Why bother reviewing courses...

[Chicagolandlefty]

As someone somewhat new to the site I think the reviews are probably more relevant and useful to the people not writing reviews. I found the site when looking for info on area courses (for years I relied almost solely on the PDGA site) and ended up using it more and more.

I've been playing long enough to remember the days of heading to a course being somewhat lost, not knowing where to park or where the 1st tee was and DGCR is the best resource for ending those days. It's so nice to have loads of info (having hole length on my phone when the sign isn't up is so cool!) so readily available in an easy to navigate format.

It's not just hardcore players that use the site either. A friend of mine who I didn't know played (and is actually decent) knew of DGCR and used it as a resource for places to play.

Don't write reviews for thumbs (though I understand it's nice to receive some recognition) or to pad the number of reviews for some online accomplishment, write them because you're trying to help other disc golfers. I don't write reviews on every place I've played because some courses I'm satisfied with the current reviews and consensus rating so I don't think I have anything to add. Others I feel like there's something I would have liked to know going in that I can add or I feel the need to write a review that hopefully encourages more people to play a course.

 

[Mabuku1]

It's more than obvious that the locals are the only ones using the thumbs, because only the knob polishing reviews get thunbs up. Every review is someone's honest opinion and it doesn't make it less helpful when you are just being honest.

 

[Mabuku1]

Do you get mad when you comment on everyone's posts on facebook, but noone ever comments on yours. And then you deactivate your facebook because you think noone likes you? It seems like something you would do. Don't worry what anyone thinks about your thoughts.

 

[optidiscic]

ummm I agree with some of your sentiments regarding Iron Hill......but spiders and then calling players idiots mightve cost u dearly lol

 

[davetherocketguy]

Yep, this is the line that causes all the tumby downy's:

I think course reviews should help out of towners only. If you are local and reading this, you're an idiot.

Plus I don't agree with that comment even with out the silly insult. I read almost every review of every course I have played. I like to hear what others have to say about a course I am very familiar with. What do they like what don't they like and whether or not I agree with their assessment. I use that information to formulate my future reviews in an effort to make them better. Also, reading reviews on local courses also may alert me to new problems or issues that I may be able to do something about on a course I haven't played in a while. They may also alert me to improvements I was unaware of. Your assertion that reviews is for "out of towners only" is flawed at best.

 

[Mabuku1]

I just wrote a review on huntington beach and I promptly got two thums down. The last review was so long ago that it wasn't relevant anymore. So I felt it needed to be written, in order to enlighten readers on the present reality of the course. I was way more than helpful, but it didn't matter because somebody didn't like what they read. Oh well, I could care less. It's a collection of people's expieriences. Some have good one's, some have bad one's. That's life.

 

[Mabuku1]

ummm I agree with some of your sentiments regarding Iron Hill......but spiders and then calling players idiots mightve cost u dearly lol

Dude, your signature is classic. I chuckled.

 

[jimimc]

First let me start by saying I gave your review a not helpful mark at Iron Hill. The idiot comment aside, which I found offensive, I found your review lacking. Even though I found your review well written overall, I also found it strange. I find it hard to believe anyone goes to a course like Iron Hill, which requires focus, concentration and decision making on every shot to play their best, and walks out of there with that much info and knowledge about the course.

I have judged both positive and negative reviews about Iron Hill as helpful and not. Due to many early reviews, I changed many things on the course and continue to do so. The one thing I have not done is listen to or taken seriously a person who has played the course one time and then made so many comments, good or bad. There are four layouts at Iron Hill. Did you play the layout designed for your skill level? No. Did you notice the Porta Potts, that 2 touring FPO's said were the cleanest they'd ever seen, at both ends of the parking lot? No. Did you know or ask about the running water less then a couple of hundred feet from the practice basket? No. Spider webs? Seriously?

I have only written two reviews, even though I plan to write a few more, because I either know about some changes that are about to be made or I don't know the course well enough to review it. For example Nocky, Quaker's Challenge, Moraine and Warwick are all in my top 10, but I haven't played them enough to give a real review. When I go to play a course, I go to play it first not judge it. Like it or not, after playing a course one time I don't have enough info to give a real review. An opinion, yes.

Lastly, saying the back nine at Iron Hill is long and tight is not a review. Did you play with different players of different skill levels? Did you get to see a LHBH drive on hole 10 that sets up for the eagle 3, when you thought it was suppose to be a RHBH mid range off the tee. Did you see a 450' laser beam down 11's fairway? How about ace runs on the down hill 13 or flat 14? Did you get to see some one throw a drive over the crest and out of sight on 15 or 16. Did you get to see some one four 17 or three 18?

I am not trying to give you a hard time. Please don't take it that way. If your going to courses to just review them, your missing a lot. Your missing the game. If you are going to just play the course, enjoy your day and the course, maybe that's what you should be doing. Worry about reviews on your next visit, or your 10th.

 

[Johnny_Crunch]

I gave you a thumbs up! Who cares what the homers say? Your review was useful to people looking for a course to play.

 

[tmahan]

I received a couple of thumbs down for trashing the course closest to my house. In it I said:

This is not worth playing if your in the parking lot, discs in hand and you are itching to play. I'd rather throw on a football field.

I stand by this opinion. It's been played by 70 members of this site, 11 have reviewed it and it gets a stellar rating of 0.77

I suppose some people don't like reading the honest truth.

You need to stop beating around the bush and tell us how you really feel.

 

[rd.bittle]

Did you take the time to look over the other reviews? Thumbs down just seem to be the cool thing to do around Iron Hill. Let it slide off dude. Don't worry about it. Refrain from calling the locals idiots. That still wouldn't make you one of their 12-19 buddies who all give thumbs down to most reviews. Just saying keep up the good reviews and help everyone else out.

 

[optidiscic]

Did you take the time to look over the other reviews? Thumbs down just seem to be the cool thing to do around Iron Hill. Let it slide off dude. Don't worry about it. Refrain from calling the locals idiots. That still wouldn't make you one of their 12-19 buddies who all give thumbs down to most reviews. Just saying keep up the good reviews and help everyone else out.

ummmmmm if by locals you mean every seasoned disc golfer within 4 states who regard Iron Hill as the penultimate challenge and don't like to see the course getting knocked for being hard

 

[jimimc]

You should check again. Most of the thumb downs are for positive. 4+ reviews. There are three 3 star reviews that have all thumbs up. The question is not if the ranking is right, it is, is the review helpful. If your review has no insight on the course, it isn't very helpful. If you spent 2 hours playing one round at a Par 72 course how insightful is your review? If you complain about things not being there and they are? I don't believe a player can give an insightful review of a 4500' course after only one round.

 

[the_pwnerator]

You should check again. Most of the thumb downs are for positive. 4+ reviews. There are three 3 star reviews that have all thumbs up. The question is not if the ranking is right, it is, is the review helpful. If your review has no insight on the course, it isn't very helpful. If you spent 2 hours playing one round at a Par 72 course how insightful is your review? If you complain about things not being there and they are? I don't believe a player can give an insightful review of a 4500' course after only one round.

While I agree that that is how the system is supposed to work, it doesn't. Before I moved, Taymouth Park was my home course, and I loved it. I was definitely biased towards it and probably rated it one or two discs more than it would be to most people. I took the time to point out why I scored it that way, and my review was plenty insightful.

However, I got thumbs down, just because I rated it higher than most players think it deserves.

 

[tmahan]

Personally I think it's wrong to downrate a review because you don't agree with the rating as long as the author clearly stated his/her reasons. You may not agree with them but opinions differ and variety is the spice of life (blah-blah).

Someone gave my home course 2 discs due to being tight and having poison ivy. I think he said something along the lines of each drive requiring more luck than skill. I think he has that backwards but he is right in that the fairways are tight and demanding and there is PI (like just about every course in the Mid-Atlantic).

The point is, while I don't agree with the relative rating, it does paint a mostly accurate picture of the course that would be of value to someone deciding if they wanted to play it or not. If you don't like tight then Seneca might not be for you. That and the fact it's balanced out by the abundance if 4 disc reviews lauding the course.

 

[Mabuku1]

For example Nocky, Quaker's Challenge, Moraine and Warwick are all in my top 10, but I haven't played them enough to give a real review. When I go to play a course, I go to play it first not judge it. Like it or not, after playing a course one time I don't have enough info to give a real review. An opinion, yes.

Lastly, saying the back nine at Iron Hill is long and tight is not a review. Did you play with different players of different skill levels? Did you get to see a LHBH drive on hole 10 that sets up for the eagle 3, when you thought it was suppose to be a RHBH mid range off the tee. Did you see a 450' laser beam down 11's fairway? How about ace runs on the down hill 13 or flat 14? Did you get to see some one throw a drive over the crest and out of sight on 15 or 16. Did you get to see some one four 17 or three 18?

I am not trying to give you a hard time. Please don't take it that way. If your going to courses to just review them, your missing a lot. Your missing the game. If you are going to just play the course, enjoy your day and the course, maybe that's what you should be doing. Worry about reviews on your next visit, or your 10th.[/QUOTE]

DISC GOLF COURSE REVIEW, not disc golf players review.

Food critics and movie critics and anyone else reviewing something is doing just that. a review. A quick overview of first impressions on a topic or object. First impression is the most important because human nature is to judge things on appearances. Stop telling him he has to live their for a year, drink the kool-aid and then write his review. If he didn't like it then he has a right to give his review about every aspect he expierienced.
:|
If you don't like that then there's another forum for you to botger people in called disc golf scene.com where review of a course is not in the title! BOOM!!!

 

[iacas]

ummmmmm if by locals you mean every seasoned disc golfer within 4 states who regard Iron Hill as the penultimate challenge and don't like to see the course getting knocked for being hard

Penultimate doesn't mean what you seem to think it means.

 

[mashnut]

If you spent 2 hours playing one round at a Par 72 course how insightful is your review? If you complain about things not being there and they are? I don't believe a player can give an insightful review of a 4500' course after only one round.

I disagree. When I read reviews, I get a lot more out of reviews from traveling players who have played the course once than from locals who play it all the time. If I'm looking at reviews, it's probably because I'm going to be in the area and I'm looking for a course to play. Someone else traveling through is going to notice the things that might matter to me on that one round, whereas locals will have a different perspective and might not notice the things they liked or didn't like their first round after playing the course 100+ times. It's valuable to have both perspectives, obviously I don't think locals don't have valuable information to offer, but I also think it's silly to discount reviews because someone didn't play your course enough times for you.

 

[Mabuku1]

I have only written two reviews, even though I plan to write a few more, because I either know about some changes that are about to be made or I don't know the course well enough to review it. For example Nocky, Quaker's Challenge, Moraine and Warwick are all in my top 10, but I haven't played them enough to give a real review. When I go to play a course, I go to play it first not judge it. Like it or not, after playing a course one time I don't have enough info to give a real review. An opinion, yes.

Lastly, saying the back nine at Iron Hill is long and tight is not a review. Did you play with different players of different skill levels? Did you get to see a LHBH drive on hole 10 that sets up for the eagle 3, when you thought it was suppose to be a RHBH mid range off the tee. Did you see a 450' laser beam down 11's fairway? How about ace runs on the down hill 13 or flat 14? Did you get to see some one throw a drive over the crest and out of sight on 15 or 16. Did you get to see some one four 17 or three 18?

I am not trying to give you a hard time. Please don't take it that way. If your going to courses to just review them, your missing a lot. Your missing the game. If you are going to just play the course, enjoy your day and the course, maybe that's what you should be doing. Worry about reviews on your next visit, or your 10th.

DISC GOLF COURSE REVIEW, not disc golf players review.

Food critics and movie critics and anyone else reviewing something is doing just that. a review. A quick overview of first impressions on a topic or object. First impression is the most important because human nature is to judge things on appearances. Stop telling him he has to livetheir fora year, drink the kool-aid and then write his review. If he didn't like it then he has a right to give his review about every aspect he expierienced.

If you don't like that then there's another forum for you to botger people in called disc golf scene.com where review of a course is not in the title! BOOM!!!

There you go prerub. I hope that cleared it up for you.

 

[rd.bittle]

All I am saying is don't let it ruin your day if someone doesn't like your course as much as you do. Also if someone doesn't like your review as much as you do, don't get your knickers in a twist.