The Scepter Disc Golf Retriever Review

A Satisfied Customer

Every once in a while, I come across a product that takes me by surprise. A product that ends up being a lot more than it appears to be on the surface. A product that leaves me wondering how I got along without it. This year, I’ve come across two such products. Today I’ll be reviewing one of them, the Scepter disc golf retriever.

I first saw the Scepter on a YouTube video. It was right around the same time that I was trying out the Disc Gator disc retriever (read our review here). While the Gator is a cool idea, the bulky and somewhat sketchy pole assembly have kept me from carrying it with me. I believe that if you don’t end up using a product, whatever money you spent on it is essentially wasted. The Gator is a good product, but since I don’t carry it I basically wasted the $38 I spent on it.

When I saw the Scepter, my first reaction was that it looked pretty cool. My second reaction was to the price. $69?!?! Being that I just spent $38 on the Gator, I passed. And with that, the Scepter faded to the back of my mind. I would make due with a Golden Retriever and a hockey puck (I keep one in my bag to throw at discs lodged in trees). Then I ran into Paul.

Paul plays in the same division as I do, advanced masters. We advanced masters players like to think that our years of experience have made us smarter golfers. Little techniques like throwing into the shade on hot days are pervasive in our division. We like to take every opportunity to make things easier on ourselves. It was for this reason that Paul carried a Scepter.

The interesting thing was that Paul didn’t carry it as a disc golf retriever. He was using it as a shagger/caddy. In other words, he used it on every throw to pick up his disc. He was even using it to pick up and put down his mini. Some might say this is laziness. I would call this brilliant!

Much More Than a Retriever

I started using a disc golf cart this year (the other of the two products I found this year that I can’t live without). I did it because using a cart prevents me from having to pick up and put down a heavy bag over 100 times per round. The impact on my back and stamina has been huge. The less picking up and putting down I do, the less stress I put on my back and knees. It allows me to save my energy for playing. It allows me to get in more golf. It’s something I believe in so much that I’ll soon be posting reviews on the two best carts in disc golf.

Well, here was Paul. Not only was he not having to deal with a bag, but he also wasn’t bending and stooping to deal with his discs! Here was someone playing an entire round of disc golf and not bending over once! Not even for his mini!

When I got home after that tournament, I immediately ordered one. After seeing Paul play an entire round with no bending down, I had to have one!

I want to take a minute and tell you about the purchase process. The Scepter disc golf retriever is made by Whirld Sports and I ordered it on their website (see below for a coupon code!). Shortly after, I got a great follow up email from the company owner telling me what to expect and thanking me for my order. The Scepter came quickly. When I opened it, it actually had a nice set of instructions! It might sound weird that I got excited by that, but it’s just one of many indicators of the quality level of this product. The owner of Whirld Sports also followed up via email and was immediately available when I had questions.

The Scepter is really solidly made. You can immediately tell it’s well engineered and manufactured. I spent the next 30 minutes walking around my living room picking up discs and various other things. It works great. I couldn’t wait to take it to the course. I couldn’t wait to play disc golf without causing stress to my back by bending over so much. When I got to the course, it didn’t disappoint.

I want you to really think about this for a minute. Imagine playing a round without ever bending over or kneeling down. How much more energy would you have? How much better would you play by eliminating the fatigue caused by constantly kneeling, bending, and standing back up? How much more could you play?

Not Just For Playing

Now think about field work. The course isn’t the only place you can get a lot of use out of the Scepter. If you go out and throw 100 drives, that means you are bending down to pick up discs 200 times. That’s energy better spent practicing. I can tell you that I’ve almost doubled my field work since buying a Scepter disc golf retriever.

In addition to field work, the Scepter is a must for putting practice too. Shagging all of the missed putts that are close to the basket has increased the amount of putting practice I do.

Put all that together for a minute. With the Scepter I practice and play more. I am fresher and have more stamina. It’s a piece of equipment that actually helps me play better disc golf! All this before I ever extended it to its 2 meter length to retrieve a disc from water or deep bushes.

As a retriever it works at least as well as the Disc Gator but you don’t have to stop to put it together like the Gator. I’ve used it to easily get discs out of water, trees, bushes, and from next to a ground hornet’s nest.

3 Things I Wish…

It’s pretty clear that I like the Scepter. I’m totally happy with my purchase. That said, like everything in life, the Scepter disc golf retriever is not perfect. There are a few things I wish were better…

First, it doesn’t work near as well in the cold as it does when it’s warm. It still works, but there’s definitely a trick to it. Second, there isn’t a great way to attach it to my cart. Whirld Sports is working on a solution, but for now it will have to be a home made attachment I come up with on my own. If you carry a bag, you are covered. Whirld makes the Scabbard for attaching the Scepter to you bag. Third, when collapsing or extending the pole, there is a danger of really pinching the heck out of your hand. The Scepter is shipped with a warning of this and once you get the hang of it it isn’t a problem. Even so, I would rather it not be possible in the first place.

All in all, those 3 “I wish’s” are minor. The Scepter is my second favorite disc golf purchase of the year (stay tuned for the review of #1 coming soon). I can’t believe I played with a bad back so long without it. It is truly beneficial to my health and my game.

A Bonus For You

When I knew I was going to be writing a strong recommendation for the Scepter, I reached out to Whirld Sports. I wanted to see if they could provide some sort of incentive or bonus for the readers of Mind Body Disc. Whirld owner, John Heaton, really came through. John was kind enough to offer all of you a 10% discount on the Scepter disc golf caddy. All you have to do is enter the coupon code MBD10 at checkout.

Turns out John is a cut above just like his product. When I found out what else he does, the quality of product and service from Whirld made a little more sense. In addition to being CEO of Whirld, John is also the event chair for the St. Jude Disc Golf Charity Invitational. You can feel proud and comfortable in supporting him and his company. He is definitely out there supporting disc golf!

 

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”