Listing of all Pay-to-Play Courses - Disc Golf

Mr. Anderson · #1 April 7th, 2011, 06:43 PM

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 · #2 April 7th, 2011, 06:49 PM

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 · #3 April 7th, 2011, 07:28 PM

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

Cajun · #4 April 7th, 2011, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Anderson

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 · #5 April 7th, 2011, 08:12 PM

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 · #6 April 7th, 2011, 09:29 PM

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 · #7 April 7th, 2011, 09:55 PM

Here is a good start: Here . they list 2952 courses.

Hippy007

Mr. Anderson · #8 April 8th, 2011, 06:45 AM

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 · #9 April 8th, 2011, 07:08 AM

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

Bossman · #10 April 8th, 2011, 07:14 AM

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 · #11 April 8th, 2011, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · #12 April 8th, 2011, 07:42 AM

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-f...he-turkeynator

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

Scott · #13 April 8th, 2011, 08:08 AM

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 · #14 April 8th, 2011, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snap7times

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:
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
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
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 · #15 April 8th, 2011, 09:00 AM

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 · #16 April 8th, 2011, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · #17 April 8th, 2011, 09:28 AM

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 · #18 April 8th, 2011, 09:52 AM

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 · #19 April 8th, 2011, 10:11 AM

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 · #20 April 8th, 2011, 11:00 AM

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