Nice, I used to live just down the block from that course (well, through Fireman's park, then down a block). I moved just after the first 9 were put in. I hope that course gets the Bertrams more design opportunities (if they want to). I'd love to see more courses like it.
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Highbridge Hills - Wisconsin
- Thread starter Adamodisco
- Start date
Nice, I used to live just down the block from that course (well, through Fireman's park, then down a block). I moved just after the first 9 were put in. I hope that course gets the Bertrams more design opportunities (if they want to). I'd love to see more courses like it.
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- Joined
- Jul 23, 2018
- Messages
- 3
Highbridge Future
Hi, we are pleased and encouraged to hear all the positive comments. This leads us to believe that there is a future for disc golf on this property. We are open to any suggestions concerning development, management, and property improvements. We would appreciate the opportunity to meet and talk directly. Ann and Roger
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Hi, we are pleased and encouraged to hear all the positive comments. This leads us to believe that there is a future for disc golf on this property. We are open to any suggestions concerning development, management, and property improvements. We would appreciate the opportunity to meet and talk directly. Ann and Roger
With John continuing to post on HBH behalf, is this wrong and he is no longer part of it? Should I give him the money owed for reserving something?
I know a lot of retired people with RVs. It wouldn't matter to them if a disc golf course was there or not, put a nice RV parking area with water and electricity in a remote area and they will come. If it had a restroom with shower you couldn't keep them away. Some of my friends have told me they can't get far enough north right now.
smarkquart
* Ace Member *
My ideas, placed here for discussion and nothing more, but in case anyone is listening:
1) Pull Chestnut completely (or scale it back to a decent 9 hole night course) and dedicate that area for camping, RVing, concerts. Clean up the structures and getting working water, showers, restrooms, and everything to make camping a pleasure. Making this area for non-dg activities will keep the actual courses in better shape because they will not be used for camping and parking. I was there the week after the first Infrasound Concert and there was garbage everywhere, ashed firepits every five feet, broken tents and canopies in the middle of fairways, discarded clothes hidden in the woods, and Gold 8's fairway (the long hole) was torn up to the point of being unplayable.
2) Redesign Gold. That course is a chore to play, and almost not worth it if you do not have carts. The whole course is throw as far as you can without getting deep in the woods. All the other courses have marquee holes, unique shots, and make me want to play them multiple times. The only time my group has played Gold was when I secured carts and played best shot doubles just to minimize how bad it can be.
3) Create and or invest in an online registration system so people know who are showing up, who has reserved what, and what type of other activities will be on the property (concerts, bike rallies, etc). It would be nice to see who I could possible see on the courses and from where - in case we want to meet up and make it a bigger friendly affair. Also, with this online reservation system, accept PayPal and credit cards. Having the ability to dispute charges and or having a guarantee of a refund will make people feel far more comfortable about reserving in advance.
4) Get everything settled, working, and hopefully profitable before spending time in building additional cabins or making/ repairing the Honka House. Then make good with the PDGA and get some major tournaments out there. The additional exposure will do wonders, especially if it is a big enough tournament to have filmed.
5) Whoever you get to manage the place, see if they are also able to run a functioning proshop. This is not going to be a main source of income, but if you can get someone competent to run it, know which discs to order, and how to ship discs, this could be some nice supplemental income if you sell on site as well as have an internet presence, especially if you can get popular discs with a HB stamp or graphic.
1) Pull Chestnut completely (or scale it back to a decent 9 hole night course) and dedicate that area for camping, RVing, concerts. Clean up the structures and getting working water, showers, restrooms, and everything to make camping a pleasure. Making this area for non-dg activities will keep the actual courses in better shape because they will not be used for camping and parking. I was there the week after the first Infrasound Concert and there was garbage everywhere, ashed firepits every five feet, broken tents and canopies in the middle of fairways, discarded clothes hidden in the woods, and Gold 8's fairway (the long hole) was torn up to the point of being unplayable.
2) Redesign Gold. That course is a chore to play, and almost not worth it if you do not have carts. The whole course is throw as far as you can without getting deep in the woods. All the other courses have marquee holes, unique shots, and make me want to play them multiple times. The only time my group has played Gold was when I secured carts and played best shot doubles just to minimize how bad it can be.
3) Create and or invest in an online registration system so people know who are showing up, who has reserved what, and what type of other activities will be on the property (concerts, bike rallies, etc). It would be nice to see who I could possible see on the courses and from where - in case we want to meet up and make it a bigger friendly affair. Also, with this online reservation system, accept PayPal and credit cards. Having the ability to dispute charges and or having a guarantee of a refund will make people feel far more comfortable about reserving in advance.
4) Get everything settled, working, and hopefully profitable before spending time in building additional cabins or making/ repairing the Honka House. Then make good with the PDGA and get some major tournaments out there. The additional exposure will do wonders, especially if it is a big enough tournament to have filmed.
5) Whoever you get to manage the place, see if they are also able to run a functioning proshop. This is not going to be a main source of income, but if you can get someone competent to run it, know which discs to order, and how to ship discs, this could be some nice supplemental income if you sell on site as well as have an internet presence, especially if you can get popular discs with a HB stamp or graphic.
in4d
*Hiding in Mike C's Closet*
Contact PDGA and tell them whats going on, what your trying to do, restore relationship with them and work with them going forward
Get an annual sanctioned NT/A tier tournament going, these are some of the best courses in the state its a shame they sit
Don't make any changes to any course without consulting the PDGA for a list of Pro level course designers
The PDGA Association is more than willing to help, following advice from rec players on a forum would be a disaster
Get an annual sanctioned NT/A tier tournament going, these are some of the best courses in the state its a shame they sit
Don't make any changes to any course without consulting the PDGA for a list of Pro level course designers
The PDGA Association is more than willing to help, following advice from rec players on a forum would be a disaster
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When I was still a higher level advanced player; gold was perhaps my favorite layout. (Does wear you out by the end...but, then, so does Granite.)
Settle down, folks. From what I read, the first thing that needs to be done is consistency, so people won't have to constantly ask questions about whether they should visit, what conditions will the course be in, what last minute camping/lodging issues will they encounter.
Threads that are just about how the coursed play might not be as long as this one. But that would be a good thing.
Threads that are just about how the coursed play might not be as long as this one. But that would be a good thing.
Why do you assume the people all giving advice are Rec players?
Reverting back to old ways, eh?
Beyond that, why wouldn't they want Rec Level players giving advice?
That demographic is their bread and butter along with growing the place as a music venue (like it or not).
Finally the PDGA can only do so much given how far away from a major city HB is.
The best route would be to find ways to improve/grow on their own terms, than to kowtow to the PDGA.
Would typically agree, however, what every RV place usually has that this place doesn't is some sort of decent/swimmable (Not sure that's a word) water. Or even for discussion take, outside of DG, what is at HBH to do besides walk/hike which i'm not sure there are even super good actual trails for that?
1) Yes, easy move. The only nice thing is the extra and slightly cheaper "cabin thing" that's there for people to stay in that don't have tents/campers
2) Couldn't disagree more. Gold is classic, is very difficult, and is awesome. It is a chore to play which makes it great. Gold is probably best suited for adv/open skill level, for anything less is probably lame and not worth it. Those less skilled can play woodland.
3)Pretty easy and obvious suggestion. Keep up with the times, internet is your friend.
4) I disagree slightly. Right now to my knowledge there's 1, maybe 2 cabins total for people to stay in? Not enough options for multiple groups to stay there over the same weekend. First I would cleanup Honka and any other standing cabins and make them more firm/safer (won't burn down anytime soon)/better/nicer, and then maybe for next year plan on adding a cabin or two. They really don't have to be big, just enough for a table, a few beds would be excellent. A shower near honka but not in honka would be an added bonus too.
5) this is going to be most difficult and comes back to who is going to help roger/Ann or can they be on site daily to run this?
Gold is fantastic. Anybody that thinks differently needs to get better.
I think I've played Gold more than anything besides Woodlands over the last 3 years. Best course out there, imo. This is just not true. Sure, it's long, but placement always matters, and there's what, 5 or 6 holes that are reachable in 1 throw? No marquee holes? LOL.
My only suggestions are first things first when it comes to the disc golf:
Bear needs real baskets. Nothing worse than throwing 3 amazing shots to have a 30' putt on a 750' hole through the woods just to see it spit through some basket made with a grill grate.
All courses need collars. So many baskets are just shoved into the ground without one and are tipping over. Shouldn't need piles of rocks to try to keep the baskets straight.
All courses need professional tee signs. Not sure how to avoid the ravers vandalizing them, but they are necessary.
TRIMMING! Hasn't been done for years - Gold in particular gets tougher every year as the fairways grow smaller and smaller. Some drives on Bear that were just super tough are now kind of ridiculous.
I feel as Roggenb3 is implying:
First thing to do is keep it simple and fix/repair/trim/upkeep what is currently there. Cleanup on courses, fix tee signs, trim fairways, install better or fix current baskets so they sit better.
I would not worry about any tournaments at all, you're just jumping the gun there and need tons of help running them, so build up what you have first.
I agree about doing more/better with online presence for HBH. Especially make sure it is known 100% to the world that John and/or Abby are not the ones to be dealing with anymore (assuming this is the case?) If it's simple as keeping them on but Roger/Ann will be "running the land" so to speak, then I think that should be known as well.
Talk to the locals regarding what should be done or how to improve. Guys like Jeremy on here posting how he's making tee signs and such are a huge benefit for any course.
Have fun with it and I think once it's in a great place, the disc golf community will be able to spread the word enough that traffic will likely increase, even if it's a slight increase.
First thing to do is keep it simple and fix/repair/trim/upkeep what is currently there. Cleanup on courses, fix tee signs, trim fairways, install better or fix current baskets so they sit better.
I would not worry about any tournaments at all, you're just jumping the gun there and need tons of help running them, so build up what you have first.
I agree about doing more/better with online presence for HBH. Especially make sure it is known 100% to the world that John and/or Abby are not the ones to be dealing with anymore (assuming this is the case?) If it's simple as keeping them on but Roger/Ann will be "running the land" so to speak, then I think that should be known as well.
Talk to the locals regarding what should be done or how to improve. Guys like Jeremy on here posting how he's making tee signs and such are a huge benefit for any course.
Have fun with it and I think once it's in a great place, the disc golf community will be able to spread the word enough that traffic will likely increase, even if it's a slight increase.
smarkquart
* Ace Member *
I think I will keep my Gold complaints to a minimum, hopefully falling into the agree to disagree category.
Also, and to keep in mind, that I have only three rounds on that course versus 10+ on Granite, Blueberry, and Woodland, but that goes to show which I prefer to play. I am also the power thrower of our group, maxing out at 400 with enough accuracy to stay in the fairway most of the time, with the majority of the group in the 330-350 range. Of my three times playing it, I walked twice so that others more needing of the carts could use them, but I at least had them carry my bag. I do not remember how long it took us to play 18 holes, but it essentially ate up half the day, only leaving us just enough time to get on to one of the other courses.
It is long, but it could also be because of all the walking up and down the fairway, between holes, and getting into position to spot for every throw. And in the end, it did not provide much scoring separation until we got up to the last few holes where we played the island and OB rules. Also, when I think back on my experiences, I struggle to remember more than six or seven of the holes, with only one marquee hole - Hole 8. I think back on Blueberry, I can remember almost the whole course, and Granite I can recall at least 2/3. It just ends up being that Gold was my least favorite of the big five. Will I play it? Yes, but because it is there. When we block out three solid days to be there, yes, obviously we are going to play Gold, but it is always planned that we hit Blueberry and Granite no matter what and then Woodland for our Mulligan Stew, and then a handful of the more adventurous of us will wander out to Bear just to say we played it.
Also, and to keep in mind, that I have only three rounds on that course versus 10+ on Granite, Blueberry, and Woodland, but that goes to show which I prefer to play. I am also the power thrower of our group, maxing out at 400 with enough accuracy to stay in the fairway most of the time, with the majority of the group in the 330-350 range. Of my three times playing it, I walked twice so that others more needing of the carts could use them, but I at least had them carry my bag. I do not remember how long it took us to play 18 holes, but it essentially ate up half the day, only leaving us just enough time to get on to one of the other courses.
It is long, but it could also be because of all the walking up and down the fairway, between holes, and getting into position to spot for every throw. And in the end, it did not provide much scoring separation until we got up to the last few holes where we played the island and OB rules. Also, when I think back on my experiences, I struggle to remember more than six or seven of the holes, with only one marquee hole - Hole 8. I think back on Blueberry, I can remember almost the whole course, and Granite I can recall at least 2/3. It just ends up being that Gold was my least favorite of the big five. Will I play it? Yes, but because it is there. When we block out three solid days to be there, yes, obviously we are going to play Gold, but it is always planned that we hit Blueberry and Granite no matter what and then Woodland for our Mulligan Stew, and then a handful of the more adventurous of us will wander out to Bear just to say we played it.
I love Gold. Played it this spring without a cart. Had a great time. Granite and Blueberry I like more, but Gold is right there with them.
Gold is great, played it the most out of the courses on my 4 day visit. No cart needed.
juju
Double Eagle Member
- Joined
- May 30, 2010
- Messages
- 1,558
I don't see them throwing a ton of money for all these upgrades you guys are asking for. There is a reason that this place struggles with cashflow, it's out in the middle of nowhere and low numbers will continue to be a problem (even with modest improvements).
I agree, which is why the only thing I have asked for is upkeep of what's currently in place. I wouldn't replace baskets but maybe do something to get them better in the ground (sleeves or whatever work). None of that plus trimming/upkeep really costs any money.
I will add though that we know nothing about Ann/Roger but assuming they have some sort of other income or have for 18 years and have been able to save a bit, it would be wise going into this place with some headway for funds and the ability to "clean it up" a little bit so to speak. Also pretty much everything I mentioned can be done or helped by volunteers/helpers who might not need anything in return (maybe play a round or two there)
