The lost art of course reviewing

[zenbot]

Many of the crappy 9ers where you have baskets in a field I just go to the center of the field, look at tee to basket on each hole and call it good. Especially on lengthy road trips and such

I just Google Earth that chit, write a not-too-critical not-too-favorable generic review, and call it a day.

"Good for beginners and pros alike. Gets hot in the summer."

 

[dreadlock86]

I have seen more than a few 9ers exist for years before getting added here. I think I added at least six of them this year, usually after I get a chance to play them, cause I have a special place in my heart for the crappy little courses.

that's how it gets done, thanks for contributing

Isn't that just a symptom of the growth disc golf has seen in the last 3-5 years? You add a million players (or whatever it is) to the game over a short period of time and you're going to see at least some new people here. I'm not sure the growth of DGCR (and the droppers) are keeping up with the overall growth of players in disc golf, IMO.

agreed, and i wouldn't expect it to keep up. this is a niche place, IMO

That's also a problem because this site is supposed to be for course baggers yet it doesn't have listed all of the courses to be bagged. I just recently moved to Idaho and had to add a bunch of courses because they weren't listed here. I played a private course and the owner told me I couldn't add it here and he wasn't going to add it here because "Udisc is much easier to make course changes and I'd rather not have multiple areas to update my course on. Everyone who plays disc golf uses Udisc, never heard of DGCR"

i get his perspective, it makes sense. especially in an area where clearly nobody really uses DGCR. thanks for doing the grunt work. maybe you'll be that local guy that spreads the word about this place and reels in some fellow autistic freaks

That's a textbook example of how old businesses do not adapt to changing times.

Three Putt said it better than i could but i don't think DGCR is really a business. not one that intends to compete with uDisc anyway. obviously i understand that Tim pockets a little coin here but it's a pretty quiet side hustle.

 

[theskulls]

I think I have written a decent number of reviews, but I don't review every single course I play. There are a few reasons for I might have for not writing a review:

- If the course has quite a number of reviews and they all say roughly the same thing, I'm not likely to review it. You can already get a good sense of the course by reading the existing reviews.

- If I think my experience on a course might change dramatically if I replayed it. Some courses really don't present themselves in the best light if you haven't already thrown them. Sometimes I get the sense, after playing, that scouting the holes wasn't nearly adequate to understand how to play them.

That said, I do try and make sure to review certain courses:
- If they haven't received a review in several years.
- If they seem to have been updated since the last review.
- If I have a solid opinion on the course that doesn't seem to be well represented in the reviews already here.

This is pretty much exactly what I go by and would add new courses that haven't been put on the site yet.

Usually even if I don't agree with a review here & see the course differently I can at least tell where the reviewer is coming from. It still helps to get an idea for me what to expect going in, where just some generic star rating does nothing for me.

 

[DiscGolfCraig]

This is pretty much exactly what I go by and would add new courses that haven't been put on the site yet.

Usually even if I don't agree with a review here & see the course differently I can at least tell where the reviewer is coming from. It still helps to get an idea for me what to expect going in, where just some generic star rating does nothing for me.

Some of the long, essay-esque reviews have probably been a detriment to encouraging others to review. Reviews don't need to take two hours to write. This new review from Evictor is a perfect length. It hits a couple key points, is extremely helpful, and probably took 5 minutes to write.

 

[chevis]

But then, I just saw a banner ad for an electric Cadillac ? I don't think he's looking at losing a bunch of income.

are you saying he should care more because u got a banner about an electric cadillac?... just a strange reply to 3p (can't tell if your agreeing or disagreeing)

 

[enragedmullet]

Some of the long, essay-esque reviews have probably been a detriment to encouraging others to review. Reviews don't need to take two hours to write. This new review from Evictor is a perfect length. It hits a couple key points, is extremely helpful, and probably took 5 minutes to write.

As someone who has leaned heavily into writing longish, essay-esque reviews I get what you mean, but one thing I like about DGCR is the variety in reviews - someone might give you a thousand words that are helpful, another person sums it up in 50. I myself have always struggled with summing things up; rambling comes second nature plus I guess I just like to hear myself talk.

Also, what happens sometimes is there will be a long period of time between playing new courses and I get excited for the whole play/review experience. Especially if I had a particularly good time, a 50-word review just doesn't do it for me, I've gotta add detail/perspective/irrelevancies. Then obsessively refresh my profile page watching for thumbs.

 

[jupiterboy]

I know what I like in a review, which is enough to decide if it is worth playing. Now I realize my heart isn't truly pure enough to write reviews. Maybe someday I'll want it hard enough. Maybe...

 

[Mocheez]

Charlie Eisenhood, publisher of Ultiworld, talking about Lake Marshall on the latest Upshot podcast…

Lake Marshall is rated at 4.9 stars on Disc Golf Course Review (DGCR). Now, the real ones know that the UDisc reviews are trash and the DGCR reviews are where you go if you really want to know what's up with a course. Cause you're going to go to UDisc and there's going to be some little par three dink & dunk course at a local college rated 4.6 stars. Now there's nothing wrong with that course but we're just not talking apples and oranges a lot of the time. DGCR on the other hand… the people who take the time to write these reviews are legit. So if you really want to know what's going on, go check it out (referring to the Lake Marshall course reviews on DGCR).

 

[DeanMoriarty]

Got my first thumbs down on a review of a small, not-so-great 9er at a high school.

Not quite sure why but I guess it's bound to happen eventually. I'll still keep on truckin' and reviewin' though.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Got my first thumbs down on a review of a small, not-so-great 9er at a high school.

Not quite sure why but I guess it's bound to happen eventually. I'll still keep on truckin' and reviewin' though.

Can't make all the people happy all of the time.
Keep reviewing.

 

[DFrah]

Can't make all the people happy all of the time.
Keep reviewing.

This!

I was actually relieved when I got my first thumbs down. That pressure of chasing perfection is off now.

 

[swatso]

not the usual suspect

Got my first thumbs down on a review of a small, not-so-great 9er at a high school.

Not quite sure why but I guess it's bound to happen eventually. I'll still keep on truckin' and reviewin' though.

It wasn't me - really!

 

[wolfhaley]

It wasn't me - really!

Nope. You're the wrong shade of green.

 

[HyooMac]

Got my first thumbs down on a review of a small, not-so-great 9er at a high school.

Not quite sure why but I guess it's bound to happen eventually. I'll still keep on truckin' and reviewin' though.

Maybe a fiercely loyal Fond Du Lac alum?

Seriously, school courses are hard to write about. They're generally pretty dull, and as you note, not for experienced players (only baggers). Some people take offense at that kind of criticism. You just have to look at your review, and probably just shrug it off.


I've looked at a few of my reviews that drew downvotes and honestly, I had to admit they came off as a little dismissive of the course. So I did a little editing (just the tone, not the facts) and moved on.

The advantage of being a paying member here is that you can see who votes on your reviews (for just $15 a year). I have contacted some of my negs in the past, and asked them how I could have made the review more helpful.

A few gave me good feedback, a few said they voted by accident, most didn't answer.

And finally, some of them are just homers who, I guess, react when reading anything but praise about "their" courses.


The best advice is what you've already received. Consider it the price of doing business, know that you can't please everybody, realize how easy it is for somebody to simply push the "Not Helpful." Keep writing - I enjoy your reviews.

 

[ejvogie]

Can't make all any of the people happy all of the time.
Keep reviewing.

FTFY

 

[itsRudy]

I just Google Earth that chit, write a not-too-critical not-too-favorable generic review, and call it a day.

"Good for beginners and pros alike. Gets hot in the summer."

Add 5 stars and you can be well on your way to becoming a pro reviewer on Udisc :thmbup:

 

[wolfhaley]

Add 5 stars and you can be well on your way to becoming a pro reviewer on Udisc :thmbup:

I wanted to find some stereotypical "Udiscism" reviews to add to your point. There's many of them, but wanted to pick the best of the best, so to speak. Clicked on the nearest course to me, Braem park. The one review that shows up on the main page says this.

"Gets wet when it rains"

5 words stating the most obvious of obvious facts. I'm pretty sure those 5 words apply to every single course on the planet. Is that actually a review? I mean, I get get cold when it's cold out. I also "Gets wet when it rains". :|

 

[ejvogie]

I wanted to find some stereotypical "Udiscism" reviews to add to your point. There's many of them, but wanted to pick the best of the best, so to speak. Clicked on the nearest course to me, Braem park. The one review that shows up on the main page says this.

"Gets wet when it rains"

5 words stating the most obvious of obvious facts. I'm pretty sure those 5 words apply to every single course on the planet. Is that actually a review? I mean, I get get cold when it's cold out. I also "Gets wet when it rains". :|

There's a mom joke in there somewhere...

 

[porkturtle]

Snippet of a Udisc review of a local course:
"Heads up, the leaves here are all brown, orange, and yellow so plan discs accordingly!"

...ah yes, those dastardly leaves. Courses with blue, pink, and purple leaves are preferred. ��

 

[HyooMac]

Snippet of a Udisc review of a local course:
"Heads up, the leaves here are all brown, orange, and yellow so plan discs accordingly!"

...ah yes, those dastardly leaves. Courses with blue, pink, and purple leaves are preferred. ��

I lost two yellow discs last Saturday, within three holes of each other.

Deep, deep leaves all across the fairways in Baltimore. No significant rain or wind, so they were like an ankle-deep carpet in many of the places I threw my discs.

The worst part is that you'd think I would have learned my lesson after losing the first one....

I could hear the blue, pink and purple discs in the bag all laughing at me.