Tim wants to do something about this... he is wondering if he can assign a weight to older reviews that is less than recent reviews... but if a course doesn't change much over the time that there are reviews this idea has less relevance...if anyone has any ideas we'd like to hear them :thmbup:
-
Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
top 10 courses
- Thread starter vizi25
- Start date
brutalbrutus
* Ace Member *
brutalbrutus
* Ace Member *
Maybe have something like a standard deviation drop. If a particular rating is higher/lower than the average rating by a certain amount.
It'd be interesting if we could sort a search by most recent 20 reviews, and see if it changes much.
One danger in imposing a formula is that, as soon as you do, there's an argument of whether it's the right one. Currently it's simple---the only imposition is a 20-review minimum, otherwise it's an average of all reviews. Not too subjective (other than the reviews themselves).
Maybe it's because I don't have a horse in this race, but does this really matter to anyone? (rhetorical, I suppose...it obviously matters to some, though I can't see why) If a course in Florida is ranked below a course in Oregon but above one in Kentucky, and some undeserving course in Texas or Minnesota or North Carolina somehow sneaks in with a higher rating, does that matter somehow other than ego points? Is a course somewhere losing funding because its rating is no longer top 10 on DGCR? Or is the disc golf tourism industry somewhere suffering because Selah is ranked higher?
Maybe a solution would be to remove the "top ten" list altogether? I currently feel like the rating system is pretty good for what I think it's supposed to do: 1) help me figure out which courses are better in a geographic area, and 2) help me figure out if there are "good" courses in an area. I'll search for courses in an area, sort by rating, and then look at reviews for ones that stand out.
I haven't played as many courses as many of you, but I have never encountered a course where ratings seemed unreasonable. If one course is rated 4.7 and another is 4.5, to me that is pretty much equivalent.
Maybe a solution would be to remove the "top ten" list altogether? I currently feel like the rating system is pretty good for what I think it's supposed to do: 1) help me figure out which courses are better in a geographic area, and 2) help me figure out if there are "good" courses in an area. I'll search for courses in an area, sort by rating, and then look at reviews for ones that stand out.
I haven't played as many courses as many of you, but I have never encountered a course where ratings seemed unreasonable. If one course is rated 4.7 and another is 4.5, to me that is pretty much equivalent.
vizi25
Newbie
That's cool. Something like that with like the gold and diamond members voting I wouldn't be against.
Not much. It's far overblown.
I'm sometimes curious when people say a course "deserves" to be in the Top 10, as if the course itself had had its feelings hurt.
An argument has been made that, for pay-to-play courses, a Top 10 ranking increases revenue. Disc golfers visiting or traveling through an area are likely to hit all the 4.5+ courses, but getting in the Top 10 makes it a destination.
Conversely, at least one private course owner has expressed sentiment that when his course was in the Top 10, it was a bit if a nuisance; dropping out reduced demand to a manageable level.
My feelings are that the Top 10 list is simply an interesting talking point. It shouldn't be an arguing point.
Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
One place where the rankings matter, although using them this way is misguided, is raising tournament player expectations. A course being highly ranked on DGCR doesn't necessarily mean it's good for competition since that is only indirectly evaluated in DGCR reviews.
I heard about 1-2 years ago that Boone County (where Idlewild is located) would use the fact that Idlewild was on the top 10 list as a selling point to outsiders.
How much weight that carried in those discussions I don't know, or how effective it was.
How much weight that carried in those discussions I don't know, or how effective it was.
Raise the review threshold too high and you're going to get a list of the best courses in areas that a lot of people visit, not the best courses overall. Good courses in rural areas will never make the list unless they have a hype machine behind them to draw people.
And TR status is overrated for the same reason. It's a lot easier for folks in urban areas to get it.
And TR status is overrated for the same reason. It's a lot easier for folks in urban areas to get it.
biscoe
* Ace Member *
That would be me. Requests to play Hawk Hollow were definitely more frequent when it was in the top 10. The course is in the middle of our working farm so I don't really want the traffic. Were I the owner of a pay to play facility I would be all about getting that sucker into the Top 10, deserving or not.
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2009
- Messages
- 15,708
Lest we forget that Kelly RIP'd Flyboy in part because of the all traffic being in DGCR's Top 10 sent his way... simply couldn't accommodate all the requests to play.
Last edited:
Yeah, I was thinking of Biscoe, and forgot about Kelly.
gdub58
Birdie Member
Let's be fair, brutus. While I too have enjoyed having our premier area course in the Top 10 for a long time, I'm afraid its standing will (and should) come to an end eventually. There are too many good new courses being designed, and when you have a nice design and amenities, eventually those courses will have a higher average rating than Idlewild and the no-frills opportunity for punishment it provides.
And let's be honest, Idlewild deserves a lot more attention than it has gotten lately - it's looking pretty shabby in places. Also, some of the baskets are suspect and have been for quite some time. A top 10 course should be better maintained and have the same type of basket on all of the holes...
tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
Whose decision was it to put 13 short's basket on 5 when they had them powder-coated? Great hole, awful basket.
Idlewild for some reason has not been subjected to the same scrutiny as other courses. It's filled with cracked tee pads, crumbling benches, and that glorious fairway cross on the way to 17. I might catch hell for this, but I think the letter holes were an awful addition as well.
While it's still great, it's not really a top ten course anymore. It still manages to get 5 disc ratings though so it may hang out there for a good while. It also has a ton of reviews so low ratings will have to become prevalent.
Idlewild for some reason has not been subjected to the same scrutiny as other courses. It's filled with cracked tee pads, crumbling benches, and that glorious fairway cross on the way to 17. I might catch hell for this, but I think the letter holes were an awful addition as well.
While it's still great, it's not really a top ten course anymore. It still manages to get 5 disc ratings though so it may hang out there for a good while. It also has a ton of reviews so low ratings will have to become prevalent.
But have you played other courses that you feel are more deserving?
I'm kind of in the same boat as I've only played one current Top 10, Blue Ribbons Pines but I've played quite a few in the top 50 and definitely feel there are other courses that are more deserving of a Top 10 ranking. Two that quickly come to mind are Beaver Ranch and Whistler's Bend. But maybe, I'm just overly in love of incredibly beautiful, mountainous courses with epic downhills and breathtaking scenery.
robdeforge
Double Eagle Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2014
- Messages
- 1,356
I haven't played any courses outside of Vermont, but it is nice to see two of our courses in the top 25. I personally agree with ranking Black Falls over Brewster Ridge - while the latter has better amenities the multiple layouts, scenery, and out-of-the-way nature of Black Falls really pushes it over the edge.
It's a shame that Vermont's best course is "extinct" on this site and therefore can't be in the Top 10. My general lack of disc golf travel admitted, it would be a solid 5 stars from me. However, even if it were not labeled "extinct," I have a hard time believing it would get a large number of reviews, so to limit the top 10 based on a minimum number of reviews definitely isn't a perfect idea. Not that I know what is....
It's a shame that Vermont's best course is "extinct" on this site and therefore can't be in the Top 10. My general lack of disc golf travel admitted, it would be a solid 5 stars from me. However, even if it were not labeled "extinct," I have a hard time believing it would get a large number of reviews, so to limit the top 10 based on a minimum number of reviews definitely isn't a perfect idea. Not that I know what is....
I've played 6 of the current top 7 and 9 of the current top 17, and I think that Idlewild is Top 10 worthy on the strength of its design alone. Amenities are nice, but aesthetic beauty and the golf itself are my two biggest considerations in what makes a great course. Idlewild plays like a Top 10 course, even if it may not be the "total package" like some of the others listed.
Yes. Beaver Ranch, and Deer Lakes are the first that come to mind. I would also rate Joralemon and Bryant Lake above Idlewild. Blueberry, Granite, and Gold at HB would have been until HBH got trashed.
I'm not saying I didn't enjoy Idlewild, it's a fantastic course, but this:
I also remember a decent amount of garbage and a ton of graffiti on the pads and baskets. A lot of the number plates covered in "F*** Obama" and penis drawings and such. And the mini golf greens were terrible. Also, there was football practice going on when I was there, so the roads and walking paths you play next to were all very busy.
Again, not saying it's a bad course, just that all these little things add up and drop it to around a 4-4.25 for me.
Last edited:
This.
