Best Area of the U.S. for DG

[Disc Dog]

NUMBERS DO NOT LIE?

I did this as a lark but found a very interesting fact. See if you can figure it out.

Based on shear number of courses...

1)Midwest 1 (578)
2)Midwest 2 (548)
3)South 1 (361)
4)South 3 (308)
5)West 2 (294)
6)West 1 (259)
7)South 2 (177)
8)Mid Atlantic (144)
9)New England (102)

However since this is an OPINION pole if you go by a 4 disc rating or higher...

1) Midwest 1 (54)
2) Midwest 2 (51)
3) South 1 (46)
4)West 2 (30)
5) Tie...
South 3 (27)
West 1 (27)
6) South 2 (24)
7) New England (21)
8) Mid Atlantic (13)

However, we are talking about the best which is quality over quantity then the results really change. I took the total number of courses per region and the total number of courses rated 4 discs or higher and it really changes...

1) New England (20.6% of courses 4 or higher)
2) South 2 (13.6% of courses 4 or higher)
3) South 1 (12.7% of courses 4 or higher)
4) West 1 (10.4% of courses 4 or higher)
5) West 2 (10.2% of courses 4 or higher)
6) Tie...
Midwest 1 (9.3% of courses 4 or higher)
Midwest 2 (same)
7) Mid Atlantic (9.0% of courses 4 or higher)
8) South 2 (8.7% of courses 4 or higher)

Top 5 States for total courses...

1) Texas (206)
2) California (158)
3) Tie...
Wisconsin (148)
Iowa (148)
5) Minnesota (146)

Top 5 With 4 or more discs

Texas (21)
Minnesota (17)
Iowa (16)
Wisconsin (16)
North Carolina (13)
Indiana (13)

Top 5 Percentage of 4 or higher compared to total courses

West Virginia (35.7%)
Maine (35.5%)
Vermont (30.7%)
Indiana (20.6%)
New Mexico (19.2)
Utah (19.0%)

The argument is truly quantity versus quality. In almost every case if they have lots of courses than quality suffers. If few courses than quality goes way up.

Personally it is quality for me. What about you?

 

[DavidSauls]

3 states are both tops in top-rated and total courses. Quality doesn't suffer. Perhaps hotbeds of discgolf produce more quality courses, and LOTS more little courses as well.

You might try averaging out these by population and area. South Carolina wouldn't win under any case, but hardly has a chance compared to much larger & more populous states.

All for fun, because most of us don't wander more than 50 or 100 miles from our homes very often to play disc golf. What matters is what's most available to us.

The measure of the best area didn't take into account tournament play. If tournament play is important to you, better areas for tournament play might be important to you.

......Just a few more variables to throw in....

 

[NDABRUSH]

Quality, but if I am there playing a 4 and there is a couple of 9 holers close by then I would def give them a whirl since I am from out of town and will not have another chance to play them.

 

[Mark R]

According to some figures I generated from data on this site, KENTUCKY is actually the best state (i.e. most high rated courses per land area), with North Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota and Oregon as honorable mentions.

However, I've never played Kentucky, so who knows.

 

[okiebullgod]

Does anyone know of any courses in the badlands? Say, between Crawford, NE and Rapid City, SD? There could be some really neat ones through there.

 

[Disc Dog]

3 states are both tops in top-rated and total courses. Quality doesn't suffer. Perhaps hotbeds of discgolf produce more quality courses, and LOTS more little courses as well.

You might try averaging out these by population and area. South Carolina wouldn't win under any case, but hardly has a chance compared to much larger & more populous states.

All for fun, because most of us don't wander more than 50 or 100 miles from our homes very often to play disc golf. What matters is what's most available to us.

The measure of the best area didn't take into account tournament play. If tournament play is important to you, better areas for tournament play might be important to you.

......Just a few more variables to throw in....

Quality, but if I am there playing a 4 and there is a couple of 9 holers close by then I would def give them a whirl since I am from out of town and will not have another chance to play them.

I could sit here all day and come up with "what if's", but David you are right about the courses we do play. It is all about what I can get to for most of us.

Brush when I do get a chance to travel I am like you if it is near by I'm going to play it because there may never be another chance.

 

[Disc Dog]

According to some figures I generated from data on this site, KENTUCKY is actually the best state (i.e. most high rated courses per land area), with North Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota and Oregon as honorable mentions.

However, I've never played Kentucky, so who knows.

This is what I mean. I did not base it on land mass simply on numbers of courses and rating. You did yours by land mass. This could go on all week with different variables. It is fun but it still comes down to what each of us likes.

 

[Disc Dog]

I guess this poll would apply more to well-travelled DGers, though you certainly can vote based on hearsay alone!

What region of the U.S. is the BEST for DG? I base these regions on the U.S. Census Bureau classifications.

I do have one question for you. How did you come up with your geographic breakdown?

 

[biscoe]

it's a little more useful to look at it this way:
from my home:
4 disc or better courses within 2 hours drive time= 9
4 disc or better courses within 1 hour drive time= 6
4 disc or better courses within 20 minutes drive time= 3
4 disc or better course within 2 minutes drive time= 1

i sorted based on only 3 or more reviews to get more courses included.

somewhere around dc would definitely have more within the 2 hour window than i do here.

 

[pokamitch]

I have never played in the snow, nor would I want to. I also didn't play in AZ during the summer months because it was just to hot... This is the lamest poll I have ever seen on this site!!!

I think this poll is jacked. The areas aren't even In a demographically logically way for one (how do you place Alaska with Cali. or Hawaii??!?. Or the entire east coast, like Delaware or Maryland are comprable to Florida and Georgia? C'mon...). And who really cares anyways, just go out and play

 

[Disc Dog]

it's a little more useful to look at it this way:
from my home:
4 disc or better courses within 2 hours drive time= 9
4 disc or better courses within 1 hour drive time= 6
4 disc or better courses within 20 minutes drive time= 3
4 disc or better course within 2 minutes drive time= 1

i sorted based on only 3 or more reviews to get more courses included.

somewhere around dc would definitely have more within the 2 hour window than i do here.

Hey Biscoe! I am jealous. You own the highest rated course in Virginia and you are only a 20 minute drive from the Grange and maybe 45 from, Loriella. You want to trade places.

 

[scarpfish]

Quantity is objective. If a state or region has 'x' number of courses, you know that to be a fact. Generally if the number of courses in a given region is high, that's a sign that there is a good presence for the game in that area. Those little 9 hole rec courses that might be dragging the so called "quality" rating down, often end up being feeders to get people to play the big courses. I'd give more points to an area which had them versus one that didn't.

Quality is subjective. Because a state or region has 'x' number of 4 star courses is the collective opinion of the small number of disc golfers in the world who have signed up at DGCR and started giving reviews. It also ignores the fact that a great number of the courses in the directory are lacking enough data to get an accurate assessment of them...

There are 2,763 U.S. courses in the directory.
2,458 of them have at least one review (meaning 305 of them do not).
1,981 of them have at least two reviews (meaning another 477 of them are riding on the opinion of one member)
1,613 of them have at least three reviews (meaning better than 41% of the courses in the directory are riding on the opinion of two or fewer people)
1,106 of them have at least five reviews (only 40% of the courses in the directory have this many).
At seven reviews you're down to 751 (just over 27%).
At ten reviews you're down to 421 (just over 15%).

Not to mention a great number of our top courses would come down a few pegs if not for the repetitive two sentence HBB reviews from locals propping up their scores. In fact, I'd say the great majority of the courses people have reviewed are within 200 miles of their residence, the exceptions being the folks who really have hit several different areas of the country.

That being said, should people whose playing experience is largely limited to their home area, much less 1-2 of the regions in the poll (likely 90% of us or better, myself included), have any say in comparing quality between somewhere we've been to many times and somewhere we haven't been at all.

And yeah, I voted for my home region too. I'll shut up now.

 

[biscoe]

about 35 to loriella, which would be above 4 discs as well with better signage. we've worked hard here to make spotsy a great place for disc golf. a lot of the credit has to go to trapasso- if the grange were not already here i may not have moved back and much of the rest wouldn't have followed. (i grew up in spotsy but went to school in richmond and stayed there for a while afterward- gillies was where i first played other than to objects, dorey was the first course i designed/installed.) of course, the grange now bears little resemblance to the grange back then.

 

[Disc Dog]

Quantity is objective. If a state or region has 'x' number of courses, you know that to be a fact. Generally if the number of courses in a given region is high, that's a sign that there is a good presence for the game in that area. Those little 9 hole rec courses that might be dragging the so called "quality" rating down, often end up being feeders to get people to play the big courses. I'd give more points to an area which had them versus one that didn't.

Quality is subjective. Because a state or region has 'x' number of 4 star courses is the collective opinion of the small number of disc golfers in the world who have signed up at DGCR and started giving reviews. It also ignores the fact that a great number of the courses in the directory are lacking enough data to get an accurate assessment of them...

There are 2,763 U.S. courses in the directory.
2,458 of them have at least one review (meaning 305 of them do not).
1,981 of them have at least two reviews (meaning another 477 of them are riding on the opinion of one member)
1,613 of them have at least three reviews (meaning better than 41% of the courses in the directory are riding on the opinion of two or fewer people)
1,106 of them have at least five reviews (only 40% of the courses in the directory have this many).
At seven reviews you're down to 751 (just over 27%).
At ten reviews you're down to 421 (just over 15%).

Not to mention a great number of our top courses would come down a few pegs if not for the repetitive two sentence HBB reviews from locals propping up their scores. In fact, I'd say the great majority of the courses people have reviewed are within 200 miles of their residence, the exceptions being the folks who really have hit several different areas of the country.

That being said, should people whose playing experience is largely limited to their home area, much less 1-2 of the regions in the poll (likely 90% of us or better, myself included), have any say in comparing quality between somewhere we've been to many times and somewhere we haven't.

Hey, I did not mean to start a rant/riot by figuring these numbers it was just interesting and fun. A way to look at things. I understand the inaccuracies of the process.

If you want to hijack the thread DON'T! There are several threads about opinions on ratings and reviews. Go there! Lets keep this fun.

 

[Disc Dog]

about 35 to loriella, which would be above 4 discs as well with better signage. we've worked hard here to make spotsy a great place for disc golf. a lot of the credit has to go to trapasso- if the grange were not already here i may not have moved back and much of the rest wouldn't have followed. (i grew up in spotsy but went to school in richmond and stayed there for a while afterward- gillies was where i first played other than to objects, dorey was the first course i designed/installed.) of course, the grange now bears little resemblance to the grange back then.

Hey Biscoe, I ran into a guy by the name of Tom Robinson who claims to have worked/volunteered with the Parks Dept. He said he had a lot to do with putting in that course at Dorey. Can you verify that.

 

[jhgonzo]

If someone really wants to crunch the numbers (which I do, but don't currently have the time), you could total up the total land area of each region (example: Midwest 1 is 302,649 sq miles), get the total number of courses in that region (maybe weed out anything less than 9 holes using the search parameters out here), and find which region has the highest concentration of courses per square mile. Have fun!

 

[biscoe]

Hey Biscoe, I ran into a guy by the name of Tom Robinson who claims to have worked/volunteered with the Parks Dept. He said he had a lot to do with putting in that course at Dorey. Can you verify that.

doesn't ring a bell but that doesn't mean he wasn't involved- i've dealt with a lot of county employees in various counties over the years. our main county contact was al azarone, tad cromwell and myself were the dg'ers most involved.

 

[jdggna]

I haven't played any areas outside of my home region (midwest 2) so I won't be voting. I bet it can hold up with the best though. There are tons of good courses in the region.

 

[A.Mutt]

How can an area where courses are pulled and/or there is snow on the ground for 4-5 months a year be the best area for DG? Or for that matter, where it is too hot 3-4 months per year for the average Joe to enjoy being outside?

Because the courses are just that good here

Not to mention if some snow or high summer temps are a problem for somebody to go outside and play, then they probably aren't from this area to begin with. While you're at it why not get rid of the 2-3 months of heavy winds and rain.

 

[thepowerofpancakes]

I vote for California, even tho i havent played golf there, becuase its all about temperature for me