The Community of Disc Golfers and About All Things Disc Golf

Updating the almighty Disc golf basket

If the basket was invented in the early to mid seventies to accomodate the super class disc, shouldnt it be made smaller for modern putters? Look at the size of a golf ball compared to the hole. We have it way to easy. Id like to roll a disc into a laid over metal can so u have to use the terrain in the factor.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chas Ford on January 29, 2009 at 4:01pm

This is why I love this site!!!!

Thank you! Chuck and Mark for all your input on this issue.

Permalink Reply by mr ed on January 29, 2009 at 4:20pm

hey now,thanks for posting the video.I have to say that you chose the right baskets for your course.Sure would be sweet if the spiderweb winds up on the accepted standard list .Time will tell by next week with them checking the old archive paper trail.Good luck with this and your future.Peace,hit chains.

Nathan said:

For a view of these baskets in action follow this link....but keep in mind that the ones in this video are of the portable variety not ones that are permanently installed.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?rKWc95MXLF4

Permalink Reply by Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane on January 29, 2009 at 4:20pm

I'm still fine with the current mouse trap. It has evolved into a great target. Most of the best improvements have already been done....deeper basket, inner set of chains and thicker gauge material. There are too many variables on how a disc impacts the chains for it to be a perfect science....'spit outs' & 'cut throughs' are part of the game......'it happens'.

Permalink Reply by Nathan on January 29, 2009 at 5:35pm

You're very welcome mr ed.....and THANK-YOU! Here's hoping they meet the standards! Thanks for the best wishes too by the way. Peace to you and yours.

Permalink Reply by Donny Olow on January 29, 2009 at 7:41pm

Haw anyone seen that Basket with the Wind Chimes in it from Utah ?

Permalink Reply by mark ellis on January 30, 2009 at 12:56am

Tim is right, to an extent. There are putts which are too hard, and like ball golf do not deserve to count. I am not referring to putts which blast the chains at high speed. I am talking about solid putts to the center of the chains. Putts which look otherwise superb but somehow manage to bounce out or blow through.

I am not a hard putter. I don't have a strong backhand wrist. Anyone who plays with me can tell you that. I am also not a naturally gifted putter. I used to be downright terrible. Over the years I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours practicing putting to overcome my weakness. I have tried innumerable putting styles and watched the great putters and have sought advice from the great putters. My conclusion from this experience is that baskets suck and are poorly designed.

If I am wrong then there must be some great putter out there who has figured it out and learned how to avoid the basket error which bites the rest of us. OK, tell me who that is? Tell me what putting style overcomes poor basket design?

The best putters putt solidly. They putt firmly. They putt confidently. What other choice do they have from the circle and beyond? What other choice do they have in strong winds? They play the odds and putt solidly to the center of the chains and hold their breath, hoping they don't get screwed by the basket.

And this is the way it should be?

If so then ball golf needs to install an eject mechanism in the bottom of the cup to randomly pop out putts. Basketball needs to create an invisible film which sometimes covers the basket. Soccer needs a ball which deflates now and again. Baseball needs to disqualify homerun balls which land in any seat number which ends in three. And your car needs brakes which do not work 5% of the time. Hey, it is just part of the game. Deal with it.

Tim said:

Mark,
I disagree...isn't the idea to put the disc into the basket? In ball golf, you can put a putt on a perfect line, but if it's too firm the ball will more times than not roll over the hole. Same idea in disc...if a "perfect" putt slams the chains in the middle of the basket and blows through, it wasn't really a "perfect" putt after all. We're trying to put the disc in the basket, not slam the chains. Although, I do like that sound.:)

Permalink Reply by Hootie on January 30, 2009 at 4:30am

I enjoy the sport with a bit of random chance in it. To make the perfect basket that ALWAYS catches putts would be pointless. If you get a cut-through, was your disc angled, or thrown flat. If you hit the centre pole and it bounces out, then go with a softer/harder putter, or throw into the right-hand side of the chains, which when I putt tends to be the sweet spot (my putts suck as well!).

So, should any putt that even touches a link deserve to go in? No, of course it shouldnt. How many chains need to be hit before a putt is considered "good" or "deserving to go in"? So now we go a step further, and change all games and sports that dont utilise a round ball, because a non-symmetrical ball adds randomness, which we cannot tolerate. Well, lets make a bigger basket, add another 20-30 chains, and everyone will be happy because we will all suddenly be able to putt much better.

Currently, everyone has the same basket to putt into, and I enjoy the current design which has been adopted by most of the current basket manufacturers (obviously they have some differences, but in my opinion none of the big manufacturers have a current design which is in a class of its own in terms of catching ability). If a new design is found and accepted by the PDGA and its members, than great, but it means that a lot of courses will have to upgrade so that the players dont suffer too much when playing different courses and putting at different basket designs.

Permalink Reply by Birdie-man on January 30, 2009 at 4:44am

Great point Hootie!!!

Hootie said:

I enjoy the sport with a bit of random chance in it. To make the perfect basket that ALWAYS catches putts would be pointless. If you get a cut-through, was your disc angled, or thrown flat. If you hit the centre pole and it bounces out, then go with a softer/harder putter, or throw into the right-hand side of the chains, which when I putt tends to be the sweet spot (my putts suck as well!).

So, should any putt that even touches a link deserve to go in? No, of course it shouldnt. How many chains need to be hit before a putt is considered "good" or "deserving to go in"? So now we go a step further, and change all games and sports that dont utilise a round ball, because a non-symmetrical ball adds randomness, which we cannot tolerate. Well, lets make a bigger basket, add another 20-30 chains, and everyone will be happy because we will all suddenly be able to putt much better.

Currently, everyone has the same basket to putt into, and I enjoy the current design which has been adopted by most of the current basket manufacturers (obviously they have some differences, but in my opinion none of the big manufacturers have a current design which is in a class of its own in terms of catching ability). If a new design is found and accepted by the PDGA and its members, than great, but it means that a lot of courses will have to upgrade so that the players dont suffer too much when playing different courses and putting at different basket designs.

Permalink Reply by Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane on January 30, 2009 at 8:46am

Going back thru this thread...I can see Mark is really bitter about this issue. I for one, like the diversity the approved list offers....any basket is a good basket, in my book, ...means I can play without using objects as targets and that is what's important to me ...some may just be better then others. Would love to see a picture of this spiderweb basket.

If I missed it...point out what page of this thread it was on.

I agree with Chuck that mesh style Innova traveler catches well. The problem being, it's definitely not made for the long haul. A basket should be built to last...no question about that.

I play 5 courses fairly regularly (soon to be 6) that all have something different. ....Hmmmmm...Maybe this is an idea for a new thread.

Permalink Reply by Chuck Kennedy on January 30, 2009 at 8:53am

Imagine if a fine, flexible wire mesh of some sort encapsulated the chains on our top of the line baskets similar to the Innova Traveler? The parabolic shape of the chains would remain inside this "chain sack." No more cut-thrus. Bounce backs less likely due to the cushioning effect. And a more uniform response for shots striking toward the outside of the "chain sack" - if it's far enough toward the middle it will likely stay in. If too far outside, it will deflect and miss.

Permalink Reply by Chas Ford on January 30, 2009 at 9:09am

Page 9 has a picture and there is a link to a tourny that was played on a course with Spiderwebs. The Tourny is at Pieradise... that is the private course owned by the person who makes the baskets.

Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane said:

Going back thru this thread...I can see Mark is really bitter about this issue. I for one, like the diversity the approved list offers....any basket is a good basket, in my book, ...means I can play without using objects as targets and that is what's important to me ...some may just be better then others. Would love to see a picture of this spiderweb basket.

If I missed it...point out what page of this thread it was on.

I agree with Chuck that mesh style Innova traveler catches well. The problem being, it's definitely not made for the long haul. A basket should be built to last...no question about that.

I play 5 courses fairly regularly (soon to be 6) that all have something different. ....Hmmmmm...Maybe this is an idea for a new thread.

Permalink Reply by CBass on January 30, 2009 at 9:45am

The only thing I would change is the old baskets at many courses, meaning I would replace them with the new ones that are available now. Besides, that changes the sport somewhat dramatically. All the hard work of the top pros pays off for them. Smaller baskets would make it tougher on newbies, possibly turning them off of disc golf. We wouldn't want that.