Discraft’s Challenger OS is one of the best mold modifications I have thrown. Some mold adjustments make the disc slightly longer or significantly change the stability, but the Challenger OS has just the right amount of added stability to conserve most of the original Challenger’s benefits while bulking it up.
Discraft’s Notes on the Challenger OS
“The beefy Challenger. Challenger OS is best for driving, headwinds, forehand approaches and hyzer putts. It’s overstable enough to meet a majority of your needs without becoming a meat hook.”
https://www.discraft.com/index.php/discraft-d-line-challenger-os.html
Available plastics: Pro-D, Jawbreaker
Flight Rating: 2, 3, 0, 3
Challenger OS Initial Reactions
If you like the feel of the original Challenger, then you’ll feel right at home with the Challenger OS. The Challenger OS feels nearly identical to the Challenger except with a more pronounced bead, beyond this I could not tell the difference in my hand. Even looking at the profile views side by side the differences were minimal.
The flight difference is more noticeable, but not to the point where you would think it’s a completely different mold. For example, the Buzzz and the Buzzz OS share very few flight similarities, but the Challenger and Challenger OS are much closer. For disc golfers not familiar with Discraft’s lineup, I’d compare the Challenger OS to a Latitude 64 Dagger with a little more fade and the ability to handle a little more power.
Challenger OS By the Numbers
Discraft Challenger OS
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I noticed a small turn and a little less fade, I’d probably give it a -0.5 high speed turn and 2 fade. I’d rate the Challenger OS slower than a 3 speed.
Challenger OS Putting Notes
Inside 50 feet (15 meters) the Challenger OS putts similarly to the original Discraft Challenger. It’s close to a point and shoot putter, but it has a little more fade so I found the need to aim slightly right. Like the Challenger, the Challenger OS holds most lines when putting within 50 feet due to the high glide. I noticed that the Challenger OS doesn’t float as much as the Challenger and has a little bit straighter flight, but not an awful lot different. This produces a higher degree consistency and makes for a great pitch or push putter. The trade off here is a slightly reduced finesse. The original challenger can find nearly any window and is a great shot shaping putter, the Challenger OS is a little better at holding its line and is just slightly less workable. However, in most situations I did not notice a large difference.
The increased stability of course helps with windy conditions. You’re not going fight the wind like you do with your Zone, but it provides extra durability in volatile conditions for one of your favorite workhorse putters. The Challenger OS is also not overstable to the point where it drops hard so it is not debilitating and I don’t find it any more likely to roll away than most putters.
Challenger OS Upshots
The Challenger OS has a similar high speed turn as the original Challenger, the fade is where the difference is most noticeable. This produces an upshot quite similar to to the original Challenger but with much greater confidence and greater versatility on long shots. The Challenger OS is more torque resistant and handles higher power so it makes for an excellent driving putter. Where the original Challenger may have turned and dived, the Challenger OS will hold an anhyzer line and glide. The anhyzer is one of my favorite shots with the Challenger OS. There are very few putters that can be thrown on a long smooth anhyzer that will hold the flight line for as long.
One of the great features of the Challenger OS is its ability to still find most of the lines that you loved about the original Challenger while fading with more consistency. I can hit a deadly straight line for 200 feet (60 meters) or I can flip it up and hit a 275 foot (85 meter) flex shot. The Challenger OS handles both fan grips and power grips just fine. This putter is still not so overstable to produce big spike hyzers, rather it is better used to gain a little extra glide for a long smooth hyzer. Again, you will lose a slight amount of finesse with the Challenger OS, but in return you gain the ability to handle more power and overcome wind. The Challenger OS still displays a large amount of turn in a head wind, but it is much easier to control and less likely to dive. The ability to handle extra power is also quite useful when I need to crank on the disc to prevent it from being slapped down by a tailwind.
Discraft markets the Challenger OS as a great sidearm putter. I agree that it is great for short sidearm shots as the extra stability helps to control it, but it still likes to dive on longer sidearm shots and the deep rim can get in the way of a smooth release. The additional fade can make for a controlled skip at the end of the flight which will be great when hitting the basket at odd angles but you’ll want to throw just a little higher in tight landing zones so that it will drop instead of skip.
Challenger OS Final Verdict
Discraft’s Challenger OS is an excellent mold adjustment. You’ll quickly notice the additional options you have from the added overstability but you’ll also notice that you don’t have to give up much from the original Challenger. It’s friendly enough to be used as an overstable putter for beginners and versatile enough to be used as a workhorse for advanced players. The Challenger OS should get high praise from players who bag Challengers and want to throw their putter a little harder. This will be one of Discraft’s best driving putters for years to come.
You can pick up your own Discraft Challenger OS here today!
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