Pay-to-Play course in Louisville

**J_VanOver** · 10-23-2008, 10:30 AM

I would like to talk about this in our next meeting. Is there any opinions on finding some private land and creating a pay-to-play course instead of waiting on the parks department to be generous with their land? There is a couple of articles in the in the latest FDM about pay-to-play courses that have been around for a while in Cali. Why not here? The money collected for the pay-to-play would pay for the land owner for leasing land and mowing.

The big pipedream would be a proshop onsite to sell discs that we can't get anywhere close to Louisville. DLG could be the Innova supplier so that is half the discs already and if he gets out of running his shop there will not even be a good spot to buy Innova unless you go to see Eddie. Proshop would have many benefits and could be the size of a 20X20 ft shed, if that big, so very little maintenance and cost. % of each disc goes to course maintenance, % of each disc goes to pay person running proshop, % of each disc goes to land owner, % of each disc goes to purchase more disc, etc.

Of course this model (if you want to even call it that) could also be used at a public course to as a way to convince the city to build more courses. $1 or $2 to play all day is doable on a better than average course. $5 on a GREAT course is acceptable to me.

I feeling a little optomistic today I guess.

**Russ** · 10-24-2008, 08:47 AM

I'd pay up to $25......
I already pay $20 @ English and have no problem whatsoever with that. You see I play Ball golf also and it is upwards of $20 to play at any course. Than you add $30-50 in Golf Balls(cause I lose 50 or 60 in a round), $10- 15 spent on food at the clubhouse and you've got yourself an $80-100 day. I have even walked courses which means that you only pay the $8-10 green fee, but after you buy balls it still costs a ton. So I for one have no problem with Pay to play.
Take San Diego for example, every course in that city is pay to play and they have tons of disc golfers. Most courses are $2-3 to play with there better courses costing $5-7. No one gripes about that and they have some really top notch courses.

**Adam** · 10-24-2008, 09:24 AM

At a course I play up north, they ask you pay $2 to play for the day or something like $20 for the season. Instead of employing someone to take the money, they have a small metal drop box by hole 1 and their bulletin board. There are tiny envelopes inside the box protected from the elements. You put the money in the envelope, tear off a perforated tab from the envelope that's numbered to prove you paid, and slide it in a small slit in the metal box. It more like a cylinder than a box, it's about 4 in wide x 6 in deep x 5 ft tall. It's on the honor system as I've never seen anyone checking if you have your "receipt" from the envelope, but it seems like a good way to raise money. Just something to think about.

**J_VanOver** · 10-24-2008, 09:32 AM

I like that idea. Another benefit is that you wouldn't have to worry about paying someone to be there all the time in the proshop to take money. I'm curious if they have had theft issues with someone taking the box.

If it was on private land, then the land owner could be responsible for picking up the money in the drop box you described. We are just "renting" the land and could even give a cut out of the proshop to the land owner.

I'm taking notes to build a proposal.

I need to talk to Dave and see how much land is needed for a championship course. And then start looking around the outskirts of Louisville.

**Adam** · 10-24-2008, 10:51 AM

It's pretty thick metal that I'm guessing was concreted in the ground as it seemed very immovable.

Don't forget to look in Southern Indiana, there's plenty of land over here too

**Russ** · 10-24-2008, 11:40 AM

Jason, get with me when you get an opportunity. I would still like to go out to Wiessinger in Shelbyville. It is about 15 miles down I-64, right off the ramp. Very Beautiful ball golf course that is privately owned and operated. Also you could go talk to Penn Run golf course off of Mt.Washington Rd. out beside the Wal-mart in hillview. Or even Maplehurst golf course that is in Hillview by the rock quarry.

**Hamilton** · 10-24-2008, 03:19 PM

i'd be all over a course in shelbyville...about 10 minutes from me...

**Adam** · 10-24-2008, 03:32 PM

They're supposed to be installing a course at Lake Shelby, however don't know the status of the project.

**Kao** · 10-25-2008, 03:53 PM

I havn't got the chance to play at a pay to play disc golf course yet. I have been reading about both English and The Fun Farm lately. I do plan on hitting both of these courses up sometime in the future. If we had a nice pay to play course a little closer to home I would be cool spending cash to play. If I liked it alot I would consider getting a season pass if that option was available. A pro shop with multiple vendors would be a huge plus since there are not many around.

**noLowPuttsDave** · 10-25-2008, 09:53 PM

back home in Kingsport there is a guy that owns a 19 hole pay to play course, it's 3 bucks a round or 5 dollars all day, and a great course also, he does all maintenance and all the money collected goes straight to the course (mowing, upkeepk, etc.) he also has a pro shop in his basement with thousands of discs from innova to discraft to dga and gateway. That would be great for louisville to have.