So the city is cutting down trees at my local course.

[Pete Kwaz]

If anyone (either the city or the disc golf community) were serious about replanting younger trees, they could also look into building some protective padding facing the line of fire from the teebox. They could make them fairly cheaply. I know if it were my home course I would definitely pitch in to help replace the lost trees.

Well the person in charge of the local parks is on our side a bit, but the city in general I think isn't because there was some tension this summer when the city put up signs saying that the course was under study for closure due to excess litter. Now in fairness most of the trash cans in the park are located in the picnic areas and along the roads only, with only 2 cans that are constly overflowing being in the actual course. Also, the course isn't in the greatest of neighborhoods (to my knowledge no one has eve played golf there after dark) and there has been complaints from the local residents that want the course removed and they use whatever excuse they can to justify their side (littering, alcohol consumption, peeing on trees, smoking pot, done by the golfers). Now many of these complaints to me seem like a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black but the locals who care about the sport have done our part to play by the rules. Still though, I can see why the city would tend to put our priorities low on the lift when doing things at Ottawa Park.

What we in Toledo really need is another course. But the local members and volunteers have been trying that one for years now...


In short, I don't think we'll be seeing any help from the city for a while. It would all have to come from donations and from whatever is built up in the local club's course improvement fund. getting bout a couple dozen new trees bought and planted seems like it would take quite a bit of time and money. and in a city with a 14% unemployment rate...times are tough

 

[radsnowsurfer]

The only major tree reduction I've had to deal with (other than storm damage) comes from our friend the beaver. At Trojan Park in Oregon, bout' an hour north of Portland, a local beaver cut down the only tree on the island hole 8, took him quite a while too, it was a pretty large tree.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/gallery.php?id=747&mode=gal#

 

[flash86]

Sylmar is dealing with this right now. There have been a number of eucalyptus trees removed from the lower portion of the course. #14 has been the most significantly impacted. The hole is already pretty tight, but before they took out the trees it was much much tighter. You had to be very precise. Unfortunately, there are several more trees marked with a yellow "R" meaning they will come out soon. This will make it fairly open and significantly reduce degree of difficulty. A few months ago, they removed a large tree in the center of the fairway on #12. On this uphill shot, you had about 30' between that tree and the next to put your drive through. Now, the gap between trees is closer to 70'. The hole is nowhere near as challenging. I am hoping replacement trees are on their way. I would hate to see this course downgraded to average difficulty due to excessive tree loss.

 

[LeewayeDiscGolf]

Happened here too

There was a course in Colorado awhile back that had major tree changes. I can't remember the name right now, but it was a great mountain course. But it got hit by pine beetles and now it's very open and not near as challenging or pretty.

Our local course, City Park, in Pueblo, CO, just cut down a bunch of trees. Hole #1 had 2 very well placed young trees on the first half of the fairway. They are now gone and the challenge factor off the tee is gone as well. There were also 3 very big trees between #1's tee and #9's basket area, which are also gone. They don't affect #1, but when #9 is on the far left placement they added quite a bit to the hole. Now that placement is very open and not near as fun. And to top it off, the main course sign came out at the same time as the trees.
My mind set is, if the tree is gonna hurt any other trees or fall on anyone then leave it alone. And if even one branch is still alive, leave it alone. I don't wanna disc golf on a field.

 

[ChrisWoj]

Well the person in charge of the local parks is on our side a bit, but the city in general I think isn't because there was some tension this summer when the city put up signs saying that the course was under study for closure due to excess litter. Now in fairness most of the trash cans in the park are located in the picnic areas and along the roads only, with only 2 cans that are constly overflowing being in the actual course. Also, the course isn't in the greatest of neighborhoods (to my knowledge no one has eve played golf there after dark) and there has been complaints from the local residents that want the course removed and they use whatever excuse they can to justify their side (littering, alcohol consumption, peeing on trees, smoking pot, done by the golfers). Now many of these complaints to me seem like a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black but the locals who care about the sport have done our part to play by the rules. Still though, I can see why the city would tend to put our priorities low on the lift when doing things at Ottawa Park.

What we in Toledo really need is another course. But the local members and volunteers have been trying that one for years now...


In short, I don't think we'll be seeing any help from the city for a while. It would all have to come from donations and from whatever is built up in the local club's course improvement fund. getting bout a couple dozen new trees bought and planted seems like it would take quite a bit of time and money. and in a city with a 14% unemployment rate...times are tough

UT students need to work on getting one at UToledo. I tried but had no one to help me out and kept getting the runaround from the university. With enough people pushing it - Work with Nick Gray on this - I have a solid layout for Scott Park Campus. It has little foot traffic and my course wouldn't impede any of that. I believe the University could be swayed with a strong backing for the project from local college golfers.

At the time I was trying it was myself and Evan Hughes. Thats it. Work on the university. If you need to I have a map of my proposed layout. 18 holes - 9 in the open, 9 in the woods - holes playing around the pond, alongside a creek/drainage, equal forehand backhand and straight possibilities. Distance varying from 220-400+. I'll show you it sometime.

 

[Sloan]

the course looked pretty open before but now that sucks. might as well put a basket at the end of an open football field.

 

[Pete Kwaz]

UT students need to work on getting one at UToledo. I tried but had no one to help me out and kept getting the runaround from the university. With enough people pushing it - Work with Nick Gray on this - I have a solid layout for Scott Park Campus. It has little foot traffic and my course wouldn't impede any of that. I believe the University could be swayed with a strong backing for the project from local college golfers.

At the time I was trying it was myself and Evan Hughes. Thats it. Work on the university. If you need to I have a map of my proposed layout. 18 holes - 9 in the open, 9 in the woods - holes playing around the pond, alongside a creek/drainage, equal forehand backhand and straight possibilities. Distance varying from 220-400+. I'll show you it sometime.

I think it would be a great idea but I don't think I'll ever have the time to work in getting a disc golf park put in and do my studies. But I agree, if enough students at UT pushed and asked for one, I'm sure they would at least consider it.

 

[compn]

i'd rather play with dead trees in my path then open fields. of course, that killer ash bore managed to wipe out 10-20% of the trees in my local course... now we have fallen tree obstacles!

 

[ejvogie]

compn, that looks like Cass Benton possibly? I know there were a sh!t ton of trees down when I was up there.

 

[ChrisWoj]

Graffiti? Check. Downed trees? Check. Must be Cass.

 

[ChrisWoj]

I think it would be a great idea but I don't think I'll ever have the time to work in getting a disc golf park put in and do my studies. But I agree, if enough students at UT pushed and asked for one, I'm sure they would at least consider it.

That was general consensus amongst people when I was going there. Ugh. Using Disc Golf Foundation we could get 18 baskets for the price of 9. We have the capability to get ALL concrete done cheap through guys we know in TADGA. We have enough decent level golfers to spearhead the project and enough casuals to find a large-ish group to back it up. And there's even a moderately prominent alum in Chuck Kennedy - who's in the Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport.

Everything is in place for it to happen. But it just hasn't because everyone's busy with other things. Sucks. No personal offense intended, it just sucks.

 

[Pete Kwaz]

So, apparently they weren't done with the current clear cutting in the course.

Holes now completely changed by tree removal (basically wide open):
1,8,11,12
Holes severely changes
5,10,13,16
Holes only slighty changed
3,4,7,6,9,17,18
Holes not effected at all
2,19

Ottawa park just went from a 3 star course to a 1.5 star course in my book. A signature hole, 8, which had "the 4 horseman" (4 large pine trees in a row guarding the basket is now completely open). I really hope the city is planning to replace these trees. Pics to follow as soon as I get them uploaded.

 

[Pete Kwaz]

Link to course photos taken last year
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/gallery.php?id=828&mode=gal&view=&hole=&page=1#
Check out pictures of holes 1 am, 3 am, 8 pro&am, 10 am, 11 am, 12 pro&am, 16 am, 18 am.

Link to pics of course taken today.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v677/UTcowboybebopfan/Ottawa Park/

 

[evansr10]

Does your score get better with the absence of trees?

 

[scarpfish]

Has anyone here ever been to a course that was drastically changed by the removal of trees?

Yeah. My home course. Ice storms and pine wilt are the biotch.

 

[sloppydisc]

It sucks when non-disc golfers or idiot disc golfers decide to alter a good course. It should be like the Physicians code. First do NO harm.

 

[Pete Kwaz]

well for not playing in over a month with a sore arm and was struggling to throw 300 feet, I shot 6 under par from the short pads today. My career best from the shorts cane in early autumn last year when I shot 8 under par. Yeah, I think the tree clearing had something to do with it. Getting a low score wasn't the problem. I knew the good lines to take on all of the holes. Its the fact that now over 50 percent of the course can be birded even with a bad throw that would have been eaten by a tree in the past.

 

[Pete Kwaz]

It sucks when non-disc golfers or idiot disc golfers decide to alter a good course. It should be like the Physicians code. First do NO harm.

I'm sure that the casuals who barely play won't mind. And to be honest, many of the trees were dying. But the problem is that they were cutting down pines that were still mostly green and had some years left on them. The trees guarding hole 8 seemed to be doing okay. The tree at the pin on 12 was not a pine but may have been a ash tree as we have problems with the Emerald Ash Bore, But I didn't think that tree was an ash. I could have sworn it was something else, plus it didn't look all that sick.

I also am upset that no one from the city or parks department consulted any of the guys who run the local league or do work to maintain the courses. To my knowledge no one was notified. They just came in and started cutting.

 

[djjeremiahj]

...

I'm sure that the casuals who barely play won't mind. And to be honest, many of the trees were dying. But the problem is that they were cutting down pines that were still mostly green and had some years left on them. The trees guarding hole 8 seemed to be doing okay. The tree at the pin on 12 was not a pine but may have been a ash tree as we have problems with the Emerald Ash Bore, But I didn't think that tree was an ash. I could have sworn it was something else, plus it didn't look all that sick.

I also am upset that no one from the city or parks department consulted any of the guys who run the local league or do work to maintain the courses. To my knowledge no one was notified. They just came in and started cutting.

i tend to agree, but the concern for public safety trumps everything else.

At my local park, we really have no say in the matter, but we get a warning. I can say, on the contrary, that the park officials are also highly receptive to us ADDING trees.

Any tree that they remove, they return to us in pieces. We get logs, stumps and tons of chipped mulch to use on our own course. In a weird way, it's being recycled.

 

[solomon.trenton]

now thats cool because it also helps them with erosion