Do YOU agree with the "Top Course" list?

[giles]

I played Beaver Ranch, I didn't think it was very good. For a mountain course, Sipapu was a lot more fun with better shots selection.

 

[Hamilton]

Idlewild is pretty creative and there aren't hole's where you throw a great drive just to have a weird pitch 2nd.


Renny was nice but just didn't live up to the hype and I should have taken the advice of going to Hornet's Nest to test some true woods golf..............actually maybe that is what i was so upset about...........it wasn't as wooded as I had hoped NC would be and there is no undergrowth which makes it easier too.

yeah hornet's was great too! i guess at the time i was more frustrated by wooded courses, i think i would enjoy hornet's much more now that i am a little more experienced...

 

[hognosesucker]

I think in time things will shake out a bit more. I haven't played any of the top ten but there are so many courses that people on here haven't played that are serious up and comers ie ozark mountain in Vichy MO that is supposed to be ridiculous and West Lake in Davenport, IA that is crazy sick. I think some of it has to do with the geographic distribution of folks on here.

 

[hognosesucker]

also I think there are courses like The Farm in MI, which are getting high ratings as a joke or as homie-ism that once 10 5 disc reviews are up will be at the top

 

[tomjulio]

also I think there are courses like The Farm in MI, which are getting high ratings as a joke or as homie-ism that once 10 5 disc reviews are up will be at the top

Ya think Einstein????:gross:

..if The Farm makes it into the top ten I will personally drop my rating so it isn't. It's not a joke that it's a 5, but it definitely doesn't deserve a top ten slot.

 

[tmahan]

DeLa is not even close to being a top 10 course IMO. It probably ranks in my top 50 but its really way overblown. Nearby Stafford Lake would be a much closer contender.

Idlewild, Woodshed, Tyler are all deserving of the top 10 and Milo and Whistler's are close to top 10 for me but not quite there. I think a course like Iron Hill in DE begs for inclusion and of course the Whippin' Post is IMO the better of the two paw paw courses so it could easily be included and Maple Hill should definitely be in there!!

Got to disagree with you on Dela, there are flaws but sometimes I think the pre-play hype dooms someone's experience before they even play it. I suspect you may be right about Stafford being better, I've seen enough testimonies to that effect that I'm heading straight up there next time I hit the Bay area. I definitely agree with you about the Whipping Post, I haven't played the others but Iron Hill's on my short list. Where would you place Hawk Hollow on your list? I just played it for the first time, I haven't slotted it yet but pretty sure it's top 5 for me. I read your rating notes btw (yeah, the whole d@mn thing) and think you're spot on. You've played a pantload of courses fot such a young squirt.

 

[Dave242]

The top 10 is correct because "WE" say it is correct. No single "I" will agree with it, because "I" say so.

 

[Scoot_er]

Well maybe the fact is that too many people are reviewing courses with little experience and giving courses 5 out of 5 which I don't think I would do for any course.

 

[Ryan P.]

I've only played one of the courses, but it's the best i've played.

 

[Three Putt]

Well maybe the fact is that too many people are reviewing courses with little experience and giving courses 5 out of 5 which I don't think I would do for any course.

That's always going to be an issue. Not much you can do about it without restricting access and turning people away from the site.

It also kinda depends on what is being judged. Did you ever go out to Vichy with Dave? Ozark Mountain would be a very subjective call based on what is important to you. If concrete tees, tee signs, bathrooms, running water and/or the hint of civilization anywhere nearby is important to you (and from reading the reviews it is to a lot of people) Ozark Mountain is going to rate poorly. If you don't know what you are getting into and show up in flip flops and expect to play 18 in an hour and 1/2 like most courses in public parks, you will be in for a rude awakening. At my skill level I would have a hard time rating it just based on the shots. Is it "tough but fair" or just "tough?" I have no idea, it's just an ass kicker that is waaayyy over my skill level. So how the Hell do you rate it? I'm not sure. My answer so far is not to rate it because I have no idea what to do with it. Comparing it to 99% of the course I've seen is apples to oranges. So where does it fall when you start ranking courses? It depends on what you like, which is a pretty imperfect subjective answer. But that is the best we have.

 

[YonderScott]

I've only played one that was in the top ten, Brackett's. So I'm not sure why I'm pitching in, but...
I was happy as hell to see it get in the top ten, home course and all. That said I've played a limited number of courses and thought Fox Chase and Buckhorn at Harris Lake beat it by a long margin. I know the Bracketts and love em to death and it was a great time on their course. But Fox Chase and Buckhorn, TO ME, were much better courses. So the key words here are? TO ME. Opinion is just that, it's subjective. My skill level is a notch above novice, but I like courses wooded, tight and hard as hades. Obviously some people have issues with that and that's ok. Renny is probably, based on pro's I've asked, one of the hardest courses in America. Yet, some knuckle draggers on here give it a 2 because it kicked there a$$.

I love Luther Britt, I consider it one of the best courses in NC(I haven't played Jefferson or Castle Haynes), but some people think it's unfair because you have water that will eat your discs on half the holes. I consider that a plus, just like I consider a tree that just happens to be right where my teebird starts to arc out a plus.

Some people like their courses simple, some like em close to home. We'll never get a true top ten because....well, heck just because.

 

[NDABRUSH]

Maybe there are several types of 5 disc courses. Lightly, moderately and heavily wooded fives. Would you demand elevation for it to be a 5. If it is lightly wooded like Flip then I say yes(just for wow factor which I assume all 5s must have). Or instead of elevation can it have water shots instead? Or does a 5 need both water and elevation? If it is wooded with water shots does it need elevation also to be a 5? just mumbling out loud.

 

[Cgkdisc]

I think a course probably needs some elevation, some hazards (usually water) and decent foliage to give it a chance for a 5 plus look like it's in a wilder environment without sight lines looking at ball fields, buildings and main roads. For example, Blue Ribbon has little elevation and falls short of a 5 primarily for this reason (IMO) even though its amenities and grooming put it with some of the best courses around.

 

[optidiscic]

I've played 6 courses that have spent some time in the top 10.....only one of them to me was a 5....Deer Lakes in PA. Maple Hill, Morraine, Tyler, Warwick, Woodshed all have some glaring weakness IMO but are still great courses. I don't give the top 10 much thought other than as a curiousity. I know the courses there must be great but am sure there are better courses out there. It's kind of like Michael Jackson's Thriller...best selling of all time but do you really think it's the best album of all time? Basically the top courses have their fans but there are bound to be better courses under the radar.....this site allows you to research and find those courses better than any other site out there. I also think there are a ton of different types of courses out there and a ton of different moods you might be in. If you want the most challenging courses I would think Iron Hill in Delaware, Renny, Paw Paw and Nockamixon might top the list.....You want a fun course I'm sure there are different definitions of fun, You want amenities, You want a natural experience, You want a great DG scene....frankly you can't have it all but like others have stated this is as good as it gets so enjoy what we have here and learn to ignore the rivalries and biased reviews.

 

[Usher]

Beaver Ranch IMO should be higher than it is on the list. The problem is that when all the reviews were made they didn't have tee signs up and a lot of people rated the course lower for it (as I would have too). But now they have some sweet tee signs and since then, there has been a lot more 5's given in reviews. It might slowly inch its way up a few spots but never to the top, too many 4.5's (19) holding it back.

 

[humchris85]

Maybe there are several types of 5 disc courses. Lightly, moderately and heavily wooded fives. Would you demand elevation for it to be a 5. If it is lightly wooded like Flip then I say yes(just for wow factor which I assume all 5s must have). Or instead of elevation can it have water shots instead? Or does a 5 need both water and elevation? If it is wooded with water shots does it need elevation also to be a 5? just mumbling out loud.

It doesn't need one thing or another, it needs all of them to be a 5 in my book.

 

[dreadlock86]

It doesn't need one thing or another, it needs all of them to be a 5 in my book.

i agree. isn't that what defines a 5? a 5 is supposed to mean that there is no way the course could be better. if a really great course has no elevation, it could be better.

i think what is confusing for a lot of reviewer is this: if a great course that you would like to call a 5 couldn't possibly be better, GIVEN THE REALITIES OF THE COURSE, is it still a 5? by that i mean, some places just don't have any water nearby. does that mean that you can't have a 5 rated course in the desert? does it mean you can't have a 5 rated course in the midwest where everything is flat? it is necessarily relative given the geographical features of any given region.

 

[dreadlock86]

and of course, my observations above go a long way in explaining regional bias in reviews. someone from the midwest might come to an average east coast course and think it's the greatest thing ever because they've never seen a course with so much elevation and woods. or someone from an urban area might not have any experience with truly isolated and scenic courses.

 

[culinarywiz]

So a "5" is untouchable. The tops. No improvements can be made. It is the ultimate in euphoria. All planets align in the creation of such colossal greatness. Mankind as a whole can be improved by the initiation of such a course. Hmmm...

It is still just field, forest, shrub, water, tee and basket.

Lets not expect something beyond what is possible.

If the course kicks ass, it just might deserve a 5.

 

[Dave242]

Exactly. Look at it as an A+. It can be 100% (or more if you give extra credit)......or it can be a 97%. (a few minor blemishes).