How are the courses these days vs when you began playing?

[itsRudy]

Just five years ago, my area of SE PA was littered with many 9ers (or sometimes even lower, some 4/5ers) established mainly from 2003 to 2012, a real mixed grab bag running a gauntlet of well-done to miserably compromised and fully neglected after conception, usually a weak perimeter course or shoved into a corner somewhere. Usually 2/3s were the worse sort.

In just the last two years, several of the worst went extinct for one reason or another while many of the better previous 9ers grew up into 18ers. Most of the courses now springing up -- at a truly mind-boggling pace the last year or two I'm guessing due a bit to Covid -- tend to be 18ers and far higher quality than most conceived just 7 years back -- at least on a community park level. Most the State Parks already had upper level courses.

Courses have been so improved that's it's getting to be that I have to re-evaluate my review scores baselines for "Decent/Typical" ie 2.5 stars.

 

[Countchunkula]

Chicago area was mostly crappy niners when I started. We still have most of those, but there have been a few quality 18 hole courses added that really made a difference.

The best course in the Chicago area 15 years ago wouldn't be top 5 today and maybe not even top 10. Our options are so much better than they were.

Downside is increased participation. I haven't played my favorite area course in a couple of years and probably won't try to again unless I have a weekday off. I've stopped by a couple time on weekends and didn't even get out of the car. Time's too precious to wait around on every tee.

 

[Monocacy]

The courses I used to play the most - Seneca Creek, Patapsco Valley, Woodsboro - have gotten significantly better over time. New favorites like Clark's Run and Ditto Farms add even more outstanding options.

 

[autocrosscrx]

I started playing in 2017. We got a pair of 9 hole courses in west Knoxville just before I started, then we got a third right after I started (Plumb Creek). It got neutered a bit this year due to some underground work by the city. The Claytons was originally 18 holes, but was down to 9 when I started. Now it is back to 18. A few courses in surrounding cities have open in the last year or so. Lenoir City Park opened this year. A course at the American Legion in Blount County opened last year, but the baskets got pulled this year as I don't think they considered all that comes with having a disc golf course open to the public on your property. Morningside will be impacted by a park expansion, but I don't think details are known. I don't play there because I had 2 break ins out of 3 visits to that course.

All in all, we might have 20 to 30 times as many players, but with pretty minimal change in available courses. A lot of people seem to love spending 3 or 4 hours playing a round with a bunch of friends, but as someone that enjoys doing a variety of hobbies and prefers to rip through a course by himself, I miss being able to play without having to get up at 6 AM.

 

[Rastnav]

My sense is that the Triangle and Triad area of NC have always had a robust selection of courses (relatively speaking). One of the first courses around, Cedarock, is still well played, well loved and well maintained. Course like Kentwood and Cornwallis that also go back to the 80s are played and loved. Valley Springs continues to be a well know gem. UNC just got a major overhaul. Leigh Farms, only 12 years old, has had a ton of maintenance and redesign work done in the last 18 months. "#7 course in the world" Diavolo just opened. Plenty of people are playing, but the courses seem to have kept up with demand, and there are more planned. Overall, we seem to be in a sweet spot as far as courses go.

But, I haven't been a truly active player until recently, so I'm curious what others think. I also wonder what things will.be like in the fall once the student populations get back on campus, as that might really lift the DG player numbers.

 

[ru4por]

Holes were much shorter, upkeep was much more sparse, baskets were much smaller and disc did not go as far. Pro players cried for decades to make better discs, longer courses and bigger baskets that did not create as many misses. Imagine my surprise when a disc golfer, who is close and personal friends with all the touring pros, came here to tell us they all want smaller baskets.

 

[DavidSauls]

When I started, there were 2 courses in my state (now there are well over 100), and we had to take day-long road trips to bag 2 additional courses. The courses were empty; the baskets were single-chained. There was grass, where now erosion and soil compaction can be seen on those old courses.

I began playing a long time ago.

 

[elmexdela]

lost a lot of trees

 

[DavidSauls]

lost a lot of trees

Yeah, that too.

The course I began on, is in a park of huge old trees, and it's lost a dozen of key ones over the years.

Plus, the parks department has mucked with it a bit, adding walking trails and other projects.

But, like everywhere, we also have lots of new courses, including some private and semi-private (church) courses, too.

 

[ru4por]

lost a lot of trees

Emerald Ash Borer. Sadly, this is very true.

 

[InnocentCrook]

Kentucky had a grand total of 20 courses in 1998 when I started slinging. There's now 115 or so.

In my area of Kentucky, there was only Banklick Woods (now Lincoln Ridge), AJ Jolly, and Boone Woods. 1 course each for the 3 northernmost counties.

Looking at the Cincy side of the river, there appears to have been around 8 courses, 11 if you go "greater Cincy" and count those previously mentioned NKY courses. (25 mile radius from downtown)

Using the same 25 mile zone today, we have 47 courses. Add just 5-10 miles to that radius and you'll pick up even more.

In the late 90's/early 2000's I rarely ran into other players. I only played Banklick and Boone Woods with my 3 disc starter set back then, usually jogging between throws. I remember playing Idlewild around 2000/01 when I heard a new course went in just around the corner from Boone Woods. After giving it a go I recall thinking it was a course of nothing but walls of trees and honeysuckle hallways and just miserable. I didn't return for close to 10 years.

I've been playing a bit longer now, and gotten way better. Idlewild is now my favorite of the local public courses. At 20+ years old, the course has aged beautifully. You can still stop out for a round just about any time and usually have zero worry about it being crowded, many times you'll only see one or two other groups during your entire round.

Banklick/Lincoln Ridge is now pretty much jammed up anytime after about 5:30pm on a weeknight and even worse on weekends.

 

[RUSSELL]

compared to '79, I would say much looooooonger

 

[The Shide]

Brown poles, with numbers chiseled/routered in & painted yellow. That was my "basket" when I started. Back in my day, as they say. And we were glad to have them!

 

[biscoe]

Virginia had 15 when I started playing- now somewhere around 150. (I have worked in some capacity or another on putting in 30+ of those.) There was not a real par 4 hole on a permanent course in the state until 97 or so to my knowledge- lots of Steady Ed par 4's though.

Now we have both more and better courses on what is generally better land. Land owners are willing to commit resources to huge projects like Lake Marshall, New London, or Raptor's Roost. Life is good.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

My first course was Ox Bow before they made it several strokes easier for the '96 worlds. Thorns, (cue The Coasters) Poison Ivy, mosquitoes, multiple doglegs in narrow weird fairways. I didn't know any different for years, and I played it first with a Wham-O 165!

 

[Ryan P.]

In Central NC in 2005 I only know of a few; basically one in each large city. Roughly the same thing for Southwest Virginia. Also, A true par 4 was hard to come by. For the first 3 years of my playing, more than half of the true par 4s I played were at Elk Creek DGC in Appamattox, VA.

 

[GripEnemy]

Just five years ago, my area of SE PA . . .

Home course if you don't mind me asking? I'm in the area.

 

[eegor]

Most of the DFW courses are getting pretty old. When they were new, a large percentage of holes required shot shaping that made it more fun IMO. As time goes by, trees are cut down or cut back so holes will be "more fair" to less skilled players. This "beating in" makes them a LOT less fun to play for me. I don't think that easy is fun. We've completely lost good courses due to erosion and dog parks. We've run out of parks to install new courses... and now it's crowded with new players. I've never been an advocate for "growing the sport", because I knew what it would bring. Well, I'll end this grumpy old man rant here.

 

[itsRudy]

Home course if you don't mind me asking? I'm in the area.

I kinda live in between Kenilworth/Boyertown/Upper Salford/Ryan C. Kelly Green Monster/REZ PRK equidistantly but am at the first three most.

Where you play?

 

[ray1970]

I've only been playing for a little over four years. The courses are pretty much the same but some of the trees have grown some and the crowds are bigger.

Actually, they did shut down a nearby course last year (Westminster) but I'm not 100% sure why. It wasn't one of my favorites anyways. And a couple of new courses went in but they aren't really my favorites anyways.