Innova: How Dave Dunipace chooses Halo molds

Innova’s Halo discs are sexy.

So much so, Trilogy got in on the action with its Orbit copycat.

Same difference.

But not ALL Innova molds have been blessed by a Halo makeover …

There are some obvious ones. The Aviar, Roc3, Valkyrie, Thunderbird, Firebird, Wraith and Destroyer all come to mind. And it makes sense: They’re classics of the Innova lineup.

Don’t kid yourself, though: There are some total randos in there, too. The Sonic, Polecat, Lion, Savant and Mystere, for example. Incredibly, even the Juggernaut’s been outfitted with Halo plastic. And remember: It was only approved by the PDGA in February of this year.

With seemingly no rhyme or reason for the Halo-induced madness coming out of Rancho Cucamonga, it’s hard for Innova fanboys to not wonder about the Halo qualification process.

Having asked Dave Dunipace about it, it would appear …

There’s not much to it.

Here’s what Innova’s co-founder and CEO had to say about the selection process when I asked him if anything SPECIFIC determined the disc model chosen for the next Halo drop:

“Nope.”

Relax, there’s more:

“We started with drivers, because it actually produced an effect, besides looking cool.”

So the next time another run of Halo Wombat3s drops after a Garrett Gurthie victory on the Pro Tour, know this: There are no Ivy-League graduates in white lab coats pouring over spreadsheets of marketing metrics. More or less, it’s Mr. Dunipace feeling it in his gut and going for it …

Like a boss.

He did, however, expound on the “effect” part of the formula:

“We wanted drivers first. Those were the ones we thought were the most important. Like a Halo Leopard3, for instance. It’s a really good disc, and it actually stables it up a little bit at the same time. So that’s Star Halo.”

Also, if you’ve not been paying attention, Halo Nexus is now a thing:

“We’re also doing Halo Nexus. Basically, that’s just a look on Nexus plastic, which is really good plastic for midranges and putters and stuff like that. The Halo Star stuff in a putter would be for appearance, more than anything else. But in drivers, it actually stables up most of them, if not all of them.”

For buyers, the bad of the above is trying to predict what Dave will do next with Halo plastic. The awesome of it, though, is that ANYTHING is on the table. Seriously, you can thank Harper Alexander and the San Francisco Disc Golf Club for the Halo Polecat madness of yesteryear.

As Innova goes, other manufacturers follow …

Today, it’s the look of Halo plastic. Tomorrow, it’ll be something else.

Dave Dunipace is leading the charge.

Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.

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