Sick of Litter on the course

[milow369]

I've got to admit, since the new Circle C course opened up last weekend, I have had a difficult time playing anywhere else. It's not yet finished but what is there is amazing. I will take the time to do a detailed review once this course is completed.

The re-design has incorporated several new large trash can areas. These areas consist of large cans grouped in 3's and are secured to nice large slabs near some of the tees, but not on every hole. Some of the holes are on the sides of a hill, or are in highly wooded areas. In some cases there are decent treks between tees that are tough to get trash cans to, let alone emptied regularly. I can already see the garbage being thrown into the bushes/wooded areas on this gem of a course (it's been open a week) It's heartbreaking. I assume that several more trash cans will be added, but I am not hopeful that this will end the problem (Case in point: Mary Moore Searight park - which has a bag at every tee is regularly strewn with garbage)

I have played lots of courses on the west coast and don't remember cans/paper cups from fast food joints/paper/butts/waterbottles being thrown willy-nilly throughout the course. I notice along the sides of the road in Texas you can also see lots of trash - is this a Texas thing? What would compel someone to throw their damned empty beer can into a perfectly good, beautifully natural area? It is beyond me.

I always multi-task during my rounds, I pick up as much crap along the way as my bag will hold, and drop it off at each trash can area. Sure my bag often smells like an old drunk but I do it anyway. My friends see this and seem to follow suit. We seem to be losing the battle. This is so frustrating, especially since Austin is supposed to be an "alternative", "tree hugging" town.

To keep this from just being a rant I will ask a question in hopes of finding a resolution this situation:
What have you done in your communities to solve/improve the trash situation on your course?

Is Pay to Play the answer? The idea being, those that care enough to fork out $3-$5 bucks per round are serious about the game and will preserve the course. Or that their fee will go to funding a position of a full-time janitor to continually clean up the course behind them. I notice that I don't see near the problems on ball golf courses.

I've heard of undercover disc golfing cops that go out on the lookout for pot smokers, drinkers, etc. I might actually sign on to get cops in the bushes with binoculars to catch these people littering.

Just sick of it.

 

[Midnightbiker]

Its not just Texas , its everywhere. People are people, and now days ,more and more people don't give a damn anymore. I have noticed it more with the under 23 crowd.

 

[billnchristy]

Not that it's the reason but I remember growing up and there was a S__load of anti-litter commercials...who could forget the crying indian?

I have always felt it a very bad thing to litter...maybe it was my parents, maybe it was the crying indian...either way it worked.

 

[Midnightbiker]

Not that it's the reason but I remember growing up and there was a S__load of anti-litter commercials...who could forget the crying indian?
.

I remember that, but I don't think anyone under the age of 33 would remember that commerical.

 

[billnchristy]

Ha I am 32. But you see my point? There was a lot of nature type commercials back then...maybe the drug companies should be forced to throw in a "don't litter" since they own the airwaves.

 

[Midnightbiker]

If you ever saw the movie "Wayne's World 2" at end of the movie where the Indian looks at all the trash, and is crying, that is a carbon copy of the commerical.

 

[billnchristy]

My wife remembers it too and she is 29 so your theory is shot. But yeah I would imagine 25 and younger would have never seen it.

But seriously...maybe this is the problem...not just the stupid commercial going away, but parents not seeing it and reminding their children, schools not talking about it...just like everything else, there has become no consequence for any action we take so screw it, we do what we want.

 

[sidewinding]

One of the coolest things I ever saw was at Alex Clark in McKinney...there was a guy with a baby stroller type disc golf cart and he had a 5 gallon bucket strapped into it and a trash pickup tool. As he played his round he would pick up trash. When he'd get to a trash can he'd empty his bucket. He did not bitch and moan about it. He had a smile on his face and he kept his course clean as he played. It was awesome.

 

[FRIZZLE TOSSLER]

I've got to admit, since the new Circle C course opened up last weekend, I have had a difficult time playing anywhere else. It's not yet finished but what is there is amazing. I will take the time to do a detailed review once this course is completed.

The re-design has incorporated several new large trash can areas. These areas consist of large cans grouped in 3's and are secured to nice large slabs near some of the tees, but not on every hole. Some of the holes are on the sides of a hill, or are in highly wooded areas. In some cases there are decent treks between tees that are tough to get trash cans to, let alone emptied regularly. I can already see the garbage being thrown into the bushes/wooded areas on this gem of a course (it's been open a week) It's heartbreaking. I assume that several more trash cans will be added, but I am not hopeful that this will end the problem (Case in point: Mary Moore Searight park - which has a bag at every tee is regularly strewn with garbage)

I have played lots of courses on the west coast and don't remember cans/paper cups from fast food joints/paper/butts/waterbottles being thrown willy-nilly throughout the course. I notice along the sides of the road in Texas you can also see lots of trash - is this a Texas thing? What would compel someone to throw their damned empty beer can into a perfectly good, beautifully natural area? It is beyond me.

I always multi-task during my rounds, I pick up as much crap along the way as my bag will hold, and drop it off at each trash can area. Sure my bag often smells like an old drunk but I do it anyway. My friends see this and seem to follow suit. We seem to be losing the battle. This is so frustrating, especially since Austin is supposed to be an "alternative", "tree hugging" town.

To keep this from just being a rant I will ask a question in hopes of finding a resolution this situation:
What have you done in your communities to solve/improve the trash situation on your course?

Is Pay to Play the answer? The idea being, those that care enough to fork out $3-$5 bucks per round are serious about the game and will preserve the course. Or that their fee will go to funding a position of a full-time janitor to continually clean up the course behind them. I notice that I don't see near the problems on ball golf courses.

I've heard of undercover disc golfing cops that go out on the lookout for pot smokers, drinkers, etc. I might actually sign on to get cops in the bushes with binoculars to catch these people littering.

Just sick of it.

I feel ya buddy. Circle C is a gem and it boggles my mind that people can be so disrespectful.... I too noticed the same thing when I played out there last week and it kinda shocked me w/ the course being so young. I commend you for helping to p/u other people's trash (I do the same thing).

I did also notice that courses in the Northwest were much cleaner (especially the courses in Portland.... virtually spotless.) I do think it is somewhat of a Texas thing... by that, I mean part of the culture, in a way. There are a larger percentage of folks here in TX that have more of a sense of general entitlement rather than what I've seen in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. From what I've observed, folks in the NW have more respect for their environment & the people they share it with.

You really also have to take into consideration that TX is only 2% public land as opposed to Oregon's 50% or so. There is simply just more space to share up there. People are more "in tune" and educated about their natural surroundings, I think, in large part due to the fact that there is simply more of it. JMHO

One possible solution is to call people on it if you see it happen on the course.... of course, there are those situations where it might be safest not to mention anything, but I think yall get my drift.

Milow369, wanna go get a round in @ Circle C??..... I'll get some litter patrol T-shirts made.

 

[FRIZZLE TOSSLER]

BTW, Portland also had recycling binds in a few of the courses I played.... man they sure are doin' it right.... I wish Austin would listen and learn....

A few more possible solutions...... Education is key...... maybe some signs throughout the course encouraging people to clean up after themselves -- make it a part of the culture to be clean. Also, if you did have separate recycling binds, I know there are places where you can sell aluminum for $.... to put back into the course... I know it wouldn't be much but... an incentive at least.

Anyone from Portland wanna chime in? or anyone else where litter is a rare occurance? How do yall do it???

 

[milow369]

Not that it's the reason but I remember growing up and there was a S__load of anti-litter commercials...who could forget the crying indian?

I have always felt it a very bad thing to litter...maybe it was my parents, maybe it was the crying indian...either way it worked.

Yes, funny that you mention that commercial. I remember it as well from when I was growing up, I think it left an impression. Parental guidance probably also comes into play.

This air of "I don't give a ****" is pretty disheartening.

 

[giles]

One of the coolest things I ever saw was at Alex Clark in McKinney...there was a guy with a baby stroller type disc golf cart and he had a 5 gallon bucket strapped into it and a trash pickup tool. As he played his round he would pick up trash. When he'd get to a trash can he'd empty his bucket. He did not bitch and moan about it. He had a smile on his face and he kept his course clean as he played. It was awesome.

next time you see me, come say hi.

 

[trifocal]

I'm with you all on the littering. A lot of people just don't care.

To the original post and mention of pay to play...I believe it helps, if only to pay someone to act as groundskeeper. Free course with adopt a hole programs do great work, but volunteers can't be available everyday and littering has a way of promoting more littering. I smoke cigs and the butts drive me crazy. I pick'em at the tees when I'm waiting and mine get extinguished and put in my bag. It's really not that hard.

I called a guy on throwing a bottle ( glass free course, of course ) recently. I was on the tee pad and heard a group coming up the path behind me. Crash, clink! When they sat down I backed off the tee and faced 'em and said What the heck...you guys are 30 feet from a trash can and you throw a bottle in the woods? One of the guys looked at the guilty one and chimed in....yeah, man...whats up with that? The kid just looked at me blankly.

Calling people out on that can be risky for sure. Be careful or have back up seems like common sense.

 

[billnchristy]

I know up in NY where we lived prior there were all sorts of adopt-a-highway kind of deals and very little trash.

Here in GA it seems people that are too poor to afford trash service will just drop their damn bags in the middle of the road and let it spread everywhere...it is disgusting and really annoying to see.

That being said...I do not think our sport is at the level where we could even offer companies free advertising for their trash pick up services...but some kind of sponsorship and ownership might help a lot.

 

[milow369]

I feel ya buddy. Circle C is a gem and it boggles my mind that people can be so disrespectful.... I too noticed the same thing when I played out there last week and it kinda shocked me w/ the course being so young. I commend you for helping to p/u other people's trash (I do the same thing).

I did also notice that courses in the Northwest were much cleaner (especially the courses in Portland.... virtually spotless.) I do think it is somewhat of a Texas thing... by that, I mean part of the culture, in a way. There are a larger percentage of folks here in TX that have more of a sense of general entitlement rather than what I've seen in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. From what I've observed, folks in the NW have more respect for their environment & the people they share it with.

You really also have to take into consideration that TX is only 2% public land as opposed to Oregon's 50% or so. There is simply just more space to share up there. People are more "in tune" and educated about their natural surroundings, I think, in large part due to the fact that there is simply more of it. JMHO

One possible solution is to call people on it if you see it happen on the course.... of course, there are those situations where it might be safest not to mention anything, but I think yall get my drift.

Milow369, wanna go get a round in @ Circle C??..... I'll get some litter patrol T-shirts made.

If you're serious about getting a round in, I would love to. I usually have Tuesday morning or afternoons available for a round. Send me a private message and we'll hook something up, later

 

[Midnightbiker]

Yes, funny that you mention that commercial. I remember it as well from when I was growing up, I think it left an impression. Parental guidance probably also comes into play.

This air of "I don't give a ****" is pretty disheartening.

Speaking of old commercials, do any of you who grew up in the 70's remember "Mr. YUCK " stickers. Your parents were supposed to put them on laundry detergent, bleach and other house hold chemicals , so the kids would know to stay away from them and not drink them? Wouldn't that make a bad ass dye on a disc?

 

[billnchristy]

Ha! I remember my dad bringing home a whole roll of those...I had those stickers on everything!!

 

[milow369]

One of the coolest things I ever saw was at Alex Clark in McKinney...there was a guy with a baby stroller type disc golf cart and he had a 5 gallon bucket strapped into it and a trash pickup tool. As he played his round he would pick up trash. When he'd get to a trash can he'd empty his bucket. He did not bitch and moan about it. He had a smile on his face and he kept his course clean as he played. It was awesome.

I think it just struck a nerve when this beautiful course has been opened for just about a week and I am already finding cans 20 feet into the trees, broken beer bottles in the fairway, etc. I was thinking about bringing trash bags out for each round - maybe a subtle rule about taking 3-4 strokes off your score per filled trash bag would be a good disc golf tradition. I need it!

I've got no problem taking a few moments picking up trash then dumping it at the next available can, it's just I don't have the 5-gallon bucket setup yet. It's already a challenge managing the crap that is in my bag let alone a bunch of stinking keystone and busch cans. I will continue to try and do my part, (without bitching) just would be nice if people took some pride in ownership - this is city owned land after all.

I think I am leaning towards Private course with a yearly due to play. This way we can pay for a janitor to walk behind us and clean up our mess for us. I guess I would argue that it's not the people on this site or the people who care about the sport that are out there littering, but who knows?

 

[milow369]

The "Pack your Trash" campaign in Santa Cruz was (is) pretty successful. Had some "Kook" with a surfboard throwing crap on the beach, right next to an available trash can. This was a pretty popular campaign that was embraced by the youth - you didn't want to be labeled a "Kook" - so you packed your stuff out with pride.

I thought "Don't mess with Texas" was equally successful, until I looked around.

 

[bazillion]

This company I used to work for sent a crew out to a local park for a day to clean it up. The company paid the employees (they got good PR out of it), the city loved the volunteer effort, and we, after picking up about 15 bags of trash in the morning, spent the afternoon throwing plastic!

Did it twice, found 4-5 discs each time - just a bonus