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Best Disc Golf State
- Thread starter PhattD
- Start date
jedwards
Eagle Member
You are wrong because everything "Michigan" is "wrong" -- GO BUCKEYES!
The traditional top 4 are California, Texas, North Carolina and Florida. I'm not sure what order you would put them in, since I've only played a handful of courses in California and Texas and I've never been to North Carolina or Florida.
Iowa and Michigan are two Midwest states that have very good disc golf scenes. I'm not sure where they would rate nationwide.
Iowa and Michigan are two Midwest states that have very good disc golf scenes. I'm not sure where they would rate nationwide.
I won't give away whats the best and whats the worst right now, but after playing almost every state and 800 courses, I can't imagine why anyone would put California, Florida, or Texas in the top 4 (well maybe Texas, I am there now and will play half the courses this month so we'll see).
California is extremely overrated, not only is the state miserable, but the good courses are literally half a day's drive apart (save for Lake Tahoe area). No other major disc golf state makes you drive 5 hours to play two decent courses in one day. Most courses out there are poorly marked, bad neighborhoods, too hot in season, the discs skip too much, woods holes poorly designed, low ceiling and way too many holes where all you do is throw blindly at a wall of trees and hope to hit the right one on the way down.
Florida is great, but it's flat, you can't go in the water, and the bugs, hurricanes, etc can ruin the fun if your timing is bad.
Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Upstate NY, Kentucky, that's the loop where it's at. Colorado is probably the best western-half of the country state for disc golf.
CA, TX, FL courses did not make the top 10 list on this very site.
IS there an easy way to calculate the average rating for en entire state?
Like all the ratings for every course in a state added up and divided by the amount of ratings? Obviously it won't be an exact science but it would be interesting!
California is extremely overrated, not only is the state miserable, but the good courses are literally half a day's drive apart (save for Lake Tahoe area). No other major disc golf state makes you drive 5 hours to play two decent courses in one day. Most courses out there are poorly marked, bad neighborhoods, too hot in season, the discs skip too much, woods holes poorly designed, low ceiling and way too many holes where all you do is throw blindly at a wall of trees and hope to hit the right one on the way down.
Florida is great, but it's flat, you can't go in the water, and the bugs, hurricanes, etc can ruin the fun if your timing is bad.
Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Upstate NY, Kentucky, that's the loop where it's at. Colorado is probably the best western-half of the country state for disc golf.
CA, TX, FL courses did not make the top 10 list on this very site.
IS there an easy way to calculate the average rating for en entire state?
Like all the ratings for every course in a state added up and divided by the amount of ratings? Obviously it won't be an exact science but it would be interesting!
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I suppose if you added up the average rating of each rated course and divided by the number of rated courses, it might tell you something. That way each rated course in the state would be weighted equally. If you added up all the ratings and divided by the number of ratings, one particular course with a lot of ratings would skew the data.
adam423
Par Member
Texas has 27 courses rated 4.0 or above, but I bet they're really spread out. Wisconsin and Michigan both have 17. NC has 16. Minnesota has 14. Iowa 13. Colorado has 12.
Of course, courses w/ only one review of 5 or something would mess that up, but I thought that might help.
Of course, courses w/ only one review of 5 or something would mess that up, but I thought that might help.
The calculation might just say that people in a given area are prone to overrating/underrating things because of their over all outloook.
Probably. But if you buy into that completely then we should shut down this site, since all the ratings are hogwash anyway. Flawed thought they might be, the ratings are what we got. I'm willing to buy into the notion that the over/under ratings will even out at some point.
haha, yeah, I agree! More reviews = more accurate picture. I wonder where that point is, 100 reviews per course? 10?
Hard to say. I noticed that on my profile it says my average review is a "2." 
Actually it's a 2.4 or something like that, but it comes up as two discs on the profile. So may average rating is a little bit above average, but compared to what else I'm seeing I think I might be underrating the courses here. That would be in keeping with my cynical world view. Anyway, I'm not quite sure what to do about it. I call 'em like I see 'em.
Actually it's a 2.4 or something like that, but it comes up as two discs on the profile. So may average rating is a little bit above average, but compared to what else I'm seeing I think I might be underrating the courses here. That would be in keeping with my cynical world view. Anyway, I'm not quite sure what to do about it. I call 'em like I see 'em.
well since ive only been to 23 courses, 22 of them being in michigan, Im gonna have to say michigan is the best disc golf state!!! lol, no but for real its probably in the top 3 at least. There's alot of signature courses up here like Flip City, Beauty, Beast, Kensington Tunnel, Kensington Toboggan, Hudson Mills, Firefighters Park, those are just a few and there are alot of courses on the west side of the state that I hear are real good that I havnt been to yet.
go- "michigan"
boo- "suckeyes"
lol
go- "michigan"
boo- "suckeyes"
lol
I was thinking that one course with a lot of reviews would skew the data, but a lot of courses with one high review could do the same thing.
I was looking at the 4-5 rated courses in Illinois...Campton Hills in St. Charles? It's a "2" at best, probably a "1.5."
Pioneer Park in Kirkland is no better than a "2."
Eagle Ridge in Oswego is a "2."
I would have given Rockton a "1" because the place was a mud pit the last time I was there...170ft hyzer shots set amongst piles of dirt and rock, and somebody rated it a "4."
Channahon is a "3." I mean, come on. I like Channahon, and the last time I was there I thought Frank Grimes should get a medal for all the work he has done there. But it's flat and not all that wooded. Frank can't make hills and woods, and you can't make Channahon a "4."
All these over rated courses with one or two reviews will skew the data as well. I just don't think we have enough data to really get an accurate view of anything yet.
I was looking at the 4-5 rated courses in Illinois...Campton Hills in St. Charles? It's a "2" at best, probably a "1.5."
Pioneer Park in Kirkland is no better than a "2."
Eagle Ridge in Oswego is a "2."
I would have given Rockton a "1" because the place was a mud pit the last time I was there...170ft hyzer shots set amongst piles of dirt and rock, and somebody rated it a "4."
Channahon is a "3." I mean, come on. I like Channahon, and the last time I was there I thought Frank Grimes should get a medal for all the work he has done there. But it's flat and not all that wooded. Frank can't make hills and woods, and you can't make Channahon a "4."
All these over rated courses with one or two reviews will skew the data as well. I just don't think we have enough data to really get an accurate view of anything yet.
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2008
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If you aren't real picky about the courses you play (and subsequently review) then a profile average of 2ish is right where it should be.Hard to say. I noticed that on my profile it says my average review is a "2."
However, I think most of us are inclined to play "better" courses. Meaning we're not going out of our way to play a known, or suspected lousy course just for the purpose of reviewing it to balance out our overall average rating.
There are a couple courses near me (Mason Park and Clinton Park) that I have no desire to play based on word of mouth. But if I did I suspect I'd rate them poorly. That would more accurately bring my overall average rating closer to what "average" should be.
When I made my recent trip to Denver the courses I played were mostly chosen based on high DGCR ratings and recommendations. So when I get around to rating them I'll probably rate them highly because I did enjoy most of them. This sort of practice "inflates" a DGCR member's overall average rating.
BTW I'm currently a 3.12 overall average on 37 reviews.
ERic
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2008
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- 4,072
I suppose so. I rated two courses a "0." Throw those two out and my average becomes a perky 2.66
yup thats why I said, "lol",
I wouldnt be surprised if michigan was in the top 3 though (through the perspective of someone whos played in all states)
I haven't been to all states but I will say Texas is loaded with great courses ( I don't live in Texas) and I would definitely rate it above Florida. Haven't played in Michigan. It seems to me very few people have any idea which state is best since most have'nt played in all or almost all the states.
There's another thread somewhere on here that talks about places to take a disc golf vacation/road-trip to that addresses some of this. I haven't played everywhere yet, but I've played in about 20 different states, and have spent a lot of time talking with golfers who've had different experiences across a lot of different places, and there is more that factors in than simply the courses -- there is also the course proximity to one another, the group of local players, the TDs who put together events (and bring in national talent), the Web sites that make it easier for players to connect to one another), etc...
I will say up front that I haven't spent time in MI, nor have I been to Idlewild/Mt.Airy, and from what I've heard, both those areas have amazing disc golf.
From the places I've played, I'd rate NC first because they do everything right. Amazing courses well distributed across the state, totally devoted locals, proximity to Innova East (which helps), huge tourneys and amazing TDs, lots of private courses (which add a whole different dimension to play), and a lot of energy and enthusiasm that is driving the growth and development of the sport.
For simply an amazing set of courses, I'd have to go with PA as having the most top-level courses of any state I've been to. They've got Tyler, Nockamixon, Morainne, Deer Lakes, Knob Hill, Quaker's Challenge, Lehigh Valley, Jordan Creek, Patapsco, Whispering Falls, etc... and less than an hour from the state borders you add in places like Paw Paw, Warwick, Seneca, Iron Hill, etc... The overall scene doesn't equal NC, and the courses are more spread apart, but if you want to live in one place and have easy access to a sick, sick number of top-tier courses, there are few better places on the planet.
For sheer numbers, you of course can't beat Texas, but you also need to remember that Texas is friggin' HUGE, and therefore lots of courses should be expected. A lot of other states have one or two big cities, TX has six cities in the top-25 in terms of population (Houston-4, San Antonio-7, Dallas-9, Austin-16, Fort Worth-17, El Paso-21), and six more in the top 100.
Of course, as far as disc golf in TX is concerned, the vast majority of the courses are basically in a much-smaller subset of the state, the triangle between Houston, D/FW, and San Antonio/Austin. This area -- which is basically the size of a "normal" state, does contain some pretty amazing courses, but Texas is limited by its geography. The sheer beauty possible from elevation and trees that exist other places simply doesn't exist often enough in Texas. There are a lot of great tournament courses -- where a decent piece of land has an amazingly well-designed course on it -- but that doesn't approach nearly the same degree of beauty as playing some of the PA courses...
Of course, Texas does have thousands of holes of disc golf, so you can play for weeks straight and never play the same hole twice if you wanted to. And they do have a very friendly local community and some very decent players. And pretty good weather year-round. So I would recommend Texas as an A-list "winter disc golf" place. But if you can live in PA for the rest of the year, do.
I will say up front that I haven't spent time in MI, nor have I been to Idlewild/Mt.Airy, and from what I've heard, both those areas have amazing disc golf.
From the places I've played, I'd rate NC first because they do everything right. Amazing courses well distributed across the state, totally devoted locals, proximity to Innova East (which helps), huge tourneys and amazing TDs, lots of private courses (which add a whole different dimension to play), and a lot of energy and enthusiasm that is driving the growth and development of the sport.
For simply an amazing set of courses, I'd have to go with PA as having the most top-level courses of any state I've been to. They've got Tyler, Nockamixon, Morainne, Deer Lakes, Knob Hill, Quaker's Challenge, Lehigh Valley, Jordan Creek, Patapsco, Whispering Falls, etc... and less than an hour from the state borders you add in places like Paw Paw, Warwick, Seneca, Iron Hill, etc... The overall scene doesn't equal NC, and the courses are more spread apart, but if you want to live in one place and have easy access to a sick, sick number of top-tier courses, there are few better places on the planet.
For sheer numbers, you of course can't beat Texas, but you also need to remember that Texas is friggin' HUGE, and therefore lots of courses should be expected. A lot of other states have one or two big cities, TX has six cities in the top-25 in terms of population (Houston-4, San Antonio-7, Dallas-9, Austin-16, Fort Worth-17, El Paso-21), and six more in the top 100.
Of course, as far as disc golf in TX is concerned, the vast majority of the courses are basically in a much-smaller subset of the state, the triangle between Houston, D/FW, and San Antonio/Austin. This area -- which is basically the size of a "normal" state, does contain some pretty amazing courses, but Texas is limited by its geography. The sheer beauty possible from elevation and trees that exist other places simply doesn't exist often enough in Texas. There are a lot of great tournament courses -- where a decent piece of land has an amazingly well-designed course on it -- but that doesn't approach nearly the same degree of beauty as playing some of the PA courses...
Of course, Texas does have thousands of holes of disc golf, so you can play for weeks straight and never play the same hole twice if you wanted to. And they do have a very friendly local community and some very decent players. And pretty good weather year-round. So I would recommend Texas as an A-list "winter disc golf" place. But if you can live in PA for the rest of the year, do.
I should be headed to Michigan next summer for a trip so I am looking forward to playing those courses. Kentucky has a really solid selection of courses although they are spread out throughout the state. But with all of those states mentioned so far it doesn't seem like you would be able to go wrong.
I like this thread because it shows the difference in styles of DG. I have done a little bit of traveling and the one thing I have noticed is that in order to find a course different than what you are used to playing, you need to leave your region. I like the courses in Tennessee and Kentucky, but I really enjoyed the course I played in Maine, because it was different. I really liked the courses in upstate New York, because they were different than what we have here. I have heard that in Texas and other western states, there are more open holes, that are typically longer. Here we have thick forests and the fairways are fairly tight for the most part. Many guys that just want to air it out may not like the style of DG in our region. It all depends on tastes. The only way to get an actual answer to this question would be for someone to have played in every state, but that would still be only one man's opinion.
I like this thread because it shows the difference in styles of DG. I have done a little bit of traveling and the one thing I have noticed is that in order to find a course different than what you are used to playing, you need to leave your region. I like the courses in Tennessee and Kentucky, but I really enjoyed the course I played in Maine, because it was different. I really liked the courses in upstate New York, because they were different than what we have here. I have heard that in Texas and other western states, there are more open holes, that are typically longer. Here we have thick forests and the fairways are fairly tight for the most part. Many guys that just want to air it out may not like the style of DG in our region. It all depends on tastes. The only way to get an actual answer to this question would be for someone to have played in every state, but that would still be only one man's opinion.
This discussion will end up like Little League....no matter how bad you are, you still get a trophy so that no one has esteem issues or feels left out.
