The lost art of course reviewing

[whitefedora]

Exactly.

I don't review most courses I play, but mad props to those who do. When I do get inspired to write a review, typically it is after playing a course that has few or no reviews, or playing a course where I feel like I have something new to contribute.

Writing reviews is a small way to repay the helpful efforts that other more prolific reviewers have provided.

@Juke - I review from the comfort of home, but cellphones are handy for taking pictures of things I want to remember to include in the review.

Yeah, I don't write a ton of reviews. I mostly just have fun with the ones that I do now and only want to do it for the courses that have little to none or I think deserve to be propped up and don't have the course threshold to be on the list on here.

 

[Shadrach3]

Anybody reading this right now frequents a site about reviewing disc golf courses. Most don't even attempt to. It's pretty easy to do. I take pride in doing so, a handful of others clearly do as well. What gives?

Genuine question as a more recent site member: is it a "lost art", or is it just that this site has fewer drive-by reviews than when it was booming? (In other words, are there fewer high-quality/"artistic" reviews than previously, or are there just fewer reviews total but approximately the same number of in-depth contributors?)

 

[ray1970]

When I picture reviewers here in my head I see old people. Their idea of the perfect course relies on important details like the number of restrooms and their convenience of location, how far away the first tee pad is from the parking lot, and if there are drinking fountains available.

When I picture Udisc reviewers they are college age or younger. The details that make an awesome course for them are how many bowls they could smoke before hole six, how many holes are in that 200-250' sweet spot that lets them throw their much beloved Destroyer, and if it was a pay to play course how easy it was for them to get a full round in without paying.

Can't we just split the difference and have decent reviews for everyone else?

 

[Mando]

Genuine question as a more recent site member: is it a "lost art", or is it just that this site has fewer drive-by reviews than when it was booming? (In other words, are there fewer high-quality/"artistic" reviews than previously, or are there just fewer reviews total but approximately the same number of in-depth contributors?)

Bingo ! The quality has never been higher and those with an agenda have moved on, for the most part.

 

[whitefedora]

When I picture reviewers here in my head I see old people. Their idea of the perfect course relies on important details like the number of restrooms and their convenience of location, how far away the first tee pad is from the parking lot, and if there are drinking fountains available.

When I picture Udisc reviewers they are college age or younger. The details that make an awesome course for them are how many bowls they could smoke before hole six, how many holes are in that 200-250' sweet spot that lets them throw their much beloved Destroyer, and if it was a pay to play course how easy it was for them to get a full round in without paying.

Can't we just split the difference and have decent reviews for everyone else?

I feel attacked, but only because I'm realizing the ever depressing fact that I'm getting older and beginning to be categorized (rightfully so) in the former rather than the latter.

However, in this case, I do not take to either side. I primarily rate on the quality of the course and let the amenities sway me when I'm between a rating. For example -- lake marshall lions I gave a 5 without having tee signs. The golf is just unreal there. And when I was between 4.0 and 4.5 on Canaan Riverbend I bumped it up because of the fun factor and great amenities. I've done the opposite on others, but I can't quite think of an example off the top of my head. Though I'm also not really the topic of discussion here having only a couple dozen or so reviews total, but yah know... Thought I'd share n'at.

 

[Puckstopper]

For me, it's - what am I really adding? If even a couple of trusted reviewers have updated in the past year, they'll pretty much be on point. If there's an element that I think they missed, should I write an entire review saying pretty much the same thing, but adding the one item?

This is why my reviews have gotten shorter over time. I feel like there are some people who do a DAMN fine job writing reviews for most of the courses I play and I rarely have much to say compared to them. This has become especially true in the last 14 months as I've moved to a new town and begun traveling for work. This has been great, as I have doubled the number of states I've played in, and will likely triple my total by year's end. On the other hand, I previously knew most of the courses I reviewed quite well and felt like I was giving a well balanced review as opposed to a superficial look.

Going back to my first point, I think I may start highlighting a couple good reviews for courses I play and pointing out a few spots I agree or disagree strongly.

 

[beereakfast]

Honestly, i used to only come to this site with my laptop. That made it far easier to write reviews. I've used a phone to access this place for a long time. It's really hard to write well that way. I think that is likely a common sentiment.
Also, a lot of courses have a ton of reviews. It gets hard to add anything without resorting to a creative writing exercise. Not that that's a bad thing.

 

[wolfhaley]

I recently stated this, but I simply don't believe I can provide balanced, helpful reviews, for most. I honestly find some sort of joy in nearly EVERY course I play. Even if the course itself doesn't provide for superior play, the emersion into nature is the milk and honey, I need to soothe my soul. Every review would just be me, acting out the part of a nature fanboy. I would struggle to come up with cons. And I fear that struggle would take away from the experience. It might sound odd, but this is really why I do not do reviews.

I enjoy all the courses I play too. Even the crappiest of courses. Some of those are the most memorable I'd genuinely love to read a review from you, get your perspective on what truly makes a course great. You do always say that it's the reviews that matter, not the ratings. I need to get back to MI soon anyway. Maybe I'll see an ru4por review of a course I might overlook. opcorn:

I think we're better served by getting reviews from people who want to write reviews, than fluffing the numbers with reluctant reviewers nudged into "doing their part".

To be clear, I'm not trying to "nudge" anybody into anything. I just think it would be nice to see some more reviews from locals about courses they've played hundreds of times. Homer bias or not. May be more helpful than my wordy review about a course I played one time in abnormal for that area weather conditions.

Still try to review courses that haven't been reviewed yet, or are missing something important (like a realistic rating)!

What boggles my mind, is how some people come on this site to spew their opinion on EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD before it burns them from the inside... but not on DG courses.

This^ and That^ :clap::clap::clap:

Why am I even here?

The excellent music and advice for lefty's of course

Sorry for derailing the thread but I added a few 18's in the La Crosse / Eau Claire area a la Double Barrel in Tomah and Goose Island in Soddard just south of La Crosse. I wish I lived closer to be able to go play them before the season closes but perhaps if you have some time and are able to check them out, lemme know how they end up playing.

Saw the Double Barrel course in Tomah over the weekend and wishlisted it. Didn't see the Goose Island one until you mentioned it. Promptly wishlisted. :thmbup:

I won't be writing any reviews here. You guys are sticklers about what you do and don't want in a review. Also, weird things that some of the reviews here ding a course for aren't things that I would even factor in to the quality of a course. Basically there's no way I'm investing time to tell people what I thought about a course only to have them tell me why I am wrong or why my review isn't a "quality" review. It's just too hard to punch someone through the internet.

Your posts on the forums aren't usually "quality" either but we still tolerate you. It sounds like you need a hug, but that's also hard to do through the internet.

Personally I find it weird that people worry about what others think in regards to your review. Most of these people aren't the ones putting in the work and the review is from your perspective. So you get a few thumbs down, big deal, it probably means you're telling it like it is.

The entire purpose for me writing reviews is to help that person out there in deciding what courses to play in their area if they are new or if they are planning a road trip. If the locals don't like my honest reviews or my review style hit the thumbs own button but I don't write reviews for them and I don't apologize for my reviews.

100% this. Sillybizz gets it. Most thumbs down I get are probably from locals who think much higher of their local courses than they actually are. Ask Darkgreen about this

 

[CaptainAnhyzer]

I realized fairly quickly that A FEW of the people with these participation trophies

tended to act and type like they were chosen to grade my art project like i was in grade school.

"Opinions are not right or wrong, just different." -Author unknown

 

[enragedmullet]

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading a thread this much.

 

[apdrvya]

I think to some point this was like the end of 'Stand by Me.'

We all grew up, had kids, moved away.

We didn't start playing, we just stopped having time to write hugely verbose reviews (which i have done a few times )

 

[nothinbuttree]

It takes me about an hour to do the reviews that I have posted here (admittedly very few the last year). I took notes on many more courses with the intention to do reviews, but just never got around to it (full time work and family of 7, busier this year for various reasons), and after a while, the memory of what really makes a course tick fades from memory.

I have tinkered with the idea of a short review (longer than Udisc rubbish but shorter than typical ones here), but have not pulled the trigger. The content would not focus on amenities (unless not otherwise known about that course), but just play and things that are important to me. Maybe I will try one soon and see what kind of reaction there is.

Honestly, I have written reviews mostly A) to help others, and B) to contribute to a site I have gotten so much out of. Not for thumbs. But...at the same time, no one wants to spend time writing reviews that it appears no one is interested in or apparently helped by. The site does seem to have a minimum content requirement that a review needs to have. My reviews probably have gone overboard there, which isn't bad, but again just too time-consuming for me to keep that pace going.

Again, I wonder how many thumbs--up or down--are actually by readers actively considering that course to play. My 'hunch' is extremely few--maybe less than 10%. Wish there was a way to bump that percentage up.

 

[jupiterboy]

Brevity is hard.

 

[ray1970]

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading a thread this much.

Not a quality post. No details as to what you enjoyed about reading this thread. Thumbs down.





(Just poking fun. Not serious at all. Smiley face emoji.)

 

[ray1970]

Your posts on the forums aren't usually "quality" either but we still tolerate you. It sounds like you need a hug, but that's also hard to do through the internet.

Everyone could always use a good hug. Should I ever find myself in your neck of the woods I'll hit you up. You can put a beating on me out on the course and we can follow it up with a hug.

 

[ray1970]

For the record, I find reviews on Udisc can be useful. If nothing else they can give me a good idea of current course conditions. If several reviews in the last couple of days mention heavy weed growth, missing baskets, flooded areas of the course, etc. that is good information to have before heading out. You'll see this type of current information more on Udisc because courses are reviewed almost daily.

Case in point, one of my local courses was last reviewed here six months ago. Prior to that it was reviewed well over a year ago. That same course was reviewed on Udisc seven times in the last ten days.

Another local course known for its horrible tee pads always got bad reviews for the pads. I knew that new pads were going in soon. As soon as the Udisc reviews started praising the new tee pads I knew they were done.

 

[nothinbuttree]

Case in point, one of my local courses was last reviewed here six months ago. Prior to that it was reviewed well over a year ago. That same course was reviewed on Udisc seven times in the last ten days.

Like facts like these or hate them, they are the current reality, and trending in the Udisc direction more and more every day. I find myself using Udisc more and more too.

Here is my case in point--played Idlewild on Monday. We like to play the DGPT layout (18 holes, long tees). There is no option on DGCR to use that layout for scores, so I had to use Udisc. Udisc had not only this layout, but the 2021 MPO AND FPO DGPT layouts in addition to the 2022 MPO and FPO layouts. This of course in addition to the standard 24 hole park layout.

Do I want to take the time to create a layout every time I play a course? No. But even if I did, there is no option to do that in the app. Yes, Udisc has some stupid layouts that detract from the experience, but at least it has them.

I also use it for navigation (seems to be quite accurate overall), and current course conditions too. Many DGCR courses have nothing in current conditions. Most have nothing remotely recent. I think that is because one by one, users are opting to use Udisc because it offers so much more IN THE FIELD.

We (users, mods, owners, whoever) can stand on past accomplishments, and yes the reviews here today totally blow Udisc away, but the brutal fact remains that unless some changes are made, I fear DGCR as a legitimate source for current course information/feedback will fade away in the next couple years, as more and more users simply switch to the other app. That is why I wish there was something in the app to allow for some quick thoughts on a course--no thumbs necessary.

DGCR has always been the Cadillac of review sites, but if no one is writing them any longer, or even reading them, is that car on the road being used, or just in a museum?

Are we there yet? Of course not. But we are trending in that direction. Now is the time to act to keep this review site viable. A site this large with such a treasure trove of info cannot be kept going by 50-100 good reviewers. There's just way too many courses these days.

There have been a dozen new courses discovered in the last 18 months just in my area that were on Udisc well before they were on DGCR--a few still aren't, even though they have a dozen Udisc reviews. I added a couple that I played, but I won't add a course I have not played.

 

[chevis]

Again, I wonder how many thumbs--up or down--are actually by readers actively considering that course to play. My 'hunch' is extremely few--maybe less than 10%. Wish there was a way to bump that percentage up.

i would guess more than 10%, but probably less than 50%. i think a lot of thumbs(up) are just people that enjoy a good read/well written review.

For the record, I find reviews on Udisc can be useful. If nothing else they can give me a good idea of current course conditions. If several reviews in the last couple of days mention heavy weed growth, missing baskets, flooded areas of the course, etc. that is good information to have before heading out. You'll see this type of current information more on Udisc because courses are reviewed almost daily.
Case in point, one of my local courses was last reviewed here six months ago. Prior to that it was reviewed well over a year ago. That same course was reviewed on Udisc seven times in the last ten days.
Another local course known for its horrible tee pads always got bad reviews for the pads. I knew that new pads were going in soon. As soon as the Udisc reviews started praising the new tee pads I knew they were done.

yeah udisc is kinda equivalent to course conditions here, but also it can corroborate a bad course. my case in point: i traveled to sd this past weekend & brought a disc, but knew there was only one option with the amount of time i had (https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2469). i was still considering it as i got off the plane, so checked udisc & a review from a week ago says they quit after 4 holes for fear of losing discs. not wanting to lose my 1 disc, i didn't get to check of sd (yet). can someone please introduce disc golf to the west central portion (between rapid & pierre) of sd

 

[MikeK]

Part of the problem is that reviews get deleted here if the review doesn't conform to the DGCR unwritten rules.

Rule # 48: Houck courses no matter what can not be rated lower than 4.5.

Rule # 106: Any reviewer admitting to not taking the coronavirus jab is subject to review deletion at any time depending on the whims of the moderators.

Of course, the younger generations who may have discovered UDisc first and then come over here to review are often multiple down-thumbed for brief UDisc-style reviews which discourages them.

Finally the general lack of interest by the owner of this site in recruiting new writers or encouraging the old writers is a big reason this place is barreling towards obscurity. I've lost all interest myself as a reviewer and a course updater due to the agendas of the moderators here and the owner's attitude of nonchalance. Once they banned me for sixty days for a joke about Nikko, I realized UDisc is so vastly superior to this place that it's really not worth the effort here anymore. I just re-designed one of my courses and I won't even bother updating it on this website…it's like why make this place better when my work is completely unappreciated by the guy making money off the ads here? It's a two-way street: respect your reviewers who are giving their time for free and we'll post content here so you can make money doing nothing. No respect, no new content.

 

[elmexdela]

anyone see udisc new updates

its pretty sick it tells you how much elevation and steps and hours and course traffic

i havent used it in full as i just have the basic free non account version

but its pretty state of the art

also on my recent trip when talkin to random locals it was 100% "do you have udisc" and no mention of dgcr