A Player's Responsibility To The Course

[LeewayeDiscGolf]

My son and I recently posted about #5's basket being stolen at CSU Pueblo, and finding the locks cut. Last night during our round on #4 at the same course, I picked up my disc and found more cut locks right by it. We checked out the basket and the locks were gone. Our concern was that whoever had stolen #5 had cut these locks as well with the intention of coming back for the basket. We tried to notify the college but it was late enough the offices were closed. The switchboard put us in touch with the sheriff's department, and they sent a patrol car out right away. Wasn't sure this warranted actual law enforcement but the sheriff assured us it did. Turns out he is friends with the college staff and immediately notified them. He then stayed for another 15 minutes and learned all about disc golf from us. Turns out he plays ball golf quite a bit and was actually really into learning about disc golf.
I also sent an email to the college notifying them about the cut locks and our concern that this could lead to a pulled course. There have been thefts here before and it takes some time for them to get replacement baskets. So far #5 is still a pole hole. I also let them know we very much appreciate the course and put our time in trimming trees, clearing tees, picking up trash, etc. We also offered to install the new baskets and locks, if the school can budget them in.

So my topic for this thread, after that lengthy intro, is this: What do you feel a player's responsibility should be towards the course when they come across a situation such as this? Have you been in this situation before and what did you do?

 

[silverbullet]

i have never been in that situation, and thats terrible someone is cutting your locks . however as a player i feel responsible to pick up as much trash as possible when im playing. in order to get more people into it we choose 2 mini's a month at a local course and hand out wal-mart sacks to pick up trash. person with the most trash takes home a free disc. none of the baskets have been stolen around here but we have a problem with one park..... the parks department hardly ever mows it and to make matters worse they have managed to hit 4 basekts! they still stand but are leaning now . what is dumb is that on one of these holes there is about a 30 circle of dirt all the way around it.....not a blade of grass in 30ft but these guys can manage to hit them :/ i just wish our parks department cared about the disc golf course .... they have mentioned to us that its because people just come out and drink and trash the place. so we try to do as much cleanup as possible

 

[MikePinchico]

If you play a course often and get to enjoy the benefits of the course then I find you have a moral obligation to help keep the course at or above the condition it is at. I have put in so many hours on and off the course to help out. How many others do I see doing the same? I'd say 5% or less.
My favorite course to play is Lava Creek DGC. It is a privately owned course that is open to the public. Why do I go and clear blackberry, build benches? Because of the joy of knowing others enjoy playing there and that I get way more satisfaction while I'm on the course.
Help out, I have a full time job and I still find time to help out.

 

[Todd Wiley]

I would of done the same thing. Players have a responsibility to maintain and police a dg course when vandalism and theft are possibilities. I have dealt with everything from baskets being yanked out of the ground using chains hooked to a truck to spray painted and smashed course signage. Picking up the pieces is not fun, but neither is watching your local course be destroyed or closed.

 

[MrFixIt]

You, sir or mdm, are the type of players that course directors love to have frequent their courses. Kudos to you!
If every player picked up 1 pc of trash and 1 stick/limb on every hole they played, imagine what uses that freed up maintenance time could go towards.

Yes, as a player, I feel obligated to pick up trash, participate in volunteer work days, and try to make a positive difference.

 

[bcr123psu]

You, sir or mdm, are the type of players that course directors love to have frequent their courses. Kudos to you!
If every player picked up 1 pc of trash and 1 stick/limb on every hole they played, imagine what uses that freed up maintenance time could go towards.

Yes, as a player, I feel obligated to pick up trash, participate in volunteer work days, and try to make a positive difference.

All of this ^^

 

[cmcolomb]

yea, for sure, great posts/sentiments here.. the golden rule applies to disc golf courses as well - treat it like you want it to be there for awhile!!

 

[JSurmann]

At minimum I would at least run to the local wally world and slap on a new lock. Then find the local club and get them the key the next day.

Kudos to you for calling the fuzz and making friends too.

 

[solomon.trenton]

i was at a local course and one of the baskets was tilted to the side. the cement block was totally jiggled out of the ground, and the basket could have been lifted right out. I called the course installer and told them only to find out it had happened the week before to another basket the week before. granted this course was new and put in a park frequented by gays and hobos (no one else) but it still sucked. over the next few weeks a couple more baskets were damaged but not beyond repair. the course hasnt had much more damage as other people can finally use it again

 

[DerekTonn]

If you play a course often and get to enjoy the benefits of the course then I find you have a moral obligation to help keep the course at or above the condition it is at. I have put in so many hours on and off the course to help out. How many others do I see doing the same? I'd say 5% or less.
My favorite course to play is Lava Creek DGC. It is a privately owned course that is open to the public. Why do I go and clear blackberry, build benches? Because of the joy of knowing others enjoy playing there and that I get way more satisfaction while I'm on the course.
Help out, I have a full time job and I still find time to help out.

This. Just think of how much better all our lives would be if everyone followed the simple rule of leaving things at least as good as you found them?! Not only DG courses, I mean anything! Some clean-up has to be done that isn't anyone's fault (i.e. storm damage). However, a VAST majority of time in maintaining a course, apart from mowing and general maintenance, comes from:

- cleaning up other people's ####

- designing holes/fairways/??? to be "extra" safe from people either not knowing what they are doing, not caring about other park/course users' safety, or being intoxicated and not thinking straight.

- taking steps to repair or protect from vandalism/theft.

I pour my heart and soul into our local course. I'm out there literally 4-5 afternoons/week, March to October, improving holes, picking up litter, whatever. I work into the evenings at my job so that I have daylight to be out on that course, making it the best 9-10 acres of "park space" it can possibly be. However, a big chunk of my work this year was devoted to placing huge boulders in areas to prevent people from parking on two of our fairways so they could go fishing (or drink, underage)...when a parking area with at LEAST 50-60 empty spaces is literally less than 100 feet away.

One of these groups of kids was parked out there one evening a couple years ago, and were carrying 12-packs of what looked like pop/soda with them down a hill. We went over during our round to politely ask them if they could move their car...so we could finish our round. But before we got within 200 feet of them, they dropped the "pop," hopped in their cars, and sped away. Turns out that they had cheap beer in those 12-pack containers...which we took with us after the round (litter, although one of our league guys I'm sure found a creative way of disposing of it - ha!). Within 24-36 hours, those kids (we assume) got their revenge by sheering off the welds on that hole's basket...with the basket part of the DISCatcher lying on the ground (pole and chains still in-tact).

So we re-designed the hole to make sure people can't park in the fairway anymore...and we also opened-up/brightened the area where they were boozing it up, so it wasn't possible to "hide" back there anymore (two clear sight-lines now for local patrol officers to keep tabs on the area). But I'll never get those 6-8 weeks of my life back that I spent hauling literally tons of rock, gravel, and trees into (and out of) that area of the course. Time I could have spent playing, earning more of an income, playing with my kids, whatever. Because of other people's selfish behavior.

That's what is so discouraging to me as a human being. That people can be so disrespectful of public and (other people's) private property. But considering how many millions of people probably came out of either broken homes, homes where Mom or Dad ignored them except when they were in trouble, or are drunk/high on a regular basis, I suppose either folks don't really think about it, or that's simply their way to get back at a world that they feel has kicked them in the teeth.

It's okay to be angry/unhappy! Just don't "pay it forward."

 

[pchitti]

i was at a local course and one of the baskets was tilted to the side. the cement block was totally jiggled out of the ground, and the basket could have been lifted right out. I called the course installer and told them only to find out it had happened the week before to another basket the week before. granted this course was new and put in a park frequented by gays and hobos (no one else) but it still sucked. over the next few weeks a couple more baskets were damaged but not beyond repair. the course hasnt had much more damage as other people can finally use it again

We had a basket pulled out of the ground a semi closed course recently. They dragged it about 15 feet and left it. Seems the 4 bags of crete kinda deterred them... lol Also helps prevent the random accidental leaners. I think a 4'x4' + of rebar should be used at the bottom or middle of the crete to really make them stout installations.

 

[bazillion]

This is a five-star thread and should be stickied and links to it circulated everywhere in the DG community.

("Aw c'mon, baz, tell us how you really feel!")

No kidding. It's like people go out to the course and think they're entitled to have a course there for them with no effort or contribution on their part. Or if they *really* like it, that it's somehow OK for them to "liberate" a basket or two for their own personal use.

DG courses are a resource for the world. They provide life-enhancements for DGers and non-DGers alike and should, as a matter of individual personal policy, be protected and improved at every opportunity.

</rant>

 

[lavon_andy]

Fortunately for me, the local course to me are both in nice neighborhoods so our only issue is a little bit of litter.

We have had problems with drunk teenage rednecks attempting to steal one basket though. Would be nice if we installed some large rocks to prevent this.

 

[Sean Johnson]

Cudos to you! I can't believe i'm saying this....but kudos to the cop as well for being understanding and going the extra mile. My PD just issued a statement that due to budget cuts, only 5% of property crimes will even be investigated. This includes home burglaries and the like! Round here cops are good at just two things: gathering revenue through endless traffic tickets and unchecked police brutality and murder.

 

[FredVegasDGC]

I help as much as I can. Pick up trash and stuff. As far as the cut locks and missing baskets.

If that was happening around here I would have notified the cops but would replace the lock and hidden a digital wild life camera pointing at the basket and try to find out who was behind the thefts.

 

[Danger]

Or if they *really* like it, that it's somehow OK for them to "liberate" a basket or two for their own personal use.

Smells like Whittier.

 

[Sadjo]

I think everyone in an active club has a role to fill. For a long time I would always volunteer on club work days and would carry trash bags every couple of rounds and pick up litter. I still show up to a work day maybe once a year out of respect to the club. I won't carry the trash bag and I only pick up cans and bottles.

My role now is the liason to the city/county councils and park directors. I get on the agenda a couple times a year to update them about the course and what's going on in the general area of Disc Golf. Doing that over the past four years has helped our club realize over $10k in grants and sponsorships from one city council and has help get two other courses installed in our community.

Anytime you see someone on the city council or with the park and rec department take a moment and thank them for all the do for disc golf community (even if they do very little) that will help pave the way for assistance down the road. It gives them a good reputation to live up to.

 

[MrFixIt]

^^^^
Sadjo, it sounds like you have taken the next rung on the ladder! I'm sure that the local players in your area appreciate what you do (at least I hope they do!)
It's also important to note that many players who frequent a course may not necessarily live in the city/county where the course is located, therefore, support of the local businesses (gas stations,restaraunts, etc.) is also a way to "give back".

 

[Paulie]

Three cheers! :hfive:

Today's litter haul was 5 plastic bottles, a glass bottle, 2 smashed drink cans, 2 hamburger wrappers, a piece of plastic tarp and an empty can of fix-a-flat. All picked up while walking where I was walking anyway. Didn't have to go out of my way at all.

We really should keep talking about this. It's getting the word out. Maybe it'll start a trend and picking up litter will be the cool thing to do. Maybe some folks don't because they don't want to be seen as un-cool for picking up trash like they're on court ordered community service. We do it, people see it, people do it. They may even stop littering to begin with. At least enough of them to make a difference. And if not, each piece we pick up is a piece picked up.

 

[Chiefstang]

After nearly getting into multiple fights over people littering in New York's "carry in-carry out" parks, it's kinda nice playing the Colorado courses with trash cans at every tee.

I would see someone litter, ask them nicely to pick it up, I would argue, we would yell, and the rest of my round would be ruined.

Though I always carry out my trash and pick up other's, as a whole I think carry in-carry out is a complete failure. Sad, but true.