Blue Pads at GW

["Tiger"]

I have both and idea and a question. Would it be possible to install blue pads on more holes at GW. Kris and I played a couple of days ago making up some pads and I played again today tweaking them. With the exception of 9 and 15 I think pads could go on all other holes out there. We wouldn't need to cement them obviously but I think we could put down some blue bricks like the ones already down for 1,3 and 4. Just a thought. I'll let you guys marinate on that one for a little while.

[brianlmoon]

There are bricks on 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, and 14.

The more the better I guess. They just have to reasonable. Let me tell you why I did not put them on other holes. You may see something I did not.

2. Interfered with 1 and 9.

6. Interfered with 5. Unless you move it up the hill. if you do that, you will have to flatten an area.

9. Interfered with 8 and/or 2.

11. Interfered with 10 long and 18 right. Now, if you mando 18, there is more of room.

13. Interfered with 16. but, not if you put in the blue on 16 I mention below.

15. interfered with last wooded hole and 14.

16. This could interfere with 13 or 15 short right.

17. Interfered with 16

I had spots picked out on:

2. Joe Thacker had the idea to put a hole 2 tee across the road from the hole 1 basket. That could be cool.

11. Just find a spot behind the current pad and down the hill toward 18. We were playing 18 in the right spot at that event and I did not want people throwing at the tee pad.

13. I you use a blue on 16, you can put a blue on this hole back around the road.

16. About half way between 15 short and the 16 tee. It brings the rock house in to play. However, I wanted to play 15 short at that event.

17. We had one here next to the big tree near the ditch between the 16 basket and the 17 tee. When 16 is in the right spot, it is too close.

18. go left from tee pad and back some. There is a flat spot next to a tree. It did not really make the hole more challenging though, just different so I did not install bricks there.

["Tiger"]

yeah I thought about some of those problems as well, but I figured they wouldn't have to be used for tournaments necessarily, and as far as recreational use I doubt any of the rec players would want to test them out too much. Thanks for the info though I'd kinda wondered why only a few holes had em.

[Parkntwoputt]

There are very few blue pads that could be used for tournament play.

Currently there is a Mando on #18 to prevent the bail hyzer route, that was left up intentionally after the Golden George.

I do agree, that for recreational play, there needs to be some "challenging" tee shots at George Ward considering that the vast majority of the time the pins are located in short or easy locations. While this is great for the recreational/casual players who want to "get two's on everyhole" it leaves the tournament players shorted. Now a good score at George Ward is purely dictated by ones putting ability on a given day.

One problem I foresee in actually installing teesigns, cement pads and so forth with blue tees, is the fact that recreational/casual players refuse to play a shorter tee stating that the short tees are "womens" tees. They ignore the fact that blue tees are for higher skilled players having nothing to do with gender. Granted, cement and tee signs were not proposed, but having highly identified blue tees will cause more people to play them then should.

Also, blue tees do not have to be longer to be harder.

#2 Can be moved behind #9 to make a pure uphill shot at the pins.
#5 Move back to the left of the creek, making a giant curve off the tee box.
#6 Unfortunately not much can be done.
#7 There is a better teeing area about 50ft right of current blue pad (no tree).
#8 brought back about 60ft, whoa!
#10 old blue pad is blocked by a tree:(
#11 With the Mando on #18, most people will follow, but not all, care would have to be taken when playing the blue tee area.
#13 Again, care would have to be taken when seeing others teeing off from 16.
#14 I have no idea how to make an alternate tee box on this hole feasible.
#A Tee from 20ft back and to the left, makes a different tunnel.
#B Over the road is a blast, especially when the creek and over is OB. (Not recommended during rush hour.
#C Narrow tunnel right of the creek
#D Without teeing from B's fairway, nothing can be done here.
#E Vik found the old #14 long. Tee from that makes it a more difficult shot to maneuver the mando and downhill turnover
#F Across the road near caution sign.
#15 only thing to propose is to make artificial OB, small landing zone in the short hyzer spot (all other pins are already designed for the Blue skill level)
#16 The Golden George Blue tee is great for a huge sky anhyzer when the pin is short right. (however, players without 400ft power can fade out into the pavillion.)
#17 Golden George blue tee, is good, if caution is given to players teeing off from 16 white/blue.
#18 Really not much you can do here.

While most of these are not feasible for tournament play, they do make a round at George Ward more challenging when the pins are short.

[brianlmoon]

#14 I have no idea how to make an alternate tee box on this hole feasible.

Your throw from the road. Its a fun shot. It was marked at one time.

#A - #F

IMO, those holes are already there to help the tournament player. You will see courses like those holes when travelling. GW had nothing like that before. I would have no interest in playing other tees on those holes.

["Tiger"]

yeah, the extra holes are fairly challenging as they are, just no real variation with each individual hole only because with the exception of D and E, none of them have alternate pin placements. But if no one has a serious problem with it I would be willing to buy some bricks and blue spray paint and put down some blue pads, they would be visible for those who knew they were there but probably would have no affect on the use of the original pads by anyone.

[Parkntwoputt]

Your throw from the road. Its a fun shot. It was marked at one time.

A few years ago, when the branches of the trees were higher, the shot from the road was feasible. Now you are basically laying up just beyond the white tee, and then throwing your long approach shot. Jeremy and I played the blue pad (the paint is still there), it is not too bad when the pin is ultra short, you can punch a skip shot off the chert to give yourself a putt. But it really chews up a disc bad.

IMO, those holes are already there to help the tournament player. You will see courses like those holes when travelling. GW had nothing like that before. I would have no interest in playing other tees on those holes.

It makes a change to the monotony. There is still very little punishment at GW, I think this is why more of the tournament players favor Trussville now. The alternate pad on (F) is a great uphill turnover shot the puts the OB parking lot and that large tree into play.

My suggestions are not for everybody. And I do not expect everyone or anyone to like them. That is just how I am going to play George Ward if I come to short pins. Getting dueces is not as important as making good tough shots to me, hence why I prefer the harder setup.

[ditchell]

[QUOTE=Parkntwoputt]There are very few blue pads that could be used for tournament play.


One problem I foresee in actually installing teesigns, cement pads and so forth with blue tees, is the fact that recreational/casual players refuse to play a shorter tee stating that the short tees are "womens" tees. They ignore the fact that blue tees are for higher skilled players having nothing to do with gender. Granted, cement and tee signs were not proposed, but having highly identified blue tees will cause more people to play them then should.


Oh absolutely. I am the essence of your problem. You show me two tee boxes, and even though I'm not that good, I'm going to play the hard ones. The ONLY two holes at Trussville we don't play the pro tees on are 17,18. We were doing that with #2, but we've cut that out as well.

What I do like is the choice, though. And playing GW like 3 or 4 times a week (god bless daylight savings time) having different tee boxes sounds good. When I'm alone and don't have anyone behind me I'll tear up that forest. Tee off from A, go to E's (or B's) basket. F tee to A basket, B tee to F basket. Those are fun. Good for breaking in discs

oh, btw I bought a dx gazelle the other day at Homewood Toy n Hobby (sounded like a good shorter driver for me). I threw it on 8 and did the trademark Ditchell road skid... and man that gazelle is TORN UP. I've thrown my arcangel in that road (or curb or gutter or whatever) 100 times and never have i seen a dx get gouged up that bad. what's up with that? are gazelles just "soft"?

[Parkntwoputt]

George Ward is one of the few disc golf courses I have seen where pins are moved on a regular basis. While this does break monotony, it creates problems when you have multiple skill levels on the course at the same time.

It is good in a situation like this to have a mix of difficulties. At the current moment, GW is set up super easy, while addressing the needs of the recreational players it shuts out the needs of higher skilled players. At the same time, if everything is set up in it's hardest configuration resentment is heard from the lessor skilled players (which funny enough the complaint you hear most is "It's too hard, I cannot get a two on it"). This is the funniest thing I have heard, I agree that the course set up/pin placement is hard, and even our best players have difficulty getting a two on them.

So, the problem can be seen with courses with only one tee box. We are lucky to have 3 different courses at George Ward. However there is limited space for extra pads, there were amateur tees when I started playing, but the whole "womens" tees debacle caused them to dissapear.

At Trussville, there are 18 more sleeves to be put in the ground, 17 of them will actually be short placements, however #2 will be lengthened according to Tim and Joe.

My question to the players who "refuse to play the womens tees", what tees do you use on a ball golf course? Typically at most public courses there are Red - Junior/Women White - Men's and Blue - Pro Tee's.

The same concept applies to disc golf tees. Green - Junior, Red - Recreational, White - Amateur, Blue - Advanced/Pro, Gold - Pro

Most disc golfers fall under the Red/White category; the long pads at Trussville are considered Blue, and the shorts white. The cement pads at GW would be considered White, as the harder pads are already blue.

I just think that there should be no shame in admitting that the course/hole/teebox/pin placement is just above your skill level and not a bad design or a terrible hole.



On a side bar, pushing your limits, playing courses that are above your skill level, and exposing your weaknesses will only make you a better golfer. Now that Birmingham has Trussville, Birmingham disc golfers will be more of a threat on the road where other tournament style courses offer sever punishment for being off the fairways.