Man-Made Peninsula Tees

[DerekTonn]

I'm wondering how many of you have ever tried building out a tee into a lake or pond. I ask because I recently have undertaken the task to add a lot of spice to Hole 11 on our local disc golf course in our community.

This area was an old gravel pit that flooded years ago after our nearby river came up and deposited countless gallons of water before receding...and our local DNR has stocked the resulting pond with fish ever since. Most of the NE and Northern edge of the pond was a muddy, littered, overgrown MESS. Nobody wanted it for anything! So naturally, I adopted that area for our disc golf course back in 2006.

Some photos of the work in-progress can be found here: http://southernmndga.ning.com/photo/photo/slideshow?albumId=2048610%3AAlbum%3A46657

About eight more feet out into the pond, then a 6' x 12' tee area will be constructed out of rock, gravel, and concrete (on the top) to complete the Pro/Tourney hole. About 200 feet over open water, with many branches guarding the North shore if you get your shot up more than 24-25' above the water...with a new 1,200 square foot expanded "landing zone" (now approximately 65' x 45' in total size) that has been constructed out of about 80 yards of gravel. Raising that area of the course by approximately two feet.

I'm just wondering how many of you have constructed anything like this on your courses you've designed. And if you have, how the hole was received...as well as any lessons you've learned about how to avoid any future maintenance headaches related to their strength and durability. I'm using about 50-55 yards of field stone of all sizes from area farmers to form most of the base...as well as gravel to fill in the gaps and help keep everything together. The area that's finished (one of those photos) is rock-solid to walk on...and you could easily have a few thousand pounds standing on it without any problems. That said, I want to get it right the first time!

Thanks!

[koogs]

Those are some very cool looking holes.:thmbup:

[zepphead33]

Wow, looks great man. The course looks really groomed, you guys put a lot of work in.

[DavidSauls]

I think it's cool, with this caution:

http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill/Photos/Hole%2017A%20Tee%20(2).jpg

Ever seen a player stumble on his follow-through? I watched someone on this hole stumble and roll, almost into the pond.

Like tees with a drop-off at the end, you have a safety issue. For playability, it's little different that the one I've linked to, or any other at the edge of a body of water. But I'll bet it'll feel pretty cool to throw.

[DerekTonn]

Wow, looks great man. The course looks really groomed, you guys put a lot of work in.

Thanks. You have no idea how many hours we've spent getting that course to where it is today. I personally volunteer about 200-250 hours/year pulling weeds, trimming/planting trees, hauling dirt and rock, etc. Basically our course was developed upon leased railroad land, an abandoned street, two former municipal "dry" dumps (non-leeching material, covered by soil), a former compost and brush burning site, and a flood plain! Land our City Manager pleasantly referred to as "the arm-pit of the community" as recently as 6-7 years ago, as in: so ugly and unpleasant that nobody wanted to get within 100 yards of it. Now, everyone in town refers to it as "park space," with a 14 hole disc golf course, 4-5 fishing areas, flower gardens, shelters, and about 3-4 miles of paved walking and biking trails. There's even talk of formally naming it as a park in our community...as well as adding solar powered lights, so at least 7 of our 14 holes could be played 24 hours/day. Great for us "second-shifters" who are up until 2am and roll out of bed at the crack of 10-11am! LOL.

It'll be my tiny "legacy" related to DG and our community...since I'll never be more than a middle-of-the-pack INT/Masters Advanced player on the course. Years from now, I want people in town and people just passing through to know that somebody loved this sport and this course immensely...and to have one more positive memory about their "Courses Played." :-)

[DerekTonn]

I think it's cool, with this caution:

http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill/Photos/Hole%2017A%20Tee%20(2).jpg

Ever seen a player stumble on his follow-through? I watched someone on this hole stumble and roll, almost into the pond.

Like tees with a drop-off at the end, you have a safety issue. For playability, it's little different that the one I've linked to, or any other at the edge of a body of water. But I'll bet it'll feel pretty cool to throw.

My favorite thing just standing on the end of the path that leads to what will be the tee right now? You look out, and all you see in any direction (in your direct and peripheral vision) is water. You feel like you're standing up in a small boat out in a lake or something. Only you're not bobbing with the waves...you're standing on a solid, stationary base. It's kind of hard to describe the feeling, but it's something I haven't felt on a DG course before.

Oh yeah...safety has to be the #1 priority. That's part of the reason why the hole is going to be so short (~225-230 feet). Players won't need a big run-up to take their shot. That, and players who aren't "good enough" to make that type of shot have an Am/Rec tee up on land (by the flower beds) to stick to. Most people told me that 4'x10' was the bare-minimum area that would be needed for a tee pad, so we're building the tee a minimum of 6'x12' too. With one foot on either side and two feet off the front...plus an extra four feet at the back of the tee that is the path that connects to it (forming the peninsula vs. an "island" tee). One foot of solid/level surface on either side...with another 1-2' of tapered rock that slopes into the Pond at about a 20-degree angle.

It really is a fairly easy, open, pitch-and-putt to a basket protected by lots of mature trees...and as long as you keep your tee shot under about 25' of vertical (above the water's surface), you're deuce-putting. Might be a highly obstructed deuce putt, but you'll at minimum get your par out of it. Where the challenge comes in is all of the mental gymnastics associated with throwing your prized mid-range/approach/putter over 200 feet of open water. Thinking about what happens if you grip-lock or get a little casual/careless in running the hole. But for most players who would have a rating even in the 850-875 range, as long as they can block out the "white noise" that is all that water, they'll get their par. And their disc back. :)