BASKETS

how can i go about getting or making
a basket for me and my daughter

[steve foster]

chainstar from discraft is best catching basket ive ever used...DGA machlite is best portazble basket around, bar none...innova discatcher has a huge yellow chastity belt and i detest them, though they do catch discs very well, i just hate the yellow disc magnet,, i mean metal band...never putted on a titan but i would like to see one...if you are super cheap hang a tire from a tree and go for the hole in the middle....i know a guy in town here that practiced his putting on a basketball pole in his driveway, and he is deadly accurate, since his normal sweet spot for practice is only 3 inches wide...he taped off the target area so the heigth would be correct...

[Terry "the Pirate" Calhoun]

What great advice from everyone! This is just the reason I created this site. Now, if someone could only get Jim Orum in here so Shark could ask him direct! :)

[Richard Kinzer]

The longer you're involved with dg, the more you want a basket. The more you try to build a basket, the more you realize you're better off buying a basket. With that being said, take a look at what I did. I began living on my deceased grandparent's farm a few years ago. This farm lent itself pretty well to installing a dg course. Coupled with the fact that I moved there from a very active dg community (St. Louis) to the hinterland where the nearest dg course was 85 miles away, I was motivated to find a way to build, affordably, multiple baskets. My dad & I were involved in a business that recycled plastic and steel drums (barrels), so I was encouraged to make those the basis for my baskets. This first picture shows what a drum would look like before it was sliced into three sections. (Ignore the fact that this one was already sliced.)

I scavenged for 1-1/2'' galvanized pipe, used some 1/2'' square rods that came out of one type of drum we processed and I called in a favor from a family friend who was able to LEGALLY procure for me plenty of chain (at manufacturing cost.) Add in the use of a hole saw, drill, chop saw, vice, 3 lb hammer and some well placed Stainless Steel hose clamps and zip ties and you've got yourself a redneck discgolf basket. I ended up having about $12 in each of the baskets, but if it hadn't been for my friend with the chain access, you could easily triple that amt. Considering my time, maybe 2-3 hrs per basket, my baskets weren't any great bargain, but I needed a dozen or more baskets to outfit my little private country boy course, so I did what I could.

To see my entire course, check out a website that my good friend Brian 'Bear' Joyce put together. He did a great job on the site, the course is not worthy of such a premo site, but we have a lot of fun out there.

www.thefarmdiscgolf.com

[Hugh]

Just a thought, if you want a cheap alternative to a basket to practice putting. Goto a local store and get a cheap tarp. 12' x 15' is more than enough and usually about 10 - 15 bucks. You can also get a couple of single TV antenae poles. You can get these in 6' sections ($5 - $10 each) that are made to slide together to get any height you want. Put an eye bolt in the top of each pole and tie the eyelets of the tarps to these. You can use anything you desire to make a base for the poles. Just something sturdy to hold the poles upright. You can paint a small circle in a square about the height and width of the chains of a disc catcher to aim at. If you get good at hitting this point. You shouldn't have any problems hitting an aiming point in the chains

You really don't even need the poles if you don't want them. The tarp can be hung from a tree, Rafters in a barn or garage using rope or wire The nice thing is that if your a beginner like me. When you set it up the tarp. The width of the tarp will make a great backstop and will stop the discs that would have otherwise gone past the basket. This also makes practicing in the garage or basement during bad weather easier. You won't have to worry about the walls. Just place the tarp a couple of feet away from the wall. If you want to save your back place a bench or anything to create a ledge and put it slightly ahead so the discs have a place to land higher.

Recommendation. If you get the poles cut both poles in 3' sections. The poles are made to slide together and you can slide the bottom section onto the top and install the eyelets there. This can be easily pulled apart and put in the trunk with the tarp if you want to take it with you. Instead of having the full 6' poles.

[Aaron Hudson]

Well looks like everyone has 2 cents on this subject. And I'll throw mine in the pot as well.

I have an Instep (won it didn't buy it) and I also have a DGA M-14 requested it for Christmas and got it.

I don't recommend the Instep. It is not a very good basket the way it is constructed, light weight metal and small link chains, or the way the chains hang.

For the price, $130 + shipping, and construction the M-14 is a great practice basket that you can add additional chains to it if you want. I have had my M-14 for over 8 years and for the majority of the time it has stayed outside. It is easy to breakdown and take with you camping and to tournaments if you want and is very similar to most of the baskets that you will shoot at at any of the courses you play. Most courses you will play will have DGA baskets since they are the first and oldest baskets made.

I don't care for Discatchers because of that huge metal band at the top. I also don't like any of the canvas type portables because throwing at them is very different than throwing at a regular size basket.

If you want to spend a little more $ The Mach new II portable is a great basket. This is what you will find given away for first place prize in the advanced division. Good and heavy and with the whell. I've played on a lot of these and like them alot.

Good luck in your search.

[Scoot_er]

Mach II's only have 18 chains. The ones that are usually given out are better baskets like a Mach V. Anyway a Mach II would be fine for practice but they are the greatest at catching.

Oh the Lightning DB-5 is pretty good at $150??? and I have seen some that were double chained and caught really well.

[spencer]

man this is great i have asked about baskets
on other sites and can not get a reply
thanks every one phil 4:13
now to find some grown ups to shoot with.

[Myheartpumpsoil]

Phil. 4:13 . . . such as learn to putt?
One of my buddies has done his share of metal sculpture work, and after looking over a discatcher pro he just chuckled, and said, "I could make this exact basket, but of stronger material for less than $20, not including chains!"
Makes one wonder what a local metal fab shop would charge to build a simple basket; there really is not much involved, especially if you were to add the chains yourself!

[satisfied]

1- 55 gallon plastic barrel (got mine free from 18-wheeler company - stuff like windshield washer fluid comes in them)
2- hose clamps (.50 cents a piece- the kind you tighten with flat head screwdriver)
6- "L" brackets (.75 cents a piece - about 6 inches long)
1- 30' dog tie out chain ($5 from dollar general)
12- 24" or 26" choke chains( $1 a piece from dollar store)
30- zipties ( .05 cents a piece)
1- 7.5' piece of pipe (got mine free from an old swing set)

Grand total of $24

1. cut barrel bottom off
2. cut barrel top off
3. drill 12 holes around outside edge of top piece (about 5.5" apart?)
4. lay the top on the ground, cut side down, sit the closed end of a 5 gallon bucket on top of the top piece of the basket, and center
5. trace around the bucket so you will have a visiable line to drill on for the inner chains, remove 5 gallon bucket
6. drill 7 equally spaced holes around the drawn line(about 5" apart?)
7. drill a hole about 3/4 of an inch to the right of each of the 7 holes
8. drill a hole in the top and bottom of your 55 gallon barrel pieces, slightly larger than the diameter of you poll. (dremel tool works well)
9. flip top upside down, attach one end of each choke chain to the 12 holes drilled using zipties
10. attach one end of the dog tie out chain to the inner circles using the zipties and the two holes
11. now hold up the choke chain and dog tie out, when each are the same lenght, let go off the choke chain and let it hit the ground, now make an upside "V" with the dog tie out chain and connect it to the next set of holes on the inner circle, continue till you are back to the first hole.
12. drive your poll securly into the earth
13. for the bottom of the basket slip 1 hose clamp around poll, then 2 "L"brackets facing opposite directions, screw hose clamp tight at desired height, slip on bottom of the basket, drill holes in bottom of basket, ziptie to "L" bracket, drill holes for water drainage.
14. for the top of the basket slip 1 hose clamp around poll, then 4 "L" brackets facing N
15. cut the bottom link of each dog tie out chain (the point of the upside "V"), so each chain falls to rest in the middle of the 12 outside chains
16. ziptie the inside chains
17. ziptie the outside chains
18. putt
19. repeat
20. show off @ the next RING OF FIRE

the one in my avatar!

[satisfied]

i dont know why 15-20 have line through them,
ignore that

[Nibs Carter]

Thats probably the best "homemade" basket I've seen yet. Good job!

Still like my instep!

Nibs

[spencer]

this is such a cool basket
will try to make 1