Just read a little bit about Pine Valley Golf Course in NJ. They mentioned that it is the perfect example of Penal Design. Penal being a course that penalizes bad shots as opposed to a forgiving course. They also mentioned that the course was one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
This got me thinking about a well designed Penal Design for disc golf. DG is different than ball golf but it's still golf and we want to penalize bad shots and reward good shots. Maintaining scenery is also important.
So I am curious what we consider to be excellent Penal Design.
Contrived yellow rope OOB that just adds strokes: Ugly and clumsy..Nope not very creative and simply adding circles isn't really golf to me...I am looking at you Winthrop
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=322
Lakes/Ponds Water with disc loss possibility: Pretty but Nope who wants to lose your best driver...think the Memorial/Fountain Hills...and then you are doomed the rest of your round
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=616
Streams: scenic yes and Getting better but again we are simply adding a circle but you can get your disc back...I am looking at you Wolfe Woods
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=3199&mode=ci
Thick schule underbrush: Hideous to look at and gives possibility of disc loss...also in some places the rough is so thick you can't even throw into it/hard to believe but sometimes you don't get into much trouble as theres a wall of vines/hard bushes etc that kick you back into the fairway...strange but true...I am looking at you North Carolina
Thorns: let's not even pretend they have any merit on a dg course...looking at you Giles Run
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2473
2M trees: think Seneca walls of cedars and pines that gobble up discs and add to your card
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=192
Too steep drop-offs: cliffs etc that turn a not so bad shot into a handful of extra strokes and require a descent back down and back up a mountain...silly I am looking at u Diamond X
I think some of the above are good but I think we need to truly address how we penalize players
I am envisioning clusters of trees with minimal underbrush where disc retrieval is possible...there is no circle on your card..and you are forced to work your way back onto and up the fairway from an unfavorable lie.
I envision a clear fairway through woods but lined with mature and not so mature trees that will penalize and force creativity and decision-making. If you stay on the fairway you are going to do well...if you are off the fairway there is no oob to add strokes, no gold ropes, no water, no thorns, no impenetratable underbrush, no vines, no lakes, .......you are left with the purest golf....make a shot and utilize your creativity or pitch out.
I will admit it would take the proper piece of land to do this but I am hopeful it is out there somewhere.
I am poking at some of the most popular places on Earth to play DG with my examples and there's merit in all of those types of penalty but I am trying to get a discussion going about how to penalize players with design.
In the mid atlantic region there is a general hatred of mandatories and oob and many of the best course designers are striving to make courses straightforward with the the only obstacle being getting from the tee to the basket in as few strokes as possible.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=192
A round at Iron Hill with a score of 85 will consist of 85 throws unlike other places where the scorecard consists on non throw penalties etc....
I am basically trying to prompt a discussion about PENAL design......rip my opinions to shreds but give me your concepts as well
Thanks
This got me thinking about a well designed Penal Design for disc golf. DG is different than ball golf but it's still golf and we want to penalize bad shots and reward good shots. Maintaining scenery is also important.
So I am curious what we consider to be excellent Penal Design.
Contrived yellow rope OOB that just adds strokes: Ugly and clumsy..Nope not very creative and simply adding circles isn't really golf to me...I am looking at you Winthrop
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=322
Lakes/Ponds Water with disc loss possibility: Pretty but Nope who wants to lose your best driver...think the Memorial/Fountain Hills...and then you are doomed the rest of your round
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=616
Streams: scenic yes and Getting better but again we are simply adding a circle but you can get your disc back...I am looking at you Wolfe Woods
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=3199&mode=ci
Thick schule underbrush: Hideous to look at and gives possibility of disc loss...also in some places the rough is so thick you can't even throw into it/hard to believe but sometimes you don't get into much trouble as theres a wall of vines/hard bushes etc that kick you back into the fairway...strange but true...I am looking at you North Carolina
Thorns: let's not even pretend they have any merit on a dg course...looking at you Giles Run
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2473
2M trees: think Seneca walls of cedars and pines that gobble up discs and add to your card
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=192
Too steep drop-offs: cliffs etc that turn a not so bad shot into a handful of extra strokes and require a descent back down and back up a mountain...silly I am looking at u Diamond X
I think some of the above are good but I think we need to truly address how we penalize players
I am envisioning clusters of trees with minimal underbrush where disc retrieval is possible...there is no circle on your card..and you are forced to work your way back onto and up the fairway from an unfavorable lie.
I envision a clear fairway through woods but lined with mature and not so mature trees that will penalize and force creativity and decision-making. If you stay on the fairway you are going to do well...if you are off the fairway there is no oob to add strokes, no gold ropes, no water, no thorns, no impenetratable underbrush, no vines, no lakes, .......you are left with the purest golf....make a shot and utilize your creativity or pitch out.
I will admit it would take the proper piece of land to do this but I am hopeful it is out there somewhere.
I am poking at some of the most popular places on Earth to play DG with my examples and there's merit in all of those types of penalty but I am trying to get a discussion going about how to penalize players with design.
In the mid atlantic region there is a general hatred of mandatories and oob and many of the best course designers are striving to make courses straightforward with the the only obstacle being getting from the tee to the basket in as few strokes as possible.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=192
A round at Iron Hill with a score of 85 will consist of 85 throws unlike other places where the scorecard consists on non throw penalties etc....
I am basically trying to prompt a discussion about PENAL design......rip my opinions to shreds but give me your concepts as well
Thanks
