6 Hole Course?

[imurhuckleberry]

Have you ever played a 6 hole course? Would you?

I recently decided to start a bid for a disc golf course in my hometown. The only suitable location was in a park the size of two blocks that has several other high use areas but approx. 1/2 is currently underutilized. After pouring over the google earth images and walking the park, I came to the realization that 9 holes that avoided the other high use areas was going to mean 9 short, mostly boring holes. So, I decided to cut it to 6 holes. The holes in my new design now seem plenty long and they all include trees and half include elevation changes.

I figure if you play through 3 times, that makes a full 18. When we set up the test course, we played it both frontwards and backwards to make 12 different holes.

Obviously, 6 holes is better than no course at all. I'm just curious if you would also rather play 6 slightly more interesting holes or 9 slightly less interesting holes.

 

[Halcón]

If it was close to my house I'd LOVE to play a 6 hole course. Heck, I'd play a 3 hole course. It's disc golf, man. Isn't the whole point to have fun throwing plastic?

 

[EagleWings]

Personally, I'd prefer 9 simply because I'd master 5 or 6 of the holes of a 6 hole course fairly quickly unless they were extremely tricky (like throwing through trees with no openings). However, I think 6 difficult, quality holes with plenty of distance would be better than 9 compressed holes.

 

[crusadersounds]

I have played at UNC Asheville several times. It is good use of a very small piece of land, and is a good ego booster after Richmond Hill. The hill is SUPER wooded and will eat you alive, whereas UNCA is a little more open. At less than 2 miles away from each other they are a good pairing, and I'm glad for the 6 at UNCA. If you have a challenging 18 near there, I'd say you might put in a pitch & putt, but if there isn't a killer course nearby, then 6 good holes is the better option. Out of curiosity do you mind telling us where you are so we can see the nearby courses?

 

[mndiscg]

I've played a few 6ers and even a 5er. Usually they seem to be poorly done but if a course is well done, it doesn't matter how many holes it is.

 

[Qikly]

Personally, I'd prefer 6 holes with a greater level of technical challenge than 9 without. I actually wish course designers considered these kinds of options more often. I can think of a lot of courses I've played on quality terrain that suffered because the designer(s) felt the need to reach 9 or 18 holes.

Quilchena Park in Vancouver is kind of like this: 12 holes in a public park course that offer a much greater variety than they would have had they tried to force 18 in. I really appreciated how the course could stretch out a bit when desired or move to a different topographical feature without the requisite filler holes to round things out.

 

[dreadlock86]

i would MUCH prefer fewer higher quality holes than just 9 or 18 for the sake of it.

even for a 9 hole course many people will play 2 rounds, so for 6 you figure they'll do the same. and 2 or 3 rounds on 6 quality holes is way better than 2 rounds on a lame 9. plus with the extra space you make available with fewer holes, it gives you way more options for alternate tee locations, alternate pin locations, or alternative layouts.

would you rather have people stop by your course and say "well, this 9 holer is not worth coming back to ever again" or "holy smokes! that was the best 6 hole course i've ever seen!"

 

[dreadlock86]

also, for the record, i've played 3, 6, and 7 hole courses before so it's not unprecedented.

 

[joecoin]

If it was close to my house I'd LOVE to play a 6 hole course. Heck, I'd play a 3 hole course. It's disc golf, man. Isn't the whole point to have fun throwing plastic?

I play my two hole course almost daily, but it's a work in progress. More baskets yet to come.

 

[mattc]

I think I need some more information.
What is your description of the 6 good holes
VS.
What would the 9 holes be like.
I'm not sold on just 6.

 

[DavidSauls]

I think I need some more information.
What is your description of the 6 good holes
VS.
What would the 9 holes be like.
I'm not sold on just 6.

This, and who's going to be playing it? Besides you (O.P.)?

It's possible that the best use is a 9-hole course that you find boring, perhaps that I'd find boring, but is perfect for children, families, etc.

Or that 6 challenging holes are too few for better players, too tough for weaker players.

Of course, it's also possible that 6 interesting, somewhat challenging holes is the best use.

 

[magictenor1]

This, and who's going to be playing it? Besides you (O.P.)?

It's possible that the best use is a 9-hole course that you find boring, perhaps that I'd find boring, but is perfect for children, families, etc.

Or that 6 challenging holes are too few for better players, too tough for weaker players.

Of course, it's also possible that 6 interesting, somewhat challenging holes is the best use.

You Hit the nail on the head. Hard to answer the question without more info.

 

[JedV]

...

Quilchena Park in Vancouver is kind of like this: 12 holes in a public park course that offer a much greater variety than they would have had they tried to force 18 in. I really appreciated how the course could stretch out a bit when desired or move to a different topographical feature without the requisite filler holes to round things out.

Agreed 100%

 

[mattc]

Coming up short of 18 is OK.
Anything more than 9 will feel like bonus holes.
But coming up short of 9 is not the same

 

[duckychucky]

If room allows I would suggest 6 holes with red, white and blue tees on each hole, with each tee offering a different look when possible (not just different lengths). This will encourage 3 rounds per visit. Just don't label different tees to the same basket as different number holes.

 

[scarpfish]

Six holers aren't all that rare. There are 59 of them listed in the directory (along with 14 five holers, and 12 seven holers). For some small town parks that don't have enough room for a full nine, they're ideal. I'd rather have a six holer with dual or triple tees than a crammed nine any day.

Would I go out of my way to play one though? Likely not.

 

[Royal Hill]

There is a benefit to having a dedicated, targeted juniors course in an area. Besides the obvious, it pays dividends when later vying for a "championship level" course. (whatever that means)

BECAUSE... The first pushback you will get when asking for a Championship grade course is why not one geared more towards children too (asked by people who do not understand disc golf).

The easiest answer is... We already have one of those on our resume.

I know multi level, multi skill courses can be built to accommodate most levels of play, but man... It's really great to be able to say that you've got that youngest group already specifically covered.

 

[rocthecourse]

Six holers aren't all that rare. There are 59 of them listed in the directory (along with 14 five holers, and 12 seven holers). For some small town parks that don't have enough room for a full nine, they're ideal. I'd rather have a six holer with dual or triple tees than a crammed nine any day.

Would I go out of my way to play one though? Likely not.

178 parks have less than 9 baskets, if you include practice in the search. Most people wouldn't travel to go them but they would be nice to have a few miles from home when you want to get some practice in. Also, they can be a good introduction to new players.

I also thought it would be cool to see more parks with just one basket. Sink some bricks in the ground around it starting at 10 feet and out to 30 or 40 for putting. Maybe even mark off 100', 200' and 300' for approach/drive practice.

 

[Royal Hill]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot one of my main points.

IF your available land plot for a given project can (never) reach anything that'd ever get regarded as a four star or above course by "regular players", then realize it early and use the opportunity to gear towards something you can accomplish and be proud of it.

I've seen mismatches quite often, where a design tried to please too many, tried to be something it could never be, trying to attract users that will always dismiss it out of hand for some unchangeable reason, like number of holes..etc, etc. Mismatches like a course with jr level distances on mountain goat topography. Those who are agile enough to play it, don't because of the hole design, and those for whom the distances are perfect...can't either.

And a side note for single baskets in parks. I feel you way more than double usefulness when there are two baskets about 10m apart. Back and forth!

 

[Timeetyo]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot one of my main points.

IF your available land plot for a given project can (never) reach anything that'd ever get regarded as a four star or above course by "regular players", then realize it early and use the opportunity to gear towards something you can accomplish and be proud of it.

I've seen mismatches quite often, where a design tried to please too many, tried to be something it could never be, trying to attract users that will always dismiss it out of hand for some unchangeable reason, like number of holes..etc, etc. Mismatches like a course with jr level distances on mountain goat topography. Those who are agile enough to play it, don't because of the hole design, and those for whom the distances are perfect...can't either.

I'll second this.

First decide what type of course is best for the area based on demographics, other courses in the area, etc. Then decide on the format that best achieves those goals.

Some scenarios:
- In an area with a (or several) challenging, well designed 18 hole courses but few 9 hole beginner courses you would be best served with a well designed, but short, 9 hole course tailored to beginners or children. This would get lots of use and could drive more growth in the area - but a course with 6 'good' holes would see less use as the target population of advanced players would rather hit up the 18 at the other local courses.
- In an area with several beginner friendly courses but no challenging courses - another short 9 hole course wouldn't see much use...but the better players in the area would welcome the addition of a challenging 6 holes.

So figure out what is best for the area and make sure it is well designed to fit that particular need.