Blue Ribbon Pines - Setting a Precedent for the Future

Anybody that knows me, or has seen me posting on various disc golf forums on the net, knows that I am wholeheartedly in favor of pay-to-play courses. It’s an argument that I can delve into more drastically some other time, but for now, I just want to share an example of what pay-to-play can achieve. Chances are, if you have read any of the publications related to disc golf, you’ve probably seen at least one picture of the hole above–it’s shown up in ads and was featured on the cover of Disc Golf Magazine. It’s a great hole no doubt, but it’s only a taste of what Blue Ribbon Pines has in store.

Designed by Timmy Gill of Par 72 Disc Golf (and Disc Golf TV), Blue Ribbon Pines truly seems to set itself apart from other courses. Set on a sod farm in East Bethel, MN,about an hour north of the disc golf hot zone of Minneapolis, Gill and crew appear to have outdone themselves. Carving out tricky fairways through the trees, mowing the grass to near ball golf standards, encircling the greens with pavers and covering them with bark are but a few of the touches they’ve added here. They even dug out a pond to bring a water hazard into play!

Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to play this course yet (emphasis on the “yet” here), but I have played a good number of courses. Some of them have been great, some of them have been not so great. Even the best ones though, would be hard pressed to top Blue Ribbon Pines. It’s hard for me to say conclusively without seeing the course, but knowing that pictures usually don’t do a course justice, I can only imagine how these holes look in real life. I’m willing to bet that whatever your home course is, it looks shabby compared to what is seen here. All this is possible with a dedicated crew AND a steady source of income. I will always love the free courses in disc golf, but for a measly $5 for a day at Blue Ribbon, it appears you get far more than what you pay for.

Scroll down for a few more pictures of this outstanding course. All images on this page are just ones that I lifted from the course website. Feel free to browse some more for yourself at http://blueribbonpines.net/.