Weekend experience & DG Image

[Organicvoodoo]

Lolopcorn:

 

[AndyJB]

This thread is awesome. My wife is doing her Masters Project (in Sociology) on Disc Golf and its image. I showed this thread to her and its perfect for research, specifically the kind she is doing. I hope this doesnt get landfilled because this is exactly the kind of open discussion we, as golfers, need to have.

I'm guilty of enjoying a fine, frosty Upslope Beer (cheap plug) while on the course from time to time and I certainly have been known to have young Nikko freakouts when I miss an easy putt or especially when I make an ace run and come close but no cigar. But I keep it under control for the most part, as do the guys I play with. Sadly, it dealt varies fro. Course to course. Easy courses, or courses in high-traffic areas are more prone to the behaviors that the OP ia relating. My closest course, Cumberland Green, has to be in the top25 easiest courses in the country (I still play it because its less than a mile from my house) and lends itself to the full gamut: families of Boss throwers, stoners, drunken bros, one-disc wonders, chuckers, guys who are way too intense, posers, hippies, the whole sheabang. Ive just learner to deal with it.

Luckily, I can go just two more miles away to Widefield which is tucked away and a much more difficult course (the creek running down the whole course is more than enough to keep the casual and undesirable golfers away) and be at peace. Is it the best thing to do to just avoid the problem? No. But I'm getting tired of getting into fights (literally) just for asking some guys to stop smoking their stuff on public land right in front of my daughter. I'm not the apolice (though they have been called to Cumberland a few times for noise violations of all things.)

So its all really a classic case of: "damned if you do, damned if you don't "

 

[Star Shark]

This is mainly a problem on free to play courses. You get the guys with a disc or two and are just there to use throwing a disc as an excuse to get drunk/stoned. The swearing will happen in alot of public activities tho, especially competetive ones. Also, this was on a weekend, when you're more likely to get the chuckers who don't really give a rat's ass about the game and are just there to goof off for an afternoon.

 

[KniceZ]

I just keep coming back to the conflicting desires of some DGers that want it to be a respected "sport" and try to convince local parks that DG is such a great family activity versus those that don't see a problem with drinking and "smoking" in public.

I started this just to share a particular experience but I will say that more often than not whenever I participate in a DG "event" I've observed quit a bit of the original hippie culture coming out.

I don't want to seem like a "sheltered" elitist and don't mean to make generalizations but I don't know how else to say it - you can't act like "hippies" or "trailer park trash" and expect the mainstream public to take you seriously. DG just needs to decide what it wants to be when it grows up.

 

[MDethCKR]

I guess it's just my polite, small town, old fashioned, country up bringing. There's a time and place to party and get crazy - public parks with families around is not the place.

But the point still is, anybody making these pushes for more respect is a legit player and PDGA member. These guys are just random guys. I realize it is a public park, but so is a basketball court. And I know people only use those for basketball right?

Unless you have police monitor the entrance to the park or have DG pay to play everywhere, you are talking nonsense. People that plan on doing illegal and questionably ethical things are going to do so on or off our courses. You can't stop it.

FWIW, I have a problem with drinking in public/drunks, and always keep my smoking low key and concealed.

 

[Organicvoodoo]

So what do you think about ball golf?

Just curious.

Because 50% of them are coke heads that are worse then disc golf

 

[KniceZ]

Why does it have to be the police? Why can't we as DG players ask others to be more "low key and concealed" and not out in the parking lot. We are responsible DGs image.

Or maybe there is no single image and as someone said earlier, we each have to choice the course that fits our expectations.

 

[KniceZ]

So what do you think about ball golf? Just curious. Because 50% of them are coke heads that are worse then disc golf

I've never played a single round of golf so I don't have any first hand experience. They may be rich drunks and drug addicts for all I know. But you have to admit that business men at country clubs have a better public image than college kids wearing baggy shorts and no shirt. Even if some of them do wear ugly plaid pants.

 

[scarpfish]

I just keep coming back to the conflicting desires of some DGers that want it to be a respected "sport" and try to convince local parks that DG is such a great family activity versus those that don't see a problem with drinking and "smoking" in public.

And guess what, in spite of whatever problems there might be with the latter, we're succeeding with the former. Imagine that.

I don't want to seem like a "sheltered" elitist and don't mean to make generalizations but I don't know how else to say it - you can't act like "hippies" or "trailer park trash" and expect the mainstream public to take you seriously. DG just needs to decide what it wants to be when it grows up.

No, you have to decide what you want disc golf to be for you. Just because "those people" are present means that you have to associate with them. But that doesn't give you the right to make them go away.

I do know one thing, if one is going to be overly self conscious about the sort of matters we're talking about here when they take up disc golf, they may very well do themselves a favor by picking a different hobby. Of course, people with such a personality trait will likely find problems with that one as well.

 

[Organicvoodoo]

So now it's about the clothing.... Hmm maybe most disc golfers are 2 broke to buy nice stuff.

Think about it

Just for you I'm going to only play in a Tuxedo from now on!!

 

[plastic addict]

I don't want to seem like a "sheltered" elitist and don't mean to make generalizations but I don't know how else to say it - you can't act like "hippies" or "trailer park trash" and expect the mainstream public to take you seriously. DG just needs to decide what it wants to be when it grows up.

Perhaps the "mainstream" has changed.

So now it's about the clothing.... Hmm maybe most disc golfers are 2 broke to buy nice stuff.

Think about it

Just for you I'm going to only play in a Tuxedo from now on!!

Please don't. A collared shirt and khakis will suffice. :thmbup:

 

[nolangherity]

Perhaps the "mainstream" has changed

more like they're dying.



disc golf is a counter- culture sport. thats why your girlfriend thinks its stupid.
dont worry about how people are dressed, just toss birdies on those fools and make sure to #backhand always.

 

[Asian Style]

Haven't read all the posts but I feel I know what OP is about.

I am not really here to judge anyone, but I absolutely love disc golf but there are things about the social environment that I absolutely hate.

1. People who go overboard on the alcohol, literally, guys staggering around throwing at the wrong baskets, wandering on to other holes while people are playing them and swearing. For real.
2. People who bring their garbage to our nice parks and leave it everywhere. Honestly if booze wasn't in the picture, that would reduce the amount of garbage I see all over the course. Now obviously this isn't just disc golfers leaving trash behind, but the pattern of trash leads me to think that people in that demographic contribute greatly to the problem.
3. People who decide to take a smoke break every hole while you wait, hey, if you smoke, that's fine, whatever kills you, but at least be conscious and courteous enough to go off 30 feet and take your break there away from everyone
4. Drugs, so...much...freaking...marijuana, every day I go play I have to play with the unmistakable odor. I would not be surprised if I got contact high. Incredibly annoying waiting for people at a teepad not because there is anyone in front of them, but because they need to refill their bowl.

I play ball golf as well. Guess how much of this kind of behavior do you see on a golf course? Never. And people wonder why there's no money in this sport. I guess that's a consequence of it having a low barrier of entry. I get that, but it's still disheartening for someone who loves the sport. It feels like many locals here see it as an opportunity to get wasted, stoned, or just be inconsiderate. Disc golf itself is family friendly, but the environment at all my local courses are not. And that irks me, because I want to bring new people to try out the sport, but the experience is mixed at best.

I wish I could say that any of the incidents above are rare. But it's not, 80% of the time, any of those three things are happening at the same time. On a nice day, it's 10 times worse. Maybe it's because I live in the Northwest.

 

[jongoff09]

I agree with almost all of what Asian Style posted ^^. I too play golf (ball) and I have never seen anyone overly drunk on a golf course and I have never seen anyone smoking more than just cigs or cigars. I have played a full variety of golf courses ranging from cheap municipal courses to high end club courses and in tournaments.

In DG, the "unmistakable odor" can be smelled even in the middle of a big tournament and I have smelled it on nearly every course I have played, including the ones I had to pay to play on.

 

[Organicvoodoo]

That's because they do upscale drugs: pills, coke, meth, heroin etc.

Also what smell are you talking about?

The good one that smells like fruit, candy, flowers or the Ciggerettes that smell like dog crap-vomit?

Also atleast flower smokers don leave butts in the ground!

 

[TimSyl]

Organ...second time you've referred to drugs in golf...really? I played for 35 years...leagues, local tournaments, state tournaments. Have no idea where you've seen the drug issue in golf, I never have. (Have seen a few drunk aholes in outings). I enjoy disc golf, but the difference in the "typical" disc golfer and the "typical" ball golfer is night and day. Generalizing, discers are underemployed pot smokers w/ tats and piercings.

 

[Mr. America]

Didn't want to draw attention to the course so I didn't specify. But it was near Winston-Salem.

During casual play should we say something??

LMAO, them hillbillies in Yadkin County at it again.

 

[Mr. America]

This was park was solely dedicated to DG. So apparently you agree that a DG course or for that sake any town park to be the same as a strip club. Has our society really slipped so far!! BTW did you notice that my daughter is a junior in HS, it's not like I left a 10 year old alone.

So I was wrong, you were at Johnson St.. I misread the first post and saw soccer and thought you were at YCP.

I'm surprised she saw much of anything at Johnson St. with the way the cops like to make plenty of random trips in there.

 

[bergdawg]

I have a feeling Knice will go the way of Slow Roll. People like them aren't cut out for this sport.

 

[bergdawg]

Organ...second time you've referred to drugs in golf...really? I played for 35 years...leagues, local tournaments, state tournaments. Have no idea where you've seen the drug issue in golf, I never have. (Have seen a few drunk aholes in outings). I enjoy disc golf, but the difference in the "typical" disc golfer and the "typical" ball golfer is night and day. Generalizing, discers are underemployed pot smokers w/ tats and piercings.

I think he's talking about the PGA. A lot of them are pot heads.