Most Polarizing Courses

[New013]

What's the most polarizing course either in your area or that you've played. I'm talking about courses that have a collection of really good and bad reviews.

We've talked about Leigh Farm in Durham, NC before on this site but as more reviews come in it still goes up and down from one to the next. If you look at the last 10 reviews it goes up and down from a 5 to a 2.

Also, what do you think are factors that create a polarizing course such as this?

 

[zenbot]

I think one thing that may cause numbers all over the place are legitimately good courses that are difficult to navigate for the fly-by reviewer.

 

[New013]

I think one thing that may cause numbers all over the place are legitimately good courses that are difficult to navigate for the fly-by reviewer.

That seems to be one huge problem with Leigh Farm. Another is people claiming the fairways have to many trees..

 

[giles]

I've seen a few really low reviews of the Houck style courses in the Austin area that are "world class" designs. Seems some don't understand the concept of risk vs reward and get upset that throwing a putter off the tee can be the best choice on a par 4 or par 5.

 

[Mike12HawK]

@Giles: are you talking about #1 at the Met Center?

 

[giles]

@Giles: are you talking about #1 at the Met Center?

Havn't played met but that was where the review I'm thinking of is coming from. Another reviewer slammed east metro because he is oldschool and thinks disc golf is par 3 only. Don't know why you would even play the course and review it if that is the case.

 

[DavidSauls]

Owens Field in Columbia.

Reviews range from 1.5 to 4.0, with 31% rating it only a 2.0, yet 25% rating it 3.5.

And it's not just the drive-bys; it has a love-hate reputation among locals. There are local players who can't stand it and don't play it....others who think it's better than our other in-town 18-holer, the higher-rated Earlewood.

 

[Dsplayname]

White Oak park is a polarizing course. Lots of low ratings due to casual players not paying attention and having trouble finding the next tee, but most of the people who've played it before love it. It's long, there's lots of hills, the wooded holes can be super-technical, and the last 3 holes have a water hazard.

 

[notapro]

Summit park up here in Illinois, for sure. Pretty short with some ridiculously tight lines.

6 reviews at 2 or lower, 3 reviews at 4 or higher.

It's pretty unique, lots of reasons to love or hate it.

 

[Johnny Conservative]

Ephraim White Course in Bowling Green.......no question.

 

[Jukeshoe]

Summit park up here in Illinois, for sure. Pretty short with some ridiculously tight lines.

6 reviews at 2 or lower, 3 reviews at 4 or higher.

It's pretty unique, lots of reasons to love or hate it.

Yeah, Summit is a good example. I can see why a lot of people either love it or hate it.

It's a crazy course, though, any way you slice it.

 

[DiscChainBasket18]

Precision torture

Richmond Hill (my hometown course). I used to love it, now I hate it haha. The level of precision needed to play an error-free round here eventually wears you down & devours you.
Commonly heard at this course:
People love the big elevation changes but hate it when their disc rolls down the hill after a missed putt/drive/upshot.
The artificial turf tee pads were aquired for a reasonable cost (free) & are decent if it's dry (or you wear cleats) otherwise the plastic grass is slippery when wet.
You love the challenge of threading your disc down a narrow corridor of trees. After doing this on nearly every throw you long for open spaces (alas, there are none).
The woods are lovely dark & deep and you have many miles to go before you sleep (because you have to find your disc that ricocheted off a tree).

 

[denny ritner]

Ephraim White Course in Bowling Green.......no question.

that'll be a great course in 20-30 years

 

[cmcolomb]

White Oak park is a polarizing course. Lots of low ratings due to casual players not paying attention and having trouble finding the next tee, but most of the people who've played it before love it. It's long, there's lots of hills, the wooded holes can be super-technical, and the last 3 holes have a water hazard.

Great point!!! This is a fanastic course!!!

 

[Dsplayname]

that'll be a great course in 20-30 years

Alexander Park, in GA, is like that. They planted some trees in the open fairways, that will make now boring holes quite interesting once they grow more. It's generally considered a nice course though, and not polarizing to players.

 

[grodney]

Owens Field in Columbia.

Reviews range from 1.5 to 4.0, with 31% rating it only a 2.0, yet 25% rating it 3.5.

Awesome example -- and backed up by stats! I played that course once years ago, and I still don't know what I think about it.

 

[tmahan]

Giles Run in Lorton VA, actually has a 0 disc and 5 disc reviews. Most of the reviews are around 4 discs which is fair, but golfers typically either love it or hate it. It's a great layout, with two baskets and two nice concrete tees per hole, but it has some of the most un-godly rough just off the fairways and greens. To give you an idea, a group of locals calls themselves The Thorn Divers. Park management won't allow the golfers to cut back or thin the briers, and the ticks are awful during the warm months. If you're willing to man up and put a premium on keeping your disc in the fairways it's a great play.

 

[Jukeshoe]

Richmond Hill (my hometown course). I used to love it, now I hate it haha. The level of precision needed to play an error-free round here eventually wears you down & devours you.
Commonly heard at this course:
People love the big elevation changes but hate it when their disc rolls down the hill after a missed putt/drive/upshot.
The artificial turf tee pads were aquired for a reasonable cost (free) & are decent if it's dry (or you wear cleats) otherwise the plastic grass is slippery when wet.
You love the challenge of threading your disc down a narrow corridor of trees. After doing this on nearly every throw you long for open spaces (alas, there are none).
The woods are lovely dark & deep and you have many miles to go before you sleep (because you have to find your disc that ricocheted off a tree).

Richmond Hill seemed solid. You might not be fully aware of how lucky you are to have all those hills. Come play some flat and boring Chicago area courses for a while...Richmond Hill will have you jumping for joy.

That said, yeah, the tees weren't the best.

I guess anything gets repetitive after a while.

 

[biscoe]

Giles Run in Lorton VA, actually has a 0 disc and 5 disc reviews. Most of the reviews are around 4 discs which is fair, but golfers typically either love it or hate it. It's a great layout, with two baskets and two nice concrete tees per hole, but it has some of the most un-godly rough just off the fairways and greens. To give you an idea, a group of locals calls themselves The Thorn Divers. Park management won't allow the golfers to cut back or thin the briers, and the ticks are awful during the warm months. If you're willing to man up and put a premium on keeping your disc in the fairways it's a great play.

this is the perfect example... very good to excellent holes with 2 fatal flaws (thorns, huge walks between holes) that can ruin the entire experience for some people.

this course is far and away the best 18 holes of disc golf in northern virginia with the nicest tee pads i have ever seen and 2 top notch baskets per hole- that being said, if it were in spotsy i would hardly ever play it due to the thorns and the walks.

i was talking to 2 of the best local nova pros about it on saturday... melty likes it because the potential of losing discs/blood in the thorns creates "tournament pressure" on every shot even during practice rounds.

 

[DavidSauls]

Awesome example -- and backed up by stats! I played that course once years ago, and I still don't know what I think about it.

I live in Columbia and recently celebrated the 5th anniversary of the last time I played it, which will give you an idea of which side of the debate I'M on. When it's discussed at club meetings I'm asked, in advance, to keep quiet.

But it's hard to say WHY the ratings and opinions vary so greatly. It's not a matter of better players or bigger arms liking it more---I guess it's a matter of the "cons", which bother some of us enough to keep us away, and don't matter at all to others. Personal taste.

*

Richmond Hill is a good example at the higher end of the spectrum. Some people I know seem to think it's fabulous, while others find it good....scenic....hilly.....but not all that great.