Course Baggers

[Monocacy]

Rhode Island quickly comes to mind.
Probs Delaware, too.

Delaware is tricky because of Camp Arrowhead. 2016 review from a staff member there:

As of right now, we run the course as a part of our summer camp program, and don't allow public to play.

 

[Mando]

I don't see much value in a ratings-adjusted total, either to the player, or anyone else. Just a curious statistic.

I don't see course baggers competing against each other for some sort of award or recognition -- not since the original race to 1,000, anyway. Their totals seem to be mostly personal and individual.

To each his own. To me it's like a baseball player just keeping track of his hits and ignoring his batting average.

 

[Monocacy]

To each his own. To me it's like a baseball player just keeping track of his hits and ignoring his batting average.

Probably more like batting average vs. OPS

*Cue baseball nerd discussion about WAR

. . . Even a crappy niner usually has one or two legitimately fun holes. I've played many otherwise lousy courses that had one or two really fun holes that almost redeemed the tire fire that was the rest of the course.

^ This. I have played some highly fun and memorable holes on otherwise meh courses.

 

[DavidSauls]

People care about batting average because it's a meaningful measure of performance.

I don't know if anyone cares about their average quality of course played, or the sum of ratings of courses played. Does someone who plays a great course, feel diminished if he also plays a dinky course? And even if someone cares about his own personal quality ratio or total, does anyone else care that Joe Blow has played courses with ratings totaling 3845, instead of 3197?

 

[Mando]

People care about batting average because it's a meaningful measure of performance.

I don't know if anyone cares about their average quality of course played, or the sum of ratings of courses played. Does someone who plays a great course, feel diminished if he also plays a dinky course? And even if someone cares about his own personal quality ratio or total, does anyone else care that Joe Blow has played courses with ratings totaling 3845, instead of 3197?

You act like the book has already been written. I disagree. Disc golf is in it's infancy.

 

[Mando]

Probably more like batting average vs. OPS

How bout # of hits and slugging%

 

[Monocacy]

How bout # of hits and slugging%

Sure. OPS (On base Percentage plus Slugging) is that plus walks and hit by pitch.

At home I am fortunate to have several outstanding courses nearby, so I don't play the crappy local courses very often. When traveling I try to find a short/easy course near a more challenging course to stretch my legs and warm up.

In recent years I have been limited in how many courses I can play per day, so I tend to play fewer, more challenging courses on road trips. I suppose that would make my [courses]*[rating] stats "better", but I am not sure what meaning I would draw from that. Those who live in areas with lots of highly rated courses (e.g., North Carolina) would tend to have "better" numbers.

But what conclusions would one draw from those numbers?

 

[ejvogie]

Mando, it seems like you're trying to police our fun.

Some people like to play as many unique holes as possible. Others play one course for their whole lives. Others only get their jollies with forced water carries.

To. Each. Their. Own.

 

[scooby snack]

I'm going to choose quality over quantity every time. It's about my own personal experience.

That means fewer courses played, and I'm good with that.

 

[Shuie]

I try to balance it out as much as possible but, if the course is with in 5 miles of my route I'm playing it but, my route takes me to destination spots. Also, traveling with my dog usually mean stops every 3 hours for "pee breaks".

 

[Mando]

I try to balance it out as much as possible but, if the course is with in 5 miles of my route I'm playing it but, my route takes me to destination spots. Also, traveling with my dog usually mean stops every 3 hours for "pee breaks".

What would you say to folks who don't believe course bagging is competitive?

 

[Olorin]

Of course...but then again, harder to maintain 18 than 9.

And harder to maintain 30 than to maintain 18.

 

[cox3]

well I checked my hole number totals. 7,522 unique holes.
thus 7,522/513 equals 14.66 holes per course.

I wonder what this average is for the 1000 plus crew?
[/IMG]

My holes per unique course average is just over 16, which equates to just over 20% 9 hole courses compared to nearly 80% 18 hole courses (not accounting for the fact that there are plenty of courses with other numbers of holes-- since 18 and 9 are the overwhelming majority).

That is my all-time ratio and that seems to be my ratio on my recent large trips as well. I certainly don't plan it that way. That is just the results after the fact. I usually average playing 4-5 18 hole courses and 1-2 9 hole courses per day (90-99 total holes per day).

 

[Olorin]

If you guys are really serious about competitively bagging courses, why not incorporate the rating into the equation?

Mando,

Have you seen the How Normal are Diamond TRs? thread? It's kind of related to what you are saying.

 

[Shuie]

What would you say to folks who don't believe course bagging is competitive?

People say this???

 

[wellsbranch250]

My holes per unique course average is just over 16, which equates to just over 20% 9 hole courses compared to nearly 80% 18 hole courses (not accounting for the fact that there are plenty of courses with other numbers of holes-- since 18 and 9 are the overwhelming majority).

That is my all-time ratio and that seems to be my ratio on my recent large trips as well. I certainly don't plan it that way. That is just the results after the fact. I usually average playing 4-5 18 hole courses and 1-2 9 hole courses per day (90-99 total holes per day).

I would not have guessed you where over 16. My method of playing courses is mostly "carpet bagging" with a few cherry picks and quick course stops off the interstate or major road im traveling on.

 

[Mando]

I don't see course baggers competing against each other for some sort of award or recognition -- not since the original race to 1,000, anyway. .

yes they do,Shuie

 

[cox3]

I would not have guessed you where over 16. My method of playing courses is mostly "carpet bagging" with a few cherry picks and quick course stops off the interstate or major road im traveling on.

I don't actually consider myself a course bagger. I don't even really like the term. I'm a disc golf player. I just play a lot of disc golf. My motivation is not to play as many courses as I can. It's to play every quality course and see how well I can score on it.

 

[Olorin]

I have played quite a few painful courses that really stretched the definition of the word "playable". When they are really bad I keep asking myself, "Now why am I doing this?" I seek to complete playing every course for the state that I live in, so for VA and NC the rating has not been a factor at all. I play 'em all. But if I plan a vacation trip to other states it will be to play the highest rated courses. When I have been on business trips I look for the best courses to play but proximity and other work constraints dictate where to go. One of my lifetime goals is to play the top 3 highest DGCR rated courses in all 50 states and to get to 1000 courses played so that has both quality and quantity.

I also view playing the really crummy courses as a public service to take one for the team. I review really poor courses, too, as a PSA so that course maintainers know what to improve and as a warning to others about what they might be getting into. In VA and NC one of my unofficial mottos has been something like, "I take the pain of playing them all so that others don't have to." (Something like that; I need to refine the wording... taking suggestions...)

 

[Shuie]

I've read it six times now and still don't see those words. What I see is that Mr. Sauls has recognized since 1k has been broken he doesn't see people as competitive. To any individual who does say they don't think course bagging is competitive I would recommend this site and all the baggers on here. Right now, I am battling it out with MushinNoShin both of us are sitting at 914 played but, I am pretty certain he will be passing me up as he is still out in Idaho and Montana area and will be head back to Wisco in September.