'non golfer' course etiquette

[Tripper]

I see this type of attitude plenty, not just in parks or on the course. People seem to take it as a personal insult if you inform them of something they just maybe could have done differently, even to protect themselves or others from harm. If something bad happens, it's got to be the other person's fault. Are egos so fragile now?

Player: People throw hard plastic here, you might consider moving for your own safety.
Park Visitor: They'd better not!

Player 1: You might not want to tee off. There are people in the fairway.
Player 2: Then they'd better move. <tees off> Fore!

Oddly enough, a similar incident happened just yesterday at Zebulon DGC. Playing up hole 11 my group encountered 3 youngsters (probably 13 or so). One of the group mentioned to them that they were walking in a golf fairway and it could be dangerous. To which they replied "well it's a park too". My buddy agreed and explained he was just trying to keep them from getting hurt. Their reply? "we live here". Not sure what that has to do with anything but we all just shook our heads.
Like many kids (mine included) these days, they think they already know everything and they definitely don't want some old guys trying to tell them anything even if it is for their benefit. Oh well:wall:

 

[Keller]

The courses I play most frequently are in shared parks. Sure, people get in the way sometimes. No big deal, as they have just as much right be in the park as I do. I just give folks a heads up that they are in the way and I don't want to hit them by accident. No reason to over-complicate things. The people I've run into always move without issue, and most thank me for the heads up. Honestly, I have experienced way more issues with other disc golfers being stupid/rude/oblivious than people using the park for walking, running, etc.

This is my experience as well.

Have had some nice interactions with non-disc golfers, they have always been curious how the game is played, wanted to see the discs and now they know what those weird looking grills with the chains are for.

LARPERS however are the worst and most clueless followed closely by the Pokemon dweebs.

I've been far more embarrassed by fellow disc golfers with huge egos thinking there $15 discs give them all the rights in the world. I once played with a guy that was yelling at an old woman with a cane (walking her dog), That disc costs $20 and you're going to pay for it if your dog bites it! He just couldn't wait that two minutes for her to clear our path.
I declined all invitations to play with him again after that, and a few other instances.

I was so humiliated. I've talked to this woman many times, she has been more than patient and always waits for us to pass, or we wait for her to pass, and her dog has never chewed, or bitten a disc, although he has on occasion picked them up and walked off with them.

 

[filobedo]

I'm fairly new to disc golf and wanted to get the opinion of some other players. This morning I was playing on my local course, which is an extremely tight wooded course . It doesn't appear to be very popular, as the past month that have been playing it (every weekend) I haven't seen anybody else on the course. This morning, however, there were a few people out... the only thing is that they weren't playing disc golf. They were instead walking or running on the course in the opposite direction . Luckily I was in between shots when I encountered each person, but I wasn't sure if I was out of line to tell people that they shouldn't be running/walking on the course? I've got to imagine that a disc to the head could do some damage. I decided not to say anything as I was playing alone and wasn't in a rush. A few people stopped to ask how my round was going and were very polite.

What is the protocol here? The course is in a park that has a lot of running trails and paved bike paths. Is it common for people to use a disc golf courses for running and walking??

You mean taxpayers? Try to find private courses to play as they are usually non crowded and better designs with par 4s and par 5s. Dependent on where you live or willing to relocate, you can also buy inexpensive wooded or open land in inland SC and NC to set up a much better course most likely.

 

[JeremyKShort]

I played a course yesterday that had benches placed within 20' of baskets on a couple of holes. These were nice shady spots along a walking path so were good places for a bench, but were also prime basket locations.

This was a multi-use park with walking paths, etc., and it did have the "Flying Discs" signs up. But having benches in close proximity to baskets has got to be confusing to park users...

We've got a course here that has a bench right by a basket. When a person sees a bench in a park, they assume it's a safe place to sit. I mean, they put the bench there. You're supposed to sit on benches. You don't even think twice about sitting on it. You can't really get mad for them sitting there.
I try to tell them to look out. One of us will stand down there and watch with them. Most of them are slightly amused by it, no ones ever gotten mad.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

We've got a course here that has a bench right by a basket. When a person sees a bench in a park, they assume it's a safe place to sit. I mean, they put the bench there. You're supposed to sit on benches. You don't even think twice about sitting on it. You can't really get mad for them sitting there.

People sitting on park benches isn't a problem... just one of the many things parks are intended for.

The problem is either:
1) Where the designers decided to put the tee/fairway/basket (if the bench was already there).
2) Where the park decided to put the bench (if the course was already there).

Clubs/designers could always ask/offer to move the bench to a safe location, where people still have a nice view of whatever it is the bench was facing, and perhaps even watch DG being played... safely.

 

[JeremyKShort]

People sitting on park benches isn't a problem... just one of the many things parks are intended for.

The problem is either:
1) Where the designers decided to put the tee/fairway/basket (if the bench was already there).
2) Where the park decided to put the bench (if the course was already there).

Clubs/designers could always ask/offer to move the bench to a safe location, where people still have a nice view of whatever it is the bench was facing, and perhaps even watch DG being played... safely.

In this case it was 1. The course was put in by a casual player who had connections with the city. He's not around on the disc golf scene anymore. A club has formed in the mean time, using that course, as well as another one nearby. We don't have the pull with the city so they unfortunately don't listen to us about anything. The best we can do is make sure our club members are careful on that hole and respectful to people when warning them about throwers. We've brought a bunch of new players in, so they're learning rules and etiquette from us, so we're able to emphasize sharing the park. So that helps.

 

[John M. Fretz]

Discs don't hurt people, idiots with discs hurt people.

 

[mostlynorwegian]

I have backed off pursuing getting a course installed at a park because after observing how it is used on the weekends when people would want to bang chains on it, and residents of the area would be using the rest, and sprawling over into a lot of the open space of the park. I could definitely see some fights happening because both people happen to believe they are right to be doing what they are doing. Getting introduced to the sport by a distance driver skipping or dropping into your personal space from a couple hundred feet away is not exactly the best ambassador for it.
At my local park I frolf at. I'm constantly working a firm, but polite angle. Mostly with dog people because dogs happen to like to pick up things that people throw.

 

[mmueller]

'non golfer' grounds keepers

Redtail has better non golfers then others mentioned here, (about 50 or so) and they do a fair bit of grounds keeping. They sometimes leave a mark but it dries fast in this climate so you know you are having real bad luck when your disc lands in a fresh one. They never complain when they get hit by a disc or when asked to move out of the way. I haven't yet figured out why they are so fond of the deck tee pads and baskets but that's where they hang out when they are on break. Maybe they see golf as more of a mental game, like I do. The young ones like to knock everything over and play with discs and everything else they come across.

 

[joegraham]

You could nicely ask them to mooooooooove!

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Red tail review -
Pros: hitting non-discers helps tenderize meat.
Cons: Possible Ace runs can be halted mid-flight by bovine interference.