Private Courses

Anyone else out there working on a private course? Would love to share ideas and tips on things that work, haven't worked, challenges and how they were overcome and so on.

[Terry "the Pirate" Calhoun]

Tim, I started on mine about 5 years ago and am still working on it, although it is quite playable. With a private course, you never see the end of "improvements" you can make without someone else's permission :)

FYI, I created a "course owners" group a few days ago, where I am hoping lots of people working on their own courses will congregate.

My biggest tip would be to think carefully through every step you take to minimize the future maintenance work you have to do.

Here's a link to my course in the PDGA course directory. It's really only 9 Chainstars, but it is 18 holes. You play 9 clockwise and then 9 counterclockwise, using the same baskets.

[Tim Kieffer]

I'll check out the group and the course link. Thanks!

I moved in late November 2001, and started working on it shortly after. I'm also still working on it, but finally got the last couple of fairways in at least a 'playable' condition last spring. Still have a lot of work to do, and a lot of ideas of things I'd like to do to improve certain holes.

One decision I made early was to limit the number of fairways (10 with two tees each instead of 20) as mowing a longer, wide fairway doesn't take much more time than mowing a shorter one. Maintaining 10 long fairways takes much less time than mowing 20 short ones. Besides, baskets aren't cheap either!

[dbeast]

Tim,
Are you planing Baskets or Targets? I play a lot here in Montana at a private course in Victor, Spiritwood. Nick is the owner and a very close friend. You can go to his site for some pics. http://www.spiritwooddiscgolf.com We are planning the 22nd annual Spiritwood Open in June. The site has a map showing the layout. The targets are fun, and challenging from the doghouse to the Dragon, 22 hole course on 20 Acres. Requests of $1.00 per round per person donation.

[Tim Kieffer]

I have 9 permanent baskets (DGA Mach IIIs) and one portable DGA Mach II New with the chain conversion kit. Course plays as 20 holes (twice around, two different tees on each 'fairway'). I'll check out the site.

[Land Baron]

Howdy Tim and other Private course owners,
It is nice to see that there are so many other private course being built all around our country.
I started designing my course way back 1994 and had my first real tournament in 1995 with 18 portable single chain Discatchers. It is called The Snow Farm It is now a 21 hole course. There are multiple tee boxs Rec., Int., and Adv/Open. My course is listed in the PDGA Course Directory.
I am always trying to improve the course by pruning, mowing and adding more benchs.
I host 4 tournaments a year the first and bigest one is TX ST Am Disc Golf Doubles Championships March 7 - 9, 2008. The other tourneys are The Master Cup May 10, PYMWYMI OCT 25 & 26 and Snow Farm Dango Dec.13 and 14, 2008. I charge $5/person/day to play and the same amount for camping per night for casual play.

Good ways to raise money is to sell mulligans and raffle tickets and have a silent auction. Sponsors are a good sorce for mullingan, raffle, and silent auction merchandise to given away. Also the Ring of Fire is a good sourse for raising funds.

If you are going to have players on you private land you will need to make a list of rules and waiver form to have them sign. One of the most imporatant rules for my place is "Pack It In Pack It Out"- this includes all trash, cig butts, cans, bottles, broken items, clothes, camers, & coolers etc. Do not place trash cans every where or you will be halling alot of trash to the county dump.
Land Baron

[SLO]

Been working on mine for only 8 months but most fell into place easily and found 5 used disccatcher sports for cheap to get started. got 18 holes playable but only a route of about 14 due lack of baskets. I love it. We have had one mini tourney and the Athens DG Club bag tag match play finale here. Probably will start to have monthly-ish events. Had a great idea for basket fund raising... Buy a Mulligan tourney's, 5 bucks or more for a mulligan?!?!?! Discuss...

[Tim Kieffer]

I had people bring up the idea of fundraising to help with the cost of baskets, but decided against this. Didn't want to complicate the 'private vs. public' aspect of things, and anyone having hard feelings down the road due to perceived ownership because of donations or fundraising participation. It seemed to be a 'cleaner' long range solution.

[Richard Kinzer]

http://www.thefarmdiscgolf.com/

This is my place. It was born out of moving from a Disc Golf haven (St. Louis) to a Disc Golf Wasteland (Humboldt, Tn). Closest course at the time was Memphis, some 85 miles away. That's all changed now. Counting mine, we have 4 courses with a 20 minute drive of each other. What a difference 4 years makes.

I have found Round-Up, 48'' Deck Toro Zero Turn Mower

,Chain Saw, Fire

, Cold Beer

to be the keys to establishing and maintaining a course.

[Grandaddy]

We first heard of disc golf in the fall of '99, and since then have totally dedicated our lives to the sport, founding, creating and operating Chainbiters Disc Golf on private land.

We started as a 9-hole pay-4-play on 10 acres in 1999 and have evolved into a 21-hole membership-type co-op on 40 acres.

We now host the Can-Am Cup, The Beachwood Classic, 6 local summer tournaments and year-round weekly leagues here at Chainbiters Country Club.

I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about disc golf on private land… We’ve been through it all!

We are here… http://www.chainbiters.com

At your service,

Grandaddy

[B Mo]

My family has a private course in Delaware called Beaver Branch. It was originally established in 2003, but has constantly undergone changes over the years. We originally started with two sets of tees and one pin. Then we added a second pin location. There are 24 holes. We color coated the tee markers so that you can play four different course configurations (all depending on which pin placement the course is set in). So we have a red (short tees to the short pins), white (short tees to the long pins), blue (long tees to the short pin), and gold (long tees to the long baskets). The fifth and newest configuration is the Silver 18 (for tournament play-it is the best holes and a combination a a few to make for a nice competition layout).

The whole thing is a constant work in progress. While it may be set right now, there is always room for improvements!

[Shel]

Wow! Sounds great! Your Beaver Branch course, I didn't really realize you are from the east! I've never been there,only Michigan, and Sandusky, Ohio(Cedar Piont-amusement park). I grew up in Southern Cal, but I would like to see so many states. What's it like there, do you all have that Northern yankee accent,or the bostonian-type?!? We have developed a course here in our town, but the guy that designed it wouldn't listen to anyone but his anhyzer arm! I've seen some pretty interchangeable courses in Texas-Top of Texas in Amarillo has always been a good tournament. I love it when they can change things up and we don't have to go treking around town to another course for the rest of the rounds! So..., you should put some pictures of you and your course, so we can feel included! I'd like to see it.

[B Mo]

Well, my family is from NW North Carolina. I went to college down there and learned to throw the disc there. Delaware is in the Mid-Atlanitc region (mid-atlantic plains) so it is fairly flat here, with a few hills in the northern part of the state. As for my accent, it is fairly neutral-I do not have the bostonian "yankee" accent, but I do not have a southern accent either. I will say, that after I stay with me family down south, people susualy say I have an accent when I come home.

Gotta love private courses! Guess this is thread drift!

Here are some pics: