Disc golf of golf courses: the future of disc golf? & Sequoyah State Park in Oklahoma

[kutz167]

One of the most enjoyable courses I have ever played was one that ran along a golf course. It was designed by Dana Vicich. The golf club let him set it up during the slow times so they could hopefully use disc golfers to help pay the bills. It wasn't an easy course, too. The way he set it up made for a lot of looooong holes, but they still required super accurate shot placement and line shaping in order to score well.

 

[mashnut]

One of the most enjoyable courses I have ever played was one that ran along a golf course. It was designed by Dana Vicich. The golf club let him set it up during the slow times so they could hopefully use disc golfers to help pay the bills. It wasn't an easy course, too. The way he set it up made for a lot of looooong holes, but they still required super accurate shot placement and line shaping in order to score well.

In order to be creative though, disc golfers can't use the course during busy golfing times. There has been at least one incident where because the disc golf course there at Pine Hills doesn't follow the same flow the golfers didn't know disc golfers were down over a blind hill and a disc golfer was hit with a golf ball.

 

[TylerM]

Sorry for the multiple posts but - I just looked at the pics: baskets made from old tires - really? Are the golf cups old soup cans? If I'm paying to play I want real baskets.

The re-tire baskets are very nice. They are real baskets. Play the Re-tire course in the Tulsa area to get a good feel for them if you ever get a chance.

 

[ru4por]

I have played Edgewood? outside Chicago and Sunnybrook here in Michigan. Both active swat golf courses with disc golf playing along side or even with the swatters. They were both a bit long and open, but a nice change of pace with amenities such as pull carts, power carts, on site bar and landscaped surroundings. With that said, in both places disc golf was a hard sell. Outside the chuckers who pony up the cash to play and act like jackenheimers, the swatters were very suspicious. Putting in a real effort to act in the capacity of public relations liason was vital. On course lessons, in way of allowing swatter to try a toss or two, explaining the game and paying close attention to the stricter ettiquite of swat golf. This can all be a bit tedious if not used to it, but well worth it, in my book.

 

[notroman]

In order to be creative though, disc golfers can't use the course during busy golfing times. There has been at least one incident where because the disc golf course there at Pine Hills doesn't follow the same flow the golfers didn't know disc golfers were down over a blind hill and a disc golfer was hit with a golf ball.

I think my hearing is finally back to 100% after that incident. Either that, or I'm used to the ringing in the left ear and I am now drowning it out

Disc golf on ball golf courses is fun when designed well. If you're just throwing down the ball golf fairways then it's just a hyzer fest and gets old quick. The best courses on ball golf courses I've played utilized the areas with trees just off the fairways.

Dana's design at Pine Hills is great because he didn't just follow the existing fairways. His holes go through the trees along fairways, across fairways, there is OB everywhere so even though there are no true wooded holes accuracy is a must. The course reminds me of your typical championship-caliber course where smart play will get you an easy par, but in order to get birdies you have to be more aggressive and you bring more danger into play. Very risk reward.

Treehouz just south of Branson, MO is a course that recently went in on top of an old 9 hole course that shut down a few years ago. A lot of the holes use the existing fairways and are super fun because of the elevation and water hazards. If it was flat land, they would be incredibly boring. As fun as they are, however, they don't really require much skill to navigate other than "throw this really far". The course briefly dips into the woods adjacent to the golf course and that is where I feel it has the most potential to become a great course.

Bad course example

Great course example

Fun course example

 

[mashnut]

Like I said above, if you get creative and don't follow the same layout you can make some really cool disc golf courses on golf land, but it definitely causes either safety issues and conflicts or makes it so the course is only available sporadically. Pine Hills is pretty much unavailable for disc golf all summer IIRC, but I would agree it's the best of the shared course designs I've played (out of at least a dozen).

 

[DavidSauls]

Reese Swinea (?) at Fly18 has been carrying on about this concept being the future of disc golf for as long as I can remember. I suspect, at most, is that it can be a small but interesting addition to the disc golf universe.

 

[Steve West]

In order to be creative though, disc golfers can't use the course during busy golfing times. There has been at least one incident where because the disc golf course there at Pine Hills doesn't follow the same flow the golfers didn't know disc golfers were down over a blind hill and a disc golfer was hit with a golf ball.

It's possible to be creative and follow the general flow of the golf course, without playing right down the length of every fairway.

With a careful design, golf and disc golf can be played at the same time on overlapping courses, if the golf course isn't real busy in the first place. (If it is busy with golfers, they don't need disc golf anyway.)

This requires the design discipline to give up some of the really cool holes for the sake of non-interference with golf, and the creativity to see holes other than the existing golf holes.

Whether the disc golf follows the flow of the golf course or not, disc golfers should not be popping out onto a fairway or playing where the golfers haven't watched the disc golfers get there.