How much does a disc golf course cost?

[wolito]

Just curious as to how much money is involved in creating a disc golf course. What is the total cost of everything from start to finish? Items to consider are land/maintaince issues, insurance costs for city, teepads, baskets, signs, information station, installation costs, upkeep, replacement of damaged equipment and so on. Also, how often are courses sponsered by local buisnesses and people? How much do money comes in from these sponsors for a course? At certain courses that are such well designed and taken care of, I want to give a dontation for their upkeep for it must cost a lot of money to create some of the beautiful courses out there.

 

[jmacphee9]

"Mr. Brian Mazey, Lac St. Clair Kiwanis, stated they had raised money on two weekends totaling $3,000 to fund
the start up of Disc Golf and presented a check in that amount to Greg Esler, Director of Parks and Recreation,
to go towards the funding of the new sport called Disc Golf. Rick and Nancy Rich, 22305 Nancy Court, explained
the game of Disc Golf, stating that is comparable the game of Frisbee. At this time, additional funding is still
needed, and they would like to solicit businesses to sponsor holes. Five businesses have signed up to sponsor
a hole at the cost of $300 per hole and there are 9 holes total. The Disc Golf will be played in Brys Park, and it
is anticipated everything will be set and ready to open by next spring. "

copy and pasted from my hometowns city hall meeting report.

 

[jrglovan]

Tty this link for ideas

I would estimate that an 18 hole course would probably run in the $10 to $12,000 range. That does not include the services of a professional course designer, and I don't know what that would run. Check out this link for some help in designing a course.

Good luck!

 

[DavidSauls]

An awful lot of variables are involved here.

If you don't already have the land, the land purchase would be the major cost.

If the city has the land and is already maintaining it, maintenance costs are minimal.

After installation, costs are minimal but depend on where the course is---how much play does it get (erosion), how much vandalism or theft might it be subjected to?

Concrete teepads cost a lot more than dirt.

Innova has several packages, from a basic baskets-and-introductory-sign package to the complete, baskets, practice basket, holes signs, etc.

 

[rockbuddist101]

i think i once read somewhere that it costs about 20,000 to make a nice quality course

 

[biscoe]

while 20k would be nice, it's a good chunk more than needed.

 

[Neophyte]

i think i once read somewhere that it costs about 20,000 to make a nice quality course

That sounds like a lot but thinking about it I guess that is not too much after all. I am sure than putting in a baseball diamond or basket ball court would probably be more.

 

[12StonesScott]

i think i once read somewhere that it costs about 20,000 to make a nice quality course

Probably in the Spring 09 issue of Disc Golfer, the PDGA's new mag. There was an article in that issue by Lyle McCoon, Jr., a parks and rec athletics director from Kentucky, that discussed the economics of disc golf from a parks and rec perspective. He mentions that 9 baskets can be purchased for about $3000, so with natural tee pads and volunteer labor the costs for a simple 9 hole course can be very modest -- "less than one-tenth the cost of a very small piece of plyground equipment," in his words. At the high end, he estimates that a top-quality 18-hole course with professionally done tee signs, tee pads, professional course design, etc., would cost around $20,000.

He goes on to contrast that with the costs for "a medium-sized piece of playground equipment" at $75,000, $50,000 for two outdoor basketball courts with lights, or the hundreds of thousands that softball or soccer fields with lights generally cost.

He also makes the point that a disc golf course has the potential to serve far more people at a time than many of these other potential uses of funds, and that it will generally be used a much greater part of the time than fields that only get used for scheduled practices/games, etc.

Definitely an article worth checking out if you expect to be trying to make a case to a municipality or parks & rec department that disc golf is a good use of funds.

 

[solomon.trenton]

innova

 

[mashnut]

I was talking to someone who works for a park district, and when I brought up the range of costs from a basic 9 hole course to a professionally designed championship course, she was really surprised at how cheap it was and said that it would fit pretty easily into most park districts' budgets. At this point I think it's much more about getting recognition for the sport and how many people are playing it rather than cost preventing more courses.

 

[wtafro]

I was talking to someone who works for a park district, and when I brought up the range of costs from a basic 9 hole course to a professionally designed championship course, she was really surprised at how cheap it was and said that it would fit pretty easily into most park districts' budgets. At this point I think it's much more about getting recognition for the sport and how many people are playing it rather than cost preventing more courses.

Most of it would be petitioning the city to build one and going around getting signatures. Most city parks (at least where I am) have enough room for at least a 9 hole course.

 

[Mattallica]

It's weird, I live in Raleigh, NC and around me are tons of great courses. North Carolina is full of great courses, but in Raleigh there are 2 courses. Kentwood and Cedar Hills. Kentwood is a pitch and putt, but Cedar Hills is a legit course.

The only think I can look at is that a parks and rec chief doesn't like disc golf. But if they look at a thread like this, maybe they would change their minds. Also, the free labor from disc golfers is nothing to shake a stick at, we are willing to help build a course.

 

[DavidSauls]

The course hardware costs are minimal, from a parks department perspective, but the land requirements are not. It takes a wee bit more space than a piece of playground equipment, or a ballfield.

For a parks department with several dozen acres of land not being used for anything else, it's cheap. If they don't have this kind of land available, they must acquire it. Very expensive. Or, as around here, you have relatively few courses.

 

[biscoe]

It's weird, I live in Raleigh, NC and around me are tons of great courses. North Carolina is full of great courses, but in Raleigh there are 2 courses. Kentwood and Cedar Hills. Kentwood is a pitch and putt, but Cedar Hills is a legit course.

The only think I can look at is that a parks and rec chief doesn't like disc golf. But if they look at a thread like this, maybe they would change their minds. Also, the free labor from disc golfers is nothing to shake a stick at, we are willing to help build a course.

raleigh's top P&R guy has made it known to the club leadership he doesn't like dg.

 

[yes s1rr]

raleigh's top P&R guy has made it known to the club leadership he doesn't like dg.

thats some crazy ****, what a lame mother****er he probably is, hes proly one of those ppl happy gilmore would make fun of

 

[okiebullgod]

while 20k would be nice, it's a good chunk more than needed.

20k isn't enough to scratch the surface. Depending on land prices and location, you're looking at, from best to worst, $400 and acre to $5000 and acre. I figure a good 18 hole course takes at least 160 acres. Average the price of ground times 160 acres and you're looking at $432,000 just for the land it sits on.

 

[scarpfish]

20k isn't enough to scratch the surface. Depending on land prices and location,

The $20k he mentioned is just for the course hardware. Not for the land.

I figure a good 18 hole course takes at least 160 acres.

With 160 acres, assuming it is land acreage, you could build probably 4 or 5 championship caliber gems, or 6-8 standard size courses. Most existing courses occupy an acre per hole if not less.

 

[mmyersdisc]

Lemon Lake in Crown Point , IN has FOUR championship level courses on 160 acres of land...im sorry but you don't need 160 acres.... thats ALOT more then needed...

 

[waynewf]

I was talking to someone who works for a park district, and when I brought up the range of costs from a basic 9 hole course to a professionally designed championship course, she was really surprised at how cheap it was and said that it would fit pretty easily into most park districts' budgets. At this point I think it's much more about getting recognition for the sport and how many people are playing it rather than cost preventing more courses.

That's absolutely correct! That's why we need to get the word out and grow the game! The more people who demand it, the more courses you can get put up in parks! I've seen some really nice little 9 hole courses on less than 10 acres of land....not championship courses or anything, but something is better than nothing.

 

[JoshBusche27]

^^ ^^ ^^

Oh yeah, compared to baseball fields, or soccer complexes, it's darn cheap. And covers more land, you can incorporate the landscape/trees and even for nice baskets/tee pads it's still relatively inexpensive.