Sharing ideas for low budget signs

[Thrival Time]

Created the thread for sharing ideas for creating low budget signs. Thought it would be a good place for people to share advice and stories for creating new signs when you and/or your club currently do not have the funds for more elaborate signage.

 

[elmexdela]

pizza boxes and sharpie markers

 

[Thrival Time]

Right now at my new job, I have to get rid of some wood crates at the warehouse (new tenants are expected to come in and share the space). Got a crowbar, and started braking some crates apart and hoping to use them for signs. The three courses my club uses don't currently have signage, so I asked my club on the Facebook page and only got one response and did not hear back after that. For now, breaking down crates anyway, if they are not interested in even using them for temporary signage, I will just hang on to them. I plan on creating a course of my own in a few years after I make progress on student loans, so I assume they will be used anyway (I barely got started, enough crates to make signs for 3-5 18 hole courses). If some of you guys in the Portland area think you might have a use for them, message me, I am willing to share...

 

[Thrival Time]

pizza boxes and sharpie markers

That's also an interesting idea.

 

[Ryan P.]

To do:I've seen some signs made from carving the suggested flight path out of wood. I can't remember where I saw them, but they were simple and low maintenance.

Not to do: I've seen signs on an angle with plastic and/or glass covering the picture. Over time they seem to crack. falling acorns, rocks, branches, I don't know what causes, but they just seems to break. If you've been to falling creek park in bedford, va, then you've seen them.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Paint the number and distance on back of concrete pad or on a tee board if that's all you have.

 

[Steve West]

Just don't put your signs out in a park without permission.

Also, getting the parks department to put the signs out is zero out of pocket costs.

 

[Thrival Time]

To do:I've seen some signs made from carving the suggested flight path out of wood. I can't remember where I saw them, but they were simple and low maintenance.

Not to do: I've seen signs on an angle with plastic and/or glass covering the picture. Over time they seem to crack. falling acorns, rocks, branches, I don't know what causes, but they just seems to break. If you've been to falling creek park in bedford, va, then you've seen them.

Wood carving idea is awesome. That would be fun to see pics. :clap: If I run into any courses with wood carved signs, I will definitely post pics.

What you said the plastic/glass coverings also make sense. I have also seen some glass covered kiosks get damaged, and in some cases, that means a broken map.

 

[Thrival Time]

Paint the number and distance on back of concrete pad or on a tee board if that's all you have.

Definitely better than being left in suspense on where to find the tee pad. I recently played at a course with out signs or marked tee pads (boards included), and at that point, just had to guess the basket and the pad. Hope they eventually mark the pads, still useful when you can't get anything to make signs.

 

[Thrival Time]

Just don't put your signs out in a park without permission.

Also, getting the parks department to put the signs out is zero out of pocket costs.

Thanks for bringing that up. It would definitely suck if someone put signs up and then the park department pulls them out shortly after because nobody asked for permission.

I never thought of asking the park department directly to see if they would be interested in adding the signs themselves. Definitely worth the effort. :thmbup:

 

[glassila]

Hole number, distance, par and an arrow pointing towards hole, painted on the concrete tee pads would be great. Wouldn't have to worry about anyone stealing the signs.

 

[Future_Primitive]

Hole number, distance, par and an arrow pointing towards hole, painted on the concrete tee pads would be great. Wouldn't have to worry about anyone stealing the signs.

When done correctly this is fine. Paint the Hole # small in one corner and aprox distance small in the other corner. Or find a decent size rock and place it near the pad and paint that with info.

Do NOT paint giant marks on the concrete as it is way too slippery, even when dry out. Somebody painted giant arrows on the pads at Victory Park and now the pads are crappy. :doh:

 

[BogeyNoMore]

While steciling/painting the hole info onto the tee pad can be a low cost way of providing all pertinant info, I think it fails in one omportant aspect: it really doesn't help with navigation.

When playing a course for the first time (which is all many of travelers might do), vertical tee signs/post can make finding the next tee a lot easier, especially when the grass hasn't been mowed recently, or if there's rolling terrain.

If I were installing a course, I'd use 4x4 posts, and stencil hole #, distance, and simple line drawing.
Make them tall enough to be seen from a reasonable distance as one approaches from the previous basket. Keeping them simple seems to invite less vandalism. Plus 4x4's are relatively inexpensive and will always be available should they need replacement. I suppose treated would cost more, but last longer, so their add'l cost might pay for itself down the road.

 

[MiketheGoalie]

Feeding off of Bogey's post above, one thing I've suggested for low-cost signage and bench material around here is old wood fence panels. We get a slew of windstorm/tornadoes and lots of fences get knocked down. Panels just laying on the curb for the trash guys to haul away. Full of decent 4x4's and pickets that could be used for benches, signs, etc.

 

[knettles]

When done correctly this is fine. Paint the Hole # small in one corner and aprox distance small in the other corner. Or find a decent size rock and place it near the pad and paint that with info.

Do NOT paint giant marks on the concrete as it is way too slippery, even when dry out. Somebody painted giant arrows on the pads at Victory Park and now the pads are crappy. :doh:

This times a hundred. One of my local courses (Little Creek Park, South Charleston, WV) has a hole that tees off from the edge of a concrete area. When it was put in, the park decided to simply paint the teepad on the concrete. This would have been alright if they just painted the outline of the teepad, but they painted the ENTIRE area. We usually just tee off from the side of it.