A couple of thoughts on 5 star reviews

[Doktor John]

How do you compare Wrigley Field to the new Yankee Stadium?

That's WAY easy....Wrigley Field 10 star

 

[sillybizz]

When I look at the reviews of a course I just click the button that says "view only trusted reviewers" and that way you get a good idea of the course. Anyone that has a two sentence review I don't even look at because if they don't have the time to review the course then I don't have the time to look at thier review.

 

[billnchristy]

Yeah i shouldn't have said favorite...but if it is your favorite you probably think its the best.

Note that I have not given a 5 star...Alex...my home park opens tomorrow, and while it looks like it will kick ass I don't think it will be more than a 4 to 4.5 star...it will not be "perfect" but that is the problem...what the hell is perfect? People say that the first 3 holes of flip city are just vanilla...how can it be the "perfect" course?

Either way...who cares, you decide what you like...none of us are fooled by reviews that aren't legit anyways.

 

[TalbotTrojan]

Yeah I was just going to say there is a reason that we have the trusted reviewer system. I am not afraid to give a thumbs down to reviews and I do regularly, especially five disc reviews.

 

[Doktor John]

People say that the first 3 holes of flip city are just vanilla...how can it be the "perfect" course?

I can only speak to my reason for giving Flip City a 5...

For me, there are certain things on a course that can balance things out and help overcome a "defect" that would keep it from being "perfect"--Flip City is a good example...

I liked the fact that the first few holes allowed you to get warmed up and in the groove after a long drive (and most people probably have to drive a bit to get there)--whether that is by design or not, I don't know...

The fact that it is a private course, amazing attention to detail and a total labor of love pushed it that extra bit for me that made it a 5...I can honestly say it's not the best course (for what I like most) that I've ever played, but it doesn't diminish what it is...

I can see where someone would rate it a 4 or 4 1/2 and it think that would be fair... just as any of the other 3 I've rated as 5's could easily be seen by other folks who play a ton of courses as 4 or 4 1/2 ratings

 

[billnchristy]

Oh yeah, please don't think I was pooping on the course...from the pictures it looks amazing its just the whole concept of 100% or 5 of 5 that is really impossible. It can certainly be the best...but perfect?

 

[magictenor1]

The key as has been said many times is that a review by definition is someone's opinion and therefore subjective to begin with. I am always amused by the suggestions for ways to rate a course objectively. An objective opinion is an oxymoron, it really can't happen. the best any of us can do is be honest and explain what we said and why we think like we do. I think most good reviewers do that but it is still your opinion and you can't keep your likes and dislikes out of it.

 

[craigd]

Yes but how can you tell someone that their favorite is not really their favorite.

You have to take these as they are.

If the hottest girl I ever dated was Rosanne Barr, sorry man, shes a 10 in my book.

I see where Bill is coming from.

One way to look at it is this... There really is no such thing as a five star/disc course. The only way it truly is a five, at least as far as this site is concerned, is if everyone on this site agrees. That is to say that all, or at least the the overwhelming majority agrees that it is indeed a five. With the bad reviews aside, I think this is how we should look at it. A person who gives it a five probably thinks it is a five, in his mind. But lets find out why. Read the review along with the others, play the course, and then agree or disagree with the review. I think people give way too much credence to the rating.

I don't really like the idea of ratings so much. To be honest I wish they weren't there. I look at it like this. Do you think the review itself is helpful or the rating? For me I like to read what others say about a course and spend a lot less time worrying about how they rate the course. After all, an open course lover may give a low rating to a wooded course but describe it well enough to let me know that I am going to like it if I am a wooded course kind of guy. That would be very helpful! If it is my home course and he gives it a low rating but describes it perfectly then I should give him a thumber. The problem is I think people would give him a thumbs down because he didn't like the wooded course and gave it a low rating. He is just saying it was not high in his opinion based on what he liked. He could give a brilliant description but get knocked down. I don't think that is fair. I think the rating should go away. Let's vote on the meat of the review. After all, thats what really matters.

My $.02, I am going to bed now...

 

[billnchristy]

The only time I will thumbs down a rating is if the description in the review did not warrant it.

For example:

10 cons and its a 4? Really?

Most of the time it is the content of the review that intrigues me...does it give me a picture in my mind of what I will be seeing?

The ratings are unimportant to me unless everyone is in consensus. If 15 people rate it a 3, 1 a 5, and 1 a 1, then its a 3 and there are two wackos out there.

 

[magictenor1]

I see where Bill is coming from.

One way to look at it is this... There really is no such thing as a five star/disc course. The only way it truly is a five, at least as far as this site is concerned, is if everyone on this site agrees. That is to say that all, or at least the the overwhelming majority agrees that it is indeed a five. With the bad reviews aside, I think this is how we should look at it. A person who gives it a five probably thinks it is a five, in his mind. But lets find out why. Read the review along with the others, play the course, and then agree or disagree with the review. I think people give way too much credence to the rating.

I don't really like the idea of ratings so much. To be honest I wish they weren't there. I look at it like this. Do you think the review itself is helpful or the rating? For me I like to read what others say about a course and spend a lot less time worrying about how they rate the course. After all, an open course lover may give a low rating to a wooded course but describe it well enough to let me know that I am going to like it if I am a wooded course kind of guy. That would be very helpful! If it is my home course and he gives it a low rating but describes it perfectly then I should give him a thumber. The problem is I think people would give him a thumbs down because he didn't like the wooded course and gave it a low rating. He is just saying it was not high in his opinion based on what he liked. He could give a brilliant description but get knocked down. I don't think that is fair. I think the rating should go away. Let's vote on the meat of the review. After all, thats what really matters.

My $.02, I am going to bed now...

Good post. I agree. I think too many times people respond to the # more than what is said. I think the ratings and reviews should be seperate.

 

[Greg Layton]

I understand those of you that have never given a 5 and have trouble comprehending what a 5 looks like. I respect that. You, oh rational users of DGCR, are not the problem. The problem, to get the thread back on track, are assbags who rate their home course as 5 stars, type 17 words, log out, and then never log back in again.

I understand that reviews are subjective and we've danced around that topic many times before. What I'm looking for are new ideas on how to stop the assbags. I'm not looking for ways to objectify something that's subjective, I'm just trying to figure out if it's possible to stop the blatant misbehavior.

I guess some of you are saying that the assbag's opinion should also count, that their review has just as much merit as a Gold TR. To that I quote Dogbert and say "Bah."

I threw three ideas out there in my original post; can any of the rest of you can think of a couple ideas? Or am I the assbag?

 

[magictenor1]

I'm not sure I like your #1 but #2 and 3 are fine with me. I have only played 41 but I have not seen a 5. i hope one day to go to some of the courses that many feel are 5's to see if I agree.

 

[DirtyMittenDG]

can any of the rest of you can think of a couple ideas? Or am I the assbag?

How about, everyone can review and rate a course but only trusted reviewers rating count to the courses overall rating? Because you know someone with TR status has been on here a while and is probably legit. All non trusted reviews will hate this idea just like i would if i wasnt a trusted reviewer, but at the same time it would be the answer to better accuracy.

 

[Greg Layton]

How about, everyone can review and rate a course but only trusted reviewers rating count to the courses overall rating? Because you know someone with TR status has been on here a while and is probably legit. All non trusted reviews will hate this idea just like i would if i wasnt a trusted reviewer, but at the same time it would be the answer to better accuracy.

Naugh, don't like that. There are plenty of amazing reviewers on here who haven't made it to TR yet due to a variety of reasons such as playing in a remote location. To discount their opinions, even for a temporary amount of time, does the site a disservice and discourages reviewing in general.

Maybe the answer is a "Cream of the Crop" tab (ala Rotten Tomatoes) that shows you the average of the trusted reviewers if three or more of them have reviewed the course? That way you could have both of them side by side. But the overall rating would always trump the Cream rating.

 

[DirtyMittenDG]

Naugh, don't like that.

I have a feeling these words will be used many times by many people before this thread is dead! lol

And yeah alot of valuable peoples opinions would not count (for a while) but at the same time it is the answer to best possible accuaracy

 

[Greg Layton]

Maybe the answer is a "Cream of the Crop" tab (ala Rotten Tomatoes) that shows you the average of the trusted reviewers if three or more of them have reviewed the course? That way you could have both of them side by side. But the overall rating would always trump the Cream rating.

Thinking to myself now... something like this would work on courses with 10-15+ reviews, but it still does nothing for lesser-known courses.

 

[DirtyMittenDG]

but it still does nothing for lesser-known courses.

Would you rather have a lesser-known courses rating be dictated by 6 locals who only played a few courses, or 1 or 2 people that have played many courses?

 

[Greg Layton]

I have a feeling these words will be used many times by many people before this thread is dead! lol

That's a good thing. If everyone who doesn't like the previous post in this thread posts why they don't like it along with some kind of explanation and a counter-proposal we could very well set the Interwebs record for most message board posts without a pissing match. Something might even get accomplished through this discussion, even if something means an agreement to do nothing.

Hey, I can dream, right?

 

[Greg Layton]

would you rather have a course with 6 locals who only played a coupple other courses dictate the courses rating, or 1 or 2 people that have played many courses?

The devil's advocate argument to this is that you might not have the same set of reviewing criteria as the 1 or 2 people who have played multiple courses, so the 6 reviews would automatically be better because they give a wider scope of opinion (like two or three people could prefer wooded courses, two or three could prefer open, and two or three could prefer mountain courses.)

Me? If those 'one or two' people give well thought out reviews that paint a picture of the course and address the strengths and weaknesses and the six locals are all doubles partners from the Monday night league who found this website by Googling their course and all agree that their course rulez and we're all wasting our time because we're reading their review instead of playing the course, then I'd rather have the 'one or two.'

If only everything was that black and white. So I guess my answer is that it depends.

 

[Rupert M]

Fascism Rules!!!