Best disc golf city in the country?

[Cgkdisc]

Cincy is 6th if you simply look at number of courses within 25 miles. He ranked the cities by how many 3.75 rated courses were in that radius. We know players are more than willing to regularly play courses with ratings under 3.75.

I think Chicago may have more courses within 25 miles than anyone but apparently less than 2 courses with a 3.75+ rating.

 

[grodney]

I don't think I've ever done a search on Chicago. Or anywhere in Florida. Or Houston. Feel free to do your own or nominate zip codes.

The only cities listed on my chart are ones that have been mentioned in this thread or others. Like Bowling Green. I only listed them because somebody mentioned them.

I probably should have noted this. The list is far from exhaustive. Hell, I missed Ann Arbor completely until the previous update, and missed Maine until this one.

 

[grodney]

Chicago 60527 (Burr Ridge) has 63 total in the 25-mile DGCR search.

Chicago 60453 (Oak Lawn) has 55 total with 1 at 4.0+ and 5 at 3.75+.

I think the only way to get a 4.0 in a Chicago search is to drop down to Lemon Lake. I think Highland is at 3.99.

 

[Steve West]

Here are the top 60 places, ranked and scored by quantity of disc golf nearby, based on a formula which gives more weight to bigger courses that are closer (not just "within" an arbitrary radius - a flawed method which tends to pick places that have a lot of courses out on the edge of the radius).

Rank	Score	Place
1	5.27	Bartlett, IL 60103
2	5.15	St Paul, MN 55116
3	5.04	Charlotte, NC 28210
4	4.95	Homer Glen, IL 60491
5	4.94	Dexter, MI 48130
6	4.89	Grayslake, IL 60030
7	4.84	Germantown, OH 45327
8	4.79	Grand Rapids Charter Township, MI 49508
9	4.75	Milwaukee, WI 53224
10	4.68	Coplay, PA 18037
11	4.58	Augusta, MI 49012
12	4.53	Gardiner, ME 04345
13	4.49	Kansas City, MO 64111
14	4.48	Round Rock, TX 78681
15	4.44	Appleton, WI 54911
16	4.43	Rock Island, IL 61201
17	4.40	Coppell, TX 75019
18	4.36	Lancaster, PA 17602
19	4.29	Tulsa, OK 74107
20	4.28	Arvada, CO 80005
21	4.20	Westerville, OH 43081
22	4.20	Houston, TX 77045
23	4.08	Cary, NC 27511
24	4.02	Spring, TX 77389
25	4.00	Indianapolis, IN 46280
26	3.99	Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
27	3.99	Cleveland, WI 53015
28	3.98	Ludington, MI 49431
29	3.94	Helsinki Finland
30	3.92	Machesney Park, IL 61115
31	3.91	Bowling Green, KY 42103
32	3.90	Peru, IN 46970
33	3.88	Charlotte, MI 48813
34	3.87	Washington, IL 61571
35	3.87	Hockessin, DE 19707
36	3.85	Wellsville, PA 17365
37	3.83	Spring Grove, PA 17362
38	3.82	Asheville, NC 28806
39	3.81	Tupelo, MS 38804
40	3.76	Eau Claire, WI 54703
41	3.76	Baltimore, MD 21211
42	3.75	Oxford, MA 01537
43	3.75	North Plains, OR 97133
44	3.73	Bromma, Sweden
45	3.73	North Canton, OH 44720
46	3.71	Des Moines, IA 50317
47	3.70	Clearwater, MN 55320
48	3.65	San Antonio, TX 78233
49	3.65	Sand City, CA 93955
50	3.65	Seneca, SC 29678
51	3.63	Seattle, WA 98146
52	3.62	High Bridge, WI 54846
53	3.58	La Mirada, CA 90638
54	3.56	Nicholasville, KY 40356
55	3.55	Mobile, AL 36618
56	3.51	Orchard Park, NY 14127
57	3.51	North Potomac, MD 20878
58	3.51	Spotsylvania, VA 22551
59	3.49	Greenville, SC 29614
60	3.49	Huntsville, AL 35806

 

[InnocentCrook]

I don't know any area like I know the Cincinnati/Northern Ky/Dayton OH area, so I can't say how I would vote, if there was a poll.

Assuming that chart grodney posted is accurate enough for discussion, I am amazed Cincinnati is so far down the list. To me that means there are a lot of great areas in this country for disc golf, because we have it made around here with all the great/good and courses worth playing we have to choose from. :clap:

Agreed. Plus Osage Grove up in Goshen will probably have it's official opening next spring. Having played it a few times already I'm guessing it should probably get pretty solid reviews. Because of the success of the Goshen course it appears things are in the works to build a course at Stonelick State Park.

Not to mention a couple of new 9 hole courses have popped up without much fanfare. (Walton Comm. Park and Gauche Park)

Though I'm not sure if they all will fall in the 25 mile radius.

 

[scarpfish]

25 miles to a course is a local drive for me anymore, considering I go 48 miles to work.

 

[InnocentCrook]

25 miles to a course is a local drive for me anymore, considering I go 48 miles to work.

I consider anything within about an hour's drive from my house to be "local".

 

[Nasastevo]

Here are the top 60 places, ranked and scored by quantity of disc golf nearby, based on a formula which gives more weight to bigger courses that are closer (not just "within" an arbitrary radius - a flawed method which tends to pick places that have a lot of courses out on the edge of the radius).

Rank	Score	Place
1	5.27	Bartlett, IL 60103
2	5.15	St Paul, MN 55116
3	5.04	Charlotte, NC 28210
4	4.95	Homer Glen, IL 60491
5	4.94	Dexter, MI 48130
6	4.89	Grayslake, IL 60030
7	4.84	Germantown, OH 45327
8	4.79	Grand Rapids Charter Township, MI 49508
9	4.75	Milwaukee, WI 53224
10	4.68	Coplay, PA 18037
11	4.58	Augusta, MI 49012
12	4.53	Gardiner, ME 04345
13	4.49	Kansas City, MO 64111
14	4.48	Round Rock, TX 78681
15	4.44	Appleton, WI 54911
16	4.43	Rock Island, IL 61201
17	4.40	Coppell, TX 75019
18	4.36	Lancaster, PA 17602
19	4.29	Tulsa, OK 74107
20	4.28	Arvada, CO 80005
21	4.20	Westerville, OH 43081
22	4.20	Houston, TX 77045
23	4.08	Cary, NC 27511
24	4.02	Spring, TX 77389
25	4.00	Indianapolis, IN 46280
26	3.99	Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
27	3.99	Cleveland, WI 53015
28	3.98	Ludington, MI 49431
29	3.94	Helsinki Finland
30	3.92	Machesney Park, IL 61115
31	3.91	Bowling Green, KY 42103
32	3.90	Peru, IN 46970
33	3.88	Charlotte, MI 48813
34	3.87	Washington, IL 61571
35	3.87	Hockessin, DE 19707
36	3.85	Wellsville, PA 17365
37	3.83	Spring Grove, PA 17362
38	3.82	Asheville, NC 28806
39	3.81	Tupelo, MS 38804
40	3.76	Eau Claire, WI 54703
41	3.76	Baltimore, MD 21211
42	3.75	Oxford, MA 01537
43	3.75	North Plains, OR 97133
44	3.73	Bromma, Sweden
45	3.73	North Canton, OH 44720
46	3.71	Des Moines, IA 50317
47	3.70	Clearwater, MN 55320
48	3.65	San Antonio, TX 78233
49	3.65	Sand City, CA 93955
50	3.65	Seneca, SC 29678
51	3.63	Seattle, WA 98146
52	3.62	High Bridge, WI 54846
53	3.58	La Mirada, CA 90638
54	3.56	Nicholasville, KY 40356
55	3.55	Mobile, AL 36618
56	3.51	Orchard Park, NY 14127
57	3.51	North Potomac, MD 20878
58	3.51	Spotsylvania, VA 22551
59	3.49	Greenville, SC 29614
60	3.49	Huntsville, AL 35806

Impressive list! How about we throw in the weather/ability to play year round? I live in California and can play over 70 courses within a 100 mile radius YEAR ROUND. With a few exceptions...You guys are crazy dedicated to play in below freezing temps!!! I have only done it a handful of times, and I will take the desert 100+ degree heat over frozen tundra any day. I know, I'm a wussy Cali boy. LOL Great thread.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Here are the top 60 places, ranked and scored by quantity of disc golf nearby, based on a formula which gives more weight to bigger courses that are closer (not just "within" an arbitrary radius - a flawed method which tends to pick places that have a lot of courses out on the edge of the radius).

Rank	Score	Place
1	5.27	Bartlett, IL 60103
2	5.15	St Paul, MN 55116
3	5.04	Charlotte, NC 28210
4	4.95	Homer Glen, IL 60491
5	4.94	Dexter, MI 48130
6	4.89	Grayslake, IL 60030
7	4.84	Germantown, OH 45327
8	4.79	Grand Rapids Charter Township, MI 49508
9	4.75	Milwaukee, WI 53224
10	4.68	Coplay, PA 18037
11	4.58	Augusta, MI 49012
12	4.53	Gardiner, ME 04345
13	4.49	Kansas City, MO 64111
14	4.48	Round Rock, TX 78681
15	4.44	Appleton, WI 54911
16	4.43	Rock Island, IL 61201
17	4.40	Coppell, TX 75019
18	4.36	Lancaster, PA 17602
19	4.29	Tulsa, OK 74107
20	4.28	Arvada, CO 80005
21	4.20	Westerville, OH 43081
22	4.20	Houston, TX 77045
23	4.08	Cary, NC 27511
24	4.02	Spring, TX 77389
25	4.00	Indianapolis, IN 46280
26	3.99	Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
27	3.99	Cleveland, WI 53015
28	3.98	Ludington, MI 49431
29	3.94	Helsinki Finland
30	3.92	Machesney Park, IL 61115
31	3.91	Bowling Green, KY 42103
32	3.90	Peru, IN 46970
33	3.88	Charlotte, MI 48813
34	3.87	Washington, IL 61571
35	3.87	Hockessin, DE 19707
36	3.85	Wellsville, PA 17365
37	3.83	Spring Grove, PA 17362
38	3.82	Asheville, NC 28806
39	3.81	Tupelo, MS 38804
40	3.76	Eau Claire, WI 54703
41	3.76	Baltimore, MD 21211
42	3.75	Oxford, MA 01537
43	3.75	North Plains, OR 97133
44	3.73	Bromma, Sweden
45	3.73	North Canton, OH 44720
46	3.71	Des Moines, IA 50317
47	3.70	Clearwater, MN 55320
48	3.65	San Antonio, TX 78233
49	3.65	Sand City, CA 93955
50	3.65	Seneca, SC 29678
51	3.63	Seattle, WA 98146
52	3.62	High Bridge, WI 54846
53	3.58	La Mirada, CA 90638
54	3.56	Nicholasville, KY 40356
55	3.55	Mobile, AL 36618
56	3.51	Orchard Park, NY 14127
57	3.51	North Potomac, MD 20878
58	3.51	Spotsylvania, VA 22551
59	3.49	Greenville, SC 29614
60	3.49	Huntsville, AL 35806

I like the idea of weighting towards proximity, but does this list account for quality of the courses?

Also, I agree that some climates are much better suited for year round play, which is a big plus. However, factoring that in introduces a difficult variable to quantify, and varies greatly from persom to person. That being said, weather never gets too bad around Charlotte. Hurricanes: yes, but too far inland for storm surge - and that's the most damging thing with 'canes.

 

[optidiscic]

the above list has Lancaster on it which is a joke......why? because there a bunch of silly mini golf courses that a bunch goofy disc golfers put on their private properties that they are rated 4s and 5s by I am guessing the 8 guys who play in the mini disc golf federation...I am pretty sure nobody really would consider this little mini disc heaven a great DG deestination. Albeit the goofy disc golfers are great guys and mini disc golf is fun

http://minidiscgolf.com/?page_id=48

 

[bholy08]

the above list has Lancaster on it which is a joke......why? because there a bunch of silly mini golf courses that a bunch goofy disc golfers put on their private properties that they are rated 4s and 5s by I am guessing the 8 guys who play in the mini disc golf federation...I am pretty sure nobody really would consider this little mini disc heaven a great DG deestination. Albeit the goofy disc golfers are great guys and mini disc golf is fun

http://minidiscgolf.com/?page_id=48

wow that is weird.

 

[Steve West]

Impressive list! How about we throw in the weather/ability to play year round? I live in California and can play over 70 courses within a 100 mile radius YEAR ROUND. With a few exceptions...You guys are crazy dedicated to play in below freezing temps!!! I have only done it a handful of times, and I will take the desert 100+ degree heat over frozen tundra any day. I know, I'm a wussy Cali boy. LOL Great thread.

I like the idea of weighting towards proximity, but does this list account for quality of the courses?

Also, I agree that some climates are much better suited for year round play, which is a big plus. However, factoring that in introduces a difficult variable to quantify, and varies greatly from persom to person. That being said, weather never gets too bad around Charlotte. Hurricanes: yes, but too far inland for storm surge - and that's the most damging thing with 'canes.

the above list has Lancaster on it which is a joke......why? because there a bunch of silly mini golf courses that a bunch goofy disc golfers put on their private properties that they are rated 4s and 5s by I am guessing the 8 guys who play in the mini disc golf federation...I am pretty sure nobody really would consider this little mini disc heaven a great DG deestination. Albeit the goofy disc golfers are great guys and mini disc golf is fun

http://minidiscgolf.com/?page_id=48

The list is pure quantity. It's input into the debate, not the final answer. Think of it as a list of candidates for the best places for disc golf.

I've made a little headway into accounting for weather- but only with temperatures. However, it's too much work to do everywhere on the list just for fun.

I agree mini-golf shouldn't count, or at least should count for very little. (These figures count it as much as big disc golf.) However, there is still a lot of real disc golf around Lancaster; it's worth consideration.

As for the other aspects of quality, if you did take that into account, I think it would change the list very little, at least at the top. When there are 40 or 50 courses within playing range, the average rating of all those courses is going to be close to the average of all courses.

Unless you are very picky and will only play 4+ rated courses. That's a legitimate viewpoint, too. Even then, you'd still find your favorite place somewhere on this list.

 

[5slamma]

We can all answer this one the same i bet: At my local course, with my local crew. Not far from home in good company. Best golf in town.

 

[Lewis]

...You guys are crazy dedicated to play in below freezing temps!!! I have only done it a handful of times, and I will take the desert 100+ degree heat over frozen tundra any day. I know, I'm a wussy Cali boy. LOL Great thread.

Wussy boys don't play in 100+ degree heat. I betcha the Cheeseheads would wilt in the California desert as quickly as you would break down in their tundra. It's just a matter of where you grew up.

 

[grodney]

Good stuff with the weather, Steve West. Back in 2003, I pulled the climate normals for U.S. cities, thus allowing a Climate Index to be calculated for various Disc Golf cities.

Here is the chart of the Top 10 Disc Golf cities, sorted by Climate Index.

p.s. This list contains all the areas I have found that have either 4 courses at 4.0+ or 6 courses at 3.75+. There may be others (see previous posts).

 

[DavidSauls]

Interesting. What is "Climate Index"?

 

[grodney]

Interesting. What is "Climate Index"?

Climate Index = Rodney's made-up formula using the climate data.

It's been 9 years ago, but I think I originally intended for it to roughly represent the number of reasonable disc-golfable days per year. (Hard cores golf 365 days a year!)

My spreadsheet shows the formula as:
365 minus
90-degree days divided by 2, minus
32-degree days divided by 2, minus
Precip days divided by 2, minus
Snow inches divided by 10, minus
Wind Average.

Obviously you can make up whatever formula you want. Mine might not be harsh enough on Precip Days and Cold Days, but seems somewhat reasonable overall (to me). Not surprisingly, the best Climate Indexes are in California:
LOS ANGELES AP, CA 338.5
SANTA BARBARA, CA 338.0
SAN DIEGO, CA 336.0
LONG BEACH, CA 332.3
SANTA MARIA, CA 325.1
SAN FRANCISCO AP, CA 320.4
GALVESTON, TX 298.5
EUREKA, CA. 296.7
KAHULUI, HI 290.7
HONOLULU,HI 289.2

 

[Brokensaint]

I'm just gonna throw St. Louis some love here. We have a very robust club and league scene. We get 4 seasons. Summer is muggy, winter is icy. So what? Spring and fall in the Midwest is worth it. Honestly, other than in the snow (which has less to do with temp and more to do with losing discs) I play year-round. Pretty much 40 minutes from the Arch, give or take:
Jefferson Barracks: Beautiful wooded park with elevation, mature trees, well kept course 18 holes-good for serious behginners and up-great league
Sioux Passage: Expansive elevation, wooded and open mixed, again beautiful setting, well-kept and windy-not for beginners-18
Endicott: More wooded/some open-technical and challenging-great league-serious beginners, but you can bring your wife/kids if they are interested-18
Quail ridge: Wooded elevation changes-serious beginners upGreat league-18
Carrollton: Built on what was once a residential neighborhood-long rolling elevation changes that sneak up on you-open with mature trees-serious beginners will realize they have some work to do here- growing league-18
Woodland Park-More elevation changes-wooded and mature-water everywhere-serious beginners will realize they have some work to do and will learn the sorrow of swimming discs-could be cleaner-18
Rock Springs-Mix of open/wooded, more elevation throughout-18
White Birch-pay to play (couple bucks) Oldest course in MO (I think)-Short technical wooded-heavily played-could be cleaner due to non-DG dgers but great for beginners-18
Creve Coeur: Now only open in winter due to budget cuts-Long and flat and windy for those of you who like to open up on every hole (not my favorite, personally)-big arms get to air it out-not hard, just long-18
Watson Trails, Paul Schroeder, and Bluebird are all 9-hole courses of ascending complexity-all wooded-bluebird has some steep elevation changes-Watson and Schroeder are very good for beginning level players-Bluebird for serious beginners
El Shaddai: Pay to play (couple bucks) mix of wooded and open/Ok for beginners-18
Silver lake: Beautiful land/some elevation/water-18

Expand the radius a bit-About an hour and half or so drive and you get into the Ozark mountain 3-course twice yearly tournaments that Gateway hosts, you get the columbia, Rolla and moline courses that are beautiful and close to one another. Go into IL the same distance and you get the Springfield courses, Foundation 9 and 18.

Not much dead-flat and open, because parking lot golf is boring

Not saying St. Louis is the greatest, but if you lived here, you'd be playing well

Come on, RCF guys, where are you?

 

[Brokensaint]

I said moline, i meant moberly

 

[rj29274]

Des Moines - end thread