Flatpad teepads

[txmxer]

Originally Posted by DavidSauls

Unfortunately, the volunteer who did it was a competent carpenter, and made it perfectly level, which wouldn't have happened if I'd been on the crew.

I appreciated this statement.

[DavidSauls]

The security issue varies tremendously, depending on location. But I'd assume in theft-prone places, they won't be putting in portable tees.

(I know of a public course that put in rubber mats, and they were quickly stolen.)

There have been a few proposals before, for portable teepads. In addition to temp courses, there may be places that would like to move tees from time to time, the way baskets can be moved. Perhaps as tests, perhaps as temporary when the permanent tee location won't be available for some time, perhaps for variety. But the cost of these still seems prohibitive.

[txmxer]

On the theft thing.

My first thought is, "no way"....but, then I reconsidered. People will steal anything. In the case of these pads I could imagine people stealing them for personal use.

In that case, I don't see it as an issue that happens often, but one tee pad at the price point we are discussing makes it very painful for a DG course.

With regard to cost per use or lifetime cost. Here we run in to right now versus future. If I can put in a teepad for $200 or let's really amp it up--$1000 for a Conrad sidewalk style versus $2000, well, that math is pretty easy.

I hope you find a market for these where it works. I hope they perform as well as you've said when properly installed.

That said, think about the participants on this site. Sure you have a few folks that are involved at the upper end of DG course design. Designing courses that might have a decent budget (not many that are $2k per tee pad budget). But the majority of discussions are along the lines of "what's the cheapest tee pad I can put in that is decent?" And the answers are along the lines of putting pave stones in at the corners or repurposing demolished construction materials.

[biscoe]

What do they weigh? They might get stolen for the steel alone.

[Countchunkula]

Originally Posted by DavidSauls

This is a real concern, but can be mitigated somewhat by making sure the pad has a slight slope -- not enough to throw off players, but enough for water to drain.

We built a deck in the woods and put turf on it. Unfortunately, the volunteer who did it was a competent carpenter, and made it perfectly level, which wouldn't have happened if I'd been on the crew. Anyway, the turf holds water and gets slick, and being in the woods, is slow to dry.

When we later built some solid-surface tees with turf over them, we included a slight grade, and they don't retain water nearly as bad.

As for height, yes, drops on the front of the tee should be avoided. Local courses have added extensions in front of concrete tees with 4" drops. Our 2 raised tees include 4' of raised surface in front of the turf; anyone with the deep pockets to buy flatpads, should be able to afford one longer than the tee, to have a safe run-off.

That said, count me a skeptic; it's a too-expensive solution with too many issues.

Whether you are building a patio or a deck, there needs to be a slight slope to allow for drainage. I believe it's pretty standard and would be called out on drawings. Should be the same for most any outdoor structure. Flat surfaces lead to water collection and water destroys.

Someone with more experience can back me up or remind me that I'm a fool.

[DavidSauls]

Originally Posted by Countchunkula

Whether you are building a patio or a deck, there needs to be a slight slope to allow for drainage. I believe it's pretty standard and would be called out on drawings. Should be the same for most any outdoor structure. Flat surfaces lead to water collection and water destroys.

Someone with more experience can back me up or remind me that I'm a fool.

I assume decks, with spaces between decking, don't really need it. But, per my prior confession, I'm no carpenter.

[Doofenshmirtz]

Originally Posted by dmoore1998

So you just need tools, a friend, and a vehicle? Are they special assembly tools? That doesn't seem like a big deal . . .

I certainly have my criticisms of these pads, but this is not one of them. Baskets are much easier to steal. If I wanted to, I could back up to a locked basket and have it in the back of my truck, with the sleeve locked to it in about 1 minute. With a simple hand tool that makes no noise, I could cut it off just above the lock in about half that time.

Until someone actually starts stealing these pads, it is not a reasonable concern IMO.

Originally Posted by dmoore1998

. . . if someone is going to steal something worth as much money as these are.

I'm not buying this either. What are they worth to the person stealing them? That is the only value that is a concern in thinking about the likelihood of theft. Just because Flatpad can get ~$2,000 as a retail price for the components doesn't mean that they will bring enough money to a thief to make them worth the effort of stealing. And if scrap metal value was an issue, we could already expect to see baskets disappearing left and right.

Originally Posted by dmoore1998

I'm assuming the smaller ones can be stolen without any real disassembly.

On the other hand, if they are so easy to handle that anyone coiuld walk up to it and carry it off without any other effort, I could see problems, e.g., homeless people stealing them for a bed pad, kids moving them around for no reason, etc.

[Doofenshmirtz]

Originally Posted by biscoe

What do they weigh? They might get stolen for the steel alone.

If this were going to happen, there should already be a problem with baskets.

[biscoe]

Originally Posted by Doofenshmirtz

If this were going to happen, there should already be a problem with baskets.

There have been sets of baskets stolen in NC for the metal. A course local to me had a bunch of other stuff stolen for the metal that was slightly easier to access than the baskets would have been. I didn't just make it up.

[BogeyNoMore]

Originally Posted by Flatpad

Okay, I see the point you are making. Raised teepads might be a problem for some. Majority of people are not like James Conrad. And majority of fairways doesn't need so much speed on opening throw. So my point is, that we are offering a solution which solves many challenges and fits in to many courses. Not for all, but many or even most.

Agree Conrad's runup makes him an outlier, and there's no universal tee that meets everyone's requirements, for all courses. Satisfying the needs of many/most is about all anyone can hope for. I applaud your effort and it looks like a quality product.

But judging from the video, I think the height of these would be an issue for many players regard to following through on tee shot.

Your tees appear to be about the same height above ground level as a course in my area that has pre-formed concrete slabs that were simply dropped in place on the ground. No attempt to make them flush to the surface in any way.

I myself, and quite a few players I know have noted how awkward the dropoff the front of the tee makes follow throughs. Sure, most of the time, it's OK. But players have 18 opportunities to twist an ankle every round. It kinda doesn't matter how many times a potential injury doesn't happen. It only has to happen once to sideline you for a while.

I realize it may not be feasible to install these flush to the ground, and people can twist ankles just walking on level gloors....

But IMHO: the closer tee surface is to ground level (i.e. specifically the area directly in front of the tee, where your foot comes down on follow through, the less likely players are to twist ankles, and the less severe those injuries will be.

Players usually run up faster, exert more force, and need more room to follow through on tee shots, than on any other shot on a given hole.

Just one experienced player's take.