Grow the sport you say?

[BogeyNoMore]

Speaking for my area, we could use a few more park style courses that are more suitable to novice &rec level players.

I don't think beginners playing courses like Hudson Mills, Kensington, Stony Creek, and Rolling Hills is really in anyone's best interest, especially in the middle of summer when the growth is dense and bound to result in more time doesn't looking for discs, and ultinately losing some of those.

I think more people who try the sport are more likely to stick with it if they don't feel like the courses to available to them are too hard.

As much as I love carving lines through the woods or hitting a perfect line that splits between walks of dense brush, there's something to be said for friendly courses where you don't have to risk drawing blood after a bad shot.

Not every course should be Championship caliber.

 

[Jah Plastifari]

Parking lot at Farragut today was the most full I've ever seen it for a non tourney day. I only had to play through one group in two rounds however. Having 5 courses to spread out on is awesome.

 

[aclay]

Ironically my slow play issues are much less this:


and much more often this:


Playing solo I can usually run through the beginner groups with ease, running through a course that is occupied on all holes by a 'tags' match is another story...

Give me all the newbs and less of the waytooserious tags/leagues whatever guys any day.

I try to remember that the leagues are serving way more folks than my solo round, suck it up, move to the next course 10 miles away. But when there's tags/leagues at some course every day, twice a week some courses, it becomes a struggle to find a place to get a round in after work before dark. That's my current dilemma with 'growing the sport' : its becoming harder and harder to find clear courses to get a quick round in - partly because of noobs, also partly because so many improvised tournaments/tags/leagues are popping up totally filled with folks and locking down a course for half day.

Both leagues and newbies can be frustrating for those of us just playing a casual round with a few buds. However, I have had WAY more trouble with leagues/tournaments than newbies. And the newbies have the added "advantage" of not knowing better. I saw a tournament director this year chasing people off the course and telling them he and his tournament had reserved the course with the city. They had not. He was a clear example of someone who wanted to ungrow the sport. If one of your early disc golf experiences was dealing with him, you would be unlikely to play again.

 

[Hampstead]

Cool. Fewer people on the course.

#winning

 

[R-Ogre]

Course report: surprisingly chill. Was butting up against a group of 4 kids for a while but I was playing harder tees and they squeaked ahead enough to not be an issue. Absolutely gorgeous spring day in Alaska tho.

 

[aclay]

Course report: surprisingly chill. Was butting up against a group of 4 kids for a while but I was playing harder tees and they squeaked ahead enough to not be an issue. Absolutely gorgeous spring day in Alaska tho.

Something is DEFINITELY wrong with the world when it it 10 degrees warmer in Juneau, Alaska than it is in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

[rjnoodlearm]

Good things come to he who waits long enough.

Speaking for my area, we could use a few more park style courses that are more suitable to novice &rec level players.

I don't think beginners playing courses like Hudson Mills, Kensington, Stony Creek, and Rolling Hills is really in anyone's best interest, especially in the middle of summer when the growth is dense and bound to result in more time looking for discs, and ultimately losing some of those.

I think more people who try the sport are more likely to stick with it if they don't feel like the courses to available to them are too hard.

Yes.

Disc Golf is still a young sport/game and thus it's still finding itself in terms of how to accommodate different playing levels.

As an aging novice I have no thought of ever "winning" any tournament or even division. However I do enjoy the tournament atmosphere and the sense of competition that you can only get in a PDGA tournament. But if I have to play multiple 1000+ foot holes to participate in an event well just forget it because it's a physical impossibility for me.

Over time I think organizers and directors will figure out ways to have multiple divisions that accommodate players of all levels. Until then we just have to do the best we can

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

Haha so come to think of it... way back to '88 ?ish we never used to want to play on Sunday because we didn't want to get stuck behind the league guys. Haha slow as heck one giant group!!

Now I'm part of the problem!!, though with CoVid we only play in groups of 4 with a 6 max.. Get done by 12:30 instead of 2 or 3pm haha.

 

[Nick Pacific]

Not every course should be Championship caliber.

100% agreed. And with great shot shaping and smart design you can have two great 5000 ft 18 holers (which can still be Am1 level which would challenge 99.99% of the people actually playing the course) in place of the 10,000 ft it takes to make a Championship caliber course.

IMO trying to make a course for the tour/pros is going to be a moot point/useless endeavor anyways. In less than a decade more and more of the big events (definitely worlds) are going to be on ball golf courses near cities anyways, it's the only way they're going to be able to accommodate galleries of 5000+ people, food, parking and lodging for the traveling circus of the DGPT/media/fans coming out.

 

[DavidSauls]

By that standard, not only is every course not a "championship course", but almost none are. I don't believe there are any 10,000-foot courses in my state.

But there are some 7,000-8,000', very challenging courses that are attractive to local pros and advanced players, and even players of lower skill levels, in ways that a 5,000' course can't match.

Certainly, every course doesn't need to be one of these, either. We need to build courses across a range of skill levels. There is some truth to the thought that the people pushing hardest and doing most of the work are the better players who want tougher courses, but I still see plenty of beginner-level and intermediate-level courses going in.

 

[Nick Pacific]

There is some truth to the thought that the people pushing hardest and doing most of the work are the better players who want tougher courses, but I still see plenty of beginner-level and intermediate-level courses going in.

Here is the thing though - you don't necessarily have to be doing "most of the work". All you have to do is to get people to show up and play and the revenue will follow. EVERYONE counts, families/children/rec huckers included, and they represent an overwhelming majority of the revenue to the community a course eventually brings, even free courses.

It is the newbs, rec level players and families out chucking starter packs that don't just purchase park passes, but also patronize your local establishments when they come to your neighborhood and play your local courses.

Remember the local communities assess value of a free disc golf course too, by how often it is played. There is a dollar value attached to that. If you've got a free rec level course that is attracting a high volume of players, that means all your local businesses like gas stations, restaurants, shops, etc. are also bringing in money. There is a definite value a well used free local course brings.

 

[DavidSauls]

I don't put much stock in the economic value of disc golf courses to the community. It's got to be miniscule. The vast majority of players are local, and they aren't spending more locally than they otherwise would. Another chunk are daytrippers from nearby areas; they're only spending money if they're low on gas, or snacks, or it's mealtime, at the time they're visiting -- and it can't add up to a drop in the bucket of the local economy. Even traveling players and tournaments don't spend much at all.

We need to keep building beginner- and intermediate-level courses, just to serve those people. They enjoy disc golf as much as anyone else. and deserve suitable places to play. The shortsights come from the fact that they're not the ones laying the groundwork and building the courses, and sometimes the people who are, aren't thinking about the beginners and casual players.

But, at least around here, I see plenty of lower-skill-level courses. We don't have a problem with every course being a "championship" course, or even an advanced course.

 

[Jay Dub]

A lot of our lower level but very fun courses are installed to improve the park experience and remove the unwelcome.

My new home course is exactly that. Only a couple years old surrounded by a neighborhood that had been used mostly by heavy drug users.

It is now a heavily used course and the people living there are thankful for the course.

Sounds like good growth to me.

 

[autocrosscrx]

The last couple courses around me are beginner level. The problem that I see is that they aren't big enough to be safe with the numbers we have on these courses.

...especially in an age where a decently athletic person can watch half an hour of youtube vids, and go out and spray understable drivers 250-300+ feet in every direction.

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

I don't put much stock in the economic value of disc golf courses to the community. It's got to be miniscule. The vast majority of players are local, and they aren't spending more locally than they otherwise would. Another chunk are daytrippers from nearby areas; they're only spending money if they're low on gas, or snacks, or it's mealtime, at the time they're visiting -- and it can't add up to a drop in the bucket of the local economy. Even traveling players and tournaments don't spend much at all.

.

I agree with building more small courses... I mildly disagree with the sentiment about tournament money being a drop in the bucket..

Our course is short and challenging.. We also have a ball golf course with pins for tournaments and pay to play.. When we do our annual tourney it brings in a lot of "old timers" because they can still compete and have fun. It averages 100+ usually and we have 20 hardcore locals and 20ish casual locals... that's at least 60 people from out of town.. + wives and kids.

The businesses love it, they do special events for discers and promos like a draw for goodies at the cold beer and wine store if you spend over $40.. Lots of donated prizes and usually a beer sponsor. I won a portable disccatcher a few years back! Every B&B and tent site is booked and there is no accommodation left for late planners.

Brings in a lot of money over the 3-4 days we play... yearly revenue seems small but I know of at least 4 groups of 6+ that make an annual pilgrimage when it isn't tourney time.

 

[coupe]

I agree with building more small courses... I mildly disagree with the sentiment about tournament money being a drop in the bucket..

Our course is short and challenging.. We also have a ball golf course with pins for tournaments and pay to play.. When we do our annual tourney it brings in a lot of "old timers" because they can still compete and have fun. It averages 100+ usually and we have 20 hardcore locals and 20ish casual locals... that's at least 60 people from out of town.. + wives and kids.

The businesses love it, they do special events for discers and promos like a draw for goodies at the cold beer and wine store if you spend over $40.. Lots of donated prizes and usually a beer sponsor. I won a portable disccatcher a few years back! Every B&B and tent site is booked and there is no accommodation left for late planners.

Brings in a lot of money over the 3-4 days we play... yearly revenue seems small but I know of at least 4 groups of 6+ that make an annual pilgrimage when it isn't tourney time.

Around here, a small to mid-size weekend softball tournament brings in anywhere from 8-16 teams of minimum 15 players per, plus 4-5 coaches, and families. That's 160-320 players & coaches plus spectators, virtually all buying meals, snacks, water/gator-/power-ade/soft drink/wobbly pops, ice, fuel for vehicles, and mostly staying in area hotels. Not to mention hitting the mall/movie theater/watering hole en mass in the evening. Between men's, women's, mixed, youth, fast pitch, and slow pitch, there's a tournament going on just about every weekend from May through October.

Compare that to dg tournaments: 60-90 players, where half the field are locals, 90% of the out-of-towners are crashing with locals, no spectators, and dg's economic impact doesn't add up to a fairy fart by comparison.

 

[ThrowaEnvy]

Around here, a small to mid-size weekend softball tournament brings in anywhere from 8-16 teams of minimum 15 players per, plus 4-5 coaches, and families. That's 160-320 players & coaches plus spectators, virtually all buying meals, snacks, water/gator-/power-ade/soft drink/wobbly pops, ice, fuel for vehicles, and mostly staying in area hotels. Not to mention hitting the mall/movie theater/watering hole en mass in the evening. Between men's, women's, mixed, youth, fast pitch, and slow pitch, there's a tournament going on just about every weekend from May through October.

Compare that to dg tournaments: 60-90 players, where half the field are locals, 90% of the out-of-towners are crashing with locals, no spectators, and dg's economic impact doesn't add up to a fairy fart by comparison.

Haha fair enough... we don't have a ballpark here.. But our DG course is 30+ yrs old and somewhat legendary locally.. It's just another reason for us to be a tourist spot but honestly not a huge source of income, a destination wedding probably nets the same or any long weekend.

 

[DavidSauls]

I agree with building more small courses... I mildly disagree with the sentiment about tournament money being a drop in the bucket..

Our course is short and challenging.. We also have a ball golf course with pins for tournaments and pay to play.. When we do our annual tourney it brings in a lot of "old timers" because they can still compete and have fun. It averages 100+ usually and we have 20 hardcore locals and 20ish casual locals... that's at least 60 people from out of town.. + wives and kids.

The businesses love it, they do special events for discers and promos like a draw for goodies at the cold beer and wine store if you spend over $40.. Lots of donated prizes and usually a beer sponsor. I won a portable disccatcher a few years back! Every B&B and tent site is booked and there is no accommodation left for late planners.

Brings in a lot of money over the 3-4 days we play... yearly revenue seems small but I know of at least 4 groups of 6+ that make an annual pilgrimage when it isn't tourney time.

I should have included a caveat that I believe it's true for many, probably most, places. I made the provincial mistake of applying my local experience, globally. I'm sure there are places that draw more visitors, spending more money.

 

[biscoe]

I should have included a caveat that I believe it's true for many, probably most, places. I made the provincial mistake of applying my local experience, globally. I'm sure there are places that draw more visitors, spending more money.

In the late 90's myself and a couple buddies came to the Earlewood Classic every year- between various expenditures we were easily dropping $500 a weekend. It adds up. Local economies are built a few bucks at a time in most places.

Michigan State University used to have an online Economic Impact Calculator for Tourism- for some reason I can't seem to find it currently. The numbers it would kick out would shock you.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Michigan State University used to have an online Economic Impact Calculator for Tourism- for some reason I can't seem to find it currently. The numbers it would kick out would shock you.

Chambers of Commerce trot out their version when determining what level of help they can give your proposed event.