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There's always Winthrop. :thmbup: Oakland University has a pretty good course, but it's closed down until further notice due to construction... I hope it survives.
The course at MSU has had some issues, but seems to be doing OK at this point.
I had a long post and accidentally closed my browser. Here is my abbreviated version:
-A college course should be low stress with limited chances of losing discs
-It should be in an area populated enough to get noticed but not so dense that it's dangerous to non-golfing students
-You probably wont have a lot of foliage to work with, but try to use the trees you have and emphasize elevation changes
-I think The Ohio State University has a good setup for a college campus course, I've gotten quite a few students into the game there
OSU has a disc golf course on West Campus right by the art studio where I spend most of my time. It's not the best because it is squeezed into the small amounts of green space that surround the parking lots. It is VERY easy for inaccurate shots to go into the street where they will most certainly be run over by a bus, or go into a parking lot and dent someone's car.
I really don't understand why they couldn't spend a few bucks and give us some space to throw. It's a pretty stupid layout, honestly. I have had to chase too many discs into the street. Also from holes 7 to 8 there is a 900' walk which is annoying.
OSU has a disc golf course on West Campus right by the art studio where I spend most of my time. It's not the best because it is squeezed into the small amounts of green space that surround the parking lots. It is VERY easy for inaccurate shots to go into the street where they will most certainly be run over by a bus, or go into a parking lot and dent someone's car.
I really don't understand why they couldn't spend a few bucks and give us some space to throw. It's a pretty stupid layout, honestly. I have had to chase too many discs into the street. Also from holes 7 to 8 there is a 900' walk which is annoying.
You have to wait for the students walking on the sidewalks before throwing and there's one of those emergency phone poles that's one of the better obstacles but the problem with the course is a lot of the holes (including the first three holes) are the same. One thing it does well is weave itself around and through buildings but you never hit any of them. Hole 8 is really close to a building but it's pretty short and 9 has a pond obstacle combined with an uphill shot that is decent.
Cal State University San Marcos has an 18-hole course on campus, about to celebrate its 5th anniversary. Holes 1-8 weave through athletic fields and then after a long walk you get to hole 9, which is right behind the library. Holes 10-15 meander through the heart of campus, then a long walk takes you to 16-18 which are near the university's Facilities Department and Police Station.
The holes through the heart of campus are very short, which is how they are kept safe. Very few people play before 2pm or so - it gets most of its play late afternoon and on the weekends....and at night. Holes 9-15 are playable at night if you have lights on your discs or glow discs.
I work on campus and designed the course. Several holes have been modified or replaced as new buildings have come on line. I have several replacement holes in mind for the next time this happens. We were turned down by the Disc Golf Foundation's matching baskets program as the reviewers felt the holes through campus would be too dangerous. Five years later and not a single reported injury or incident due to errant discs. Luckily for us, Innova stepped up and donated nine baskets. All of the baskets carry a memorial label dedicated to Innova co-founder Tim Selinske.
Winthrop is the obvious answer. As you can see in the vids, it doesn't really interfere with school buildings or dorms.
Also played the ETSU course in Johnson City, TN. Right next to a big dorm, and you drive down the strip of campus to get to hole 1. Was within walking distance from the Carnegie Hotel, I was there for business and really enjoyed their little 9er.
Also a 6-hole course at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY. Don't know why anyone but locals would play that though, with all the other courses there.
I've heard that there may be a course at the University of Charlotte soon. Because, ya know, there's just not enough disc golf in Charlotte.
Mars Hill near Asheville is probably the best course I've played on a college campus(Winthrop excluded). Beautiful finishing hole.
They have a hole that plays on the side of a STEEP hill:
My friend from Cincinnati threw his drive, and just as he released, we realized the campus van that was on the access road at the bottom of said hill was driving at the perfect speed that the disc and it were destined to collide.
SMACK!
Surely we're getting kicked out now, and probably a nice little fine to boot.
Woman gets out of the van and yells....
"Is your disc ok?"
Awesome moment and laughs aplenty.
Here's a guy splashing out on one of the longer holes and pin positions there:
I've played several college campus courses. Ones like Texas Wesleyan play right through the center of campus over commons areas, around buildings and through crowded spaces. Between classes it's playable, but I wouldn't consider it a safe course for pedestrians.
Other courses like TCC Northwest and TxState play close to buildings but are better designed to avoid pedestrian traffic by using out of the way green spaces nearby. These seem to be an ideal combination of "on campus" yet safe to play disc golf courses.
There there are courses located on the outskirts of campus on property set aside solely for disc golf use or at least in a park setting away from buildings and traffic. Research Park reminds me this sort of college course, and it's the one college course I've enjoyed playing most often. While that type of layout is much more preferable, I suppose it's a matter of having adequate land to use in the first place.
Few are well executed ON campus, because of the safety issues, but those which have some park land really close by are cool. Check out Berea, Hocking, and Surge for being fairly safe, yet tight to campus.
One of the most beautiful campuses I have played is Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, IA. Awesome course with water hazards and a variety of pin placements.
