Etiquette for removing brush to search for disc in the woods?

[cds333]

Many of the courses around where I live have some narrow fairways surrounded by dense woods. We have lost a few discs lately because even a bright yellow or orange disc can easily slide under a clump of vegetation and be completely hidden.

I was thinking about fabricating some kind of combined walking stick/hook/machete thing to carry with me to aid in searching for discs lost in the woods.

What are the rules for when you make a bad throw that goes deep into the woods, and the area it lands in is made up of thick weeds, thorns, poison ivy and underbrush that forms a canopy a foot above the ground?

Is it acceptable to damage this vegetation to search for your disc? I know the rules regarding vegetation on the fairway and on the actual course, but when you're deep in the brush is it OK to clear it?

Thanks!

 

[tomdizzlefizzle]

Yes you should try and find your Frisbee.

 

[Pbmercil]

Is it acceptable to damage this vegetation to search for your disc? I know the rules regarding vegetation on the fairway and on the actual course, but when you're deep in the brush is it OK to clear it?

Thanks!

I'm sure there is a crotchety course designer somewhere who will argue this point, but for the most part it is not only OK but also encouraged. Players tromping through the rough is the #1 most effective way to beat that stuff back and make the course more manageable. When the rough is manageable everyone wins.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Not allowed during a tournament and do not use equipment any time unless permission given. Even though it may be a good thing to clear the rough, Park Depts do not want non-park personnel using equipment in the rough because it may appear to others observing this that anyone can trim brush anywhere, anytime.

 

[Cgkdisc]

What most encourage is taking time here and there to clear fairways of downed twigs and branches. So sometimes you'll discover these cleared items in the rough.

 

[DavidSauls]

Ah, memories.......when we got Stoney Hill up to 18 holes and decided to hold a tournament it was, in retrospect, a briar patch with baskets. We authorized players to damage it wherever they could, and joked that the only reason we invited them was to beat back the underbrush.

Of course, for the O.P. and others, the trick is distinguishing unwanted underbrush from wanted obstacles. Unless you know the wishes of the property owner---often, a parks department---err on the side of caution. Don't damage the foliage unless you're sure.

 

[DavidSauls]

What are the rules for when you make a bad throw that goes deep into the woods, and the area it lands in is made up of thick weeds, thorns, poison ivy and underbrush that forms a canopy a foot above the ground?

Something like a broom handle does wonders moving the underbrush around for searching, without actually damaging it.

 

[DavidSauls]

I know the rules regarding vegetation on the fairway and on the actual course, but when you're deep in the brush is it OK to clear it?

Thanks!

Rules clarification: the underbrush off the fairway is still the "actual course", and it is the course that the rules address, not just the fairways.

Which is why others have pointed out that, in a tournament, the answer is "no".

 

[Aim For The Chains]

FWIW if you have no experience in what types of vegetation you are removing I suggest reading up on local invasive plants and those which are native. Recklessly clearing out plots of land is a poor practice regardless of what the use is.

 

[JC17393]

Picking up loose debris/branches/brush and pushing it deeper off the fairway...fine. Breaking/uprooting/damaging live vegetation anywhere on the course...not fine. I don't care if it's invasive or not, or "on a fairway" or not, if you don't have the authority to design or alter the course, you shouldn't be taking anything out.

Obviously there are exceptions, such as the example of a course owner explicitly giving permission to "beat back the underbrush", but first instinct should always be to cause the least damage to the property.

Your disc shouldn't take precedence over the foliage on the course. If you didn't want to have to dig through briars and thorns and ferns and ivy to find your disc, you shouldn't have thrown it there.

 

[cds333]

Well we didn't intentionally throw them in there. In every case the disc hit a tree and veered off into the woods

tom- I think you misread my question; everyone else- thank you for the replies! Perhaps a long stick with a hook on the end will do nicely.