Let's play a game! Design a course

[billnchristy]

This hunk of land is a park we have here in the county that there is absolutely no chance in hell of ever getting a course but man oh man is it a sweet piece.

Ground rules:

1) No moving trees, adding a few is not out of the question and branch trimming would be do-able but do not put a basket in a circle of trees, let's consider them barriers.

2) Little to no interaction with existing walking paths. The dotted lines would be acceptable to have a couple cross but none of the paved paths

3) Consider the map dead accurate, if there is a circle indicating a tree then the trunk is the obstacle so basically no low lying brush...just for simplicity sake.

Scale:

Each square is roughly 60' total acreage around 42.

So have fun!

[billnchristy]

Here is my design:

hole lengths approx:

1 182 3
2 687 4
3 411 4
4 196 3
5 766 4
6 380 3
7 285 3
8 480 3
9 255 3
10 240 3
11 260 3
12 201 3
13 221 3
14 234 3
15 261 3
16 187 3
17 204 3
18 288 3

[billnchristy]

eeek that compressed to hell. I will have to upload my course later externally to keep the resolution, hopefully you get the idea though.

[toothyfish]

Just for clarity...#3 is on top of the hill? and #2 is along the hill with a downhill landing? Helps me interpret the topo lines...

[billnchristy]

I took the lines as being the center area is more a plateau with the edges dropping off. 3 is actually in the trees but 2 is along the hill side but all sloping down and 5 (which I believe you were looking at is along the side also if you follow the topo lines.

Looked again, 3 would be uphill to the midpoint and then down.

[billnchristy]

Here is the real document:

http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/departments/parks_rec/pdf/McDanielFarmPark.pdf

[Apothecary]

i dont think im good enough at photoshop to play this game...:(

[billnchristy]

I use excel, save the photo, load it in and use the drawing tools to make the course, then go full-screen, print screen it, paste it into photoshop and save.

[toothyfish]

I took the lines as being the center area is more a plateau with the edges dropping off. 3 is actually in the trees but 2 is along the hill side but all sloping down and 5 (which I believe you were looking at is along the side also if you follow the topo lines.

Looked again, 3 would be uphill to the midpoint and then down.

Thanks, I get it. 2 and 5 look challenging with the sidehill landing areas. A bad throw is down the hill, assuming this area is mowed like normal grass. :mad:

Nice usage of up and downs, open vs wooded...definately long par 4's, but they appear to be largely down hill. Some holes have the option of longer tees (4, 10, 11, 15, and the open holes) creating a pro course layout

I like it. :thmbup:

[solomon.trenton]

Here is my design:

hole lengths approx:

1 182 3
2 687 4
3 411 4
4 196 3
5 766 4
6 380 3
7 285 3
8 480 3
9 255 3
10 240 3
11 260 3
12 201 3
13 221 3
14 234 3
15 261 3
16 187 3
17 204 3
18 288 3

you should bring that to the parks comittee. i know i would

[toothyfish]

Check this one out... Have to cross through cours to get from 14 to 15, but fairways don't cross.

[billnchristy]

Thats cool, I think I like 5/7/16 best, maybe 18, depends on how the woods really look there.

I also like 2, I bet it would be one of those "Oh I got this" holes that you end up with a 6 on.

[toothyfish]

Depending on how it really looks, 18 could play a few ways: through, overhead, around/hyzer, still have some to go for an approach. Was a challenge to not cross the paths, I was visuallizing this BIG long hole over the stream, but...

[billnchristy]

Yeah there are too many paths there for sure!

[toothyfish]

But it's a great plot, with cool elevation changes in big open areas...could really create some monster holes, like 1000' par 5's if you wanted to. I'd beg for a course...definately could have a nice short tee/long tee setup.

[billnchristy]

It is an 1800s farm, if you look on the real map the other side of the creek has the real farm stuff. I think other than a once a year thing it is pretty much unused, but since it is a "heritage" area they would never go for it, though I really don't see why the other side of the creek wouldn't be usable.

I might go out there and take some pics so we can see what it really looks like, I have to wonder if there are really natural fairways in there.

[DSCJNKY]

OK... I'm in.

I wanted my layout to return to the parking lot after each 9, so I got as close as I could given the restrictions. I also really wanted to take advantage of the elevation everywhere possible and have a top of the world hole.

Some of my Pars could be off... I'm not quite sure how long my holes are in actual feet. They're based on how they look on paper and presumed difficulty.

Hole 1... Par 4 - Long hyzer
Hole 2... Par 3 - Skinny fairway
Hole 3... Par 3 - Pin on edge of water
Hole 4... Par 3 - Cross pond shot
Hole 5... Par 4 - Long anny with skinny fairway and OB left
Hole 6... Par 3 - Long straight shot with OB left
Hole 7... Par 3 - Tee from woods into semi-open tight fairway
Hole 8... Par 5 - Tee shot requires accuracy for good look through tight gap, then hyzer to peninsula basket
Hole 9... Par 4 - Tee requires accuracy for good second shot, pin in woods
Hole 10... Par3 - Short, slightly uphill shot to tree circled green
Hole 11... Par 4 - Long open drive to tight window, pin deep in woods
Hole 12... Par 5 - extra long open shot with guarded basket right and OB left.
Hole 13... Par 4 - Huge mandy to a peninsula pin.
Hole 14... Par 4 - Mandy the trees, extreme downhill, to pin by river.
Hole 15... Par 3 - sidehill shot
Hole 16... Par 3 - Large uphill/sidehill shot
Hole 17... Par 3 - Top of the World
Hole 18... Par 4 - Large uphill anhyzer to layup zone for second shot through the gap and back to the gazebo

Par 65.

http://i889.photobucket.com/albums/ac99/DSCJNKY/DGCR/DSCJNKYsDesign.jpg?t=1259191713

All of the Paved Roads (solid lines) are OB on or across... same for the trails where the hole doesn't specifically cross the trail. water too. Two-Meter rule not in effect.

Damn, this took longer than I thought. Enjoy!
DSCJNKY

[billnchristy]

I like it but I avoided the pond because there was really no way to put a layup or am tee so you are forcing people to take the risk.

I do like a lot of the holes though, we are going to go out there this weekend and take some pictures...get a good walk in.

[justin]

I'm not a topographical expert so how much elevation change does each line represent?

[DSCJNKY]

on most topo maps each line represents 20 vertical elevation feet. But, that depends on the scale of the map. it also depends on the flatness/steepness of the terrain, where flatter areas may show topo lines every ten vertical feet (otherwise the distance bettween lines might be too far apart on the map to be understandable).
DSCJNKY

[Timber]

Looks like 2 foot elevation lines or the parking lots would be too steep.
It's very likely that the areas near the stream (RPA) would be off limits.

[DSCJNKY]

Good call on the parking lot steepness. I guess my "top of the world" shot isn't as "top of the world" as I thought. Might need a little redesigning now.
DSCJNKY

[billnchristy]

We went out there and there is some really beautiful land out there but the map is just horrid. :(

I still find it fun to play with maps and dream of the courses but in this case they really humped the mutt...in fact it was mirrored, you had to look through the back of the paper.

[justin]

I absolutely agree with you. I do that in my mind sometimes at work with Google Maps. Hey, if you've got nothing better to do why not take some pics of what the tees would look like, mark up where the basket would be, and upload them?

I was going to mess around with this but I've got an actual course to make signs for and I figure I should do the work for a real course first. Great idea though. We should all find a similar map in our areas and upload them here.

[skurf]

If nothing else you could try to set up a temp-course tourney there if you can gather up enough mobile baskets. They do this here in Austin at Waterloo park once a year. It's always fun to play a new course even if it is taken down the next day.

[billnchristy]

Well, there a lot of signs about it being a preservation area...I don't think they want people off the paths...seems kind of silly to me, its not like people are going to drive monster trucks in there (simply because there is no way to get them in) so how would the land get hurt? No more than the multiple deer that are in there.

[DSCJNKY]

so how would the land get hurt? No more than the multiple deer that are in there.

Uh... I hate to say this... but, we f*** s*** up pretty good... far more than a couple of deer!

I don't want to seem like an ass... but, here we go:
Besides the obvious, smashing the bark off trees... we step on wildflowers, ferns, bushes, etc... which depletes a food source for some sort of animal, as well as decreases the soil holding capabilities of the land. Then, we compact soil and create "social trails" (footpaths) in search of stray plastic, which eventually leads to erosion. Once the nutient rich soil has washed away - and the streams where the endagered salamander live become clogged with silt - the trees become unhealthy and begin dieing out... which messes up things for the wildlife that depend on the trees for a home and food.

The list can go on and on. Like John Muir said, "when we try to pick out any one thing, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

I love DG... I love the nature aspect of the sport and think it could become the game that reintroduces our kids to nature... but, I have to disagree on this one. We f*** s*** up!
DSCJNKY

[DSCJNKY]

And... How come noone else is playing this game. It was fun!
Someone else design another course already. We could have course designing challenges like the dye guys have dye job challenges.
DSCJNKY

[prerube]

I'll try, I am probably not going to measure distance or anything.

[prerube]

It's hard to get good flow. also I no longer have photoshop making it twice as hard.

[justin]

Uh... I hate to say this... but, we f*** s*** up pretty good... far more than a couple of deer!

Well put DSCJNKY. We need to be reminded of this from time to time.

[prerube]

This game gives me alot more respect for Timber and the others who design and help design great courses.

[Timber]

Design is the fun part.
Redesign to meet obscure political agendas and/or to satisfy the wishes of special interest groups is work.

[billnchristy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by DSCJNKY
Uh... I hate to say this... but, we f*** s*** up pretty good... far more than a couple of deer!

Well put DSCJNKY. We need to be reminded of this from time to time.


If by we you mean douches, then yes, we do. If you mean we by those who tread lightly in nature for respect of it, then I do not agree.

But I do agree that the former we grossly and sadly outnumbers the latter we.

Oh I also read this as just people, not disc golfers...yes, the act of disc golfing is mildly destructive.