NEW COURSES: When to open to the public?

[AndyJB]

Okay, this will be a bit of a lengthy post, but I searched and couldn't find a thread dedicated to this here topic. So let's get this thing going...

We recently installed a new course in Colorado Springs The Aviary DGC, and it's still pretty rough around the edges, to put it nicely. I'm involved more on thge fundraising side of things, TDing a Birdie Bash and co-TDing our sanctioned league to raise money for said course, but I've got my share of blisters doing workdays and installing the baskets. We have another course being put in this summer, so I'd like to know from the hardcore disc golfers that these forums cater to....when is the right time to open a course?

I'll expound: the property for the Aviary was given to us by the city because it had become a popular place for the homeless to live. The far end (near holes 2 and 3) butts up against the county jail's property line, while holes 3-5 are up against police property. The area where our course now sits was absolutley heinous just three months ago. There were two homeless camps, along with a level of trash accumilation that can only be described as heinous. Couple that with literally miles of overgrown weeds and we had our work cut out for us.

With help from the city and county, to include use of the jail occupants to clear out a bunch of the trash, we have been able to make clearly defined fairways and dirt teepads. The city of Colorado Springs has a huge volunteer day once a year, and we used that day to actually set in our baskets and continue the fairway clearance. Since then, the Aviar has been open for play. We do two organized workdays per month, and various club members do work on their own time as well (usually consisting of policing up the trash or using weedwackers to clear out the small brush and to really define the fairways.) Since the location of the teepads is not 100% set yet, we haven't poured concrete teepads yet, but that is on the to-do list by this fall. Our fundraising efforts have really helped in regards to teepads. The city is actually making teesigns for us, as well as a big sign near hole one with a course map, rules, etc. and we will have those shortly.

Where the issue comes in is that I'm wondering if our labor of love has blinded us to the fact that, despite all our hard work in the last few months, this course is not Hollywood ready. In fact, it's not friendly to people who haven't played it at all. Finding hole one will be tough enough when the big sign is up (you have to walk across a baseball complex as well as some soccer pitches just to get to hole one) but trying to find it now without a guide or checking out the listing here on DGCR is quite the chore. We have recieved extremley negative feedback from out-of-town players who were excited to play a newly installed course only to be dissapointed by finding a work in progress.

Our next work day is scheduled for a week from Saturday. Teesigns will be in before then, but with the workday we'll be renting a brush hog and making truly, 100% defined fairways and landing zones on every single hole. One last addendum: the Aviary was never intended to be a manicured fairway park course like some of the courses in Denver or even the nearby Widefield park in the Springs. It's meant to have a rougher feel, and because of that on some holes (8-10, 13, 15) a good deal of brush will remain as is, though we will clear some ancillary stuf out just to prevent lost discs. As such, we have taken some of the non-local feedback with a grain of salt.

So how does the dedicated DGCR community feel about new courses? Should baskets be installed right as they arrive in order to get feedback on the layotu and entice people to help out to beautify the course (as I believe was the goal of the Aviary) or should basket install wait until the course is fully complete with proper fairways, teepads and signage so it doesn't look like a bunch of rank amateurs just threw a course in the ground?

Lastly, FWIW, the city of Colorado Springs is quite pleased with what we did with the Aviary. It has been a very, very long time since a new course was installed in the area...will they be pleased if our other new course at Rampart Park gets installed in like fashion? A local ponderance for us club members, I suppose...

So let's hear some thoughts.

 

[Stardoggy]

Having a new course to play is neat, but having a fully ready to go course to play is even better. Rushing to get a course opened to the unwashed masses when it's not quite ready might deter a lot of those people from coming back.

Also, and I know this isn't as important, ratings on here will suffer, which will discourage visiting players from showing up.

In the grand scheme of things, a couple months of waiting is worth it to have a fully playable (and enjoyable) course, IMO.

 

[goosefraba1]

With the one course that I have previously installed, we installed all of the baskets and put in rubber teepads. The fairways were not quite perfect yet.... and later on, we moved a pad and a basket. We asked Timg to host the course on dgcr, but to hold reviews for the first 6 months. That worked out pretty well for us. I am probably going to try to do the same thing with my new course. It lets people know that it is there, that it is brand new, and it gives you time perfect the course.

 

[sisyphus]

With the one course that I have previously installed, we installed all of the baskets and put in rubber teepads. The fairways were not quite perfect yet.... and later on, we moved a pad and a basket. We asked Timg to host the course on dgcr, but to hold reviews for the first 6 months. That worked out pretty well for us. I am probably going to try to do the same thing with my new course. It lets people know that it is there, that it is brand new, and it gives you time perfect the course.

That's similar to what Fred Salaz did with the Dunham Rec Center course in Cincinnati: it was playable as soon as baskets went in, but he requested a hold on reviews until he had completed all the main tees. There are still improvements going in, and it was important to see the differences between seasons anyway. On most new courses, the sooner you can get a stream of folks playing, the sooner the rough gets tromped down with foot traffic (even if a only a tiny fraction of a percentage actually ever do come out for a work day).

As far as listing it here, I'd say the folks who install a course should get the listing done as soon as baskets are in (before someone else does it just to add to their 'courses discovered' achievement - the designers and builders deserve the opportunity first!). But I'd say you're more than welcome to put a 'hold' on reviews. If you want written feedback early on a 'course open, but in progress', I'd say ask for that in the course description and provide an email address. :thmbup:

 

[biscoe]

If the fairways are playable I would put the baskets in. Hopefully this generates a few more workers to help out.

 

[DavidSauls]

If the fairways are playable I would put the baskets in. Hopefully this generates a few more workers to help out.

At Southeast Park in Columbia, they did the opposite, for the same reason. To motivate locals to work to help get it basket-ready.

*

As for the subject course, if the baskets go in before the course is really ready, you might put up a sign to the effect that it's still under construction. That people are free to try it out, but should understand that it's incomplete and tees, signage, navigation, rough, etc., might be issues.

 

[JC17393]

My priority list for a course being ready to open to the public would be navigation signs, discernible fairways (if playing through the woods), baskets, and clearly marked tees (even if they're just flags). As long as players can find their way through without too much difficulty even without a guide, I wouldn't hesitate to open a course. I'd definitely add a sign at the first tee and maybe some on random tees around the course reminding players that it is a new course and is a work in progress if there's a concern that players might be turned off by dirt tees or rough edges to the fairways.

But the sooner players can get in there and play the holes, the better for the progression of the course. Sometimes random players can identify the areas that need more clearing out than originally thought. Like if a lot of players seem to be landing in the same patch of bushes of a particular fairway, that patch of bushes might get priority the next time there's cutting done. And foot traffic alone could save some of the effort of clearing out undergrowth along the edges of the fairways just by tromping through it regularly. I'm not advocating damaging the foliage, but consistent traffic can also keep it from coming back in areas where it has been cleared out as well.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

FWIW - I'm a fan of getting everything in place except for concrete tees, and opening a course for play. Let players have at it with natural tees and see how the course plays for a couple of months. Things that look good on paper or seem like good ideas at the time often change once you live with them for a while.

There's nothing like having a variety of players throw multiple rounds to reveal potential safety issues or see if a hole can be improved. It's fairly easy to move baskets, tee signs, or cut down trees (as a last resort), but moving tees is a much more expensive and time consuming proposition... plus there's no guarantee the new position is any better.

2-3 month trial period for tee placement... something worth thinking about.

 

[captain jack]

It depends on how much influence you're looking for. If you want people to actually affect the layout, then you want as many boots as possible, as soon as possible, but, be prepared for a hundred different opinions, because that's what your gonna get.

If you are pretty much set on the layout, but want some opinions, then the best option is a "soft" opening, where you let local players know about it, with the caveat being the course is a little raw at this point, but dont outwardly publicize it to a national audience.

 

[AndyJB]

Lot of great info/opinions in this thread...thanks to everyone who voiced said opinions. I made sure to post a link to this thread on the club's Facebook page so everyone can see what's up.

Honestly, as I wasn't part of the design team, I don't know what the total goals were as far as the Aviary opening when it did. But this thread has really helped us with our newest course (yet to be opened)

 

[nate22]

If the fairways are playable I would put the baskets in. Hopefully this generates a few more workers to help out.

agreed, having something playable has generate interest and gotten people out fixing it as well as playing my course