Is it worth the drive?

I have this theory and hopefully you all can help me prove it. How far are some of you willing to drive to play at a 'good' disc golf course (assume at least a 3.5 on the dgcoursereview)? My theory boils down to this:

These are max drive times to play 'good' courses

9 holes: 15-20 min drive

18 holes: 20-30 min drive

24 holes: 30-45 min drive

29 holes: 45min-1hr

... and so forth

Luck or deliberate choice may place you close to one of these 'high count' courses thus skewing what kind of drive is 'worth it' to you. I live only 1hr and 45mins from Mason County (72 holes). I haven't worked Highbridge's hole count into this theory yet, given it's a 10 hour drive for me.

 

[David Sauls]

In that case, my opinion is that 18 holes is vastly more attractive than 9 holes, but above 18 holes is only marginally more attractive.

It would come down to things like the overall population and population of disc golfers in the area around the course; and the number, quality, and crowdedness of other courses in the area. 

Much more complex than "how far are people willing to drive".

For example, I know a 4.2-rated course that's 30-45 minutes from population centers, and gets about 1% as much play as the 3.8-4.0 rated courses that are more conveniently located and cater to a wider range of players.

[Ghost]

LA area courses are very spread out.  By car, it's about 20-25 mins to my 3 local courses (Sylmar, Oak Grove and Chavez Ridge).  You're talking 40-45 for the next closest set and that depends highly on traffic.  La Mirada can get there in 50 mins in no traffic or 2.5-3hrs if it's jammed. 

 

My current situation is that it takes me about 1hr20 mins to get to Sylmar each way by bus.  There aren't real routes to the other courses, so I've basically only played the one course.  Fortunately, it's my fav in the area anyways.

[Ron Suir]

that sounds like my situation here in vegas...without all the 3 hours in traffic. I have no problem driving an hour to play simply because I love to play. there is, however, a 3 hole practice course in town I don't bother with because, well, it's 3 holes. someone in the local club even layed out a 9 hole round using just the 3 baskets.. still no.

[Steve West]

You'll want to look here.

 

A rule of thumb (based on some usage counts) is that an 18-hole course will have up to 10 times the activity of a 9-hole course, especially in areas where there are other courses to choose from. 

 

Note this can also be an argument for installing a 9-hole course (instead of nothing) if the city just wants to serve local residents.

[Destraayer]

Thanks for the link Steve! This only reaffirms how nice it is to be a disc golfer living in the Great Lakes region.

[Bruce Brakel]

Once a month I'll drive about 90 miles one way to play a good course. 4 or 5 times a year I'll drive 300 miles each way to play a mediocre course.  There's the who you're playing with factor, and the how much warmer is it that far south.  I'll drive 400 miles for 20 degrees! 

[Destraayer]

I'm kind of in the same boat. Frequent mini road trips and mediocre road trips once in a great while. My regular play consists of 10 min - 30 min drives. The 30 min drives are where the 'good' courses are and the 10 min drives are purely for practice.