The use of boardwalks to prevent erosion...

[ReedyCreekProduct]

Suppose a wooded course had an elevated boardwalk along the sides of each fairway--or at least ONE side of each fairway. The boardwalks could even be incorporated into the design of the course as strategic obstacles.

A player throws his drive, and then walks down the boardwalk and gets off in the area where his disc landed.

Would this:

A. Be practical?
B. Significantly cut down on erosion?
C. Be worth the extra cost?

Has this been attempted? Has this been done successfully?

[cjskier]

I dont see erosion as that big of an issue. That kind of work work cost tens of thousands.

[Steve West]

It sounds like you're confusing "bare dirt" with erosion. Most people do.

A dirt path is not really a problem. Channels carved by moving water are erosion, and should be mitigated.

But, if you want a boardwalk instead of a dirt path, you'll need to start it right off the front of the tee and have it go down the middle of the fairway. Otherwise, I don't think players would use it.

You could also cover up the dirt with wood chips. That seems to satisfy the neighbors.

[scarpfish]

If there's ever a place where the grass is so fragile that it can't be walked on where we would need something akin to this, I really don't want to play there.

[DiscChucker]

Suppose a wooded course had an elevated boardwalk along the sides of each fairway--or at least ONE side of each fairway. The boardwalks could even be incorporated into the design of the course as strategic obstacles.

A player throws his drive, and then walks down the boardwalk and gets off in the area where his disc landed.

Would this:

A. Be practical?
B. Significantly cut down on erosion?
C. Be worth the extra cost?

Has this been attempted? Has this been done successfully?

Reading this instantly made me think of hole #8 at North Cabarrus. Although erosion isn't necessarily an issue on this hole, the fact that it's located in a wetland certainly makes it a mess after a decent rain. It also stays muddy for quite awhile after it's rained. It's a fine example of a good/decent hole in a less than ideal location. To be quite frank, it's a poor location.

To answer your questions though, I have never seen a boardwalk implemented in a disc golf course with the intention of your inquiry. I don't know if it would be practical in the sense of running it along a fairway. The cost would certainly be prohibitive. If anything I think boardwalks are ideal for transition paths between holes and the next tee pad. Two such examples that I can think of immediately are the transition between hole #8 and the the tee pad for #9 at Kilborne and between hole #14 and the tee pad for #15 at Nevin.

[DSCJNKY]

I wouldn't think the entire fairways should have boardwalks... but you could certainly install them close to the tee to get people started off in a uniform direction and in places where wetlands (constantly muddy zones) could be of concern.

Richmond Hill has some boardwalks through the bottoms of drainages that have been useful in preventing erosion and directing traffic. This is where they are useful.
DSCJNKY