This is why I like private courses

[JC17393]

As the sport has grown, i've seen more and more professionals adopt the game.

Because of that I think their is a need for more pay to play. It used to be the game really catered to those of were who broke and couldn't afford expensive recreation.

More often than not I seem to run into folks who have good jobs and disc golf as a passion. They can easily afford a 500 dollar plus membership.

The real question is are their enough of these people to justify the existence of pay to play.

No it isn't, because pay to play doesn't have to be reliant on people buying memberships to exist. The bulk of playing fee revenue is always going to come from the pay as you go crowd at $5-10 a pop.

And believe me, the "broke" crowd will play P2P courses too. P2P does not have to mean country club exclusive.

 

[m1shootr]

Day trip DG

I would rather pay for the gas to play different free courses in a day trip method than possibly play the same course month after month .

 

[Tripper]

but just because you can afford it, doesn't mean you will pay it when a cheaper or free alternative is available

I would never pay $500 for a membership for disc golf. The reason I quit ball golf is because the fees got too high and the courses became too pretentious. When I started playing ball golf I could afford as much as $100 green fees (early 90'S), I just didn't. I would always seek out new/ different courses to play. I am the same with disc golf.

I don't mind paying a per use fee of a few bucks for public courses once in a while if the course is well maintained. I am much more amenable to paying a few bucks to play a private course as I know it helps the owners with gas for the mowers, etc. I also attend every private course work day I can to help way more than the few bucks the owners ask for.

 

[sidewinder22]

Yeah the farming would be small scale. Potential to make a product to be sold or wholesaled to local outlets.

Ive played a private course with a few tilled up fields that play as "ob" none of which being any massive size at all just great use of the land available.

Is maple hill a tree farm of some sorts?

My course is on farm property which grows hops for the onsite brewery and also sells them to other local breweries, and also leases some of the farmland to another farmer. The farmland lease is fairly cheap, I considered paying it for the course so the winter layout could be played in summer, but then I thought about the amount of mowing required to maintain that land in the summer. :gross:

Yes Maple Hill is on a tree farm and closed partially in the winter.

 

[SonicGuy]

I have been playing for 25 years. Grow the sport was fine in the 90's but nowdays I am ready for the sport to actually get a little smaller. I don't like crowded public courses filled with new players. Hell I don't really like the 4-6 year players. I would pay a considerable amount of money to have a course to play at where the money I spent is purely to insulate myself from the hordes of disc golfers. Elitist? Maybe, more anti social. I don't really like you and I am willing to pay money to avoid your presence.

 

[demon102]

The reason why so many people are getting into it is cuz it's super cheap and a great workout walking over rough terrain. If it was $500 a year I don't think anyone I know or me would have ever played the game. A $3+ daily fee with as well as season passes work just fine and a lot of state parks adopting discgolf seems to work great at least around DE.

 

[SonicGuy]

The reason why so many people are getting into it is cuz it's super cheap and a great workout walking over rough terrain.

Disc golf appealing to the least financially able and least physically able probably contributes to the sentiment I posted before. Good riddance to fat broke bad rubbish.

 

[threevok]

Man, I wish I was half as awesome as you think you are!

 

[DavidSauls]

I have been playing for 25 years. Grow the sport was fine in the 90's but nowdays I am ready for the sport to actually get a little smaller. I don't like crowded public courses filled with new players. Hell I don't really like the 4-6 year players. I would pay a considerable amount of money to have a course to play at where the money I spent is purely to insulate myself from the hordes of disc golfers. Elitist? Maybe, more anti social. I don't really like you and I am willing to pay money to avoid your presence.

Spend a really considerable sum of money, and build your own.

 

[corin_brown]

I don't really like you and I am willing to pay money to avoid your presence.

Lol. If you post on DGCR where & when you plan on playing, you won't have to be willing to pay $ to avoid anyone's presence. You can do that for free.

 

[threevok]

Brace yourself for the berating. I can hear the keyboard clicking from here.

 

[SonicGuy]

Spend a really considerable sum of money, and build your own.

Oh I will eventually My own private course, with blackjack and hookers...

Lol. If you post on DGCR where & when you plan on playing, you won't have to be willing to pay $ to avoid anyone's presence. You can do that for free.

I am not so arrogant to think my presence could turn away golfers. A man can dream though...

 

[corin_brown]

Oh I will eventually My own private course, with blackjack and hookers...

LOL. Playing blackjack against the house when you're the house. How does that work?

I am not so arrogant to think my presence could turn away golfers.

LOL. I think you're selling yourself short, Judge.

 

[wkelly42]

Coming from someone that plays a lot of ball golf, most ball golfers won't even pay that to play for a year.

Really? Two rounds a month for a 7 month window (April-October, which is doable even around here) -- 14 rounds at $50 a round get you to that $700. Play once a week (28 rounds in 7 months) and you're down to $25 a round, which is cheap for 18 holes with a cart. Most ball golfers already pay that, they just don't realize it because they pay it weekly.

 

[Hiimchad]

I live in an area where DG is relatively new but growing fast, unfortunately we are not going to see a private course too soon (unlike Maine just below us) however I would pay the price to have a dedicated facility.

I live in an area where I'm fortunate enough, that several good men started working towards building nice courses more than 20 years ago. I currently have 28 courses within 25 miles of me. A few are "putter parks" where most pins are 200 or under. A lot are great courses that present a nice challenge. Look up Hazel Landing, Dillon Park, The Hill at Northview. Those are just some of the great courses we have. Rarely do they flood.


Almost all of the costs were paid for by donations, the cities involved and church groups. Often, the Lions Club will build courses around here.

Private courses are nice here. We have a few that you can go play for 5.00 a day. That's a model I don't mind providing I'm getting something out of it. Otherwise, I'd rather donate to the groups who built the courses I love and tell them why I donated.

If you have no one building courses in your area, be the one who is. Talk to your city leaders, look at other cities as a model. There's ways to grow the sport without asking for 900.00 a year. No new players are going to bother if that's the model.

Ball golf people are a lot different than disc golf people. I've played both. This sport doesn't have the same persona that ball golf has, and never will. If you think you can make a profitable business off of charging 900.00 a year for a course, good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[NDABRUSH]

I have been playing for 25 years. Grow the sport was fine in the 90's but nowdays I am ready for the sport to actually get a little smaller. I don't like crowded public courses filled with new players. Hell I don't really like the 4-6 year players. I would pay a considerable amount of money to have a course to play at where the money I spent is purely to insulate myself from the hordes of disc golfers. Elitist? Maybe, more anti social. I don't really like you and I am willing to pay money to avoid your presence.

"I don't really like you and I am willing to pay money to avoid your presence" Now that's a funny line, you should make that your signature. Also nice Caddyshack reference from Corin...... you're a tremendous slouch.

 

[Innova63]

I wonder if steve west can chime in re:
http://www.udgsp.com/index.html

I really like the idea of this and even what i think has been done in a county of eastern WI?

I agree most other "parks" have other revenue streams but so should any p2p private course.

Discs. Food. Entertainment.

Landscaping services given tools needed to maintain a course. Farming on site. Outdoor recreational activities/camping/fishing etc.

Curious about the eastern WI county.....Are you referring to Milwaukee County?
Permit that covers 5 different county courses.

 

[Steve West]

I wonder if steve west can chime in re:
http://www.udgsp.com/index.html

I really like the idea of this and even what i think has been done in a county of eastern WI?

It is on hiatus this year. Last year, there were about 12 courses (with 6 different owners) you could play on the one pass.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

It is on hiatus this year. Last year, there were about 12 courses (with 6 different owners) you could play on the one pass.

why is that if you don't mind sharing? I think you were on to something vs being on something.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

My course is on farm property which grows hops for the onsite brewery and also sells them to other local breweries, and also leases some of the farmland to another farmer. The farmland lease is fairly cheap, I considered paying it for the course so the winter layout could be played in summer, but then I thought about the amount of mowing required to maintain that land in the summer. :gross:

Yes Maple Hill is on a tree farm and closed partially in the winter.

crazy what can be done with some land really. maintaining it like a golf course on the other hand is a whole new level of BS.

Hell even Blue Ribbon Pines looks pretty rough right now around the edges and its the spring season to get at it all. Weeds growing in the block, mad leveling issues and weeds in general with tons of needed fill around plus trees etc.

F that noise.