Innova Hawkeye

Innova Hawkeye Review

The Hawkeye is a beginner-friendly driver with neutral flight characteristics. Innova has built a comprehensive selection of quality fairway drivers, and the Hawkeye fits right in as a solid option for players of all skill levels. This Innova Hawkeye review will help you decide which Hawkeye on sale and in stock is right for you. 

Innova Hawkeye Plastics

• Star: A durable yet flexible premium blend that improves with age. Star plastic discs will beat in slowly, generating extra glide and greater distance with every tree hit. 
• Halo Star: A stiffer version of Star with a two-toned color scheme that creates a "halo" effect around the outer rim. Discs generally fly more overstable in this plastic. 
• G Star: Very gummy and flexible blend with outstanding grip. Discs generally fly more understable in this plastic. 
• Champion: Stiff, slick, and opaque blend that has maximum durability. Discs will hold their original flight characteristics for a long time in this plastic.

Innova Hawkeye Flight Numbers

• Speed: 7
• Glide: 5
• Turn: -1
• Fade: 1

These perfectly neutral flight numbers make the Hawkeye a quintessential "point and shoot" style disc. It performs like a faster midrange, with the ability to glide straight and hold the line all the way to the ground. This versatile disc will also perform drifting hyzers and controlled turnovers when thrown on the correct angle. 

Power arms can use the Hawkeye as a finesse driver. It has too much turn and not enough enough fade to be a true workhorse, rather it allows players to power down and throw with maximum control. This is especially useful on tight wooded fairways.

Dimensions

• Diameter: 21.1cm
• Height: 1.7cm
• Rim Depth: 1.2cm
• Rim Width: 1.8cm

The Hawkeye has a healthy amount of dome on top, giving it a relatively tall profile. This limits speed but increases turn and glide. The 1.8cm rim is standard for a 7-speed disc. Players in the beginner or intermediate skill level will benefit from throwing the easy-to-grip Hawkeye instead wide-rimmed high speed discs that promise more distance. 

History

Upon its release in 2022, the Hawkeye joined Innova's crowded fairway driver lineup, as it overlaps with the Leopard3 and TL in the "straight flying and beginner-friendly" category. It is pro Hailey King's signature disc, and is a retooling (or perhaps an exact reproduction) of Discmania's old FD mold.

Skill Level Recommendations

The Hawkeye is a solid choice for players of all skill levels, but will be more versatile for beginners and intermediate level players.

• Novice: Low power players will get healthy amount of glide and reliable little fade. This neutral mold is an excellent introductory disc that will help players learn to shape lines.
• Intermediate: All-around workhorse in the 250-325 foot range. It could be the centerpiece of the bag, especially on wooded technical courses. 
• Advanced: Complimentary option for straight shots, hyzer-flips, and drifting turnovers. Pair the Hawkeye with an overstable utility disc to cover most shot shapes in the fairway driver category. 
• Pro: This is the 2022 United States Womens Disc Golf Champion Hailey King's signature disc. King has elite power in the female division, and she uses the Hawkeye for straight shots up to 350 feet.