Course Development

The PDGA wants to help you in your efforts to design and implement new courses. Here are some resources that will assist you with the process.

Weave Your Way on the Web

By Dr. John G. Duesler, Jr. PDGA#: 12789

Introduction

There is a great deal of talk out there now about the growth of our great sport. We see signs of this growth in many ways: a syndicated cable TV show, increased corporate sponsorship; infiltration of pole holes onto ball golf courses; growing number of players; and the introduction of so many new discs. Though all these developments are sure signs that disc golf is growing, the increasing popularity of our sport may be best exemplified with the burgeoning number of courses that are being designed and developed.

The PDGA reports that there are some 1350 disc golf courses now in existence around the globe, which is tripled from the 1995 count. Such growth is most welcomed by the disc golf community. However, with increased growth comes the need to insure that these new courses adhere to established PDGA guidelines, as well as environmental and community concerns. Using a Certified Disc Golf Course Designer is probably the safest way to make sure the design, proposal, and installation of a course is done properly. With the training and certification a course designer brings to the project, issues can be anticipated and addressed before they become a problem. These are issues that may not even surface when using a naïve designer.

This does not mean that non-certified persons cannot embark on the planning, proposing, designing, installing, and promoting of a disc golf course, however! Obviously, including a certified course designer is the preferred way to approach such a project, but that does not mean they are the only people with the resources and expertise to launch a new disc golf course. A number of sites on the World Wide Web can be referenced to help with this important (and sometimes ominous) undertaking.

The focus of this article will be on Web sites that can help with the development of a disc golf course. To better understand the process involved with the launching of a new course, and the information that these sites have to offer, I have delineated five steps in developing a course. These steps are: 1) planning; 2) proposing; 3) designing; 4) installing; and 5) promoting. Clearly, these steps are not all inclusive, and there may even be some overlap between them. However, for the person who is starting from "square one" in her/his attempt to start a course in the community or their private land, these steps do provide a reasonable framework for approaching the project.

Planning

Before any course design, proposal, or installation can occur, a significant amount of planning is necessary. In fact, of all the steps involved in securing a disc golf course for your community or local park, this one may be the most important. Extra time that is spent during this phase of the project can eliminate twice as much time that may surface later on during the other steps. Of course, starting from "square one" means doing a great deal of research to understand specifically what is involved.

When considering the installation of a disc golf course, the first aspect that must be worked out is where the course will be located. This seems quite obvious, but a plot of land that you believe would support a course is not always the best place for one. The National Parks Conservation Association (http://www.npca.org/explore_the_parks/park_safety/) and NationalParkSafety.org (http://www.e-advocates.com/parksafety/getthefacts.html) Web sites can be referenced to garner some basic ideas about park safety, land usage, and other general concerns that a community may have when proposing a course installation.

Once the area has been identified that would support a disc golf course, the environmental impact of increased activities must be considered. For resources related to Ecology and Sustainable Development, it is worth referencing Yahoo’s Directory on this topic (http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Environment_and_Nature/
Sustainable_Development/). One of the issues that may surface when planning a course is the preservation of plants and trees indigenous to the land. To help identify some of the plants that may be found where you are planning to install a course, you can refer to Texas A&M’s Plant guide for help (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/web.html). For ideas on how to involve the community when constructing an environmental impact strategy, the EPA’s section on community-based environmental protection is a great resource (http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/).

Once environmental concerns have been addressed, and even sometimes before, the question of cost comes to light. Although the price tag on a disc golf course is a mere fraction of a ball golf course, it is not trivial. Indeed, this factor alone has kept many courses from proceeding past the planning stage. To find out the costs associated with installing a course, you could refer to Innova’s Economic Summary page (http://www.innovadiscs.com/coursedesign/ecosummary.html). The Disc Golf Association’s Web site is another great resource for determining the costs of the targets (http://www.discgolfassoc.com/dga2002pricelist1.html) and tee signs (http://www.discgolfassoc.com/signs.html). You could further investigate the competitive pricing of another disc golf target by going to Innova’s Web page (http://www.innovadiscs.com/discatcher/index.html).

Proposing

Once the land has been identified that could support a disc golf course, it is essential to get approval for its use. This may require going in front of a Parks Department, a City Council, or a private land owner to present your case. And although each audience may present a unique point-of-view for how the land should be used, there are still fundamental rules that should be followed for any effective presentation or proposal.

Perhaps the best resource on the Web for proposing a disc golf course comes from the San Francisco Disc Golf Club (http://www.pdga.com/cd_ncd-sfdgc.php). Covering everything from the costs of a course, to the rationale behind why a course is desirable, the San Francisco’s Disc Golf proposal section is considered the "golf standard" for potential course organizers who are looking for guidance on how to "pitch" disc golf to the decision makers. A major aspect of garnering support with a presentation/proposal is to stress that this type of recreational outlet is found in many of the major cities around the United States. A list of all the courses found throughout the country can be found at http://www.pdga.com/dgc-online.php.

Of course, addressing environmental concerns, determining costs, and drawing attention to other places that have courses are not the only effective components for successful disc golf course proposals. Often the little things are what matter most when gathering support for your project. Some call it a "mindset," "your approach," or "your attitude," but the bottom line is that people often pick up on the most subtle aspects of one’s presentation and strategy. For some simple, yet profound, ideas to keep in mind during your planning phase, make sure to go to Brian Sullivan’s DiscLife.com "Keys for Success" page (http://www.disclife.com/keys.shtml). In addition, Brian also offers a Proposal Template that can help any course developer stay organized and on target with their draft (http://www.disclife.com/prop.shtml). The ideas presented here could go a long way towards getting your project to go "all the way!"

Designing

There may be no greater source of reward (or frustration) when developing a disc golf course than the design phase. This part of the undertaking must combine the unwritten parameters of the environmental landscape with the explicit guidelines and specifications of the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). Whether using a certified course designer or not, there are fundamental issues that cannot be ignored. Safety on the course is primary, while environmental friendliness ranks a close second. The PDGA Web site includes complete specifications that have been determined by a design committee and approved by the Board (http://www.pdga.com/makecrse.php). Any consideration towards designing a disc golf course should start by reviewing this site.

Next, one should begin by considering some of the more general concerns for designing a course. A basic primer on the development of disc courses may also be found at the Disc Sports Resource Center (http://www.bioteca.com/discsports/courseinfo.html). When determining if you want to install a recreational, competitive, or tournament course, refer to Chuck Kennedy’s informative list of design elements (http://www.landseaairdisc.com/design_grid.pdf). John Houck, who is perhaps the foremost course designer in the world, has authored a number of outstanding articles related to course design (http://www.circularproductions.com/content/view/42/48/). Included in this collection that was originally published in Disc Golf World News is a checklist that can be used to insure a quality design (http://circularproductions.com/article2_checklist.phtml). The Disc Golf Association has also published a great introductory article on course design on their Web site (http://www.discgolfassoc.com/coursedesign.html).

Installing

Assuming that enough support has been gathered for the installation of your disc golf course, then comes the physical labor associated with actually clearing fairways, constructing tee pads, and planting the pole holes into the ground. Although resources on the Web pertaining to these aspects of disc golf course development get fairly thin, there are still some pages worth mentioning.

While clearing fairways and creating usable paths to the pole hole targets, it is sometimes necessary to do some pruning of trees and shrubs. For a super tutorial on tree pruning, visit the TreeHelp.com Web site (http://www.tree-pruning.com/). You may also want to determine the best time of year to do tree pruning by consulting Virginia Tech’s pruning calendar (http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/nursery/430-460/430-460.html). Both sites will be an invaluable resource for helping to maintain the course’s tree population and aesthetic value. They are also quite helpful for any treework you may have to do around the house.

Another aspect of disc golf course installation that may be addressed is how the tee pads should be designed and implemented. Clearly, there are a number of options that are available for tee pads: smoothed dirt areas, concrete slabs, cinder-finishes boxes, or just nothing. Innova’s Web site give specific dimensions and specifications on constructing an effective concrete tee pad that will withstand use for many seasons (http://www.innovadiscs.com/coursedesign/teearea.html). This page is complete with diagrams and specifications that adhere to PDGA standards, so it is certainly worth a look-see. The Disc Golf Association also offers some sound advise on tee pad installation (http://www.discgolfassoc.com/coursedesign.html#part5).

Once all the clearing and grooming of the course is complete, it’s ultimately the pole hole that completes the final phase of the installation. Surprisingly, there are relatively few targets commercially available for use on a PDGA-compliant disc golf course. The Mach series of pole holes started the trend in specialized disc golf targets, and they can be viewed and researched on the Disc Golf Association’s Web site (http://www.discgolfassoc.com/poleholes.html). Innova also offers a viable disc golf target with the Discatcher Model of pole hole. For more information on this type of target check out the Innova site (http://www.innovadiscs.com/discatcher/index.html) to get information on the design, dimensions, and cost of this target. Discraft too is now offering high quality baskets (http://www.discraft.com/Web Pages/EquipmentGolf.html), while one lesser used target is Dr. Fred's Chain Hole (http://www.dolf.com/store/chainhole_kit.htm).

Promoting

Once in the ground and ready to be played, a disc golf course is worthy of as much promotion as one is willing to give it. Navigating the four previous steps outlined in this article often must be done with tact, as well as "twisting some arms" with threads of delicacy and dictatorship; and by messaging, as well as muscling. Simple put, you will have to call on all your resources of personality, patience, and sometimes finances to complete this project. Therefore the successful completion of such a project should be a source of pride of which the rest of the disc golf community should be made aware. To complete this necessary phase of successful disc golf development, there are two outstanding resources on the Web that should be consulted.

No thorough promotion of your disc golf course is complete without submitting your entry to the PDGA’s Disc Golf Course Directory (http://www.pdga.com/dgc-online.php). This is the be-all, end-all for anyone looking for a disc golf course online, and it has supplanted the printed disc golf course directory for supremacy as the consummate guide. However, the PDGA Disc Golf Course Directory is a valuable resource for those travelling players, vacationers, or anyone who prefers having a mobile source of disc golf course information. Inclusion on this Web site is easily accomplished by completing the online registration form (http://www.pdga.com/new_course_user_insert.php). If you are willing to go through all the work to get the course installed, you should be willing to go through the relatively painless process of registering the site with the online disc golf directory.

Many courses today are developing their own Web sites to promote their course, inform their players about disc golf-related activities, and post results from recent tournaments. If you do construct a Web site, then make sure to get it listed on the #1 Web site for disc golf fans/players—Disc Golf dot com (http://www.discgolf.com/). Webmaster Marty Hapner has been at the forefront of disc golf promotion by, first, grabbing the most desirable domain in the disc golf cyber-world, and, second, by keeping the site fresh and accessible to anyone who is interested in furthering the cause of disc golf. Including a link to your course on this site will guarantee visitors from around the entire disc golf community.

Regardless of how much promotion you do with your course, the most successful disc golf courses are those with a solid volunteer base to help with the maintenance or operation of the property. Forming a club might be the single most important act you do to insure the long-term survival of your course. No one person alone can maintain and operate a disc golf course. Only through collaboration and partnership do disc golf course thrive, so make sure you recognize this fact and develop some plan to start a disc golf club. And there is support for new, as well as established, disc golf clubs. The PDGA Club Affiliate Program is a tremendous resource for support, as well as discounts for membership to the PDGA (http://pdga.com/club_affiliate/club_affiliate.php). For more information about disc golf clubs in your state/country, click on the club links at disc golf dot com (http://discgolf.com/clubs.php). Find a club near you, and call the contact person to gather more information on how a disc golf club should be run.

Conclusion

Developing a disc golf course is not an easy undertaking. It requires a solid strategy, statesmanship, and stamina. However, the project of getting a disc golf course installed can be one of the most rewarding of all the disc golf activities. Using the World Wide Web as a resource for carrying this project through is now possible with the plethora of Web sites related to this topic. Consult these sites and use the knowledge of proven disc golf course developers to follow the most efficient and effective path toward getting the project done.