Winter Rule: PLEASE Clear The Tee Pad, Or Don't Use The Tee Pad

[UP Mountain Man]

Perhaps winter disc golfing is not the greatest invention since sliced bread? However, I've found it to be a much more enjoyable endeavor then the alternative, which is NOT disc golfing!

There's much to be said about the joys of winter disc golf...the serene peace and quiet, the solitude, the pristine beauty, the crisp clean air, the fresh tracks in the gorgeous winter wonderland. Even just being able to enjoy the great outdoors, during indoor season. How can any of this not be good for the soul?

Like anything else though, winter disc golf is not all rainbows and unicorns!!!

Other than the greatly increased potential for lost discs, I feel that the biggest downside to winter disc golfing is the potential for injury on slippery tee pads. I also feel that this dangerous situation could easily be avoided by simply implementing a common sense winter disc golf rule:

CLEAR THE TEE PAD, OR DON"T USE THE TEE PAD!!! Easy. Peasy.

Any and all tracks on the snow, on a concrete or rubber tee pad, will become an ice patch, firmly adhered to the concrete. Falling branches, animals, or humans, doesn't matter ...any track will become slippery, raised, ice patches on the tee pad.

When you throw off of a tee pad with snow on it, the next 100 players with shovels will not be able to undo the damage you've just done to that tee pad. This makes you an ....... and a .... Don't be an ....... and a ....

Myself, I carry a small, light, one piece, green composite shovel. My current one is going on it's third season. No metal edge, so it works great on rubber pads too. Even with my sweet azz shovel, I still run into tee pads that I cannot clear sufficiently to throw off of, without leaving permanent, dangerous, icy prints.

So then, I'll simply NOT use the pad, and just throw from the side of it, or in front on it.

Quick tip to anyone who does shovel tee pads ... make sure to clean a nice approach to the pad, to avoid tracking snow onto a clean pad. And clear a fair sized apron around the pad, so there's room to shovel all of the future snow. This will also insure that the snow you've already shoveled doesn't puddle onto the tee pad, when it does melt.

Please consider these suggestions the next time you go out and enjoy the magical joy and pristine beauty of winter disc golfing. That way, the next person can enjoy the same wonderful experience as you!

Thanks in advance

 

[davetherocketguy]

Or you could just wear ice cleats because if the pads are icy the rest of the course is probably icy as well for the same reason.

 

[JC17393]

Or you could just wear ice cleats because if the pads are icy the rest of the course is probably icy as well for the same reason.

Not true. All it takes is one group of players trampling snow on the tee pad to cause it to ice up. But that one group isn't going to trample the whole course to the same degree. Maybe there are some icy footprints here and there but generally they should be avoidable.

I could understand first snow fall of the year being one where players don't bother to clear the tees before they play them out of ignorance or what have you. But as the winter goes on, and there's obvious evidence that someone has been shoveling the tees off, players that trample fresh snow on the pad instead of clearing it are lazy and inconsiderate.

 

[paul2432]

One thing I always preach is if people are going to clear tee-pads of snow, don't use rock salt! It will break down the concrete. Shovels - good; salt - bad.

 

[BuzzzChief]

Throwing from an icy death trap is part of the required skill set for a good winter disc golfer.

 

[UP Mountain Man]

Or you could just wear ice cleats because if the pads are icy the rest of the course is probably icy as well for the same reason.

Great idea ... for the people that choose to not clear the pad, and choose to stay off of the pad, by playing from in front of, or off to the side of it.

This just seem like simple common sense, and decent human being courtesy, to me.

 

[notroman]

Yeah, I've had some sad moments in the past where I get out to a course in the morning to clear snow that fell overnight only to find that some group played an early morning round

 

[tbird888]

No one just works on standstill form?

 

[UP Mountain Man]

One thing I always preach is if people are going to clear tee-pads of snow, don't use rock salt! It will break down the concrete. Shovels - good; salt - bad.

Agree! Not only rock salt, almost all commercial side walk and driveway ice removers will destroy concrete tee pads.

Sand is safe to sprinkle on an icy tee pad. However, it's not an ice remover, only a traction adding material. And sand is heavy to carry.

Wood ash is safe to sprinkle on icy tee pads, for traction. And the dark color will help with ice melting via solar power. Messy stuff though.

I'm going to look into beet juice, and other similar liquid options. I'm also going to try carrying a portable tee pad surface. A piece of carpet, a beach towel, maybe I'll stumble across the perfect solution and retire on Porta Paddy sales?

 

[Steve West]

Any kind of ice melt chemical leaves a muddy, sticky, near-frozen gunk that is harder to clean off the pad than pure ice or snow.

 

[JuanA]

...All it takes is one group of players trampling snow on the tee pad to cause it to ice up...

Exactly the reason I always shovel my driveway when it snows, before pulling my truck out of the garage.

 

[JC17393]

The key when using any sort of ice melt on a tee pad is to sweep it all off once it's melted. In fact, the key to getting a completely clear and bone dry tee pad after a snow is to not just shovel, but sweep the pad as well.

Also, ice cleats on tees is a bad practice in general. Scratching up concrete is just as bad for it as the chemical ice melts. I'd rather use the melt and sweep off the residue than have players pivoting on metal cleats and digging into the pad.

 

[IHearChains]

One thing I always preach is if people are going to clear tee-pads of snow, don't use rock salt! It will break down the concrete. Shovels - good; salt - bad.

The other thing about the salt is, the tee never seems to get totally dry because the salt residue attracts more moisture from the air. Then if it gets really cold, below the temp that the salt will work, you have invisible thin coating of black ice, and the tee is unusable.

Some people never witness that black ice effect because it's gone by the time they come out in the afternoon, but I like to play early in the morning so I see this a lot on salted pads.

Oddly, some people seem to prefer carrying rock salt around the course which is arguably harder work than shoveling. Makes no sense to me

 

[IHearChains]

No one just works on standstill form?

That's what the rest of the fairway is for. It's good to keep normal tee shots tuned up also.

 

[UP Mountain Man]

Any kind of ice melt chemical leaves a muddy, sticky, near-frozen gunk that is harder to clean off the pad than pure ice or snow.

Graph or it didn't happen, Steve

 

[Noill]

No one just works on standstill form?

Not really... I am the only one out of the folks I play with. Surprises me that folks don't do this.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Not true. All it takes is one group of players trampling snow on the tee pad to cause it to ice up. But that one group isn't going to trample the whole course to the same degree. Maybe there are some icy footprints here and there but generally they should be avoidable.

I could understand first snow fall of the year being one where players don't bother to clear the tees before they play them out of ignorance or what have you. But as the winter goes on, and there's obvious evidence that someone has been shoveling the tees off, players that trample fresh snow on the pad instead of clearing it are lazy and inconsiderate.

Don't get me wrong, I've cleaned off plenty of tee pad with my big ole snow shovel many many times and while it'd be great if everyone did it I certainly don't expect it to be done with any consistency. To me, it's like expecting everyone to put the grocery carts back in the corral, or not talk during movies...Especially some of the crowd that frequents Flaherty Park - egad.

But I've seen plenty of courses with the vast majority of the fairway iced over. Hell to walk on (unless you have spikes) but fun for skip shots.

 

[tbird888]

Not really... I am the only one out of the folks I play with. Surprises me that folks don't do this.

Couldn't agree more. Slow, floaty molds and all core? Yes please!

Anyone wear broomball shoes when it gets icy? With the traction they provide at the rink, I can't help but think they'd give you quite an advantage in that weather. Bonus for them being super warm and able to handle 45 minutes of running. Just don't step off the snow/ice with them.

 

[elmexdela]

is this yet another passive aggressive shot at Jeremy?

 

[DanJon]

Or you could just wear ice cleats because if the pads are icy the rest of the course is probably icy as well for the same reason.

I don't think rubber pads and ice cleats get along well.