Listing of all Pay-to-Play Courses

[Mr. Anderson]

I'm doing a little research project on how viable Disc Golf can be as a pay to play sport. What I'm looking for is a list of all the courses across the country (maybe world) that are pay to play. I would like as much of the following information as possible regarding each course:

1. Public or private land
2. Is it in a State Park
3. How much it costs
4. If the course is a one time fee for the whole day or if it's per round
5. Whether it's on a ball golf course
6. Is it free will donation or a standard fee with a person taking the money
7. How long it has been pay-to-play
8. Any kind of contact information for the specific course

I am starting this project in order to inform City and County Parks Departments of the potential Disc Golf has as a revenue generator or at least a self sustaining amenity. I know many people have strong feelings about keeping Disc Golf free and the majority of courses will always be, but I believe expansion of Disc Golf courses will happen faster if it is presented as positive revenue stream. Thank you in advanced for your help!

[Mr. Anderson]

I'll start it off with the ones I already know of:

1.Center City Golf Course, Oceanside CA (public)
2. no
3. $4
4. Per Round
5. With Ball
6. Standard Fee
7. 2011

1. Indian Springs Trafalgar IN (Private)
2. No
3. $7
4. Per Round
5. Ball
6. Standard Fee
7. ????

I know of 12 courses in South Dakota that are in State Parks and have a $5 day use fee. Oregon has a bunch too but I am not sure of how many. Emerald Isle in CA had a pay-to-play course with ball golf but they stopped this year after 7 years.

[General Scales]

Four Mounds Spokane WA
Private
Not a state park
5
All day
Must pay
Just disc golf.
?????
Contact information on this site.

[Cajun]

I'm doing a little research project on how viable Disc Golf can be as a pay to play sport.

I tried the same thing only I was looking for big money Appearance Fees at tournaments I agreed to play in. Pay to Play baby!

Good luck in your research.

[HarrisonH]

Pretty obvious one here in Oregon would be Horning's Hideout, but I bet you could get great insight into the subject from Bob.

1. Private
2. Private Land
3. $3
4. Day
5. Disc golf course.
6. Free will donation
7. How long it has been pay-to-play - 2007? I could be wrong, only started playing recently.
8. Any kind of contact information for the specific course - can probably be googled.

[snap7times]

jerry miller dgc @ camp taloali is donation but the camp board is pushing for $3 per head, but the money helps the mainteance and upkeep of the course and camp...

[Hippy007]

Here is a good start: Here (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/browse.php?partner=&cname=&designer=&coursetype[]=1&coursetype[]=2&holes=0&holetype=0&teetype=0&num_reviews=&rating_min=&rating_max=&yem=&yex=&cndtn=&terrain[]=1&terrain[]=2&terrain[]=3&landscape[]=1&landscape[]=2&landscape[]=3&mtees=&mpins=&paytoplay=1&country=1&city=&state=&zipcode=&zip_distance=) . they list 2952 courses.

Hippy007
:cool2:

[Mr. Anderson]

DGCR is a great research tool but as far as I can tell they do not separate the pay-to-play from all the other courses... they combine them all. I saw 2952 courses and I thought my work was done.

[TreeLove]

2952 total courses
2671 when you uncheck "show pay-to-play"
Therefore: 2952 - 2671 = 281 pay-to-play courses.

[Bossman]

Pay to play? really? I guess that might be the only way a club that has existed for thirty years to actually open a new course. Pathetic.

[snap7times]

Pay to play? really? I guess that might be the only way a club that has existed for thirty years to actually open a new course. Pathetic.

Bossman, are you saying that depending on pay to play to at least maintain a new disc golf course is pathetic?

Generally speaking, I think more courses should be pay to play, some are already $4 or $5, a bit much, but i think if more courses were at least $1-$2, we would see some serious growth in a majority of our courses in at least mainteance and upkeep and probably more course improvements etc. The "keep disc golf free" is a mentality that has seriously bogged down the sport and causes alot of courses to deterioate over time without getting the love it should get because of lack of funds...

[douglaselvis]

Bill Fredrickson Park ~ Turkey Lake/T2 The turkeynator Orlando, FL

1. Public land
2. State Park
3. $4 per car
4. All day use
5. not on ball golf course
6. pay at the gate upon entry
7. ?
8. http://www.pdga.com/course_directory/course/bill-frederick-park-turkey-lake

http://www.pdga.com/course_directory/course/bill-frederick-park-t2-the-turkeynator

Just was there last week. Well worth the $4, with plenty of park space, great signage and well maintained.

[Scott]

Huntington Beach, CA

1. Public land
2. I'm pretty sure no
3. $3.00
4. Per Round
5. No
6. Pay at pro shop
7. No idea. I think it has been p2p for a long time.
8. http://www.stockteam.com/frisbee.html

[Tim]

Bossman, are you saying that depending on pay to play to at least maintain a new disc golf course is pathetic?

Generally speaking, I think more courses should be pay to play, some are already $4 or $5, a bit much, but i think if more courses were at least $1-$2, we would see some serious growth in a majority of our courses in at least mainteance and upkeep and probably more course improvements etc. The "keep disc golf free" is a mentality that has seriously bogged down the sport and causes alot of courses to deterioate over time without getting the love it should get because of lack of funds...

Agreed 100%. From a park dept's perspective, there isn't a lot of incentive for adding a disc golf course--it takes up a lot of land, can bring in undesired side effects like litter and and environmental damage, and doesn't add anything to the bottom line. That's why courses often end up in "problem areas" in parks, its one of the few ways a course can actually show a benefit. If parks departments could actually make a little bit of revenue from a course, it'd add a much higher incentive for them to put new ones in. Same goes for private property owners.

That being said, here are a few that I've been to, which have incidentally been some of the best maintained and pleasant places to play:

The Grange, Spotsylvania, VA: (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/browse.php?private=1&paytoplay=1&cname=the+grange&state=&country=1)
1. Private
2. no
3. donate what you can ($5 suggested)
4. all day
5. not ball golf
6. free will, just a donation box in the clubhouse


Newport News DGC, Newport News, VA (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=526)
1. public
2. no, county park
3. $2/day, $20/year
4. all day
5. not ball golf
6. pay at ranger station


New Quarter Park, Williamsburg, VA (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=791)
1. public
2. no, county park
3. $3/day, $25/year (not enforced in the off season)
4. all day
5. not ball golf
6. pay at park office

[Jim J]

Are you including state/county parks which may not charge you to play DG but charge an entrance fee to everyone?

That is a form of pay-to-play.

[Mr. Anderson]

Are you including state/county parks which may not charge you to play DG but charge an entrance fee to everyone?

That is a form of pay-to-play.

Yes I'll be including State Parks too, for most State Parks its one more activity to draw people in and sometimes it is the main draw. Its good to know whether its "complex" of many activities that they charge a flat rate for or if its solely Disc/Ball Golf Only. The latter will give a better idea how much revenue Disc Golf can attract.

[Jim J]

Lake Casitas, California in Ventura County

1. Public
2. City park I believe.
3. $8-$10 (maybe). There's a water park too which may be included in the entry fee.
4. Whole day
5. No ball golf course
6. Standard fee with a person taking the money at entrant kiosk.
7. How long (don't know)
8. Casitas Municipal Water District


And then Oregon State Parks that charge a fee would include Dabney, Milo, Rooster Rock, Benson.

[barbikes]

Boondocks Farms, Knightown, IN

1. Private
2. No
3/4. $5 a round, $8 all day, $75 a year
5.DG only
6. Standard fee
7.???
8. ???

[captain jack]

The best thing about disc golf has always been the cost advantage.
Most courses are in public parks, and have always been free to play.
California started charging people to play a few years ago, and I know it has reduced the overall amount of players participating.

State parks in Washington implemented a $5 a day use fee a few years ago as well. Parks useage dropped here as well.

Here is my thought. If you charge for disc golf, then you also must charge for everthing else in a public park.
You wanna walk your dog, you pay to use the trash cans and have them picked up.
Kids using playgrounds, yep, charge for that too.

I think the better solution is to get rid of the overpaid parks dept. staff, and just have the public assume all the parks maintenance for free.

Baseball players take care of the fields, same with soccer moms and dads, and DG'rs take care of the courses.

No more fees to support an already bloated government money sinkhole.

[geo_ducks]

don't want to spend time looking into details, sorry:

Milo!! Champoeg, both state parks.
Fon du Lac, WI
Sylmar, CA
Willamette Pass, Odell Lake, OR summer course (Mt. Bachelor too)
Tom Pearce park, Grants Pass, OR, county park? w/ park fee, iron ranger
Can't believe Morley Field, San Diego not on list yet, probably best source of data on this topic

[Jim J]

I think the better solution is to get rid of the overpaid parks dept. staff, and just have the public assume all the parks maintenance for free.

For free? Nothing's free. And no one (including you, I'll bet) is going to volunteer their Saturdays mowing the local park, repairing the play structures, picking up trash left by slobs, cleaning the outhouses, limbing the trees, enforcing park rules, guarding swimming areas, maintaining trails, removing invasive species, and doing all the other things that make parks a great public asset for everyone.

Fact is, the public does assume responsibility for park maintenance the same way we assume responsibility for putting out fires, arresting and locking up criminals, and fighting terrorism.

We do it by hiring professionals with our tax dollars. It works well (and would work even better if we asked the wealthy to share in a bit of the sacrifices currently being foisted on the middle and working classes.)

[TreeLove]

don't want to spend time looking into details, sorry:

Milo!! Champoeg, both state parks.

While you're at it, how about Dabney? And Rooster Rock? And LL Stub Stewart? And Benson (nope, trick question, no day-use fee at Benson!)

Oh, that's right, no time for details...

[Scott]

And Benson (nope, trick question, no day-use fee at Benson!)



Since when?

[TreeLove]

Looks like I may be wrong:

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_147.php

[jevon]

Here's one in Colorado my brother wants to take me to my next trip out.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=3129

[mine all mine]

Pay to play? really? I guess that might be the only way a club that has existed for thirty years to actually open a new course. Pathetic.

WOW...what an insightful opinion. Sounds like someone is all for pay to play

[sillybizz]

No need to feed the troll.

[Bossman]

For free? Nothing's free. And no one (including you, I'll bet) is going to volunteer their Saturdays mowing the local park, repairing the play structures, picking up trash left by slobs, cleaning the outhouses, limbing the trees, enforcing park rules, guarding swimming areas, maintaining trails, removing invasive species, and doing all the other things that make parks a great public asset for everyone.

Fact is, the public does assume responsibility for park maintenance the same way we assume responsibility for putting out fires, arresting and locking up criminals, and fighting terrorism.

We do it by hiring professionals with our tax dollars. It works well (and would work even better if we asked the wealthy to share in a bit of the sacrifices currently being foisted on the middle and working classes.)

Riverside park was a perfect example of a course maintained by the community that used it. Here's just one instance to illustrate. On a day when the county planner came to walk the park, we had an extreme wind storm. He had to park outside and climb over downed trees to get in. Left up to the parks dept. the park would no doubt have been closed for who knows how long. Instead, we rallied up and cleared the road in a couple of hours. Didn't cost the county or the taxpayer a dime.

People who do work motivated by love not only do higher quality work. They are not hamstrung with layers of red tape which costs the taxpayer many dimes.

[Bossman]

I played my first round at Huntington Beach, 1977, with Frisbees, things change constantly. They started making golf discs and holes got longer. More people started playing and it has continued to this day. Huntington is now pay to play, as is Morley Field. Don't know about La Mirada ..mmmm.., La Mirada, very nice park. I have, perhaps wrongly, assumed that pay to play was mainly for traffic control. I'm not totally against it. I just hate to hear it as part of the plan from the beginning. There are school children who have installed courses as school projects. Bottom line, if you build it, they will come. Most of my friends will come and help you, donating baskets, labor, and funds. Whatever it takes. We've helped out with work parties far from home. Maybe I just have awesome friends. Pay to play will be part of the picture, but I'll bet there are enough awesome friends around to help keep it as the exception instead of the rule.

[360discgolfer]

La Mirada is free.

[Jim J]

Riverside park was a perfect example of a course maintained by the community that used it. Here's just one instance to illustrate. On a day when the county planner came to walk the park, we had an extreme wind storm. He had to park outside and climb over downed trees to get in. Left up to the parks dept. the park would no doubt have been closed for who knows how long. Instead, we rallied up and cleared the road in a couple of hours. Didn't cost the county or the taxpayer a dime.

People who do work motivated by love not only do higher quality work. They are not hamstrung with layers of red tape which costs the taxpayer many dimes.

Adopting or helping out in a park isn't what I was responding to.

If you recall Capt. Jack proposed that we "get rid of the overpaid parks dept. staff, and just have the public assume all the parks maintenance for free."

[puyallupean]

i would put in 3 bucks into a locked can,only to have it stolen(not even baskets are safe from this)....bossman is right about the users bearing most of the upkeep labor. I would gladly join the psdga and contribute if they just had a website to join and pay on-wassupwiththat?

[Mr. Anderson]

Tuesday nights at Riverside 5pm... I will be there with sign-up form. Otherwise PM me when you usually are around and I'll try to meet up with you.

[puyallupean]

Tuesday nights at Riverside 5pm... I will be there with sign-up form. Otherwise PM me when you usually are around and I'll try to meet up with you.

sounds good thanks

[killa]

Most quality courses in Maine that I'm aware of are run on successful and reasonable pay-to-play models. The only one I'm fully familiar with is

Enman Riverside (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=1243) / Caribou, ME
1. private
2. ergo, not a State Park
3/4. $5 for the day. There is/was also a membership option for a full season
5. exclusively a dg course
6. standard fee. there is a staffed club house/pro shop that collects greens fees*
7. has been pay-to-play since installed in 2001
8. contact info: David Enman (http://www.pdga.com/course_directory/course/enman-riverside) (the work # is actually for the clubhouse)

* the club house also provides many other services, including:
- sells discs & most other equipment, snacks, etc.
- disc rental: large selection, $1/day
- provides scorecards
- keeps track of and posts your most recent 20 rounds, and calculates handicaps for all "pilots" (anyone with at least 5 scorecards turned in)
- runs weekly doubles, monthly glow rounds, several local tournaments (usually not PDGA-sanctioned because of low turnout due to the course being so isolated geographically)

As you may guess, I fully support the way this private course is run; keeping costs low and providing solid course maintenance and many other valuable services.

a few other private Maine courses which have great websites with pricing and contact info:

LaVallee Links (http://lavalleelinksdiscgolf.com/) / Augusta, ME - this is a new 3-course destination which seems comparable to Hornings

Enman Field (http://www.mainediscgolf.com/enman/) (the Beauty and the Beast) / Brunswick, ME - 2 courses with a clubhouse setup identical to Enman riverside above

Dragan Field (http://www.mainediscgolf.com/dragan/) / Auburn, ME - another course in the Enman family

[jshrack]

I had never really considered the Pay-to-play option with the exception of State Parks... until i got my Clash III DVD in the mail.

The DVD is all recorded at Vallarta-Ast, a pay to play course in Madison, Wisconsin.
The course is beautiful and HUGE, if you choose to play it that way.
They had the ability to set up multiple tees on every hole, allowing for multiple levels of play.
The course pulls in enough revenue that is can maintain itself and an added public park for the community.
It sounds like it was put in mostly through local donations... which means the golfers are in touch with their community and are seen giving back to the very same people who supported them.

Sounds like an AWESOME opportunity for any Parks Department if supported by an established disc golf community.

[Mr. Anderson]

I heard awhile back about a course near Madison, WI that was PTP but never got the name, thanks for the info.