THE BASKETS ARE IN!!!

[Tenacious EJ]

Just played the holes that were up, minus 8. I doubt I'll ever play 8- it has so many issues! There is a much more interesting hole there that wouldn't make me want to skip it for fear of losing every disc I throw. 4 is also wrought with trouble- from the blue tees you are throwing DIRECTLY at the walking path and that lane is far too narrow. The rest were fine, although by the time I got to 18 I was so tired it took me 4 throws to make it to the basket. I'm still not a fan of 16, though its better than 17, and 13 needs to stop beneath that large tree halfway up the hill. Everything else looks good, although I still think 3 is going to give people fits.

I really like 5- its a tough but makeable ace run. 6 too. 9 & 10 are also quite nice, and 11 will also be very nice when completed. And man is it close! Nothing like being able to walk to the course. I took some pics today too!

 

[BuzzSharpe]

In The Ground, That Is!

The baskets are not only in, they're all in the ground and pads are being poured, almost as I type. Thanks, Jason, thank you tons, Mike and may the powers that be bless you, Jon Owen!
To address the prior complaints...# 8 does presently have issues that will be eliminated when the city finally gets out there with their bush hog. I do recommend that most players avoid the hole until then. Rhoades and I did play it at several over par on Sunday. We did have to hunt a few times, due to our own errant play, but we lost no discs. I'm pretty sure that that 'more interesting hole there' includes the basic design flaw of crossing through another activity area of the park, i.e., the shelter's lawn. Not as serious a flaw as laying out holes on land that is not part of the park or crossing through ecologically off limits areas...
As for # 4, from the gold pad (not blue) you throw directly BESIDE the paved walkway, much like #'s 3, 4, and 5 at Stokesdale, #'s 5, 15, 17 and 18 at Barber Park, a couple of the holes on the front nine in Statesville, 17 and 18 at Creekside, etc., etc., etc. But #4 does not cross or tee from a walkway like 3 and 8 in Statesville, 3, 4, and 17 at Creekside, 16 at Barber, etc., etc., etc.
16 and 17 are purposely designed as short, all but deuce or die holes because of their tough tightness. But they do not cross a roadway, like 10 and 12 at Crooked Creek, nor do they tee from a traffic island inside a cul de sac loop, like Sanford's Sloan.
And finally; no, #13 does not need to stop anywhere short of where it does and yes, #3 will give players fits. That's the purpose of 900 and 1000 foot long par 5's. Yes, the Springwood Players' Course is a good, long walk. That is why we are beseeching the city SO much for benches. But until their arrival, there are many nice places to sit in the soft grass and shade to take breaks.
We stand behind our design.

 

[BuzzSharpe]

Work is progressing

The bush hog finally showed up to eliminate most of the hole 8 issues. There are some saplings on the left side hillside that need to be clipped, particularly for the benefit of lefties.
Pad pouring will continue today, after missing yesterday due to the rain fake-out. Anyone, especially with any knowledge and/or experience in concrete work is welcomed. If nothing else, you will receive a "I helped build The Springwood Players' Course" tee shirt from SPC Apparel Company.

 

[sisyphus]

First, congratulations guys on putting in a new course. :clap: It's obviously a tremendously exciting time.

Second, you've got to remember that there are thousands of addicts around this site who get really fired up to hear about a new course, and this thread never mentioned even the region involved. So we're all chomping at the bit too much when the thread keeps popping up, and we can't quickly discern where y'all are talking about.

Third, I'd personally like to encourage everyone to help out with any new course in your area. I really take a little pride in my measly effort to help Adam Jones get Osage Grove launched, and always deferred to his judgement as to timing of announcements.

Finally, the answer is that this is a new course near Burlington, NC, and they have a facebook page. It's not listed here yet, because that's the designer's prerogative. But if you're in the Burlington/ Greensboro area, and want to volunteer, I'm sure they'd always like to hear from you there.

 

[DSmith]

I wish I could make it out again but I'm working all weekend. I may pop out Saturday afternoon to see what progress has been made since Tuesday and throw some of the holes. Oh and theres been a request to get a tee sponsor sign for Gate City Disc Golf for those who came out and helped put in pads for you guys.

 

[BuzzSharpe]

Hey, Drew...appreciate the post...sure would love to have you out there this afternoon, if possible. Not much has progressed since Tuesday, since the weather faked us out on Wednesday and the cement company crapped on us yesterday by not showing up. The best progress has been the temporary installation of a score card box with cards at tee 1. I'll be affixing big capital M's and arrows on the ball field light poles this morning.

 

[BrotherDave]

Played and reviewed this biatch. Not too shabby, looking forward to seeing how it matures and refines. Might want to start working on an angle for some mulch to place around the tees, the grass will eventually get trod to death by dudes waiting to tee off. I threw a ton of design critique into my review (hate doing hole by hole's, so freaking long) but I will definitely expound upon any of it in here if anyone wishes.

Mandos, OB lines, pars and all that stuff are really going to be treading a fine line of maximizing the playability of this course. I can see it being tweaked and changed quite a bit to find that perfect balance. Please, please, please bush hog all that rough on hole 8, that could be a quirky cool hole.

 

[BuzzSharpe]

Dave! Appreciate the input and insights. Was hoping that it might qualify for at least your average rating. Yeah number 8 is a bear. It was SO grand when I first surveyed and stepped it off. And when the city bush hog finally came, it just didn't do what I had hoped it would. Any chance you might be able to help me get a work party together to return the hillside to what I first saw and intended, thus maybe helping making it the destination course I had thought and still think that it might be?
Buzz

 

[Tenacious EJ]

All the tees are in! I spent a long time helping haul cement in a wheelbarrow to set the third tee today. Thankfully, "Shaggy," and the entity known as "N," whom I don't recall helping at all, came by to make their mark and step and crap all over it. Thanks fellas.

 

[sloppydisc]

D- bags. Someone should fine them and do them great harm.

 

[BrotherDave]

Dave! Appreciate the input and insights. Was hoping that it might qualify for at least your average rating. Yeah number 8 is a bear. It was SO grand when I first surveyed and stepped it off. And when the city bush hog finally came, it just didn't do what I had hoped it would. Any chance you might be able to help me get a work party together to return the hillside to what I first saw and intended, thus maybe helping making it the destination course I had thought and still think that it might be?
Buzz

Yeah, get 8 squared away, along with some usual tweaks, and you'll see my rating grow. You got the standard, "new course rating that isn't a finished product rating." When are you thinking about tackling the rough on 8? I don't have many peeps in the area but I can pop in with some handtools, maybe a weedwacker.

I have a couple of questions: Is every light pole on holes 3 and 4 supposed to be mandos? Looked like the "M"'s were peeling off on a few. Is the mow line separating the ballfield's short grass and the standard park grass an OB line? Are you going to lop some limbs on hole 2 to improve the ceiling on that hole? As it is, you either need an absolute cannon or a driver to reach the basket from just about either tee. Just curious if that's by design or what.

All the tees are in! I spent a long time helping haul cement in a wheelbarrow to set the third tee today. Thankfully, "Shaggy," and the entity known as "N," whom I don't recall helping at all, came by to make their mark and step and crap all over it. Thanks fellas.

:wall::doh: I left after around 2 pm I think so it must have been done later. That's so lame. On the bright side, y'all did a really good job with those tees, nice and smooth. The only one that irks me is hole 13's long tee b/c it's sloped from left to right. The tees on 16 and 17 are a bit narrow for long legged x-steppers like me but I've played Cedarock, I can deal with it.

 

[Tenacious EJ]

That tee wasn't even brushed until 4- it had to have been around 5-ish. I guess that was you I told about the wet tees then?

As for the clearing on 8, it's obviously gonna take quite a big crew. 1000 ft of thick brush 20-40 ft wide on a steep hill is going to be fun!

 

[BrotherDave]

The guy in the green shorts and stupid straw hat was me.

 

[Tenacious EJ]

Yep. I watched you throw an orange roller on 7, without much success, lol. I can't roll at all, so there you are. When I played last (Monday), most of the back 9 wasn't even poured yet, and I'm working all weekend, which is actually OK because it's gonna be crowded this weekend with soccer and softball games planned.

 

[DSmith]

Gate City and Oakhollow put out the word for help starting Saturday Morning. I'm sure Burlington DGC will follow suit also. Dunno what time yet as it's up to Buzz since he's in charge.
Hole 8 is mainly weed removal, as in tall thick thorny weeds so whatever tools you have thatll work.

Sucks about the tees getting written in. Been there many times. Not much you can do other than have someone babysit wet tees with a baseball bat in hand.

 

[BuzzSharpe]

Let's See if I can remember everything

Thanks for the hopeful input, Dave. Yes, I will be raising the ceiling on #2. I only had short clippers when we cleared the fairway and now have a set of long loppers. Will also be trimming a couple more branches around 3's green and 18's early fairway. Yeah, all of the light poles on 3 and 4 are mando right and the mow line on 3 is OB, as they are on 8, 13 and 14. It was just easier to say "all light poles", rather than "all light poles, except..." Originally, I didn't use the center field light pole, using the scoreboard, but didn't get the 1000'+ distance I wanted doing that.
I'm looking and hoping to get out to the course Saturday about nine or just after. Any help that can be offered will be SO appreciated! It's a lot of work for one old man with a couple of simple hand tools, but not so much for a group of guys with hand and power tools. Contact me at spcdiscgolf@gmail, or call me at 290-3361.
As for the tees being written on, one of the work crew guys says he knows how to get it off. Guess we should've put up some wet cement signs, though I doubt that that would have helped. I like your baseball bat idea. I do appreciate the compliment, Drew, but I'm barely in charge of my own life:\ I'm so hoping to hand off the 'in charge' reins to younger, stronger, more capable players than I.

 

[BrotherDave]

Yep. I watched you throw an orange roller on 7, without much success, lol. I can't roll at all, so there you are. When I played last (Monday), most of the back 9 wasn't even poured yet, and I'm working all weekend, which is actually OK because it's gonna be crowded this weekend with soccer and softball games planned.

Yeah, I rarely play courses that allow the opportunity to throw a roller so I was dicking around out there. I do a lot of that. I enjoyed the short tees, had a couple of nice ace runs and there's still plenty of length on a lot of those holes.

I'll truck out there tomorrow sometime with some trimmers and put in some man-hours on 8's bank (I'll leave the right side of the fairway alone since I'm not sure if that's off limits or not). I'm curious to see how the course looks when it's busy with other park goers.

 

[BrotherDave]

That bank is going to take some doing. Option A) Wait til winter and trample that stuff away when it's dead. Option B) Trim out some landing zones (still wouldn't be particularly inviting to play). Option C) test the limits of a cheap push mower aka the 1978 method.

Buzz opened up hole 2 today, it's a playable fairway now. Slowly but surely, this is will be a worthwhile course. The more I play hole 3, the more I kind of like it. I'm just not sure about that last mando. It's such a bottleneck and trying to pass it whilst staying in bounds will put most golfers out of their comfort zones, I actually think it might be safer to nix that mando.

 

[Tenacious EJ]

I had no problem at all with 2. And I agree with the last mando on 3. In fact, I feel like the second is no good as well. With such a tight fairway, that 2nd one is just a pain. Landed behind it the other day and it left me with a really low probability second drive attempt that required absolute perfection to both avoid the walkers on the right and stay in bounds on the left. And I'm not even sure the protocol if I go OB on the left AND fail to hit that last mando. Par 5 isn't gonna help you much if you miss that shot because when you're already dropping to get back in bounds and are forced to throw backwards to go around the mando. I can par it, I have parred it, but it's way too easy to triple bogey that hole.

 

[BuzzSharpe]

Your last sentence says it all, Jason...that's the challenge of the hole.