Length between basket and next tee?

[greg_b_4]

I have proposed the idea of a course in my home town which would be the first course within an hour of me. They loved the idea but asked me to design the course. My only experience is that I've played over 60 courses so I have seen a lot of ideas. The course will be in a park consisting of a lake, a dozen shelters, lots of picnic areas, playgrounds, walking paths. I wanted to steer clear of these areas so my question is this.... what should the distance be between a basket and the next tee? I realize ideally that it would be very close but in this case what would be too much?

 

[sisyphus]

I'm pretty much a noob, never designed a course...but I do get a little quizzical when the walk from basket to the next tee is long enough to have put a decent hole in between. I'd say any walk of over 200 feet, and my arm wonders why it wasn't used there!

 

[Halcón]

I've never designed a course either. But I'd say as close as possible, keeping safety in mind. A course can't be great if it's not safe.

 

[greg_b_4]

exactly... i have already designed the preliminary design and submitted it to go before the county commissions. I do have some walks of over 200 ft but there is no way I can place a hole in the space for safety reasons. I know of one coursre in VA that I play that between holes 10 & 11 there is no less than a 400 yard walk. I just feel like I have too many "walks" between holes.

 

[Halcón]

IMO, 200 feet is not bad, assuming there aren't too many gaps of that size.

 

[Broken Shoulder]

"Next tee" signs/arrows would, in most cases, alleviate much of the concern around a long walk between holes. The walk never bothers me if I know where I'm going.

 

[hawk12]

With those kinds of obstacles, you are gonna have a tough time.... Look at the land in person "a LOT" and walk it over and over, some lanes/holes may present themselves. Go in places you have not walked, look around and see what is there, go back with fresh mind and eyes and do it again...
I do NOT design from a map, that works out horribly in many cases. Design from the ground, visualize flight plans, and avoid the areas you want to stay away from.
Think of the WORST possible throw, double it in the terible direction and that throw will happen. TO avoid trouble areas, pavilions, etc, for safety a longer walk is acceptable. Safety first, good holes second, and minimize walking distances next if you can... A cohesive layout is ideal, but not always nessesary to have a safe & fun course.
I just designed a new course that has a long walk to hole 1, a decent walk from 9 to 10, and a rather extended walk from 18 back to hole 1... Did our best, and its not ideal, but it is a fun course (baskets went in yesterday, and got lots of play today with no complaints on the walks). The obstacles are a childrens playground, parking lot, soccer field - so we HAD to stay away fro safety, and the holes are nice lanes, good fairways, and its a pretty good course all around - despite three walks over 600 ft.

 

[greg_b_4]

I did design by ground with lots of walking. My wooded holes are following an existing not very wide trail but at least the path from basket to tee is defined. I do have a map of the layout. Feel free to take a look and tell me what you think. On an overhead its hard to tell anything of elevation and hard to make out some of the shelters, playgrounds and paths. On the map I have an alt #17 because the gentleman on the park board said that tee area is very sentimental to another board member and no other place to really stick a tee.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Whatever you do, please do not make it in excess of a 1/4 mile like two of the stretches do at Andrews University. Actually, I am not sure how far it really is but I do know the walk is just absurd:

#13 to #14 is just plain silly as is #6 to #7. In that situation I don't think it's really the designers fault. I think they were just trying to work with the area that the college would let them use and that's the best possible situation.

 

[greg_b_4]

wow yeah I have nothing like that! That is borderline absurd lol. Only walks I'm concerned about is between #7 & #8 (around the road), #11 & #12 (again along the road), and # 17 & # 18 (along an asphalt walkway). I wanted my finishing hole to be closer to the parking area but didn't want to risk holes right on the edge of the lake as there is fishing off the bank and being a rec course the players will not be that good. Attached is an updated map with footage and par.

 

[Yank it Right]

Indeed you have to look at each proprty and customer concerns. The course in va you do walk beside a football field. This is why it is important for disc golf to be on master plans so we don't always have to work around existing features

 

[greg_b_4]

@yankitright.... so you've played randolph park? its about an hour from me, love the course but walks between 10 and 11 and between 12 and 13 are something else lol. This course I am proposing is in princeton wv, should come up and play it once installed. Also I stopped by and played mountain lakes new course, its pretty sweet and once the course breaks in it will be really fun

 

[DavidSauls]

.... what should the distance be between a basket and the next tee? I realize ideally that it would be very close but in this case what would be too much?

Be careful about "very close". I've seen courses where a tee shot on 1 hole can hit the people on the tee on the next hole. Or where discs crashing down near them can disturb them mid-motion.

Generally speaking, choose better holes over better transitions. Within reason, of course.

 

[greg_b_4]

yeah when i said very close i didnt mean it the way it sounded... as very close i meant more of just being visible from the basket

 

[stratedge]

11 to 12 looks pretty far, especially considering how short the subsequent hole is. Any way you can extend either hole into the space in between?

 

[greg_b_4]

It would need a major clean up job to extend 11 farther whereas where 11 is now is in an area already mowed by the park. 12 is also in a mowed area straight uphill, measures 130 but probably plays 200 or more with very good chances for roll backs.

 

[BuzzSharpe]

Hooray for Princeton!

I used to run a sales route through Princeton every few weeks about ten years ago. LOVE that town! It deserves a good golf course, like it sounds like you're trying to do, Greg. Concern for length of walks between baskets and next tees is a prime consideration in design. You have good instincts and you have been receiving some good input. Ungodly walks between holes was always the detriment of the otherwise highly acclaimed Rock Creek temporary tournament course at Cedarock Park.
Old time rule of thumb was no closer than putting distance and no further than the course's longest hole. Of course, now, 20/30 years later, putting distance has officially shrunk from 40 to 30 feet and longest holes have lengthened from the 300'+ range like #18 at Johnson Street, which I helped design and build 22 years ago, to the 1200'+ #8 at The Springwood Players' Course, which I just got in the ground last month. Separation between basket and next tee should never be a tediously long walk, unless it is necessitated by unplayable areas between holes, and that should not be allowed to occur more than once...maybe twice. If it is a common thread throughout your layout, you may want to think of somehow, perhaps, re-sequencing, redirecting, or resizing your holes. And as for the other end of the spectrum, you want the separation to be such that players ahead are not a visual distraction or safety concern to players behind.
And speaking of safety concerns...many folks overdramatize the possibility of a park patron utilizing another activity area being injured by a flying disc. In the history of the sport, it's only happened a handful of times, and I think that they were all in California. I have played many courses where holes are in relative close proximity to streets, walkways, ball fields and soccer pitches. The activities can coexist. It is largely up to us, as disc golfers to always put safety first and realize that a standard rule of the sport is that other park patrons have the right of way. Of course, if some non-golfer wanders onto the course, politely call out, "Heads Up!", or whatever.
Greg, a distance to which I beg you to be wary, since you have that nice lake around which to work, is the distance between basket and disc disappearing water. It should always be greater than putting distance. On your map, it looks like you've done that.
Anyway and regardless, congratulations and good luck!

 

[New013]

whatever you do make sure you get some play on it by yourself and others before you put the baskets and pads in permanently

 

[greg_b_4]

I have a couple of portables and have played the layout a handful of times so far, trying to get an idea of lines and marking trees that need cut. Seeing if moving the teepad slightly might give a funner angle. Making sure I can use a variety of throws per shot. I really like my layout a lot, just wanted input on the walks.

 

[greg_b_4]

@buzzsharpe... thanks for the wishes, if and when the course is built you will have to come give it a try, just be sure to holler so i can play with you