Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
I liked the design of the two courses at Blue Mountain in eastern PA where the lower course was more like cross country terrain.
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Disc Golf Courses On Ski Resorts Opinions and such
- Thread starter Casey 1988
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2009
- Messages
- 948
Love them: China Peak is incredibly scenic and a huge challenge. Same goes for Squaw Valley, Solitude, Mt. Bachelor, and few other western courses. In the east I've only played Campgaw mountain, which is only a hill really, but I like the permanent course there very much!
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2012
- Messages
- 1,312
Sigh. This sport would be so much better off without people who don't complaint about having to pay the price of a disc to play a round of golf.
While I haven't played as many ski run courses as you, the ones that I have played all had good tee pads. Of course, this complaint could apply to any course with "terrible natural, tee pads."
All the ones I played had adequate signs. Only had to walk ahead on one hole.
All had permanent baskets. You really need to play some of the better ones.
Were you beaten by a ski run course as a child?
Oh, I see.
The last complaint can be a downer, but seriously, if you have even 1/4 of a brain (albeit, you would need the right 1/4), you know that before you step foot on the course. Why on earth would you gripe about a known feature of a course that you voluntarily chose to play. Just like complaining about the fee, complaining about something like that says way more about you than it does the course.
opcorn:
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2009
- Messages
- 6,838
Plus, we could finally answer that long-standing question of how many people actually play disc golf.
The answer would be six.
Like so many things, it depends more on the specific course than on the fact that it's a ski resort.
The best ski resort course I've played was Thunderhead DGC in Steamboat Springs. Good flat rubber tee pads, decent baskets, and well designed, interesting holes. The key here is that the course was designed and is maintained primarily by the local disc golf club. They are there with permission of the ski resort, but it is "run" by disc golfers.
Middle ground would be something like the Snowmass Ski Resort Yellow Course. This one suffered from the aforementioned lumpy tee pads and poor signage. But there were interesting holes and the course certainly had input from local disc golfers.
Worst were a couple of ski resort courses where the course was added only as "something to do" during the summer season. Put in by the resort itself with little or no input from disc golfers, the result was awful teepads, terrible signage, difficult navigation, and worst of all, bad hole design. Either little challenge or non-existent fairways with impenetrable rough, making it no fun at all to play.
I guess that ski resort disc golf courses overall are no different than other disc golf courses. Some are great, some decent, and others are poorly executed.
The best ski resort course I've played was Thunderhead DGC in Steamboat Springs. Good flat rubber tee pads, decent baskets, and well designed, interesting holes. The key here is that the course was designed and is maintained primarily by the local disc golf club. They are there with permission of the ski resort, but it is "run" by disc golfers.
Middle ground would be something like the Snowmass Ski Resort Yellow Course. This one suffered from the aforementioned lumpy tee pads and poor signage. But there were interesting holes and the course certainly had input from local disc golfers.
Worst were a couple of ski resort courses where the course was added only as "something to do" during the summer season. Put in by the resort itself with little or no input from disc golfers, the result was awful teepads, terrible signage, difficult navigation, and worst of all, bad hole design. Either little challenge or non-existent fairways with impenetrable rough, making it no fun at all to play.
I guess that ski resort disc golf courses overall are no different than other disc golf courses. Some are great, some decent, and others are poorly executed.
Ski hill courses I've played are Mont Du Lac White Cedar/Eagles Peak and Spirit Mtn. White Cedar more so utilizes the woodsy terrain outside of the actual ski hill, but is terribly difficult and fun (although you need to temper your frustrations at times). Eagles peak plays on the ski hill up and down, but each hole is very different. Spirit mtn is new, and I feel is similar in that it plays up and down the ski hill but offers great variability.
Both places are pay to play. I happily pay the fees every time. Also the baskets are all permanent and there is typically sufficient signage.
I enjoy having elevation changes and trees and bomber shots and technical shots all on one course. Don't get me wrong BRP is fun, but flat... I like courses that make people put their carts away!
Both places are pay to play. I happily pay the fees every time. Also the baskets are all permanent and there is typically sufficient signage.
I enjoy having elevation changes and trees and bomber shots and technical shots all on one course. Don't get me wrong BRP is fun, but flat... I like courses that make people put their carts away!
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2012
- Messages
- 1,312
I have no doubt that you've already made up the statistics to back this up.
da Crippler
Eagle Member
Sigh. That's fine for weekend warriors to pay the price of a disc for a round, but when you play every day and you're retired and on a fixed income, any amount is too much. I'm also not interested in subsidizing ski hill owners who can't seem to make enough money in the winter to satisfy their greed. No course anywhere in the country is worth more than $5 to play, period.
Boy, having an opinion is tough work with Mr. Sunshine around. :|
A quick route to more courses and introducing people to the sport, but at a cost
I too fall into the camp of those that am turned off by disc golf courses at ski resorts and for a couple reasons, none of which have to do with elevation changes, which I think is a core technical and physical element of disc golf (as can be seen on my course, Haybro Redtail DGC in Colorado). The reasons are 1) disc golf courses are a challenge at best in minimal multi-use scenarios, and a disaster in cases of extreme multi-use which is a given at most ski resorts; and 2) ski runs make for boring and un-challenging fairways and courses in general.
Typical ski resorts are run by corporate entities that depend heavily on tourism dollars and those resorts are now driven by the concept of "yearound playgrounds" to get more of those dollars. http://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/27/vail-resort-off-season-activities-epic-discovery/. Their revenue demand does not compare to public parks, private land, and other common disc golf course locations. Disc golf doesn't contribute much to those dollars - in the case of the Thunderhead course mentioned in a few other posts in this thread, that disc golf course is in the middle of mountain biking, hiking, and walking trails as well as roads cluttered with frequent open cabin tourist shuttles and summer mountain maintenance vehicles and equipment. The resort owners provide little if any maintenance, much less signage alerting casuals unaware of the dangers of the course, which would have to blanket the place given all of the activity.
On one occasion playing Thunderhead, our card was waiting to tee off at a hole where a family was walking on a road along the fairway with young children and a baby in a baby carriage. A couple guys in the card started yelling and cursing at the family, which they either didn't hear or ignored, so people started teeing off - one guy sent a drive right into the baby carriage. I grabbed my stuff and left as I wanted no part of the scene.
When it comes to dg courses and terrain, I admit I am a bit of a purist. So I just don't see the point of the fairway being a wide open space with little to no obstacles to navigate, and an unhindered line from tee pad to basket. That is what ski runs are. Any alleys that exist are typically catwalks which need to remain clear for equipment etc, which is why they are there. I also think that burying the tee pad and/or the basket in trees with a wide open space between them is pointless.
I played a ski resort course in Michigan which was once again an open park course trying to disguise itself as something more with elevation changes. The last hole was a 1000' long bomber down to the base of the mountain. The obvious throw was to send it off as hard as you could and hope that when it does land it is somewhere near the green. The only hazard to worry about was the chair lift, which at the time was full of a large wedding party coming down from the ceremony which was held higher up the mountain. The wedding reception was at the base a few hundred feet from the basket.
Having spent 4 years putting a mountain course in rough terrain with what seems like endless clearing of brush and vegetation, to sculpt a dream course, it is obvious how much easier it is to slap some baskets and tee pads in on the ski slopes. For me, I am left with the impression of "they had to make do with what they got with few resources".
When it comes to playing a course, the difference is clear between a course that is devoted only to disc golf and that has the freedom to make total use of the space, and one that had to be shoe horned in under so many constraints as is the case with ski resort courses.
I too fall into the camp of those that am turned off by disc golf courses at ski resorts and for a couple reasons, none of which have to do with elevation changes, which I think is a core technical and physical element of disc golf (as can be seen on my course, Haybro Redtail DGC in Colorado). The reasons are 1) disc golf courses are a challenge at best in minimal multi-use scenarios, and a disaster in cases of extreme multi-use which is a given at most ski resorts; and 2) ski runs make for boring and un-challenging fairways and courses in general.
Typical ski resorts are run by corporate entities that depend heavily on tourism dollars and those resorts are now driven by the concept of "yearound playgrounds" to get more of those dollars. http://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/27/vail-resort-off-season-activities-epic-discovery/. Their revenue demand does not compare to public parks, private land, and other common disc golf course locations. Disc golf doesn't contribute much to those dollars - in the case of the Thunderhead course mentioned in a few other posts in this thread, that disc golf course is in the middle of mountain biking, hiking, and walking trails as well as roads cluttered with frequent open cabin tourist shuttles and summer mountain maintenance vehicles and equipment. The resort owners provide little if any maintenance, much less signage alerting casuals unaware of the dangers of the course, which would have to blanket the place given all of the activity.
On one occasion playing Thunderhead, our card was waiting to tee off at a hole where a family was walking on a road along the fairway with young children and a baby in a baby carriage. A couple guys in the card started yelling and cursing at the family, which they either didn't hear or ignored, so people started teeing off - one guy sent a drive right into the baby carriage. I grabbed my stuff and left as I wanted no part of the scene.
When it comes to dg courses and terrain, I admit I am a bit of a purist. So I just don't see the point of the fairway being a wide open space with little to no obstacles to navigate, and an unhindered line from tee pad to basket. That is what ski runs are. Any alleys that exist are typically catwalks which need to remain clear for equipment etc, which is why they are there. I also think that burying the tee pad and/or the basket in trees with a wide open space between them is pointless.
I played a ski resort course in Michigan which was once again an open park course trying to disguise itself as something more with elevation changes. The last hole was a 1000' long bomber down to the base of the mountain. The obvious throw was to send it off as hard as you could and hope that when it does land it is somewhere near the green. The only hazard to worry about was the chair lift, which at the time was full of a large wedding party coming down from the ceremony which was held higher up the mountain. The wedding reception was at the base a few hundred feet from the basket.
Having spent 4 years putting a mountain course in rough terrain with what seems like endless clearing of brush and vegetation, to sculpt a dream course, it is obvious how much easier it is to slap some baskets and tee pads in on the ski slopes. For me, I am left with the impression of "they had to make do with what they got with few resources".
When it comes to playing a course, the difference is clear between a course that is devoted only to disc golf and that has the freedom to make total use of the space, and one that had to be shoe horned in under so many constraints as is the case with ski resort courses.
CaptainAnhyzer
* Ace Member *
Hunter Mountain NY
Bousquet Mountain MA
Both are done pretty well.
Bousquet Mountain MA
Both are done pretty well.
Ski resort courses really aren't that different if you want to make an interesting course, in the end it's about attitude towards the game. All popular Finnish ski resorts have a disc golf course these days, and most of them only have one or two downhill bombers. Other holes are in the woods maybe following cross country ski trails, or sometimes go across ski slopes.
mfcastillo17
Eagle Member
Love em! We're about to start a stretch of three consecutive weekends of tournaments on ski mountains, starting with the highest course in the world, Ski Santa Fe https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=8640, then heading to one of the original and still best ski mountain courses celebrating its 20th year in the ground, Sipapu https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=897, and finishing it off with one of the best out there as well, Red River, https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=3996.
All well designed and challenging, only one with temp baskets (Red River) and only 1 without tee pads (Santa Fe, but they will have some eventually as this is only year two for the course).
All well designed and challenging, only one with temp baskets (Red River) and only 1 without tee pads (Santa Fe, but they will have some eventually as this is only year two for the course).
Winter Park is a fun course, it takes you off of the ski trail for a few holes too.
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2031
https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2031
John Rock
Double Eagle Member
And Sipapu is free to play. You start at the bottom (on hole #20 - weird I know but hey it's a tradition) and work your way up, down, across, up, down, across, and so on until you finish with 2 nice downhill shots. And neither of these 2 last ones require a super hard bomber throw but they are plenty fun. Then after your round you can enjoy the relaxing setting of the lodge for free or indulge in some beer or food from inside.
BlazedOrangeHat
Par Member
it's in the timber creek base area and plays all around chair 9 aka "funny bunny".
I have only played Seven Springs in Pennsylvania.
Pros:
This course is long. If you're familiar with the layout of the ski hill, you start at the top along the ridge which separates the north side from the rest of the mountain for both 1 and 10. The holes are all on the front side but each nine takes you on about a 4-500 vertical foot drop. You get your exercise if you just play 18 on this one. The views are nice and you might get to see the goats they employ for vegetation control along the way. They have a couple of nice water hazards (snow making ponds).
Cons:
If you go when they haven't cut the grass, expect to spend a long time searching for a disc. This is typical anywhere that the grass isn't maintained, but a key problem with ski hills is how far you can sail a disc due to the terrain. I spent a good 45 minutes searching for the best drive of my day simply because I had to walk down the face of a ski slope in knee high vegetation some 400 feet before getting to the general area where my disc was. By the time I got there, the terrain all looked the same. Even opto purple was nigh invisible in that.
Unlike maintained courses in parks, poorly thrown discs could sail into oblivion on a ski hill.
Bottom line, I love anywhere that has a course. The ski slope course was a terrain challenge like none other. Yeah, you also need a way back up (they sell tickets on the chair). I'd totally play it again. I just like to play, I'm not too picky. If anything the only reason I don't love ski hill disc golf is that I'm always in fear of losing discs there.
Pros:
This course is long. If you're familiar with the layout of the ski hill, you start at the top along the ridge which separates the north side from the rest of the mountain for both 1 and 10. The holes are all on the front side but each nine takes you on about a 4-500 vertical foot drop. You get your exercise if you just play 18 on this one. The views are nice and you might get to see the goats they employ for vegetation control along the way. They have a couple of nice water hazards (snow making ponds).
Cons:
If you go when they haven't cut the grass, expect to spend a long time searching for a disc. This is typical anywhere that the grass isn't maintained, but a key problem with ski hills is how far you can sail a disc due to the terrain. I spent a good 45 minutes searching for the best drive of my day simply because I had to walk down the face of a ski slope in knee high vegetation some 400 feet before getting to the general area where my disc was. By the time I got there, the terrain all looked the same. Even opto purple was nigh invisible in that.
Unlike maintained courses in parks, poorly thrown discs could sail into oblivion on a ski hill.
Bottom line, I love anywhere that has a course. The ski slope course was a terrain challenge like none other. Yeah, you also need a way back up (they sell tickets on the chair). I'd totally play it again. I just like to play, I'm not too picky. If anything the only reason I don't love ski hill disc golf is that I'm always in fear of losing discs there.
Thanks for the shoutout!
As you may guess, as Mt. Zion was the first course I have ever played and I am biased, I love ski hill courses. Some leave a lot to be desired (Porcupine Mountains), and some are fantastic (Eagle's Peak and White Cedar at Mont Du Lac). It's all about design and maintenance. I fell in love with disc golf because of a ski hill course - totally blows golf out of the water with what is basically an extra dimension introduced (extreme elevation change). Plus exercise is good for ya!
P.S. Mt. Zion is better than that one PO'ed guys review, I promise
