Heated Concrete Teepads...?

[WorldsCoolestGuy]

Here is my million dollar DG idea....:thmbup:
- For you construction people
Living in an area where ice and snow are a constant teepad issue during the winter months. How hard would it be to figure out a way (When pouring a new concrete teepad) to heat a teepad? I've often thought about an idea of laying a heating coil within the concrete thats connected to a small solar panel at each teepad to heat/warm a teepad at a temperature above freezing level. maybe between 40-50 degrees F??? Would this be a costly thing when installing new teepads??:popcorn: I'm lazy and don't have the time nor the $$$ but I always thought this would be a great idea for courses that experience longer winters. Discuss Please....:popcorn:

[Martin Dewgarita]

I'm imagining something that runs on gasoline/e85 some kind of catalytic burner beneath the tee pad. For a gallon of gasoline/course after each time it snows, nice clean tee pads.

[Brall]

there are heated driveways that use a hot water system

interesting idea

[chain-addicted]

Too costly. You fellas should just move down south and you wouldnt have to worry about it! LOL!

[Martin Dewgarita]

Too costly. You fellas should just move down south and you wouldnt have to worry about it! LOL!

Nah, I'll just travel south for the winter.

[scarpfish]

To me, many tee pads are more treacherous when semi-frozen or simply wet than when frozen. To me, its more important to keep them dry. Good luck with that when there's snow on the ground.

[nohr]

Sunshine does wonders for clearing teepads off. After a fresh snow just get out there and shovel the teepad as clean as you can. Sun will take care of the rest.

[kpc2004]

sounds like an idea that may lead to another 10+ acre fire lol

it would be neat if it worked though

[ElementZ]

How about a big durable, grippy solar pad that would replace the concrete tee entirely?

[Steve West]

Sunshine does wonders for clearing teepads off. After a fresh snow just get out there and shovel the teepad as clean as you can. Sun will take care of the rest.

I imagine it would. If we had any.

I think we're dreaming of ways to avoid that job of clearing the tee pad in the first place.

Rather than run hot water or electrical lines out to each tee pad, perhaps it would be cheaper to hire a guy to drive a power broom around. For a park that already clears all the paved walkways, how much more work would it be to clear the tee pads? And why isn't it just as high a priority?

[Martin Dewgarita]

Found the answer.

SGAOkSTT2bQ

[weaktit]

How 'bout a backpack leaf blower with a heating element? Like a giant, gas hairdryer....
Not much snow here in the Willamette Valley, so good luck with that;)

[Royal Hill]

Would it contain copper wiring? Oh wait, the panel would have gone first.

[juju]

What is wrong with a shovel and some salt?

[martinb]

Would it contain copper wiring? Oh wait, the panel would have gone first.

yeah... it would last maybe 6 months around here..... and not to thieves but to knuckleheaded hooligans who think destroying property is the coolest thing ever....

[Stud Muffin]

Why not just cover the pads at night or on snow days?

[Clempson13]

suck it up and throw on the snow. a heated tee pad is only going to cause a puddle of water to form and eventually get deep enough to freeze, or freeze the area around it. so now you have an ice sheet.

not to mention the energy required to do this would be better spent lighting the course and baskets for evening play.

[bazillion]

Well how about a small nuclear reactor under the teepad? That would work ... sort of ... :D

[Stetz1010]

For the money it would cost u might as well get some plywood an 2x4s an just build a shelter over each pad, no snowfall directly onto the teepad w/only the drifting snow to shovel off. or just buy some nice grippy snow boots.

[IHearChains]

suck it up and throw on the snow.

Please do not walk on the snow and pack it down, it will turn into ice that cannot be removed til March. I try to shovel every time I play in the winter, but when people have hard-packed the snow by tromping it down on the teepad, it is so much more difficult.

Here's an idea -- BoB shovels. That usually adds a bit of fun to a winter round.

If no one in your group can be bothered to carry a lightweight shovel (despite having no problem carrying 20-30 lbs of discs and beer), at least use your boots to scrape some of the snow off the front of the pad where you plant your foot.

[steve a]

How about making it a game to clear the pads? I played a winter round once where whoever got ctp had to carry the shovel and clear the next pad. Worked great for me since one of the guys was over 1000 rated and sponsored. I did clear a couple though.

[superium]

Just use asphalt when making teepads instead of concrete. I remember when I played basketball, in the spring we could only play at one court that it was made of asphalt it would always be dry since concrete doesnt abosorb the heat of the sun as well.

[srm_520]

You could just build a course in Yellowstone. Built-in geyser heating.

[Violets caddy]

Shovel and salt. Just like in a glow round people have to walk the course and light the baskets up before the round, in the snow send a few people out before a round to shovel n salt. The leaf blower idea isn't bad though, I do that to clear my sidewalk and my cars.

[basketcase15]

suck it up and throw on the snow. a heated tee pad is only going to cause a puddle of water to form and eventually get deep enough to freeze, or freeze the area around it. so now you have an ice sheet.

not to mention the energy required to do this would be better spent lighting the course and baskets for evening play.

hit the nail right on the head

[Noill Golf]

They have these for bathroom floors... Pretty simple system but you'd need electricity of course... You lay the wire in the concrete pour.. not hard at all to do that part... it's really just the electricity... I don't believe that it would be practical with solar panels... they wouldn't generate enough energy to be effective at a reasonable price point.
Seems more like an idea for a dg resort type of place that really wants to go all out and can run the electric

[captain jack]

It's a great idea, but there are some issues with efficiency. As stated previously, driveway heaters are available. Most consist of very thin thermal wiring interlaced in the concrete.
The problem is these units use as much energy as a stove, far more that a solar panel and battery system with inverter can provide. Heating water and running it through plumbing is even less efficient, so both of these systems would not be sensible for most courses.

The best solution is to just texture the surface of the concrete, allowing the moisture to accumulate in the crevass's, leaving the area contacting your shoe dry and grippy. There is no worry of someone in high heeled shoes hurting themselves, so making the surface textured should not cause any problems.
For pre existing tees, maybe have someone come and cross cut channels with a concrete saw to improve drainage.

[jasonc]

I would be shocked if any local Park District spent that kind of $$$ on a disc golf course.

Heating coils + new concrete teepads + solar panels x 18 = +/- $250,000 installation and material costs.

I don't even want to venture a guess at the cost of annual maintenance. This would have to happen at a private course. There is no way the noobs and chuckers would be able to keep their paws off of the solar panels.

This certainly sounds like a great idea for a course funded by someone with a lot of money. If I ever win the lotto, we will discuss in more detail and bring a championship level course to the greater Chicagoland area that includes heated teepads. ;)

[TempleOfDoom]

Silly people. Winter is for skiing.

[basketcase15]

why taint ur land u might as well build it up here and come up on the weekends like all ur pals do

[basketcase15]

Silly people. Winter is for skiing.

silly templeo'doom skiing is for losers

[BionicRib]

Heated tee pads are for cheaters

[Danger]

You could just build a course in Yellowstone. Built-in geyser heating.

All 5 Yellowstone courses are covered in massive amounts of snow all winter, including the Old Faithful course.

Frownie :(

[jeffmonty]

What is wrong with a shovel and some salt?

I believe i've seen on some other posts related to this that salt and some of the sno-melt products out there can be damaging to the concrete over the long haul.

[The dude on the bike]

I believe i've seen on some other posts related to this that salt and some of the sno-melt products out there can be damaging to the concrete over the long haul.

Calcium Chloride works better and does not damage concrete, it is used as a curing agent in it. Heated would be awesome as would a heated bag so we could have summer grip all the time.

[WorldsCoolestGuy]

Heated tee pads are for cheaters

you might be the biggest cheater...:popcorn:

[WorldsCoolestGuy]

There is no way the noobs and chuckers would be able to keep their paws off of the solar panels.



Those were my thoughts too...:thmbdown:

[1Roy]

You people need to stop living in the stone age. The future of the sport is Hover Pads™

[Noill Golf]

Hey he trademarked it!

[captain jack]

Heated would be awesome as would a heated bag so we could have summer grip all the time.

Use a few large 4"x5" Hothands warmers to line your bag, this keeps the discs warm for at least one round in the coldest weather, and they weigh very little so you wont posthole in the deep stuff. :)

[srm_520]

All 5 Yellowstone courses are covered in massive amounts of snow all winter, including the Old Faithful course.

Frownie :(

Well obviously their not building them close enough to the geyser. :) You just have to time your throw between eruptions.

[esdubya]

It is too costly to do a heated teepad system, just to cater to the handful of players out there in the snow for a few months of the year. Additionally you would need to heat the area around the tee pad so as not to create the hockey rink effect where the pooled melted snow just sits there with no relief for the runoff.

Just shovel it and add the sheet metal screws to your boots.

[IHearChains]

Use a few large 4"x5" Hothands warmers to line your bag, this keeps the discs warm for at least one round in the coldest weather, and they weigh very little so you wont posthole in the deep stuff. :)

That might work well to keep them warm, at least until thrown!

Downside is, the discs are always wet because they melt the snow they land in, and then your hands get cold from handling wet rags and wet discs.

I think it's better just to get used to throwing cold discs, the snow just falls off of them and everything stays dry. Dry gear means the hands stay warm, which gives you better grip anyway.

[jcrab66]

What is wrong with a shovel and some salt?

thats what i use :thmbup:

[bombmk]

A more low level solution could be sheets of tarp nailed down on one side of the tee during the months where this is an issue. Just roll it over the tee after teeing off. Maybe add something, spikes, stones, whatever, to keep the loose side down. Should give you a clear tee in one swoop.

Requires that all the users would want to roll it off and on ofc. And I guess we all know what kind of dream that is. :) And then theres the usual vandalism issues on top.

But thought I would put it out there.

[412Disc]

I like the idea

[Peterb]

For about a $1000, you can buy a gas powered Snowblower (http://www.amazon.com/Husqvarna-924HV-24-Inch-SnowKing-Electric/dp/B0053WVM1Q) that will take care of the tees in the winter. Combine that with a Stihl Kombi Power Brush (http://www.stihlusa.com/multitask/MM55_attachment.html) and you'll have nice playable tees in no time. The kombi is a great too for other course maintenance needs as well, as you can get a weedwhacker attachment and other ones like pole saws and such.

[BogeyNoMore]

I'm imagining something that runs on gasoline/e85 some kind of catalytic burner beneath the tee pad. For a gallon of gasoline/course after each time it snows, nice clean tee pads.
I hate to piss on anyone's idea, but....Never happening... who's gonna run round to refuel each tee pad? Plus imagine courses with 18+ holes and dual pads?

The solar charger thing (assuming it generates enough energy) seems more feasible. Until someone breaks it, or otherwise vandalizes it.

I like the concept, but I think that's just part of living in the north. I doubt local communities will spring for any additional cost after pouring concrete and springing for baskets and tee posts.

[BrotherDave]

Here's an outside the box idea. Ancient Bolivian and Aztec farmers used raised fields to ward off frost among other benefits. Basically, by having fields surrounded by water, the sun heats up the water during the daytime and causes a mist of warm air to hover around at night, keeping the plants significantly warmer. Obviously, if it got cold enough to freeze the water you're completely SOL and there's a good chance it would result in ice covered tees but if you maybe put some greenhouses around the tees as well (maybe just a plastic sheet) in combination it might be somewhat feasible.

[DavidSauls]

Re; Solar-powered heaters

Someone help me with the science.

Could a solar panel smaller than the teepad generate more heat than the actual sun shining on the tee? Especially a dark-colored tee with little reflectance?

[WorldsCoolestGuy]

Re; Solar-powered heaters

Someone help me with the science.

Could a solar panel smaller than the teepad generate more heat than the actual sun shining on the tee? Especially a dark-colored tee with little reflectance?

I'm not a scientist nor an electrician but that was the original idea. Maybe people got confused with the "heated" part of the OP. With a solar panel and a cord/heating element, I was thinking of just warming the top layer, maybe 1/2 inch below the surface...? I honestly think it can be done for a reasonable price with the right person that has the knowledge to do so. Vandalism would be the biggest concern. Those damn chuckers...:rolleyes:

[BogeyNoMore]

Re; Solar-powered heaters

Someone help me with the science.

Could a solar panel smaller than the teepad generate more heat than the actual sun shining on the tee? Especially a dark-colored tee with little reflectance? good point sir...I doubt it.
Just thought of some faux pas here:
Once a dark tee pad gets covered in snow, it's no longer dark, so it's as reflective as, mmmm..... snow.

Same goes for solar panels. After a decent snowfall, they ain't gonna see a lot of sunlight. And that's when you want a heated pad... after it snows, to melt it before it can get packed down or partially melt and refreeze.

I'm thinking shoveling them off while the snow's still dry = best solution.
That or rocksalt like they use on walkways. Moreover, they're pretty much the ONLY solutions for existing courses, and I plan on playing quite a few rounds on some of those.

[Noobaque]

not sure if anyone thought of this, but why not something like an automatic sweeper like a cat litter box?

lol

[superberry]

Mix BLACK dye into the pads. They'll absorb a load more sun and stay warmer and more free of ice and snow. Of course it's not a gasoline or electric powered heater, but the increased cost might be $5 per pad rather than $500.

[jhgonzo]

Here's a cool article I saw on Facebook the other day, and immediately thought about applications for this nanotechnology to disc golf. :)

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/4945/australian-eucalypt-a-nanotech-gold-mine

"A species of Australian eucalyptus possesses spectacular water-repelling and self-cleaning properties that could have an array of practical applications, researchers have discovered. http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/files/imagecache/news/files/news/20111109_colour-drops-square.jpg

These findings, revealing the nanoparticular nature of the mottlecah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_macrocarpa)'s striking silver leaves, could lead to enhanced cleanliness of sterile medical and laboratory utensils, self-cleaning buildings and the antibiofouling of ships' hulls.

Other plants, including the lotus, have been shown to have incredible water-repellent effects caused by the particular composition of the wax covering their surface. Many plants will have wax covering their leaves - it reduces water loss during transpiration and allows the exchange of gases processes known as photosynthesis.

Poinern and his team have discovered that the wax covering the mottlecah - a native from southwest Western Australia affectionately dubbed 'the Rose of the West' - leaves creates an incredible surface at the nano-particle level.

Experimenting with its self-cleaning properties, a leaf was covered in black toner. When water was sprayed on it, the droplets accumulated and, rolling to one end of the leaf, collected all the toner leaving the plant completely clean.

'The ability to control the wettability of surfaces is important in many different applications, from windows to printing,' commented Andrew Briggs from the University of Oxford.

'We can learn much from studying the very clever ways in which plant surfaces have evolved their own nanostructures for determining how water behaves on the surfaces of leaves. We have much to learn from plants in the development of advanced nanotechnologies, ranging from field sensing to light harvesting,' he said.

Other uses could involve enhancing the buoyancy of certain devices - the team found that a slide coated in the waxes was able to support four times the weight of a normal slide. In the case of ships' hulls, for example, this technique could lead to better management of fluid drag reduction and water-supporting forces."


...so basically we'll have water-repellent tee pads and discs! :p I won't hold my breath, though...I'm still doing that for my hoverboard.

[Troy Jan]

This is the dumbest thread i have ever read. Get a shovel and shovel or don't play.

[UnitedPuppySlayer]

This is the dumbest thread i have ever read. Get a shovel and shovel or don't play.

Hey, how about you pull that stick out of your butt? I think the concept of it is good, as would most other people.

[jhgonzo]

This is the dumbest thread i have ever read. Get a shovel and shovel or don't play.

Apparently you don't read many threads here. :|

[BionicRib]

Perhaps 50+ years down the road this may be an idea that becomes commonplace on pay to play courses in the north, but for now I would say lets not get ahead of ourselves........If done I would say that whereever these teepads are utilized it would have to be on a course that brings in enough revenue to justify the cost, installation and maintenance of such a contraption............that being said I think it would be cool.....................................Isn't that what America is all about?.......invent something that makes everyone a little bit lazier?

[H3LlIoN]

Shovels are for tossers and sheep shaggers! I walk on to an iced tee and bust out muh flamethrower! :p

How friggin' awesome would that be, albeit environmentally destructive...


On a more serious note, current photovoltaic solar technology is both inefficient and expensive, as has been addressed. There are some solar technologies on the horizon that increase efficiency and decrease cost though, so that might become feasible down the road. Another issue I see though is that if the coil stops functioning, you have to jackhammer the tee and build a new one.

The ground systems mentioned are geothermal systems, and they operate on the principal that the ground is a constant ~55F at an average of 4-5 feet, regardless of your area. In other words, it doesn't matter if you're in the Gobi desert or in the Alaskan Yukon, if you dig down five feet, you're going to find 55F temps. Downside is that this requires circulation of a viscous fluid, which again requires electricity.

Theoretically, you could pour a concrete tee pad such that it would have a column or 'taproot-esque' structure that would transfer that 55F up in to the tee, but whether or not it would actually work, I'm not sure. I think it would be a long shot, but about the only current sustainable and financially viable option. Honestly, this is nothing new. The department of transportation has been trying to figure out how to keep concrete from freezing for years (bridges,) and as someone else already mentioned, millions of dollars of R&D has yet to reveal anything more efficient than sand and rock salt, mixed with a snow blade.

Regarding shoveling, I can understand. It's time consuming, and you still risk slipping and getting hurt, unless you salt/sand and wait for the ice to melt. If I lived in a high snow risk environment and had the resources, I would purchase sheets of rubber, in the 1/4" thick range, similar to what you see on mudflaps on tractor trailers. I'd hinge one side, and pour the hinge in to the end of the concrete pad. I'd bolt a rod to the other end to serve as a handle. This way, if it snowed, I could just walk up and grab the handle, and then walk the rubber pad backwards down the tee, thus removing the snow and exposing fresh concrete. After the throw, roll it back down, and off you go. Additionally, this would offer the choice between concrete OR rubber tees to those that have a preference. Would it be cheap? No. It's kind of an eccentric solution, but barring actually taking the time to research and build something geothermal, that would be the route I would probably take.

[IHearChains]

Regarding shoveling, I can understand. It's time consuming...


Dude think about the amount of time some people spend on the teepad -- checking the wind, preening a little for the gallery, pretending to aim the disc, getting their runup steps just right, and winding up to throw. Seriously I could shovel 3 tees during some peoples pre-shot routine.

[H3LlIoN]

Dude think about the amount of time some people spend on the teepad -- checking the wind, preening a little for the gallery, pretending to aim the disc, getting their runup steps just right, and winding up to throw. Seriously I could shovel 3 tees during some peoples pre-shot routine.

I'm a newer player, and haven't played with "that guy" yet. If it's me, I'd just grab a damn shovel, but that had been said enough through the thread that I figured I'd try and stay on topic. I agree though...when playing with someone like that, I could probably whittle my own disc out of a log by the time we made it through 18.

[BionicRib]

............hurry up people its getting cold outside!!!!