Best places to live as a professional disc golfer

I would like to know what makes your location the best place to live as a professional disc golfer (please PDGA members only). Outside Magazine does articles called "10 best places to live in the US" (or something like it). I would like to see the "Top 10 places to live as a pro disc golfer", and why you think your home is the best place for professional golfers to live.

What I would like to know ...
Quality of life, cost of living, real estate averages for home buyers or renters, good jobs, safe neighborhoods, great and numerous disc golf courses, great weather (how many days can you play a year average?), great DG clubs, great schools for children and adults, etc.
If there is anything negative, for example, you've got 10 disc golf course near by, rent is cheap, 1-5 females per male (or the opposite), however, there's there a nuclear waste dump down the street? I doubt you make the top 10, but it's good information to know, tell me.

I think it would be cool to see a comparison of what it's like to live in different areas of the country as a professional disc golfer. AM golfers can be members of the PDGA. I ask that you are a PDGA member offering this information. Please reply with useful information, simply saying your local course is the BEST will not be appreciated.

I know as a "climber" I traveled an lived in places that I though would give me the best of opportunities to pursue my sport. I traveled a LOT. I lived in Boulder CO, San Diego CA, Flagstaff AZ, Moose WY, Carbondale CO, — all are "hubs" to get to the best climbing in those areas.

I really have little information that tells me where the best places to live are to pursue the sport of Disc Golf, or how they compare to each other.

Think outside the box ... I'm sure you have reasons why you live where you do (I don't want to hear why you still live at home, loll), but I would like to see why you think someone else might like to live where you do, and how it might benefit them as a current or future professional disc golfer.
Also realize that what makes your home the best for you, might not make it the best for someone else ... for example.

Carbondale, CO
Average income, 35k
Average home cost, 500k
Average rent, $1,400-$1,800 for a 2 bedroom condo or town-home
Best housing option: Buy your home, real estate prices go up 10% a year on average. For example, a town-home that cost 145k ten years ago can now be worth over 400k. Mortgages are often much less than rental prices ... so buy property if you can.
Cost of living: HIGH! Food, gas and other items are way over the US average here. Better to do down valley to Glenwood Springs, or even further west for other items.
Days per year you can play DG snow free, 75% (but you can still play in the snow if you're prepared).
Other activities in the area: 5 ski areas within 30 min. 3 more outside 45 min. Fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking, climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, hang gliding/parasailing, kayaking, boating, more ...
Good schools for kids
Two excellent Hospitals, Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, and Aspen Valley Hospital in Aspen. Mid Valley Medical Center supported by AVH.
Low humidity.
High altitude, 6500 ft in Carbondale
Not in what I would call and "epic zone". Forest fires have the highest potential to destroy property or harm people in extreme drought years. Flash floods have little effect on disc golf or in communities.
CMC Glenwood Springs Community Collage branch
Low crime, very safe environment
Very eco-conscious community
Good water
4 long disc golf courses, 3 ski area courses, one mountain course,
2 push putt courses, one in Carbondale, the other in New Castle
3 hours to Denver to play other courses
1 hour to Grand Junction to play other courses
Playing tournaments that are not local includes the cost of travel, lodging (camping usually available), and TIME.
1 annual tournament that it is in it's 5th (?) year, the Colorado Open
1 new "annual" tournament starting this year, Snowmassive Open
1 annual tournament that for the first time in 20+ years will not be held this year, Kiss the Sky

Would I recommend Carbondale, CO to other professional disc golfers?
Sure, if you can make more money than the average income. If you can and are willing to travel to play tournaments. If your spouse is very supportive. If you can get time off from work to get to tournaments, or are a entrepreneur, or have other "creative income" skills. If you can afford to "buy" your home. If you like "other" sports that are very easily accessible in this area. If your a skier, mountain biker, fly fisherman, kayaker, climber. If you are very dedicated to the sport of disc golf.

I know it can take a little time to put together a response to this question, so we may not get many replies that are very informative ... but we'll see.

I might put together a form that people can just fill out to gather information ... but I've already spent an hour typing this! Sorry it it's a long read ... but I was bored this morning.

[DD]

Howdy John

I also lived near Boulder and San Diego...and can definitely say that they are NOT great spots for Disc Golf. Expensive, with relatively few nearby courses.

Two places that I would recommend and that others can comment on with more detail are Charlotte, NC and Austin, TX. Both areas feature top-quality courses within a relatively short drive and extended playing seasons.

Don't get me wrong, I love San Diego, but not for the disc golf courses. DD

[lefty tom]

Im going with Hunsville Alabama. laid back area, low crime, average annual temp of 72 degrees.
The down side is that it only has 4 courses, but 3 new c ourses are in the work. The reason why I nominated it because of its central location right on interstate 65. Nashville, Birmingham, Atlanta, Florence and mississippii. As a touring disc golfer it is heaven. We have every kind of course to practice on, and a short drive to any state. Lets face it, most of the national tours are in the east, as well as the usdgc.
The other reason is the unspoiled area. We are behind in Alabama in alot of ways but unspoiled beauty. We produce Dean Tannock, 2005 masters world champ.

[David Eilers]

BEautiful Tampa, Fl. We have about ten days of winter (high below 50) It has been 80 for the last week. Never ever going to snow, You get to throw a 1000 foot drive at sea level in 100% humidity due to the hurricane tailwind at 85 mph. The sexy time ratio is..........in a bikini, with a margarita. Crime is moderate, as with most places dont hang out in some areas. There are good jobs, the fishing is world class, the surf can be great, the urban sprwl however is disgusting but gives us many courses. Within an hour drive there are 22 courses off the top of my head, many are fantastic. The Fabulous Florida Tour is here and it means business. At everyone of the tourneys you are going to have to beat a top 20 in the world rankings to win. Ken Climo, John E McCray, Garret Gurthie, Greg Hossfeld, Alexsy Bubis and a host of others waiting to make you look pathetic while at the same time making your game better 365 days a year.
Down side would be august when your disc lands in the parking lot and starts to melt.

[Pop Arounleut]

Hi John,
This is a very interesting topic; however, this is also very subjective to some degree. If you take out all the factors concerned with the cost of living then you are left with, what I feel, what makes the disc golf "good" for you in that area--duration of the golf season, number and diversity of courses, proximity to major cities and tournaments, level of competitors, etc. As for myself, I have been in every state except AK, and there are many beautiful places that don't have discgolf. Take HI for example, no courses on Oahu--except an object course running thru campus. Furthermore, there is plenty to dp there but obviously, this would not be an ideal place for an up and coming or even a well established pro for that matter. This is very I may seem somewhat biased. I live in N. Augusta, SC--which is basically considered Augusta by all the locals. I think this place is great for disc golf--you can basically play year round if you are hard core enough to play when it does get "cold". We have 6 public courses, 2 nine holers, 1 private--with at least 3 different layouts, with at least 3 more course that are going to be installed "soon". All of these very diverse courses are within a 30 min drive from the downtown area. In addition to these great courses, we are very centrally located to other cities; less than 3 hrs from: Charlotte NC and Atlanta GA--which both have numerous courses. As for tournaments, we are having, I think ,16 sanctioned tournaments in Augusta this year!! So you don't really have to travel all that much. If you did, you don't have to go too far...
Now far the other things to do in the area. There is NO music scene here. Our central location makes it nice to go to the mountains (Asheville NC or N. GA), lake (Clarks Hill), or beach (Mrytle Beach and Charleston SC, Savannah GA). The cost of living here is very cheap. The average rental for a 2 BR house will run you about 800/month but you can buy a similar house for less than 150K. The median income for a household in the balance was $37,231, and the median income for a family was $45,372.
Well, I hope this is somewhat helpful. Other than these things, Augusta has also produced the the best Laotion disc golfer in the world (I only know of two--my brother and I)!!!

[ben taylor]

pop you also forgot that the idgc was only 30min away at wildwood park so if you every had problems with something you can get up there and talk to them

[MC]

Tulsa, Oklahoma is a great place for a professional disc golfer. The cost of living is low and we have the lowest "average" gas prices in the nation. We are centrally located so you can travel to either coast for around the same price. Regionally we have large DG cities within driving distance which hold large tournaments; Dallas Ft. Worth, St. Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Topeka KS, Little Rock and Ft. Smith Arkansas.

Not to mention we have 10 courses within 20 minutes of each other and another 5 within 30 minutes.