Before there was DGCR

[grodney]

Posted to rec.sport.disc March 5, 1997. Note the Subject: "Disc Golf Course Reviews"
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.s...n&dmode=source

"
Fresh from six days in Austin and more, the following are my reviews
of several courses I had a chance to play. Wouldn't it be cool to
have a review/rating system attached to the Course Directory where
players could give their reviews and rate each course? That way,
when you're going to go play a course, you could get several opinions
as well as an average rating. Volunteers?

Round Rock - Disc Golf the way it should be. That is, not all
drive-putt, drive-putt. Yes, there could be more trees. Also,
with a course that long, it could stand more restrooms. Despite
popular lore, I had an entire day of nearly calm winds. I (and 3
others) played 5 rounds that day. According to John Houck, "that
may be some sort of record". Oh, and the lake was up, so 17 was
really in the water (played to 1 instead), 16 was really close, and
2 and 4 were pretty close. Overall, I give it a 9.

Pease (Austin) - A cool course with lots of shot variety. Really
crowded on the weekend. After rains in mid-week, crossing the stream
was pretty difficult. Again, not enough restrooms. I don't remember
any tee signs. I give it an 8.

Circle C (Austin) - Another nice course with good shot variety. Was
I drinking too much or are there not many facilities in Texas? One
basket was missing (17). I give it a 7.

Searight (Austin) - Short and tight. Lots of similar shots. Course
was in some disrepair with missing tee signs and some trash. Okay
to play but seemed like I might tire of it quickly. As much as I
say this course is short and easy and sucks, I never seem to shoot
well there. Hmmmmmmm. I give it a 5.

Zilker (Austin) - Only the tee pad 9 were set up. Okay course for
what they had to work with. Okay shot variety. The tee pads are
great. Automatic 1 point deduction for only 9 holes. It gets a 5.

San Marcos - Good course for what they had to work with. Good shot
variety. Some interesting shots, but a little too close to busy
streets, buildings, and parking garages. Only got to play 2 rounds
so I'd like to give it more of a chance. I'll give it a 6.

Veteran's Park (Arlington) - Ick. What a bad experience. It looks
like a great park for a disc golf course, but what a sorry attempt
at it. 4 (4!) baskets were missing. Many tee signs were gone, making
navigation for newcomers next to impossible. Cement tee pads were
really short and raised about 2 inches above the surrounding ground.
Fairways too close in some spots (were we *supposed* to walk through
the 2nd fairway to get to the ninth tee?). It gets a 4.

Fritz (Irving) - A nice, flat, 9-hole course. Creek was up, so
that made errant throws a little worse. Not a lot of variety, but
still fun to play. Tee pads a little too short. Area seemed flooded
and drainage was not good. I give it a 5.

Victoria (Irving) - Pretty hilly, fairly long 9-hole course. No
tee signs, but we found our way around. Only played one round, so
I don't have much more to say. It gets a 5.
"

[timg]

And a little over 10 years later it happened...

[Dave242]

Cool post there grodney! You certainly beat me to the hobby of compiling a ratings list. But....with those reviews, you would be the thumbs down king!

Thanks timg for making several of our dreams a reality!

A part of my dream that is not yet a reality is being able to select our own "trusted" reviewers and filter out everything but theirs.

[DiscNutt123]

Wow Veterans has really improved since then! Now it hosts an A-Tier every year that a lot of the top pros come play.

[GoodDriveBadPutt]

Wow, real reviews! When I sold my car last year I found my old directions with "reviews". It was something like:

West Park - 5 stars
Trinity Links - 2 Stars - ghetto, super tough
Haines - 3 stars

How far we've come.

[grodney]

Originally Posted by DiscNutt123

Wow Veterans has really improved since then! Now it hosts an A-Tier every year that a lot of the top pros come play.

Only 2 years later, in my 1999 trip review:
"
Verteran's (Arlington) - What a surprise. Having stopped
at this course two years ago, we found it to be the biggest
joke of a "world class" course we have ever seen. Well, I'm
glad we listened to people who told us it had been improved.
The front nine is unique and fun to play. The back nine is
more open and more normal, and is a good contrast to the front.
Most of the pins appeared to be in their short positions, so
I'm sure the longs play quite a bit harder. The tee signs
were some of the most informative I've seen. My only major
complaint is the silliness that is hole 2.
"

and from 2000:
"
Veteran's (Arlington) - In trying to decide what
course(s) to hit in Dallas on our way back, it was
impossible to ignore Veteran's. This course has
everything, including nice tee signs and cement pads.
The shot variety is excellent, the terrain is good
and varied. There are 3 or 4 holes that could be
considered 2 shot holes (par 4's), but they didn't
seem to provide the drama of the long holes at Round
Rock or the ranch courses.
"

[DGRZ001]

Oh yeah, good old rsd! Remember the ruckus of <U> vs <DG>?

[grodney]

Ha ha, the best part about <U> was people using "modern" newsreaders would end up with everything underlined!