412Disc
Double Eagle Member
$5 a day is reasonable. Play the course two or three times. Fair enough for me
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Pay to Play? Is it Okay?
- Thread starter jpass21
- Start date
Eco81
Double Eagle Member
As long as the course is taken care of I am ok with it. I have a private course that is $3 to play as many rounds as you want in a day and it is on the honor system. The course is so nice and fun it is worth way more then $3 and would play $10 to play if they wanted me too. I have played a couple pay to play in MN and a couple of the courses out there you pay $5 to play as many rounds as you can in one day or pay $50 for a bag tag for the yea and I am ok with that too.
It's not a *REAL* troll thread until somebody blames all of the problems of the world on cigarettes and alcohol.
Moify
Birdie Member
What if the course is maintained solely through slave labor and all the proceeds go to coke and hookers for the landowner, but the course itself is phenomenal?
Then let me know where that course is...
Or perhaps neither. Of the courses I've paid to play, other than in state parks, it was always a case of someone deciding to build a great course, and factoring in pay-to-play as a way to make it feasible.
Pay!
1) Usually pay-to-play courses are really nice so the fee is understandable
2) $5 wont get you a whole lot these days & is a totally reasonable amount to ask for a chance to play an awesome round of disc golf!
1) Usually pay-to-play courses are really nice so the fee is understandable
2) $5 wont get you a whole lot these days & is a totally reasonable amount to ask for a chance to play an awesome round of disc golf!
BIGHAFNER
Eagle Member
The best course in the Memphis area, and maybe in TN, is pay to play. It's only $5 and it is a great course. it is actually on somebody's land and you have to drive by their house to get to it. In cases like this, I'm perfectly fine with paying them $5 to keep it in the great condition its in.
Stetz1010
Eagle Member
I played Pyramids and Maple hill this past summer - both were like 6$ a round - and worth every cent. There are so many benefits to pay-to-play courses that your average local course won't offer. How about a sweet pro-shop? or the fact that you don't have to deal with chuckers and vandals and people that just go to the woods to smoke/drink their miseries away? no ruffians, no having to deal with the chance that your disc is going to get swiped, or baskets stolen, or etc. etc. etc. - We have (in Rochester, NY) an amazing 4 1/2 star rated course (Parma DGC) that is free, and I would def. pay to play it if it were required. If you want your free courses to be as nice as the pay2play courses, join your local club an see what you/they do to help maintain the course and pitch in - then you don't have to worry about dropping a whopping 5$.
I understand the arguments for pay to play courses. I have no doubt that the courses are better maintained and have many many advantages. The problem for me is that with free courses, everyone is encouraged to grab a disc and go golfing. I truly believe disc golf is a sport for everyone and for many of us, $5 a day is a lot of money. Think about it. That's over $1500 a year if you play as often as I do.
Disc golf at its core is much different than ball golf. I think as golfers we should embrace that difference by expecting free to play courses. Why can't a free course have a pro shop or a concession stand? There are lots of ways to make money from a golf course without directly charging for play. Tournaments, snacks and drinks, lessons, etc. could all bring in money. I fail to see why playing the sport without having to pay every time makes disc golf culture "something for nothing." As for me, I just want to golf as many courses as possible. And if I could spend my $5 a day on lunch that would be fantastic.
Disc golf at its core is much different than ball golf. I think as golfers we should embrace that difference by expecting free to play courses. Why can't a free course have a pro shop or a concession stand? There are lots of ways to make money from a golf course without directly charging for play. Tournaments, snacks and drinks, lessons, etc. could all bring in money. I fail to see why playing the sport without having to pay every time makes disc golf culture "something for nothing." As for me, I just want to golf as many courses as possible. And if I could spend my $5 a day on lunch that would be fantastic.
Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
Everyone has free play available to them. Take your discs and go out in hundreds of parks and make up your object course. It's all free. The holes you design might even be better than what you get on your local courses. But if someone else is designing courses, clearing the holes, buying the baskets, picking up trash and maintaining the course, it should cost players something for that benefit.
The idea that taxes pay for your course is dubious at best since many players don't pay taxes where the course is located and they play courses outside their district. Paying $5 a day for 300 days would also be foolish since most pay for play courses have annual passes available at a steep discount.
The idea that taxes pay for your course is dubious at best since many players don't pay taxes where the course is located and they play courses outside their district. Paying $5 a day for 300 days would also be foolish since most pay for play courses have annual passes available at a steep discount.
medicinalfunk
* Ace Member *
if i had a p2p course in my general area, i'd buy yearly passes each year without hesitation
I think it's a lot about quality, people treat free stuff like crap. If you have to pay for something you tend to treat it better. Also with a nominal fee it keeps the riff-raff out, I will gladly drop $50 a year or $5 a day so I don't have to deal with the drunks and "chuckers". I'm all for free courses, but I'm also for enjoying myself and playing with 100 other "players" on a free course is no longer fun. I avoid one of the local free courses because that's what it's turned into a giant sh!thole for casual players. For a few dollars I can enjoy as many rounds on a higher quality course, with very few distractions. I can also get some of that from another free local course, luckily the idiots seem to only congregate at the one (doesn't help it's very compact).
Courses aren't free to put in or maintain, public ones are put in by local clubs or taxes and seem to be the first thing on the cutting block when it comes time for maintenance cut backs, hard to replace a stolen basket etc. With a P2P you usually have better maintenance, less waits, less chance of getting hit, and usually a much better time. I've never played a p2p course and thought, well there was a giant waste of "the same amount of money as 2 Gatorades". Basically after a few rounds at a pay per play I got spoiled, and it just pisses me off when I have to sit and waiting for the group of 6 1-discers not let me play through and then search for 15 minutes for discs cause they've been drinking or getting high. And skipping holes isn't an option because that's what the whole course is filled with. Even better than pay to play courses are p2p private courses with a limited amount of people playing (Phantom Falls).
If you don't want to pay to play then don't, but you won't know what you are missing. Free courses are great for introducing players to the sport, they aren't suddenly going to disappear. But I think something is wrong when everyone seems to think they are "entitled" that every course be free and public.
Courses aren't free to put in or maintain, public ones are put in by local clubs or taxes and seem to be the first thing on the cutting block when it comes time for maintenance cut backs, hard to replace a stolen basket etc. With a P2P you usually have better maintenance, less waits, less chance of getting hit, and usually a much better time. I've never played a p2p course and thought, well there was a giant waste of "the same amount of money as 2 Gatorades". Basically after a few rounds at a pay per play I got spoiled, and it just pisses me off when I have to sit and waiting for the group of 6 1-discers not let me play through and then search for 15 minutes for discs cause they've been drinking or getting high. And skipping holes isn't an option because that's what the whole course is filled with. Even better than pay to play courses are p2p private courses with a limited amount of people playing (Phantom Falls).
If you don't want to pay to play then don't, but you won't know what you are missing. Free courses are great for introducing players to the sport, they aren't suddenly going to disappear. But I think something is wrong when everyone seems to think they are "entitled" that every course be free and public.
These are good points, however, I am letting my idealism get the best of me here. I do not deny that free courses are out there. Or that you could haul a practice basket around a public park and make your own course. When I was introduced to disc golf, I was under the impression that being free was just part of the game. I understand that it costs money to take care of courses, I do. I simply believe there are other ways to earn an income without charging for play directly.
My worry is that pay to play courses will become so prevalent that in 20 years, any course worth playing will cost $10 a round plus. At that point for me the sport is ruined. It's not always about playing the fanciest best maintained courses. Sometimes you just want to play. Some people will certainly disagree with me for this, but I golf for fun. If I have to wait a few minutes for some newer players in front of me to finish, I don't care. If the grass on the fairways is shin-high, it's fine with me. Winning and keeping score can be fun, but they are certainly not at the top of my priority list. Having a well manicured course is awesome, but is it worth the risk of losing something that truly made this sport different? My personal golf goal is to play as many courses worldwide as possible. But if I end up spending my life savings just because some golfers don't want to play with inexperienced people on the course, well that sucks.
And as far as the "if you don't want to pay then don't play those courses" argument... come on really? That's like the old tired "if you don't like this country you can get out" argument. Of course I want to play those courses too. And if I have to pay I probably will. But that doesn't change the fact that all of this is escalating to a point where there will be no more free courses worth playing. I'm not really complaining, I'm just trying to do what I can to save the game I love.
My worry is that pay to play courses will become so prevalent that in 20 years, any course worth playing will cost $10 a round plus. At that point for me the sport is ruined. It's not always about playing the fanciest best maintained courses. Sometimes you just want to play. Some people will certainly disagree with me for this, but I golf for fun. If I have to wait a few minutes for some newer players in front of me to finish, I don't care. If the grass on the fairways is shin-high, it's fine with me. Winning and keeping score can be fun, but they are certainly not at the top of my priority list. Having a well manicured course is awesome, but is it worth the risk of losing something that truly made this sport different? My personal golf goal is to play as many courses worldwide as possible. But if I end up spending my life savings just because some golfers don't want to play with inexperienced people on the course, well that sucks.
And as far as the "if you don't want to pay then don't play those courses" argument... come on really? That's like the old tired "if you don't like this country you can get out" argument. Of course I want to play those courses too. And if I have to pay I probably will. But that doesn't change the fact that all of this is escalating to a point where there will be no more free courses worth playing. I'm not really complaining, I'm just trying to do what I can to save the game I love.
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Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
Did miniature (ball) golf die because most courses have a fee to play?
There are a few pay to play courses in my area and I've noticed that for most part these courses are cleaner and there aren't as many Keystone schwilling Ape tossers as compared to free courses.Most players willing to drive a little bit out of the way and pay a fee are usually going to be the people who don't litter and write racial slurs on tee signs.
^^ this.. and I seriously doubt that free courses are going to vanish, some municipalities are realizing that it's a sport most people can play so they are willing to make the investment in their communities. Out of the 9 courses that are close to me (half hour drive) 4 are free, 1 you are "required" to be a member of the local club or pdga member (pay to play), 3 are private, 1 is pay to play. So if you narrow it down to the ones on this site, it's 6 courses, 5 are free (1 is private but free) and only one is p2p.
and the saying "if you don't like it don't play" is nothing like "if you don't like the country, leave". I will ignore the silliness of this comparison as they have very little in common with each other.
Jeasy13
Par Member
But guys, if I have to pay $5, then I can't buy my 2 40's of OE and a blunt wrap... Then it's not even disc golf anymore!
In all seriousness, there will always be free courses. The op's argument comparing "if you don't like p2p, go play a free course" vs " I you don't like this country, get out" is a bit ridiculous... Any idea how much it costs to get a work visa, relocate to another country, pack all your crap and have it shipped by plane or boat, and then try to get citizenship wherever you go? Thousands.
How much does it cost to drive past the p2p course and stop at the free one instead? Absolutely nothing.
In all seriousness, there will always be free courses. The op's argument comparing "if you don't like p2p, go play a free course" vs " I you don't like this country, get out" is a bit ridiculous... Any idea how much it costs to get a work visa, relocate to another country, pack all your crap and have it shipped by plane or boat, and then try to get citizenship wherever you go? Thousands.
How much does it cost to drive past the p2p course and stop at the free one instead? Absolutely nothing.
ENold
Bogey Member
Did you ever think that the reason theses courses are higher rated is because they ARE pay-to-play? With more money, courses can hire designers, replace baskets/signs, fix tee-pads, and pay for maintenance. There are great courses that are free and crappy ones that aren't, but I think Selah has shown what can happen when DG courses are pay-to-play.
