Course loaner disc program

[Billipo]

Anyone know of a course with a successful loaner disc program? I am contemplating pursuing at some of our local courses that have offices and/or store which could administer.

Interested in any feedback. thx

 

[kenjiac]

We leave beaters and old unclaimed discs at a kiosk at one of our courses and write free to use please return after the round on them. They sometimes disappear but they were beat or unclaimed anyway. We write in big sharpie on them so it's noticeable if someone took one and was using it as their own.

 

[JuanA]

They do the same as what kenjiac said at the course I play at lunch. There is a practice basket and picnic table at the first tee, and a bunch of beater discs with a big V sharpied on them. Sometimes I'll find one on the course, and drop it back off on my way out.

Not sure how many go missing, but there is always a handful under the picnic table. This is a disc only park though, and people are pretty cool about returning them.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Yes. Technically, its a shop, not the course per se, but...

The Throw Shop (listed on DGCR's Shops page) is located on the same property as these two courses (store is a couple hundred feet from #1 Long tee):
Lakeshore DGC - The Ponds
Lakeshore DGC - The Woods

They have a decent selection of "tester" discs, often in recent or popular molds, that you can check out for a round.
I think you need to leave a driver's license as assurance you'll return the disc, but you can use anything in their "Tester" rack for a round.

Really a nice option to be able to "fly before you buy!"

 

[Billipo]

Great feedback.

One thing I forgot to mention. One course specifically asked about starting a loaner program. I figured if we had a plan there. I could use the same formula at other course.

 

[chevis]

never seen 'em used, but there is a rental option at the pay to play course here (3$): https://www.playcolumbiapark.com/disc-golf

 

[Three Putt]

The parks department here ordered a custom set of 50 Star Sidewinders and 50 Star Makos with a "Rental Disc" stamp on them; you had to leave your ID at the desk to check out a set. After three years they were down to eight Mako's and three Sidewinders; the rest were either stolen or legit lost by people on the course. 89 discs lost in three years is a pretty compelling argument against doing that; using random lost discs and writing "FREE" on them with a sharpie seems like a much better idea.

 

[ILUVSMGS18]

The local state college by me put in a 9 hole course and has had a kiosk with a collection of Discmania discs in it for more than half a year. When I was there last it was down to 8 and the kiosk holds at least 20. When I find them on the course (which is quite often), I do return them. It was down to 3 or 4 then I found 4 and successfully retrieved 3.

 

[rocthecourse]

I played a course that had a box of loaner discs. There were a couple of good discs and a few decent discs and some junk discs.

I thought it was a nice addition to the course. As an out-of-towner I borrowed a disc and used in on the holes with thick rough just in case. The one thing I would suggest is writing "Loaner Disc" in sharpie on the top and bottom, and which course it belongs to on the bottom.

 

[Billipo]

I will no doubt share the upside and downside of having a loaner program with the park.

I feel big push of park is to create opportunities for new players or introduce players to the sport. There is no immediate local club presence which makes promoting the course difficult.

The office does sell discs, but that is a hard sell to get someone to buy a "set" of discs just to try out disc golf.

For the curious, The course is Pymatuning State Park - Jamestown, PA. A Par 66 course 3 tee configurations.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Pymatuning's a solid course with some opportunities for lost discs.

IIRC: Front 9 has some pretty high grass defining the fairways... the kinda stuff that makes finding shots that don't miss the fairway by much, a royal pain.

Back 9 is wooded with more legit "rough" and a water carry that's likey to claim a few.

 

[Jimb]

Stealing loaner discs is one thing to think about... and we know it will happen.

With loaner discs, there's probably not much motivation to look for them, either.... unless you have a deposit method of loaning them out.

 

[JuanA]

I think the only deposit method that would work is cash. Leave a $20 for each disc borrowed...return the disc and get your money back.

I don't see ID working since keeping an ID for a legit lost disc would be though to prove and enforce.

 

[hiflyer]

I know the course in Huntington Beach, Ca has loaner discs. I dont know the process though because Ive never needed them.
La Mirada used to have loaners too, but new pro shop mgmt has done away with it for now, afaik. It used to be a deposot situation, I believe.
I think a deposit could kinda be a bummer at any course with water, though.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Stealing loaner discs is one thing to think about... and we know it will happen.

With loaner discs, there's probably not much motivation to look for them, either.... unless you have a deposit method of loaning them out.

I can't even imagine establishing a loaner/rental program without taking a deposit sufficient to cover the cost of replacing a disc.
Lost disc = Lost deposit.

Can you think of any other rental where losing the thing you rented, or otherwise failing to return it cost you nada?

This allows such a program to self-sustaining, allowing more people to try it out.

I'm not even sure I'd bother taking DL's or other firms of ID. That's just an administrative hassle.

 

[ru4por]

I think the only deposit method that would work is cash. Leave a $20 for each disc borrowed...return the disc and get your money back.

I don't see ID working since keeping an ID for a legit lost disc would be though to prove and enforce.

Pretty sure you cannot keep a DL anyway. Charging someone 20 bucks for a legit lost disc does not sound like a way build business or grow the sport. I think you spend a little time collecting crappy used discs and mark them up to be UGLY. Losing some would have to be part of doing business. I mean if you lose 20 discs in a year, at 5 bucks a disc, is that the deal breaker for viability?

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Pretty sure you cannot keep a DL anyway. Charging someone 20 bucks for a legit lost disc does not sound like a way build business or grow the sport. I think you spend a little time collecting crappy used discs and mark them up to be UGLY. Losing some would have to be part of doing business. I mean if you lose 20 discs in a year, at 5 bucks a disc, is that the deal breaker for viability?

I don't suggest charging retail for a lost disc.
If the discs cost you $5 a piece, then $5 deposit.
If they cost the course $10/disc... then that's the deposit.

I wouldn't suggest buying above baseline plastic.

 

[elmexdela]

one small 9 hole course had a toolbox drilled to the backside of the main pavilion and had "rentals" in there which had a box of about 15 discs ranged from newish premium plastic to beat lightening discs none had ugly ink on it however it was a very low traffic course in a very small town

other p2p courses have "rental" programs however i have never tried them cuz well i have my own discs

ive seen school gym classes or sober transitional housing or other organizations do the ugly ink trick and its usually a useful deterrent

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I can see the ugly markup trick helping to deter theft.

 

[Gblambert]

How about making it self serve? Kinda like those free mini libraries that look like oversized mailboxes. Those are "take a book, leave a book". Yours could be "take a disc, return a disc". Instructions on the side could explain how the honor system works and a warning about bad karma for those who take without returning and good karma for those leaving extra discs. It could be a simple box with a door on a pole. If you put them at multiple courses, discs could be borrowed from one box and returned to a different one. You might have some theft, but it could be that more discs are donated than stolen.