Average Drive Lengths?

[duckychucky]

I'm sure its on here somewhere but what are the average drive lengths for each tee/player ratings (red,white,blue,gold) that designers use for determing where landing zones should be off the tee?

[jeverett]

I'm sure its on here somewhere but what are the average drive lengths for each tee/player ratings (red,white,blue,gold) that designers use for determing where landing zones should be off the tee?

Here's the PDGA guidelines for course design 'length':

"Most courses should have at least one configuration for beginners and casual
recreational players that rarely averages more than 250 feet per hole (75 meters). This works out to a
maximum of 4500 ft (1350m) for an 18-hole course or 2250 feet (675m) for a 9-holer. The preferred
length range is 3600-4300 feet (1080-1290m) for the shortest setup on a typical 18-hole public course.
This is an average length of 200-240 feet per hole (60-73m). No hole should be shorter than 120 feet
(35m) even on courses for beginners, but 150 feet (45m) is the "normal" low end limit.
Longer configurations are achieved by installing alternate tees and/or target positions on several holes.
Typical 18-hole course setups for amateur White level players range from 4500-6000 feet (1350-
1800m). Course setups longer than 6000 feet (1800m) are primarily for better players at the Blue or
Gold level, and for tournament play. There is no maximum length allowed for a hole. The longest
holes in the world can get to 1500 feet (458m). See document: Course Design Guidelines for PDGA
Skill Levels & Divisions"

Source: http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/PDGACourseDesignGuides2011.pdf

Another good resource is the 'par' guidelines.. they give maximum hole distances at each difficulty level and each 'par' level. Note: there are several other methods for determining 'par' for a hole, and the following document is only one of them:

http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/ParGuidelines.pdf

[duckychucky]

Thanks jeveret, but I have that doc, I'm looking for average DRIVE lengths to determine landing zones not the entire hole distance.

[Steve West]

You asked about landing zones. You might want to use the tool below to see where the throws will land.

Average length is just one thing to consider. If you are designing a course you also need to think about how far right or left a throw can go, and how much too far it can possibly go. For many skill levels, there is more variation right and left than short and long, so the landing zone actually needs to be wider than it is long.

http://stevewestdiscgolf.com/ThrowSimulator.aspx

[jeverett]

Thanks jeveret, but I have that doc, I'm looking for average DRIVE lengths to determine landing zones not the entire hole distance.

Ah. In that case, you might want to look at some of the other methods for determining 'par'. "Close Range Par", for example, gives averages for the drive plus the upshot. That document can be found here:

http://sites.google.com/site/discgolfcoursedesign/Home/par/CRpar

Using that as a strict guide, however, typically produces a lot of 'tweener' holes for the desired (color) difficulty level.. holes where even after a good drive you're left with a 60-100ft. upshot to the basket (i.e. you're unlikely to screw it up, but you're not likely to birdie either).