smaller discs (no larger than 4.5 inches / 11.43 cm in diameter under MDGF rules), on compact courses that can fit in a backyard, park, or even indoors.
In short: a mini marker disc is a tool you use in a game of disc golf. Mini disc golf is its game played entirely with mini-sized discs.
Same Size Category, Different Purpose
Here's where it gets interesting; a lot of discs marketed as "mini markers" are perfectly playable mini disc golf discs, and vice versa. Manufacturers know this and often describe their minis both ways. The real differences come down to weight and flight characteristics, which change what the disc is actually good for, exactly like Traditional Disc Golf discs.
Take two discs from Innova as an example:
The Innova Mini Marker costs $1.99 and weighs about 23 grams.
The Innova Mini Marker Disc weighs around 23 grams. It is light, cheap and does its primary job well: staying in place on the ground as a marker. It will fly if you throw it. A disc that light is easily affected by wind and doesn’t carry much distance.
The Innova Mini Driver costs $2.99 and weighs about 42 grams.
The Innova Mini Driver weighs 42 grams. Almost twice as much. That extra weight is by design: Innova makes this disc for disc golf so it holds up and flies far even in windy conditions. This is a disc meant to be thrown not just placed down.
That is the practical difference in a nutshell: a lightweight marker is made for being easy to carry and mark throws while a mini driver is made to be thrown.
Where to Get Mini Discs
Because " disc" covers both uses you have more choices than you might think. From cheap marker sets to discs made specifically for mini disc golf.
Innova makes both ends of the spectrum. Their Mini Marker Disc is the light option while their Mini Driver is made to perform on long drives on mini disc golf courses.
MVP Disc Sports has an approach with their Nano Mini, a 32-gram 10.5 cm disc made with the same materials and production standards as MVPs full-size discs, just smaller. MVP markets it for two purposes. Mark your lie in play or throw it as your main disc in a game of mini disc golf. Not surprising how people can get confused, but the manufacturers sure aren’t!
Minis can be downright cool looking, just like their big brothers.
Zing Minis is worth mentioning because they are the only company that makes mini discs exclusively. It is their whole product line, not a small part of a bigger line of full-size discs. Zing currently makes eight mini disc models:
Each model has its own mold and flight style just like a full-size disc golf brand offers different drivers, mid-ranges and putters. Just smaller. That focus is why the MDGF works with Zing as their manufacturer: they are not adding minis to a driver line they are making the whole disc around the mini format.
Orb, Aerofoil, Cozmo, Microfoil, Snipe, Pico, Flapjack, Zu
A special mention: the Zing Pico. At 2.5 inches in diameter and 12 grams the Pico is smaller than any of the eight discs above. A "mini mini marker" if you like. Zing markets it as a fun bag tag or can-topper (They fit right on a beer can top) and its 2.5-inch diameter is smaller than the PDGAs minimum size for a legal marker (7–15 cm or about 2.75–6 inches). It is not allowed as a marker in PDGA events. In Mini Disc Golf it is a valid option making it a fun and very small choice to attach to your bag for MDGF play.
Innova Mini Marker, Zing Pico, Innova TeeBird-L.
Innova Mini Marker vs. Zing Aerofoil: Spec Comparison
To show the weight difference clearly here is a side-by-side of a lightweight marker and a disc made specifically for mini disc golf:
More than double the weight in a package just half an inch larger, that’s is the difference between a disc made to stay in place and one made to fly. Disc Golf United’s breakdown of what mini discs are used for also shows this same distinction: plastic minis made for real mini disc golf play are the ones that fly far and are weighted properly which is exactly what Zings line offers.
Which One Do You Actually Need?
Playing traditional disc golf and just need something legal to mark your lie? Any basic mini marker (like Innova's) will do the job.
Getting into mini disc golf and want a disc that actually flies well? Look at weighted options like the Innova Mini Driver or MVP's Nano, or check out a dedicated mini disc golf brand like Zing.
Want to build out a full mini disc golf bag with different flight numbers for drives, approaches, and putts? Zing's eight-model lineup is the closest thing to a purpose-built mini disc golf ecosystem currently available.
Either way you now know: MDG was born out of the markers, and so they remain tied to them in a unique, confusing way.
There’s also a newer thing called Macros…they’re a size between mini disc golf discs and big discs. These can go just as far as a traditional disc so they’re not allowed in MDGC play but that’s a whole other topic.