methods of paying

I am currently working with my city's commissioner in how we can use DG as a tool to revitalize our city's parks; and the person I'm working with would like to know of all the many different ways DG courses receive money, or in other words, pay to play? 

 

Besides the ol' method of a park employee sitting in a booth at the entrance charging disc golfers as they come in, what are some of the other methods you have seen out there?

[Greg D'OHogne]

I have seen a lock box placed next to the start of the course.  The box was within "eyeshot" of the main park office that had tinted windows, so you never knew if a park employee was watching you as you walked on the course.  It still was basically an "on your own honor" system.  If interested in doing more research on this, the White Birch Park DGC is maintained by the Hazelwood, MO Parks and Recreation Dept. in St. Louis, MO.  I am sure you could e-mail/call them and ask how well this system works.

[Dookville]

Our club uses one of the buildings at the park to store baskets in need of repair. We also use the parks John Deere golf cart to haul stuff around and to relocte pin positions for the course. In exchange, $2 from every sign-up fee for the weekly and monthly tournaments goes to the local parks and rec to help differ the costs to maintain the park. We average about 30 players a week for the weeklys, and about 50 players a month for the monthlys. On average we pay in about $220.00 a month to the city to help with the course.

 

We also have clean-up days and make ourselves available to the city crew when ever they need us. Sometimes a real difference can be made with man power put forth by a group of volunteers.

[Destraayer]

Thanks for the replies so far! These will help. Please keep em coming! 

 

I remember hearing something to do with 'bag tags.' Does anyone know about this?

[nick young]

     bag tags are a great way to raise money.  they essentially are a plastic tag with a number and a division (Am, pro womens, juniors).  the number signifies rank and the goal is to get the lowest number tag.  when to people play together and both have tags of the same division whoever shoots the lowest score get the lowest number tag.  my club purchases them from some comapany and charges ten dollars for a bag tag and money goes into the course improvment fund. 

     another good way to raise money is to have a 50/50 ctp at a league round at your course. charge a dollar to get in, pick a hole, and use a flag with a ziplock bag containing a peice of paper and a pencil.  when the first group goes through the person with the closest shot marks their disc with the flag and writes their name on the paper.  if anyone else on another group puts one closer they move the flag and sign thier name.  at the end of the round whoever made it closest to the pin gets half of the money the other half goes into the course improvement fund.  you can also do similar things with the same idea but a different requirement to get your name on the flag such as longest putt on a certain hole.

    for a bigger risk, bigger reward you could even try to sell club stamped or cfr discs.  fundraising can be easy good luck!

[Adam Sinkus]

Course sponsors is another way to get money as well.  If you get businesses to sponsor each hole it can help cover the cost to maintain the course.  It is important that you make the sponsors renew each year or every 2 years what ever you work out with them.  In return for hole sponsorship you promise them an advertisement on that sign.  If the sponsor does not return the next year you take thier ad off the sign.  It not only gives the course money but it also encourages community businesses to be involved with the parks as well.  You can even take this further with benches as well