6 DESIGN TIPS

Safety First...

Most disc golf courses are located in public parks where bicyclists, dog-walkers, kite-flyers, and other passive recreationalists are enjoying their activities. Additionally, there may be steep slopes, water, or poisonous vegetation present on the site of a prospective course that need to be properly addressed. Regardless of whether we are designing a world-championship course or a family recreational course, safety is our number one concern when we are laying out each of the holes.

Take What the Property Gives You...

Disc Golf has a wonderful advantage over "Ball Golf" by not requiring a massive construction project to develop tee areas, fairways and greens. Disc golf courses should essentially be designed to complement the existing landscape rather than re-creating it. This leads to a more natural playground that utilizes both densely wooded areas and open fields. Regardless of the topography of a disc golf course, our course designs will have as minimal an impact on the environment as possible.

Plan for All Skill Levels...

As the sport of Disc Golf grows rapidly throughout the world, a well-designed course with multiple tee pads, flight paths and targets allows both world-class players with 500-foot drives and 5-year-olds that have never thrown a disc the opportunity to play a layout appropriate for their skill level. We like to think of it as "customizing the experience" in terms of fun AND challenge. The "Fun Factor" is a huge component of the courses that Dan designs.

All You're Owed is a Fair Throw...

Whether Disc Golf or "Ball Golf", we all would love to play every shot from the middle of the fairway. Unfortunately, that is often not the case, as we often find the rough on either side of the fairway. Playing from the rough or a tough lie is usually a direct result of either bad shot selection or execution or both. A good designer has a special flair for creating holes that offer "fair challenge". It is then up to the player to choose a shot and execute it in order to avoid those naturally difficult lies. A multitude of tee pad options (to fit your budget) usually does the trick.

Don't Forget the Lefties...

A classic mistake is to have a disc golfer inexperienced in course design create a course. Invariably they naturally use their own abilities and experiences to determine the length of holes, the shape of fairways and flight paths, and other course design characteristics.. One of the most over-looked aspects of disc golf course design is making it diversified for and fair to both right-handed and left-handed throwers. Loosely translated, this means that courses should consist of an equal number of right doglegs and left doglegs, so that there is no bias towards throwers who use either hand.

Recoup Costs by Selling Discs & Equipment...

Related more towards the operation of the course rather than the actual design, you should consider offering disc golf discs and merchandise to your players once the project is complete. Though on-line retailers are increasing in number, there tend to be relatively few local places where players can purchase the types of discs essential to their success on the course. Having even a modest place where players can "fondle plastic" prior to purchasing golf discs will result in a significant revenue stream that might even pay for the entire project within just five years of it's launch.