Voluntary Player Maintenance

[Paulie]

I was reading a review of a local course and a lot of reviewers were running the place down due to it being so woodsy, overgrown, and, you know, natural. Some of them sounded like pansies who should find a DG video game to play indoors so as no to get any scary nature on them.

Now, I don't want to go noodling in a cesspool after every throw but, this aint no country club sport. It's largely free and you get what you pay for. Hell, in my brief time with it, it's actually a pretty damn good deal. For me, the woodsy roughness is part of the appeal.

Maybe it's because my introduction was Veterans in Arlington, Texas that has me expecting some ruggedness to a DG course. Maybe I'm nuts.

I also see people saying they won't go back to a course until it's been played enough to wear it in or someone does something. Well, golly gee, if no one goes to play it until someone goes to play it, uh...

Having said all that, yes, I did go on a bit about the poisonous plant orchard that is Bear Creek. More of an advisement of conditions than a complaint. Poison ivy, oak and sumac are also hard to get rid of. Glyphosate is not a guaranteed remedy to it and that poison kills a lot of desired plants in the process. It's not good for the animals either. Oh, and folks were complaining about them too. Like they were surprised to find animals in the woods.

Okay. Enough of my ranting.

What should us players be doing to help maintain a course?

Of course, we should pack out what we pack in. Don't throw no litter, won't be no litter. Don't graffiti up the place. That's all common (uncommon to some, it seems) decency.

I don't want to go machete wild through a course and mess up the hard work someone put into course design or whack something that I shouldn't and have folks say DGers are tearing up the woods and throw us out. Nor do I want to work more than I play.

Would it be cool to chop some along obvious paths and fairways? I'll carry a machete and not be worried about cops hassling me for it. I'm in the woods, a machete is appropriate and it's not like I'm a sketchy doing other things to set them off.

[Longliveguitar]

Some of them sounded like pansies who should find a DG video game to play indoors so as no to get any scary nature on them.

This totally made me laugh out loud

[optidiscic]

I say you hide behind a tree and wait for some pansies to start bitching bout the course and then you introduce them to the machette..and well you do what you gotta do...

[bwiese]

Are you involved in a local club. If you are they will have projects at different courses where you can help out with out messing up some ones course design. A big help we all could do is pick up sticks on wooded courses. As far as a machette.... not sure.

[optidiscic]

IMO thorns. poison and vines are fair game.

I wouldn't hack any trees even smallish ones

but I agree its best to ask and find out whos responsible for maintenance and go from there

[MikePinchico]

I have been covered head to toe with poison oak clearing it from the fairway. I have become very bloody clearing blackberry with a machette at Lava Creek (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/reviews.php?id=3264&page=1&mode=rev#). It has very little reward besides the fact that you knew you did a lot of work.
If you want your course to improve, just go and get stuff done. This being said, no cutting of trees or branches. Don't be a pussy and take the hard challenges out.

[Steve West]

Would it be cool to chop some along obvious paths and fairways?






NO!!

[Paulie]

MikePinchico: Don't be a pussy and take the hard challenges out.

Agreed. If one wants to play on bowling alley straight and clear lanes, one should go bowling. Chopping down trees and branches would also be disruptive to course design and not my place to do. It may also be against the law to cut down trees in a park. Don't visit a state park or national forest and go all Samurai Jack with a machete. Mr. Park Ranger will chop your butt.

I suppose the best answer here is to find out who's in charge of course maint and get with them. My original mindset was that maybe nobody's doing anything or maybe somebody expects players will do something. Most of that notion came from the reviews of one particular course.

Gateway Park - West in Fort Worth, Texas, if yall want to see.
"Final detail work still being completed." Just a little patience, yeah, yeah
"2) Course is not kept up at all. Someone should do something!
"There are no trails between the tee and the basket on most shots." Trails, be it on a course or just woods or vacant lots that people use, tend to get worn in over time and use. Maybe I could help that along.
the course is horribly kept. Damsel in distress!

That's where I was coming from.

[DSmith]

If you want to do any brush removal.

Always find out;
1)If there is a local club or someone in charge of the course first. Either by doing a little research online or just by asking around first. This way you'll find out officially if it's ok to do trimming.
2) When you get cleared to do so let people know, that see you doing it, that you are officially doing it for xxx organization.

I know it takes away from the spontaneity of volunteer work but this is really important. Please, please do this. :thmbup:

Here we've have lots of instances of people cutting what they shouldn't be cutting either because they thought they were helping or they thought a fairway was too hard. Ex. Louisville with Charlie Vettner and us in Lexington with Veterans and Riney B. I'm sure people see me out here trimming up stuff thinking I'm some Joe Shmo and that anyone can do it. Well thats not the case. I had to get cleared by Parks and Rec to do cutting since any unofficial alterations to the parks is considered vandalism.

[MrFixIt]

If you want to do any brush removal.

Always find out;
1)If there is a local club or someone in charge of the course first. Either by doing a little research online or just by asking around first. This way you'll find out officially if it's ok to do trimming.
2) When you get cleared to do so let people know, that see you doing it, that you are officially doing it for xxx organization.

I know it takes away from the spontaneity of volunteer work but this is really important. Please, please do this. :thmbup:

Here we've have lots of instances of people cutting what they shouldn't be cutting either because they thought they were helping or they thought a fairway was too hard. Ex. Louisville with Charlie Vettner and us in Lexington with Veterans and Riney B. I'm sure people see me out here trimming up stuff thinking I'm some Joe Shmo and that anyone can do it. Well thats not the case. I had to get cleared by Parks and Rec to do cutting since any unofficial alterations to the parks is considered vandalism.


^^^^ THIS!
Also, if you do schedule a work day, and the volunteers show, have a meeting to discuss what will and will not happen. Some folks show up w/ chainsaws expecting to cut down "that one damned tree that's always in my line".
It is also a great idea to have the volunteers sign a waiver releasing you/the city/county, or property owner from liability in case someone gets hurt.

[ElementZ]

I'm going to start doing volunteer work on my home courses pretty soon too...but it'll mostly just consist of collecting trash with a bag or removing weeds and such.

[MrFixIt]

I'm going to start doing volunteer work on my home courses pretty soon too...but it'll mostly just consist of collecting trash with a bag or removing weeds and such.

Nice ElementZ...the everyday player that frequents any course can make a significant difference, not only in removing debris, but setting an example to newer players. I've often been asked "Why are you picking up trash and limbs?" by noobs on the course. My reply, "Who else but players can make a difference? Show some pride, if not gratitude, towards the course that doesn't charge you to play!"