Tree species that do well on courses and ways to prtect them

[joelwpg]

One of our courses here in Winnipeg has lost a lot of trees from flooding and dutch elm disease over the years. We have been working with the City to improve the course and they have agreed to work with us on planting new trees and trying to enhance the course moving forward. One of the questions they have asked is what species of trees would we be interested in?
I was wondering if there were certain species that thrive better than others on courses, and if there were some we should avoid?
I was also wondering what could be done to help these trees survive disc onslaught...?/
The weather here is cold (5-6 months of snow on the ground) so not all species can survive the elements alone here.
We would be grateful for any insight!

 

[Dave242]

Just to Prerube you, check out this recent thread (early March)....lots of good info in it:
Disc Golf trees

 

[KingofKings696]

It isnt pretty but that black pastic corrugated piping fitted onto the trees does very well at protecting them 1 local course uses them on a small 9 hole course and even a blast from 2ft away wont even scratch the tree and the plastic seems very durable too. As far as the type of tree your guess is as good as mine.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

some type of pine tree sound like the answer. they don't mind cold weatber and seem to hold up well to DG while being able to plant very close together. some types grow very fast also compared to other kinds of trees.

 

[scarpfish]

There are no trees that are disc golfer preferred (although there are some you might want to avoid like the Honey Locust). Best way to get input on what might be appropriate to plant would be looking up someone who's had experience with them in your climate.

Only piece of advice on where to plant them I can give you, is to try to avoid putting them in the hot zone right off of a tee pad, as they'll have all the life expectancy of a Grateful Dead keyboardist.

 

[DavidSauls]

Only piece of advice on where to plant them I can give you, is to try to avoid putting them in the hot zone right off of a tee pad, as they'll have all the life expectancy of a Grateful Dead keyboardist.

Though true, trees with dense soft foliage like cedars and Leyland cypresses have the best chance.

No idea whether there are any such trees growing that far north, though.

 

[brutalbrutus]

It isnt pretty but that black pastic corrugated piping fitted onto the trees does very well at protecting them 1 local course uses them on a small 9 hole course and even a blast from 2ft away wont even scratch the tree and the plastic seems very durable too. As far as the type of tree your guess is as good as mine.

This also keeps them protected from deer stripping off the bark during the winter.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

...trees with dense soft foliage like cedars and Leyland cypresses have the best chance.

^ this. Many pines and Evergreens have a thick, dense layer of needles and such, which pretty much prevents discs from damaging their trunks, which really does trees on some courses in.

FWIW Cedars and Spuces grow pretty well as far north as Michigan.

No clue as to how fast any species grows.

 

[joelwpg]

The park in question had mostly Oak and Elms. Both fared well under disc damage, but the flooding and disease got them. More elms are probably out of the question for that reason. And oaks grow VERY slowly here. Cedars here need some protection from the north wind to have a chance. don't think they could handle the exposure on a course. There is no Pine yet in the park so that might be an option as they thrive here.

Gonna talk a little more with the City and see what it is they have exactly in their nurseries. I feel like i have an decent idea what to ask for now.

Thanks for all the tips so far! That other thread was very helpful as well.

 

[sillybizz]

Here in the Northwest we have a lot of different types of trees. My favorite are Douglas Firs, I'm thinking Pier Park in Portland. Mineral Springs park in North Seattle was fitting many years ago now with metal poles and nets to protect trees and tee pads and at first I hated it but I've grown fond of them. For protecting trees individually the best thing I've seen are those foam pool noodles that are basically insulation. Put one of those on the side that's getting beat up and no more problems. Works better on private courses though....

 

[donnyv]

Don't forget some trees don't like wet feet! Guy down the road from me planted a bunch of spruce near slow draining edge of field and all of them died in a year or two. Lotta time, labor and money down the drain