What would a disc golf facility have to offer in order for you to pay to play?

[Ryan Baker]

Long time reader, first time poster here. I'm interested to hear from the community what types of amenities would a dedicated disc golf facility have to offer in order for you to pay to play? Thanks in advance!

 

[Broken Shoulder]

Good golf.

 

[biscoe]

first time- a course.
second time- a decent course
over and over- a good course reasonably maintained

 

[JRW III]

Be better than the nearby alternatives. Better design, maintenance, etc...

If a great course with overnight options, worth a long drive. I try to go to Selah or Flat Creek in Texas once a year.

Huge bonus for golf cart option.

 

[Ryan Baker]

So you are willing to pay for a better experience even with FREE courses of pretty good quality closer by? That's good to know. Thanks.

 

[araytx]

So you are willing to pay for a better experience even with FREE courses of pretty good quality closer by? That's good to know. Thanks.

Ryan, absolutely. I don't get the qualm discgolfers have with a P2P course. We pay to play in softball leagues, volleyball leagues, bowling, darts, hunting, and on and on. Yet some people JUMP OUT OF THEIR SKIN when a quality disc golf course is 5 bucks to play -- usually for the whole day. I don't get it.

 

[lines]

Besides a top notch course...
1. Pro shop
2. Snack bar
3. Beer
4. Decent restrooms
5. Overnight options
6. Basket to tee cameras (live steams)
7. 24 hour golf
8. Tiki course for fun

 

[Future_Primitive]

Doesn't even need to be something crazy, just simply get the basics down and stick to it. A quality course with nice baskets, tee pads and signage. Toss in some score cards, trash cans and occasional picnic table or benches. Then maintain those things to keep them in good standing. We have our fair share of pay to play courses here and the fee is pretty small and rarely a factor when deciding where to play. Shout-out to the Independence Lake Staff for even shoveling the pads all winter long for the Michigan diehards.

Pay to play is nice as it generally keeps the riff-raff out as they flock to free places they can hang out at. Usually groups that toss some discs but are more concerned with drinking, smoking and texting and if they get bored some graffiti and disc charger making. Funny how a couple bucks to play for the day keeps them away from the pay to play courses.

Now there is a difference from pay to play vs destination course, feel like to be a destination course you will probably need to do more. Maybe some things like multiple courses, restrooms, proshop, camping onsite/nearby, other park activities for nonplaying family members. Dont necessarily need these things if I am just day tripping to a pay to play course, but if I am driving 2+ hours or visiting a new state it sure is nice to have the extras and make it worth the drive.

 

[Ryan Baker]

Besides a top notch course...
1. Pro shop
2. Snack bar
3. Beer
4. Decent restrooms
5. Overnight options
6. Basket to tee cameras (live steams)
7. 24 hour golf
8. Tiki course for fun

And if you had all of that and more.... plus 4 world class courses.....what would you pay to play all day?

 

[lines]

And if you had all of that and more.... plus 4 world class courses.....what would you pay to play all day?

$5-$10 to enter.
$20 at the pro shop.
$10-15 at the bar.

 

[markmcc]

I am spending my second summer in Maine, and the P2P model is the norm here. Many of the complexes have two or even three excellent quality, well-maintained courses. In my mind that is the first, second, and third priority. Having played in mixed-use parks all over the country, playing at a "disc golf-only" complex is fantastic. I think that decent restrooms on-site are a must, even if they are simply (clean and stocked) porta-potties.

After that assets like a pro shop with limited food and drinks are great add-ons. That's it for me.

 

[Keller]

Can't really add much more to what's already been said.

To be honest, I wish there were pay to play courses around me! I'm sick of all the "less than desirable hackers". Yeah, that's right, I said it! You know what I'm talking about, the stoner, drunk, obnoxious, littering slobs.

Would love a few courses with multiple pins and tee pads, maybe a place to get a hot dog or something, I don't need much more than that. Just a nice disc golf experience.

 

[Three Putt]

I live in the low-pay/low cost of living rural Midwest and the amount will depend on where you are located, but if there was a pay to play course around me with an annual fee in the $100 ballpark I'd pay that. There is a solid course here, but I'd skip it and pay to play a slightly better course with good upkeep.

Of course if you are on a coast or in a more urban area all the costs go up so that $100 would be nothing, but around here $100 is $100. :|

 

[roggenb3]

Besides a top notch course...
1. Pro shop
2. Snack bar
3. Beer
4. Decent restrooms
5. Overnight options
6. Basket to tee cameras (live steams)
7. 24 hour golf
8. Tiki course for fun

And if you had all of that and more.... plus 4 world class courses.....what would you pay to play all day?

Are you John Jokinen?

I kid, I kid. But seriously, under promise and over deliver: Forget about snack bars and tiki courses and all that noise. Make sure your 4 courses are indeed world class first. THEN start adding the extras.

 

[curmudgeonDwindle]

Truth is that we pay to golf almost every time that we play. Public courses are not 'free', unless you completely shirk paying taxes, even with the rare comp round.

I dislike the term 'pay to play', because it is just as misleading as 'free'. More properly this model is called 'daily fee'...

A payment barrier to entry raises expectations because of enhanced perceived value, increasing competitor incentives to provide better service. If you 'enjoy' capitalism this seems natural, good and right. Moreover, as other posters have pointed out, it often results in better behavior from participants.

Personally, I feel good directly contributing in this way (daily fees), even if it's a pittance...

 

[biscoe]

I live in the low-pay/low cost of living rural Midwest and the amount will depend on where you are located, but if there was a pay to play course around me with an annual fee in the $100 ballpark I'd pay that. There is a solid course here, but I'd skip it and pay to play a slightly better course with good upkeep.

Of course if you are on a coast or in a more urban area all the costs go up so that $100 would be nothing, but around here $100 is $100. :|

Yep, location. location, location. You can see it around here too. Spotsylvania is about half way between Richmond and DC. The players from the affluent Northern Virginia suburbs will pay entry fees, buy sponsor discs, etc without blinking. Their club raised enough money for 27 baskets and a trailer to haul them around in in a few months time. Go 2 hours south of there to Richmond and the player base doesn't want to pay $10 to play on a golf course with a cart included.

 

[DavidSauls]

I dislike the term 'pay to play', because it is just as misleading as 'free'. More properly this model is called 'daily fee'...

"Pay per play" would be accurate. PPP. But that's pretty pedantic; "pay to play" conveys the meaning well enough.

 

[DavidSauls]

Long time reader, first time poster here. I'm interested to hear from the community what types of amenities would a dedicated disc golf facility have to offer in order for you to pay to play? Thanks in advance!

Can you add a little context to that question?

Like how often, and where?

The bar isn't too high for me to pay to play, once. If you're thinking in terms of a business model---whether people would be regulars at a course---the standard is a lot higher.

Where matters, perhaps even more. How close to me, and what are the alternatives within the same distance.

Like others, what really matters is the course itself. Or courses. Amenities are nice, but not much of an attraction.

 

[DoWork]

Interesting design
High level of maintenance
Legit tees
Good baskets

If you're charging say $10 and don't have all of the above, I probably won't be coming back.


That's also as a person who built and runs a P2P course. There can just be no excuses IMO.

 

[Ryan Baker]

Can you add a little context to that question?

Like how often, and where?

The bar isn't too high for me to pay to play, once. If you're thinking in terms of a business model---whether people would be regulars at a course---the standard is a lot higher.

Where matters, perhaps even more. How close to me, and what are the alternatives within the same distance.

Like others, what really matters is the course itself. Or courses. Amenities are nice, but not much of an attraction.

The Charlotte metro area. Already a hotbed of good courses, but none that are maintained as well as a P2P would be and none have any real amenities. The player base seems to be there but would enough of them choose to pay on a regular basis to make it worthwhile? That's the question.