How to Write a Review

[jchoate7]

I have been reading reviews for a while and I like using them to figure out what courses I want to play next. The only thing is it can be tough digging through reviews for one that is actually helpful. So I'm trying to put together a "how to" on how to write a review and I was going to submit it to "timg" to have him sticky it somewhere once it's polished up. This way people can use this guide as somewhat of a checklist when writing a review. This is what I have so far so tell me what you guys think and if I should add anything or change something. I already looked around and didn't see anything like this so I figured I'd put one together.


How to write a review. Use this as a guideline/checklist when writing your review. Thanks for using this site!

Topography – Elevation changes? Tightly wooded, wide open, or somewhere in between? Did the course offer scenic views? Was the course a good use of the land?

Difficulty – Was the course challenging or easy? Or was it "too" challenging with fairways just as wide as a disc? OB? Water? Mandos? Distances on holes?

Tee Signs – Are there any? Are they needed if not? How accurate are they? Are they easy to read?

Tees – How many? What material? Condition? Slippery? Grippy? Elevated tees?

Pins/Baskets – Old or new? What type of basket? Placement of pins good or bad? Elevated baskets?

Navigation – Arrows underneath basket? Clear pathways? Arrows along paths? Was the actual course easy to find? Did the front and back nine have two distinct loops? Was there maps available?

Maintenance – Was the course run down? Did the course look like the "Pebble Beach" of disc golf? Trash cleaned up?

Safety – Was there any dangers on the course? Close proximity to roads? Criss-crossing fairways? Possibility of throwing into other golfers?

Uniqueness – Singature holes? What stood out in this course compared to others?

Price – Free or pay-to-play?

Extras – Garbage cans? Benches? Scorecards available? Bulletin board with course info?

Park Amenities/Surrounding Area – Does the park or surrounding area offer anything else to do other than disc golf? Did you feel safe on the course (not a shady part of town)?

 

[mashnut]

Personally I cover everything but the last two things on your list (I think they're completely irrelevant to how much I would want to play the course). They're great things to consider when reviewing, but not everything on that list is important to every player and not everything that's important is on that list. I wouldn't like to see a list of topics that every review would include, you'd lose a lot of creativity from the good reviewers and the ones who write crappy reviews already aren't going to change because you sticky that.

 

[Connor Jones]

Agreed with mash. I always try to include anything that conveys the personality of the course and
myself. I'm self-centered like that.

 

[sisyphus]

Good list, and worthy of consideration, but at the risk of seeming like a Prerube, timg's tips on writing a good review are already there on the review page...:\

Perhaps this could be merged with that somehow.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Not necessarily a bad list, and I'll admit, it'd be hard to write a bad review if you simply described each of those characteristics for a given course

But for the most part, effort shows. The people who care about writing good reviews do so. The people who don't want to put any effort into writing them don't, and likely only write reviews to cast a stone and make their ripple course ratings pond, and like Mashie said, that ain't gonna change.

For those reviewers who genuinely want to improve, reviewing your list to ensure they've touched on most of those attributes would be a good start, but I encourage them to find their own style in doing so.

 

[jchoate7]

Good list, and worthy of consideration, but at the risk of seeming like a Prerube, timg's tips on writing a good review are already there on the review page...:\

I looked up "review", "how to write a review", "writing reviews", "good reviews". I didn't even think to search "tips" along with it.

So it looks like this has already been done, I just couldn't find it. Oh, well. I'm still going to use my list as a general "checklist" when writing my future reviews. Feel free to do the same.

 

[Jimb]

I agree. Pretty good list. Using it as a reference might not be a bad idea for new reviewers. Like others have said, though, we don't want to take the creativity out of reviews from those that already do a good job. Nice idea! I hope that it proves useful in your reviews and for others!

 

[ru4por]

I do not write reviews, but sure use them often. I actually enjoy the wider variety found in reviews. Without a scripting type format, reviewers are free to discuss what they find important to them or sometimes what they feel is important to their experience. I have found a couple handful of reviewers that have play many courses i have. I tend to look to their reviews of courses I am looking at to play and value their input in deciding if it is my type course. A template, while an intriguing idea, could potentially rob my "go to guys" of some of their unique insight. Maybe not, I am just expressing my enjoyment of many freelance efforts.

 

[jkdisc]

if we all wrote reviews based on a checklist then all the reviews would be too similar. i like to read different thoughts.

 

[BuzzSharpe]

I Like Your Style, JK

if we all wrote reviews based on a checklist then all the reviews would be too similar. i like to read different thoughts.

Very good, succinct point you make there, sir. I read several of your reviews of courses with which I'm familiar and found them to be pretty much right on. In defense of the tee pads at Cedarock and Wellspring, I would offer that most of them are the original pads laid between 25 and 30 years ago, when the sport was a whole lot different.
I hope that you come back to the area again soon, so that you might play and review the new Springwood Players' Course on the west side of Burlington. It would be really cool if it were your 100th review.

 

[jchoate7]

Thats true what your all brining up about adding your own personal touch to the reviews. I was thinking about this as being a basic template for where to start on writing reviews.

 

[BuzzSharpe]

Good Guidelines, Joshua

Each point you make is well considered and probably essential to an accurate, in-depth review. I particularly appreciated your thought about 'shady part of town'. It made me immediately think of Greensboro's Barber Park.
Looks like you're probably too far away, but I'd like to think of you coming to NC to play and review the new Springwood Players' Course on the west side of Burlington. I think that you'd review it favorably, with the possible exception of the safety issue, which some local players have greatly exaggerated. Maybe next Spring or Summer, after the last amenities, like all signage, benches, garbage cans and gazebo are in place, and the unforeseen foliage of #8 is eradicated. If nothing else, I'd love to see it added to your Wish List.

 

[Olorin]

I agree that everybody needs their own style. What I do would be way too tedious for most people. (It even got to be too time consuming for me!) But, if it would give some ideas to new reviewers my review process is described in the thread "How Trusted Reviewers... Review".

The big picture is that I rate according to Design, Basics, and Amenities (DBA).

I also list my criteria at my (very basic) DG Reviews wiki. At the bottom of the page there are also some files that can be downloaded, so that others can modify them with their own criteria and weighting.

My main contribution to disc golf has been reviewing courses, so I hope this helps some new reviewers.

 

[DavidSauls]

Thats true what your all brining up about adding your own personal touch to the reviews. I was thinking about this as being a basic template for where to start on writing reviews.

If not a template, then perhaps a checklist of things to consider when reviewing a course.

Not every review needs all these things, especially if they've been covered in other recent reviews of the same course. (How many people need to say "Nice large 6' x 12' teepads"?). I'm more inclined to hit the highlights---what's very good, what to be wary of, what's different from other courses---especially if the last half-dozen reviews have mentioned the minor details.

 

[TOURNEYPLAYER]

I write my reviews in fluid, ADHD fueled frenzy. but its just my thoughts pouring out into the review. I also try to write it shortly after playing the course. this allows me to have all the goods and bads right at the front of my mind.

 

[Sunday Mike]

I write my reviews in fluid, ADHD fueled frenzy. but its just my thoughts pouring out into the review. I also try to write it shortly after playing the course. this allows me to have all the goods and bads right at the front of my mind.

I'm glad you clarified that. I always thought it was an "Energy-drink fueled frenzy!!"

 

[TOURNEYPLAYER]

That too. but usually Energy drinks help my ADHD. weird. I know.

 

[adlacro]

I've written over 60 reviews. I don't claim to have the Complete Idiot's Guide to DGCR Reviews, but here's some tips and some things I'd like to say:

1. The haters will hate. You will never get everyone to always say you wrote a good review. If you knack one thing on a course that has a lot of foot traffic on this site, they'll give you the thumbs down, even if it is legit. That is because some "homers" suck. :wall: They'll do this to make you feel bad and themselves good even though you're probably better than them.

2. Including Other Amenities is a plus for me, but not for many others. You're best just to stick to the course.

3. Even if the course doesn't have a signature hole, pick one you liked the most and gave you the most fun. However, don't pick the downhill bombs. Everyone likes those and that won't stand out.

4. Read other reviews and how they are written. Don't write like you're in the second grade. There's no need for you to have a Masters in English to write a good review, but don't condescend just to get "green thumbs".

5. Don't write it from one shot perspective. For example, if you're RHBH (like I am), don't say a certain hole sucks because it dog legs right and others really like it. That'll give you a red thumb automatically. Twist it so that everyone who shoots differently than you can see it as it really is, whether you shot well or not one that specific hole.

6. If you were on a course and reviewed it before it went through a makeover or was finished, you're going to get a lot of red thumbs. I wrote a review on a popular Delaware course before it was finished and redone. The review was accurate at the time, but it no longer is. Make the best effort to get to a redesigned course soon after it is finished to update your review to avoid these.

7. Finally, just be yourself in a review. Don't blend in and say what others have already commented. That may be hard, especially on the popular courses with over 30 reviews. Find a new thing to comment on.

I hope this helps. If it helped even one person, my job is done. If not, I at least got some things off my chest.

Andrew L.

 

[Rob Martin]

Generally, I won't take the time to write a thorough, essay review. There tends to be a lot of them and most of the time I have nothing to add that hasn't already been said.

When I do write a review - it is because the course has not had very many reviews yet, or they have been overly harsh or gracious. If the quantity or quality of the reviews has been low, then I'll write a longer one. If there are quite a bit of reviews, but I think the course rating is incorrect, say 0.75 off of the current rating, I'll write a short snippet, but it it primarily casting a vote. I've started to note that in my shorter reviews.

95 courses played in 15 states, only wrote 16 reviews because the need was there.

 

[sloppydisc]

I am not a big fan of people telling other people how to write their reviews. Except for timg since it is his site. Who the heck are YOU, or I to tell the other guy how he should communicate? If he sucks it will be noted in the thumb tally anyway.