Creative Hole Designs - Post Examples Here!

[juanbond]

My very first permanent course design is going in the ground within the next two weeks. The park district in charge is quite open to jazzing up the hole designs with elevated baskets, obstacles, etc. I'm looking to find photo examples of various holes that have nice creative elements in their design; obstaces, built-up elevation, etc.

Please post your favorite basket configurations, hole designs, obstacles, etc!

So far I've emailed the park district these three hole photos:

[jhgonzo]

Yup, posting this one again...


Here's one from my course that many locals have a love-hate relationship with (indeed, most beginners won't even play it!)...it's a short hole (192'), a forced carry over the swamp for the first 100' or so, and then a sharp uphill finishing to the right. It's not very punishing of a hole once you know the basics of a disc and how to throw a RHBH anny or a RHFH shot, but the narrow opening and the swamp makes it VERY intimidating-looking when standing on the tee (again, mostly for the n00bs, although I still have my days where I step up and think, "Am I gonna hit this line properly or be playing from the hawthorn off to the side again?"). Just an example of how limited space can still result in some creative holes!

[the_lung]

The bathtub at Lemon Lake is fun and unique, but folks that do elevated pin positions need to do them right. Imo, the two above examples are not optimal because of the rocks right at the base of the basket which make life difficult for those who intentionally want to lay up. If I'm deciding to play it safe and intentionally want to lay up, I shouldn't have to worry about getting a nasty deflection and/or rollaway from rocks - I should be able to lay up safely. Note that in the first picture, it's only the large boulders at the very base of the polehole I'm concerned with, not the rocks around the outside of the mound. The first picture also shows the correct size for mounds - don't make a little mound 5 feet in diameter which a disc can't hold...mounds should be 12 feet in diameter or more like hole#8 and #18 at Chili and actually gave a player a fighting chance to land a disc on it and have it stay.

Also, these creative elements are fun in moderation, but too many of them become gimmicky. There's a world class caliber course near me with 3 pin positions on almost every hole, and many of them feature elevated basket positions. Despite public declarations that the course groundskeepers never put more than a few baskets in the elevated positions at one time, I have visited the course and have found otherwise. When 6 or more holes are elevated in one round, it loses its luster and becomes gimmicky and annoying.

My $.02

[DavidSauls]

Yeah, I'd go light on the raised baskets. Creative hole design should be much more than varying the way baskets are raised on lowered---most of the holes I've found creative, it was the fairway/flight path, or green location, that seemed so.

[apdrvya]

gimmick holes are just that gimmicky.. and too many of them can drive from great disc golf to more cheese factor (see the tiki course for example). stick to the basics and IMHO no more than 2 gimmicky holes per 18

and FWIW, #13 at LTC looks awesome!

[optidiscic]

I'd like to see more creativity off the tee.....I'd like to see a hole in a hedgerow or even a few more forced overhands...I've rarely seen this and I think it's very interesting and more memorable than most raised baskets

The basket in Jail at The Black Course in WV is different

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/media....ole=14&page=1#

[apdrvya]

^this.

[TheWCG]

Hole 9 at Meyer Broadway Park - Original. The pic does NO justice. It's a steep downhill (blind) drive with a putter to a downhill green. Just beyond the green is a HUGE briar patch. For some reason this hole stands out to me.. I've never seen any hole like it.
EDIT: Link if your really interested but the pic shows nothing...
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=275#

[Dadio]

Fortunately we have lots of hills in the PNW. :-) I like the buried basket in the swamp.

[Violets caddy]

Creative fairways don't lose their appeal as fast as a gimmicky basket placement either.
If I'm throwing the same rhbh throw off of a dozen tee pads then odd basket placements don't really matter, but if I'm forced to throw a roller on one then anny around objects (trees, buildings, etc) on two then maybe a thumber on three I'm not only more likely to stay interested in a course but I'm also going to become a better golfer.
Oh and a mando is always nice too.