uncle pennybags
Double Eagle Member
No one else carries a full surveyors kit wit them?
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My adventures in measuring distance (and other musings)
- Thread starter autocrosscrx
- Start date
This one time... at band camp...
Seriously, though, I played in marching band and was later the dry line instructor/assistant band director at a HS. That experience led to having a pretty good idea of yards for me. It was a long step, but not uncomfortable.
I've also used wheels, tapes, gps, football fields, rangefinder, etc. Pacing is just a simple, quick, method for me. It really depends on the circumstances.
Seriously, though, I played in marching band and was later the dry line instructor/assistant band director at a HS. That experience led to having a pretty good idea of yards for me. It was a long step, but not uncomfortable.
I've also used wheels, tapes, gps, football fields, rangefinder, etc. Pacing is just a simple, quick, method for me. It really depends on the circumstances.
I don't understand this. Lasers are by far the most accurate and simplest to use IME.
throwing in a field, leave bag while grabbing discs and laser bag from disc. Throwing on a course, note location of tee sign and measure back from disc - or laser a landmark near disc and figure it out - or laser basket and see how close you are when you get to disc.
Armus Patheticus
Garrulous Windbag
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I've done a lot of surveying with lasers, and even in experienced hands there are lots of significant errors. I think others in this thread have detailed many of the common mistakes. Lasers are accurate, but hitting the right target is not always easy.
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No one else carries a full surveyors kit wit them?
A sextant counts, right?
BillFleming
* Ace Member *
No one else carries a full surveyors kit wit them?
Watson Lake Disc Golf course in Prescott was measured using surveying equipment....so their signs are really accurate.
But, yeah, most courses/clubs probably don't have access to that type of equipment.
TurnedOver
Par Member
This only works when throwing from your bag. I'm often throwing from many different spots when practicing in a field.
A sextant Firebird?
The real question is how accurate do you want to be? Looking at affordable options going from best to worst:
300' tape > wheel (get a BIG wheel - not one of those tiny 3" diameter things) > rangefinder > pacing it off > "gps" on your phone
The "GPS" apps on your phone will claim to be within several feet. BS. As far as I am concerned the uDisc nonsense distances are garbage. They might be within 10-15' at best but can be much further off. I'm a road construction tech specializing in surveying and have been doing that sort of work for the last 21 years...so yeah I know what I am talking about.
300' tape > wheel (get a BIG wheel - not one of those tiny 3" diameter things) > rangefinder > pacing it off > "gps" on your phone
The "GPS" apps on your phone will claim to be within several feet. BS. As far as I am concerned the uDisc nonsense distances are garbage. They might be within 10-15' at best but can be much further off. I'm a road construction tech specializing in surveying and have been doing that sort of work for the last 21 years...so yeah I know what I am talking about.
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Totally agree!
Anecdote: we picked up a broken 300' tape (the handle used to retract the spool was broken) for about $7 because we were laying out a few new holes. Curious to see how inaccurate our local courses were, we measured hole 12 at Woodland Mound (crosses a steep 'valley' and used to have more trees). My "320 foot" ace there was actually 256' once we stretched that thing across. Must've originally been measured (by wheel?) to the bottom of the ditch and sweeping around the trees that were there 40 years ago...
Armus Patheticus
Garrulous Windbag
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Pulling across a valley would have stretched that fiberglass a bit. So your ace might have been 257 or 8'
ballgolfconvert
Eagle Member
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Disclaimer: There are a million how do I throw for more distance posts. I know where those go. This isn't that.
At some point in my disc golf journey, I decided that I wanted to know how far that I threw. I was already doing field work at times. So I broke out the uDisc app and started measuring some of my longer throws when doing field work and when throwing on some of the longer more open holes that I regularly play. I found that I was consistently measuring 260 to 300 on the soccer fields and 280 to 320 on the longer holes that I play. So I throw about 280. Right?
I'd go play with friends. They'd say things like I throw 300 max or I throw 250 max. And for the most part, my results would align with that. Even though we'd sometimes end up way short on holes that we "should" reach.
At some point in the last year, I bought a rangefinder, the Apex piece off Infinite Discs. It was fun to play with, but I found it difficult to get repeatable results. I'd throw a shot on a soccer field, pull up uDisc, walk out to my shot, uDisc would read 280, then I'd use the rangefinder to measure the distance to my stuff. And I'd bring up something like 226 feet, then click the button and after a few clicks start getting 280.
I sort of lost interest in that and really started working on my all around game - placement shots, putting, incorporating more forehands, pitching out when necessary, playing for the straight shot that gives you a 20 foot putt instead of trying to park everything, etc.
I decide that I really want to work on distance this offseason. I go out Sunday to get my baseline distances and basically get the results that I describe before. About a 270 something average on uDisc and rangefinder results that sometimes match that number and sometimes are considerably less.
I had a $10 gift card that was about to expire, so I go buy a measuring wheel yesterday from Harbor Freight. I take it out to my practice spot. It is wet and getting dark, but I just wanted to confirm what I was throwing yesterday. I walk it out with the wheel and it measures about 220 to 230 feet. What?!?!?!?!?! I get 270'ish with uDisc. I have my discs, so I throw some shots. I'd already made my first form change and was getting more distance than the day before. Measured out to about 285 on uDisc and 236 to 240 with the wheel.
So my goal just got a lot tougher.
Measuring wheels are quite awful on anything less than perfectly smooth turf. Every bump likely took distance off.
Fiberglass tapes don't stretch. Old school steel tapes do though.
Wow I actually agree with BGC here
Armus Patheticus
Garrulous Windbag
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Yes they do
Yeah if you have gorilla pulling on them. If you use it in a sense able manner then no.
Armus Patheticus
Garrulous Windbag
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When measuring point to point with the tape in the air for long distances, your choices are sag, stretch, or some combination of both. With some experience you learn to equalize. There's been some interesting study on the topic connected with old geosurvey projects, but the days of relying on tape for precision work are just about gone.
Well hey...if you want to get it super duper accurate and worry about that stuff go for it. I'll just pull it reasonably taut (and remember that I am measuring a disc golf course) get my reading and move on.
Armus Patheticus
Garrulous Windbag
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Maybe we've lost sight of the fact that I was making a lighthearted comment about the relative prestige of Jeff's ace... If i was measuring (and when I have measured) a disc golf course there would be no tape, or laser, or wheel, or gps...
Aside, it's been a while since I've worried about tape stretch, so I got one out and did a quick test. In 140' I got 4" of stretch with 8" of sag.
Twmccoy
* Ace Member *
I use Google earth to measure distances where I practice. It's accurate.
You can also jump onto a baseball field and throw from home plate toward the fence. Usually they have measurements on them. That'll give you a pretty good idea how far you're throwing.
Speaking from personal experience, throwing over the CF fence on a baseball field that's 385' isn't easy to do.
BTW, I don't know how DG courses measure their holes, but I find a LOT of them to be noticeably wrong. Usually they list the hole as way less than it really is. Sometimes you have to just make a visual estimate rather than relying on the signs. I've come up way short on holes by trusting the signs and throwing the wrong disc.
You can also jump onto a baseball field and throw from home plate toward the fence. Usually they have measurements on them. That'll give you a pretty good idea how far you're throwing.
Speaking from personal experience, throwing over the CF fence on a baseball field that's 385' isn't easy to do.
BTW, I don't know how DG courses measure their holes, but I find a LOT of them to be noticeably wrong. Usually they list the hole as way less than it really is. Sometimes you have to just make a visual estimate rather than relying on the signs. I've come up way short on holes by trusting the signs and throwing the wrong disc.
