Is it cool to cut down saplings?

[nitegolfer]

Good discussion. Not cool. It happened, maybe a good learning experience for the future.

I hope these "saplings" were not Dogwoods because, from what I can remember living there for a little while, it is illegal to cut those down in the state of VA. They take that serious. And, that is an example of a good reason not to make cuts on courses without permission or notification.

Now, if the OP came here and said ,"I played a round of golf with some guys and they had permission to make some minor cuts on a temp hole" then the reactions would have been the complete opposite.

Courses that are heavily wooded are constant maintenance projects. The more people involved the better but there still needs to be a central person to oversee changes so their are no surprises. Surprises like this take up people's time in trying to figure out what just happened.

If this guy travels around with a bow saw then maybe try to get in touch with the maintainers of the course and ask when the next work day is going to happen. Sometimes people want to help but don't know the best way to do so.

The PDGA takes this seriously. A Pro player made a small cut (one little tiny branch) a day before a tournament and was DQed and suspended from PDGA play for a year or so.

 

[mrjohnahawley]

Wow! It does sound serious. As for the trees in question, they were pines in a thicket of about a hundred. I would say they were no more than a year old. Maybe 2 inches in diameter. Doesnt make a difference I know, I am just stating what and where they were. Thanks for the input people. I have already administered a stern reprimand to the offender. And rest assured that if I see this happen again I now know how to react.

 

[mr.smOOOth]

GOOD GOD! I asked the question because I felt bad about what I saw, I did not agree with it, condone it, or support it. People generally ask questions to learn. Therefore, my goal was to poll the disc golf community as to whether it was cool or un-cool. If this is the wrong approach please tell me and I will continue to be ignorant. As for mr. smoooth, being a douche for witnessing this act? Are you serious? Should I file a police report? Call parks and rec. and have him permanently banned? Do you want proof so that I can have my "douche" status removed? I think you need to refrain from replying to posts, since you only having insulting remarks to make.

All it takes is a, "Hey, pal, I don't think you should cut down those trees." I am not saying you have to call the cops, just say something to the guy.
I know how much work I put into my home course and I make sure to treat ALL the courses I play with the same respect I give my own.

 

[mrjohnahawley]

10-4. I already handled it. Thanks.

 

[prerube]

 

[mrjohnahawley]

lol!

 

[gottafixit]

glad i fall into that category

Absolutely not. Unless they are the course designer/pro. If it had been tourney play it would have been an immediate DQ. They possibly would have looked into some kind of suspension as well. They don't take that very lightly. As DG'ers we try to be as eco friendly as possible after some obvious initial course development.

I guess i'm one of the lucky ones that gets to cut down what every they see fit being as i'm the course designer. sucks for the rest of you guys. ha ha ha.

All kidding aside, It is hard to decide what stays and goes in woods holes, and how I feel about how defined they should be isn't how others feel. Prime example are two holes on my course in which someone with out my go ahead cut numerous trees and saplings down on multiple holes, one hole I had to redesign the short tee to refleck the new fairway they opened up, and another doubled the existing fairway causing a safety issue as the trees were guarding a route to a gazebo. So everyone while your out there, respect the park and the plants, someone put alot of time and energy into that hole design. If you don't like the shape of the park get involved and find out from the designer or the course maintenance group how you can help and suggest to them the changes you would like to see. If you can't live with that then stop screwing up someone else's course and start your own and screw that one up.

 

[biscoe]

I guess i'm one of the lucky ones that gets to cut down what every they see fit being as i'm the course designer. sucks for the rest of you guys. ha ha ha.

All kidding aside, It is hard to decide what stays and goes in woods holes, and how I feel about how defined they should be isn't how others feel. Prime example are two holes on my course in which someone with out my go ahead cut numerous trees and saplings down on multiple holes, one hole I had to redesign the short tee to refleck the new fairway they opened up, and another doubled the existing fairway causing a safety issue as the trees were guarding a route to a gazebo. So everyone while your out there, respect the park and the plants, someone put alot of time and energy into that hole design. If you don't like the shape of the park get involved and find out from the designer or the course maintenance group how you can help and suggest to them the changes you would like to see. If you can't live with that then stop screwing up someone else's course and start your own and screw that one up.

well said daniel.

btw work has actually begun on the 9 holer in louisa, should be ready for play before christmas. all wooded rec course but any course is better than none. i'll be cutting down a few hundred saplings this weekend hopefully.

 

[m_jank]

I don't think you guys respect wood.

 

[I3ooI3oo]

As a tree loving Hippie I have to chime in here. First off WTF is up with someone carrying a camp saw with them? I have never even heard of it before. As many people have already stated removing anything that is in front of your lie is against the rules. This includes moving a palmfron that is right in your way. I have seen people bend them over and stand on the edge to get a clear shot. I remind every one that I play with that it is against the rules and they would get a penalty for there actions in a tournament.

Beside the obvious rule violation that occured at most of my local courses it is illegal as they are in city parks. Tuskawilla is actually a forest preserve so it is a double no no.

I play often with Greg Hosfeld who designed the course we play night golf at last night. Even when we are playing a round a find a tree that has fallen or been pulled in to the way it is not removed until after the round is completed. No trees should ever be remove during play. It make the game different for those that haven't play that hole yet.

 

[mrjohnahawley]

No trees will be harmed in the making of my next game. Hell, I wont even hit em with my plastic!.....Yeah right!

 

[gottafixit]

they keep popping up

well said daniel.

btw work has actually begun on the 9 holer in louisa, should be ready for play before christmas. all wooded rec course but any course is better than none. i'll be cutting down a few hundred saplings this weekend hopefully.

I was thinking of PM you to check on that. I almost got them all once again the naval weapons depot was all I had on the list and then a new one in hanover and one in pembroke(near blacksburg) popped up. I'll be glad to add it to the list, but sadly I don't think i'll be completing VA any time soon as I don't have a reason to go to pembroke. Really want to be at timber ridge this weekend but it's to close to the holiday and to much back and forth driving from DC to va Beach is all ready on the schedge. I'll try for the next TRO and will make the extra trek to pick up pembroke then.

 

[FernValleyDGC]

I love trees but some need to go. I try to pick the better and more healthy trees to keep. That way I can change things in the future if needed.
Example: we had a nasty ice storm earlier this year in western Ky. I had alot of big trees snap in half from the ice weight. Now I need to use some of the saplings that I didn't kill.

 

[Omega SuperSloth]

i gotta wonder about a guy who carries a bow saw with while disc golfing.

thats what i was thinking.:clap:

ive been doing grounds keeping for over ten years so i know how and what should be removed or trimmed but i would never take it on myself to do any un-authorized work.
If everyone trimmed up to what they thought was an ideal fairway it would be a disaster.

 

[harr0140]

thats what i was thinking.:clap:

ive been doing grounds keeping for over ten years so i know how and what should be removed or trimmed but i would never take it on myself to do any un-authorized work.
If everyone trimmed up to what they thought was an ideal fairway it would be a disaster.

I kindof feel like there should be a board of directors for each course . . . or I suppose at the minimum every cours eneeds a course pro to head up maintenance and construction. Even if they know nothing about how to do it, one person needs to be the contact, but more opinions would be better. It might be hard to get an idea passed but at least it would be a wider range of opinions! I am also a landscaper so I understand proper pruning and I have rarely ever seen proper pruning, even if it is on buckthorn it should be proper or it will continue to keep shooting out more and more shoots making maintenance harder every year! DON'T EVER SHEER BUCKTHORN!!!!!!

 

[djjeremiahj]

not cool...

if he were patient, the natural force of 100 discs flying into it would have done the same.(when it got tall enough) But instead of cutting it down, the discs would have forced the saplings into becoming bushes.

This would be an organic evolution and not a forced man made one.

 

[CaptainAnhyzer]

i gotta wonder about a guy who carries a bow saw with while disc golfing.

Second this........ i carry a small pair of clippers with me but only use them when i see a branch that's already been mangled my someone.
J-Park is also still in the fine-tune stage of re-design/expansion so those "eye-pokers" get clipped whenever we see them.

 

[Peterb]

There are some trees on the golden gate park course that actually need trimming. The lower branches of these young oaks used to be a decent hazard if you went too far past the pin, but they've since become dilapidated and need to get pruned for the health of the tree

 

[Donald Smith]

You think cutting down trees is bad. What about people that decide to plant trees to beautify a park and they plant THREE trees in the middle of the fairway on a DG course???? Kirksville, MO, 9th hole has had this happen to it.

Donald

 

[cblack129]

You think cutting down trees is bad. What about people that decide to plant trees to beautify a park and they plant THREE trees in the middle of the fairway on a DG course???? Kirksville, MO, 9th hole has had this happen to it.

Donald

just makes the course more challenging. dont' let some trees ruin your day. throw right around them.