TRASH

[tom12003]

I continually hear about trash (specifically beer cans/bottles) overflowing available trash cans/bags on a course (ugly representative of our sport). It IS a problem. What to do about it? I have no answer. I only offer my perspective. Signs are usually offered, but who respects signs?

As a course director (Plantraion Ruins, here in Charlotte NC), we have only 3-4 trash containers over our 18 holes--where Parks and Rec have easy access. I tried to hang a trash bag on every hole; these ended up filling up very quickly. It did not work. When I removed easy access (bags/cans) to dump trash, the trash virtually disappeared. YEA DGers. Who would have thought? Yea, there are a few random idiots that leave their trash, but the problem is LESS than when there were trash options.

Am blessed to have a cadre of DGers who help keep the course as clean as possible.

 

[walker139]

I have pondered the same thing. Is it worth it to bring in the trash containers? Or post a "Carry out what you carry in" sign?
I have been saving 55 gallon metal drums from work and storing them in my garage, but have not got them out because of fear of over-use. I suppose it all depends on how many people play the course and how lazy or willful they are...

 

[Tiny]

I guess it depends on the course.

Z-Boaz is dreadfully filthy, and it's a Disc Golf only course.

On the other hand, Veteran's Park and Bicentennial DGC are both relatively clean. And they are multi-use parks. :/ I don't get it.

 

[Sadjo]

I've noticed that courses that have no trash cans have very little trash on the course. One of local courses it seems the P&R doesn't dump the trash cans often enough and they are always on overflow. While another local course has plenty of trash cans and the P&R dumps them regularly and we have no issues.

 

[tbird888]

In this area, we have trash cans spread throughout our courses, often with something (garbage can or 5 gallon bucket) on every hole. We still have garbage littered throughout the course. Seems someone would rather leave an empty can of Monster on the basket than walk to the next tee pad (or two at the most) and throw it in the can. I don't understand why people will carry something around full but refuse when there's no weight involved other than the packaging.

Needless to say, I'm jealous of NC now...and not because you have great courses (we have some too!!).

 

[Stan McDaniel]

Needless to say, I'm jealous of NC now...and not because you have great courses (we have some too!!).

Hell ya you guys have some great courses!!! :clap:

 

[Chef Fini]

We are lucky out here around Joliet, Il. (about 45 mins southwest of chicago). We have alot of people who care enough about the sport and our courses who regularly volunteer to clean and make repairs to our courses. Highland Park used to be a dumping ground for the locals (sometimes they still do) but our local club (J-Town Disc Golf Club) keeps it looking great. Another nearby course, Community Park in Channahon, has one guy who is out there pretty much every day making sure the course stays beautiful. Probablly the best maintained course around here so a big thank you to Frank Grimes. Just north in Lockport is a private course, Trinity. One main guy and a small group of volunteers also keep the this course in top shape, thank you Thor and all the guys out there. Mokena Park District keeps The Oaks clean as well. Yeah theres garbage because theres always going to be some lazy slob who just throws their trash everywhere, but it's nowhere near as bad as it could be.

 

[Jay Dub]

In this area, we have trash cans spread throughout our courses, often with something (garbage can or 5 gallon bucket) on every hole. We still have garbage littered throughout the course. Seems someone would rather leave an empty can of Monster on the basket than walk to the next tee pad (or two at the most) and throw it in the can. I don't understand why people will carry something around full but refuse when there's no weight involved other than the packaging.

Needless to say, I'm jealous of NC now...and not because you have great courses (we have some too!!).

Do you really think our area has a trash problem on courses? I see cans on baskets sometimes also but I have never been to a local course and thought the trash was out of hand.

Mt Airy goes thru picnic areas, any trash (which is never much) on that course could come from the picnickers.

 

[Stan McDaniel]

The main problem we have in Charlotte is on the holes that are across creeks or in a remote part of the course where the park dept cannot get a vehicle. We have trash receptacles there, but they fill rapidly. So, it takes a person who really cares about the condition of the park to come in and lug out that big heavy bag of stinky beer cans and bottles. Sometimes those cans sit there overflowing for weeks before someone gets fed up and takes care of the trash.

I don't like carrying a trash bag with me while playing, and my bag does not have hardly any extra space for carrying trash. So, I like to have some receptacles on the course so that I can carry stuff I find to the next tee rather than lug it with me for multiple holes while accumluating more trash. But, is this practice encouraging people to leave their trash on the course or in the containers?

I brought this issue up at our club meeting last night, ergo Tom's post. What I want our club to do is to begin to initiate a culture of "carry in - carry out". I don't have any idea whether or not this can be successful or not, but we discussed putting signs on our courses and getting club members to committ to this and see where it might lead. I hope it leads to no more carrying out heavy stinky dripping bags of trash.

 

[tbird888]

Do you really think our area has a trash problem on courses? I see cans on baskets sometimes also but I have never been to a local course and thought the trash was out of hand.

Mt Airy goes thru picnic areas, any trash (which is never much) on that course could come from the picnickers.

Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to trash.

My home course is now Winton. Every time I get near the woods on a lie, I find myself picking up a can/bottle or two. Almost every round I play there, I find something on a basket (can, bottle, random piece of trash), usually when a can is on the next tee pad. Idlewild always has overflowing buckets which means there's always trash all over the tee area (haven't been there in a while though so that may have changed). I remember seeing it in the woods too. Bank (my home course for many years) is almost always like Winton, not to mention that I don't know how many times I walked down into the creek to bring 16's can back up. They also seem to have a growing graffitti problem, but it's nothing like 12s tee area at Winton (do we really need 15 - do we even need 1? - disc chargers).

Now that I'm no longer an "All Bank, All The Time!!" thrower, I have noticed that we do have some clean(er) parks. Mason is spotless (super underrated 9 holer). Heritage is too. Airy is a lot cleaner since the pro shop opened. Monroe is actually fairly clean, but I still found myself picking up cans and bottles in the woods a couple weekends ago though). A lot of people use that as a walking path too so it may not be golfers (we'll still get the blame though).

 

[Stan McDaniel]

The "Blame" is the reason I brought this up at our club meeting. Many of us know how fragile our position is in the sporting "food chain" within a park department. I cringe when I see the trash cans overflowing with beer cans and bottles. I want our club to manage this situation before someone within our park department gets pissed and tries to take some drastic action. We have never lost a course here, and I don't want that to happen. An ounce of prevention.

 

[skottyb]

On my local course, which is in a private state park, the only way they would let me put Trash cans on the course is if I emptied them myself. Which I have to do about once a month for 3 cans, the course is probably the cleanest I have ever been too. Of course it is in a state park, with a gate, which doesn't get near the traffic that a lot of courses do. My point is, pick up what you can, and feel free to take the initiative and carry out a couple of trash bags when you can. Sure no one will notice, you won't get any atta boys, but if you are sensitive to a beautiful place (a disc golf course in my eyes) being tarnished by the site of trash, then do your part for the game.

 

[Jay Dub]

Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to trash.

My home course is now Winton. Every time I get near the woods on a lie, I find myself picking up a can/bottle or two. Almost every round I play there, I find something on a basket (can, bottle, random piece of trash), usually when a can is on the next tee pad. Idlewild always has overflowing buckets which means there's always trash all over the tee area (haven't been there in a while though so that may have changed). I remember seeing it in the woods too. Bank (my home course for many years) is almost always like Winton, not to mention that I don't know how many times I walked down into the creek to bring 16's can back up. They also seem to have a growing graffitti problem, but it's nothing like 12s tee area at Winton (do we really need 15 - do we even need 1? - disc chargers).

Now that I'm no longer an "All Bank, All The Time!!" thrower, I have noticed that we do have some clean(er) parks. Mason is spotless (super underrated 9 holer). Heritage is too. Airy is a lot cleaner since the pro shop opened. Monroe is actually fairly clean, but I still found myself picking up cans and bottles in the woods a couple weekends ago though). A lot of people use that as a walking path too so it may not be golfers (we'll still get the blame though).

I wasn't thinking about Winton but I can see where that course would be a problem. Not much we can do about it except clean up when we're there, that is always filled with hackers.
Heritage is spotless, and Harbin's worst problem are the cans needing emptied, but the park people take good care of that. The others I agree with. Monroe staying as clean as it does is a good sign for golfers.

I still haven't been to Mason or Fairfield Township and I'm in Fairfield. :doh:

 

[sisyphus]

I still haven't been to Mason or Fairfield Township and I'm in Fairfield. :doh:

You'll like Mason a lot. You'll probably only visit Fairfield Twp once.

On trash, I'll usually pick up stuff en route to a visible trash bin. I know a lot of folks load a trash bag & lug it around til it can be emptied. I even threw a couple of little trash bags in my Discarrier, but seldom follow through.

Now, clearing debris from fairways has become a habit since starting to help out at Osage Grove this summer...

 

[Jay Dub]

You'll like Mason a lot. You'll probably only visit Fairfield Twp once.

On trash, I'll usually pick up stuff en route to a visible trash bin. I know a lot of folks load a trash bag & lug it around til it can be emptied. I even threw a couple of little trash bags in my Discarrier, but seldom follow through.

Now, clearing debris from fairways has become a habit since starting to help out at Osage Grove this summer...

Off topic: I think Midge is now allowing free days if you promise to pick up sticks in the fairway as you play CC.

 

[McLeod]

I guess it depends on the course.

Z-Boaz is dreadfully filthy, and it's a Disc Golf only course.

On the other hand, Veteran's Park and Bicentennial DGC are both relatively clean. And they are multi-use parks. :/ I don't get it.

The difference is alcohol. You can't openly drink at Vet or Crowley. Boaz is full of drunks. 95% of the trash there is beer cans.

 

[tbird888]

I still haven't been to Mason or Fairfield Township and I'm in Fairfield. :doh:

Mason is a great course. Easy to navigate once you find three (up the walking path). The first time I played it, I couldn't wait to get back to one for the "back nine". It's about as far in the other direction on 741 (with some other turns of course) as it is to go to Turtlecreek.

I agree Fairfield is one to play to add to the list and not a lot else.

 

[aardvarkious]

A somewhat fun way we clean up trash is to make it a competition. On the first league night of every month, we give every card a garbage bag. Everybody on the card takes turns carrying it- sometimes we make this a competition by making whoever lost the last hole, or whoever had the worst drive, etc... carry it for the next hole.

At the end of the night, we judge which group got the most garbage. Everyone on that card gets one throw taken off their score for the night. They also get entered in an end-of-year raffle. This year, the raffle gave out two $50 gift certificates to the store that sells discs and a $100 certificate to a steak house (all of which are donated). Not only does this keep our course clean, but the city, media, and club sponsors absolutely love it when I tell them we do this once per month.

 

[rd.bittle]

Now that is a good idea. Would work well I think.

 

[tom12003]

A somewhat fun way we clean up trash is to make it a competition. On the first league night of every month, we give every card a garbage bag. Everybody on the card takes turns carrying it- sometimes we make this a competition by making whoever lost the last hole, or whoever had the worst drive, etc... carry it for the next hole.

Really like this concept. Only exception is that I would be called a bagger as I am usually on the bottom of the card or had the worst drive:doh:.