TopGolf for Disc Golf, would it work?

[Houstoned]

I wanted to get some feedback on the idea of adapting the Top Golf idea to fit Disc Golf. (www.topgolf.com if you don't know what I am talking about). Basically they have small gps chips in their golf balls and you get points for getting close to different targets on the driving range. It is similar to bowling in the way that each player gets a set number of shots(frames).

I think this could easily be adapted to have a Top Disc Golf. My idea is to limit it to 6 to 10 different discs(could be sponsored by a disc manufacturer). You could provide one mold each of under stable, stable and over stable fairway drivers as well as a mold of understable, stable and over stable distance drivers. You could have a kids set too. You could put GPS chips in the discs so they cannot be stolen and their flight patterns could be tracked along with a point total on a scoreboard. You could set it up almost identical to a top golf layout with several stories and even throw some obstacles out in the field to make some of the targets harder to get to.

I wanted to run this idea by the target market before putting together a business plan for Top Golf. I would take it to them first to avoid the lawsuit.

Do you think people would go? If so, what would you be willing to pay for a 20shot each game? People who have been to a Top Golf, what would you like to see changed or what did you not like?

I think it would be pretty cool to bring some of your non disc golfing friends to drink and throw some discs at night. I think this would make them more open to learning our sport than if you took them out to a course.

Thank you for your feedback!

 

[youdidwell]

Ignoring the overall public demand would probably be pretty low. I think you'd run into issues with the discs and having chips in them. Golf Balls are simply much easier to maintain, collect, and redistribute. Sorting discs for sets for tables, replacing wore out ones, etc. would probably take too much effort and raise costs.

 

[TheSloth]

I love Top Golf, and I am not even a ball golfer. That's the beauty of this place, the last time I went the bay next to us had these two women you could tell had never swung a club in their life, but were having a great time.

You'd have to open something like this on a limited scale, the biggest problem is the public perception (or incompetence) with anything disc golf. I travel a lot for work and meet people form all over and I would say 80-90% of them have no idea what disc golf is. So that's a huge hurdle to overcome, I would also imagine that the costs of creating a place like this would be rather large.

Couldn't have multi-levels of bays as it would be a safety hazard with people running up to take shots.

The concept is great, I am just not sure if you would be able to get the audience you'd need to 1. Recover your startup costs and 2. stay in business. But I hope I am wrong!

 

[allinpflop]

There is a zero percent chance this would work.....and I'm talking regardless of location anywhere in the world.

 

[Nemmers]

There is a zero percent chance this would work.....and I'm talking regardless of location anywhere in the world.

LOL.....haters of the world, unite around this man!

 

[scarpfish]

Can't say much as to whether or not that would work, but what I saw in that 55 second promo video is everything disc golf is not. Lots of yuppies in that commercial. Lots of anti-yuppies on our courses.

 

[HarkeyPuck]

Maybe, if you opened up in Colorado or Washington.

 

[HarkeyPuck]

Also, I would limit the amount of molds. Putter and a mid. Maybe a fairway driver, it'd Be easier to sort. Make all the molds the same color.

Would you have baskets out there or just targets on the ground?

 

[Moose33]

Infant know if you could do it as a separate enterprise, but you might could offer a disc option at a Top Golf and see what the interest it.

 

[OhSnap]

So Top Golf is a type of amusement "park". An interactive "Medieval times" almost or like a Dave and Busters with golf. Pretty cool idea. It would be interesting to see if it could be adapted to DG. I, however am more interested in the GPS technology. It would be interesting to have an app that came with a chip you could tape to your disc like Glow lights. Then log and upload info like distance and putts and compare against your friends or other locals in the app. Now that would be bootstrap/start up friendly for a sport the size of disc golf. Who has programming skills?

 

[mark996]

As a stand alone? I don't think so. If you put it in WITH a Top Golf, I think it could be a side game. But getting all of the discs and such together, getting them chipped, maintain them etc, cost would out weigh the income.

 

[jeffmonty]

It sounds like something that makes hitting a bucket of golf balls more interesting, so I think it works for stick golf. Problem is you can't even get most disc golfers to pony up a couple of bucks to a P2P, so I can't see remotely approaching the numbers you're going to need to make this worth the expense.
I probably wouldn't try it more than once, and not because of the expense.

 

[DiscFifty]

It's all probably doable except for the pay to play part. The disc golf demographic just isn't there yet. Now if the payoff was epic...then you would might get the typical mini, pdga players in your area to show up once in a while, but that would still be a small player base.

 

[Tjamesd]

I think on a very different scale someting could work. I've thought a lot about a pub that would do a putting league (indoor) once or twice a week, and then other niche sports other nights (cornhole/bean bag toss, ball golf putting leage, horse shoes, etc.). This makes those less popular sports accessible to the public but you're not relying one one small crowd to keep your business afloat.

 

[zendragon]

Maybe would work if you did 1 mold only. Just use Buzzz's with GPS trackers. You've got to keep the disc easy to use for the general public, but still fun for people who know how to throw.

I also agree, combined with ball golf top golf is your best bet for making it profitable. It could also help to get more people interested in disc golf.

 

[john1bl]

The only problem with this is the lack of customers. All other things can be worked out.

 

[mtb7001]

hmmm, for some reason I'm not too interested. Been in the retail sports business my whole life. Ball golfers are completely different people than disc golfers. I mean from philosophy to income and pretty much any standard you can think of. There may be a small percentage of disc golfers who would use such a facility but the numbers are so low it would have to be in a major population area to glean the numbers it would take to make it work.
However I could see GPS technology work it's way into special events/tournies and hey personal use. I would love to have stats on my game.... but no interest in standing in one spot for an hour throwing one kind of disc.

 

[scarpfish]

I would love to have stats on my game.... but no interest in standing in one spot for an hour throwing one kind of disc.

And I bet a lot of ball golfers feel the same way. This seems to be oriented towards yuppies who play golf occasionally and want to spend money on an entertainment experience than it does towards hardcore golfers. That essentially makes it a novelty, and the problem with a novelty is that it has a shelf life before another novelty comes along and steals its thunder. Then what do you have? A white elephant, that's what.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I don't see enough demand to support it as a standalone operation, but as an option at existing Topgolf locations? ... perhaps. Like Scarp pointed out, the clientele seems to overlap with golf, but not with not so much with disc golf. Also, trying to hit/get close to a target without having to go around obstacles gets boring quicker with discs than it does with traditional golf. If anything, I think this could make a non-player thing the game is somewhat boring.

 

[mark996]

And I bet a lot of ball golfers feel the same way. This seems to be oriented towards yuppies who play golf occasionally and want to spend money on an entertainment experience than it does towards hardcore golfers. That essentially makes it a novelty, and the problem with a novelty is that it has a shelf life before another novelty comes along and steals its thunder. Then what do you have? A white elephant, that's what.

From my experience, the guys who always invited me to Top Golf are just that. Pretty much the same group that goes out to bowling alleys on a Friday or Saturday night. They go for the outing, to drink, hang out, have a good time etc, not track their stats or get better at the game.