smarkquart
* Ace Member *
My wife and I will be coming into some inheritance soon and part of the plan is to tithe some money to our church. In the past they had approached me to try to develop some of their land into a small course. The church only approved the purchase of up to three baskets, the rest would be up to me to raise.
That long story short, the plan kind of went away. However, with this new money coming in, my wife is at least allowing me to explore the option of using that tithe money to fund the course.
So, here are the problems I will face:
The money we are thinking of tithing can only do one of two things:
1) Buy all 9 baskets but nothing else.
2) Buy 6 baskets but will be able to pay for everything else that would be considered necessities.
The land itself kind of sucks. Long time ago it used to be farm land, and because of that it is difficult for anything to grow. What few trees are on the property are nearly 30 years old, stunted, and only look like they are 10. Most of the land is just scrub brush. It is also a weird shaped plot where the county park land borders on several sides and is obviously off limits.
This can, however, create some nice artificial OB lines.
There is/ was a nice open area that used to be a softball field that I could have converted into a "driving range" style hole. However, the church has converted that open field into two soccer fields. This is mainly for tax purposes, but they are intended to be permanent, so I have lost those two proposed holes.
So, only seven of my originally proposed 9 holes can still be made. The first three holes are already small and cannot be altered. It is holes 4-7 I can alter if I want to bring it back up to 9 holes.
Also, take into consideration the courses nearby:
Orchard Trail Park - Three holes just outside of Champlin Park High School. Not bad for a gym class, but only Hole 3 actually feels like a golf hole.
Central Park - City park 9 hole course. Lots of mature trees but fairly open holes. Overcrowded on top of it being a multi-use course. Still, not a bad place to just air out your drives and unload the bag (when not busy).
Eagle's Edge - The template of how small 9 hole courses should be made. I applaud the Eagle Scouts who put the effort into making it. As a course, all holes are ace runs with singular lines, and yet some how it is always fun to play.
Elm Creek - The only 18 hole course in the area, unfortunately it is a Three Rivers course so it is only open from April to October. Also, it is on the side of a sledding and snowboarding hill, so it is long and open with some tough elevation.
When this idea first was brought to the church, my pastor had contacted the mayor of Brooklyn Park and he seemed very receptive of the idea. This was before Eagle's Edge, and he said that it would be a good idea to have a course to complement Central; for variety sake and to lessen the traffic at Central. What support was implied I never found out. I may be able to approach this again, but for my renewed proposal, if I am going to do it, I am going to move forward without assuming anything.
So my questions are:
1) Would six baskets with two tees each, effectively making it 12 holes be better than squeezing in 9 holes? Do you think a smaller course can handle dual tees meaning to be played as separate holes? Red Oak is a 10 hole course but thanks to dual tees operates as a 20 holer. The difference being that Red Oak has a ton of land to work with.
2) I have received a few mixed answers on this one, but what are people's general feeling of manufactured OB? Specifically in regards to holes running along or near the property line. Two specific holes I am thinking of is one that tees off and takes a 90 degree turn to the left. The park land is on the left of the tee and comes to a 90 degree corner, thus still running on the left side of the hole after you make your turn. The entire left side through this turn will be OB. The next hole is in the back corner of the land. If you think of it has a square clock, if you tee off at 9 o'clock, the basket will be at 12. The basket will sit 15 feet from the property line. A rhfh will skirt near or fly over the OB but fade away; a rhbh will start fine but fade toward the line; a line drive will run the basket (the hole is only 190-220 feet), but again the basket is only 15 feet from the line which when you look at it from the tee box runs 45 degrees away from it.
3) There are no real trees to speak of to create obstacles. The first hole is near the parking lot's pine trees, but they only form two lines. I can use them as a wall on the right side, but I cannot play through them. The second hole plays a little downhill, so it plays shorter than it really is. The third hole is just short, so the large bushes surrounding the hole should be okay because they are not going to be blasted by full power drives. It is again Holes 4-7 that play in the grassy shrubland. There are a few stunted trees, specifically a line that divides the southern half of the plot in half. I am going to use these as a fairway separator and not necessarily as a direct obstacle.
The question is, how do I artificially create obstacles so it is not a simple pitch and putt course? What are people's feelings about railroad ties, old telephone poles, and such to create artificial trees? Too tacky? Okay in moderation?
If I cannot make the greatest throwing holes, what are some ways to make it at least seem like a legitimate course? Are there certain aesthetic things I can do, especially considering the budget I have? I am thinking glacier rocks around the baskets and such. Maybe something along a narrow patch in the center of the fairway so you can visually see the layout of the holes (or at least the intended lines), and more than just a mowed patch. Maybe old twigs and branches laid out nicely enough to form a walking path down the middle of the fairway?
There are plenty of handy people in the church I can talk to, but I need to have a plan and what I am specifically looking for before I start approaching people.
What are some ideas I should consider considering everything I have written above?
That long story short, the plan kind of went away. However, with this new money coming in, my wife is at least allowing me to explore the option of using that tithe money to fund the course.
So, here are the problems I will face:
The money we are thinking of tithing can only do one of two things:
1) Buy all 9 baskets but nothing else.
2) Buy 6 baskets but will be able to pay for everything else that would be considered necessities.
The land itself kind of sucks. Long time ago it used to be farm land, and because of that it is difficult for anything to grow. What few trees are on the property are nearly 30 years old, stunted, and only look like they are 10. Most of the land is just scrub brush. It is also a weird shaped plot where the county park land borders on several sides and is obviously off limits.
This can, however, create some nice artificial OB lines.
There is/ was a nice open area that used to be a softball field that I could have converted into a "driving range" style hole. However, the church has converted that open field into two soccer fields. This is mainly for tax purposes, but they are intended to be permanent, so I have lost those two proposed holes.
So, only seven of my originally proposed 9 holes can still be made. The first three holes are already small and cannot be altered. It is holes 4-7 I can alter if I want to bring it back up to 9 holes.
Also, take into consideration the courses nearby:
Orchard Trail Park - Three holes just outside of Champlin Park High School. Not bad for a gym class, but only Hole 3 actually feels like a golf hole.
Central Park - City park 9 hole course. Lots of mature trees but fairly open holes. Overcrowded on top of it being a multi-use course. Still, not a bad place to just air out your drives and unload the bag (when not busy).
Eagle's Edge - The template of how small 9 hole courses should be made. I applaud the Eagle Scouts who put the effort into making it. As a course, all holes are ace runs with singular lines, and yet some how it is always fun to play.
Elm Creek - The only 18 hole course in the area, unfortunately it is a Three Rivers course so it is only open from April to October. Also, it is on the side of a sledding and snowboarding hill, so it is long and open with some tough elevation.
When this idea first was brought to the church, my pastor had contacted the mayor of Brooklyn Park and he seemed very receptive of the idea. This was before Eagle's Edge, and he said that it would be a good idea to have a course to complement Central; for variety sake and to lessen the traffic at Central. What support was implied I never found out. I may be able to approach this again, but for my renewed proposal, if I am going to do it, I am going to move forward without assuming anything.
So my questions are:
1) Would six baskets with two tees each, effectively making it 12 holes be better than squeezing in 9 holes? Do you think a smaller course can handle dual tees meaning to be played as separate holes? Red Oak is a 10 hole course but thanks to dual tees operates as a 20 holer. The difference being that Red Oak has a ton of land to work with.
2) I have received a few mixed answers on this one, but what are people's general feeling of manufactured OB? Specifically in regards to holes running along or near the property line. Two specific holes I am thinking of is one that tees off and takes a 90 degree turn to the left. The park land is on the left of the tee and comes to a 90 degree corner, thus still running on the left side of the hole after you make your turn. The entire left side through this turn will be OB. The next hole is in the back corner of the land. If you think of it has a square clock, if you tee off at 9 o'clock, the basket will be at 12. The basket will sit 15 feet from the property line. A rhfh will skirt near or fly over the OB but fade away; a rhbh will start fine but fade toward the line; a line drive will run the basket (the hole is only 190-220 feet), but again the basket is only 15 feet from the line which when you look at it from the tee box runs 45 degrees away from it.
3) There are no real trees to speak of to create obstacles. The first hole is near the parking lot's pine trees, but they only form two lines. I can use them as a wall on the right side, but I cannot play through them. The second hole plays a little downhill, so it plays shorter than it really is. The third hole is just short, so the large bushes surrounding the hole should be okay because they are not going to be blasted by full power drives. It is again Holes 4-7 that play in the grassy shrubland. There are a few stunted trees, specifically a line that divides the southern half of the plot in half. I am going to use these as a fairway separator and not necessarily as a direct obstacle.
The question is, how do I artificially create obstacles so it is not a simple pitch and putt course? What are people's feelings about railroad ties, old telephone poles, and such to create artificial trees? Too tacky? Okay in moderation?
If I cannot make the greatest throwing holes, what are some ways to make it at least seem like a legitimate course? Are there certain aesthetic things I can do, especially considering the budget I have? I am thinking glacier rocks around the baskets and such. Maybe something along a narrow patch in the center of the fairway so you can visually see the layout of the holes (or at least the intended lines), and more than just a mowed patch. Maybe old twigs and branches laid out nicely enough to form a walking path down the middle of the fairway?
There are plenty of handy people in the church I can talk to, but I need to have a plan and what I am specifically looking for before I start approaching people.
What are some ideas I should consider considering everything I have written above?