Are crossing fairways ever OK?

[Steve West]

Another problem with crossing fairways is that you get 8 people (two different groups) standing around, not sure who is supposed to throw next.

[Huk Finn]

13 and 16 at Dela are only ones that come to mind. Those aren't too bad at all. Both groups drive, then start walking..

[onemilemore]

Originally Posted by CavanC5

I think that you should give us a little more information. How close, in your estimate,are the fairways to each other? I think that crossing fairways and even walks to the next tee that are on fairways are always a bad idea but Im getting the feeling that the OP is just being very cautious (because of the middle schoolers) and that the case in question is very slight and he is just making extra sure.
with that said i think that more information would be really helpful in getting more insight as to whether or not this is going to be kosher or if something needs to be redesigned, picture would be ideal but footage would work too

Photo of the course map is in this thread:

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums...ad.php?t=58706

Keep in mind it is not to scale. The holes in question are 6 and 7 (there are a couple other issues we have changed with the layout since updating the map).

The tee for 6 is elevated on an 8-10 foot retaining wall, and the basket is actually set in about 15 feet off the big field, about 400 feet away. From that basket, you walk back toward tee 6 to find tee 7, about 75 feet (guestimating) from the basket for 6. There are sight lines while walking to and teeing off from 7.

Originally Posted by CavanC5

also, is this course going to be open to the public to play when school is not in, like during the summers and on the weekends? if so, there wont be any supervision and you wouldnt want to be the reason that people were hitting each other or crossing fairways because conflict on the course is something to be avoided at all costs if we are to continue to try to grow the sport, especially if the flaw can be avoided as early as the course design process

It will be open when school is not in session, which is why I am making sure everything will be up to snuff. Both of these shots are actually pretty fun (at least for me), so I am hoping to keep them as is. Safety is key, though.

[CavanC5]

Originally Posted by onemilemore

It will be open when school is not in session, which is why I am making sure everything will be up to snuff. Both of these shots are actually pretty fun (at least for me), so I am hoping to keep them as is. Safety is key, though.

definitely, and i think thats awesome that youre having this much foresight about the course, with the safety of the kids as well as the playability of the course to other players. I would be inclined to say, from the description that youve given that this would be acceptable, especially if the kids are supervised and learn the concept of "fore" and (you would) hope that other golfers that play the course can do the same

[onemilemore]

Originally Posted by CavanC5

definitely, and i think thats awesome that youre having this much foresight about the course, with the safety of the kids as well as the playability of the course to other players. I would be inclined to say, from the description that youve given that this would be acceptable, especially if the kids are supervised and learn the concept of "fore" and (you would) hope that other golfers that play the course can do the same

Safety will be the first thing we teach the students. We also have a wood shop on campus that we can commission to make warning signs, if need be (they are already making the tee signs).

[DavidSauls]

Do I read that course map right---that there are a couple of places where you're throwing over the tees for other holes?

[mashnut]

A place where your main demographic is beginners means a whole lot less attention to the etiquette of waiting until the fairway is clear, and a lot less accuracy. Crossing/interfering fairways aren't a huge deal at private courses or courses where you get mostly experienced players, but I would certainly not like to see them at a middle school course.

[jasonc]

Originally Posted by DBarb

It's frowned upon, though I've played several courses that have some crossing fairways

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<obje...rong.</object>

I thought it was kinda funny, kinda sad to see Grayslake's Central Park DGC in this video that shows an example of poor course design.

This course is only a 5 min drive from my house. Here in the Chicagoland area, we have a plethora of poorly designed courses.


This one is located on middle school property with a lot of other park activities including baseball and soccer in close proximity to the course. While there is certainly potential for accidents with the crossing fairways, I have never experienced any issues here.

[onemilemore]

Originally Posted by DavidSauls

Do I read that course map right---that there are a couple of places where you're throwing over the tees for other holes?

We made a couple changes that have not been reflected on the map. 1/3 no longer share a basket, and 4 has no shot of throwing over them now. If there is somewhere else you saw, please let me know.

Originally Posted by jasonc

I thought it was kinda funny, kinda sad to see Grayslake's Central Park DGC in this video that shows an example of poor course design.

This course is only a 5 min drive from my house. Here in the Chicagoland area, we have a plethora of poorly designed courses.


This one is located on middle school property with a lot of other park activities including baseball and soccer in close proximity to the course. While there is certainly potential for accidents with the crossing fairways, I have never experienced any issues here.

Funny, we almost moved to Grayslake earlier this year, but it fell through.

I apologize for not having more accurate photos of the area in question. Luckily, we may be having some course designers from Innova come give us some pointers, so hopefully they can help clear things up.

[jasonc]

Originally Posted by onemilemore

Funny, we almost moved to Grayslake earlier this year, but it fell through.

It's a nice, sleepy suburban neighborhood.

If the re-design is completed as planned later this year at Fairfield DGC, we will finally have a quality course in the area!