Pros & Cons of DISC GOLF

PROS & CONS OF DISC GOLF

Written By: Bill Ashton

Contributors:

Lyle McCoon, Jr., Suzette Simons,
Tom Monroe, Harold Duvall, Squipple

PROS:

1. Inexpensive Recreation - Most Courses are Free to Public

2. Age-less Game - Can also be "Family Orientated".

3. Healthy Recreation - low impact,aerobic workout, walk through
nature

4. Cost effective: 9-holes can be installed for under $5000

5. From a parks' perspective, disc golf is unbelievably cheap.
A decent, medium-sized playground will cost around $35,000
and can only accommodate 20-30 kids (at an absolute maximum).

6. Usage: 72 People an hour can play on an 18-hole course

7. Low Maintenance

8. Reduces Vandalism

9. Attracts people from community and outside community to park

10. Businesses in close proximity benefit from course usage

11. Area schools can potentially utilize course for physical
education and field trips.

12. A course can be designed and installed easily within the
frameworks of many different types of parcels of land such
as Nature Preserve, Flood Plain, Wooded Areas and under
utilized areas.

13. Lifetime Recreation

14. Courses can be designed to be handicap accessible.

15. Disc golf can be a source of revenue for a park department or a
pay-to-play facility.

16. Disc golf tends to decrease undesirable activity in under-
utilized areas of a park.

17. Disc golf provides a recreational facility for local churches
and scout groups.

18. Disc golf is easy to learn, but challenging to master.

19. Hosting a disc golf tournament for charity can bring community
together to help raise money for certain causes while enjoying
the fun of playing and socializing.

CONS:

(Solutions to Cons - Ways to help)

1. Litter (Garbage cans at each tee would help to reduce litter)

2. Erosion (Adding cement tee pads minimize erosion)

3. Course Conflicts with Neighborhood Yards (Design away from homes)

4. Extra Foot Traffic Past Homes (Design away from homes)-(however,
foot traffic near homes are extra sets of eyes helping reducing
daytime theft and burglaries).

5. Basket Theft (Reinforce Baskets by tack welding material to post
and ground sleeves).

6. Heavy Course Traffic/Flow - (For heavy course usage; there will
be waiting/backups at peak times, and parking area will be full.
Potential solutions: Install 9 more holes or build another course
within the city).

7. Limited or no restroom facilities: (If restroom facilities are
not present or open year round, portable units will need to be
provided and properly maintained).

* Special Note: (Provided by: Squipple @ www.playdg.com)

* The problem with CON #6 is if you build more courses, it increases
interest because the sport becomes more visible to the which,
in turn creates more traffic. This is definitely a good thing for
the sport, but doesn't help with traffic flow.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Special Thanks to Suzette Simons for adding additional comments
and solutions for Con issues #6 - #7, Tom Monroe for contributing
PRO #16, Squipple for adding an additional solution to Con #6,
Harold Duvall for providing Pro #17 and an extra solution for
Con #4 and Lyle McCoon, Jr. for providing Pro #5.