Private Courses

[simpletwist]

I've been reading a lot of threads lately about problems on courses. Hard core drug use, leagues, signs, etc.

Coming from a ball golf background, its not much different. Most if not all inexpensive ball golf courses have much the same problem. These courses are public courses and many of them are in multi-use parks. Pay more money and these problems seem to go away. At least for the most part. There are DBs every where you go.

So the sooner we get more Private Courses or at least public courses set up like a ball golf course with Starters and Rangers the sooner these problems will become a thing of the past.

MORE PRIVATE COURSES!

 

[prerube]

interesting thoughts. Not sure I fully agree, but you make some valid points.

One problem with private courses is that you will not get diversity in your routine. People will play one course and not be able to afford to travel and experience multiple courses. Courses could start becoming very similar in specific regions. With the current free set up, we get the rowdy chuckers, but it also opens the doors for more new players who will not want to pay $5-$10 to try the sport.
I am not against private courses, I love the private courses I have been to, but I would not want to see extreme greens fees (^$20) on every course either.

 

[Grungedude42]

Problem with private courses is that most disc golfers are not wealthy. There's significant wealth amongst golfers, so private clubs are a thing. Ask a disc golfer to pony up $500-$1000 in yearly dues and watch their eyes glaze over.

Personally, I'd love to see an established club, complete with clubhouse and a nice parking lot. But, it's hard to get disc golfers to kick in $20 without expecting $25 back in swag.

 

[nevets4433]

Yeah...agreed with above. Disc golf and ball golf overall are very different economically. I was a ball golfer first...and a damn good one. Top level equipment costs well over $1000, greens fees can be astronomically high, and all that money allows for a system of privatization of courses with starters and the like.

Disc golf is a much more economically friendly game, but by that same token, the financial investment in the game is much smaller and people aren't going to want to pony up a ton of money to play a course. It is still much more a recreation activity than a sport for most.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

interesting thoughts. Not sure I fully agree, but you make some valid points.

One problem with private courses is that you will not get diversity in your routine. People will play one course and not be able to afford to travel and experience multiple courses. Courses could start becoming very similar in specific regions. With the current free set up, we get the rowdy chuckers, but it also opens the doors for more new players who will not want to pay $5-$10 to try the sport.
I am not against private courses, I love the private courses I have been to, but I would not want to see extreme greens fees (^$20) on every course either.

to be the devils advocate: here in MN I find myself only playing p2p courses which provides plenty of diversity within my routine (sometimes a single pass covers multiple courses located around the Twin cities) There also is no other sport or game really in the world you can play for free so we might as well get off that bandwagon while we are small enough. Free courses should be looked at like practice places similar to public basketball/tennis courts, hockey rinks etc where you don't seriously play and hold events etc you go to the Gym/School/Community center pay fees and so on.

Private/P2P is the only sustainable option if disc golf continues to grow.

 

[simpletwist]

The course I'm talking about only charges $3-$5 and as poor as we may be, that's not gonna break anyone's bank. And if it is too rich for your blood then you can play the public courses and put up with the public course BS. I'm not saying that public courses should go away. I'm sure that the overwhelming majority of us started on free public courses. And for the most part I still play disc golf on public courses.

And opposed to ball golf courses, the maintenance costs for a disc golf course is monumentally lower. In fact in a lot of ways, the more rugged and less manicured a disc golf course, the more charm it has.

But as the game becomes more and more popular, all the negatives that come along with this popularity becomes more prevalent. Thus making the $5 fee for some peace of mind more and more affordable.

I think if the popularity of the sport increases to a saturation point on public courses the park will have 3 choices:

1. Regulate the course as they would a ball golf course, which could include a nominal fee.
2. Put up with the larger problems caused by A-holes and uneducated.
3. Pull the course to eliminate the problem altogether.

There is a place for free public courses, but there is a crying need for the serenity that a private course will give us. Even if you are not rabidly serious, and enjoy just tossing frisbees in the park, there are times when I'd rather throw my plastic at a place where the only problem I have is how much I suck.

 

[MarkDSM]

The public courses are great in my local Des Moines, Iowa area. Fairly clean (lots of people pick-up), tiny amounts of vandalism, and no leftover signs of IV drug use. Travelers I have run into in person seem fairly impressed. (signage could be improved of course)

Ironically, the only pay to play private course in the area is the newest, has the greatest design flaws, and is by far the worse maintained. Indifferent owners with other things on the property of higher priority. The 9 hole golf course that preceded it was total crap.

 

[filobedo]

Problem with private courses is that most disc golfers are not wealthy. There's significant wealth amongst golfers, so private clubs are a thing. Ask a disc golfer to pony up $500-$1000 in yearly dues and watch their eyes glaze over.

Personally, I'd love to see an established club, complete with clubhouse and a nice parking lot. But, it's hard to get disc golfers to kick in $20 without expecting $25 back in swag.

This rant is probably going to sound like Eric Stratton's rant in Animal House but here goes.

I do not fully agree about the comment on significant wealth among ball golfers but would agree with the comment that many disc golfers expect something in return for playing. I remember a few months ago when some of the top pros were offering lessons for $50 an hour and disc golfers were outraged and thought the fee was extreme. Try getting a lesson at the local municipal ball golf course by a local club professional for $50 and see how that goes. If the top ball golfers in the world gave lessons this would be much more significant. I also do not understand how dg'ers will spend $250 on a bag, fill it with 20 discs that average at least $15 each and then complain about paying to play or complain about PDGA and tournament fees as well as complain about players pack and payouts. I for one would like to see more one day tourneys and trophy only. The extra cash could go into reserve fund accounts for local clubs to build more courses. I would much rather spend money on something that I enjoy and not complain about it than to do something such as get into an expensive hobby that is fun but solely dependent on significant costs (e.g., if you think disc golf is expensive buy a boat or just set a stack of cash on fire instead).

 

[Bubbajoe]

I'm all for P2P. Like Aim For The Chains above, the majority of my rounds are at P2P courses. It's well worth the nominal fee's attached. Buying an East and West side pass will run you 75$ which in the end is nothing. I pay 115$ a year for a Minnesota and Wisconsin fishing licenses alone and I'm not exactly rolling in cash. P2P is the future of DG. There will always be free courses going into the ground and they're important. But as DG enthusiasts demand greater challenges and amenities the funds to build these courses is going to increase. It only makes sense that it should come from the players pockets.

 

[New013]

i wish more people would just be happy to experience the way disc golf is now. live in the present.

 

[RowlettDiscr]

I play about 5 different public courses on the eastside of Dallas. Never had a problem except maybe some slow groups and I just skip ahead.

 

[Grungedude42]

i wish more people would just be happy to experience the way disc golf is now. live in the present.

My only beef with my current club's situation is that it feels like a tribe of nomads. We want to make all these plans, but are dependent on flaky P&R boards who forget they scheduled a giant soccer tourney on the day of our tournament, or didn't install things right, or whatever else, and how dare you tell them how to do their jobs, but oh, where's the kickback from the league money and disc sales?

Kinda feels like playing with your neighbor's toys as a kid.

Plus, I'd like to see a clubhouse, a place to gather, shoot the breeze, maybe display the club championship trophies, a place for meetings that doesn't get us rained on or with waitresses wanting us to order food or get out, etc. Is it too much to ask to have a little establishment?

 

[MikePinchico]

Unfortunately even 4$ won't keep some ass hat from breaking your number sign....