Course Baggers

[DFrah]

Thanks for all the responses - this is really helpful. It sounds like there is kind of a range which makes sense.

When I'm travelling with my partner, she does slow me down too. I'm limited to 1-2 courses in a day, but we do a lot of other fun things in the area we're visiting so it's great. I too will happily eat something quick/snack for lunch but by dinner time I want some real food.

I was thinking about it more last night and I think I just need to re-center myself a little bit. Work has been really busy lately and that kind of mindset (go go go) has been bleeding into my life outside of work, and feeding the diehard bagger in me. I'm very fortunate to have a remote job so I'm actually trying to mostly work on this trip - but that's another adjustment that is probably feeding the burnout.

I think I'm happiest when I'm still blending in any other stuff I want to see and do, in addition to playing a lot of disc golf. Huge respect for those of you like @Pizza God who drive overnight and nap in rest stops to get to new courses. Very impressive. That sounds like too much to me for sure, but maybe when I have played as many courses as you have I'll get to that point haha. I think that what feels right for me *right now* is more along the lines of what @Ryal said. Plan it out day by day but keep it kind of loose. I only get to do a handful of these trips each year.

 

[PieMethod]

But yea, I do all day without stopping for food. Sometimes I bring some snacks and take a few bites between rounds. I am thinking about bringing some energy bars this next time and see if it helps me any.

You're gonna notice a difference if you eat food. In everyday life, I don't eat breakfast and typically don't eat til about 2pm every day. When I'm on these trips I force myself to have at least eat a gas station strudel and a bottle of milk or chocolate milk. The other day I decided I would skip lunch to hit one more course than I would have been able to. I regretted doing that lol.

 

[PieMethod]

Curious question for other course baggers:

I'm starting to take reviewing courses more seriously after this trip, and finding some of the reviews to be older and somewhat inaccurate due to the courses either getting better or worse with age.

I'm curious how you all do your reviews:
Do you review the course while you're still on the grounds?
Do you take notes while on the course to write the review later?
Do you use your voice to text feature to get the review done while driving?

This trip, I took a small notepad and took notes down for the courses so I didn't forget and let them all blend in together. However, even with notes I can't write a review for one of the courses because it still blends in with the other courses I played and I don't feel it'd be right to write a confused, potentially wrong review. I'd just like to get a feel for how those of you with the major numbers get this done.

 

[HyooMac]

Curious question for other course baggers:

I'm starting to take reviewing courses more seriously after this trip, and finding some of the reviews to be older and somewhat inaccurate due to the courses either getting better or worse with age.

I'm curious how you all do your reviews:
Do you review the course while you're still on the grounds?
Do you take notes while on the course to write the review later?
Do you use your voice to text feature to get the review done while driving?

This trip, I took a small notepad and took notes down for the courses so I didn't forget and let them all blend in together. However, even with notes I can't write a review for one of the courses because it still blends in with the other courses I played and I don't feel it'd be right to write a confused, potentially wrong review. I'd just like to get a feel for how those of you with the major numbers get this done.

I've recently started using voice memos to take notes during my round rather than relying solely on pictures and memory. I can view my recordings in text, and cut/paste them into a document for building my draft review (I write in Word, then paste the finished review into the boxes on the site). I'm not in a particular rush to publish my reviews, although I seldom take more than a month or two to get them posted - although sometimes it's within a few days when I'm excited to tell the story of about something really good (see Faylor Lake) or really bad (see White Deer DGC).

And I do re-read other reviews when I'm writing, to see if there's something I've forgotten, and to make sure I'm not just repeating things that multiple others have already commented about.

Hope this helps. I enjoyed your Grayling and Riverwalk reviews, and gave them both "Helpful" votes. Keep writing!

-Hugh

 

[dndelli]

Curious question for other course baggers:

I'm starting to take reviewing courses more seriously after this trip, and finding some of the reviews to be older and somewhat inaccurate due to the courses either getting better or worse with age.

I'm curious how you all do your reviews:
Do you review the course while you're still on the grounds?
Do you take notes while on the course to write the review later?
Do you use your voice to text feature to get the review done while driving?

This trip, I took a small notepad and took notes down for the courses so I didn't forget and let them all blend in together. However, even with notes I can't write a review for one of the courses because it still blends in with the other courses I played and I don't feel it'd be right to write a confused, potentially wrong review. I'd just like to get a feel for how those of you with the major numbers get this done.

I have a pretty decent course memory (I will remember little details about courses I played one or two time(s), years ago), but I still try to keep short, fragmented notes on my phone (on the built in Notepad App) while bagging new courses. Typically the information, that when I see it, I realize I really don't want to forget to put in my review. Like if there is a hole that really stands out for one reason (good or bad), I will write that reason down.

Another thing you could consider trying since what I do essentially sounds like what you did, is taking pictures to accompany those notes. That might help you recall what you were referring to better.

 

[Mike C]

When it comes to burn out I find it's best to rotate vacation themes.

For example, 2024 I've got four vacations planned. One for disc golf, one bike tour on my Trek Emonda on the blue ridge park way, and two out of state family visits where I'll likely bring my bag and sneak in a few early morning rounds.

I find if I try to devote too much time to any one hobby, I get burnt out. I used to do bike tours every year and went two years commuting on my road bike by choice, but got burnt out and hardly touch it now. Trained MMA 5 days a week, got burnt out and switched it up. Video gaming has been a hobby since I was 3, but it comes and goes.

Being able to rotate activities keeps things a lot more fun for me. I'm not trying to be a pro weight lifter, disc golfer, skate boarder, cyclist, fighter etc., I just do them for fun / fitness. So if something stops being fun, I pick something else that sounds better at thst moment.


On the subject of notes / remembering course details, this is one of my favorite aspects of making the course videos I do. I film / photograph different details besides just my throws, like tees, tee signs, interesting features, amenities, wild life, etc.

I generally only review a course after I've played it, edited the video, and re-watched the video once or twice to jog my memory.

It's also really cool being able to compare a video of a course from a decade ago to what it looks like now, or having a visual record of defunct or redesigned courses.

I'm glad I have the original Eastway and RL Smith in Charlotte documented. The Rock at Stonewall is defunct now I believe, but I can still watch a round there. Portage Lakes I documented evolving from a rough 9 hole course to a broken in, gorgeous 18 hole course. Arboretum / Spiker park in Canton, OH was my old home course and it's been heavily revamped over the years. First time I filmed Wildwood Park in Louisville it was 9 or 10 holes with no map, dirt tees and ancient baskets - now it has new tee signs, concrete tees, 14 holes etc.

 

[dndelli]

When it comes to burn out I find it's best to rotate vacation themes.

For example, 2024 I've got four vacations planned. One for disc golf, one bike tour on my Trek Emonda on the blue ridge park way, and two out of state family visits where I'll likely bring my bag and sneak in a few early morning rounds.

A couple of years ago I tried to start bagging courses when traveling solo to go whitewater kayaking if weather and daylight allows. Definitely a nice way to get out of the car on a long drive and stretch the legs.

 

[DFrah]

Curious question for other course baggers:

I'm starting to take reviewing courses more seriously after this trip, and finding some of the reviews to be older and somewhat inaccurate due to the courses either getting better or worse with age.

I'm curious how you all do your reviews:
Do you review the course while you're still on the grounds?
Do you take notes while on the course to write the review later?
Do you use your voice to text feature to get the review done while driving?

This trip, I took a small notepad and took notes down for the courses so I didn't forget and let them all blend in together. However, even with notes I can't write a review for one of the courses because it still blends in with the other courses I played and I don't feel it'd be right to write a confused, potentially wrong review. I'd just like to get a feel for how those of you with the major numbers get this done.

I take detailed notes on my phone while on the course, along with at least one photo of the main amenities (i.e. a tee pad/sign, basket, etc.). Then I write the reviews later.

I use Google Keep, which I like because I can edit the notes directly from both my phone and my computer. I have a note template in there that is basically a list of all the features I want to comment on in my review (baskets, tee pads, elevation/water, etc.). I copy the template and fill in the list while I'm on the course. Then I expand the list into the review text still in Google Keep. Then copy/paste into the review fields here and post the review.

 

[DFrah]

When it comes to burn out I find it's best to rotate vacation themes.

For example, 2024 I've got four vacations planned. One for disc golf, one bike tour on my Trek Emonda on the blue ridge park way, and two out of state family visits where I'll likely bring my bag and sneak in a few early morning rounds.

I find if I try to devote too much time to any one hobby, I get burnt out. I used to do bike tours every year and went two years commuting on my road bike by choice, but got burnt out and hardly touch it now. Trained MMA 5 days a week, got burnt out and switched it up. Video gaming has been a hobby since I was 3, but it comes and goes.

Being able to rotate activities keeps things a lot more fun for me. I'm not trying to be a pro weight lifter, disc golfer, skate boarder, cyclist, fighter etc., I just do them for fun / fitness. So if something stops being fun, I pick something else that sounds better at thst moment.

This is me too 100%. I think I need to blend in the other stuff a little better.

Part of the reason I actually started going around to different courses (back when I started playing a lot) is that I wanted to avoid becoming obsessed over "getting better" at disc golfing. I felt (and still feel) that if I just went to the local park once a week and played the same course over and over, I would start caring too much about my score and whether or not I was improving on my personal best at that course, etc. Instead, by focusing on playing different courses and reviewing them "getting better" has never been my main focus. It is more like a happy side effect.

But obviously now the burnout is starting to shift to the bagging itself a little bit. So it's time to re-balance once again.

 

[Mike C]

This is me too 100%. I think I need to blend in the other stuff a little better.

Part of the reason I actually started going around to different courses (back when I started playing a lot) is that I wanted to avoid becoming obsessed over "getting better" at disc golfing. I felt (and still feel) that if I just went to the local park once a week and played the same course over and over, I would start caring too much about my score and whether or not I was improving on my personal best at that course, etc. Instead, by focusing on playing different courses and reviewing them "getting better" has never been my main focus. It is more like a happy side effect.

But obviously now the burnout is starting to shift to the bagging itself a little bit. So it's time to re-balance once again.

I'm with you there. I've never had much desire to compete but these days it's down to 0. I don't stress over how far I can throw these days either. Haven't scored a round this year.

I enjoy dg a lot more by seeking out new courses rather than playing the same ones over and over.

That said I just finished editing my video for Clute Park and I'm embarassed at some of my tee shots....so maybe some field work is in order lol.

 

[enragedmullet]

Curious question for other course baggers:

I'm starting to take reviewing courses more seriously after this trip, and finding some of the reviews to be older and somewhat inaccurate due to the courses either getting better or worse with age.

I'm curious how you all do your reviews:
Do you review the course while you're still on the grounds?
Do you take notes while on the course to write the review later?
Do you use your voice to text feature to get the review done while driving?

This trip, I took a small notepad and took notes down for the courses so I didn't forget and let them all blend in together. However, even with notes I can't write a review for one of the courses because it still blends in with the other courses I played and I don't feel it'd be right to write a confused, potentially wrong review. I'd just like to get a feel for how those of you with the major numbers get this done.

Generally speaking if it's a new course to me I take your option #2 - take notes about the course while playing my round and logging my score, then once home I'll go over them and start writing the review. Usually this is a one-course thing. If I play several new-to-me courses within a short period, and one or some end up forgettable I'll skip reviewing them.

 

[HyooMac]

I enjoy dg a lot more by seeking out new courses rather than playing the same ones over and over.

That's been true for me too. But as I entered this year knowing that most unplayed courses are 3+ hours away, I've been making an effort to replay some favorites, or to see how much my game has improved since taking a beating on particularly difficult ones. Plus some tags on a nearby course, and a few tournaments that revisit a course, have made for increased interest.

I'm not giving up bagging (did a run of 6 last Monday), but I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I've enjoyed a bit of replaying courses.

 

[elmexdela]

Do any of you baggers ever get "bagger burnout"? Apologies if this discussion has happened before but I'm feeling it a little bit.

I'm currently in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. There were about 7 more courses that I wanted to bag up here over 9 days so that I can officially say that I have played them all. So it wasn't even a very efficient bagging trip haha, but rather aimed at hitting that elusive 100% mark (while also trying to return to some favorites, and do some other non-DG stuff like sightseeing/hiking etc.) Of course, the ones that I needed to hit had popped up all across the UP from the far eastern end to the far western end - so it meant a ton of driving and staying in 3 different places over the 9 days.

But while driving back to my hotel in the dark (again) and eating dinner at 10 PM (again) last night, I did some self-reflection and kind of asked myself "Am I actually enjoying this?" The answer is definitely yes overall, but I want to figure out how to slow down a little bit. I feel like on the handful of solo trips I have taken so far, I have been trying to basically jam pack every day full of as much stuff (both disc golf and other activities) as possible. To the point where I realized I am even sometimes rushing on the course so that I can move on to the next course/activity.

I do realize that when I go somewhere new, it's unrealistic to play every course like I have in the UP. It's been fun to do that here because I love the UP, but that isn't something I plan on doing in other areas away from home. That's kind of the whole point of the reviews y'all write - so that I can pick out good ones to hit when I travel. But I still feel like I'm struggling to find the right balance between playing disc golf, doing other stuff that looks interesting, and actually relaxing *in the normal sense of the word.* I'm supposed to be on vacation, after all. When I started planning out this trip I literally wrote the word "RELAX" in all capital letters. Well the courses are gonna be all bagged, but I haven't done very much of that "RELAX" part.

Has anyone else had similar feelings? I guess my questions for fellow baggers are something like:
- How do you balance bagging as many DG courses as possible, vs. experiencing other things that a destination has to offer?
- How do you avoid stretching yourself too thin on bagging trips?

i have nothing profound to add other than it comes with the territory

plenty of times i have thought "what the hell am i doin this for" and "this isnt fun anymoar"

it comes and goes peaks and valleys

its hard to keep the momentum and motivation goin when your on your 10th shitty school course of the day in middle of no where

then you play a banger course or a hidden gem and its like you hit the jackpot

i also just like the experience of driving around and seeing shit i normally wouldnt see and just driving is therapeutic for me its kind of like a cultural lesson to see other ways of life or terrain

i love it but most people will say they just want to hit the best of the best on road trips and i get that

gotta bag em all plus it makes your personal map look sweet and like you achieved something and somewhat keeps track of all my travels around the us since i play where ever i go

 

[Mike C]

I like bagging everything from 100' avg hole length elementary courses to gold level championship courses.

I like the variety, and it helps keep perspective. It's also nice being able to bang out short 9 hole courses in under half an hour, including the time it takes to setup my tripod for every tee shot and putt.

I'm lucky to live somewhere that has seemingly endless variety. I have courses within 30 miles of my house I haven't played since the 2010's. There's such a ridiculous amount of them around here it can be hard to play them all in a year.

 

[Countchunkula]

Lots of good responses.

I especially liked what elmex said about getting off the beaten path.

DG has led me to all kinds of places that I would have had no reason to explore otherwise. I'll be talking to someone randomly and they'll mention where they're from and I'll think to myself "I've played the shitty 9er in your town" lol.

We drove to Florida for family vaca last week and between central KY and Destin, FL, we drove about 10 miles on interstates. Sooo much more interesting that way than staying on I-65 the whole way and all due to a couple of dg detours.

 

[HyooMac]

I'll think to myself "I've played the shitty 9er in your town" lol.

For me it's when someone mentions a course and I say something like "Oh yeah, with that tricky first hole next to the water" or "the new holes in the woods are really good" or "the walking path gets kinda close on a few holes".....and they sort of glaze over. And probably are sorry they said anything.

 

[gottafixit]

I have definitely shifted gears on my "need" to play every course I might pass on a trip. I use to need to stop and play everything long the way. Now I try to separate trips into Bagging trips (where I am concerned about playing everything I plan on playing usually to 100% that area) and vacations (where the other activities or location is the focus). Bagging trips these days are fewer as unplayed courses are getting further away, but these are usually solo so I don't have to adjust to and accommodate anyone else (or my Bday weekend when I can be selfish). I also have been keeping these shorter 1-3 days, an out and back, or drive all day, play all day, drive back all day. This helps as I have a defined limited number to complete and I also just can't do much more than 3 all dayers with out physically needing a break. I also as said above really enjoy the drive, the visiting places you would not have gone if not for the course, the slice of life of the places you pass along the way. This is what saves a trip if the line up is a bunch of basic 9 holes or is really half the reason I bag to allow myself to travel for no great reason to a place most would pass by.

Having a trip or two or more of these short bagging trips each year then allows me when presented with a vacation to say DG is not the focus of this trip. I'll still try and slide a course in to either break up a drive, or if it's convenient to where we are staying but I don't get upset if plans have to change and I don't get to play anything.

Another worth mentioning note is my wife who is into geocaching likes to plan road trips as well. Geocaching has challenges called Delorme challenges which requires you to find a geocache in the area of each page in the would be Delorme map book (all digital these days) for each state. This requires you to visit all the corners of a state and allows me to sneak in a good number of courses along the way as she can typically geocache near by while I play a course. These trips at the core are the same as my bagging trips, an accuse to get in the van and travel someplace you might not have gone otherwise.

 

[Pizza God]

My favorite days are when I play a bunch of small courses in small towns. I love small towns and have been known to make sure I drive though the downtown area to check out the old buildings.

Kind of the reason I am heading towards NW Central Kansas instead of the Kansas City area this week.

 

[Mike C]

I'm with you there. I make a point to try to play out of the way courses. I love having a course completely to myself. Makes it so much more pleasant to film.

Seems every time I try to film a round at a busy course, I let a group or two play through, then I'm waiting on them every hole. Or I'll be filming a putt and someone will hit a tree off the next tee and yell FUCK MY ASS, so I'll have to re-film the scene, etc. It just never seems to work out well for me on busy courses.

 

[elmexdela]

I'm with you there. I make a point to try to play out of the way courses. I love having a course completely to myself. Makes it so much more pleasant to film.

Seems every time I try to film a round at a busy course, I let a group or two play through, then I'm waiting on them every hole. Or I'll be filming a putt and someone will hit a tree off the next tee and yell FUCK MY ASS, so I'll have to re-film the scene, etc. It just never seems to work out well for me on busy courses.

ive never had that problem maybe its just you