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Destination tournaments

S

Seabrook

Par Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2013
Messages
111
My question is what are some of the best 'destination events'?

Now before you answer I'd like to describe what I mean by destination event. These are full service events where the tournament takes care of you from 9am to 9pm. Not only provide the course, players pack, water and lunch (every tourney does that) but its a vacation. You arrive at the tourney hotel/resort and the entire weekend is an experience where the organizers have everything taken care of from lodgings, food and entertainment. These events are not cheap and usually they are off the beaten track.

A great example of this is the Japan Open. They have the two courses, hotels, every night there is a dinner with cultural entertainment, crazy players pack, side events and in Japan a completely different cultural experience. Once you arrive you don't leave the course/hotel because everything has been taken care of.

The Glass Blown Open is similar in the sense the entire town is taken over by the GBO, where there are block parties and events focused around the players and the town is all about disc golf for the weekend.

What other events are there like this and what makes that event special?
 
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Would you include events with on-site camping, where people park on Friday and don't leave until Sunday evening? A lower-key, more rustic sort of Destination Event?
 
I doubt anything compares to the Japan Open.

The USDGC gives players a pretty good VIP treatment.

One event that comes to mind, though I don't have firsthand experience, is the Mountain Disc Golf Experience in Asheville, NC. Asheville, is of course, a vacation destination in its own right. Here is the schedule I hastily pasted from the registration page from 2013:

MDGE'13 Itinerary


Friday: 5pm-10pm

Carrier Park- Amboy Rd.

Check-in @ Mtn. Sports Festival- Player's Packs

*Around the World Putting Contest

* KanJam Tourney. Pick your partner and SLAMJam!



Saturday: 9:00am Breakfast by Neo Burrito @ Richmond Hill Park

9:45am Player's Meeting

10:30am Round I

1:30pm Lunch provided by Mellow Mushroom


around 2:30pm Round II

7:00pm Village Skins @ Carrier Park



Sunday: 8:00am Light Breakfast @ Richmond Hill Park

8:45am Player's Meeting

9:00am Round III

1:30pm- Grey Eagle-corner of Clingman and Haywood. Be there.

2:30pm Urban Skins-RAD Edition- Amazing golf through the River Arts District of Asheville.


Average Joe Raffle is in effect for a ????? another vrooom vroooom?????

Tickets available throughout the weekend. It is so worth it.

Pro and Am Payout to follow


The Urban Skins alone is famous, but it looks like a lot more is going on than that.

*

Of course, how could I forget Worlds? Especially if you stay in the host hotel? Weeklong tournament, flymart, banquet, players' party, big players' pack, etc.
 
Vibram. . .beaver state fling....don't have time to explain why though
 
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DavidSauls said:
Would you include events with on-site camping, where people park on Friday and don't leave until Sunday evening? A lower-key, more rustic sort of Destination Event?
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Can't escape my bias, but I'd absolutely consider a tourney at Stoney Hill a destination event by these requirements.

The OP is about an all-out, all-the-time disc golf experience. Doesn't get more 24/7 than Stoney.

You're camping on the grounds --- if you feel like throwing, all you have to do is unzip your tent and walk 50 paces or less to a number of tees, or practice upshots to a number of different baskets, or practice putting.

Multiple layouts.

Glow golf? Absolutely.

Safari golf? Sure.

Safari glow golf? My favorite.

Mini events? Chris is known to get out the mini baskets and set up challenging mini layouts.

Surrounded by disc golfers talking disc golf the whole time you're there.

No, it's not as posh as the Japan Open or a Worlds experience, but it doesn't get more all-disc-all-the-time than Stoney.

Oh, and the golf is fantastic, to be sure.
 
Thanks. Though I was thinking more in terms of places so remote that everybody camps. Here, perhaps a third of the field does---which, for them, makes a 100% disc golf weekend. At Ashe County they have a ton of campers. And I've heard of other events, where camping is the only way to go.

If your idea of a players' party is a campfire, a cooler, stars and tall tales, I'd think these events, including Stoney Hill, might be the destinations you seek.

More to the O.P.'s example, how many tournaments have hotel lodging on site? They used to do one in Florida, until the behavior of the disc golfers wrecked it. Or so the rumor goes. It would seem like a disc golf destination if you could park your car and your hotel room, restaurant, and disc golf course were in one place.
 
Buddha Tree at Birds of Paradise in May is always a great time. It's definitely nothing compared to some of the events listed above in terms of pamperings, but it is a very fun 2 day tournament and everyone that plays camps on the property in the middle of the 27 hole course. BOP is a private course on 480 acres outside of Miranda, CA, so definitely off the beaten path and a 30+ minute drive from the nearest hotel. The player's pack is pretty standard and no food is provided, but they do have live music at night and other fun side competitions, like a tombstone CTP. Overall the atmosphere is very laid back and casual, as can be expected in Humboldt Co. Definitely a destination course and it's only open to the public for 2 events per year (the other is the BYOD tournament in March). You won't get pampered like at the Japan Open or Masters, but it sure is a lot of fun.

For more of a resort style destination Highbridge Hills in Highbridge, WI, is certainly that. They have cabin rentals and camping available on site, SIX 18 hole courses, and a pro shop and store. You can also rent golf carts. I'm not sure what events are hosted there but definitely an off the beaten path destination.
 
Not sure there are much in the way of tournaments like the OP is asking about. Around here, many two day tier B's offer on site camping, live music, player party and food between rounds. I am guessing this is not the request.
 
I think you have to take a look at just about anything that Dynamic Discs does as well. Just saying they know what they are doing and they do it well.

For the ladies, Rocky Mountain Women's Disc Golf Championships is an option. Or it will be again in two years since this year has filled and there is a nice long waitlist.
 
ru4por said:
Not sure there are much in the way of tournaments like the OP is asking about. Around here, many two day tier B's offer on site camping, live music, player party and food between rounds. I am guessing this is not the request.
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I agree. "Lodging" is the missing ingredient. I don't know of any events around here that provide or maintain lodging for the players (excluding camping). The rest---yeah, any tournament with a players party is pretty much taking care of players from 9 am 'till 9 pm, but I'm not sure that makes them a "destination".

That's with the OP's criteria. My own definition of a "Destination Tournament" - the ones I've attended, the ones I dream of attending---is quite different.
 
I'd rather be at a tourney where everyone is camping out than one with a hotel. If you think having some fancy hotel party makes a destination event you have your priorities all screwed up.
 
New013 said:
I'd rather be at a tourney where everyone is camping out than one with a hotel. If you think having some fancy hotel party makes a destination event you have your priorities all screwed up.
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For that matter, I don't think any kind of players party does it. At least not for me.

The OP is seemingly inspired by the Japan Open, which would definitely be a Destination Tournament for me. Perhaps the ultimate Destination Tournament.

But if you had a nice hotel at the site of the tournament, where all the competitors stayed, ate, and enjoyed the side activities---including the players party---I admit it would be cool.

But now that I think of it, not only is it hard to think of such events, it's pretty hard to even think of any courses with hotels on the property. The type of property where nice hotels go is usually too expensive to have a disc golf course. The defunct Florida event I remember that did this was, I think, on the "Red Hawk" course--- a temporary course on a ball golf course on the same property as the hotel.
 
The **** outside of Pinehurst is kind of like that. It's on a country club and there's a bunch of rooms that they rent out for the tourney. It was really cool but still not as great as some of the camping type tourneys we have around here.
 
Perth Disc Golf Open in Australia...last year it attracted more Aussies then the Aussie open.

Better course for regular player
All inclusive price that was fair including amazing food
Awesome place with camping included

The world came to perth for the Aussie Open, but the Aussies go to perth for the pdgo!
 
New013 said:
The **** outside of Pinehurst is kind of like that. It's on a country club and there's a bunch of rooms that they rent out for the tourney. It was really cool but still not as great as some of the camping type tourneys we have around here.
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I love camping, but sometime it is just a lot of work. Especially if the wife is coming along. We often vacation at nice resorts, head out each day to play a couple courses. Get back, hit the pool and hot tub for a few drinks before a nice dinner. I don't complain much either way.
 
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