Unplayable private courses

[t i m]

Whenever I read posts about courses being trashed I feel really lucky. I can't think of a single course near me that is treated so poorly. Though, if I had a private course I would be concerned one about people trashing it, but mostly about liability issues that might come up with strangers on your property.

Yeah, I would think liability would be a big part of it -- that and the likelihood of people to take more personal liberties with illegal activities on a course they know to be private.

Most private course owners are great people who love the sport, and are happy to have anyone they KNOW come out. I think Biscoe's approach is pretty spot on -- post the course and contact info, but don't post directions. That seems like a good gateway to keep only known people playing the place. And for what it's worth, Biscoe's course is well worth the drive -- easily one of the best courses in VA, even with all the cowpies.

 

[DavidSauls]

My private course is listed both here and at PDGA. The note that reservations are required has been honored almost completely.

Mine is in the category of courses intended for serious player and, if fact, we warn people that it's not suitable for beginners.

Private courses include those like mine, on the land where players live, but also courses on ball golf courses, ski slopes, and vacant land. So different owners have different interests in whether to list them, list directions, etc. In my travels I've played a few that were open with an honor-payment system.

 

[Ryan P.]

I'd think it was okay to post a course that was on private property and just list the town it was in. I would think that every single course in the world should be posted on here, but some should just be very hidden.

However, without the owner's permission, I totally understand not posting the course. It would be awesome though if DGCR became the sight that everyone went to to find a course because DGCR had every course listed, public and private.

I would just really like to know about every course. If I'm taking a trip and I hear about a course, I would want to be able to look it up and know that it's a private course. I'd rather not hear of so-and-so course that's down such-and-such road that I drive to only to find out it's private. I'm not a D-bag that's gonna jump onto someone's property and do stuff they don't want, so that might be why I think this way. I totally understand that there are idiot's out there who will be on someone else's course and just terrorize it though.

 

[gottafixit]

I guess it depends on what you deem private, but in VA these are listed as private - Ace Run Ranch, Emory and Henry College, Hawk Hollow, Naval Surface Weapons Station, New Hanover Presbyterian Church, The Grange, Virginia Wesleyan College. Half are private owners on there land, but they all allow people to get in touch and come play the course. The other half are schools, which I have not been to one that playing the course was an issue, however Virginia Wesleyan College did have a gate and I decided to walk on to avoid possibly not being allowed to park on campus.

I agree completely that it should only be listed be the owner or org who's property it is on, but only if they are willing to let the general public play the course. The courses I'm not crazy about being posted are the ones like Summer camps that you have to go to the camp in order to play(the one course in DE I haven't played I showed up and asked and they said no), or ones where your not likely going to get on the course in the first place like Naval Surface Weapons Station. There are so many private courses listed on here, some of the top ten(pawpaw WV), I just think that if its on here It should be able to be played by the public.

 

[humchris85]

We have bunches of private courses around here in Humboldt County, most of which will never be listed due to the owners not wanting the excess traffic on their course. There was one that was listed on here that the guy who posted it did not have permision to put it up on here and the owner was quite mad when he found out that his course had been listed with out his permision. The local club that uptakes the course was also not informed about that course being listed, and many of them were quite opposed to the amount of people that started showing up without permision or knowing the course and ended up wondering the property aimlessly. I like most of the other people that reviewed it told people that they needed to have someone that knows the course show them around, but that won't stop people from acting like idiots and showing up without any idea of where to go. This could have very much cost us the use of this great course on a beutifull peice of private property. Just my $0.02.

 

[[email protected]]

I have a private course (Phantom Falls) and it has been getting allot of play as of late. I ask PP to call ahead for a reserved "T" time. I usually play allong W/ them, or set them up W/ a guide from our local DG club (Foothill Fliers DGC). Members of this club help work on my course constructing "T" pads & such. I have had pretty good sucess sharing my course & my passion W/ the DG'ers of CO. & in some cases other states. I have had some disapointing/sad moments that I could not believe PP would behave in such a poor manor on my prop. The upside is that I have some recourse, those D-bags will never play my awesome course again. I must say, for the most part opening up my own little piece of heaven to other Dg'ers has been fun & rewarding so far. All well mannered PP & dogs are welcome to visit Phantom Falls, just call & get a "T" time 1st. Thanks - Paulie.

 

[davidalln]

I know of a "private" 9-hole course that is located on the grounds of a vacation village up in Bartow county in Georgia. While I guess technically you could walk onto the property and play a round, there is no parking within a 5 mile radius and it is doubtful that the man at the gate will let you in just to play disc golf.

When my family stayed there for a weekend earlier this summer, we decided to rent discs one afternoon (as I was the only one who had played disc golf in the past, and it was with a standard catch frisbee) and play a round. We had fun clumsily throwing the discs around, and when we returned them, we learned that our charge for renting out the discs was a whopping $60 ($15 per person)! And these were just a basic set of a DX-like putter, mid, and driver (thankfully, we argued them down to a much more reasonable price: $0).

It's hard to tell if this course should be listed. On the one hand, it's a course that is open to the guests to use as much as they like for free (as long as you bring your own discs!), and I doubt the owners of the resort with oppose to free advertising; on the other hand the general public probably can't access it (although I could be wrong, I haven't tested this theory).

 

[sumner420]

I have a private course... It exsists in my mind and I am the only one who ever gets to play. BTW its an awesome course- it allows drinks and has a rainbow bridge, its own lake, a rock candy mountain, an outer space hole, an indoor hole, the BBQ pit hole, the money tree hole, the weed field hole and its own brewery. plus I ace all the holes and can play whenever I like. yeah, thats the ticket!

 

[timg]

We have bunches of private courses around here in Humboldt County, most of which will never be listed due to the owners not wanting the excess traffic on their course. There was one that was listed on here that the guy who posted it did not have permision to put it up on here and the owner was quite mad when he found out that his course had been listed with out his permision. The local club that uptakes the course was also not informed about that course being listed, and many of them were quite opposed to the amount of people that started showing up without permision or knowing the course and ended up wondering the property aimlessly. I like most of the other people that reviewed it told people that they needed to have someone that knows the course show them around, but that won't stop people from acting like idiots and showing up without any idea of where to go. This could have very much cost us the use of this great course on a beutifull peice of private property. Just my $0.02.

I believe that's the one that I expired.

 

[solomon.trenton]

If it truly is someone's backyard course and he only let's his 5 friends play, I don't see a reason to list it here. Other than that, I'd say private courses are fair game. I've only expired one private course where I was informed the owner didn't want it on the site for whatever reason.

hawk hollow?

 

[RustyP]

We've got a private course here in North Texas that is, from what I understand, part of a wealthy gentleman's personal backyard playground (with paintball, stocked ponds, tiki bars, etc). I've also heard from local pros who had the opportunity to "test" the course out for the owner that it's the most amazing course they've ever played...which makes the fact that it's completely closed to the public even harder to swallow

However, I can understand where the owner is coming from in this situation. It is his land, after all, and if he doesn't want complete strangers coming onto it or even knowing what city it's in, that's his decision.

 

[mike shoys]

i agree it does annoy me a bit to be able to check out courses that i can't play, but i think its up to us not to obsess (as impossible as that may be) and let the course owners decide if they want their course listed, unless the person who runs this site intends it for playable courses only. this has got to give good exposure to courses.

 

[humchris85]

I believe that's the one that I expired.

Yes it is. Thank you for your help with that Tim. Keep up the good work. Love the site.

 

[magictenor1]

that may be true, but the more people the more problems..word of mouth can spread quickly with just one post.

That can certainly happen. I once was playing basketball with a small group of people at the local catholic church gym and the word got out there was a game there and people started coming out of the woodwork. people nobody even knew would show up and when you asked who told them about the game you wouldn't know that person either. We eneded up canceling the game for awhile and restarting.

 

[BrotherDave]

I listed Swinging DB's since it was already on the PDGA course directory but I didn't give any directions to help safeguard random people from dropping in on the guy. Don Brown seemed like a pretty cool guy, hopefully he's not pissed at me.

 

[DSCJNKY]

If it truly is someone's backyard course and he only let's his 5 friends play, I don't see a reason to list it here. Other than that, I'd say private courses are fair game. I've only expired one private course where I was informed the owner didn't want it on the site for whatever reason.

Was it Area 74???

DSCJNKY

 

[DSCJNKY]

We have bunches of private courses around here in Humboldt County, most of which will never be listed due to the owners not wanting the excess traffic on their course. There was one that was listed on here that the guy who posted it did not have permision to put it up on here and the owner was quite mad when he found out that his course had been listed with out his permision. The local club that uptakes the course was also not informed about that course being listed, and many of them were quite opposed to the amount of people that started showing up without permision or knowing the course and ended up wondering the property aimlessly. I like most of the other people that reviewed it told people that they needed to have someone that knows the course show them around, but that won't stop people from acting like idiots and showing up without any idea of where to go. This could have very much cost us the use of this great course on a beutifull peice of private property. Just my $0.02.

What an awesome course it is (was) too. The lesson here: hit HumChris up if you're going to Humboldt and he might guide you through.
DSCJNKY

 

[DSCJNKY]

Was it Area 74???

DSCJNKY

Oops... I just read the rest of the thread... and it was.

Again, find a local to take you out there or to the other private courses in Humboldt. They're awesome.
DSCJNKY