Ball and Disc Golf together?

[edfaits]

I just played a unique course for this area that added disc golf to a ball golf business, Copper Hill in East Granby, CT. It worked remarkably well. They even allow mixed cards, ball and disc golfers playing together.

Is this common in other parts of the world? This course also had a "foot golf" layout, although when I played the course was probably 75% ball golfers and 25% disc golfers, with nary a soccer ball to be seen.

Any examples of courses where this works well? Any cautionary tales?

 

[biscoe]

There are a couple around here. The multiple types of golf seem to be able to coexist with minimal friction. I designed and helped install one with foot golf also on the course and have yet to see a soccer ball either.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I've played DG on a few open to the public golf courses I'd describe as low end as far as golf establishments go.
Yankeee Springs in Wayland, MI
Orangebrook in Hollywood FL
Sunnybrook (RIP'd)
Marlette (RIP'd)

It's a kind of been a trend as DG has grown, but that trend certainly hasn't grown at anything near the pace that DG as a whole has.

 

[elmexdela]

yah we got them in mn

dg at bolf courses suck tho so whats the point

 

[jeffmonty]

We have two local DG courses on a BG course. They're actually nice courses. When this trend started I thought it was a pretty cool idea. Now I've mostly come to hate it. I have free passes to play there and I never do. Luckily, I have other options. I like disc golf on an actual disc golf course, trying to hit lines and nail gaps instead of just throwing hard a couple of times on a wide open fairway, and then putt. Boring. (I almost fell asleep just thinking about typing that!)

 

[The Valkyrie Kid]

I've played maybe 25 total, many of which included footie golf, and one, Bear Creek in Winthrop, Washington which included ball golf, disc golf, footie golf and fling golf which is played like lacrosse where you used a lacrosse type stick.

Because I'm in the same age bracket as Jeff Monty, I have to agree with him that in most cases, disc golf played on regular golf courses in terminally boring. I have played a couple of golf courses where I felt it was nothing but a money grab charging me $15 and having no map, no tee pads, no signage and acres of wide open spaces. Then are the exception like Brooktrails in Willits, California. It's set on a nine hole golf course in the Redwoods and is absolutely stunning, well worth the money.

I did play one course somewhere in Cali. It was my 5th or 6th course of the very warm day and I was dog tired so I splurged and rented a cart only to discover that I was the only person on the course with a cart. They were all these really old guys out there golfing and they were all walking. And here was the Valkyrie Kid out there throwing my weak assed little drives, driving to my disc, getting out and throwing again. I felt so lazy! If possible, I would've tried to lean out of my cart, pick up my disc and throw from the comfort of my cart. I know I done you all proud of us disc golfers on this day.

 

[wolfhaley]

yah we got them in mn

dg at bolf courses suck tho so whats the point

That Wirth Par 3 course in Golden Valley is probably the best one I've played. I rated it a 3. Probably a half star too generous. :|

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I've yet to play one I think is better than 3.0.
Not saying it can't be done, but you got to overcome the monotony of multi-shot open holes to do that.

The best ones I've played have a some water in play that forces you to think about placement, and a few holes where you have to be cognizant about where you land to set up your approach. But those holes were few and far between.

I suppose those courses are more fun for players who can throw 400-450 ft. A 650 -700 ft hole that's two big shots in the open for a noodle arm to set up a an upshot requiring finesse to hopefully get a 4, can be more interesting if you need to place a 400-450 ft tee shot to give yourself a good look at a 3.

 

[wolfhaley]

I'm not a fan from the few that I've played. It's a combination of being a noodle arm, long open boring holes, P2P that is the same or more than some of the best P2P courses out there, the half assed designs/amenities and most importantly the condescending attitude you get at these places.

These are literally the last resort for courses I'll play in a given area. Not knocking them all, I'm sure there's some good ones out there, but from the few I've played it's usually not worth the time. And certainly not the money.

 

[DavidSauls]

A local disc golfer worked out a deal with a blue-collar golf course, and installed a pretty good disc golf course on it. He used a lot of the rough and areas between golf holes (tall trees, but little brush); plus, the course had 3 ponds and was remarkably hilly. It was as good a job as I've seen, putting disc golf on a golf course.

Six months later, the golf course owner sold and timbered all the trees on the property, so all that was left was a wide open course in an ugly place. Sigh.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Territorial Brewing in Battle Creek, MI., is one of those courses that took over a defunct ball golf course. They get free reign of going in and out of the nearby clusters of trees and woods on the sides so it's actually pretty good. Some decent water hazards as well. It's probably the best example of anything ball golf related I've played. Sure, it favors open holes but it's not as badly open and boring as some I've played. I was happy to be able to lay down a few rollers in the summer there where my regular courses had grass that wouldn't allow it. It's also right across the street from Begg Park's decent course, so the two of them have each others' proximity going for them.

There's another Disc Golf course that, I think, replaced ball golf (yep, I capitalize the better version out of reverence) in the Battle Creek area at the veteran's hospital. Maybe the ball golf was still in operation, but if so it was one of the worst ball golf courses I've seen in terms of upkeep. The Disc Golf was decent, but MAN was I carried away by mosquitoes so I rushed out of there and didn't get to fully appreciate it. I remember a few fun shots. This was about 3 years ago; they only had dirt tees at the time and I haven't been back to see if it's updated.

Kalamazoo has a very very inexpensive 9-hole municipal ball golf course called Red Arrow near downtown, like $5 to play ball, Disc, or even foot golf. The ball golf greens are a laughingstock; I've even seen tire marks on the putting surface. The Disc Golf course is pretty wide open and dull for the most part, but at least it's there and only 5 bucks. I preferred having the option to throw my Discs while my family members swung clubs; we had fun. I've never once witnessed a foot golf participant, anywhere, not even a video (not that I've searched for it...I think I will right now!).

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

https://youtu.be/F-B1eE-RiKs

Okay, here's the first video that popped up when I searched "foot golf" in YT and I enjoyed watching it! The short game there looks unique to me. I doubt there's any other situation in any ball-kicking game where you barely tap the ball with your foot and it has big implications to the game play like that. interesting.

When I worked at the YMCA after school program in Kalamazoo over 20 years ago the kids and I made up a golf game using a milk crate for the "hole" and a thrown rubber-coated nerf ball inside their 100-year-old awesome school building with lots of turning hallways, stairs, etc. The kids each took a turn designing the hole as we went and we'd keep score. It was a blast! The hole designer even thoughtfully placed the opening of the milk crate in strategic positions where the only way to get a hole-in-one would be a ricochet off a wall or something. The balls didn't harm any surfaces but they carried well. I have VHS footage of this somewhere. All of those kids would be in their mid thirties now...

 

[ejvogie]

I've played DG on a few open to the public golf courses I'd describe as low end as far as golf establishments go.
Yankeee Springs in Wayland, MI
Orangebrook in Hollywood FL
Sunnybrook (RIP'd)
Marlette (RIP'd)

It's a kind of been a trend as DG has grown, but that trend certainly hasn't grown at anything near the pace that DG as a whole has.

Have you not played the one in Southfield?

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Have you not played the one in Southfield?

Not sure what course you're referring to.

The only course in Southfield is that P.O.S. Devil's Creek, on Lawrence Tech's campus, and it has nothing to do with ball golf.

Are you referring to the RIP'd Bonnie Brook (which was literally the other side of the road from Southfield, but technically in Detroit)? That land used to be a bolf course, but it was never both at the same time.

All the courses I mentioned, had both going on together. Ponds at Lakeshore used to be a golf course, but I didn't mention it either. Didn't think that's what the OP was talking about.

 

[jeffmonty]

At the end of the day any course is certainly better than no course at all.

 

[ejvogie]

Not sure what course you're referring to.

The only course in Southfield is that P.O.S. Devil's Creek, on Lawrence Tech's campus, and it has nothing to do with ball golf.

Are you referring to the RIP'd Bonnie Brook (which was literally the other side of the road from Southfield, but technically in Detroit)? That land used to be a bolf course, but it was never both at the same time.

All the courses I mentioned, had both going on together. Ponds at Lakeshore used to be a golf course, but I didn't mention it either. Didn't think that's what the OP was talking about.

Southgate, my bad.

 

[ejvogie]

All the converted BG courses I've played have been in SE MI. Ponds (2nd 18 much better than the 1st, IMO), Belle Isle (RIP), and Pine Creek (RIP)

Edit - 1 in OH. Lake Erie Islands Resort.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Southgate, my bad.

South Winds Golf Club. .
To be honest, based on my experience on bolf course DG, I haven't made it a priority to bag that course, so I haven't played it.

Looks like you're one of few DGCR folks who has, no? What's it like? Seems like plenty of water in play.

It's not listed on U-Disc. Maybe I should give them a call (734) 258-3004 and see if the baskets are still in the ground...and maybe even play it.

 

[ejvogie]

It's not even listed on their website. Not very good even by bolf frolf standards. Tee from the bolf teepad, basket near the bolf green. Water is there, but you'd have to shank one badly. I doubt I'd go higher than a 2.0

 

[Tripper]

A local disc golfer worked out a deal with a blue-collar golf course, and installed a pretty good disc golf course on it. He used a lot of the rough and areas between golf holes (tall trees, but little brush); plus, the course had 3 ponds and was remarkably hilly. It was as good a job as I've seen, putting disc golf on a golf course.

Six months later, the golf course owner sold and timbered all the trees on the property, so all that was left was a wide open course in an ugly place. Sigh.

Are you referring to The Rock at Stonewall?