Do top rated courses produce the best players?

[discgolfer99]

Do top rated courses produce the best players? Do the best "disc golf mecca's" produce the best players? It appears that North Carolina has a ton of so called 1000 rated" players, is this because the courses are superior? How come Iowa doesn't have more top notch NT winning players if their courses are so great? Same for Michigan? If the courses are so great up on the northwest side of Michigan, why no top players? Texas probably takes the cake for lack of top players, how could this be with the best course designer of all time Mr. Houck responsible for many of the top courses?

I am a fan of the sport and play rec golf all over the Twin Cities which has some high regarded courses, how come more top notch talent hasn't come from here? I do go watch the final 9 at the Majestic and each year I'm blown away with how talented the players are. The same local guy makes it in there each year, where are the other locals?

If you look at the top players in world, they come from all over the planet, not just one area or region. When will we have a world champ from Highbridge WI?

 

[gcr_russell]

Great question. I've always wondered if I had championship caliber local courses whether I'd be a better player. I think a lot has to do with the talent people get to play with. For example; socal has some good courses but not the best in the world, but the players coming out of there are incredible. I think it's partially because they get to learn from some incredible players, upping their potential.

 

[biscoe]

having top notch players to begin with perpetuates having more top notch players...raleigh is the best example of this- their courses are decent but not great but they have had an arseload of high end players over the years.

 

[Monocacy]

Do top rated courses produce the best players? Do the best "disc golf mecca's" produce the best players? It appears that North Carolina has a ton of so called 1000 rated" players, is this because the courses are superior?

Probably several factors:

A larger population and larger total number of players makes it more likely that highly-skilled players will emerge.

A core group of skilled players motivates other players to raise the level of their game, and shows them how to do it.

Challenging courses force players to improve their skills and develop a well-rounded game.

How come Iowa doesn't have more top notch NT winning players if their courses are so great? Same for Michigan? . . .

. . . the Twin Cities . . . has some high regarded courses, how come more top notch talent hasn't come from here?

Moderate year-round weather provides more opportunity for people to play and improve. This probably hurts places like Minnesota, Michigan, and Iowa. Dedicated players may continue to play year-round, but most casual players will take a break. Also, disc golf is a different game when it is -10F with 2' of snow on the ground.

 

[thatdirtykid]

The more challenging (and diverse) courses make better players.
But better players make better players. Competition is the biggest drive. A lot of people don't know whats possible until they see someone else do it.

 

[Sadjo]

When a course opened up last summer in my area, a few players commented on how much longer it was than all the others courses in our area and how it was going to challenge them to throw longer which in turn help them be more competitive on longer courses when they travel to play tournaments.

I think several things make great players.

In the upstate of SC, I have heard for years that our area needs a 'World Class Course' But it seems that when a more challenging course gets put in the ground they all complain that it's too difficult or too long.

You've got to challenge yourself no matter where you live, what your competition is or the quality of your courses.

 

[BarkBuster]

I would imagine it would be based more on the fact that if they live around great courses, there are a lot more events held there to keep their interest and make them strive to win the events.

 

[jhgonzo]

Go to Sheboygan, WI, and hang out at Vollrath this summer...this is where Barry Schultz learned the game and worked on his skills, and DG is HUGE with the local kids there. They'd probably be pumping out plenty of 1000+ rated players, but the thing is that the kids eventually go into high school and join more competitive sports like basketball. In fact, there was one kid named Johnny Vue who looked to be on his way to be the next Barry or better, my wife and I used to play with him and his little brother all the time; he was the top-rated junior in the state, and I was with him when at the age of 14 he tied Barry's record at Vollrath, deucing every hole. Impressive. That kid always stomped me when we played together (except once, when I beat him by 1 stroke and rubbed that in his face for a while!). Anyway, my point is that Vollrath is considered a pitch-n-putt (though somewhat technical) with only 2 holes of any real length requiring a driver, and the kids just hang out there and play, and play, and play...so you don't need a championship-calibre course per se, just a lot of bored kids in a metropolitan area.

Oh, and that Johnny Vue kid I mentioned? Doesn't play anymore. He's one of the ones lured away by basketball. To each his own, but I have no doubts that you would've seen him everywhere if he'd stuck with it.

 

[Johnson]

Being a central MN boy I find that each winter I lose a lot of my skill and play catch up the first half of the summer. I've been trying to do more putting practice indoors as the weather has got brutal and by the time I get off work it's pitch black outside. Screw MN winters.

 

[optidiscic]

My home course is so hard I don't wanna play it every day....I would love to have a simpler funner pitch n putt nearby that I could play every day. I think if I was playing everyday I would become a better player over having an obnoxious beast that just humiliates me and actually hinders my game. I have never learned to really putt well as my focus has always been on drives and fairway lane golf and putting is an afterthought. On a simple open course putting is more important.
I'm not saying having a beast nearby to play regularly hurts but I think playing everyday on a course that emphasizes your short game is really underrated.
If I played on an open course with 250 foot open holes I guarantee I would have learned to putt better as every round is basicaly a putting contest. If you can putt your potentially in every round at every course.
I think playing every day and putting is the key.....this is why I'm trying to get a short fun course put in my hometown.

 

[BrotherDave]

Variety of courses is definitely the spice of DG life. Any area that can boast challenging, tight wooded courses as well as long open ones go far in making good golfers. I started playing at Castle Hayne in Wilmington, NC which is a very placement oriented course. The locals there really only have that course as an option so they're very specialized in terms of their game. It's funny that a lot of them consider me a bomber b/c when I moved to the Piedmont I started playing a lot of more open courses like Cedarock which enabled me to loosen up and work on snap more.

 

[scarpfish]

For what its worth...

Location of PDGA 1000 rated players

Alabama - 2
Arizona - 2
California - 31
Colorado - 4
Connecticut - 2
Delaware - 1
Florida - 6
Georgia - 5
Iowa - 2
Illinois - 3
Indiana - 2
Kansas - 2
Kentucky - 4
Louisiana - 1
Maryland - 2
Michigan - 7
Minnesota - 4
Missouri - 3
Montana - 1
North Carolina - 12
North Dakota - 1
New Jersey - 2
Nevada - 1
Ohio - 7
Oklahoma - 5
Oregon - 8
Pennsylvania - 4
Tennessee - 4
Texas - 14
Virginia - 2
Washington - 4
Wisconsin - 6

Australia - 1
Canada - 2
Denmark - 1
Finland - 7
France - 1
Germany - 2
Japan - 2
Sweden - 13
Switzerland - 1

It also should bear mentioning that a player's current location doesn't necessarily note where they cut their teeth. The last three World champions all have Midwestern roots (Feldberg - MI, Jenkins - OH, McCabe - KS), but moved someplace else (Feldberg - OR, Jenkins - OR and then CA, McCabe - TX).

 

[chrishysell]

As BrotherDave stated it's the variety. There are so many courses to play in NC and so many events going and also many players. They have a points series that plays courses all across NC. To win a points series there you need to be good at all types of shots and courses.

 

[thatdirtykid]

My home course is so hard I don't wanna play it every day....I would love to have a simpler funner pitch n putt nearby that I could play every day.

Spend time in the field and don't play a course every day. You get better faster, and don't have to play that tough course every day. :doh:


looking at the numbers it looks like big warm populated states have more 1000 rated players.

 

[medicinalfunk]

Do top rated courses produce the best players? Do the best "disc golf mecca's" produce the best players? It appears that North Carolina has a ton of so called 1000 rated" players, is this because the courses are superior? How come Iowa doesn't have more top notch NT winning players if their courses are so great?

because we party too much. we've got AO though!

 

[hognosesucker]

look at vollroth in sheboygan...not a tough course by any means yet produced shultz and another dude that tallpaul could chime in about. I think it's all the competition base.

Also IA produced sprague, who can still throw with the best of players and Yeti and Des and JK. And IA produces some circus freaks who can chuck plastic...MDR and Callaway

 

[chrishysell]

look at vollroth in sheboygan...not a tough course by any means yet produced shultz and another dude that tallpaul could chime in about. I think it's all the competition base.

Also IA produced sprague, who can still throw with the best of players and Yeti and Des and JK. And IA produces some circus freaks who can chuck plastic...MDR and Callaway

I think Yeti got better because of the grind. When he first went on tour with Des he would be at tournaments I played in and he really wasn't that good. Eventually he would give me a run for the money and from then he just kept getting better.

 

[medicinalfunk]

look at vollroth in sheboygan...not a tough course by any means yet produced shultz and another dude that tallpaul could chime in about. I think it's all the competition base.

Also IA produced sprague, who can still throw with the best of players and Yeti and Des and JK. And IA produces some circus freaks who can chuck plastic...MDR and Callaway

sprague knows more about the dynamics of how discs fly and mechanics than anyone around, pretty sure. the guy can throw backhand and forehard with both hands. i've seen him throw some unbelievable shots. MDR is like six foot four and has a cannon, i watched him win one at west lake and he was throwing the **** out of his plastic

 

[jhgonzo]

look at vollroth in sheboygan...not a tough course by any means yet produced shultz and another dude that tallpaul could chime in about. I think it's all the competition base.

Fine, just ignore my post...

 

[hognosesucker]

I think Yeti got better because of the grind. When he first went on tour with Des he would be at tournaments I played in and he really wasn't that good. Eventually he would give me a run for the money and from then he just kept getting better.

true, he definitely got better after he and des went to tx and started touring