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Adding flags
- Thread starter cjrogus
- Start date
knettles
Double Eagle Member
I don't have a picture, but the ones at my course are just 3 foot thin pvc pipes screwed onto the top of the basket.
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2009
- Messages
- 15,706
Best flags I've ever seen are the Direct Hit Disc Golf Basket Wind Flags.
They have these on the Steady Ed course at IDGC.
They run $30/each, so that's $540 for a typical 18 hole course. No clue as to any available discounts for multiples, or how they compare to others pricewise. I'd be surprised if there aren't cheaper alternatives out there, but these are about as functional as flags get, and seem very well made.
You could probably cover the cost with one well run tourney to raise the money.
They have these on the Steady Ed course at IDGC.
They run $30/each, so that's $540 for a typical 18 hole course. No clue as to any available discounts for multiples, or how they compare to others pricewise. I'd be surprised if there aren't cheaper alternatives out there, but these are about as functional as flags get, and seem very well made.
You could probably cover the cost with one well run tourney to raise the money.
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sansho
Par Member
I've seen a few courses do this for tournaments with bright colored ribbon tied around the top of the pvc.
Worked well and pretty cheap.
They normally only did it for tournys though cause they were afraid of non-DGers just breaking them.
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2009
- Messages
- 15,706
While I use often grass or leaves to gauge wind speed and direction:
1) This does nothing to help you know where the basket is when it's not visible from the tee because of a rise in terrain.
2) Wind speed and direction can be completely different on the tee than it is near the pin... particularly on holes where the basket is significantly above the tee (see 1 above).
dandaman
Birdie Member
All right dude-
To help answer your question this is what I did:
1: Measure the inner diameter of the pole where it's hollow. (This is important as you will need the correct measurements to purchase PVC pipe slightly smarter in diameter so that it easily fits inside the pole and can be secured with chain assembly bolts/screws.)
2: Go out and buy said PVC pipe and cut it to your desired length. (Any hardware store will do but Home depot cut it in lengths that I needed and didn't charge me any extra.) I used 4 ft. pieces because there are a lot of long holes at my course and often you can't see the basket because of elevation or foliage.
3. Check the chain assembly that rests on the top of the pole. See if there are any bolts/screws that help hold it and can be removed so that the chain assembly can be moved. ****MAKE NOT OF WHERE SAID SCREWS/BOLTS ARE BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED TO DRILL HOLES IN THE PVC SO THAT WHEN YOU RE-ATTACH THE CHAIN ASSEMBLY THE BOLTS AND SCREWS SUPPORT THE PVC AND YOUR CHAIN ASSEMBLY, AND THAT THEY DO SO THAT THE FLAG EASILY INSTALLS****
4. Buy flag material. This is easier said then done but it needs to be extremely water resistant AND resistant to vandals. At my course I'm on my third set of flags but I found some great nearly day glo orange vinyl fabric (it's the stuff that they make tents out off). I found it online for $25 for a 9 yard X 9 yard sheet. I had to cut it to fit the size of flag I wanted but that doesn't take long.
5. You'll need some screws that can hold the fabric up and will prevent vandals from easily tearing them down. I used 1/4 in screws at about 1/2 inch long. They will be at the top of the flag pole and I recommend 5-6 of these screws so that flag stays in place for a long time. If you want to be really anal, rivets could be placed on the flag material so that the screws do hurt the fabric, but the material is not so expensive and we're doing this on a budget.
6. Assemble the flags. I recommend doing this at home before going out to the course an attempting to place them on the basket. You can have all the flag material on the poles, and have the holes drilled in where the screws/bolts will go on the chain assembly and the PVC. Plus you'll be at home and no one will be throwing discs at you while trying to do all the prep at said baskets(hopefully).
7.Install the flags. This step might be the hardest because of things you might have not prepared for (Frozen bolts, frozen screws, etc.) You'll need at least one cordless drill, all necessary drill bits, a pair of vicegrips or adjustable wrenches and plenty of battery time on your drill. The drill is really just to help with the bolts and the screws once they are loosened. I recommend loosening the bolts/screw/nuts with standard tools first to prevent stripping of the threads (remember that the baskets have been in the weather for a long time) A can of WD-40 helps too.
8.Enjoy your results. Expect to replace the flag material every couple of years because of fading and vandals. Vandals also like to completely break off the PVC pole at the base sometimes because they are a**holes, and they need to be flogged for being idiots.
I did this project solo and with all said materials and time I'd say that it cost me about 6 hours + $75 cash. I'm sure it can be done cheaper, but honestly I thought it was worth the investment at my course. Sorry I don't have any more recent photos, or ones with the current flags but here is my course with baskets sporting the first time I did flags:
To help answer your question this is what I did:
1: Measure the inner diameter of the pole where it's hollow. (This is important as you will need the correct measurements to purchase PVC pipe slightly smarter in diameter so that it easily fits inside the pole and can be secured with chain assembly bolts/screws.)
2: Go out and buy said PVC pipe and cut it to your desired length. (Any hardware store will do but Home depot cut it in lengths that I needed and didn't charge me any extra.) I used 4 ft. pieces because there are a lot of long holes at my course and often you can't see the basket because of elevation or foliage.
3. Check the chain assembly that rests on the top of the pole. See if there are any bolts/screws that help hold it and can be removed so that the chain assembly can be moved. ****MAKE NOT OF WHERE SAID SCREWS/BOLTS ARE BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED TO DRILL HOLES IN THE PVC SO THAT WHEN YOU RE-ATTACH THE CHAIN ASSEMBLY THE BOLTS AND SCREWS SUPPORT THE PVC AND YOUR CHAIN ASSEMBLY, AND THAT THEY DO SO THAT THE FLAG EASILY INSTALLS****
4. Buy flag material. This is easier said then done but it needs to be extremely water resistant AND resistant to vandals. At my course I'm on my third set of flags but I found some great nearly day glo orange vinyl fabric (it's the stuff that they make tents out off). I found it online for $25 for a 9 yard X 9 yard sheet. I had to cut it to fit the size of flag I wanted but that doesn't take long.
5. You'll need some screws that can hold the fabric up and will prevent vandals from easily tearing them down. I used 1/4 in screws at about 1/2 inch long. They will be at the top of the flag pole and I recommend 5-6 of these screws so that flag stays in place for a long time. If you want to be really anal, rivets could be placed on the flag material so that the screws do hurt the fabric, but the material is not so expensive and we're doing this on a budget.
6. Assemble the flags. I recommend doing this at home before going out to the course an attempting to place them on the basket. You can have all the flag material on the poles, and have the holes drilled in where the screws/bolts will go on the chain assembly and the PVC. Plus you'll be at home and no one will be throwing discs at you while trying to do all the prep at said baskets(hopefully).
7.Install the flags. This step might be the hardest because of things you might have not prepared for (Frozen bolts, frozen screws, etc.) You'll need at least one cordless drill, all necessary drill bits, a pair of vicegrips or adjustable wrenches and plenty of battery time on your drill. The drill is really just to help with the bolts and the screws once they are loosened. I recommend loosening the bolts/screw/nuts with standard tools first to prevent stripping of the threads (remember that the baskets have been in the weather for a long time) A can of WD-40 helps too.
8.Enjoy your results. Expect to replace the flag material every couple of years because of fading and vandals. Vandals also like to completely break off the PVC pole at the base sometimes because they are a**holes, and they need to be flogged for being idiots.
I did this project solo and with all said materials and time I'd say that it cost me about 6 hours + $75 cash. I'm sure it can be done cheaper, but honestly I thought it was worth the investment at my course. Sorry I don't have any more recent photos, or ones with the current flags but here is my course with baskets sporting the first time I did flags:
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2009
- Messages
- 15,706
^ Pretty good, and probably pretty cost effective.
Billipo
Birdie Member
Do you want flags to...
... indicate wind direction,
...identify a blind hole,
...improve general visibility,
or combination of the above?
... indicate wind direction,
...identify a blind hole,
...improve general visibility,
or combination of the above?
Royal Hill
Eagle Member
If you are considering flags as a club or association:
Consider getting a set of what you will then call "tournament flags".
do it nice, and perhaps consider matching the style done for the Beaver State Fling in Oregon. Fiberglass driveway marker type poles, and sewn flags. The flags can be a home sewing job, ripstop in desired color with bias tape edging. Looks like piping and combined with the fiberglass poles they can look downright respectable. (I have a visual bias against Pvc as inherrantly appearing cheap, but thats me)
Figure out the best, quick, but solid centered attachment for your courses baskets. It could be welding two pass through tubes on a vertical number plate already there, or something like what was seen in the picture set previously posted with the pvc set up sequence.
But consider the flag set for events only. (again if you are a club or association) Use it as a value added ingredient to your events. It makes tournaments different and special compared to daily play. (just like the look and benefit one would get from marked 10m circles) It could be seen as a differentiator element. The function of the flags for spotting, wind might even be secondary to this. Plus, you know that daily use is brutal.
Make it easy to have your event crew set them, and easy to collect post event, and have a secure location (or person) for storage.
Adds but one more service your club can provide with events to make them memorable and special. I think its a way better way to add to an event than throwing yet more money at players for them to take home.
Consider getting a set of what you will then call "tournament flags".
do it nice, and perhaps consider matching the style done for the Beaver State Fling in Oregon. Fiberglass driveway marker type poles, and sewn flags. The flags can be a home sewing job, ripstop in desired color with bias tape edging. Looks like piping and combined with the fiberglass poles they can look downright respectable. (I have a visual bias against Pvc as inherrantly appearing cheap, but thats me)
Figure out the best, quick, but solid centered attachment for your courses baskets. It could be welding two pass through tubes on a vertical number plate already there, or something like what was seen in the picture set previously posted with the pvc set up sequence.
But consider the flag set for events only. (again if you are a club or association) Use it as a value added ingredient to your events. It makes tournaments different and special compared to daily play. (just like the look and benefit one would get from marked 10m circles) It could be seen as a differentiator element. The function of the flags for spotting, wind might even be secondary to this. Plus, you know that daily use is brutal.
Make it easy to have your event crew set them, and easy to collect post event, and have a secure location (or person) for storage.
Adds but one more service your club can provide with events to make them memorable and special. I think its a way better way to add to an event than throwing yet more money at players for them to take home.
cjrogus
I bet I could throw a FH here.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2012
- Messages
- 290
The main point of the flags is for visibility. http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=3711&mode=ci As you can see from some of the photos, about 9 holes could use flags. These 9 either sit behind hills or their longs are behind them. The pictures are from when the course was first built so the growth is down, but half of them are tough to see. Some are easy to view in the shorts but are impossible in longs. When I first started playing I thought hole 3's basket was stolen for two weeks when it was just in the longs. The PVC Idea looks like it could work if it was done right. Vandalism isn't a problem around here so I might take a look at downing them myself.
dandaman
Birdie Member
I forgot to tell you why I did the flags for my course...the same reason you just stated-visability. I got the idea after reading one of the reviews of my course. The reviewer had issues identifying where the baskets were and that they needed to be more visable, especially for people unfamilar with the course. Tee signs can only do so much.
Since I've installed them they have greatly improved the locations of the baskets and I believe players can be more confidant when throwing their blind upshots/teeshots. This is because they have the basic idea of where their shots are supposed to go. The flags also work pretty well in the woods as well, where the foilage is thick.
I used day glo orange for the flags to add to the visability factor. I'm thinking next time going day glo green. I think that would look cool especially if I can find some day glo green duct tape to highlight the sweetspot on the pole.
Since I am more concerned about visability I used a solid block of material to make the flags. If I had cut them in strips, it would have doubled as wind indicator as well.
Since I've installed them they have greatly improved the locations of the baskets and I believe players can be more confidant when throwing their blind upshots/teeshots. This is because they have the basic idea of where their shots are supposed to go. The flags also work pretty well in the woods as well, where the foilage is thick.
I used day glo orange for the flags to add to the visability factor. I'm thinking next time going day glo green. I think that would look cool especially if I can find some day glo green duct tape to highlight the sweetspot on the pole.
Since I am more concerned about visability I used a solid block of material to make the flags. If I had cut them in strips, it would have doubled as wind indicator as well.
Last edited:
Billipo
Birdie Member
cjrogus
I bet I could throw a FH here.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2012
- Messages
- 290
https://www.safetyflag.com/products/29-Flags-Misc-/104-Bicycle-Snow-Tractor-Pennant-Flags I found this website and for 5 dollars a piece they had the best price out of anyone by far. These will sever as temporary flags while we raise money for a nicer set. Now to figure out the best way to attach them to the Innova Discatchers at the course. I have around 200 zip ties if I wanted to go that option buy I would like something more professional looking.
