5 Ratings for non-cement tee pads?

[cpaquette]

I don't think a 5 disc rating should hinge upon the cement tee box. I have found that not all cement tee boxes are created equal! It does completely depend upon upkeep. For instance my home course is a sweet little 9 hole fun factory but is missing a cement tee on the first hole...does it take away from the course...No...some other tee boxes are cement, but cracking and are much more scary to tee off from. I've been to other courses with no cement boxes that were bad azz so it doesn't matter to me in the end. I care more about marking, playability and baskets myself. I've tee'd off from the side of a cement box they were so bad so whatever...

I agree with Ninja in that... concrete tee pads are not essential to having a nice course. Even though I do prefer them, any flat surface with clear markings as to where the tee pad is will suffice on a fair amount of holes.

My feelings are that some concrete tee pads are actually not done right, in that... there may be a 6" or more drop off the end of them which not only is dangerous, but really messes up your concentration as if you take a considerable approach, it messes with your head a little trying to focus on not falling off the tee pad opposed to a normal follow through on a level tee pad... Concrete or otherwise...

That's my 2 cents... Anyone else share a similar sentiment?

 

[discinator]

I agree. It's not necessary to have cement, it just seems that every course I have played that didn't have cement had horrible dirt tees with rocks jutting out and such. I really don't care what you make them out of as long as they are flat and nonslip. So I guess I should rephrase that I will lower my rating if the pads aren't nice and flat with no rocks or holes in them.

 

[DiscChainBasket18]

In our area we have the following tee pad types:
Dirt
Grass
Concrete with grass edge
Concrete with dirt edge
Artificial turf over crushed stone
Rubber
Some are elevated & some are sunk into the ground.
Some have a nice level edge so you can run up onto the pad & fully finish your rotation during follow through & others have a big step down edge (a couple feet, watch your step!). Still others butt up against a hard edge border so you can't follow through.
I guess I am pretty lucky to be able to throw from all different types of tee pads. If I had to choose only one it'd be a nice big, level-with-the-edge concrete pad. I personally would be hard pressed to give a 5-star rating without this feature.

 

[ERicJ]

Quikrete?

Anyone know how many bags of concrete it takes to make a "normal" or "average" sized concrete tee?

Found some info, but not the details I am looking for.

"You need about one cubic yard for each 12 foot by 6 foot by 4 foot tee pad. " I think they mean 4 inch.

ok so one cubic yard=27 cubic feet. One 80 pound bag on quickrete makes .60 cubic feet at 2 inches thick, so .30 at 4 inches thick. divided into 27 cubic feet means 90 bags of quikrete to make a 12 by 6 foot tee. At the cost of $3.55 each comes to $319.50 plus forms etc. times 18 holes $5751. I hope my math is horribly wrong.

Yeah never mind, cubic yards of concrete are much cheaper by the truckload. quikete would bankrupt you.

For the record, your math was off by about 2x. You can use the calculator on Quikrete's website:
http://www.quikrete.com/Calculator/Main.asp#concrete

A 12'x6' tee needs 41 bags, and 8'x4' tee needs 18 bags. But you're correct that the Quikrete price is prohibitive for an entire course.

ERic

 

[PA_Disc]

Actually you are both wrong.

-2" SLAB-
12'x6'x0.17'(2" in decimal feet)=12.24CuFt/0.6(CuFt in 80# bag)= 20.4(80# bags)

-4"SLAB-
12'x6'x0.33'(4" in decimal feet)=23.76CuFt/0.6(CuFt in 80# bag)= 39.6(80# bags)

 

[ERicJ]

Just going by what the Quikrete website says. Their spec sheet says a bag yields "approximately" 0.6 cu ft. So maybe their calculator takes that into account.

But whatever, my point was that even with mostly correct math the Quikrete route is still really expensive.

ERic

 

[PA_Disc]

Just going by what the Quikrete website says. Their spec sheet says a bag yields "approximately" 0.6 cu ft. So maybe their calculator takes that into account.

But whatever, my point was that even with mostly correct math the Quikrete route is still really expensive.

ERic

That's fine I was just illustrating the correct equation. Yes its expensive. Rubber mats are a far cheaper solution and much easier to install in sensitive or difficult to reach areas.

 

[mndiscg]

My home course is simple and small yet has my favorite tees. They are made of paving bricks which are even with the ground. They are as smooth as concrete, wont crack like concrete would and are even with the ground so falling off isnt an issue. The course is also heavily used so the area around the tees is packed dirt so if you have a long run up you can use the dirt behind the tee.

 

[The Valkyrie Kid]

I'm not even sure that concrete pads are ideal.
I can play two rounds on natural pads and have less knee soreness than one round on concrete. If you have good soil drainage (loam) and a maintenance program to match the traffic, natural pads are actually preferable for folks like me with bad knees.
I give 5's for course layout...pads,signs,bathrooms & water fountains are superfluous.

I agree with you that course layout is probably what many of us start out with as a base for our ratings but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree about signs and teepads. They are a very important part of any course and there's no way I'm giving a course a 5 without good signs and pads. Bathrooms and water fountains are a nice addition but not intregal to a 5 star rating.

In my most humble opinion, of course.

 

[The Valkyrie Kid]

My home course is simple and small yet has my favorite tees. They are made of paving bricks which are even with the ground. They are as smooth as concrete, wont crack like concrete would and are even with the ground so falling off isnt an issue. The course is also heavily used so the area around the tees is packed dirt so if you have a long run up you can use the dirt behind the tee.

I've played a couple of courses with paving bricks. They make a great tee pad. They're easy to repair, won't crack and you can install them on those hard to get to tee off areas. I'm not sure about the cost vs. concrete. I think they should be always be a consideration. I've preached to the choir about them before.

 

[DiscChainBasket18]

My home course is simple and small yet has my favorite tees. They are made of paving bricks which are even with the ground. They are as smooth as concrete, wont crack like concrete would and are even with the ground so falling off isnt an issue. The course is also heavily used so the area around the tees is packed dirt so if you have a long run up you can use the dirt behind the tee.

I love that idea! I bet it looks good too. Got any pics?

 

[The Valkyrie Kid]

I've played a couple of courses with paving bricks. They make a great tee pad. They're easy to repair, won't crack and you can install them on those hard to get to tee off areas. I'm not sure about the cost vs. concrete. I think they should be always be a consideration. I've preached to the choir about them before.

Sorry, I don't have any pics.

 

[dcarpent]

I think in some areas, specifically mountain courses, concrete tee pads just don't fit the setting. Someone also mentioned how difficult it would be to put concrete tee pads on a mountain course. I personally prefer concrete tee pads, but they would just seem out of place at 10,000 ft in the middle of the forest. I also think natural signs are better on mountain courses, logs or rocks seem more fitting. In Colorado I haven't played a single mountain course with concrete tee pads, some use rubber mats, but generally poor footing is the price you pay for playing in such a dramatic setting.