knettles
Double Eagle Member
ya, thumbs are dumb. (despite the fact they're crucial to the great game of disc golf). but... you know what i mean.
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Why bother reviewing courses...
- Thread starter iHitTree
- Start date
How is the point that myself and many locals gave a thumbs up to worse reviews being missed. I know 25 locals that won't play Iron Hill. Some won't play Brandywine. That's not why he got thumbs down. He asked about his reviews. He made insults to people, made wrong comments and talked about spider webs. His review was actually good before this. But your right, this is DGCR and reviews about idiots and spider webs do have their place.
Mabuku1
Double Eagle Member
^^^The man has a point. Talking about spiderwebs on a disc golf course. did it look like halloween? It's not like people put spiders out on the course to erk people. It could be worse. You could be stricken with the dreaded DISC CHARGER PLAGUE.
Sometimes people are just trolling giving out random negs becuese they are jerks. Sometimes it's locals who are mad that you gave their course a rating that they didn't think was high enough. I've had more than a few negs from people that were probably just becuese I told the truth. O well. You win some, you loose some. The only time I mark something as not helpfull is when they are a super short review that says nothing about the course. Even the worst course should have enough reasons that it's bad to make a decent review.
I am going to echo the sentiment about reviewing after 1 play. There are maybe 20 course out of my 180+ that I have played enough to review according to jimimc. Yes, you might not appreciate all the aspects of a course but I think that my review is going to help other traveling disc golfers like myself.
- Joined
- May 3, 2010
- Messages
- 3,791
Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt my opinion on any course is the same after I played the course 10 times compared to once. What frame of mind was I in? How was I playing? Was I in a rush the first time? Did I play in a tournament? Was I playing with players better or worse than me? Did I see a course designed more for beginners played by a beginner? Did I see a course designed to play in tournaments and for Gold level players being played by 1000+ rated players? Maybe first impressions are more important for this website, but I've found first impressions are usually wrong.
I don't review based on watching somebody else play the course. I evaluate the course based solely on the things that are important to me (see my profile for a brief outline), so my mood, the weather, who I'm playing with and whether it's an event or a casual round really don't affect my reviews one way or the other. Also, I don't think I've ever gone back to a course after writing a review and had my mind changed by more than .5 discs (barring significant improvements/changes), so I disagree on the validity of first impressions.
You didn't really address my point that locals and traveling players have different priorities. As I said above, there's a place for locals to give their input, but you seem to be implying that reviews from traveling players don't have accurate or valid input to add. Given that the reviews are most important for people looking to play a course the first time, I disagree.
When was the last time you called locals idiots? How about walking into a spiderweb off the fairway? Have you ever complained about not having a restroom when there are three surrounding the parking lot? Did you ever claim the lack of a Club House was a negative? This sounds to me like some one who took more time writing a review then they did playing the course. I know, I know it's Disc Golf Course Review. I just think one should spend more time playing the course and thinking about the game then their review.
Now you're arguing about one specific review. I never said I thought it was a good review, I haven't even read it. I'm saying that I vehemently disagree that it's impossible to enjoy a round of disc golf and still pay attention to the things you like or dislike about a course. FWIW, I'm saying that as someone who has written 500 or so reviews of courses I've only played once, but I do believe that I and others can multi-task well enough to evaluate and play at the same time without either suffering. If making mental notes about the course took away the fun of playing I know I sure wouldn't do it.
You don't need to see someone else play the course, but seeing it can surely give you a different perspective. The course reviews are not just for traveling players, but the locals who work on the course. I've made many changes to some of our local courses from inputs from this website as well as traveling pros, Chuck Kennedy, Am's just starting out etc. Not all changes have worked out and have been changed back. Some where considered and rejected, but all where considered.
If you mean that you can get good feedback from the reviews on where to focus your efforts and potential changes, then again I believe that a fresh set of eyes is a valuable viewpoint to include with that of people who have played more rounds there.
Seeing other people play the course is certainly important for designing and tweaking a layout. I applaud you for considering how your course plays for different players at different levels. I don't take that into account when writing a review of my personal experience of a course though. If you want the perspective of a 950ish player who played your course once and gave his impressions, check out my review. If not, read the ones that have played the course enough times for your liking. I just don't agree with your premise that us traveling players shouldn't be writing reviews.
agreed.
If travelling players did not right reviews we would have a bunch of 5 star courses filled with homeboy bias.
Traveling players have seen a wide variety of courses, they are more likely to experience a few amazing courses, not just the best in the area.
Ehhh I can see that - but it certainly won't always be the case. Lake Township is my "home" course only because it is closest and is the course I play the most. I gave it a 1.5 years ago and while there have been some minor "improvements" I refuse to get off that rating until the cons are addressed.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/reviews.php?id=1455&mode=rev
But, like you I certainly appreciate the perspective that traveling reviewers bring.
double echo.
To address 2 things: the spider thing was a joke...seemingly the tone of the text didn't suggest that, but it has been amusing seeing that come up again and again...and again. Why wouldn't I mention something like that? it hasn't been mentioned and it was an unusual out of the ordinary experience I had there.
The "idiot" comment was my bad. That was written to read more like 'if you're local to Iron Hill and you haven't played it and are checking DGCR to see if it is worth it, stop wasting time and go play it, as it is one of the premier courses in the area'...it was not meant to insult the home team. That came off in a way I did not realize would be construed as it was by the majority, so clearly that's on me. I was trying to say what others in this thread have as well--that traveling players were the target audience for my review. For a local that works on the course, sure, I understand why checking each review can help improve the course. But you're going to do that regardless, so thumbs downing a review that doesn't help a course designer/maintainer works I guess, but the review wasn't meant for you.
A review should be like a movie trailer...after seeing it, do I wanna go or not?
And for Iron Hill, I made the yes pretty clear, but wasn't going to waste the opportunity to point out flaws (which most of them are not any person's fault or oversight, but rather things that have been better elsewhere and therefore worth comparing)
The "idiot" comment was my bad. That was written to read more like 'if you're local to Iron Hill and you haven't played it and are checking DGCR to see if it is worth it, stop wasting time and go play it, as it is one of the premier courses in the area'...it was not meant to insult the home team. That came off in a way I did not realize would be construed as it was by the majority, so clearly that's on me. I was trying to say what others in this thread have as well--that traveling players were the target audience for my review. For a local that works on the course, sure, I understand why checking each review can help improve the course. But you're going to do that regardless, so thumbs downing a review that doesn't help a course designer/maintainer works I guess, but the review wasn't meant for you.
A review should be like a movie trailer...after seeing it, do I wanna go or not?
And for Iron Hill, I made the yes pretty clear, but wasn't going to waste the opportunity to point out flaws (which most of them are not any person's fault or oversight, but rather things that have been better elsewhere and therefore worth comparing)
chrishysell
* Ace Member *
that might have been me, sorry
I know for a fact that I have given the thumbs down on a few reviews but none of it was ever done for any reason other than the reviewer made comments or assumptions about a course that were just wrong. I read reviews to find out about the course, not what someone thinks could have or should have been done. The reviewers opinion should not be in the review. And oh yeah, I give thumbs down if you whine about gnats or mosquitos. They won't bother you if you would just brush your teeth.
Spiders
I think telling people about spiders, critters and things like that is Ok. I don't think it should be in the Con section or deduct from the courses grade, but it is useful information for some people. For instance, I like knowing that their are gators and large snakes lurking in the water at Sargeant Jasper in SC. I'll be sure to bring a friend/spotter, and be wary of my surroundings.
I think telling people about spiders, critters and things like that is Ok. I don't think it should be in the Con section or deduct from the courses grade, but it is useful information for some people. For instance, I like knowing that their are gators and large snakes lurking in the water at Sargeant Jasper in SC. I'll be sure to bring a friend/spotter, and be wary of my surroundings.
chrishysell
* Ace Member *
I think that bugs are seasonal and shouldn't be listed as a con. You may as well claim that a course is hard to play in the rain or snow.
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