Does such a list exist? I was wondering where the best ones were in the country. Anyone have a link to such a list or maybe they can share their own top ten for a new player.
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Top Ten DG Courses
- Thread starter nygfaninva
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I'm thinking a good place to look would be the front page of this very website. There's a little box that has the Top 10 rated courses on the site.
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I think the "top 10" on this site is a good place to start...what I have found is that it is all so objective...what I like is different than what some of my friends like...I don't have a "big arm" but love the crazy wooded courses...but I think the top rated courses on this site represent a good cross section of solid courses...
Yeah I know about this list and its good, your both right. I was just thinking has a Disc Golf magazine or any other type site ever published a Top Ten in the US or World list?
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Agree with everything there except loving crazy wooded courses. I'm working on developing my "big arm" and for now I like courses with a good balance of technical vs. long bomber holes.
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Milo McIver is a great course for Big Arm holes and some technical wooded holes...I'll be playing there on July 21
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An authoritative Top Ten list is impossible unless those who compiled the list had played every one of the ~2500 courses in the world.
Also, variety of preferences and the wide variety of factors make it impossible. It's probably not even possible to come to a consensus on what the factors to determine this and how to weight them. (This is a big reason why the PDGA Course Evaluation Program didn't work.)
But with that caveat it might be possible to compile a list of various people's choice for top courses. (That's basically the goal of this site.) There could be a pool of great courses, but I don't ever see it being limited to just 10. The top 100 may be more feasible.
Also, variety of preferences and the wide variety of factors make it impossible. It's probably not even possible to come to a consensus on what the factors to determine this and how to weight them. (This is a big reason why the PDGA Course Evaluation Program didn't work.)
But with that caveat it might be possible to compile a list of various people's choice for top courses. (That's basically the goal of this site.) There could be a pool of great courses, but I don't ever see it being limited to just 10. The top 100 may be more feasible.
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Awww, forget what I just said, and I'll just give you the authoritative list of the Top Ten courses in the world...
(In alphabetical order.)
(Many of these courses were taken from my list of Great Courses in my U.S. Course Guide that is stored in the Files section of the DG Course Reviews Yahoo Group.)
(In alphabetical order.)
- Brakewell Steel/ Warwick in Warwick NY
- Idlewild in Burlington KY
- Mount Airy in Cincinnati OH
- Nockamixon in Quakertown PA
- Pier Park in Portland OR
- Renaissance in Charlotte NC
- Vallarta-Ast in WI
- Walnut Creek in Charlottesville VA
- Water Works in Kansas City MO
- Winthrop Gold in Rock Hill, SC
(Many of these courses were taken from my list of Great Courses in my U.S. Course Guide that is stored in the Files section of the DG Course Reviews Yahoo Group.)
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I'm disagreeing...
well, not disagreeing, just wondering where De La Vega is? 350 courses between yourself and Doktor John, and neither of you have played it! It should be on the list even though you haven't played it.
DeLa Vega, Santa Cruz, CA....best course i've ever played
well, not disagreeing, just wondering where De La Vega is? 350 courses between yourself and Doktor John, and neither of you have played it! It should be on the list even though you haven't played it.
DeLa Vega, Santa Cruz, CA....best course i've ever played
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Silly me! I meant to put DeLa on THE List, but it slipped out of my consciousness. Here's the updated list:
- Brakewell Steel/ Warwick in Warwick NY
- DeLaveaga in Santa Cruz CA
- Idlewild in Burlington KY
- Mount Airy in Cincinnati OH
- Nockamixon in Quakertown PA
- Pier Park in Portland OR
- Renaissance in Charlotte NC
- Vallarta-Ast in WI
- Walnut Creek in Charlottesville VA
- Water Works in Kansas City MO
- Winthrop Gold in Rock Hill, SC
Right On!
now this is a list i can get behind...unfortunately i've only played 2 of the courses, but hopefully that will change soon.
now this is a list i can get behind...unfortunately i've only played 2 of the courses, but hopefully that will change soon.
I have to disagree..Mt. Airy would not make it in, though it's nice. When I played it in 2006, it just wasn't that impressive, maybe it has changed or had been changed? Several holes were just plain, which ruins a courses chances of making a top 10. I also have to disagree with DeLaveaga and Waterworks, Waterworks is pretty basic besides the land it's on. And DeLa had some pretty odd lines and the top of the world is not the best off-cliff type shot I have seen. Warwick, Idlewild, Vallarta and Nockamixon I can see making a definitive list for sure. Others to make a list...
-Pickard, Indianola, Iowa
-Toboggan, Milford, Michigan
-Highbridge Hills (Blueberry, Gold or Granite Ridge), Mellon, Wisconsin
-Moraine State Park, Portersville, Pennsylvania
-Hudson Mills, Ann Arbor, Michigan (Though it is my home course it is not in my top 10, but is in MANY people's)
-Tower Ridge, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
-Sipapu, _____, New Mexico
etc
-Pickard, Indianola, Iowa
-Toboggan, Milford, Michigan
-Highbridge Hills (Blueberry, Gold or Granite Ridge), Mellon, Wisconsin
-Moraine State Park, Portersville, Pennsylvania
-Hudson Mills, Ann Arbor, Michigan (Though it is my home course it is not in my top 10, but is in MANY people's)
-Tower Ridge, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
-Sipapu, _____, New Mexico
etc
WHAT???
isn't the land it's on a major component of a course's makeup? how could Waterworks be improved if the land it's on is unique but the course is not?
and just because DeLa might not have the best cliff type shot you've ever seen, it's got to be in the top 5, which then in turn puts it in the top 10 courses...you can see the freaking ocean from the top! and what exactly do you mean by "weird lines"? by weird lines i'm imagining shots that you found difficult, that whole course is full of difficult shots, there fore weird lines...my personal favorite hole on that course is 12, i've never played another course like it
isn't the land it's on a major component of a course's makeup? how could Waterworks be improved if the land it's on is unique but the course is not?
and just because DeLa might not have the best cliff type shot you've ever seen, it's got to be in the top 5, which then in turn puts it in the top 10 courses...you can see the freaking ocean from the top! and what exactly do you mean by "weird lines"? by weird lines i'm imagining shots that you found difficult, that whole course is full of difficult shots, there fore weird lines...my personal favorite hole on that course is 12, i've never played another course like it
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Oh yeah, I forgot sly sarcasm is sometimes lost in 2-dimensional forum chatting
I'll give you the top five (In order) for Oregon. These courses rival any I've played anywhere else.
Milo McIver (near PDX)
Great mix of HUGE par 4s and par 5s with elevation, proper fairways, and trouble along with some very technical wooded holes. Shooting par will usually get you a 980-990 rated round! When put into the BSF layout (dual 18s), this is the best course on the west coast!
Whistler's Bend (near Roseburg)
A very fun course with some tight wooded holes, then opening up to some big bombs, three holes are over 500'. One hole is a "Top of the World" shot that is 700' and can be reached with a putter. Hole nine is a very treacherous 350'ish hole that plays slightly downhill with a 40' cliff about 40' behind the basket, going straight into a roaring river. Again, shooting par is going to net you a good round rating, between 970-990 depending on the field and conditions!
Adair Park (near Corvallis)
Beautiful park with huge old-growth oaks spread out over one corner of the course. Great mix of big power bombs and technical wooded holes that your happy getting through with a par. Some holes have OB to deal with making things more interesting. With a few more opportunities for birdies here, an even par round with get you somewhere between 960 and 970.
Pier Park (in PDX)
Pier park is one of the most fun courses to play, and one of the most challenging tournament courses. With so many huge douglas firs everywhere, any glitch in your nerves will send you flying WAY off course, sometimes even behind you! Go look at the fotos from the course and you'll understand! There is decent elevation, a fantastic mix of short and long holes, and just a general surreal feeling about the course. Shooting par with all the pins in the tournament long layout will get you around 980-990.
Dexter (near Eugene)
Dexter Lake Park is a very, very challenging course. Some of the holes are pretty long and open, but many are VERY tight and difficult. The rest of the holes are in between somewhere. It is very beneficial to be able to throw forehand or backhand here to get through some of the tight shots. I personally don't care for this course too much because some of the holes seem to require more luck than skill, but I can't deny that Dexter is still a top-notch course, and a great place to practice any weaknesses in your game! Par at Dexter will hand over a 990-1000 rating for the tournament placements!
Ok, so there's my little quick run down for courses not too miss in Oregon. As you can probably gather, I like playing courses where shooting par is an excellent round. It shows that the course is more well rounded than other courses where good players can easily shoot 6-8 under par.
Cheers,
Ryan
Milo McIver (near PDX)
Great mix of HUGE par 4s and par 5s with elevation, proper fairways, and trouble along with some very technical wooded holes. Shooting par will usually get you a 980-990 rated round! When put into the BSF layout (dual 18s), this is the best course on the west coast!
Whistler's Bend (near Roseburg)
A very fun course with some tight wooded holes, then opening up to some big bombs, three holes are over 500'. One hole is a "Top of the World" shot that is 700' and can be reached with a putter. Hole nine is a very treacherous 350'ish hole that plays slightly downhill with a 40' cliff about 40' behind the basket, going straight into a roaring river. Again, shooting par is going to net you a good round rating, between 970-990 depending on the field and conditions!
Adair Park (near Corvallis)
Beautiful park with huge old-growth oaks spread out over one corner of the course. Great mix of big power bombs and technical wooded holes that your happy getting through with a par. Some holes have OB to deal with making things more interesting. With a few more opportunities for birdies here, an even par round with get you somewhere between 960 and 970.
Pier Park (in PDX)
Pier park is one of the most fun courses to play, and one of the most challenging tournament courses. With so many huge douglas firs everywhere, any glitch in your nerves will send you flying WAY off course, sometimes even behind you! Go look at the fotos from the course and you'll understand! There is decent elevation, a fantastic mix of short and long holes, and just a general surreal feeling about the course. Shooting par with all the pins in the tournament long layout will get you around 980-990.
Dexter (near Eugene)
Dexter Lake Park is a very, very challenging course. Some of the holes are pretty long and open, but many are VERY tight and difficult. The rest of the holes are in between somewhere. It is very beneficial to be able to throw forehand or backhand here to get through some of the tight shots. I personally don't care for this course too much because some of the holes seem to require more luck than skill, but I can't deny that Dexter is still a top-notch course, and a great place to practice any weaknesses in your game! Par at Dexter will hand over a 990-1000 rating for the tournament placements!
Ok, so there's my little quick run down for courses not too miss in Oregon. As you can probably gather, I like playing courses where shooting par is an excellent round. It shows that the course is more well rounded than other courses where good players can easily shoot 6-8 under par.
Cheers,
Ryan
I would like to see some lists by region as most of Olorin's list is pretty far from my location in the deep south and the top-rated courses on this site are too.
Delaveaga is not top 10 due to Idlewild, Moraine State, Pickard, Highbridge, Toboggan, Dripping Springs, Pickard..etc
A lot of it is age. Mt Airy Forest was top 10 when it was established, but that was 15 years ago. Same with Water Works. These two were the top courses in the Midwest a decade ago, so their reputations are well established. There are courses that possibly are better in the Midwest now like West Lake in Davenport, IA or Foundation Park in Centralia, IL, but they are new courses that a lot of folks don't know about. Whether either of those two courses would qualify as top 10 material, I have no idea.
