Pay2Play poll

[4th Rock]

For the courses here to be P2P, they'd better improve a heck of a lot. Also, would teh fee also apply to other park patrons? If only levied at DGrs, it would be a garbage rule. If applied to everyone, no one would come but the DGrs, which would be nice, but other drawbacks are bought on then.


Now if a new course came on that was well maintained to a good extent and it was P2P, i wouldn't mind so long as it was strictly a disc golf course and not a mixed usage area.

The only P2P course that i know of in my area is Selah Ranch, which i have yet to experience. Not sure of it's worth it, IMO. Guess I'll have to make a shirt drive up there someday.

 

[scarpfish]

Hard for me to imagine what I would do in a situation that I can't ever see becoming a reality, but I'm sure there would be an effect on my playing habits. How much being charged, what means I would have to mitigate expenses (as in can I buy an annual pass versus a daily one), and what benefits would be gained from paying the money would all be factors.

Truth be told, I think there are a lot better ways for most of our existing courses to find a revenue stream other than going pay-to-play. Giving a local club or vendor exclusive rights to sell discs in exchange for a fee being one, but that may also come with unintended consequences.

 

[araytx]

P2P wouldn't affect me. But I'd wonder how much it would affect the people I usually play with. It wouldn't be the same if they couldn't come as regularly as me.

 

[jmdaire27]

What everyone else said: better course maintenance, signage, tee pads. The course should reflect the cost. It's kind of annoying to pay $9 for a course that doesn't even have concrete tee boxes. Anywho, my 2 cents.

Cheers!

 

[VictorB]

I'd like to see an 'other' answer on the poll. For me it wouldn't be a big deal.

Pay to play would be perfectly fine with me, but I think that free courses are as important as playgrounds and things like free tennis and basketball courts are to city parks. It would be much more difficult to draw people to the sport if there was no way to play for free. That's one of the primary draws of getting people into disc golf, and once they enjoy playing the game those that would take their commitment to the next level would be much more likely to pay to play on nicer courses.

 

[Deebo4Discs]

I started playing in Maine where anything worth playing is p2p and on privately owned property. When I first went out, I had my 2-3 discs, my drink, and out with my friends we went. We even used to laugh at the ones with bags full of discs wondering why you would need so many. Few years later, that is me ten fold. But I don't think it would have become that way if it was just free parks and I had to really go and learn about disc golf on my own. I was at a facility that was dg only, no foot traffic, a clubhouse with discs for sale or rent, and people that worked there that could tell you terms like hyzer, pro par, and really the actual rules of the game. Whenever the p2p talk comes up, it just makes me think that if I was anywhere else, I probably would not be as addicted to dg as I am now. Having to watch out for dog walkers and other pedestrians while playing is something I will gladly pay $5-10 to get rid of. You still get "chuckers" but they are still playing dg. And I started as a chucker, but I think the p2p facility made my transition to an addict that much quicker.

 

[Kenny53691]

I don't mind spending a little money as long as it's going back into the course.

 

[pigpen]

In Madison, if you're caught playing disc golf without a pass or tag, it's a $90 fine (IIRC). All the ranger has to do is witness you playing (not going for a walk, jogging, etc) and if he cards the group and you don't have a pass?

Sorry, Charlie.

There are plenty of stories about people trying to sneak on the course to play and then getting busted.

Do people get away with it? Sure. Sometimes.

Other than driving a car there is no law that requires people to carry an ID that I am aware of. How does one get a fine? Sort of like getting pulled over riding a bike.

 

[sgamerp]

i would hope they would have year passes, but i would probably play it the same. As I would normally play leagues and on the weekend.

 

[pmorgan1214]

If my go to course became pay to play i dont think i would go all the time. i already have to drive 20 minutes to get there. i would go to a free course with a little more drive. I only go to courses that are pay to play because i know the course will be maintained and kept well. if not then i pay to play once then never go back. too me i like the idea of the sport being free unless you play tournament play.


also how do you expect the sport to grow if you have beginners forking out money to pay to play a course.

 

[scarpfish]

Other than driving a car there is no law that requires people to carry an ID that I am aware of. How does one get a fine? Sort of like getting pulled over riding a bike.

At the courses he mentioned, there is a law requiring you to have a pass to play disc golf. I've played a few courses in the Twin Cities with similar policies. You get a fine just like he explained it.

 

[Hampstead]

There are roughly 20 courses within 45 minutes of my house. Of those, only 1 is P2P and it is the busiest course in town. Small course, longest hole is 285', but it is in a dedicated area and no dogs are allowed. I try to play there a few times a week if I can. At only $1.50 per round (into the honor box because nobody is there to collect $) it's not that expensive and the Park staff does a pretty good job of maintaining the course.

 

[Three Putt]

The poll did not really reflect my feelings. I'm in favor of pay for play, but it would reduce the number of times I played. Basic economics. However, I'd probably compensate by doing field work or putting practice so that I threw as often, just not on a course.

 

[ranger]

also how do you expect the sport to grow if you have beginners forking out money to pay to play a course.

Good point

Depending on the fee, you could definitely push prospective players away from the game. I know more than a few casual/semi-serious payers who would reduce the amount they play if there was a fee that was more than a minimal once a year payout.


The idea of p2p seems to be only for the hardcore minority who want improved courses and less traffic.

 

[Hampstead]

also how do you expect the sport to grow if you have beginners forking out money to pay to play a course.

The oldest course in town, circa 1985, has been P2P since it was installed and has remained the busiest course in town ever since. It is a chucker's playground, full of players who don't like to play the other pro caliber courses nearby. You might be surprised at how many people are willing to pay when free courses are just a short drive away.

 

[bradharris]

For almost every round I play, I stop at a convenience store and pay a few bucks for water/gatorade. The closest course to me is 17 miles away, so that's going to take a little more than a tank of gas just to get there and back.

So as it is, I'm already investing close to $10/round. Adding a small fee at the course on top of that is not going to change how much I play.

 

[JC17393]

also how do you expect the sport to grow if you have beginners forking out money to pay to play a course.

This is such a fallacy. As Deebo alluded to upthread, Maine is entirely P2P private courses (as in there's never been free disc golf courses ever), and the game is blowing up here. I moved here ten years ago and there were maybe 10 courses in the whole state. Now, there are more than that just within 30 miles of me, three alone having opened in just the past 12 months. For a long time, I was able to claim that I'd played every course in the state. I've long since lost that claim...the courses pop up faster than I can keep up these days.

Pay to play makes the game more inviting to beginners, IMO. With public park courses, the way most people try the game is when a friend who plays lends them a disc or two and actually brings them out to a course and shows them how to play. Around here, we get people on an almost daily basis who come out to the course to try the game all on their own. Not because their friends told them to try it out but because they drive by the course's sign every day and decided to check it out, or they heard an ad on the radio for one course or another, or their kids played it in gym class. They come out to the disc golf course in the same way they'd head to the bowling alley or the mini golf course...cash in hand looking for a couple hours of entertaining activity.

The other thing is with P2P courses operating as true businesses, there is a built in motivation to get new players involved. New players = more business. More business = better courses and more courses. No way would P2P slow the growth of the game down. I'd argue it would speed things up.

 

[Timeetyo]

This is such a fallacy. As Deebo alluded to upthread, Maine is entirely P2P private courses (as in there's never been free disc golf courses ever), and the game is blowing up here. I moved here ten years ago and there were maybe 10 courses in the whole state. Now, there are more than that just within 30 miles of me, three alone having opened in just the past 12 months. For a long time, I was able to claim that I'd played every course in the state. I've long since lost that claim...the courses pop up faster than I can keep up these days.

Pay to play makes the game more inviting to beginners, IMO. With public park courses, the way most people try the game is when a friend who plays lends them a disc or two and actually brings them out to a course and shows them how to play. Around here, we get people on an almost daily basis who come out to the course to try the game all on their own. Not because their friends told them to try it out but because they drive by the course's sign every day and decided to check it out, or they heard an ad on the radio for one course or another, or their kids played it in gym class. They come out to the disc golf course in the same way they'd head to the bowling alley or the mini golf course...cash in hand looking for a couple hours of entertaining activity.

The other thing is with P2P courses operating as true businesses, there is a built in motivation to get new players involved. New players = more business. More business = better courses and more courses. No way would P2P slow the growth of the game down. I'd argue it would speed things up.

Just curious, but how much are most courses charging? Is it only daily fees or are there yearly subs as well?

 

[JC17393]

Just curious, but how much are most courses charging? Is it only daily fees or are there yearly subs as well?

By and large, it's a single round fee and/or daily fee. The single round fees are usually $3-5, and the daily fees are anywhere from $5-10. Some courses have yearly memberships or passes available.

I can't speak for any course but my own, but I've never sold more than 10 annual passes in a given year. A yearly pass to my course equates to the cost of about 30 days of play. Most people, even the ones who play 2-3 times a week and would get the most out of a pass, tend to opt for paying as they go. I think that's usually the case because they like to spread their play around to a bunch of different courses rather than play the same one all the time. Completely understandable.

 

[Timeetyo]

By and large, it's a single round fee and/or daily fee. The single round fees are usually $3-5, and the daily fees are anywhere from $5-10. Some courses have yearly memberships or passes available.

I can't speak for any course but my own, but I've never sold more than 10 annual passes in a given year. A yearly pass to my course equates to the cost of about 30 days of play. Most people, even the ones who play 2-3 times a week and would get the most out of a pass, tend to opt for paying as they go. I think that's usually the case because they like to spread their play around to a bunch of different courses rather than play the same one all the time. Completely understandable.

That sounds reasonable. Is the ~30 dailies to break even the norm? I can see how that'd be a decent chunk to drop at once if you weren't sure that you would hit that number. This also varies a lot regarding what other courses are near by (and if they are also p2p). For myself - I'm somewhere in between. My home course (2 18s on site) is on a state park with a $6 to park / $65 yearly parking pass (which is also free entry to other NYS parks) so it is a complete no brainer for me as it is really easy to hit 11 uses and other courses are a bit further away but free (another 10 mins for an ok course, another 20 for a few very nice ones).