What makes the best tee box?

[bazillion]

OK, I'm expecting a certain result here but you never can tell - there may be valid reasons why another option gets more votes.

So what do you think? From a player's perspective, what makes the best tee box?

[Roc1Time]

I like natural pads, easier on the knees I think. Fly pads are ok if they are put on level ground.

[sidewinder22]

8'x16' leveled crush like Patapsco just put in is the best tee! Its the best for all weather conditions and safest.

Concrete gets slippery in wet conditions and rough on knees/feet although they are usually level. Fly pads also get very slippery in wet conditions, and ice, and typically not level.

[ovar]

If they are long enough I like cement pads.

[Mushin No Shin]

Nothing disappoints me more than going to a new course and the "teepads" are muddy ruts in the ground. I'm happy with anything else, but ultimately I'd prefer level concrete pads.

[scarpfish]

If durability and unevenness weren't factors, I'd just as soon tee off on grass all the time. Almost all of my upshots are on grass.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

[BogeyNoMore]

Gimme concrete - rock solid and consistent.
Fly pads aren't bad, but they tear up too easliy.

[gfellerjm]

I like a big fan that I can just float over! That way it's easy on the body, safe in most weather and repeated use won't hurt it. :)

[NothinButChing]

when people say fly pads are they talking the rubber pads that are used at many parks?

prefer concrete although its the worst for shoe drags

[andyman]

If they are long enough I like cement pads.

I agree. A short concrete tee is just useless.

[Roc1Time]

The thing I find with alot of concrete is that they are too short and/or they arent level with the ground so they are just akward

[DSCJNKY]

Concrete with a grippy texturing done to it for traction... either scratches in the surface or brushed rough.
DSCJNKY

[rhino21]

Concrete - but I'll give you that some of them are too short, too narrow, or broken in places (think Kentwood in Raleigh).
I would like natural tees or dirt tees. But, course play naturally forms ruts or low places devoid of grass, which only turn into mud when it rains.
Gravel can be too awkward.
Rubber pads aren't too bad - I just haven't played on many.

[CwAlbino]

Concrete pads like this:
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course_pics/1381/6f476114.jpg

or even this one at Bryant Lake, it's SUPER long.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course_pics/763/8c41ef4c.jpg

[MrFixIt]

Long, wide concrete pads that are correctly installed (level, flush to the surface of the ground, heavily brushed), IMO, make the best.
I do like natural tee pads, having said the above. The problem is that the tee markers aren't moved around enough to disperse the foot/impact wear areas.
I found this out the hard way at the course I play at most. Unfortunately, there is no way of rectifying the situation w/o closing down holes, completely re-doing the tee areas...that costs time and $$$.

[WindyCityROCer]

DAMN, I gotta think about this tbh....
having played valpo today (mix of tee types) I can't really complain about rubber...

off the top of my head, I'll say concrete (properly installed of course) ...BECAUSE it's a very consistent surface from course to course... even in varying states of texture (brushed, unbrushed, etc) at least I know what I'm getting....

[wolito]

Concrete for sure. I appreciate the textured ones in inclimate weather. Natural tees are ok if they are leveled once in a while. Haven't played the rubber ones, might be good.

[colodiscgolfer]

It is difficult to vote for concrete because of the variation in quality of concrete tees. Some are great; textured, leveled, wide and long. Others are slick, unlevel, skinny, short, have weeds growing through the gaps, and crumbling. Any tee format works well enough so long as it is maintained properly.

[optidiscic]

Size Matters Above all else....I am 6'3" and there are taller than me.....if your building mini tees your actually putting anyone over 5'10" at a severe disadvantage and in a sense your making an unfair course....I can't stress enough that I prefer wider over longer and as long as it's level/flat enough to not make me think too much when driving I don't care. All have problems though!
-Grass can be slick and wears too soon and becomes uneven mud holes
-Dirt becomes rutted mud or pocketed with holes
-Gravel tends to spill out and form pockets
-Rubber ends up breaking down and if poorly installed can be bumpy mes
-carpet is worse than natural as it is slicker
-Concrete often too smallish and its kind of permanent which sucks...if not textured its too slick and if textured too much you cant spin and plant..tough to get it perfect but the best option if you know what your doing
-Artificial Turf I never played on it...quite interesting but I have not had the pleasure so I can't judge...if it's Veterans Stadium turf hahaha that would be a negative!
-Wood takes some getting used to and is better if no gaps between the boards and with a tee draped on top like Maple Hill...Cape Henlopen in DE has boardwalks which are tough to adjust too...only should be used if no other alternative
-Ive also seen tops of huge flat boulders used, Old concrete/stone foundations, and much to my surprise a niner in NJ has asphalt tees that surprised me in how well they played.

[skurf]

or even this one at Bryant Lake, it's SUPER long.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course_pics/763/8c41ef4c.jpg

I wish that was the size of all concrete tees. I'm 6'4" and none of the concrete tees around here are long enough. It's not really a problem as long as it's flush with the ground, but when they're elevated (which most are) it makes me chop my steps. I hate having a short, elevated concrete teepad because I'm thinking more about my steps and not breaking my ankle than I am about my actual shot.

[colodiscgolfer]

Bird's Nest Disc Golf park has, hands down, the best concrete tees I've ever seen. These things are HUGE!!! They taper down from back to front, have a clear fault line, big texture, and I did mention.?.?. they are HUGE!!! Probably 9-10ft width in the back that tapers down to 5-6ft up front, in a length from 9-16ft depending on the hole.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course_pics/352/00a99eab_m.jpg

This is hole #1: Lots of downhill to the pin, big winds usually from the left/front off the dam, lots of OB in your landing zone.

[optidiscic]

Bird's Nest Disc Golf park has, hands down, the best concrete tees I've ever seen. These things are HUGE!!! They taper down from back to front, have a clear fault line, big texture, and I did mention.?.?. they are HUGE!!! Probably 9-10ft width in the back that tapers down to 5-6ft up front, in a length from 9-16ft depending on the hole.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course_pics/352/00a99eab_m.jpg

This is hole #1: Lots of downhill to the pin, big winds usually from the left/front off the dam, lots of OB in your landing zone.

WOW!!!!

[tstack10]

concrete with texture so you don't eat it when trying to throw as I have done before.

[NothinButChing]

WORST = rubber mat with sand sprinkled on top of it ... some old golf course that have been made into DG courses have this problem. Scared I'm gonna rip my groin if I slip after throwing

[zenbot]

Marty McFly uses his toenail clippings.

[agapedad]

I came across a pic of these - what are your thoughts on tees like this if they are big enough?

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course_pics/3310/c89bb23c_m.jpg

Looks like these are only between 3 and 4 feet wide (depending on if they are 10 or 12 inch stones - they look 10) maybe another course or 2 wide?

[Dave Walters]

You cannot beat a properly designed and built concrete teepad.

i have played on bad ones though.

In my opinion they need:
Proper grip. (not to slick)
Proper Width
Proper Length

If concrete tees are not possible on a course because they couldnt transport the supplies to the hole then I really like packed down natural teepads or Rubber fly pads.

Grip and size are everything to me though.

[optidiscic]

I played brick tees at bellevue state park in DE.....they were not noticeable on a dry day except for a few that were uneven....I guess they are not as perm as concrete and if done right could be a solution but really not as good as grippy concrete.

[adh56]

Grip and size are everything to me though.

That's what she said :p

[adh56]

^sorry about that, I couldn't help it.

But I have to agree, size matters. There's nothing worse than a concrete pad that's too small with mud all around it. (well of course there is worse, but you get what I'm saying)

[superberry]

Concrete tees CAN be the best, but they require effort put into them.

Concrete tees that are too short or too narrow SUCK! Too often I see these low budget tees and they are even worse than dirt in my mind.

I also have a huge pet peave against ones that are elevated (not flush) with the surrounding earth. Being too short exasperates this problem too where you either have to step up during your approach, or cut your approach short due to worrying about stepping on that edge in front and rolling your ankle. Of course, most people follwo through or walk off the front of the pad, so you inevitably get erosion in front, which creates a lip you have to always worry about (unless you have a 15' long pad).

A slick finish on concrete tees is horrible, but conversely, my knee aches when I play concrete tees because my plant foot bites HARD (I'm used to crusher dust style tees on my home course).

I do have a question for everyone - why do pads taper down in front?? I never really understood this. Wouldn't your ability to alter and perform multiple types of approaches for your drive be better if the tee widened in the front?! If we ever get approval to put in concrete pads at Winter Park, I'm gonna build them either perfectly rectangular, or wider in front. None of these narrow front pads!

[thepowerofpancakes]

ha ha, who voted for carpet? wiseacre :D

[DiscChucker]

Bird's Nest Disc Golf park has, hands down, the best concrete tees I've ever seen. These things are HUGE!!! They taper down from back to front, have a clear fault line, big texture, and I did mention.?.?. they are HUGE!!! Probably 9-10ft width in the back that tapers down to 5-6ft up front, in a length from 9-16ft depending on the hole.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course_pics/352/00a99eab_m.jpg

This is hole #1: Lots of downhill to the pin, big winds usually from the left/front off the dam, lots of OB in your landing zone.

Geez!!! You could land a Cessna on that thing. That's a lot of money in concrete if every tee on the course is that big. They are nice though.

[giles]

I do have a question for everyone - why do pads taper down in front?? I never really understood this. Wouldn't your ability to alter and perform multiple types of approaches for your drive be better if the tee widened in the front?! If we ever get approval to put in concrete pads at Winter Park, I'm gonna build them either perfectly rectangular, or wider in front. None of these narrow front pads!

I felt the same way until I played Gateway in Fort Worth. It is a mostly wooded course and on some shots I wanted to be closer to the middle of the tee but the reverse taper forces you to bee more to the side of the tee box and that isn't always the best spot to attack the hole. If it was an open or lightly wooded course it wouldn't make a difference.

Big round concrete tees FTW. Like Fountain Hills in AZ.

[zenbot]

ha ha, who voted for carpet? wiseacre :D
Did you just say "wiseacre", pappy?

[chow]

The best tee pads ever are at Expo Park in Aurora,Co...although it's by far one of the least enjoyable of Denver Area courses imo. I would gladly have it in Seattle since we have a severe shortage of courses here :)

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/view_image.php?p=course_pics/258/b034deaf.jpg

[thepowerofpancakes]

Did you just say "wiseacre", pappy?

ha yeah, you like the throw back dont ya? ;) i'm actually reading a book that uses wiseacre alot, i guess it seeped in :D

[Ryan P.]

I voted for carpet. I agree that concrete is the best for just a simple teepad, but only if it is done well. I've been one some bad concrete pads where your foot CAN'T spin because the concrete is so rough, and that hurts your back in no time. I think the best pads would be concrete under a simple layer of carpet. This would allow good grip in any condition (snow, rain, heat, cold, underwater, etc.). And it would be very sturdy. However, I have never seen or heard of someone doing this, although I have seen carpet staked down on top of gravel.

[solomon.trenton]

The best tee pads ever are at Expo Park in Aurora,Co...although it's by far one of the least enjoyable of Denver Area courses imo. I would gladly have it in Seattle since we have a severe shortage of courses here :)

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/view_image.php?p=course_pics/258/b034deaf.jpg

all you need is a path to the basket on the tee pad and you wont need a tee sign:D

[colodiscgolfer]

I think the tee boxes at expo are pretty good for most of the holes. They are a little short, but so are most of the holes, so you don't need a big run up. I wish the tee box for hole 8 was a few feet longer, and the tee box for hole 16 was falling apart the last time i was there. Seems like the ground underneath tee 16 wasn't tamped properly or something because the whole thing leans WAY to the left.

[Lewis]

I do have a question for everyone - why do pads taper down in front?? I never really understood this. Wouldn't your ability to alter and perform multiple types of approaches for your drive be better if the tee widened in the front?! If we ever get approval to put in concrete pads at Winter Park, I'm gonna build them either perfectly rectangular, or wider in front. None of these narrow front pads!

I have never understood this either. Maybe it's to save money?

I voted for concrete because it's so low maintenance, but a short or narrow concrete pad is worse than nothing, especially if it's not flush.

Sometimes I wonder if the front-of-the-pad erosion could be avoided by marking the foul line with a groove or a line of paint that's a foot or two short of the end of the concrete. That way your plant foot could spin over the foul line without spinning over an ankle-snapping edge.

[discgolphinmafaukner]

I like concrete that has texture to it so that I know my feet will stick. I also like tee pads that are level w/ the surrounding ground.

[ERicJ]

I do have a question for everyone - why do pads taper down in front?? I never really understood this. Wouldn't your ability to alter and perform multiple types of approaches for your drive be better if the tee widened in the front?! If we ever get approval to put in concrete pads at Winter Park, I'm gonna build them either perfectly rectangular, or wider in front. None of these narrow front pads!

Because there's a spec on the [max] width of the tee pad.

See the PDGA Course Design Guidelines (http://www.pdga.com/documents/pdga-course-design-guidelines):
TEES: Hard surface tee pads of textured cement or asphalt are preferred. Preferred size is 5 ft wide by at least 12 ft long (1.8x3m). Maximum size is 6 ft wide by 18 ft long with the back end flaring out to 10 feet wide.

While a wider front tee pad might give a player more options that's not necessarily the point of the teeing area, which is to dictate the area from which the player must throw their first shot on a hole. The flared back tee pads allow different players to approach the teeing line from different angles but directs all the players to release the disc from approximately the same point.

A wider front tee pad could provide two distinctly different lines to approach the hole resulting in effectively two different holes. In my opinion all the players should be starting from the same point so that the competition is as fair as possible.

[tstack10]

just played three days in rainy muddy austin at some great courses. best was concrete at circle c even with mud. those are textured concrete. non elevated or natural t boxes are unplayable with poor weather

[superberry]

Because there's a spec on the [max] width of the tee pad.

See the PDGA Course Design Guidelines (http://www.pdga.com/documents/pdga-course-design-guidelines):


While a wider front tee pad might give a player more options that's not necessarily the point of the teeing area, which is to dictate the area from which the player must throw their first shot on a hole. The flared back tee pads allow different players to approach the teeing line from different angles but directs all the players to release the disc from approximately the same point.

A wider front tee pad could provide two distinctly different lines to approach the hole resulting in effectively two different holes. In my opinion all the players should be starting from the same point so that the competition is as fair as possible.


Ahhhhh! Thanks! I never knew that. And I'm a qualified PDGA TD Official. Sad.

Okay, so my pads will be 5' wide rectangles (no rear flare). 5' only because we don't have much room between our numerous trees and precariously perched tee pads.

[simpletwist]

I gotta go with the flow hree and agree that concrete can be best. But a poorly sized or smooth concrete pad is is horrible. Recently I played a course where the concrete was as smooth as a baby's a$$ and about as small. It was a drizzly kind of day and I screwed up sevreal drives worrying about slipping. I wound up driving standing still on shorter holes or driving off to the side of the pad.

[billnchristy]

Skateboard grip tape.

[kirvin2]

We have an old course here in Louisville, Iroqouis Park. It's been in use since 1981. It's a perfect example of how a disc golf courses wear, settle and erode over time. New course designers should study the way this course has held up over the years and try to improve upon these factors on future course designs.

The concrete teepads have eventually sunk below the ground surface or the composting vegetation has risen above them. Whatever the case the teepads are below the surface and flood over and mud-over every time it rains. The texture on concrete wears off over time and the surface gets slick in wet or dusty conditions.

I played a private course recently (Holler in the Hills) that has rubber teepads. The traction and comfort was extremely nice. I felt as sure footed as a mountain goat. The rubber pads can be easily be removed and the beds under them maintained when necessary. Concrete is permanent and refurbishing it isn't practical at all. Concrete was Disc Golf in the stone age. Rubber pads are the future of the sport.

[simpletwist]

I hear what you're saying Kirvin. But most courses are in public parks and low maintenance is critical especially in these stingy budget times. My home course has been around since the 80s. I don't think the tee pads are that old, but I'm sure they've been around quite awhile and they are for the most part still in great shape. Concrete is probably the most cost effective thing outside of natural. The other thing to consider is what you've described as easily removable. If some asshat can steal a practice basket from a park stealing easily removable rubber tee pads would be even more of a problem.

[kirvin2]

Not all the concrete pads are sunken in the ground. On the wooded holes, the underbrush has all been destroyed and the topsoil has eroded away. The teepads in this area are way above the surface. The ground surface to pad surface is as much as ten inches. Be careful here or you could break your ankle.
The destruction of underbrush on wooded holes is devestating to the environment. With nothing to hold it in place, all of the topsoil will erode away. This makes a strong case for using alternate baskets and or alternate course layouts. The use of alternates should be switched out every few years or so. This would give underbrush a chance to bounce back before the topsoil can be washed away. The hill at Iroquois is eroded down to the clay. The underbrush hasn't much of a chance bouncing back at this park. It's a crying shame. The course is about to be completely redone, but the topsoil is already gone from the wooded hillside. Since the topsoil has been gone. Trees have died and fallen at a much higher than normal rate. This part of the park is actually ruined.

Sorry for the hi-jack. This started out about teepads. I couldn't help but talk about the way the rest of this old course has gotten in bad shape. I think that without thoughtful and conscientious design of our courses, Disc Golf will not survive the test of time. It's high time for a change.

[kirvin2]

I hear what you're saying Kirvin. But most courses are in public parks and low maintenance is critical especially in these stingy budget times. My home course has been around since the 80s. I don't think the tee pads are that old, but I'm sure they've been around quite awhile and they are for the most part still in great shape. Concrete is probably the most cost effective thing outside of natural. The other thing to consider is what you've described as easily removable. If some asshat can steal a practice basket from a park stealing easily removable rubber tee pads would be even more of a problem.


Man you are right!
I never thought about them getting stolen.

[tmahan]

The best tees I've seen were trapezoidal concrete tees, allowed for a great run up for righties or lefties. I forget where I saw these.