How to build a course?

[u/Billy_bob_on_a_cob]

I am thinking about building a 9 or 18 hole public course in my city, wondering if anyone here has experience with doing that before? What was the process like, and what do I need to know before I start taking this super seriously?

[u/BasicReputations]

Yes.  There's a lot to consider.  Before you start,  ask yourself if you are prepared to undertake what is essentially an unpaid part-time (sometimes fulltime) job.

You will be doing a lot of research and spreadsheets.  You will be doing a lot of budgeting, sweating, and begging.

Starting point is identifying land you have access to and a realistic chance of using.  You will not get premium land.  You will get underused parks with a drug problem, swamps, and maybe, if you're lucky, a retired landfill that smells a bit funky.

Then you will have to answer "who is going to pay for it?" and "who is going to build and maintain it?"  The answer is not parks and rec or the city.

Then you will need to figure out who is going to use it.  Everybody wants to put in a pro course.  Everybody needs to do a derpy pitch and putt for beginners.

Find the land, a volunteer core, and sponsors and you can start plotting the course.  Be prepared to walk it a dozen times and revise it a half dozen.  Think safety, logistics, and target difficulty. 

Be prepared for it to take 2-5 years.

[u/ChiefRingoI → u/BasicReputations]

"Then you will need to figure out who is going to use it. Everybody wants to put in a pro course. Everybody needs to do a derpy pitch and putt for beginners."

For me, the ideal trajectory is a course with intermediate longs—or space to create them later—and beginner shorts, then hope it does well enough that somebody will give you a shot at making a high-level course.

[u/4thJulyMamasApplepie → u/BasicReputations]

Then you will need to figure out who is going to use it. Everybody wants to put in a pro course. Everybody needs to do a derpy pitch and putt for beginners.

This. The best thing about a pro level bomber course is how empty it is because few people want to play it casually all the time. I love it when I am the only person out there with a giant course all to myself.

Selling the city on a "this course could be an attraction and host big tournaments" sells some city planners, and sounds good to the community, but then the reality is, most people want to play a more fun course that doesn't beat you physically and mentally while demanding more of your time.

[u/toastjeff → u/4thJulyMamasApplepie]

100% agree.

We have a course that just opened in the area. One of the first glowing UDisc reviews says "You are not here to throw 'frisbees' with the boyz. You are here to test yourself and test everything you think you know about disc golf."

Turns out it is a super long course designed by someone most likely in over their head in a place where the park district isn't putting in the work required for proper upkeep.

It currently gets very few plays, and is rated on UDisc as one of the five worst 18+ hole courses in the state.

[u/False_Tap_9550 → u/4thJulyMamasApplepie]

Yup. Just moved home from my college town. Has the number 1 course in the state. It only has that, and a 9 hole on the University campus with no signage. No one in town knows it exists because of this. It's multiuse, so people use it, but people don't know it's the number 1 course in the state and people drive hours to go there.

[u/BasicReputations → u/4thJulyMamasApplepie]

Yup.  The hardcore guys all want the hardest bullshit they can imagine.  Then I point out that nobody goes to our hardest course, including them!!

[u/laxrulz777 → u/BasicReputations]

If I win the lotto, this is the first thing I'm doing. Until then, I just don't have the time and energy to spend on the BS you need to put up with. I'm grateful for all the hard work people do. I'm kind of blown away by it.

[u/bumsacrossthesky → u/BasicReputations]

Sorry for the long post.

Find the land first, spend time walking it if you can, and ask the person responsible for the land if they are open to it. Do it as a pop up before commiting to pin and tee pads.

I spent this spring and summer designing and preparing for a pop up tournament at an old golf course on private land. We play next weekend in conjunction with my local club.

I was lucky in finding the land and owners who are very open to it and have equipment for roughing in fairways. Ideally, this could turn into a permanent course but for now we are happy to have a place to play somewhere new. It was ideal being a former golf course that has been growing in since covid. We had enough space to put in two temp courses around 5.5kft, par 56, and 6kft par 61. We used maybe 50% of the space available.

Agree with what Basic said, be prepared for a lot of unpaid work. Time spent walking the property, cutting grass, trimming trees, etc.

I spent a few hundred hours out there working before ever throwing a disc. Was able to play both layouts in the last few weeks and had a great time throwing a course where I chose the lines. Even if it doesn't go anywhere it was a great experience.

When designing I used UDisc map manager on my phone while out on the property. Then while at my computer I used the PDGA resources for considering pars and how it would fit for different skill levels. I wanted something fun, not wildly difficult. Something with shot variety, and holes where you had to think about how players of different styles and skill levels would play the hole. I have had other players walk and throw holes to think through safety and design. I cannot emphasize enough safety should be a top consideration when thinking about throwing, and transitioning between holes. I throw RHBH so I also brought a local lefty who brought a lot of valuable insights to the design. Be prepared for feedback both good and bad, there were many changes that went into getting these put together.

After the first event, I will start lining up one for the spring and begin the process of reaching out for sponsorship opportunities to lower the cost of installing a long term course. I doubt I will ever see any money from doing this, but for me the reward is playing my own design.

TLDR: start by finding land and asking to explore the option, safety and fun should be the top priority. Reach out to other players who throw different lines from you as you progress for insights.

[u/patronizingperv]

1. Get a loan from an unscrupulous source
2. Buy your desired quantity of baskets
3. Plant them in your desired locations under cover of night

[u/KyiRich]

Love the interest - but as a disc golf course designer and builder of 1 course - probably the most important thing to realize at Step 0 is this:

Are you ok with no longer really playing disc golf for the next 3 plus years. If this is your baby - it will be YOUR baby. It will consume almost all of your free time that you otherwise would have had for disc and maybe even any other hobbies, etc. 

Expect people to commit to helping and then many people not actually helping or in much more limited roles than you were expecting. 

My best piece of advice would be if seriously thinking about this endeavor - like other people said - reach out to local clubs, other disc golfers, etc. You will really need a core group of say 2-3 other people that all passionately want to build this. Hopefully, worst case 1 drops out and leaves you with at least a group of 2-3 peeps remaining. 

Is it worth it - sure - when you see people enjoying your course. But it was way more of everything than even my worst case expectation. 

Best of luck. 

[u/warpaltarpers]

You'd probably be best to search the subreddit as this has been asked a lot. UDisc's blog (where they post top courses in a state/country/etc) has guides and tips on it as well.

[u/aredoubles]

https://udisc.com/how-to-get-a-disc-golf-course

But before even doing any of that, talk to your local clubs. Chances are they have already done a lot of legwork, and connected with local decision-makers. They will know what the barriers are to getting courses installed in your specific area.

[u/polly-plz]

You're not cut out for it. I can tell because you didn't do research before asking reddit. 

[u/Billy_bob_on_a_cob → u/polly-plz]

Thanks chief 👍🏼

[u/SteveWestDiscGolf]

Don't discount the possibility that the city will want to fund, build and maintain the course on their land. Disc golf fulfills every Parks&Rec's goals better and cheaper than anything else.

[u/Thedapperpappy]

I designed the 9 hole course here in my hometown.

The course was at a dog park, that was not being used, so I requested to be able to remove the course from that area, and design a new course at a different park.

It took me a really long time to get this approved, but it finally happened, and took about six to seven months to happen, between design and layout, testing the layout many times, and then finalizing the decisions, and getting parks and rec to install said course for me.

https://udisc.com/courses/ridgeview-park-disc-golf-course-Khdw

With what space I had available, I made the best I could happen.

Good luck with your course!

[u/Billy_bob_on_a_cob → u/Thedapperpappy]

How many acres is the land that you used?

[u/objective_dg]

Are you planning on working with a municipality to build on new or existing park land? Or, would you be opening up your own private land for public recreational use? The former is a lot easier for you as the parks will handle most of the annoying governmental details. The latter will have you involved with zoning, ordinance compliance, environmental studies, permits, taxes, insurance, etc.

[u/Billy_bob_on_a_cob → u/objective_dg]

Want to use public land, there are a few parks nearby with unused forest behind them.

[u/objective_dg → u/Billy_bob_on_a_cob]

Cool. The PDGA has some handy resources to get started.

https://www.pdga.com/course-development

[u/SpaceXmars]

have 30k

have all the free time in the world

above all have determination

[u/Waste_Caramel774]

I'm helping at the moment building a course. It's been over a year with 9 holes built and back 9 almost roughed in. but the county and city park associations were approached and approved 4 years ago. Then a local club with connections to grant money is essentially building it with help from locals.

It's a massive team effort from the club to volunteers and even the park associations.

It's also a massive effort because its being built in the woods.

[u/nickels55]

If you are in FB there is a private group for fellow course builders filled with info:

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1HhNnwaXzV/

[u/throwpron]

The fray voice

[u/rogue_admin]

First you need to know how to design it before going too far. Then make sure it’s going in an area that is already being regularly mowed low, or is in a place that doesn’t need mowing like a dense forest, this is very important. Then work on the approval and funding once all of the items I mentioned first are handled.