What are your prefered dimenions for tee pads?



Thanks for the opinions.

Unless the holes are all "stand and deliver", I think some players would almost prefer no pad to 4x6s, especially if you can't maintain the interface edge between the pad and grass/dirt. Seems I recall Baraboo had two 4x6s edge to edge to make a 4x12 pad when it first went in?

I personally don't like the smaller pads, so I would be disgruntled. I use a run up on even the smallest of holes.

Seems I recall Baraboo had two 4x6s edge to edge to make a 4x12 pad when it first went in?



You are right Chuck, Baraboo does have two 4x6's end to end. Some of them seem to be holding up well and others can be pretty bad at times. Rolling teepads gaps between the two pads add a additional mental aspect to the game, some days I wish there were natural tees instead or dare I say it CEMENT TEES.

I guess if you were going to go the way of Baraboo I would say make sure the underside of the teepads are properly developed before installing the rubber mats.

The best pads I have played on are 4' front edge tapered to 6' back edge and are 15' long. This gives a great pad the is fair for taller players also.

The best pads I have played on are 4' front edge tapered to 6' back edge and are 15' long. This gives a great pad the is fair for taller players also.



They also make great emergency runways for the space shuttle. :D

Even though they are not triangular as Turbo is saying, Lake Lewisville's teepads rule!

whatever the runways measure at the lake course in lewisville.

i have never heard anyone complain about the teepads being too long/big.

The best Teepads EVER are the ones at White Park in Bowling Green Kentucky. They are HUGE. You could prolly park a fullsize car on these bad boys. As far as pads go the bigger the better :D

You can tell he's never been to Lewisville.

Us old guys have to stop and catch our breath before we can finish our run-up if we start at the back of the pad. :cool:

I guess where I am coming from is...
1) obviously trying to save money
2) right now we have natural (somewhat lumpy) tee areas. There are a lot of newcomers to the sport in my area. All I really want the mat to do is serve as a visual barrier or representation of where to throw from.

The 6' long pad is enough for a 3 step approach for a 6 foot tall person. The longest holes are downhill and you definitely don't need a run-up for those. I'd say that only 3 holes need more than a 3 step approach from the Blue Tees.
The Gold Tees (very long 4600ft for 11 holes), won't have any pads anyway.

Plus, when it comes to concrete, I have NEVER seen a tee pad actually flush with the ground surrounding it. So, why would a 3/4" thick mat interfere with anyone's run-up if they needed to take one?

I guess where I am coming from is...
1) obviously trying to save money
2) right now we have natural (somewhat lumpy) tee areas. There are a lot of newcomers to the sport in my area. All I really want the mat to do is serve as a visual barrier or representation of where to throw from.

The 6' long pad is enough for a 3 step approach for a 6 foot tall person. The longest holes are downhill and you definitely don't need a run-up for those. I'd say that only 3 holes need more than a 3 step approach from the Blue Tees.
The Gold Tees (very long 4600ft for 11 holes), won't have any pads anyway.

Plus, when it comes to concrete, I have NEVER seen a tee pad actually flush with the ground surrounding it. So, why would a 3/4" thick mat interfere with anyone's run-up if they needed to take one?




Sounds like you had already made your mind up before you started this thread, some people gave you their opinions and you apparently didnt like them, so just go and do whatever pads you would like. Just make sure you install them right, even an inch lip between the pad and the ground can be dangerous.

Oh, and it appears that 5x10 is also a standard size.....though they are cut to fit, so you can make them however long you want........5x10 for 87.50 each, cheaper than concrete and a decent tee. http://fly18.com/flypads/flypads.htm Though id rather play on concrete tees.

Oh, and even if the hole is downhill, a run-up is required for me, it helps me get my throwing rhythm, and not screw up my drive. Try to make sure the tees on downhill holes are flat, the community will thank you for it. I can't tell you how many times i've seen people fall on poorley installed rubber pads.

My home course has concrete tee pads that are all 4' x 8' except two, one is 4' x 4' (short downhill) and one is 4' x 6' (mid-range uphill). I dunno why the two were different, but they really screw with me on my run up and throw off my steps. I think the reason the cement is better than the 3/4" rubber pad is that the elevation difference is easier to see.

My $0.02

short pads are really a pain, one of my local courses has short pads that are uneven with the grass around them so it makes it very difficult to get any kind of run-up before the pad.
I wouldn't have a problem with the pads if they were flush and even with the grass around them, but it was a very poorly constructed course so i don't even play it anymore.

Hey discmandan
I appreciate all the comments and opinions. I'm just telling everyone my way of thinking. If it is offbase, that's what I want people to tell me. That's what opinions are for. And keep in mind not everyone will be satisfied.

Keep the comments and opinions coming. Tell me what YOU prefer and WHY! That way I can make an informed decision.

And, I'm not going to pay for shipping a 100lb mat (individual weight). The 4 x 6 x 0.75 (60lb) I can get locally for $30! So, to me, I don't consider spending $1080 on 4 x 6 for the time being a waste of money, even if we have to add another one to make the tee 12 feet long later.

Please, concrete is out of the question. It isn't going to get to the top of the ski hill, and no concrete under the snow due to injuries.

well then......what are the options:?

Unless the holes are all "stand and deliver", I think some players would almost prefer no pad to 4x6s, especially if you can't maintain the interface edge between the pad and grass/dirt.


-Hit the nail on the head, the first post in the thread.

On second thought, this is another idea.......maybe just go ahead and get the 7 other baskets instead, dirt tees aren't terrible.

Look into DiscConcepts LAUNCH PADS.

On a ski hill course, the natural tee seems to be best, asthetically. Concrete is very difficult for the reasons mentioned, and rubber pads require a lot of work (initial installation and constant upkeep). The natural tees seem to fit with the nature of where the course is, in the rugged mountains. Everyone knows that when you go to the mountains, you need to be prepared for Mother Nature, whatever She sends your way. As long as you clear out all of the major rocks, logs, and other debris, and make sure the throwing area is free of potential hand-smackers, natural tees work fine.

Like several others here, I have a problem with short pads, regardless of hole length... and I'm only 5'6". Rhythm is an integral part of the throwing motion, and if you limit the number of steps a user can safely take on a drive, you will also be limiting the number of times your course floats to the top of their "must play" list.

On a ski hill course, the natural tee seems to be best, asthetically. Concrete is very difficult for the reasons mentioned, and rubber pads require a lot of work (initial installation and constant upkeep). The natural tees seem to fit with the nature of where the course is, in the rugged mountains. Everyone knows that when you go to the mountains, you need to be prepared for Mother Nature, whatever She sends your way. As long as you clear out all of the major rocks, logs, and other debris, and make sure the throwing area is free of potential hand-smackers, natural tees work fine.



The problem with the Natural Tees around here is that they are NOT kept up. They end up getting ruts and holes and all this other stuff dug into them from people teeing off that they end up creating a safety issue because the park doesnt keep the pads nice and flat they just set up the tee area and let it go to hell and i think in the long run it would be less work to just install rubber Launch Pads and let them be. That way there are not ruts and no saftey issues.

I absolutely LOVE the ski mountain courses that we have around here but i refuse to play them because the NATURAL pads are not kept up and they are actually dangerous to tee on the teeing area where if they had some Launch Pads or concrete i would go and play these courses on a more consistent basis.

I like the idea of "rugged mountains" in Wisconsin is it?

We're putting in cement tee pads on a ski hill course in the Twin Cities this June. Some will be in the ski runs with tee mounds being built up so the pads are close to or actually level. The operators of the ski hill expressed zero concern about not having enough snow to cover the cement or basket anchors in the winter. Apparently, their base is deep enough that it didn't even come up as an issue. Of course, we don't have them in yet and they might modify their opinion once they see what they'll look like.

Most ski resorts when they are up and running have close to a 2 ft base which means the cement pads and basket collars would NEVER even come into play untill the snow melted. I dont see why it is such a big deal to put in cement pads. Its safer and doesnt require ANY attention once they are installed. Natural Pads require the MOST attention to keep in good safe working order. How much does it cost to install 18 15 by 6 ft pads???

Isn't the standard for tee pads 5 feet in width? All the pads in my course are 5 feet wide. The length of the hole dictates our pad length. We've got some long holes and some 15 foot pads for those. Mind you, we got all our pads donated.

yes, 5 feet is pretty standard around here....unless their dirt.

At the risk of venturing slightly off-topic, I recently read about another option for tee pad material. Basically, you spray a poymer right onto the top few inches of dirt to stabilize it. Apparently, it's strong enough for car traffic, looks like the dirt, and would be flush and smooth. It's 8 to 20 cents per square foot, so you could make huge tee pads.

You can also use the same technique to "glue" wood chips into a solid mat.

I was going to bring up the mulching idea, it can make it to the top of the hill.

Have you any more info about this other procedure? I'd like to read more about it.

At the risk of venturing slightly off-topic, I recently read about another option for tee pad material. Basically, you spray a poymer right onto the top few inches of dirt to stabilize it. Apparently, it's strong enough for car traffic, looks like the dirt, and would be flush and smooth. It's 8 to 20 cents per square foot, so you could make huge tee pads.



I think most people would really be interested in hearing more about this!

At the risk of venturing slightly off-topic, I recently read about another option for tee pad material. Basically, you spray a poymer right onto the top few inches of dirt to stabilize it. Apparently, it's strong enough for car traffic, looks like the dirt, and would be flush and smooth. It's 8 to 20 cents per square foot, so you could make huge tee pads.



I think most people would really be interested in hearing more about this!



Here is one article on Thermal spray polymer's from US Army Corps of Eng. PDF file (http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/usace-docs/eng-manuals/em1110-2-3401/basdoc.pdf) not exactly the application mentioned here but a good run down of how it could work.

Also a quote from an article "Save Mummy Dearst" (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/12/07/1102182284506.html)
"The Japanese government is to finance a more discreetly designed visitor centre, and engineers could move parking lots, tear up the valley's tarmac roads and instead spray polymer on the sand, gravel and limestone bedrock to provide a long-lasting surface that would mimic the look of ancient desert roads."

Do you mean something like the spray on dust control compounds they use on heavily traveled dirt roads like at quarries, etc.? Something like PennSuppress, a dust control concentrate? That would be way cool. How slick when wet, etc.? Inquiring minds are inquiring. :cool:

Here are a couple of companies that do the bonded surface thing. (I'm not connected with them, I just saw an ad in Landscape Architecture magazine.)
http://www.zeager.com/bondedcarpet.htm
http://www.polypavement.com/

By the way, Chuck, I've been to that ski area you're working on. I spent most of my time skating back and forth trying to figure out which end of the chairlift to get on! Compared to it, Wisconsin really does have "rugged mountains".

Also, couldn't dry bags of cement ride up the chairlift, to be mixed with water from the snowmaking system?

Erosion, Erosion, Foot faults, Foot Faults, Rec Player, Rec Player, park employee mowers, park employee mowers.

These, imho, are the things you need to consider first when installing a course that will be used by the public.

If you are installing a course (or pads) for the sole purpose of holding a PDGA A tier or better - then ignore my comments.

If you are installing a course that will be used by the public - and you have even a small amount of the sense of moral and community responsibility you have to the public through the actions and alterations you are making to PUBLIC land - then I have some advice for you.

The LARGER the concrete tee pad, the SMALLER the impact to the course. That's not a typo. I'll say it again. LARGE concrete Pads are the best way to make a SMALL impact to your course.

Go ahead. Go to any disc golf course and Measure the surface area of eroded/denuded/trampled "Tee area". If its a totally natural tee "pad", it will be an exteremely large area. Probably 25 to 40 feet long by 5 to 10 feet wide. Unsightly, messy, and an absolute mud bog during wet weather.

Next measure those courses that have small "gravel or agrilime tee areas (sometimes bounded by small timbers). Again, I bet you will find a huge denuded eroded area around this 'tee pad". Most of the time the tee pad is in disrepair - and people just tee off beside it, further causing erosion and making the tee area a huge, eroded mess.

Then look at the small concrete pad courses. Note that Rec's cheat horribly on these small pads. They run past the end, foot fault, and gouge out a usually dangerous pit or hole just un front of the pad. Pros use long run ups eroding the back and side areas.

Then look at Lake Lewisville. Those Large (huge) Pads have virtually eliminated the unsightly (and dangerous) denuding/erosion/pit gouging activity that is the scourge of virtually all other disc golf course. .The impact is LESS than most other courses

In Dickinson, ND, we built pads 18 feet by 5 feet in the front, tapering back to 3 feet wide in the back. We have eliminated virtually all the erosion/unsightly denuding etc... If I had to do it over, I would build them 18 feet long by 6 feet wide.

I'll say it again. The LARGER your concrete tee pad, the SMALLER the impact on your course.

I'll temper that by saying that probably anything over 20 to 24 feet is overkill.

I have visited dozens of courses across the country and stand by this statement. It is especially true in drier places.

Finally, build a pad that your park mower guys can take their $50,000 to $70,000 (yes they are that expensive) mowers at 10 mph over your pad. Why make a pad that torques those guys off and makes their job harder? Make those guys like you and your course!

Fly pads the best for all conditions. ;)