How much water is too much?

[XC_Eddy]

With this type of water, in addition to a lost and found, you might want to stock up on mailing envelopes, and advertise that your entry fee includes 'disc insurance': you'll mail back every lost disc you find if folks will leave disc details and mailing info after the round. (Obviously you can't guarantee, but will try). Might even leave a 'go fund me' jar by the lost disc register for people to donate to the cost of this service.

This is a brilliant idea. I'd also advocate putting up a notice near the the beginning of the course encouraging players to return/turn in discs (especially ones with ink on them) rather than keeping them for themselves. No, you won't ever be able to stop everyone from disc diving and keeping whatever they find, but you may be able to foster an environment wherein this type of behavior is discouraged.

Also, you mentioned that your water is murky. Depending on the size of the ponds, I'd recommend introducing grass carp or something else that might keep the water a little clearer. If this is a pay to play course, you'll have some funds for maintenance, which on a course of this nature includes keeping the water clear-ish and helping people get their discs back. I've also heard of a course that had a stand up paddle board on the pond for people to use to retrieve their discs, which is something you could consider.

Funds from the entry fee could also be used for equipment to retrieve lost discs or to pay someone else to dive in there with scuba equipment and fish out discs. I know that there are some ball golf courses that pay divers to swim around and gather golf balls, which are later sold. You could return the ones with ink or description information and sell/donate/do something cool and useful with the rest. The bottom line is that if you're going to have a pay to play course near water, some of those funds should go towards making retrievability of discs as reasonable as possible.

Keep thinking creatively about this course! It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to build something special!

 

[DavidSauls]

Point being, I enjoy the challenge of water being in play, but there needs to be a decent sized flight and landing zone for players to have more options than throwing gentle 300 ft shots with a 15' max landing zone the whole flight with zero skip.

I specified well-designed O.B., and it's probably true that a poorly-designed water hole is really bad. It's tough when a shot that's trying to avoid the water, risks hitting a tree and kicking across the fairway into it.

 

[BrotherDave]

Has anyone ever tried using netting around water hazards? For instance you lay netting under water in trouble areas maybe spanning 15 or 20ft out from the bank, attaching it with a lift cable. Then at the end of the day use a truck or something to pull the net up... Probably more hassle than its worth but...

No but if I had a pond and private course I would. I would think it would get bogged down in the muck or tree limbs would mess it up but who knows?

 

[DavidSauls]

We have a pond rake---a triangle, about 3' sides, with spikes on one segment and a rope attached to the opposite corner. Toss it out, drag it back, it does a pretty good job of retrieving discs.

Easier and cheaper than a net would.

 

[Mike C]

>>beginner losing a disc
>>replacing a disc you've thrown for years

Pick one.

Because you aren't allowed to talk about different skill levels in the same paragraph.

 

[BuzzSharpe]

Probably going to be a bit redundant here, as I agree with much of what previous posters have written. Water hazard holes, even if they constitute a grand majority of holes on a layout, are generally a good thing, if designed well with a couple of basic principles in mind.
First and perhaps foremost is to avoid Russell Schwartz's long established design feature of placing baskets virtually in water, such as 6, 10, 11 and 14 on Creekside; #'s 13 and 14 at Lake's Edge; and new 3 and 9 at Northeast Park. Understandable in his case, as lost discs mean more potential revenue for his employer. Don't know what Carlton was thinking with holes 8, 10, 11, and especially 15 at Buckhorn. Baskets should be at least further away from disc disappearing water than established putting distance. I still prefer the old time distance of at least approximately forty feet, as opposed to the current thirty feet or so.
As for carry over holes, remember that 300' to 350' throws might be about overall average, that means that a lot of players (beginners, women, old timers) throw much shorter. As earlier suggested, a bail out option is optimal, whether a lay up landing zone (Buckhorn #17, 15 at Claystone Park), or a route around, like #3 (new #1?) at UNC. As with holes running alongside water, make sure that there is ample land on which to land beside the water.

 

[biscoe]

Don't know what Carlton was thinking with holes 8, 10, 11, and especially 15 at Buckhorn. Baskets should be at least further away from disc disappearing water than established putting distance. I still prefer the old time distance of at least approximately forty feet, as opposed to the current thirty feet or so.

I disagree. Hole 15 I will give you due mainly to the fact that you cannot actually see the water back there. Hole 8 on the other hand is possibly the best hole under 200 feet I have ever played. I have no objection to 10 or 11 either other than them being hell on a lefty if there is any wind.

Baskets should be away from water hazards sufficiently to be fair- that is all. A fair distance varies on an individual basis but is seldom if ever as much as 40 feet. You would hate Hawk Hollow.

 

[DavidSauls]

Baskets should be away from water hazards sufficiently to be fair- that is all. A fair distance varies on an individual basis but is seldom if ever as much as 40 feet. You would hate Hawk Hollow.

....and Stoney Hill. I spend more time than I'd like to admit drying off putters.

 

[DavidSauls]

But, hey, sometimes it's a matter of taste, not right-or-wrong. It's part of the blessing of disc golf having so much variety in courses.

 

[BrotherDave]

For all I care you can put a basket in the water as long as I can retrieve my disc easily and it doesn't encourage layups and hurt scoring separation. Disc eating water near a basket I'm not a big fan of but I don't mind it being within the circle if it's within good design, like encouraging players to approach from certain angles (i.e. a safe angle to get a dry par and a risk/reward angle of a birdie or drown).

Buzz is pretty conservative with baskets near water, he thinks any basket within 50' of water is a conspiracy to sell more discs.