Poured-in-place Rubber Teepads

[jdawg24]

We finally got our rubber teepads poured at Perkerson Park in Atlanta. I wanted to share some info on the material for those interested -- and I'm curious if anyone has seen this installed anywhere else, and what the experience has been. I haven't been able to find any other instances of it being used for disc golf, which is probably due to its high cost. The cost is much higher than concrete at $470/teepad for the rubber only material + install (not including any site work or gravel) ... but we were in a major city park with heavy tree restrictions, and concrete was not an option, so this material was mandated.

The material is a shredded recycled tire rubber mixed with a polymer. It was developed for use as a permeable parking lot material. The city of Atlanta is considering it for use in new sidewalks. It's prepped much like concrete: we setup a base of gravel 5" deep, compacted it to 90%, built a frame 6'x12'x4' and poured the rubber material 1.5"-2" thick on top in the frame.

They've only been installed for a week now, but the material seems great. It's super grippy, even when wet/muddy; it drains very well (even dirt drains through it); and its easy on the joints. We used two colors: solid black for long pads and mixed red/black for short pads. The durability is the biggest question we have, and time will tell how it holds up.

Photos (more here):

 

[1978]

The sport needs more of this. Not the technique, necessarily but quality looking stuff.

Good job.

 

[Jukeshoe]

Man, that looks solid! :thmbup:

I bet the grippiness is amazing when wet/icy...any idea if this stuff holds up well in freezing/thawing conditions? I could see it getting torn up pretty quickly if water can seep into/thru it and then freeze.

 

[jchoate7]

Looks like an interesting concept and definitely looks clean. My only concern is this. The Air Force base I'm on had one of these tracks poured about 5 years ago and already the track is falling apart. The inside lane that most people run on is torn up in some spots and thats just people running. I could only imagine what pivoting on the front of the teebox will do. I hope it works out for you guys though and it does look very professional. Good luck!

 

[DiscChainBasket18]

Rubba-biscuit?

Brevard College has a running track made of this rubber surface. You can see it in this picture:

It is kinda spongy to walk on but not too soft. It seems pretty tough (resistant to wear).
I prefer concrete but this probably would be a pretty good alternative!

 

[ru4por]

Wow, looks amazing. I guess time will tell on how it will wear. Seems like it might get pretty hot in the Atlanta heat and sun. Tell us how you raised the money for these pads, the amount of work must have been overwhelming. Great job.

 

[AndyJB]

I too, have seen this type of material on running tracks. They use it a lot on military bases. Never thought about it for teepads.

If I strike it rich can I hire you guys to come make those for my inevitable private course?

 

[cmcolomb]

Perkerson yummmmm. jdawg is awesome!!!

 

[larrod25]

I played this course last weekend. The new pads are awesome!

 

[jdawg24]

We have the same concerns about the rotation on the same spot causing wear at front of the teepad, so we'll see how it holds up. If it really wears out, we can cut out the damaged part and re-apply new material. We spent a month testing different samples and this material seems to hold up better than the granular EPDM (often used on tracks). The money was raised through a $46,500 grant that we won last year.

 

[BirdieMachine]

Looks great, I've had this idea myself. Hope it holds up well.

 

[MrFixIt]

I see a road trip in my future...
Looks good guys, have heard nothing but positive comments @ PP down here in Athens!

 

[mashnut]

Man, that looks solid! :thmbup:

I bet the grippiness is amazing when wet/icy...any idea if this stuff holds up well in freezing/thawing conditions? I could see it getting torn up pretty quickly if water can seep into/thru it and then freeze.

My gut instinct is that because the material has a lot of flexibility and drains pretty well that it'll hold up better to that kind of conditions than something rigid like concrete.

 

[gdub58]

Two of these were poured when I was at Perkerson several weeks ago, and the first one didn't have the tape up so not knowing any better I threw from it.

While they look great, I think they will take some getting used to. There's noticeable "give" to them when you step on them, so when I took my run-up it felt a bit like trying to run in sand.

I prefer concrete or even flypads in normal conditions, but in wet/slippery conditions they would probably be an improvement.

That said, I absolutely loved the course layout and very much appreciated the work being put into it. Can't wait to return!

 

[mattc]

i have been doing rubber tee pad homework lately, for my course at home
and have seen this stuff, but no prices, now i know why
out of my price range, i guess i will stick with concrete so far

 

[Flip Hyzerman]

I like them - looks good and professional too. How do you feel about their grip and how it will affect foot dragging, etc.? The only thing I worry about with these rubber pads is knee injuries and wondering if my foot will be able to grind/pivot/slide without it sticking and causing some serious issues?

 

[iacas]

Kinda curious how these behave after they "fill" with sediment, etc. and no longer drain very well. The gravel beneath will only work for so long with mud, small rocks, parts of leaves, etc. getting shoved in there all the time.

 

[damtroll]

I see a road trip in my future...
Looks good guys, have heard nothing but positive comments @ PP down here in Athens!

Let me know if you want to make that road trip. I have been wanting to try that course.

As long as they drain well and don't suffer UV degradation from the Georgia sun, I think that looks like a good option.

There is a b-tier at Perkeson on October 6th, as well.

 

[alex513ninja]

Make the trip. I've played the course once back in July and it's already one of my favorite courses. I look forward to my next trip to Atlanta so I can play it again.

 

[mashnut]

Kinda curious how these behave after they "fill" with sediment, etc. and no longer drain very well. The gravel beneath will only work for so long with mud, small rocks, parts of leaves, etc. getting shoved in there all the time.

Interesting thought, I wonder if the foot traffic will help work that stuff down and out of the rubber or if it will clog up like that.