Pay to Play? Is it Okay?

[jpass21]

When I was introduced to disc golf, one of the main draws to the sport initially was that it was free to play at the parks we went to. I thought that it was really cool to provide a sport to allow people to enjoy the outdoors without spending boatloads of money on equipment or booking tee times. I played ball golf for a long time, but hated the hassle of booking tee times and paying sometimes over $20 just to get onto a course. I thought disc golf would never adapt this sort of model but as i searched through the top rated courses, I found many of them required booking and payment. The point is, I firmly believe that disc golf should be free to play for all. Pay to play courses create exclusivity in the same way ball golf courses do. I would love to see more free courses in the top 10. Does anyone else believe that disc golf should be free to play?

P.S. I don't have a problem with a $1 voluntary donation system, but booking in advance or $5/day? Come on.

 

[prerube]

We have had this discussion numerous times.
It is fine as long as the course is worth the value. I would pay for Blockhouse any day.
Pay to plays do not make you get booking times, atleast not any I have ever played.

 

[kdankn]

Its not a big deal..pay to play courses are no where near as expensive as playing ball golf

 

[juju]

$5/day is nothing you cheapo. Takes money to keep those private courses looking nice. I will gladly pay them $5-$10 for a round.

 

[bradharris]

This whole something-for-nothing culture of disc golf continues to amaze me...

 

[bholy08]

Privatly owned and maintained courses are expensive and should provide some sort of revenue to offset the costs...tee times are established so that those who have so heavily invested in the courses can know who is on the course and when...this is what keeps them at that high level. I would like to see more pay to play if it means the quality of course would be better

 

[scarpfish]

Are we being trolled again?

 

[prerube]

Flyboy is how many acres? Kelly has to mow constently just to keep the course playable. Gas is not free. If the course is not funded by tax dollars, who should foot the bill?

I have paid $7 for 9 holes and $15 for one round before. so $5 a day is very reasonable.

 

[DiscGolfCraig]

How many free vs pay-for-play courses are in your area? Don't like paying, then play the free courses instead.

Also, be sure to mark pay-for-play as a con in every review you write. That always goes over well.

 

[biscoe]

i wish a higher percentage of courses were pay to play.

 

[GLong]

if you don't like paying to play then stick to the free courses. private courses are worth every penny.

what about state parks that have an entry fee? are you opposed to those?

and please explain your 'belief' in free disc golf for everyone. last time i checked that was not an inalienable right guaranteed to us in the constitution.

 

[H3LlIoN]

My local course is publicly owned by the county, but pay to play. It's $3 for 24 hours, or $25 for a one year pass. The money covers the fuel that it takes to run the tractor that mows the course, so that I don't have to wade around in the wild trying to find my disc in the middle of an open field. The guys that run the tractor are all volunteers. Is it worth it to me? Absolutely. There are no tee times required.

If I want to play for free, I only need to jump in the car and drive to one of the other local course...it's not as if anyone is FORCED to pay to play. There are always options.

As for the big PRIVATELY OWNED courses, some of which DO require fees and tee times, you have to remember that those courses are privately developed, and personal courses, usually on private property. This means things like mowing, maintenance and property taxes, not to mention the cost of tees/signs/baskets. I think it's completely reasonable to charge a nominal fee, and I LOVE the idea of tee times, on certain courses. Walking out for a round and not having to worry about being rushed, or chasing someone down, or worrying about flying discs...makes for a very relaxed, liberating round. Like others have said, it DOES vary with the quality of the course, but forking over $5 or less to play someone's course is well worth it to me. If it's a really banging, awesome course, I wouldn't consider $10 unreasonable, but at that point, I've already read reviews and determined if it's worth it.

Also, you made the comparison to ball golf, which I think is apples v. oranges. I'm not sure where you played, but here, I can't get a tee time for less than $50/person (I live in a retirement community with 7 golf courses, most of which are ranked and professionally designed.) Also, I'm required to have special shoes, and collared shirts, and a belt, and my shirt must be tucked in, and I can't swear, and I can't wear jeans, etc etc etc. Such a hassle.

As a side note, if it's a local course you are complaining about, take the time to meet the guy that runs the place. We have a local, private pay to play here, and none of the guys I know actually pay, because they don't have to. They are always out helping the owner maintain, and fixing storm damage, and moving cages, etc. Go out, pay the man to play his course, and then stick around and give him your number in case he needs help.

Sorry if this post is kind of messy and unorganized...hopefully it all makes sense.

 

[DavidSauls]

@jpass21 ---

Do you realize that the pay-to-play courses, especially the top ones, are largely private courses on private property?

If so, do you think private property owners should build courses and let you play for free?

Or have you wondered why so many of the top courses are privately owned? Curious that very few government-owned (public) courses are of the same quality? Wonder why?

But don't worry about the trend. It's only a trend for the top courses; there'll be thousands of free courses remaining for you to play.

 

[prerube]

i wish a higher percentage of courses were pay to play.

why? because it would increase the quality or for other reasons?

 

[scarpfish]

FWIW, the directory shows that 86.4% of the courses in the U.S. (more than 3000) are free to play.

And just looking at the newer courses with a 2002-2011 installation date, that goes up to 86.9%, so I don't exactly see a trend.

Truth be told, the people I've met who seem to balk at a pay-to-play concept the most, aren't exactly the type who desire the "best" courses.

 

[H3LlIoN]

When I was introduced to disc golf, one of the main draws to the sport initially was that it was free to play at the parks we went to. I thought that it was really cool to provide a sport to allow people to enjoy the outdoors without spending boatloads of money on equipment or booking tee times. I played ball golf for a long time, but hated the hassle of booking tee times and paying sometimes over $20 just to get onto a course. I thought disc golf would never adapt this sort of model but as i searched through the top rated courses, I found many of them required booking and payment. The point is, I firmly believe that disc golf should be free to play for all. Pay to play courses create exclusivity in the same way ball golf courses do. I would love to see more free courses in the top 10. Does anyone else believe that disc golf should be free to play?

P.S. I don't have a problem with a $1 voluntary donation system, but booking in advance or $5/day? Come on.

Damn those one percenters and their private, pay to play DG courses! They have no right to charge me to use their property!



You're not, by any chance, posting this from a smart phone @ OWS, are you?

 

[Turner512]

I agree that one of the best aspects of Disc Golf is that you can play for free pretty much everywhere, but in my experience pay to play courses are usually privately owned, operated, and maintained courses. I think its safe to assume that if you are going to go through the trouble of buying 18 baskets, installing 18 holes, and maintaining them yearly for a course that anyone can come play (even if by required scheduling) you deserve compensation. They probably aren't pulling a big profit.

 

[Moify]

I've found a lot of those courses are homemade by one person. Sometimes the pay-to-play courses aren't really "beaten in," and require a guide. The few times I've had to pay to play, I've found this to be the case.

If you want a top ten free course, just come to Western NC, playing courses through the mountains for free never gets old.

 

[JR Stengele]

i wish a higher percentage of courses were pay to play.

:thmbup:

If you want the best, it takes time and money. Those who want it all for free are in their own world. NOTHING is free. Someone is always putting time and money in to even the "free" courses.

 

[Royal Hill]

I'd also add that privately operated on private land courses, even at the higher end of the fee spectrum are likely truly truly operating at a loss - if one considered time, resources, investments, other uses the land could have been used for...and likely in part to the biggest consideration that is overlooked and discourages me to even think or talk about...

risk management.

and consider this possibility: a full assessment of operations, including, risk management, by an informed skilled accountant would lead to a assessment of craziness to try such a venture at a "tolerable" disc golf fee rate.