Good cities for disc golf?

I live in Austin now but am thinking about moving to another town and wanted to know what areas have a good disc golf community with clubs and tournaments. Particularly interested in Colorado area.

[rhett]

Des Moines sounds like they really have their stuff together organizationally with big community support and everything. I don't know that first hand, but it sounds worth investigating.

[Moderator005]

Worcester, MA. There are 5 world class courses within about 30 minutes from town: Buffumville Dam, Barre Falls Dam, Pyramids DGC, Borderland State Park and the brand new course at Hodges Village Dam. The New England Flying Disc Association runs tournaments all year round:

http://www.nefa.com

[keithjohnson]

tucson arizona
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. at least it's closer to colorado than iowa or Worcester, MA. /msgboard/images/clipart/happy.gif

I know that this is far from Colorado, but Charlotte, NC is the best city for disc golf I've ever seen. Huge support base, great courses and everybody you meet either plays or at least knows someone who plays. Charlotte is a required pilgrimage for east coast disc golfers.

I've visited Raleigh, NC and was very impressed there with the courses and the amount of talented disc golfers in the area. I like having to throw through the trees instead of over them like we do a lot in Texas.
I'm originally from Tulsa, OK and know they have lots of good courses in the area.
Rhett I was suprised to hear you say Des Moines - not SoCal. I am definetely planning on Worlds there next year.
Still curious about the hot spots for disc golf in Colorado and what courses you can play during the winter.

What is Flagstaff like now that Worlds has been played there? Booming disc golf town or ghost town?

Move to Santa Cruz in California and you could play DeLaveaga every day! With the other bay area courses you'd be set. And not too far away is Sacramento, Auburn, Grass Valley, Tahoe, etc .... for some great tourneys.

Not to mention how close the Socal events would be.

And the weather!

[jconnell]

I may be from the Worcester area that Jeff mentions, but I'm voting for Cincinnati, Ohio.

At least 20 courses within an hour of downtown, ranging from the short and easy (Winton Woods and Woodland Mound), to the long and challenging (Idlewild and Mt Airy Forest). And then there are the tweener courses that provide challenge to all levels without killing anybody (Banklick Woods, Harbin Park, Miami University). 9-hole and 18-holers abound...if you have a particular preference, you will find something to fit it in the Cincinnati area.

Some of the courses are the birthplace of ratings too, since the '98 Worlds in Cincy is where the ratings data originated. Mt. Airy, Miami U, and Cabin Creek were among those courses. So they got that going for them...which is nice.

--Josh

C'mon Cris, you live in the best state for DG on the planet (slight bias intended). Why would you wanna leave. Besides, we'd hate to stop seeing you at our events.

[james_mccaine]

College Station, you'll fit in great there. jk

[snoophaney]

You should look into Charlotte NC. I know they have a ton of great courses. And not to mention a long history of running great events like the worlds.

walt

Phoenix-

Pros:
1. Weather. Far and away it's best selling point. Oct-Mar is flawless. Not nearly as much wind as I expected. Summer is way more tolerable than I expected.
2. Leagues. Something is going on almost every single day. Mostly $5/head doubles, but there are a couple of singles leagues as well.
3. People. I'm not always the easiest to get along with, but for the most part I was able to fit right in with everyone very quickly.
4. Flagstaff. It's within a couple hours and is a perfect compliment to the weather and courses in Phoenix.
5. Memorial. Maybe the best, at least the most fun, NT stop. It's kind of everyone's spring break and is must play for people all over the country each year.

Cons:
1. Courses. They aren't *bad*, they just aren't very challenging. They obviously are very limited on what they have to work with. Then again that's just my opinion, there are those like Kevin McCoy who think they're the best courses in the country.
2. Keith Johnson. No wait, he lives in Tucson.

Des Moines-

Pros:

1. Courses. There were always plenty of good courses, but with the preparation for Worlds next year there should be 8-10 flawless courses in the area. There are tons of small towns around eastern Iowa with courses and many of them host tournaments. There are @80 courses in Iowa and at least 70 of them are in the eastern half of the state. KC is a little over two hours south, and the twin cities are about 3hrs or so to the north. I'm not sure, but there might be close to 150 courses within 3-3.5hrs of DM.
2. The Club. There's always been a good core of people here and the club size has exploded over the last few years. There are a ton of players around here.
3. Tournaments. There are so many good tournaments in the area. Tons of B and C tier, but Madison, KC, Peoria, St. Louis, and the Twin Cities all have big tournaments and are well within driving distance. Des Moines will probably be hosting a huge tournament as well in the years following worlds.
4. Weather. Maybe not necessarily the greatest all year round, but you get everything. I just happen to like all of the different seasons, and winter can be very hit and miss. Occasionally we'll be golfing in dry 60 degree conditions in January.

Cons:

1. Leagues. This is picky because many would tell you they are very successful, but compared to Phoenix there isn't much going on. They have one main league that uses most of the DM courses on alternating weeks. A few weeks of doubles and a few weeks of singles. Mostly playing for pride and trophies. There are weekly $5 minis a couple times a week, but they only draw around 10 people on average. The thing about DM is most people just play. I don't think it's as competitive as other areas (by the way this could easily be put on the PRO category). There isn't as much drive to play for money all the time despite the fact that there is a lot of tournament play. There are pockets of people who play with their friends, but you don't get 20-30 people wanting to do the same thing like wolf, skins, or doubles like you see in other parts of the country.
2. Weather. Obviously it can get very cold and snow for a few months. Some years are worse than others. There have been years when we've played every weekend all the way through. That doesn't mean we didn't wear parkas, boots, and mittens though.

I may have gotten a little long winded, but I went through the same thing a year ago trying to find an area to move to.

Whoops. I didn't mean to omit *good people* on the DM list. I guess I only mentioned it on the Phoenix list because I was new to the area. I've always known most of the DM people so I forgot to mention how great they all are. Alright, sappy time over.

[circle_2]

Gotta cast a vote for the Kansas City area. Excellent prolific courses with a supportive DG club community. KCFDC.org. You're then close to many other DG meccas in nearby cities and states ie Lawrence, Columbia, St Louis, Omaha, Lincoln, Topeka, Des Moines. The Kansas Disc Golf Association (KDGA), Kansasdiscgolf.com, has a 25 event tour that makes tour stops mostly in Kansas throughout the year...keeping track of its members' points. Last time I saw, there were around 35-40 courses in Kansas, 20-25 in Missouri, and around 70 in Iowa.
.02

Clue,
We only pretended to like you because you were easy money. /msgboard/images/clipart/happy.gif

[spartan]

you know that if you leave us, Hicks, you have to take <FONT COLOR="ff0000">Loretta</FONT> with you. Obviously, you didn't read the fine print.

[MTL21676]

I havent played much out of NC, but heres my top three towns....

Charlotte NC...

4 championship courses not to mention 6 9 hole courses.....

the 4 courses are everything you can imagine...Renny will soon be the hardest course in the World, Hornets Nest is one of the best overall courses in the world, Kilbourne is a challenge, but not pull you hair out hard like Renny....and Reedy Creek blows my mind with its elevation changes and hosts one my top 10 favorite holes!

Raleigh NC

Cedar Hills - my home course and where I learned the game.....16 birdie oportunties, but WCP is only 49.....a course where the best I've shot is 49 and NEVER had a bogey free round in 300 rounds there....a true test of accuracy and scrambling....

Zebulon - and incrediable mix of distance and accuracy....beatiful holes and a variety of shots required...

Buckhorn - a perfect example of NC golf....6 holes w/ Water....one of which is my favorite hole I've ever played, number 8....a 180 straight down hill tight hole with water like 30 feet behind the basket...

There are more 18 hole courses in the area and 9 hole course, these are the best


Spostlyvania VA

The Grange and Loriella....4 courses (Grange has 2 18 hole courses and Loriella has 2 sets of tees, the backs are HARD AS CRAP)

Clearwater, Florida:

2 sweet courses on adjacent parks

Close to the new course in St. Pete's and three in Sarasota including the 13,000 ft. Sarasota Golf Club.

Part of the Fabulous Florida Tour and a great group of people.

And home to many fine golfers including The Champ.

I also second the votes for Kansas City and Cincinnati and throw in Nashville.

For the record, I will be back to play the Dogwood Crosstown Classic in Raleigh again (whether I end up in NC or not). It was a beautiful place in some of the worst conditions, I thought I was going to get hypothermia last year but at least I finished. What you did was amazing Walt!
I've always wanted to live in the mountains and play Kiss the Sky, but that course is only around for the summer.
If I go back to middle america (meaning Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri) I will move back to Tulsa where I have family, friends and lots of courses (watch out Nina and Mendoza).
I thought I would be hearing from Minnesota and Wisconsin folks on the board... and no Colorado. Where are Chauncey's and Stokley's home courses?
College Station, not!

Santa Cruz and DeLaveaga are sweet (I've played out there once and Truckee), but who is gonna support a poor social worker in sunny/expensive California?
Plus my license is good in every other state in the nation but California (ie vacation spot).

i have played in both houston and cincy and i have to say that i'd prefer to live in houston!!! the hfds is an awesome organization also.

[specialk]

To get back to the original post, I live in the Des Moines area (Ames) and have visited some of the other hot-beds mentioned (Charlotte, Austin, KC, Florida) and I can't imagine why anyone would want to leave Austin, golf-wise, for somewhere else.

[dischick]

MICHIGAN! over 100 courses and a tournament almost every weekend! plus snow golf rocks!

[dischick]

in fact i think i am hugely spoiled when it comes to disc golf...i have 4 fabulouse courses (5 when the tobogan is in) that are no farther than 20 minutes away. and then atleast 20 no more than an hour away. tons of clubs, with tons of cool people

I agree with Special K.

In Austin, not only do you have every flavor of public course imaginable, you are a quick trip away from 5 of the top 10 courses in the world, and your weather kicks [*****].

I personally know Charlotte, Austin, Phoenix, and Des Moines. And to some degree KC and MSP/StPaul. Believe me, nothing compares to CenTex.

[Sharky]

Maryland!

NC.

More variety and courses than you can think of!

It does compare to Cen Tex!!!

IMO

-m

/msgboard/images/clipart/sad.gif You will find your belongings at the end of the cul-de-sac....and the <FONT COLOR="ff0000">ROCK</FONT>

Raleigh NC. No snow. Play year round. 40 courses within 1 hour drive. Almost 700 different disc golf holes. 6 PDGA events (28 PDGA events in NC). 10 Monthlies. 36 Summer Doubles. DDC year round. Not to mention some of the toughest competition anywhere.

[spartan]

LOL. He knows that where ever he goes he'll have to take the <FONT COLOR="ff0000">THE ROCK</FONT> with him.

It is his density.

[disctance00]

Central Texas disc golf...WOW since I've moved here it has been most impresive soooo much great disc golf here it blows my mind. KC and NC make for hard decisions on where to move to. But my bet was placed on disc golf in Tx and I feel as though I broke the bank with the choice to move to Cen Tx for disc golf. Very pleased with all that is going on in Tx with the sport! /msgboard/images/clipart/happy.gif

[disctance00]

Also Chris, Colorado disc golf is really pretty of course you can only play so many months out of the year where there is'nt snow or is'nt cold. Ft. Collins has some really good Golf and at least one weekly league event. That is where Scott Stokley resides don't know if he's playing or not though. In the mountains there is alot of premium DG but can only play when the ski season is over with on courses that are in the ski areas. I played some courses during the winter months IE: Durango, Colorado Springs but at the same time dress warm! Denver area disc golf is also pretty decent but you still contend with cold wheather. There is'nt nowhere near the amount of minis in Colorado that there is here in Austin, But what they lack in minis they make up for in Beautiful DG.

if you like smaller town life, bowling green, ky or spotsylvania,va is the place.

in bg- keriakes, lovers lane, hobson are all good (i love keriakes) and white park will be excellent as soon as the trees grow in.

in spotsylvania/fredericksburg- 4 courses in the ground (5 if you count tiki at the grange) with a fifth on the way this fall. the grange (2 courses), pratt , and loriella are great and the new private course will be one of the best on the east coast. /msgboard/images/clipart/happy.gif

[Moderator005]

I'll put in another vote for Houston, its a fantastic town for disc golf with an active and lively scene. (http://www.hfds.org) It only lacks disc golf courses with high SSAs. Of the nearly 20 courses in the surrounding area, only Tom Bass, with its world-class Wilmont and Powell courses, and the 9 holes at Jim Mozola on the Buffalo Bayou offer two-shot holes, fast greens, pro par 4/par 5 holes and a challenge to break 54. The long tees at Moffitt and MacGregor have helped some, but for the most part, everything is usually pitch-n-putt.

[Moderator005]

No snow in Raleigh, Kirk? I remember you guys getting dumped on several times last winter, right?

That was ice.....

Not a lot of snow was what he should of said. Mild winters are the norm here. When it does get cold, it is usually only for a day or two, then back to the upper 50's.

-m

[spartan]

John, is White Park the same course as Dr. Rick's? Wide open and had small sapplings:

/clipart/Dr. Rick's.gif

Cris,
I've been living in Colorado Springs for the past 12 years and I love it here. We have about
50 courses in the state with most within a 2.5 hours drive. Courses play in elevation
anywhere from 4,600 ft (Pueblo city park) to 11,500 (Aspen, Kiss the sky). The mountain courses play through large pine trees for the most part, where here on the front range we have
a variety of open and tree line courses. The weather is really fairly mild along the front range cities, although Denver averages over 90 inches of snow a year where here we only average 42 inches (Pueblo even less) and we are only 50 miles apart. The average high in January is 42, 85 in July. Because of the very low humidity,
the snow does not stay on the ground very long (except for the mountains), so contrary to popular believe, no, we are not buried in snow all winter (our ball golf courses are open all year long). I play year round on the front range, but the mountain courses are generally closed between late October and April. The Chauncey's, and Stokley's you mentioned earlier (and the Randolph's) mostly play out of Fort Collins and the north Denver area. There is several clubs with lots of league activity through out the state. We have the Thin Air Tour put on by our state organization, which consisted of 11 PDGA events this year. There were 13 PDGA events in total with 6 B-tiers and 1 A-tier.
The events start in April and end in October. I’ve lived in Phoenix for 17 years, Texas for 3 years, and Southern California for 3 years and I would not trade them for where I live now. Hope this helps.

martin- yes i believe so, long and wide open a few miles outside bg. a native could provide better info.

[drivethruliquor]

You should move to Colorado because of all the other activities... Mountain Biking ...Hiking ...Climbing ...Rafting... Skiing ...Snowboarding... it's the variety that makes it so good... we can't really compare with Central Texas, Florida, NorCal, or Michigan for overall number of tournaments and avaiable purses.
That being said, few if any places can compare with the HUGE variety of courses we can offer (see Steve's Post)
People play here on a more "FUN" level than "Competition" level from my experiance. (Though some may laugh hearing that from me) /msgboard/images/clipart/happy.gif

Worth checking out, that's for sure!!
**Large majority of folks are in good physical shape too...good for wildlife viewing /msgboard/images/clipart/happy.gif
Can't beat elevation training

yes white i the wide open course with the wind that never dies...don't forget elizabethtown ky with 4 courses within 30 minutes..and cincy.. and finally somerset

Okay so disc golf is alive and well in Colorado, that is good to hear. Any courses near the Estes Park area? Anybody know anything about disc golf in New Mexico?
My probable move from Austin is more job related (ie. all the competition for good jobs from other students like myself who have graduated from UT) and not at all because I don't like the courses or the people here - both of which are great. To give this area its due, there are lots of great golfers, organizers, and courses in this area. Being near ranch courses like Moody's, Circle R, San Saba (relatively close), and Round Rock being like a ranch course is a huge plus.
I really appreciate all the responses and I hope this helps others also as far as knowing good places to visit or consider living. It's exciting to know that there are a lot of great places to play out there, because I don't think I could move to a place that doesn't have some good courses and people involved in the sport. A big part of my life has been spent playing this great game and meeting people along the way (insert choked up part).
Heading to Stillwater Oklahoma this weekend to play in the Stillwater Classic, the place I first placed disc golf.

That is "played" disc golf... um hoping to "place" this weekend.
FYI - I consider Lago Vista disc golf course the hidden jewel of this area - it's a beauty.

[20460chase]

Quad-Cities,IL-IA has some great disc golf and is growin! Hope to play Lago Vista and all the Austin area courses by December if my plans come together,my old man lives in Cedar Park so its a real posibility.Smashin Texas courses.

[thcplz]

HE11, CEDAR PARK is (practicly) in LAGO VISTA.
10-15 MINUTES FROM.

don't miss ROUND ROCK <FONT COLOR="ff0000">aka.THE ROCK</FONT>
no more than 30 minutes from cedar park.

[jpg420]

central florida is the shiznet

[jpeacock]

Chase,
Email me when you coming to Lago Vista. I could show you around.
Best courses are in central Texas, south Florida, and around Nashville TN. JP

Augusta is an obvious choice for more reasons than the new PDGA headquarters relocation to the area next year.
Augusta has 4 courses, a long history of disc golf including a number of promotors and a lot of great players.
The weather is usually fabulous, even in winter and withing an hour and fifteen minutes you can also play golf at any of these SC Courses: Owens Field, Earlwood, Orangeburg, &amp; Chapin.
And only three hours away are all the Charlotte courses, Winthrop, all ATL courses, Greenville, and more!

[m_conners]

If you are ever near or in Tulsa, OK you can play 10 different courses that are all within a 20 minute radius. Not near as beautifl as Colorado disc golf. But we do have championship style courses that offer a variety of shots.

FYI: The Tulsa city tax payers just voted yes for a plan to enhance the city, part of the plan consists of developing new disc golf parks. SWEEEEET!!

[bambam]

FINALLY a real reason to stop somewhere in OK!! /clipart/proud.gif

[bredemeyer]

You mean 3.2 beer isnt a good enough reason?

my favorite city for disc golf is green island jamaica

[20460chase]

Sure thing-You guys ever play with Yeti and Des?Im from the same area as them only the Illinois side.I havent been to Texas since I started playin,I used to hang out in Lago with my step cousins and out at Lake Travis.

Twin Cities, MN. Twice as best as the rest.

Anybody know anything about disc golf in New Mexico?
There are three courses in/near Albuquerque, and two more courses in the mountains to the north.

Sipapu is an awesome summer course at a ski resort.