My very first frustration on the course

[magoo_lc1]

As some of you have read my threads you know im super new to the sport. Nothing (yet) upsets me about this...even a sucky day at the DG course is better then a good day in alot of other places..lol. BUUUTTTT when i went to my local course the other day it was packed...not with people playing but disrespectful people that would not move off the course. I asked very politely to alot of parents to not have their kids hang from those baskets because a. they could tear them up and many people use them for recreation b. its just outright disrespectufl and c. even a poor thrower (like me) would still throw with enough force to knock the hell out of their kids running in front of the people on the teeboxes. I got met with alot of dirty looks.....I never got smart or disrespectful but i was still looked like the bad guy because i was asking them to please stop their children from vandalizing the course. Anyone think i was in the wrong? Does this happen alot to you? How do you handle it? Just venting a bit.

 

[Johnny_Crunch]

I can't relate as my home course is private but I think if I had shown up to that I would have driven home or to another course. You weren't in the wrong but you aren't going to get those people to move either way.

 

[mashnut]

My strategy to educate parents with children is to approach with a smile and explain the sport. I then hand them the stiffest wide rimmed driver I have and let them know that they can travel at over 70mph. Usually if you go about it in a friendly way they're receptive to it and willing to listen to the idea of "frisbees" being potentially dangerous.

 

[Jukeshoe]

My strategy to educate parents with children is to approach with a smile and explain the sport. I then hand them the stiffest wide rimmed driver I have and let them know that they can travel at over 70mph. Usually if you go about it in a friendly way they're receptive to it and willing to listen to the idea of "frisbees" being potentially dangerous.

^This.

Sometimes they still look at you like you're the bad guy, but at least they usually understand at that point what's going on and realize they're not being too bright letting their kids run around on a course.

 

[Crooow]

Generally I handle this situation by just loudly announcing "I am going to be throwing at that basket soon" and then preparing. Usually that gets people to move. If not then I move onto the next hole while giving them the dirty looks and doing a lot of muttering. But if people just refuse to move, there's not a lot you can do about it.

 

[jongoff09]

I echo mash and juke ^^. Showing the people in the fairway a xXx or Boss will usually make them think twice about going onto the course. Then show them a putter and teach them a bit about the game will give them some insight to the sport

 

[Paulie]

We had people walk directly between tee and basket today. I don't think they even knew. Just walking the shortest line from park to street. We let 'em pass while hiding behind trees like ninjas.

There's a 6 basket course we go to. Has a kid's playground smack in the middle. A tot lot, I've heard them called. I get the idea it's a mixed use neighborhood park with a DG course on it. We've had kids (and their parents) throwing balls in the lines of play. They were cool and held up for us. We were cool and played in a timely manner. Waves exchanged. :thmbup:

We've had a whole fam damily come strolling along a path that's a line of throw. They saw what was up and took a different route.

Saw people playing croquet on the course. Out of the way enough so as not to be a bother.

Not what magoo_lc1, is talking about. Just what I've experienced.

Question is, a lot of DG courses, that I've seen anyway, are in parks. Parks are open to the public. That doesn't mean do whatever you want and screw the other guy. But does it mean we DGers have some reason to expect other people will not be using the open space? Even if there are no signs that say it's for DG only?

I'm not opposed to sharing. I'm not opposed to other people sharing alike either.

That said. A DG basket is made for a purpose. Kids should no more use it for monkey bars than I should use monkey bars as a sacrificial alter to Cthulhu. Tees pads are not for picnicing. Certainly there are laws against misuse of public property.

 

[LeewayeDiscGolf]

We've started playing those kinds of people as O.B. We pick out a Mando somewhere that will take us around where they are and proceed to play the hole around them. However, there are those times when the basket is where they are hanging out or there isn't room to make your own fairway. For those times the best thing you can do is just skip the hole. If you really can't live without the hole it's usually clear by the time you've finished the others and you can come back to it.

 

[BrotherDave]

Yeah it happens. Most people are just ignorant of the game and there's always a certain percentage of people that think they are lords of the park and can do as they please. This is why I love my home course and its mostly Latino patrons. Even despite the language/culture barrier, I've had 0 problemas playing through futbol games or seen ninos using the baskets as a jungle gym.

If you really want to be Mr. Cool and have some $$$ to burn, get several DX Aviars or Polecats, etc and hand them out when you're kicking people off the fairway. Even A-holes like to get free stuff.

 

[DSmith]

Last week at league at Shilly there was a group of little kids playing around #17's basket. They are the kids of the football parents watching the older kids play up top.
We got most of them to move and I lined up a uphill jumper for a deuce. I hit the basket but missed the put while a little girl was watching. She then said "Aww you almost made it!"



Too bad I didn't

 

[AikoAdam]

My home courses are considered one of the biggest disc golf "complexes" in the US. Other park users still have right of way. I usually use that rule in public spaces that others have right of way since I am throwing things that could hurt people. But kids definetely shouldn't be jumping all over the baskets.

 

[Dsplayname]

It's a simple solution really. Politely ask the kids to move. If they don't, yell to their parents "get your lawn apes off the pin!" Then proceed to take a "practice shot" that lands right next to them(I only count it as an extra stroke if the kids actually move). If they don't get the idea, try to set a new distance record right through the chains. Whatever else happens is under the supervision/liability of the parents.

 

[Jukeshoe]

It's a simple solution really. Politely ask the kids to move. If they don't, yell to their parents "get your lawn apes off the pin!" Then proceed to take a "practice shot" that lands right next to them(I only count it as an extra stroke if the kids actually move). If they don't get the idea, try to set a new distance record right through the chains. Whatever else happens is under the supervision/liability of the parents.

Actually that's a terrible idea. The liability is actually on you in most, if not all, cases.

Hitting small children who refused to "get the message and get out of your way" is a great way to get courses pulled. :\

 

[MrFixIt]

...use monkey bars as a sacrificial alter to Cthulhu... .

Exactly what I do...how did you know!

 

[JSurmann]

I feel the same way sometimes. Even today a group was just hanging around basket 1, one playing a guitar in the middle of the fairway so I just skipped and went to 2. I think they got the hint though because by the time I got to 5 they were gone.

 

[magoo_lc1]

I went about it as nice as my 6 foot 3 260lb frame could muster. I did explain they come very fast..but for lack of a better pharase this was hoosier day out because the checks just came in type folks. I would of left but i was playing good for once...lol and i was over half done. Oh well its just ashamed that people let their urchins destroy rather then enjoy.

 

[412Disc]

happens to the best of us