Best Disc Golf State

[SigmaChris]

By "Greater Cincy area," do you mean within 100 miles of the city, or are there really that many courses in and around the city?

There are that many in the area and I believe there were 3 in Timg Top 25 of 2008.

Idlewild is 20 minutes south of Cincy
Banlick is 20 minutes south of Cincy
Mt. Airy is near downtown.

Also most of the courses are wooded so they offer great challenges. Not your typical urban park course.

As for the argument of Cali being a top state...I haven't played any NorCal courses but SoCal doesn't have too many great courses. La Mirada, El Dorado, and Whittier Narrows are all park courses, however I haven't played La Mirada yet. Huntington and Morley are decent but not spectacular.

I am surprised that laid back SoCal (especially San Diego area) doesn't have more courses. San Diego has four I believe and 2 are on ball courses, Montiel is a 9 hole dirt course set up on empty housing lots, and Morley is the gem of the county.

I am waiting for summer to take in all the highly rated courses near Battle Creek / K-zoo Michigan. That seems to be a great concentration of quality courses.

 

[Greg Layton]

I am waiting for summer to take in all the highly rated courses near Battle Creek / K-zoo Michigan. That seems to be a great concentration of quality courses.

If you have your heart set on K'zoo, stay away from Knollwood. The others I've played in the area are pretty decent, with Oshtemo probably being the best. I can't help but think your time would be better served at the metroparks over by Ann Arbor (Kensington, Hudson Mills, and Cass) or up in Shelby/Ludington (Flip, Beauty/Beast/Goliath/Leviathan), though.

And as far as the east coast bias thing goes, I'd say that Washington/Oregon/California get plenty of props around here. I'm sorry that you feel slighted, but one reason for that might be that your state is freaking huge and therefore there's quite a drive between Grade A courses. Just some food for thought... no disrespect meant.

 

[DGtourist]

Do you guys think weather should be considerd in this calculation?

My guess is that dudes in Florida are getting in great rounds while we wade through snow, dig for our disc and have to play in screaming winds with ice that limts our x-steps.

I would also bet that the number of rounds played goes down drasticly during the winter in states that have bad winters.

 

[bazkitcase5]

I suppose the answer to that depends on the person

is the person looking for the best concentration of courses in general?

or is the person looking for a state they could move to and get the most enjoyment out of disc golf?

 

[Greg Layton]

I would also bet that the number of rounds played goes down drasticly during the winter in states that have bad winters.

Thinking along those lines... I don't think it's too much of a stretch to think that bad-winter-state-courses aren't getting reviewed for three or four months out of the year. Kind of puts northern courses at a handicap. I claim a southern bias!

But yeah, I'm with you, I've only played 18 holes in the past two months. And that was with snow on the ground and a cold north wind screwing with my putts. It'll just make me appreciate things more in the spring.

 

[Mando]

Do you guys think weather should be considerd in this calculation?

My guess is that dudes in Florida are getting in great rounds while we wade through snow, dig for our disc and have to play in screaming winds with ice that limts our x-steps.

I would also bet that the number of rounds played goes down drasticly during the winter in states that have bad winters.

Weather should definitely be considered, which makes it perplexing that Florida does not have a top 50 course.
I'd love to see a list of the best concentration of courses that are playable in the winter.

 

[SigmaChris]

Weather should definitely be considered, which makes it perplexing that Florida does not have a top 50 course.
I'd love to see a list of the best concentration of courses that are playable in the winter.

Cincy again would have to be up there. While it is cold 20s to 40s this time of year. If it is sunny and no wind, a round of DG in 35 degree weather is quite nice. As soon as you get a stiff breeze, your hands go numb and the fun stops.

 

[bazkitcase5]

yea, but when you consider that I was playing in shorts and short sleeves and completely comfortable just last weekend, 20s and 40s don't look so good anymore, and I'm in MS, so you can imagine what Florida or Southern Cal is like

 

[Mando]

I just don't enjoy playing when it's under 50. Too easy to pull or strain a muscle at my age.

 

[Texconsinite]

Thinking along those lines... I don't think it's too much of a stretch to think that bad-winter-state-courses aren't getting reviewed for three or four months out of the year. Kind of puts northern courses at a handicap. I claim a southern bias!

But yeah, I'm with you, I've only played 18 holes in the past two months. And that was with snow on the ground and a cold north wind screwing with my putts. It'll just make me appreciate things more in the spring.

I beg to differ. Ive reviewed two WI courses in the past week, and plan on reviewing another one this weekend.

I was reluctant to play winter golf at first, but after the first few times, it hardly bothers you. Just played today. It was a 28 outside, and most of the snow had melted. Positively tropical!!

Playing in snow really isn't all that bad until it gets below 10 degrees, or deeper than a few inches. You just wear a sleeveless fleece vest to keep the core warm and block wind over a long sleeve t shirt, and a mechanic's glove on your non-throwing hand to pick discs up and brush snow off them. Snow doesn't really even get your discs wet if you brush them off before you return them to your bag, so you get better grip than in rainy weather, too. Not to mention the shule is considerably thinner.

 

[Greg Layton]

I beg to differ. Ive reviewed two WI courses in the past week, and plan on reviewing another one this weekend.

Didn't mean to offend you, but if you keep an eye on the new reviews on the front page, northern courses are definitely the exception to the rule. I envy you for getting out as often as you do.

Things are simply different on this side of the lake. We had at least 7 or 8 inches of snow on the ground here for the entire month of December. Things are slightly better right now, but I work 10 hours a day so by the time i get home it's already too dark to play.

 

[Texconsinite]

Yes, I admit the bad weather congregates on your side of the lake, all 4 seasons of the year. All the storms, humidity, winds, blizzards, mosquitoes, packs of wild dogs seem to give you guys the short straw year-in and year out.

I would call that another advantage, on top of Highbridge Hills, that makes WI edge out MI in the running for best DG state. (Yes I know discraft is located in your state, but even an igloo of FLX plastic doesnt make MI winter warmer than WI)

 

[DirtyMittenDG]

I would call that another advantage, on top of Highbridge Hills, that makes WI edge out MI in the running for best DG state.

I agree with you texconsinite! I mean youve played almost every course in wisconson and michigan so you must know which state is better.........O wait.

 

[Greg Layton]

Yes, I admit the bad weather congregates on your side of the lake, all 4 seasons of the year. All the storms, humidity, winds, blizzards, mosquitoes, packs of wild dogs seem to give you guys the short straw year-in and year out.

I would call that another advantage, on top of Highbridge Hills, that makes WI edge out MI in the running for best DG state. (Yes I know discraft is located in your state, but even an igloo of FLX plastic doesnt make MI winter warmer than WI)

I've only lived here for a year. I grew up in Kansas. Last summer here was incredible... the Michiganites were complaining about how hot it was when it got up to 75.... I just scoffed and remembered the every-day-in-August-over-100-degrees summers of my youth. Serioiusly, 8 months out of the year this state kicks ass weather-wise. Discraft can take a flying leap off a cliff into Ohio for all I care.

I won't commit to which state is better in terms of courses until I've had the chance to play some up there. I've had some good times in both Madison and Milwaukee, but they were before I started playing.

 

[DirtyMittenDG]

the Michiganites

You said youve only lived here a year so ill let it slip but its "michiganders" not "michiganites". LOL. You dang kansasnite

 

[SigmaChris]

yea, but when you consider that I was playing in shorts and short sleeves and completely comfortable just last weekend, 20s and 40s don't look so good anymore, and I'm in MS, so you can imagine what Florida or Southern Cal is like

I played in Southern Cal 2 weeks ago on vacation and I went to college there. The downside to SoCal is there lack of spectacular courses but they do have the best weather.

What is it like playing in Mississippi or Florida the middle of summer when its 95 outside with 95% humidity? Don't get me wrong, I am an Ohio transplant so I am not vying for Ohio to be best state. But I don't envy walking a couple of miles playing DG in your summers. I'll take my 35 degree December and January and milder summers.

 

[bazkitcase5]

no different than your winters - you prepare properly and deal with it haha

 

[Lewis]

I couldn't imagine going for a walk in the snow in only a long-sleeve tee-shirt and a vest. Talk like that makes me wonder if the weather affects the way a person's body develops. If I ventured outside in 10-degree weather in anything less than three layers wrist to ankle, I'm confident I'd come home with frostbite. And people complain about 75-degree weather, Greg Layton? You must be exaggerating. That's 3 degrees from room temperature, for crying out loud. As for Florida, on the other hand, it's as oppressively hot and damp as northern Michigan is cold. I've got a good friend who grew up in Jacksonville, and he's succeeded in making me never want to live there, just based on the weather.

All this is to say I'd bet somewhere in the middle, maybe roundabout North Carolina sounds like the right kind of place if you're basing your choice on climate. I'd rather have all four seasons, and not too much of any one. Even the eternal spring of southern California starts to sound monotonous when I really think about it. The seasons keep life interesting.

By the way, has anybody come up with a spreadsheet? I've made one for the courses in my home state, Georgia, but I can't decide what are the best criteria to judge it, nor how to weigh it against other states. So much of what we like is subjective, but to declare a "best" state begs for a set of objective measurements.

 

[Lewis]

Well nuts. I'm off and running with my spreadsheet. Right now I'm calculating for four criteria (I tip my hat to others for the ideas): average course rating, holes per course, courses per square mile, and courses per capita. I'm trying to weigh the criteria equally by giving each state a percentile of the highest score in each category. For example, NC has the densest courses per square mile so far, so it gets 100 in that category; meanwhile, KY's courses are 76% as dense, so they get a 76. Finally, I'm taking the average of all four categories for each state, and seeing which ones have the higher composite scores.

I've only got 5 states with data entered, but so far Kentucky is whipping all comers based on this method. I'm not a statistician, though, so let me ask: does it make sense to do it this way?

 

[obryn]

Texas has so many DG courses it is ridiculous! You would be surprised at how gorgeous some of them are as well. I don't know if its the best state for DG but I know it has the most variety. Also, playing in the winter is perfect unless it is overly windy. Although, if you're a fan of white snow laden courses, it might not be for you. Summer time can get very hot though; so its good to find a nice shaded course and bring plenty of water.