A Player's Responsibility To The Course

[412Disc]

I say leave the course better than it was when you got there.

 

[scarpfish]

I've never felt obligated to pick up trash, but when I see that some chuckers have gone through the course throwing their 30 pack of whatever cheap suds Wal-Mart had on sale that week, cardboard case and all, I figure "if not me, then who?".

Now if I were to see any sort of situation that Leeway saw, that will have me getting on the horn to the parks department, if not the police ASAP.

 

[MacDaddy]

Amen brother!

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."

Wow! Did you hit the nail on the head! Count yourself as the 1% of disc golfers who really get it. Props to you brother! If you are ever down in the central Indiana area, give me a shout and we can play a round or two. :hfive:

 

[BionicRib]

Through my experience I tend to notice this type of neglect/vandalism in very secluded courses (or anything heavily wooded).....or in lower income cities (sad but true)......As far as our responsibility to the courses as players I would say just about every post on here has hit the nail on the head. I will add a bit to those who see this type of neglect/vandalism......Do your best to let the "riff raff" know that what they are doing is wrong, but be careful....don't get into shouting matches........if somebody is doing something illegal, just call the police. I caught some kids at a course drinking (which doesn't bother me)......but they started to break bottles on the baskets.......I layed into them pretty good......but because I was in a "bad area" I called the police......you never know what some of these young punks may be carrying on them these days. Let the police handle it so it doesn't get ugly.............If you make it known that their are consequences to be had for vandalizing a course then the word will get out, which will hopefully equal less vandalism............And if you happen to see someone littering the course pick it up and hand it back to them. If they get loud and stupid........Call the police.............People need to wise up and understand that they are getting to play a great sport, on a great piece of property for free!!!!!!!.......FREE!!!!!!!!!!................

DONT LET THE IDIOTS GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING......BUT BE SAFE ABOUT IT