Course Ethics

[peabody]

I know a lot of you carry beer with you out on the course and so do I at times.
However, during tournaments at public courses should you refrain from embibing? Or at least should you not have an open container visible and if you are playing in the tournament don't carry any around the course with you?
I saw the Pros in Bowling Green this past spring and there was no drinking on the course (as far as I could tell cause who knows what they put in those bottles). If there were beer drinking it was done on the parking lot away from the course.
I understand that some tournaments are sponsored by beer companies but I am talking about Public Park courses that have NO ALCOHOL rules but are never enforced.

[ERicJ]

If it's a PDGA sanctioned event you can be disqualified for drinking alcohol under those circumstances.

804.05 Disqualification and Suspension
A. A player shall be disqualified by the director for meeting any of the necessary conditions of disqualification as set forth in the rules, or for any of the following:
(1) Unsportsmanlike conduct, such as; loud cursing, throwing things in anger (other than discs in play), or overt rudeness to anyone present.
(2) Willful and overt destruction or abuse of plant life, course hardware, or any other property considered part of the disc golf course or the park.
(3) Cheating: a willful attempt to circumvent the rules of play.
(4) Activities which are in violation of the law or park regulation or disc golf course rule, including the illegal consumption of drugs or alcohol.

[adam423]

Here in Kentucky, where it seems like everyone smokes cigarettes, I almost never see anyone smoking on the course. So I assume that b/c no one smokes a legal substance on the course, why would they smoke an illegal one. Plus I've never seen anyone do it.

<rant>I hate it when people smoke right outside the door of some building I have to go in. It smells so bad that I hold my breath as I walk past, and hope I get far enough away before I have to take a breath again. I want to kick smoker's in the balls as I pass b/c thats showing them about the same respect as they show me by huddling near the door blowing smoke all around.</rant>

[peabody]

(4) is a good rule, thanks for the heads up.

What if it's not PDGA sanctioned and it is an open tournament with younger folk?

[peabody]

Here in Kentucky, where it seems like everyone smokes cigarettes, I almost never see anyone smoking on the course. So I assume that b/c no one smokes a legal substance on the course, why would they smoke an illegal one. Plus I've never seen anyone do it.

<rant>I hate it when people smoke right outside the door of some building I have to go in. It smells so bad that I hold my breath as I walk past, and hope I get far enough away before I have to take a breath again. I want to kick smoker's in the balls as I pass b/c thats showing them about the same respect as they show me by huddling near the door blowing smoke all around.</rant>

Heck, I am in Kentucky also and don't smoke either substance but it seems like 1/4th of the guys I play with smoke of the pot and at least half of them smoke cigarettes. I can't stand the smoke. I want to come up to your course!

[leathercash]

One word: Brownie ;)

[valkyriefb11]

<rant>I hate it when people smoke right outside the door of some building I have to go in. It smells so bad that I hold my breath as I walk past, and hope I get far enough away before I have to take a breath again. I want to kick smoker's in the balls as I pass b/c thats showing them about the same respect as they show me by huddling near the door blowing smoke all around.</rant>

I dont know the law where you are, but in NJ they are required by law to smoke outside of a building and not within 25 feet of any entrance, although a lot of people smoke right outside the doorway. Its pretty annoying. There really isnt any benefit to smoking and Ive seen too many family members die because of smoking and smoking related illnesses.

[adam423]

I dont know the law where you are, but in NJ they are required by law to smoke outside of a building and not within 25 feet of any entrance, although a lot of people smoke right outside the doorway. Its pretty annoying. There really isnt any benefit to smoking and Ive seen too many family members die because of smoking and smoking related illnesses.
Yea, there are laws like that here too, but laws are only good if people enforce them. Signs are posted all around my college campus that designate certain areas for smoking, and yet people smoke wherever they want to. They also enacted a public smoking ban in Lexington, but people still smoke on this campus.

[Geoffro]

I don't see stoners on the course too much, but when I do - you notice. As discussed in other threads, it's really a drag when the party in front of you is focused too much on "how cool everything is" rather than on the game. My experience is that those that have a good relationship with Mary are not the problem...it's those that get too far into it that lose track of what they are doing and slow everything down for the rest of us.

[DirtyMittenDG]

it seems like everyone smokes cigarettes,

Cigs are nasty!!!

One word: Brownie ;)

Brownies are good!!! lol

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I know I already cross the line in some peoples opinion just by smoking something that is deemed "illegal" but me and alot of other people I know that smoke atleast have decent ethics!

Smoking Rules-

#1- Never allow yourself to let young children see you smoking

#2- Dont offer it to anyone (unless they ask)

#3- Dont let it slow down other peoples rounds (play and smoke / sit and allow play through)

#4- Dont ever put weed in the "give a roach, take a roach hole" carved into a picnic table! (Discreetly smoking on the course is one thing, but leaving something illegal on a public picnic table is very bad for the sport!)

#5- Pick out the seeds and stems!! lol, sorry

---------------

"Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction"

-Bob Marley

[discflinger]

Rastafari. Good rules.

[Greg Layton]

And to think that I sometimes naively wonder why this sport has such negative stereotypes associated with it. I see something like this poll and it all makes sense again. Sad.

Disc golf will never gain main stream acceptance.

[Texconsinite]

Disc golf will never gain main stream acceptance.

10 years ago, people said the SAME thing about surfing. It was associated with the stoner, slacker culture. Look at how mainstream it is now. Give it time, and DG will be mainstream as well.

[Greg Layton]

10 years ago, people said the SAME thing about surfing. It was associated with the stoner, slacker culture. Look at how mainstream it is now. Give it time, and DG will be mainstream as well.

So that's what we're aspiring to? To be like surfing? I guess I live in the wrong part of the country, but to my knowledge no one takes it seriously either.

[borndasaur]

Seekers are usually called "outsiders" and are subjected to bizarre rules to keep them under control by mainstream society. Before jogging gained wide acceptance some localities had laws on the books mandating that people must not jog on sidewalks but stay out in the street. As stated above, surfing was way outside the lines back in the early 50's, as were BMX, mountain biking, "hot dog" skiing, snowboarding, windsurfing, and the list goes on. There were laws against driving a "horseless carriage" without someone walking 15' ahead carrying a lantern so as not to scare the horses.
The point, you ask? Once the "mainstream" culture is exposed to how much fun we are having (and "they" already know that fun can be made profitable) this sport will explode. The fuse was lit decades ago, and we are witnessing the ignition of the of the cap that will set off the charge. ESPN had a couple guys at the USDGC this year. They said they wouldn't send a trailer (yet) but would look at airing some quality, well edited footage from an independent source.

[swellerdiscgolf]

I am a non-smoker and it actually bothers me whenever I go near someone smoking. On the course cig smoke isn't bad because you are out in the open, I just wish smokers would toss the butts in the trash. On the other hand refer smoke seems to linger around. If someone in front of me is smoking I will skip holes (the only time I will do this by the way), especially if my wife is with me because since she quit smoking years ago the smell of it makes her sick. I really wish we as a disc-golf community could get away from the refer/hippie image. While I don't have a problem with it personally, I feel we will never grow as a sport if the public think that the only people playing are smokers/hippies. I realize that it is a small percentage like that, but the "bad" images always stand out more in the publics eye than the "good" ones. There could be a group of four or five people on every hole, with only one person out there smoking, and that would be the person all non-dgers would see, not the other 50 or so people out there.

[swellerdiscgolf]

Now on the drinking front.....Most people have to drive to the course, so that would mean that they would have to be drinking and driving to get home which is very dangerous and illegal. My friends and I played one time with a guy that was drinking and he was already drunk when we got to the course. By the 7th hole he couldn't find his disc when he was standing on it, and by the back nine we had to pick his discs up for him because he couldn't keep his balance. It wasn't a fun round for us at all. Needless to say when he got in his car afterward we called the police and reported him drunk, I hope he got pulled over before killing anyone.

If people think I've got 2 diff stands on drinking and smoking...I do. Smoking weed is ILLEGAL in the U.S., drinking and cigs are not if you are old enough. I can't stop anyone from doing what ever they want, but I can try to stop them from hurting someone else while they are impaired, and will not hesitate to do so.

[adam423]

By the 7th hole he couldn't find his disc when he was standing on it That is hilarious, the funniest thing I've heard all day. I miss the dorms at college, lol.

[BENFTS]

I hate it when people smoke right outside the door of some building I have to go in. It smells so bad that I hold my breath as I walk past, and hope I get far enough away before I have to take a breath again. I want to kick smoker's in the balls as I pass b/c thats showing them about the same respect as they show me by huddling near the door blowing smoke all around.

dude come on.

i live and play in one of the most hippie entrenched areas of the US. everyone smokes here and almost everyone here packs there trash. almost every person who plays out here smokes pot, i do because i have a medical card and it is legal for us combat vet's who need to chill. for the people who don't have medical cards, they smoke at there own risk. one thing you can count on is that is someone is smoking and they are holding you up you are always more than welcome to play through.

maybe forward thinking is a thing you find on the west coast not in Kentucky.

[peabody]

And to think that I sometimes naively wonder why this sport has such negative stereotypes associated with it. I see something like this poll and it all makes sense again. Sad.

Disc golf will never gain main stream acceptance.


The poll was more comedy than reality G. It really doesn't matter to me if you wanna smoke of the weed. I would rather you not do it if you are in my group out on the course though. Getting arrested for a drug charge ( even though you had nothing to do with it) would suck bigtime.

The real question is the drinking one. Sweller puts out a great point.
One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. But these are public areas and they have as much right to be there as you do.
However, during tournament play should there be rules put forth by the club hosting the said tournament?

[sidewinding]

I don't want anyone else to do something that I have chosen not to do. If I have to suffer I want everyone else to suffer also.

Disclosure: The two sentences above were a lame attempt at subtle and profound humor. If you don't get it I'm sorry. Please do not try to argue with it. These four sentences are also an attempt at humor. Please do not try to argue with them either.

[peabody]

Disc Closure. and Pro Found. You have this disc humor down to a TEE Sidewnding.

[adam423]

maybe forward thinking is a thing you find on the west coast not in Kentucky.

Lawlzzzz, people in Kentucky are so backwards I know. I took a trip out to cali once, stopped in a little shack that was selling olives grown locally. The lady actually asked if we had running water out here. It was hilarious. The Deliverance stereotype is exactly how it is here, I assure you.

PS: I voted democrat and would be for the legalizing of marijuana, not just for medicinal or ptsd uses.

Its got nothing to do with forward thinking, its disrespectful. Its a health hazard and is against the law to smoke outside of designated areas here. If you choose to smoke, w/e that's your deal, just don't make me walk through it when I choose not to. Go smoke where the law says you have to.

Now, if you don't mind, I must get back to my hoedown.

[ForehandMAN36]

When I first started discing I always encountered players taking a "chill break" at a bench or log at various courses. Now I couldn't tell you the last time I've seen anybody taking a smoke break. On the other hand, everyone still seems to enjoy good ole' fashion brewskis while throwing though. Including yours truly.

[peabody]

@Forehandman, do you drink during tournaments?

[brokenfixed]

this subject has been beat to death before on here...read these 12+ pages for ultimate wisdumb

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=548

THREAD POLICE!!!.....WOO...WOO...WOO

smokers need to be less liberal with it, and non smokers need to be a little more open minded about it

[Lewis]

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

[REDARMY]

i somke cigs when i play (part of the reason i'm so critical of the number and location of trash cans at courses) and i'll partake in a few brews too. i don't have enough money to buy enough beer to get trashed while on course/during the drive home, so that's not an issue for me.

all that being said, i don't mind people smoking other things while i'm playing. in fact, all of the people i regularly play with partake in that particular activity. as long as you pick up your trash, don't expose any kids to things they shouldn't see (or hear), and don't hold up my group or anyone elses, to each their own i say.

[Midnightbiker]

I don't smoke anything or drink. I just love the game of disc golf. It gets me out of the house, away from the wife, its good for my health, and it makes me forget about my problems for a little while. I love it.

[magictenor1]

I don't smoke anything or drink. I just love the game of disc golf. It gets me out of the house, away from the wife, its good for my health, and it makes me forget about my problems for a little while. I love it. What he said!

[nosajeel99]

What he said!

Make that 3 of us.

[garublador]

Make that 3 of us.4th'd!

I avoid all of it by golfing in the mornings. I normally don't see very many other people out let alone people smoking and drinking.

IMO, forward thinking would involve allowing pepole to smoke, but also giving non smokers the option of not breathing smoke. Violating either of those is infringing on our freedoms. Smoking in front of an entrance way or any indoor public area (yes, restaurants and bars are public areas) violates that freedom. Don't ask me what the solution or balence between smokers and non-smokers rights are, though. I don't know how this can be solved. I suspect it will end up as a compromise between the two.

IMO, it's also a bit silly for pot to be illegal, but it's not something I'll fight for or have really thought about that hard. I just don't care enough.

[sidewinding]

4th'd!

I'll speak for my wife, kids, and brothers and say 5th'd, 6th'd, 7th'd, 8th'd, 9th'd, 10th'd, 11th'd, 12th'd, 13th'd, and 14th'd.

[ZMan44]

I'll stick to my classic stance. Cigs and beer are not illegal if the partaker is of age. Pounding a few beers is not big deal. Getting drunk and then attempting to drive home is illegal and should not be tolerated by anyone. Weed is illegal except for medicinal purposes and is considered by those who study controlled substance to be a gateway drug. It can lead to lots of other drug addictions. And it is illegal. Many may not like this analogy, but assault is a crime and is illegal. Murder is a step farther and also illegal. You don't see all these people who are guilty of assault coming to the judge and going, "come on man...it's not like I murdered him. There's a lot of people who get away with this." That argument would be stupid. Because the initial act is still illegal. If you like pot, that's fine. Smoke it at home or on a private course where the owner knows and is ok with it. If you're playing on a public course, leave it at home.

My final point is that police are not stupid. If they suspect that people are blazing up in a public park, they may come out there and arrest a few guys. And in a majority of areas in this country, those are the kinds of things that end up in local papers. That's how the reputation spreads and I don't see how that can be good for the sport.

[Greg Layton]

I'll stick to my classic stance. Cigs and beer are not illegal if the partaker is of age. Pounding a few beers is not big deal. Getting drunk and then attempting to drive home is illegal and should not be tolerated by anyone. Weed is illegal except for medicinal purposes and is considered by those who study controlled substance to be a gateway drug. It can lead to lots of other drug addictions. And it is illegal. Many may not like this analogy, but assault is a crime and is illegal. Murder is a step farther and also illegal. You don't see all these people who are guilty of assault coming to the judge and going, "come on man...it's not like I murdered him. There's a lot of people who get away with this." That argument would be stupid. Because the initial act is still illegal. If you like pot, that's fine. Smoke it at home or on a private course where the owner knows and is ok with it. If you're playing on a public course, leave it at home.

My final point is that police are not stupid. If they suspect that people are blazing up in a public park, they may come out there and arrest a few guys. And in a majority of areas in this country, those are the kinds of things that end up in local papers. That's how the reputation spreads and I don't see how that can be good for the sport.

Well done, sir.

[DiscChainBasket18]

this subject has been beat to death before on here...read these 12+ pages for ultimate wisdumb

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=548

THREAD POLICE!!!.....WOO...WOO...WOO

smokers need to be less liberal with it, and non smokers need to be a little more open minded about it

Thread police. LOL

[Brokensaint]

Have any of you ever been on a softball league? Or a bowling league? Or a volleyball league? It's about 50% DO and 50% BREW. And those are all mainstream sports. On the telly-vision and everything.
Gateway drug? Yeah, its a gateway in the sense that in order to buy it, you have to talk with someone who probably has access to other drugs if YOU. WANT. TO. BUY. THEM. Its not that kind of buzz, one that makes you want to, oh I don't know, switch from beer to shots or something.
Obviously, getting drunk on the course is bad because you have to drive home. Absolutely.
Also, tripping on beer bottles while I'm trying to putt from the side of a hill in the rough irks me. But I've never lost my footing stepping on a roach.
Burning a fattie at the playground: no way. Totally irresponsible and wrong in all ways. Pot is not for kids or the weak of mind, kind of like booze. Or procreation. But grown people deep in the woods of a DG only course, away from the walking trails (of which there are more than a few around me), whatever you like.
Last point: I would much rather deal with some glazed-over stoner hippie than a drunk @$$hole.

[Lewis]

Pot is not for kids or the weak of mind, kind of like booze. Or procreation.

But so often it's weak of mind that procreate the most! :rolleyes:

[DirtyMittenDG]

Have any of you ever been on a softball league? Or a bowling league? Or a volleyball league? It's about 50% DO and 50% BREW. And those are all mainstream sports. On the telly-vision and everything.
Gateway drug? Yeah, its a gateway in the sense that in order to buy it, you have to talk with someone who probably has access to other drugs if YOU. WANT. TO. BUY. THEM. Its not that kind of buzz, one that makes you want to, oh I don't know, switch from beer to shots or something.
Obviously, getting drunk on the course is bad because you have to drive home. Absolutely.
Also, tripping on beer bottles while I'm trying to putt from the side of a hill in the rough irks me. But I've never lost my footing stepping on a roach.
Burning a fattie at the playground: no way. Totally irresponsible and wrong in all ways. Pot is not for kids or the weak of mind, kind of like booze. Or procreation. But grown people deep in the woods of a DG only course, away from the walking trails (of which there are more than a few around me), whatever you like.
Last point: I would much rather deal with some glazed-over stoner hippie than a drunk @$$hole.


well said!!