Changes to High Bridge

[Eric whippet Brown]

I'm going to try and figure out a schedule to move baskets in alt positions and the club is in the process of making new tee signs. I hope to have signs up ASAP and figure what layout is A or B, I also have all materials for a kiosk so we can let the players know what layout is in play. I would also like opinions on changing the basket #'s to have 11 as hole 1, more people park and start on A street so it would make more sense? So then that makes me want to put the kiosk up by hole #11. Any ideas on anything let me know. I have an idea for hole 6 and 7 alt tee's and pins, but I don't know if it will make the course harder for others because it adds distance on hole 6 but a open natural fairway. I will put paint down on Wed when I have a crew helping me clean up and get more tee boxes fixed.

[Parks]

Originally Posted by Evil T

Maybe I do have the wrong mind set. Maybe we should concentrate on the players that need to be challenged more. Maybe new players should be segregated off to a different course. I really don't see less skilled players building a new course, but that is an option. I guess I need to look from everyone's perspective.

I do apologize for starting this thread. My original point has been muddled, and the thread has become malicious.

I think your original point is strong "consider the rec players."

That being said, I think the tone of some of the posts in this thread have been misinterpreted.

Eric: Hole 1 is down in the bottom because the gazebo is an easy place to set up tourney central.

For local players, it doesn't matter a whole lot what you actually call hole 1.

[Timber]

Originally Posted by Eric whippet Brown

I have an idea for hole 6 and 7 alt tee's and pins, but I don't know if it will make the course harder for others because it adds distance on hole 6 but a open natural fairway.

Speaking for myself, I would rather play a longer hole with a legit fairway than a shorter one where luck is the dominant factor.

I'm impressed by the effort everyone is putting into this. Forward momentum is good even if the process gets messy at times. Ultimately what we are all working towards is for Spokane to have the best course options possible.

[Wobbly Bob]

Chase Middle School has a 7 hole course set up. The tee boxes are not marked so you can tee-off from anywhere you want. There are no trees to make the game more challenging. There are some elevation changes.

Blue Grass Park in Cd'A, ID. has a very beginner friendly 9 hole course set up but some of the holes are close to 250'.

I still think that generating am pars for our courses would solve this problem.

[Wobbly Bob]

If the Spokane Parks Dept. were to give us a community park to develop a pitch and putt in, I'm sure that after we have finished the projects we are working on presently we could raise the $5400 it would cost to install a nine hole course.

[Adam Schneider]

Why not just add amateur pads to one of the existing courses? No new land is needed, and the pro pads can be as tough as the pros want them to be. Everybody wins.

[Eric whippet Brown]

All we did was add alt pin locations and now its a tougher course, so what, it's not going to stay that way 4 ever. I'm sure as soon as we move it back to its original layout, someone will complain on how easy it is? Just play the course get better and then all will be good. It will be impossible to please everyone, I think newbies should be exposed to various types of holes that will make them work on different shots. As soon as we made changes to highbridge it gets played way more than normal, so there are people that do like it and don't, so its going to be a gradual change that everyone is going to have to accept.

[General Scales]

So I love the new layout at Highbridge. I agree that it's not beginner friendly but it's not supposed to be. Just like Eric, I started @ Downriver and Farragut. Neither one of those places is beginner friendly (I didn't know about the 9 hole till a year after I started playing).

As for making a beginner friendly course, has anybody tried to secure Sullivan Park for disc golf? I was in talks with Matt Stone @ Spo Valley Parks and Rec but we lost touch. The place could be made into a Corbin'esque style course. 15-18 holes. Nothing over 400 feet. Lots of wooded shots but thats what makes people learn to throw better. If it's always open where is your improvement?

Just something to think about since Sullivan Park, in my opinion offers way more potential for a great place to huck then Plantes Ferry.

[DiscGolfRules]

Originally Posted by Eric whippet Brown

All we did was add alt pin locations and now its a tougher course, so what, it's not going to stay that way 4 ever. I'm sure as soon as we move it back to its original layout, someone will complain on how easy it is? Just play the course get better and then all will be good. It will be impossible to please everyone, I think newbies should be exposed to various types of holes that will make them work on different shots. As soon as we made changes to highbridge it gets played way more than normal, so there are people that do like it and don't, so its going to be a gradual change that everyone is going to have to accept.

Join the SDGA. Pay $20, sit down, shut up, and accept it. That membership provides the wright to be innsulted by board members for giving input to a club you payed to join. This is why I did not renew this year and never will again.

[Parks]

Originally Posted by General Scales

As for making a beginner friendly course, has anybody tried to secure Sullivan Park for disc golf? I was in talks with Matt Stone @ Spo Valley Parks and Rec but we lost touch. The place could be made into a Corbin'esque style course. 15-18 holes. Nothing over 400 feet. Lots of wooded shots but thats what makes people learn to throw better. If it's always open where is your improvement?

Just something to think about since Sullivan Park, in my opinion offers way more potential for a great place to huck then Plantes Ferry.

There are some people working with the Valley/County/whoever owns it to put something in at Sullivan. I believe they have the goal of starting a club that will hopefully materialize around this summer.

[Parks]

Originally Posted by DiscGolfRules

Join the SDGA. Pay $20, sit down, shut up, and accept it. That membership provides the wright to be innsulted by board members for giving input to a club you payed to join. This is why I did not renew this year and never will again.

Right, because that's exactly what happened here.

Just because my opinion is the same or similar to a few others on this board, my opinion is somehow less valid? And when I voice it, its not a concern, its an insult?

Please.

[DiscGolfRules]

Calling someone a newbie is an insult and you know that.

[DiscGolfRules]

Then you told him to go play somewhere else. Weird club recruiting there.

[Eric whippet Brown]

I'm sorry if I insulted anyone with the newbie comment. I should have said beginner or intermediate ams. And as far as sit down and pay your money and not have a voice in the SDGA your pretty much wrong there, that's why we have more club meetings. We have a piece of land across from highbridge that I'm getting the feeling we need to make more beginner friendly. I think that if your an SDGA member and don't like the highbridge layout and would like a beginner friendly course, then propose something for peoples park. It would be a lot easier to design a shorter course then try and fix highbridge to be more friendly to the newer players of the sport.

[Dixon011001]

After reading all this I think having an A and B tee pads might be best. Many other courses do this and then its like doubling the number of holes also. Due to my schedule I can not attend pdga meetings but would be willing to map out allternate tee pads and send them to someone. It seems to me this could also be done with the new peaples park as well. Then that new location does not have to be easy and high bridge hard. Both locations could provide both. Hell it could be down at downriver also then everyone would have lots of options for throwin.

[ScottW]

I think this has been a good discussion on a polarizing topic. Don't apologize for making the post, it has started a good debate and both sides have had good points. I will agree that the tone that some people have isn't ideal but at least everyone is passionate about disc golf. I think Mirabeau Point Park could be home to a great 9 hole course that could be kept in the trees and not interfere with other park users too much. That said, I highly doubt that the city would agree and if they did I doubt they would put any money into it. I think the short tee/long tee option is a fair one I am just not sure how suitable it would be to incorporate at DR or HB. Again, just my 2 cents.

[friable7]

Originally Posted by ScottW

You can please some of the people all of the time but you will never please all of the people all of the time. Think about this - Have you played Farragut? If so how was it? Did you play the 9 hole pitch and putt that is family friendly? Did you or would you play Farragut just to play the 9 hole easy course? I am guessing probably not because the other two courses are bigger and better and challenge your game in different ways and you realize that while short easy holes are necessary for the extreme beginners to get comfortable they are not what bring players back for more. I believe the SDGA is moving in the right direction and I also believe that there are suitable areas for shorter courses that would cater to the less skilled but I also think that it should be some of those players who persue these other avenues. Just my 2 cents. Keep up the good work SDGA, I already think you are doing better than last year.

Nice that you mentioned Farragut. Very well designed and groomed to take into account many different levels of players. High Bridge could have a similar look and feel to it if we were able to do some grooming of the land. Could you imagine standing on 4's tee and trying to decide to hyzer the long way to the right or go for a lengthy very tight key hole placement up to the pin from amongst all those saplings to the left of the tee? There are tons of things we could to improve the play and approach of the holes that would not necessarily make them "easier" but enhance the play for all levels of players. Just need an intelligent design that could be sold to the powers that be.

[catalystdg]

putting in alt tees is the best solution and has been suggested to the board (and the person in charge before their was a board) many many times over the years but because it costs more money than alt pins has never been supported by a few people. but the new board is doing a very good job listening to all the players willing to put in their 2 cents and I'm sure whatever happens will be the best for disc golf as a whole.
and my two cents is that highbridge even with the new harder holes is no where near a pro level course and doesent play much harder now than it did before. an equal number of holes were made easier as well as those that were made harder.

[General Scales]

Originally Posted by ScottW

I think this has been a good discussion on a polarizing topic. Don't apologize for making the post, it has started a good debate and both sides have had good points. I will agree that the tone that some people have isn't ideal but at least everyone is passionate about disc golf. I think Mirabeau Point Park could be home to a great 9 hole course that could be kept in the trees and not interfere with other park users too much. That said, I highly doubt that the city would agree and if they did I doubt they would put any money into it. I think the short tee/long tee option is a fair one I am just not sure how suitable it would be to incorporate at DR or HB. Again, just my 2 cents.

Mirabeau is the dream location of the valley but alas, according to Matt Stone (who was the last person in charge at Spokane Valley Parks and Rec that I knew of) it will never happen. Three things come into consideration with why it won't.
1.) Parking. Plain and simple. Disc golfers take up a lot of parking and since there is so very very little of it in the area, it's a big problem.
2.) They get 1600 dollars for weddings and receptions and pics taken by the waterfall. If you wish to rent the whole place out, that is the base fee. Since we can't raise that amount of cash, it's a no go.
3.) Park users. The trails are too populated with too many people for it to be 'safe'. He did go on to say that the area that is fenced off would be great for it and maybe one day if the parking is fixed, there might be a possibility there.

Now back to Highbridge. Alt tee's for all the holes would be sweet but could quite possibly interfere with play on some of the holes. Some would really benefit from an alt tee for noodle arms and people that are just playing casually. Especially 4. Perhaps do what was done with hole 3 and place a paint marking on the ground off to the left in the road. Shorten it up and make it a much more neutral shot for those who can't get it done on the regular. There are a few other holes that this could be done with and would make a definite improvement for casual players and new disc golfers.

I just don't know what the stance is of Spokane Parks and Rec about having paint laid down on the service roads...

[Parks]

Originally Posted by DiscGolfRules

Then you told him to go play somewhere else. Weird club recruiting there.

Filtering people to the correct location for their skill level is logical, no? People should play where they can enjoy playing. If they enjoy a challenge, that's great, if not, another course may be better suited to their skill.

There's a Men's rec league for hockey in Spokane. I joined the B league because that's my skill level. I could join the A league if I wanted to challenge myself and join the C league if I wanted easy mode.

I didn't join the A league and then say they should make the goal bigger because I can't score.