denny ritner

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated."
-Arnold Palmer

A few words that relate to all my reviews:

My reviews are written primarily for the traveling, experienced disc golfer. I think DCR is a fantastic resource that I use when traveling and deciding where to play. I hope that my reviews are a helpful addition to the site.

I have designed and constructed several disc golf courses, spending over a thousand hours in the process. I know how it feels to recent less-than-glowing feedback on my work. I respect the hard work that all designers have spent and do not wish to step on anyone's toes with my reviews. Having said that, I take my role as a reviewer seriously and attempt to make the best, unbiased assessments of courses and cannot sugar-coat things. I tend to give lower ratings on most courses than the course average.

I view safety in course design very seriously, probably more so than most reviewers. I am also very critical of courses with less-than-intuitive routing and insufficient directional signage. It's especially unnerving when it takes 20 minutes to find the first tee once arriving at the destination. It's nice to arrive at a new course and play with locals, but it sucks when the course cannot be navigated without their assistance. In that vein, multiple basket locations are great for locals, but very frustrating for visitors when it cannot be readily discerned from the tee signs which position a basket is in. Likewise, it's frustrating when many holes are blind, requiring walking up the fairway.

Aesthetics matter, including natural beauty and maintenance. A mediocre design on an amazing piece of property will likely receive a higher rating than a perfect design on a crappy piece of property. Benches, trash cans, bathrooms, and drinking water on the course matter. I do not give bonus points for more than one course at a single location. I do subtract .5 for courses with less than 18 holes. I do not give bonus points for more than 18 holes. In fact, I feel that good courses with 19-26 holes could likely be great 18 hole courses.

In terms of challenge, multiple tees are essential for most courses. I look for each set of tees to be designed for a particular skill level, corresponding with the PDGA skill color guidelines. I prefer courses that are well balanced in terms of power and technical requirements; I hate wide-open holes. Courses that have par 4's and par 5's are superior to those with all par 3's. I value shot choices and required course management highly in assigning a rating. For a course to be great, it must provide a complete test of disc golf at least for the blue level player. I value "beginner" courses and will write about their strengths as such, but the best such course would likely receive a 2.5 rating. If you google the best 100 golf courses in the world, no list would contain "Joe's Par 3 Course".

Blah, blah, blah . . . what, you're still reading? . . . go practice your putting!