Vortica was established in 2011, with the simple idea of saving our friends and acquaintances a bundle of money by buying discs in bulk. Since that time, and with hard work Vortica has grown into the largest independent wholesaler in NZ, and have become New Zealand’s most prolific and experienced disc golf course designers and installers. And now Vortica are entering the retail space, with Ōtautahi being the first store to open, at 11:30am on Thursday 11th August 2022 at 697 Gloucester Street. Despite the large additional costs of setting up and operating a 75 square metre retail store, we co ..read more

Tākapu is the Maori name for the Gannet, which will frequently hit 100km/h before it plunges into the sea to capture prey, as seen to the right, and in the gorgeous stamp below. The Tākapu comes via good friend Simon Feasey and is RPM’s interpretation of the most popular golf disc of all time; the Innova Aviar Putt & Approach. As such it has a lot of similarities to that disc, as well as the Discmania P2. RPM have worked diligently to increase stability and up the fade a little, so Tākapu can handle high power and should wear in beautifully. The Tākapu will feel instantly familiar to man ..read more

I’m seldom tempted to write reviews, but when it’s NZ’s own RPM releasing a locally designed, price-conscious backpack, it’s practically compulsory. So, let’s dive into it and see what we’ve got! I was very excited to receive the first shipment of the Tahi Iti, as being able to offer a Kiwi-made disc golf backpack is an important point in the history of disc golf in NZ. There was a time when RPM held only a very small market share in NZ, but not any more, and I predict this is the first of many disc golfing accessories to come from RPM. The Tahi Iti name Continuing the RPM tradition of Maori ..read more

Today I’m taking a look at South Canterbury’s newest DGC in Temuka, designed and installed by Timaru disc golf stalwart Chris Smith. I drove down for the opening day event on 12th December, and what a properly fun day it was! Mr Google says it should take 1-hour and 55-minutes to drive from Christchurch to Temuka, but it took me just 1:35:00 from my driveway, leaving at 8:00am, and without speeding, I must add. Otautahi’s new southern motorway allowing me to reach Rolleston just 18-minutes after my departure. Exclamation Point. The western edge of Torepe Fields DGC is just 200 metres from St ..read more

Vortica keeps it short and sweet. Just the tip. That's it. Scout's honour! I find it is extremely difficult to take a proper grip on a disc if I am performing other actions simultaneously. Making any grip requires my concentration and focus. I believe it is not something to be taken lightly. My grip is the single most important aspect of any throw I make, and I always (try to) create the correct grip before I begin, and never during my throwing motion. When driving, I stand in my starting position and make my grip carefully, and methodically. I have a 4-step process to create my power or cont ..read more

There was always a big hole in the disc golf basket market in NZ. Today that hole is pleasingly filled by the new RPM Discmate Lite "LT" portable. The older and heavier all-galvanised, heavy duty Discmate basket made by our friends at RPM in Auckland is a super-premium product that will be handed down for generations to come. But that quality and weight comes at a price – close to $500 in fact! This puts the Discmate out of the reach of many casual disc golfers. However, at a price point more than 40% lower, Discmate Lite is the perfect combination of great catching ability, lighter weight, a ..read more

Opening NZ’s first retail disc golf store opened my eyes to the waste often involved in retail and wholesale trading. Just trying to get all the cardboard into our recycle bin was a struggle. And so I decided to adopt a more logical approach to managing waste. Our overseas disc orders generally arrive in large boxes that weigh up to 22kg. These are rather unwieldy, and hold so many discs that if we reuse them for wholesale orders, they can end up costing three courier tickets to ship ~22 kilos, when only 1 ticket is required to send up to 10kg. And so we approached a local company and had our ..read more

The Japan Open is a prestigious event that captures the hearts of both avid disc golfers and spectators seeking an unforgettable experience. This premium tournament offers a myriad of compelling reasons that make attending an absolute must for anyone with an appreciation for disc golf, culture, and adventure. First and foremost, the Japan Open showcases the pinnacle of disc golf talent from around the world. Top-tier athletes gather to compete in this tournament, delivering exhilarating displays of skill and strategy. Watching world-class players navigating challenging courses and executing i ..read more

It took me quite a while to learn how golf discs respond to skipping. Today I hope to help you continue racing ahead on your own disc golf journey of discovery. Firstly, I'm only talking about discs landing with hyzer angle, so spin is against the direction of movement, and the disc wants to get back into the air straight away. And for simplicity we’re only talking about Right Hand Backhand throws. The Three Basic Skip Types Discs behave differently based on how they touch down, as shown below in Figure No.1. Maximum skipping distance is achieved when both the inner and outer part of the rim t ..read more

Due to the way discs generate lift over their top surface, the more airspeed they experience, the more Bernoulli lift they generate. This means high glide drivers thrown flat into a headwind can often climb into the stronger winds above and hence drastically reduce distance. This is Wind Gradient – explained HERE. However, overstable drivers with a glide of 4 or 3 are not so affected by increased lift at high airspeed. It is possible to throw these discs flat, with a flat nose angle at one metre above the ground, and have them fly much further than throwing them with altitude. Word Count: 100 ..read more