Any Chance HOOD RIVER course will be layed out better someday?

[Kris Hagner]

...Hood River's course is layed out crazy (it's consensus) and I'm wondering if someday it cant be fixed? The property is nice, it could be a cool course, but the baskets are all in a line and it makes it terribly hard to figure out whats up. Also, alot of safety problems, the layout requires you to walk into fairways most of the time, and hole 9 is a blind shot up the street (anyone seen Forrest's Disc in there?) I hope someday Hood River can get redesigned into a fun playable course...

[Uhlman]

...Hood River's course is layed out crazy (it's consensus) and I'm wondering if someday it cant be fixed? The property is nice, it could be a cool course, but the baskets are all in a line and it makes it terribly hard to figure out whats up. Also, alot of safety problems, the layout requires you to walk into fairways most of the time, and hole 9 is a blind shot up the street (anyone seen Forrest's Disc in there?) I hope someday Hood River can get redesigned into a fun playable course...

While I agree there, are some safety issues, I disagree about this not being a fun or challenging course. I played it Friday and found that yes, it was a little confusing at first, but once I figured out where all the baskets were in relation to tee pads if flowed more smoothly. Make sure you have a map or a guide when you first play this course. I had neither but still found it enjoyable. Dogleg lefts and rights, trees, bushes, and the terrain its self make this a challenging course indeed. This is a quiet park and there was no one else on the course or even in the park on a windless Friday after noon. This park however needs some TLC to improve tee pads, remove the hated blackberry bushes, and litter clean up.

[Adam Schneider]

How was the poison oak situation?

[Uhlman]

How was the poison oak situation?

They had one plant marked but it was dead and brown. The park was quite dry. My wife was with me and she didn’t have any issues with it and I may be one of those people that poison oak doesn’t bother. The blackberries however, did scratch my legs something fierce.

[k2trcs]

There is a real chance the course will be altered, eventually. I can find major improvements on about 6-7 of the holes which will make the flow better but significantly shorten the longer holes, making this a fully beginner course. This may be desirable with its location in the non-DG-addicted Hood Rats.

Also Jerry Miller has offered to help with a redesign, hopefully with planning beginning this fall. Anyone else with a designer's mind would be welcome to post their constructive thoughts here.

A few considerations:
The park is 4.63 acres with substantial portions of the park currently too thick with vegetation to play through (and nearly no volunteer base to clear it). Also, one of the four sides of this squarish park is I-84 where an errant throw could result in serious consequences to startled speeders and guarantee the end of the course. Also the stream that runs through this park was replanted two years ago and DG was instructed to stay away from it...maybe it's less vulnerable now.

Current status is certainly overgrown, but playable. Poison Oak still exists but it is WAY WAY WAY... WAY better. I saw only a handful of plants in my last round.

[Uhlman]

There is a real chance the course will be altered, eventually. I can find major improvements on about 6-7 of the holes which will make the flow better but significantly shorten the longer holes, making this a fully beginner course. This may be desirable with its location in the non-DG-addicted Hood Rats.

Also Jerry Miller has offered to help with a redesign, hopefully with planning beginning this fall. Anyone else with a designer's mind would be welcome to post their constructive thoughts here.

A few considerations:
The park is 4.63 acres with substantial portions of the park currently too thick with vegetation to play through (and nearly no volunteer base to clear it). Also, one of the four sides of this squarish park is I-84 where an errant throw could result in serious consequences to startled speeders and guarantee the end of the course. Also the stream that runs through this park was replanted two years ago and DG was instructed to stay away from it...maybe it's less vulnerable now.

Current status is certainly overgrown, but playable. Poison Oak still exists but it is WAY WAY WAY... WAY better. I saw only a handful of plants in my last round.
If you set a date for clean up, I'll see what I can do to come and help. My dad lives in HR so it's a win-win for me to see this course become all it can be. I can mix and pour cement with the best of them. I've also done lots of brush clearing and as far as I know poison oak doesn’t bother me. Getting some material sponsors in town like Tum-a-Lum or HR supply to help with the concrete, weed control spray, ect… is a boon. I like the wildness of this park, I can however, definitely live with out the blackberry vines. Across the street is one of the nicest skate parks I’ve seen there is no reason this park cannot be as nice or better.

[The Brodys]

Give me a email if I can help at all on the HR course! I would love to see a DG community spring up around it. email me for a round or to do some work at kinfolkfan@yahoo.com
Thanks guys.

[The Brodys]

The course is playing nicely right now. Hope some people can get out and enjoy it. Some new woodchips in tee and pin spots. There is also a new bridge to cross the creek.

Is anyone out there? Anyone in the Hood? Happy Discin' all!

[Adam Schneider]

I just played it for the first time on Sunday. I thought it was a fun little course, but it could be very dangerous if there were more than one or two people playing at the same time.

[The Brodys]

Indeed there is some cross over action. I wish there was a bigger DG community to help replant or move the course. But it is fun for now. Especially since no one plays it, I guess.

[Uhlman]

Indeed there is some cross over action. I wish there was a bigger DG community to help replant or move the course. But it is fun for now. Especially since no one plays it, I guess.

Apparently, we are part of one of the biggest DG communities in the US. Set a work party date to help clean up the park. I am sure many of the gorge disc golfers especially the ones from The Dalles, North Bonneville and even some from Portlanders would show up to help. It’s a 2 and half hour drive for me and I would try my hardest to be there to help. I would love to see this park in my second hometown be the best it can be. I have a shovel, rake, hedge trimmers, and gloves. PM, email, or message me when you have a set a date.
On edit: from what I can tell is this park is not maintaind by HRV Parks and Rec and is not even listed as having a DGC

[The Brodys]

Thanks for the support Uhlman. I want to know what HRV thinks about moving the baskets to make a shorter less dangerous course. It would be better for the introduction of DG to this community. There are not really any options that I know of to move the course, unless the HR high school would be interested in a DG program, because there property is surrounded by Indian Creek Trail. I am not sure who has been putting the wood chips all over the course, but someone must be maintaining it. I will try to see who is in charge and see what they would allow some rogue DG'ers to do down there. Once again thank you for showing some interest in this lil' course.

[Adam Schneider]

Hood River Parks & Rec are the ones maintaining the course, as far as I know.

[The Brodys]

Thanks Adam. I guess I should talk to them and see what I can do to arrange a work party and try to do something about this course.

[The Brodys]

I have been in contact with Scott Baker at the HR Parks and Rec and he shares our concerns about the course. My question to you all is how can we fix this course? Any one familiar with it enough to make a new layout? I have thought about a few holes that could be shorter. All this course needs is some volunteers behind it, the folks that got the course installed moved or do not have time to develop it. Any input would be great.

[Adam Schneider]

If you can live with 9 holes of pitch 'n' putt disc golf (all holes under 200'), then I think there are many possibilities.

The biggest problems now are where #2, #4, and #7 come together. Off the top of my head, here's an idea:

Make #2 shorter, but still a left hook.
Move #4's tee area to where #7's basket is now. (This would probably become #3, with subsequent holes being renumbered accordingy.)
Take out #7 altogether; that blind shot is by far the biggest hazard on the course.
Either leave it as an 8-hole course, or shorten #9 and find a way to squeeze in a new final hole that starts where the #9 basket is now and finishes near the kiosk.

[The Brodys]

My girlfriend and I just got done playing a possible new layout at the Hood River course. It makes all shots less than 220 but none less than 115 or 120. Most are between 130-175. There would be limited movements of pins. I think it would play much safer and more beginner friendly. I will try to post my version of the map soon.

[The Brodys]

Oh yeah it was fun for the both of us. We just used putters and had a blast.

[The Brodys]

415

This is pretty janky but it was what I had to work with. Hope you can make sense of it if you played the other course http://www.oregondiscgolf.com/course_maps/Morrison_Park.jpg

[Uhlman]

415

This is pretty janky but it was what I had to work with. Hope you can make sense of it if you played the other course http://www.oregondiscgolf.com/course_maps/Morrison_Park.jpg

i like it not only does it look like it flows more smooth, it looks like you also solved that wacky two holes on one teepad idea.

[Uhlman]

415

This is pretty janky but it was what I had to work with. Hope you can make sense of it if you played the other course http://www.oregondiscgolf.com/course_maps/Morrison_Park.jpg

How did you measure it BTW?

[The Brodys]

I measured with a 100 foot tape. They all could go a little bit longer I think. Thanks for you input.

[Uhlman]

Can't wait until I can get up there and have you show it to me.

[The Brodys]

Just drop me a line on here. I am free Sundays and after 6 any day. Now with the time change should be able to fit a round in after 6. My course layout takes half the time as the old one also.

[The Brodys]

This layout would require 3 basket moves and 4 new tees. Anyone have any idea how much concrete that would take? Just to plant the signs and buckets not for tee pads, hopefully that will come later.

[Uhlman]

between 1 to two bags of crete depending on teh size and depth of the hole or about 3cu ft. If I remember correclty it looked like the tee signs and holes were in 10gal buckets

[Uhlman]

between 1 to two bags of crete depending on ther size and depth of the hole or about 3cu ft. If I remember correctly it looked like the tee signs and holes were in 10gal buckets

that is per hole.

[The Brodys]

Thank you Uhlman.

[The Brodys]

They had one plant marked but it was dead and brown. The park was quite dry. My wife was with me and she didn’t have any issues with it and I may be one of those people that poison oak doesn’t bother. The blackberries however, did scratch my legs something fierce.

The P.oak is almost gone completely and the blackberries are knocked way back. The land itself is coming along very nicely. Scott emailed me back about the course and said they are 4 sponsors away from having concrete tees. Sounds like it is a good time for a reconstruction before the tees are permanent.

[Uhlman]

The P.oak is almost gone completely and the blackberries are knocked way back. The land itself is coming along very nicely. Scott emailed me back about the course and said they are 4 sponsors away from having concrete tees. Sounds like it is a good time for a reconstruction before the tees are permanent.

yes it does

[The Brodys]

Pictures of the possible holes are up on the newly formed Hood River Disc Golf Club Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=photos&ref=nf&gid=388718635927#!/group.php?v=wall&ref=nf&gid=388718635927

[Uhlman]

nice pics, i joined the group

[The Brodys]

Hey thanks again. My idea is being shopped around by Scott at P&R to some other DG'ers that he knows. Hope they like it. Thanks also for joining the FB page, I want to start linking up and playing some rounds with people on that. Maybe have a FB weekly or something. Does anyone know when the guys in The Dalles start there weeklies?

[Uhlman]

Hey thanks again. My idea is being shopped around by Scott at P&R to some other DG'ers that he knows. Hope they like it. Thanks also for joining the FB page, I want to start linking up and playing some rounds with people on that. Maybe have a FB weekly or something. Does anyone know when the guys in The Dalles start there weeklies?
I know that there are some of them on here... you might want to ask that in the Sorosis Park forum page.

[The Brodys]

The course is run over by tall grass and leaf filled branches. The HRDGC is in some major need of some love. Hope to talk to PandR soon and figure out a way to remedy this. For now it is the long drive to The Dalles for us Hood DG'ers

[Uhlman]

The course is run over by tall grass and leaf filled branches. The HRDGC is in some major need of some love. Hope to talk to PandR soon and figure out a way to remedy this. For now it is the long drive to The Dalles for us Hood DG'ers

I have a gas powered weed eater (available to me) and some pruning sheers. Just tell me when and where.

[The Brodys]

Awesome, I will for sure post on here as soon as we get the ok! Thanks so much for your continued support!

[The Brodys]

They mowed the main fairways and I did not see a lot of P. Oak. We are gonna spend the evenings down there raking and maybe doing some branch clearing on a few holes. So it should be playable... Still no date on a work party... Hope it is soon.

[The Brodys]

We will be at the park around 6:30 Wed. evening trying to do some improvements if anyone wants to stop in for a short round or give us a hand. Rakes, gloves, pruning shears are the main weapons I think... Happy Discin' everyone

[The Brodys]

Jody and I did a lot of branch clearing on hole one and as much as we could on hole 8. Tonight we will focus on hole 2 and that side of the course. If anyone wants to come out we will be out there around 7pm. We have limited tools so rakes, trash bags, limb loppers and shovels might be good things to bring. Oh and gloves the blackberries are really pokey! Thanks and happy huckin'!

[The Brodys]

So hole one is really nice looking now, hole 2/4 has a large area of kinda thick brush, you might wanna throw around for now. That is the one area I saw some poison oak also. Holes 3/5 are pretty nice. Hole 6 has a bit of a rough fairway, but totally playable. Hole 7 is really blind and we suggest teeing off near hole 6 for a more playable shot. We hope to remedy hole 7's tee this evening. 8 was totally unplayable and now is playable, however you want to play it like its an island shot, because the black berries and grass are thick leading up to the green. Hole 9 has got little attention and as of last night the green was knee high grass. Its coming along.... slowly.

[The Brodys]

We cleared a little bit out of the 2/4 forest... However watch out for poison oak, it is there. We fixed it so that you can tee off from the tee on 7, it is still a hard blind shot though. Hope to see more people down there trampling some stuff. Happy Huckin'!

[The Brodys]

I know it is short notice, but anyone that can come out on Monday August
9th at 9a.m. We are going to change the layout of the Hood River course to make
it a more friendly pitch and putt style course. We will be digging up 3 baskets and moving them to new location and making some new tee placements. If you cant come out then, come out soon and try the new layout for some short up shot practice. Hope everyone is having a
great summer.

[Uhlman]

I know it is short notice, but anyone that can come out on Monday August
9th at 9a.m. We are going to change the layout of the Hood River course to make
it a more friendly pitch and putt style course. We will be digging up 3 baskets and moving them to new location and making some new tee placements. If you cant come out then, come out soon and try the new layout for some short up shot practice. Hope everyone is having a
great summer.

I hope to be able to play this this weekend. Will it be like the map you posted previously in this thread?

[The Brodys]

Hey Uhlman the course will be similar to that layout. We are going to be out there developing the tee pads on Sunday August 15th. They are very "natural" at this time.

[The Brodys]

I hope to be able to play this this weekend. Will it be like the map you posted previously in this thread?

After you play #7 you will walk back toward the freeway (directly north of the basket) and you will be at the tee of 8 (right beside tee of 9). The hole is on top of the hill in front of you between the two big oaks (shorty but tough). After that hole walk back the opposite side of hill back to tee 9 (right beside tee 8) This would be hole 8 on the map on this site, but hole 9 now. In other words there is a new hole between 7 and 8 on the map here. Maybe I will get on posted this week before you get out here. Have fun!:yay:

[The Brodys]

We will play old hole 7 for the walk out. Its a dangerous hole, but not if no one is there.

[The Brodys]

Here is a new map... I hope, not sure if it worked.

[The Brodys]

Hole fours tee sign is way past were the tee will be located. If you are at the sign back up like 30 ft or so. Sorry for any inconvenience.

[The Brodys]

A new way to play out: After hole 9 go back to hole 5 and play 5 then walk to hole 4 and play that. At that point you are right back near hole one. Hope this makes it flow a lil' better.

[The Brodys]

Also Jerry Miller has offered to help with a redesign, hopefully with planning beginning this fall. Anyone else with a designer's mind would be welcome to post their constructive thoughts here.



Anyone have any thoughts on the new layout?

[The Brodys]

Hole 6's basket is surrounded by a small lake. I would suggest playing from tee 6 to the basket of
7. Then play 7 to avoid the seasonal lake. Just make sure no one is playing 7 before throwing 6. I am sure that will not be a big issue.

[The Brodys]

The Parks and Rec of HR are looking for hole sponsors at this time. For more info contact Scott at parkprograms@gorge.net

Thanks to P and R for bringing some DG to the Hood!