2 holes in 1?

[f'in draggin']

what do you think about splitting some 500-600' holes by adding an extra basket somewhere close to the middle? you can play it as 1 long or 2 short.

this is (currently) the only course in town and will be used by players of all levels.

[Bamm]

How many holes are there now?

[grodney]

Originally Posted by f'in draggin'

what do you think about splitting some 500-600' holes by adding an extra basket somewhere close to the middle? you can play it as 1 long or 2 short.

I've considered the possibility of making an 18-hole rec course be a 9-hole "standard" course by skipping every-other basket. But not in the lengths you're talking about. I was thinking more like 140-220 for the 18 rec holes (assuming a fair amount of trees), and standard int/adv lengths on the 9 holes.

It would take special circumstances and good planning. And even then, I don't know if there'd be much interest in the 9-hole layout.

There are at least 2 ways to make 2 holes into 1. Let me see if I can rough up a drawing.

[JC17393]

Originally Posted by f'in draggin'

what do you think about splitting some 500-600' holes by adding an extra basket somewhere close to the middle? you can play it as 1 long or 2 short.

this is (currently) the only course in town and will be used by players of all levels.

I've seen it done. A 9-hole course originally, baskets were added roughly halfway down on each fairway to get 18 holes. The 18-hole course was a real pitch-and-putt (longest hole wound up being ~200 feet, shortest ~80 feet) but the 9-hole course was still there and playable for those looking for some longer throws.

Another course nearby changed an 18-hole course to a 27-holer last spring by doing something similar on a bunch of holes. Basically cut up anything over 350 or so, even got three holes out of one. The 18-hole layout is still playable as well, though few actually bother with it any more. There were a few holdouts at first, but the 27-holer is actually more fun overall...and there's another 18-holes elsewhere on the property for the players looking for longer/tougher.

If you're going to do it, I'd recommend trying to find basket locations (and tee locations) that were slightly off the original fairways so that the new baskets don't all become obstacles to the original holes. Plus, you can stretch a few extra feet out of some of the holes, i.e. turning a 500 foot hole into two holes around 275 instead of 250/250. And of course, keep safety in mind as well. Be sure to space the new basket and new tee on each hole far enough that there's no interference.

[grodney]

Okay, so on the left, you combine 2 rec holes into 1 regular 1-shot hole. On the right, you combine 2 rec holes into a 2-shot hole (probably more what the OP was talking about). Of course it wouldn't have to be a dogleg 2-shot hole -- they could be more linear if that's what you have.

As always, keeping the regular holes in a "good" range of length would be a goal.

[Martin Dewgarita]

I'm doing something similar with the course I'm currently designing: http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums...ad.php?t=78202

You'll see the gold layout combines 2 holes to make one longer one. So far the design has worked out that the combination holes use maybe 50% of the shorter holes' fairways, and 50% unique fairway. I am really enjoying how each of the holes are turning out. This layout option is really only available because I know I'm going to be the only one playing the alternate layouts, regular camp users may or may not use them depending on the situation.

The same would go for a public course, I realize you're not talking the exact double back kind of layout, but you still have multiple layouts on the same course. How busy is it and how often would people be trying to play the multiple layouts at the same time. Another option is the dual tee dual basket layout, each hole the effectively plays as 4 unique holes of varying length and difficulty.

[f'in draggin']

the course will have 18 holes. i'm thinking about splitting 3 of them, which would add 3 more. the 3 holes are ~520 - 630'. the lines are relatively straight and open, so safety should not be a problem.

yes, i would push the short baskets off a little to the side, and the sum of the 2 short lengths could be slightly greater than the 1. i don't know if that's necessary, tho, given the purpose for doing this.

oh, what is the purpose, you ask? you've got to walk the same path and the same distance regardless, so why not provide both options?

[Jimb]

As already mentioned, I think how busy the course is would make a big difference in this kind of design.

For example... If you have a group of slow/inexperienced players using the short/extra holes, it could cause a backup of faster/more experienced players behind them using the longer holes. The question is, will the two different types of groups play nicely together. Or will the experienced guys tee off anyway and run up on the slower groups, causing safety issues, too? Just some thoughts.

[mashnut]

I've seen it work really well in the small scale, the last couple holes at the Fun Farm in Indiana do that with a great long hole that combines the last two holes for a fun alternative. The Campgaw courses in NJ also do that for part of the layout, several of the black holes are combinations of green holes. It's a cool idea to offer different levels of play on the same course as long as it's marked well enough that it doesn't get confusing to players on either layout.

[f'in draggin']

here's the plan...