2 holes in 1?

[f'in draggin']

what do you think about splitting some 500-600' holes by adding an extra basket somewhere close to the middle? you can play it as 1 long or 2 short.

this is (currently) the only course in town and will be used by players of all levels.

 

[Bamm]

How many holes are there now?

 

[grodney]

what do you think about splitting some 500-600' holes by adding an extra basket somewhere close to the middle? you can play it as 1 long or 2 short.

I've considered the possibility of making an 18-hole rec course be a 9-hole "standard" course by skipping every-other basket. But not in the lengths you're talking about. I was thinking more like 140-220 for the 18 rec holes (assuming a fair amount of trees), and standard int/adv lengths on the 9 holes.

It would take special circumstances and good planning. And even then, I don't know if there'd be much interest in the 9-hole layout.

There are at least 2 ways to make 2 holes into 1. Let me see if I can rough up a drawing.

 

[JC17393]

what do you think about splitting some 500-600' holes by adding an extra basket somewhere close to the middle? you can play it as 1 long or 2 short.

this is (currently) the only course in town and will be used by players of all levels.

I've seen it done. A 9-hole course originally, baskets were added roughly halfway down on each fairway to get 18 holes. The 18-hole course was a real pitch-and-putt (longest hole wound up being ~200 feet, shortest ~80 feet) but the 9-hole course was still there and playable for those looking for some longer throws.

Another course nearby changed an 18-hole course to a 27-holer last spring by doing something similar on a bunch of holes. Basically cut up anything over 350 or so, even got three holes out of one. The 18-hole layout is still playable as well, though few actually bother with it any more. There were a few holdouts at first, but the 27-holer is actually more fun overall...and there's another 18-holes elsewhere on the property for the players looking for longer/tougher.

If you're going to do it, I'd recommend trying to find basket locations (and tee locations) that were slightly off the original fairways so that the new baskets don't all become obstacles to the original holes. Plus, you can stretch a few extra feet out of some of the holes, i.e. turning a 500 foot hole into two holes around 275 instead of 250/250. And of course, keep safety in mind as well. Be sure to space the new basket and new tee on each hole far enough that there's no interference.

 

[grodney]

Okay, so on the left, you combine 2 rec holes into 1 regular 1-shot hole. On the right, you combine 2 rec holes into a 2-shot hole (probably more what the OP was talking about). Of course it wouldn't have to be a dogleg 2-shot hole -- they could be more linear if that's what you have.

As always, keeping the regular holes in a "good" range of length would be a goal.

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

I'm doing something similar with the course I'm currently designing: http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78202

You'll see the gold layout combines 2 holes to make one longer one. So far the design has worked out that the combination holes use maybe 50% of the shorter holes' fairways, and 50% unique fairway. I am really enjoying how each of the holes are turning out. This layout option is really only available because I know I'm going to be the only one playing the alternate layouts, regular camp users may or may not use them depending on the situation.

The same would go for a public course, I realize you're not talking the exact double back kind of layout, but you still have multiple layouts on the same course. How busy is it and how often would people be trying to play the multiple layouts at the same time. Another option is the dual tee dual basket layout, each hole the effectively plays as 4 unique holes of varying length and difficulty.

 

[f'in draggin']

the course will have 18 holes. i'm thinking about splitting 3 of them, which would add 3 more. the 3 holes are ~520 - 630'. the lines are relatively straight and open, so safety should not be a problem.

yes, i would push the short baskets off a little to the side, and the sum of the 2 short lengths could be slightly greater than the 1. i don't know if that's necessary, tho, given the purpose for doing this.

oh, what is the purpose, you ask? you've got to walk the same path and the same distance regardless, so why not provide both options?

 

[Jimb]

As already mentioned, I think how busy the course is would make a big difference in this kind of design.

For example... If you have a group of slow/inexperienced players using the short/extra holes, it could cause a backup of faster/more experienced players behind them using the longer holes. The question is, will the two different types of groups play nicely together. Or will the experienced guys tee off anyway and run up on the slower groups, causing safety issues, too? Just some thoughts.

 

[mashnut]

I've seen it work really well in the small scale, the last couple holes at the Fun Farm in Indiana do that with a great long hole that combines the last two holes for a fun alternative. The Campgaw courses in NJ also do that for part of the layout, several of the black holes are combinations of green holes. It's a cool idea to offer different levels of play on the same course as long as it's marked well enough that it doesn't get confusing to players on either layout.

 

[f'in draggin']

here's the plan...

 

[f'in draggin']

2 last tries...
https://plus.google.com/photos/101686166351598334973/albums/5830001984306845361[/IM[URL="https://plus.google.com/photos/101686166351598334973/albums/5830001984306845361"]
https://plus.google.com/photos/101686166351598334973/albums/5830001984306845361[/URL]G]

 

[mashnut]

I fixed it for you on the last page.

 

[f'in draggin']

I fixed it for you on the last page.

thanks!

 

[scarpfish]

I see nothing wrong with a long hole having a short basket provided there is a designation showing such on the tee sign.

Grodney's idea of taking a long hole and splitting it into two shorter ones would also work in some applications. I would recommend the shorter holes be given add-on designations (i.e. call them 6A, and 6B while the entire long hole is just 6). I don't know if I'd want to see an entire course like that though. It might cause bottlenecking when you have an advanced group playing the long hole coming up on a rec group playing the two shorts.

 

[f'in draggin']

agreed. this only involves 3 holes. unfortunately, they are consecutive, but i don't anticipate enough 'traffic' to cause a problem. hopefully, i'm wrong about that!

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Okay, so on the left, you combine 2 rec holes into 1 regular 1-shot hole. On the right, you combine 2 rec holes into a 2-shot hole (probably more what the OP was talking about). Of course it wouldn't have to be a dogleg 2-shot hole -- they could be more linear if that's what you have.

As always, keeping the regular holes in a "good" range of length would be a goal.

IMHO:
Pros:
- It would provide more variety.
- Accommodate a wider range of skill levels.

Cons:
- It would certainly make the course at least a bit (if not a lot) more confusing to people who play the course once or twice.
- Could create safety issues, as each fairway is two fairways in one.

Other thoughts:
- This would work much better on relatively open courses (as opposed to woodsy courses).
- If this is the only course in the area, and modified to accomodate a wider range of skill levels, how can it not attract more activity? Likely to result waiting on the tee during peak hours.

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

Here's my most recent creation.

Hole C

Is a combination of

Hole 2 (plays from C tee to 2)

and

Hole 3

 

[Sadjo]

I just agreed to design and install a 9-hole course on private land. The guy that owns the property was a member of a rotary club where I did a talk on Disc Golf last summer. He says his son plays and he wants to suprise him when he comes home with the kids in the spring.

The design will have several of these tee options. The design will have a short 9 for the gentleman and his wife. Theyve never played but will once the course is installed. The other course will be much longer to give his son a challenge. His son is a regular player.

I'm looking forward to this challenge and will share pictures and design of some holes when done.

 

[mashnut]

IMHO:
Pros:
- It would provide more variety.
- Accommodate a wider range of skill levels.

Cons:
- It would certainly make the course at least a bit (if not a lot) more confusing to people who play the course once or twice.
- Could create safety issues, as each fairway is two fairways in one.

Other thoughts:
- This would work much better on relatively open courses (as opposed to woodsy courses).
- If this is the only course in the area, and modified to accomodate a wider range of skill levels, how can it not attract more activity? Likely to result waiting on the tee during peak hours.

I think it actually works really well on a wooded course. When there's a defined fairway it's easy to tell if people are out ahead of you. In an open area it's easier to lose track of what hole other groups are playing.

 

[f'in draggin']

"- If this is the only course in the area..."
i realize that i've unintentionally mislead you. this is, or will be, the only course in 'town', but there are quite a number of good courses in the 'area'.

we have a limited area, which is difficult and in some cases dangerous to work with, yet is part of a facility that hosts top-class soccer tournaments (and sometimes ultimate). the facility deserves a top-notch course. so...........why am i the one doing this?.......... actually, there are 2 of us, but still......