Ideas to make discs safer

[kirvin2]

Drivers are deffinately dangerous, but the person throwing the disc is responsible for any damage that it may cause. Perhaps the best thing to do is educate the newbies as to the potential danger. A warning lable on all new discs, that tells of the potential danger and instruction not to throw towards people, would be a good idea for disc manufacturers to start doing. I'm actually surprised that we haven't heard of anyone sueing a disc company after being injured by one of thier products. A warning lable on new drivers just seems like common sense to me, to help protect disc companies from being sued. Also there should be warning signs on the courses advising the non-discing public of the fact that they are entering a disc golf course and to be cautious of flying discs.

Don't take away the advances that have been made in disc design. Educate the new players.

 

[dcha]

I hit a guy With a pro d buzzz from close to 300' away dead center in his spine. I yelled fore as loud as possible three times and he just stood there like an idiot. It made the worst sound ever, like when you pound a steak with a meat tendering hammer, but he was fine.

Years ago, like 13 or 14, when I was a noob I hit my uncle from 350 with a dx viper in the back of his head and he was fine.

Then he hit his brother from 400 with a wizard.

 

[Violets caddy]

Then he hit his brother from 400 with a wizard.

I don't throw a wizard
And my brother throws harder than me so I try not to hit him

 

[nate22]

you guys have it easy...our course is right in the middle of a heavily used park and NO ONE knows that it is a disc golf park. We deal with people just laying on the ground, picnicing, talking on their phones etc, right near baskets and middle of fairways.

No ones been hit yet, but the day will come, dunno how to avoid it. For one I think any public park needs to have signs at every formal entrance, thats a given!

 

[Jack Daniels]

you guys have it easy...our course is right in the middle of a heavily used park and NO ONE knows that it is a disc golf park. We deal with people just laying on the ground, picnicing, talking on their phones etc, right near baskets and middle of fairways.

No ones been hit yet, but the day will come, dunno how to avoid it. For one I think any public park needs to have signs at every formal entrance, thats a given!

I have a park like that. I think its funny how no matter how many times you yell 4!!!!! no one even looks.

 

[steve a]

you guys have it easy...our course is right in the middle of a heavily used park and NO ONE knows that it is a disc golf park. We deal with people just laying on the ground, picnicing, talking on their phones etc, right near baskets and middle of fairways.

No ones been hit yet, but the day will come, dunno how to avoid it. For one I think any public park needs to have signs at every formal entrance, thats a given!

You could try not throwing the disc when people are in the fairway...:doh:

 

[Lewis]

Then he hit his brother from 400 with a wizard.

Yeah. 400 decimeters.

 

[The Hammer]

If disc golf is too dangerous for you, then you are too much of a pussy to be doing anything even remotely atheletic. Stick to video games.

 

[Tee1]

If a tree can survive a lightning strike I'm pretty sure John Q. Chucker won't hurt it when he rips his Champ Ape into it.

 

[Dsplayname]

I've been hit in the side of the neck with a disc before. It hurt a bit, but no real physical damage. I've seen a friend take a drive to the head too, from about 20 feet off the pad. It looked like it hurt a lot, but no blood and he still continued the round.
I think the warning signs are probably the only real solution that would be feasible to implement. I've played a small 9 hole course on a college campus, and they had signs all around the walking paths and buildings warning pedestrians that people would be throwing discs, which may hit and hurt them. I liked that stance-that disc golf gets the right of way to everyone else.
There is also another park I've been too, and it is usually pretty overcrowded. During tournaments, they put out warning signs, but the rest of the time, I think there is only the one sign as you drive into the parking lot. The signs don't keep anyone from running all over the course though, and it's all wide open.

 

[Oklahyzer]

Wow...what a thread. Opti, glad you see signs as the solution, because other than thrower education, they're the only thing that can really add much safety really. Lighter discs won't do a thing if you still get hit by one, and since our "sharp" drivers are still more or less blunt, there isn't much difference in getting hit by a Katana or a classic Roc. They're still moving at speed and our skin and bones are still fragile...gonna hurt no matter how much it weighs. The difference between 180g and 125g is so small, especially when you consider the speed they're traveling, and if you consider that lighter discs can potentially travel faster when thrown with the same power.

Tree safety is probably just an unfortunate casualty of our sport...never seen a padded tree, but I guess if those folks take the time and also regularly adjust the straps so it doesn't dig into the tree as it grows, hey why not. Whoever mentioned that far more trees are harmed in the making of a new course compared to those that suffer from getting bashed by discs had a good point there.

I throw on two courses where pedestrians/runners/dogs dart in and out of the fairways. They aren't supposed to be there, but there are no signs indicating that it's a disc golf course, no trail direction (one way) signs, or anything else to let them know that it isn't just an area off of the paved path that they can run free in. Legally, I've always wondered why land owners/municipalities don't post signs on dg courses the way they do with archery courses...it's a pretty basic liability protection even if the landowner is more or less protected otherwise. I'm not a huge fan of signs-signs-everywhere-a-sign, but it does make sense to post them if people can inadvertently get hit.

The biggest thing is douches throwing unsafely, hands down, but we really can't do much about that except speak your mind when you see it happen.

 

[keltik]

I'm still laughing about the "tree issue". I grew up in eastern NC aka north hurricane parking lot. I don't care what anyone says about discs versus trees. Forces of nature do more damage than Forces of polyurethane. Has anyone here seen that show "Life After Humans"? Nature wins. To me a disc marred tree says "a lot of people have unsuccessfully attempted this line. Look elsewhere for your shot".

 

[zepphead33]

This thread blows my mind.

 

[Violets caddy]

I fully support the deforestation of America via premium plastic

 

[notroman]

This thread blows my mind.

Reading that line and looking at your avatar made me laugh.

 

[OcDiscGolf]

Tree Safety ZOMG. That is the funniest (and hippiest) thing I've ever heard.

PADDED TREE AHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[denny ritner]

I've been hit HARD in the head with a golf ball. It sucked. I threw myself at the ground every time I heard "fore" for months after that. I'd never argue for making golf balls "safer". It's all about safe course design and accepting a slight amount of risk when playing.

Having said that, families with little kids walking through a public park should NOT have to accept the risk that some careless disc golfer is going to slice their kid's face open with a Boss. Just one of the many examples of how our sport has outgrown its roots and we need exclusive-use, pay-per-play facilities.

 

[optidiscic]

Many of the dimensions of a pdga disc are made so out of safety. I see no reason why some more tweaking is a bad thing.

 

[Smcneil]

Im thinking of what discs of the past 10 yrs have done to trees and the potential for injury

So a few trees get hit what about the deforestation that is going on around the world. Donate to green peace and then you can sleep at night. I hear coca-cola is saving polar bears maybe you help out with that as well

 

[UFO51]

I think there needs to be more signage at multi-use parks. I play with some guys that get really pissed with people loitering on the course but i dont thinks its fair to. Also apparently no cooking signs as some Hispanic folks cooked some chickens in a basket at one of our local courses! (greenbriar for those of you in the dfw area). I remember the days when I didn't know what the baskets were at some parks...all those wasted yrs I could have been dialing in my game.