Trying to get a hill custom-made for a basket location. Need ideas and examples.

[aardvarkious]

I have a chance to make a really unique, really sweet hole happen.

I am getting a new course installed this month. This is the signature hole: it is the most beautiful hole aesthetically, and it plays great with lots of options [and danger] for your drive. The landing zone off the tee is 200' across a river and behind a huge and wide clump of trees: you have a hyzer or anhyzer route- both of which are through 40' wide windows- to give you a 50' approach shot, or a super easy layup to give yourself a 120' approach. The basket will be elevated, with a 30' green and danger all around the green. Here is a picture of the basket location- the grey rectangle with the pink cross is the current tone pole. It is about 25' up and 35' away from where I was standing when I took the picture.

You can see that the hill is slumping. Right behind the orange barrier, there is a road, so this is getting fixed ASAP. The whole hill is getting re-graded. Well, my thinking is, if they are already re-doing the hill, it wouldn't be too much more money to custom make a sweet basket location on it. I am going to meet with the engineer in charge, and see if he can do something sweet for me. The problem is, I don't know what sweet things to suggest. It could be a flat peninsula that pops out of the hill. It could be a mound that comes up the top. It could be a dip. I really don't know what to ask for. But I want to ask for something. Got any ideas? Or any examples where a hill has been custom-designed to make an awesome basket location?

 

[disc gopher]

what can you use materials wise? just dirt? or could you afford to use some logs, landscaping stones/rocks etc?

 

[aardvarkious]

Just dirt. The idea is that they have to bring in loads of dirt and the heavy equipment to sculpt the hill anyways, so sculpting the dirt a different shape probably (hopefully) isn't super hard or expensive.

 

[MCW5379]

I like the peninsula idea

 

[cjskier]

I like the peninsula idea

Me to, just no simple mound or volcano shapes.

 

[optidiscic]

dont do anything too dramatic that would promote erosion issues....that being said I like the idea of a peninsula or even mounds surrounding the basket either 2 on either side or even just one massive one or even 4 surrounding it.....

 

[sidewinder22]

Make a cave on a mound!

 

[jhoover]

any chance you can find some materails to build up a small wall to support that sloping hill? just a suggestion im sure it could get expensive but it would look great

 

[aardvarkious]

No, it needs to be redone. You can't see it here, but the whole slope is in bad shape- their are huge gorges and cracks running all down it, and a bunch of mini sink-holes. Pluss the top of the hill is a sheer drop ~2' away from the road- I am surprised the road hasn't cracked yet.

 

[prerube]

it sounds like this course may have future safety issues if erosion is that bad. Are any other holes in jeopardy at this time?

 

[aardvarkious]

No, that is the only hole that is an issue. I intentionally stayed super far,far away from the other trouble spots (or potential future ones) in the park. However, a hole has to go in this area if we want any sort of course flow. Luckily, there is an alternate pin location well away from the problem hill. But the alternate is a completely average hole. If we can use the hill, this is an AWESOME hole.

 

[Peterb]

The best thing to do is to make a pyramid. Each tier will support the ones above it when it gets foliage (assuming this course is in a place on earth where grass, shrubs, and trees grow naturally...e.g. not Nevada). Each tier should have at least 10 feet of flat before the beginning of the next tier, which should be no more than 6 feet above the previous tier. The final tier should be flat on top and have the basket.

 

[prerube]

No, that is the only hole that is an issue. I intentionally stayed super far,far away from the other trouble spots (or potential future ones) in the park. However, a hole has to go in this area if we want any sort of course flow. Luckily, there is an alternate pin location well away from the problem hill. But the alternate is a completely average hole. If we can use the hill, this is an AWESOME hole.

ok, sounds like a horrible situation turned into an amazing opportunity. Congrats on making the most out of a bad situation :thmbup:

 

[New013]

If you can get anything I'd create two staggered mounds before the basket location and then have a 20' diamater area flattened out in to the terrain for the green with a straight drop off on the edges exposed towards the bottom. I'd put the smaller mound closer to the edge of the green maybe 10' below it and a bit to the right. Then put a bigger mound offset to the left starting about 15' below the the other mound.

This will create a natural path up to the hole for people to take and help with erosion problems. I also suspect that the engineer will tell you that any kind of mound or raised hill will probably have to be supported with logs, rocks or some other structural materials because just dirt will get eroded eventually.

 

[New013]

I drew it out because I know what I'm saying is confusing. From the side view you can see that you're creating the peninsula type green surface you were talking about on the hill, though i think this structure should be supported by something other than dirt. You can also see a lower landing area that is a mound flattened off at the top so you have a small place you can possibly hit and stay, if you hit the sides of it you risk rolling off and getting a lot of momentum because of the mounds slope. Then the bottom mound would be even steeper to punish players more who couldn't reach either the green or the lower putting area.

From the aerial you can see how staggering the mounds helps create a natural walking path to help keep erosion off the sides of the mounds. Then to further encourage using the path you can put steps on the left side where it leads.

Now I didn't know how to draw it but the left and right of the green area should slope away from the green a bit or you can make the green area more eliptical so landing off the green right or left leaves you with a 40'+ putt.

With this method you're daring people to go for the green where it's a safe flat landing zone however if the miss short they either have a tough putt looking up or they roll off back down the hill.

 

[aardvarkious]

I really like this! I think this is what I will ask for. The good thing about working on this with an engineer: I don't need to worry about making the judgement call on whether or not it will last, if certain parts need to be supported by logs, etc...

 

[jenb]

I don't know why you'd take a sloping green like that and flatten it out around the basket.

 

[prerube]

It is only flattened on one side of the basket to give a small landing area. If the entire thing is sloped then an amazing shot will just roll down the hill next to the crappy shot.

 

[jenb]

Not if that amazing shot lands at an angle matching the slope. That's the point of baskets on slopes. You have to make a shot that lands the disc on plane with the slope. Otherwise, it's not an amazing shot at all.

 

[DGRZ001]

Yeah, you tell'em Jen!