NEFA DISCussion

A friend of mine who lives in Pawtucket turned me onto this article in THe Valley Breeze. It's in regard to a 9-hole course in development thanks to the efforts of another Eagle Scout, and the coule thing is that they are involving the local junior high school to incorporate DG into the PE curriculum there.

I think Mike D is also involved with its design if things have progressed there.

http://www.valleybreeze.com/Free/295412502341517.php

http://valleybreeze.mycapture.com/mycap ... thispage=2

I'm very enthused to hear that Mike Dussault is helping out with the design aspect. A rash of new courses have popped up in eastern Pennsylvania over the past year that were Eagle Scout projects, and it seems like these courses are being built with absolutely zero consultation with experienced disc golfers. The classic design and safety flaws such as inappropriate length of holes, (all holes 200 feet or less) crossing fairways, tees of adjacent holes too close to the target of the previous, very poorly marked tees & baskets or no marked tees at all, the course bordering other park equipment such as baseball fields, soccer fields, playgrounds etc. seriously detract from these courses and almost ensure that the facility will never be used.

I would ask that if anyone is contacted about such projects that they stress greatly the importance of design assistance. A worse case scenario is that possible liability issues from a poor design could ensue. No layperson would go out and design a ball golf course on his/her own; the same can be said about a disc golf course, especially one that interacts with other facilities in multi-use parks.

Well said, Jeff. Nobody likes a rash. Anyone know of any other Rhode Island courses besides Ninigret Park?

technically, there are 2 (charlestown and newport), but in reality there is only 1, ninigret (charlestown).

Hi! my name is Billy Hargreaves. I am the Boy Scout who is building the Disc Golf course in North Smithfield. I spoke with Mike Dussault about my project, and on April 9th, we went over to the high school grounds and started working on the design of the course. Some holes will be next to fields, but they will be far enough away so to not disturb the other game (for added safety, the school may decide to close the hole for the game). The other holes will be placed in the woods for the natural obstacles. The course length is decent, a par 34 course. I am now looking for sign makers to make the signs for my tees. If anyone has information that they could give regarding sign makers, or just suggestions for the design of the course, it would be gladly appreciated. Like everyone else in North Smithfield, I too want to see this course go up.

Billy,

I hope the course works out for you. I had the chance to talk to Mike a little about the course design an lengths involved.

All Jeff is saying, (And, for the first time ever,..I agree with Jeff 100%) is, listen to Mike about the design. Anybody can figure out where different user groups will come into contact on holes. Especially, if you are really familiar with the property. But, when it comes to playing the game, and knowing what will challenge people, and get them to come play what will probably be a 9 hole course, he is invaluable to you.

He has logged a lot of holes over his time in this game. He's one of the best in the area you could have on your side.

I can't wait to play it.

Billy...congrats on the story in the Valley Breeze...

Par 34 for a 9-hole course sounds like quite a challenge!

What skills do you need to make the signs? We had a team perform different tasks for Wickham. The park made the posts, I came up with the graphics, and Carl Emerson (Who moved to Florida, but still works on projects in CT through a place near West Thompson lake in North Grosvenordal) was responsible for supplying the vinyl prints, aluminum backing, and plexiglass. Do you have a budget for this phase of the project?

emerson signs rock, 'nuff said.

if, however, they're out of your price range, a plastic sign with some vinyl stickers can make a decent tee sign as well. just make sure to use a layer of plexi or something on top so that the stickers dont get damaged by the elements/have people in the park peeling them off worrying about vandalism is, unfortunately, always something to keep in mind

Those vinyl stickers remind me of colorforms...NEFA ought to develop a set for kids to play with so they can create their own 2-d course and then add sponge bob icons to it...