Slick tee pads, towels, RipItGrip and some thoughts

Rastnav

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Bronze level trusted reviewer
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On GK Pro's skins match from Nevin Park, the tee pads were quite slick. On hole 3, Ulibarri used a "RipItGrip" mat to attempt to give himself some more traction on the tee pad. It's a product that has consistently sponsored the skins matches for something like the last year or so.

https://youtu.be/yeK035CgRos?t=953

Thereafter, he just uses a towel for traction. Clearly he wasn't satisfied with the something about the mat. Based on the amount the mat rotates, and the fact that he pulls the shot, I'm wondering if it wasn't quite enough traction.

Ulibarri is clearly always looking for a sponsorship opportunity, and it really wouldn't surprise me if he was hoping to forge some sort of partnership with the company. So you really have to look at this as big miss in terms of the ultimate in real world testimonials. (Although, I suppose you can't rule out Ulibarri using it just the once as a way to tease to the company that he'd be interested.)

But it's also very clear that slick tee pads are a huge issue for disc golf, given how often we see rain, or even just residual wetness, creating issues on the tour. Even the tees that are only a year old at Maple Hill were resulting in slip issues during the MVP open. That means that a product that really works could easily be a staple of any bag, especially on wet tournament days. The RipItGrip guys are clearly trying to provide that product, but aren't really being successful. Ulibarri is literally the only person I've seen to even try the product on camera.

So what are the challenges? I'm thinking that the bottom material will perform better or worse with the specific conditions, while providing a consistent grip with the top side material is going to vary based on shoe material and conditions. Still, you'd think if a towel works, that this should be solvable. Clearly a towel doesn't work well enough though, as we don't see every pro use one, even while clearly being affected by slips.

There is also the issue of how the product will wear over time. If you were to use a towel like substance on the bottom, it would likely wear through fairly quickly. You probably have the same issue on the top side, just to a lesser degree.

Size is probably a component here, where it's easier to get consistent performance out of a larger surface area, but that then implies a product that is easily foldable, but still easy to carry in wet conditions without getting other things wet and dirty.

Finally you have the issue of the balance between too much and too little grip. If you create something that is suitably grippy when wet, it might actually hold the plant foot too much in drier conditions, resulting in potential leg injuries.

Obviously, a huge chunk of the solution is just in tee box construction. I think Smuggler's Notch? put in some new paver tee pads that people were raving about. But you still need the tees to perform over time, especially as they have the opportunity to develop that nice patina of biological material.

I'm just curious whether anyone, especially if they have a background in materials, has really thought through this. Maybe the perfect mousetrap is out there.
 
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"Size is probably a component here, where it's easier to get consistent performance out of a larger surface area, but that then implies a product that is easily foldable, but still easy to carry in wet conditions without getting other things wet and dirty."


That nails it. I purchased one last year, and I think would work better it it were larger (roughly the size of...a towel?). There just isn't enough surface area (and it's a bit distracting when throwing to aim your foot for the pad).

The problem I had was that the product was too small to work, but too big to carry. Yes, I could clip it to the outside of my bag, but it was this big, stiff and wet sheet hanging off my backpack. It works a little better if you have a cart to clip it to - but again, it's smaller than ideal
 
I think the PDGA needs to regulate teepads....they regulate discs and baskets. Hear me out....I don't mean saying "This" is the only tee pad style/design/construction that is permissible. I mean basic rules for all types of tee pads.

Concrete....regulate the type of finish on the top
"Astroturf"...regulate how it is attached to the ground (one issue with Astroturf is that it bunches up after a while)
Wood....type of finish on top to provide grip. (for example, add sand to the finish coat).
and likewise for other types of tee pads.

And more importantly, regulate a size.
 
I think the PDGA needs to regulate teepads....they regulate discs and baskets. Hear me out....I don't mean saying "This" is the only tee pad style/design/construction that is permissible. I mean basic rules for all types of tee pads.

Concrete....regulate the type of finish on the top
"Astroturf"...regulate how it is attached to the ground (one issue with Astroturf is that it bunches up after a while)
Wood....type of finish on top to provide grip. (for example, add sand to the finish coat).
and likewise for other types of tee pads.

And more importantly, regulate a size.

They do, in the sense that they make strong suggestions about tee pad construction in their course design specifications. Both size and quality.

But they aren't going to make thousands of course illegal for sanctioned play. And they certainly aren't going to be able to regulate what kind of maintenance and upkeep those tees receive before a sanctioned event.

DGPT can and does make investment into tee quality, but that still didn't stop the year old tees at MVP from being slick. The plain fact of the matter is that you have surfaces that are in prime position to accumulate various deposits of biological material and growth of some types of flora. They won't receive the kind of sun exposure that will mitigate this.

Until (more like a slim chance of "if") courses generates revenue at least on par with something like an inexpensive ball golf course, you won't be able to maintain these tee pads on the schedule that would be needed to keep them in pristine condition.
 
Or….hear me out…instead of complaining, pro players could treat it like the rest of us do and adapt throwing styles to the conditions they have. We play this game in the outdoors, and tee pads that get slippery in some conditions are part of the game just like wind, awkward putting stances, and rough that doesn't let you take a run up. If it's that slippery, you need to make the risk/reward calculation and maybe throw a standstill.
 
I think the PDGA needs to regulate teepads....they regulate discs and baskets. Hear me out....I don't mean saying "This" is the only tee pad style/design/construction that is permissible. I mean basic rules for all types of tee pads.

Concrete....regulate the type of finish on the top
"Astroturf"...regulate how it is attached to the ground (one issue with Astroturf is that it bunches up after a while)
Wood....type of finish on top to provide grip. (for example, add sand to the finish coat).
and likewise for other types of tee pads.

And more importantly, regulate a size.

I completely agree with your sentiments here. 100%
HOWEVER, the thing to remember, as you probably well already know, sometimes the ones installing teepads may be folks who do not play & couldn't give a fat rats hiney about teepads meeting the needs of those playing.

It would be nice to have standardization of baskets, teepads, etc, but it feels we are still a few years away from that. But at the rate of growth we are experiencing right now, though, it may not be that long.
 
They do, in the sense that they make strong suggestions about tee pad construction in their course design specifications. Both size and quality.

But they aren't going to make thousands of course illegal for sanctioned play. And they certainly aren't going to be able to regulate what kind of maintenance and upkeep those tees receive before a sanctioned event.

DGPT can and does make investment into tee quality, but that still didn't stop the year old tees at MVP from being slick. The plain fact of the matter is that you have surfaces that are in prime position to accumulate various deposits of biological material and growth of some types of flora. They won't receive the kind of sun exposure that will mitigate this.

Until (more like a slim chance of "if") courses generates revenue at least on par with something like an inexpensive ball golf course, you won't be able to maintain these tee pads on the schedule that would be needed to keep them in pristine condition.

I know it wouldn't be cost-effective for tee pads already in place. They could be 'grandfathered'. Accept them as is, but if they get replaced they need to meet the criteria.

Yeah, keeping the pads clean is a huge issue and even the current cause of lack of grip...maybe even the number cause.

I completely agree with your sentiments here. 100%
HOWEVER, the thing to remember, as you probably well already know, sometimes the ones installing teepads may be folks who do not play & couldn't give a fat rats hiney about teepads meeting the needs of those playing.

It would be nice to have standardization of baskets, teepads, etc, but it feels we are still a few years away from that. But at the rate of growth we are experiencing right now, though, it may not be that long.

This is the bigger issue I see happening. And this happened on a course recently built in my state. The course went into a 'community', so there were some restrictions, some "we don't care". The course maintainer, from a DG club, requested the concrete pads have slightly deep grooves, not just lightly broomed (like they do on sidewalks). Guess what...the pads were lightly broomed and have very little 'grip'.
 
Regardless of what I said that I believe should happen; realistically I know nothing will change until a pro gets seriously hurt. And I hope that doesn't happen. Even if it does happen, it may not create a change since PDGA, the tour, TDs, can say that you can test the tee pad before you throw (which is true, but how many players test the tee pad at full speed?), so you should have been aware of and prepared for any slippery-ness.
 
Or smart choice in footwear.


Seems better footwear would be way easier than modifying pretty much every tee pad at every course in existence. Even if the perfect shoes don't already exist I'd look into designing better footwear and bringing it to the market before I'd invent a glorified towel for people to have to carry with them.
 
Seems better footwear would be way easier than modifying pretty much every tee pad at every course in existence. Even if the perfect shoes don't already exist I'd look into designing better footwear and bringing it to the market before I'd invent a glorified towel for people to have to carry with them.

Idio is attempting that with their Syncrasy shoe. A couple of people in this forum section have them and have given some initial feedback....I'm waiting to see what they say after 6 months and a year of usage.

What I've heard is that they have better grip and the sole/toe is one piece, so if you drag your toe the sole doesn't start to separate.
 
Idio is attempting that with their Syncrasy shoe. A couple of people in this forum section have them and have given some initial feedback....I'm waiting to see what they say after 6 months and a year of usage.

What I've heard is that they have better grip and the sole/toe is one piece, so if you drag your toe the sole doesn't start to separate.

I have a pair of Idios but haven't played a ton in them yet. I will say, I played a tournament this past weekend and it rained nearly the whole round, I didn't once have slip issues and my feet stayed dry the entire time. Part of that may have been brand new tee pads that were extra grippy, but part might have been the shoes
 
I have a pair of Idios but haven't played a ton in them yet. I will say, I played a tournament this past weekend and it rained nearly the whole round, I didn't once have slip issues and my feet stayed dry the entire time. Part of that may have been brand new tee pads that were extra grippy, but part might have been the shoes

Well, how many of your card mates slipped on tee pads......unless they were all wearing Idios, that would give you a general idea.
 
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