Where do you consider the disc golf "Mecca."

[davetherocketguy]

Charlotte also has a quantity of trees. It might not be everyone's idea of a Mecca, for people who don't love woods golf.

*

Hey, if you make a road trip to Charlotte, make it long enough to come visit Stoney Hill. We're about 2 hours down the road. It's not anyone's Mecca, but it is my Shangri-La.

If I make the trek you're danged right I'll be visiting Stoney Hill.

 

[BrotherDave]

MTL lives by too

...and me so, yeah, maybe folks should pump their brakes. :|

 

[culinarywiz]

I'll go with;

The Twin Cities - Gorgeous, well maintained, meticulously constructed and balanced courses. Picturesque DG.

Highbridge Hills - From casual play to championship caliber, from old ball course to thick and nasty. Highbridge has it all - 5 kick ass courses in one spot.

Charlotte - Ridiculous quantity. They like 'em long and tight in Charlotte. (Only played a few here but will add a few later this month).

Selah Ranch and Trey Texas Ranch - Lakeside, Creekside, Trey Deuce and Texas Twist all within an hour of each other. Very nice. Bring extra discs and plenty of H2O, carbs and protein.

When I think "Mecca", it should have more than 2-3 top shelf courses.

However, there are some great tandems;

I agree with Mike C that the Deer Lakes and Moraine tandem is one of the best available (typically hit the Black Course in WV on that trip).

Ludington, MI is badass. Leviathan is one of the more underrated courses out there and Beauty & The Beast is right next door (also, if driving up, Flip City is on the way).

Maple Hill is definitely in my top 3 of all time. Pyramids is right next to it. Classic tandem.

Phantom Falls and Beaver Ranch, Conifer Park was a wicked 2 day tandem. I look forward to getting out to play Bucksnort.

Wish list;

The Sabattus courses in Maine, Diamond X and Makoshika in MT, and multiple OR and CA courses.

So many courses...so little time...

 

[Mike C]

Charlotte also has a quantity of trees. It might not be everyone's idea of a Mecca, for people who don't love woods golf.

*

Hey, if you make a road trip to Charlotte, make it long enough to come visit Stoney Hill. We're about 2 hours down the road. It's not anyone's Mecca, but it is my Shangri-La.

This was me when I moved here. I didn't think throwing 18 holes of golf through a forest with 10' wide fairways was fun then, and I still don't.

But Charlotte does have more open courses. Frank Liske is wide open. Eastway is half open fairways. Renny Gold is a good mix of both. So is Hornets Nest, Sugaw, etc.

Angry Beaver, Nevin, RL...they can still feel a bit more wooded than I prefer...

I dunno. I think if you have a 650' par 4 hole and there's absolutely no realistic option beyond throwing a 300' straight shot with a mid or putter, that's not a good hole. It might as well be a 350' par 3 IMO, because if you don't have a chance to punch past the point where you'd make up a stroke, why make it a par 4?

I think this design philosophy is one of the things that bugs me about some courses in the area in general, but as it stands I've adapted. I came to Charlotte not being crazy about many courses outside of Renny Gold, but now I'm bored to death with the more open holes. Once you learn to hit 10' wide gaps throwing fairways with no lines or trees feels silly.

 

[BraveThrower43]

Canker worms early April!!!!

I saw the first one monday!

You may think it's raining but in reality you're being covered in worm secretion.

 

[DavidSauls]

This was me when I moved here. I didn't think throwing 18 holes of golf through a forest with 10' wide fairways was fun then, and I still don't.

But Charlotte does have more open courses. Frank Liske is wide open. Eastway is half open fairways. Renny Gold is a good mix of both. So is Hornets Nest, Sugaw, etc.

Angry Beaver, Nevin, RL...they can still feel a bit more wooded than I prefer...

I dunno. I think if you have a 650' par 4 hole and there's absolutely no realistic option beyond throwing a 300' straight shot with a mid or putter, that's not a good hole. It might as well be a 350' par 3 IMO, because if you don't have a chance to punch past the point where you'd make up a stroke, why make it a par 4?

I think this design philosophy is one of the things that bugs me about some courses in the area in general, but as it stands I've adapted. I came to Charlotte not being crazy about many courses outside of Renny Gold, but now I'm bored to death with the more open holes. Once you learn to hit 10' wide gaps throwing fairways with no lines or trees feels silly.

Personally, I liked the mixed courses more than the all-woods courses.

Though my point is really about individual taste. If you like wooded courses, Charlotte is awesome. If not, it might just be very good. Nothing wrong with it not being a Mecca for everyone.

 

[Stardoggy]

I think this design philosophy is one of the things that bugs me about some courses in the area in general, but as it stands I've adapted. I came to Charlotte not being crazy about many courses outside of Renny Gold, but now I'm bored to death with the more open holes. Once you learn to hit 10' wide gaps throwing fairways with no lines or trees feels silly.

Learning to play in WI, I feel the exact same. Throwing courses with mostly open holes just feels wrong, and the new trend of high level tournaments on mostly open courses is kind of a bummer in my eyes.

 

[SonicGuy]

I dunno. I think if you have a 650' par 4 hole and there's absolutely no realistic option beyond throwing a 300' straight shot with a mid or putter, that's not a good hole. It might as well be a 350' par 3 IMO, because if you don't have a chance to punch past the point where you'd make up a stroke, why make it a par 4?

Respectfully disagree. Assuming the 300' opening shot has some level of risk/reward I think this is actually an optimal design for a hole. Now if everyone always makes the 300' landing zone and it is just a matter of who throws their second shot the best, then I agree with you, but it is not a design flaw in the 650' par 4, it is a design flaw in the first 300' difficulty.

 

[1978]

Respectfully disagree. Assuming the 300' opening shot has some level of risk/reward I think this is actually an optimal design for a hole. Now if everyone always makes the 300' landing zone and it is just a matter of who throws their second shot the best, then I agree with you, but it is not a design flaw in the 650' par 4, it is a design flaw in the first 300' difficulty.

What is important is that you clearly define a fair and appropriate landing zone. a good hole isnt 650ft of tunnel where 2ft left or right is in crap. If you have a clear and fair LZ from 225 to 275ft and you can get a reasonable shot from almost anywhere in that zone, then you can have the 650ft par4 and it is an ok hole. . The risk reward is pushing the LZ and trying to land in the fairway between LZ1 and the green. Thats on the thrower for attempting it.

 

[ThrowBot]

If a "mecca" is somewhere that you've gotta go eventually, the first place that springs to mind is Highbridge.

It's not just a handful of great courses; you can find that in several large metropolitan areas (as others have pointed out). To me part of the allure is that it is a handful of great courses, all located on one property, out in the sticks. There's a sort of romance to that...a romance that's lost in a big city where you have to drive through traffic from course to course, and some courses are crowded multi-use parks, etc.

(Just my personal opinion, obviously.)

 

[mj20300]

It's where ever I am throwing at the moment

 

[esdubya]

It's where ever I am throwing at the moment

exactly :clap:

 

[magictenor1]

DFW has an incredible amount of courses. I haven't played in any of the other areas that might be considered. For a small town Tupelo MS has a variety of choices. Hard to believe how much is there.

 

[Beable]

I would think a true disc golf mecca would also have a good brick and mortar disc store.

 

[PBokor]

I would think a true disc golf mecca would also have a good brick and mortar disc store.

And a decent lodge/restaurant on the premises. Some of us old folks prefer a roof and bed to a tent and a cooler.

 

[ODRB]

It is hard to beat staying at Selah with Trey Deuce Ranch right down the road. And taco shops en route. Oh, an Harry Myers on the way from DFW.

 

[zendragon]

It is hard to beat staying at Selah with Trey Deuce Ranch right down the road. And taco shops en route. Oh, an Harry Myers on the way from DFW.

I would almost just say the entire state of Texas is the disc golf mecca. Of course, you may have to travel the distance of several other states combined to play all the best courses.

 

[Steve West]

I would almost just say the entire state of Texas is the disc golf mecca. Of course, you may have to travel the distance of several other states combined to play all the best courses.

Which begs the question: Which other states combined would come close to (or exceed) the mecca-ness of Texas?

 

[MarkDSM]

Which begs the question: Which other states combined would come close to (or exceed) the mecca-ness of Texas?

Minnesota Wisconsin Illinois and Iowa combined is about about 3,000 Square miles less than Texas.

Minnesota Wisconsin and Michigan combined is about 14,000 Square miles less than Texas

 

[davetherocketguy]

MIchigan square miles = 97,990
Courses in Michigan per DGCR = 266
266 / 97990 = .0027 courses / square mile

Texas square miles = 268,820
Courses in Texas per DGCR = 383
383 / 268820 = .0014 courses / square mile

Soooo...there's that.

-Dave