Do Private Courses Get Rated Higher?

[prerube]

The sleeves were still there. I guess you have never heard of object golf?

So you played "hit the sleeve"?

I am just messing with you, we have already had this debate a few times.

 

[prerube]

have you played flyboy? one of those pictures was the hole where the basket was underground.
Another one goes deep down hill 350 feet and sharp left to a basket that is on top of a pile of dead wood.

 

[bholy08]

Not all the time.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/reviews.php?id=3129&mode=rev#41082

sorry what are you trying to show me here? I must be missing it, because I see a private course that is rated incredibly high. Doesn't really point to one thing or another according to my question.

 

[Dave242]

have you played flyboy? one of those pictures was the hole where the basket was underground.
Another one goes deep down hill 350 feet and sharp left to a basket that is on top of a pile of dead wood.

Yes I have played it. You can read my review if you want my thoughts on it and why I think the awesome hospitality of the hosts bumps up the rating here (the point of this thread).

An underground basket is fun and creative (some would call it gimmicky), but it does not make that 250' wide open hole a signature hole!

I did not picture hole 13 (the cool downhill throw to a basket up in a beautiful dead log) as that would be a signature hole on most courses. I am not a huge fan of the design of that hole - especially the guardian trees around the basket randomly punishing those with the guts to go for it off the tee and executing perfectly.....but that's another topic.

 

[Dave242]

sorry what are you trying to show me here? I must be missing it, because I see a private course that is rated incredibly high. Doesn't really point to one thing or another according to my question.

I clicked this link when it was first posted and there was a review of maybe 1.0(?) right at the top. Looks like it has been removed.

 

[bholy08]

I clicked this link when it was first posted and there was a review of maybe 1.0(?) right at the top. Looks like it has been removed.

oh ok...I was scratching my head.

 

[jobwilson]

It was actually Zero discs, and his con was that he had to pay.
I messaged him and told him he was weak and lame.

Maybe I made a difference!

 

[bholy08]

It was actually Zero discs, and his con was that he had to pay.
I messaged him and told him he was weak and lame.

Maybe I made a difference!

hahaha! Well done sir!

See that is an example of the possible social pressures faced when reviewing a private course. People will jump all over you

 

[prerube]

Yes I have played it. You can read my review if you want my thoughts on it and why I think the awesome hospitality of the hosts bumps up the rating here (the point of this thread).

An underground basket is fun and creative (some would call it gimmicky), but it does not make that 250' wide open hole a signature hole!

I did not picture hole 13 (the cool downhill throw to a basket up in a beautiful dead log) as that would be a signature hole on most courses. I am not a huge fan of the design of that hole - especially the guardian trees around the basket randomly punishing those with the guts to go for it off the tee and executing perfectly.....but that's another topic.

I read your review and do not think you justified giving it a 4. There was nothing listed in cons. The locals talked about your review while I was at Flyboy and next time you play, watch out for Pitchforks.

 

[bholy08]

I read your review and do not think you justified giving it a 4. There was nothing listed in cons. The locals talked about your review while I was at Flyboy and next time you play, watch out for Pitchforks.

first DGCR related crime...this I've got to see!

 

[prerube]

first DGCR related crime...this I've got to see!

We sat around a table and 2 local guys were furious about the review.
only 3% of the reviewers gave Flyboy a 4. That was Dave242, ValJenkins, and Avery Jenkins.

 

[magictenor1]

I do think private courses will on average get a higher rating from what I have seen. Personally I would try not to do that and keep my rating the same as I would for a public course. I do think hospitality could have an effect on your rating. When I play a course and review it I am rating the overall experience I had on that course that day.

 

[Dave242]

I read your review and do not think you justified giving it a 4. There was nothing listed in cons. The locals talked about your review while I was at Flyboy and next time you play, watch out for Pitchforks.

that's some funny funny stuff! Especially coming from a guy with an avatar that looks like Shrek.....makes me think of the pitchfork scene in that movie! Tell them locals to be careful since behind the dogface I am Shrek and will do to them what he did to the villagers. Plus Kelly is fine with my perspective per a long email conversation I had with him.

Yeah - I do not use the Con section in any of my reviews. Instead, my reviews focus on the positives and try to quantify how much of a positive a given course rates in the 5 areas I find important to me in making it a highly addictive course for me to want to play over and over and over. If you want Cons, simply subtract my grade from a A+/100.......or read where I explain/justify the grade/rating:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == B
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography. == B+
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B+
5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == 4 bonus points

 

[mjoyce]

Do any of you think that the "peer pressure" of the many high ratings of private courses attribute to inflated ratings more than ammenities/owner hospitality/overall experience?

I just recently played Flip City and it was awesome. I don't plan on reviewing it because I don't think I've played enough courses or that I'm a good enough player to do reviews yet. I'm also not sure that I have a good enough way with words to give a quality review.

Having said that, my trip to Flip City was an 1,150 mile round trip journey. I went with two others from Pittsburgh and ended up meeting several people from this site at Flip City. We camped out at Flip and had a great time playing the course and hanging out. I think all of that would weigh into my review even if I was trying to be objective about the course specifically. I also think all of the previous ratings would weigh into my decision of what to rate the course.

I guess that's why I don't really do reviews.

 

[optidiscic]

I will admit to being let down a few times...and to be honest I blame it on this site

I love the site and it does a great job but I made the mistake of being prepared to be in awe especially when I have gone on loooong road trips for disc golf

If I had stumbled upon Idlewild or Renny or Hornet's Nest and not built them up so much in my mind I may have fived them.....instead with each passing mile I was imagining Disc Golf Nirvana only to be mildly disappointed (I said mildly...put down the pitch forks)

Before this site you heard stories and rumors of greatness but you were more often going to courses blind and the shock (disappointment) and Awe (amazement) happened every time you went somewhere new.

As far as privates go.....I absolutely agree that privates get some extra ratings love....reviewers are human and I would suspect the bump is worth 1/2 a disc. Whats funny is often public courses are just as much the labor of 1 man or a small group and might actually deserve more love than they get.

 

[Dave242]

Whats funny is often public courses are just as much the labor of 1 man or a small group and might actually deserve more love than they get.

True dat. And.....often the only "help" the park department gives ties their hands in maximizing the design by telling them what they can't do.

 

[mjoyce]

True dat. And.....often the only "help" the park department gives ties their hands in maximizing the design by telling them what they can't do.

Or destroying a basket sleve for the B pin with the lawnmower.

 

[humchris85]

We sat around a table and 2 local guys were furious about the review.
only 3% of the reviewers gave Flyboy a 4. That was Dave242, ValJenkins, and Avery Jenkins.

Funny I would probably trust all three of them, so I'm gonna have to post something on here and let you guys know what I think of it, if I ever get a chance to make it out there.

 

[Dave242]

Which 3 do you trust - prerube & 2 local guys sitting around a table being furious or Dave242, ValJenkins, and Avery Jenkins.....or all 6?

If you are talking about posting a review on the Flyboy page, unfortunately it is closed for new reviews for the indefinite future.....but don't let that stop you from making the pilgrimage to what many consider mecca - it is well worth the visit! 6.0 experience in my book.

 

[Lewis]

In a cold, soulless review, US Open > Masters.

You could make that argument about what the best tournament is, but at least in terms of the course itself, difficulty ≠ quality.