Our vision of disc golf drives us. We see the potential for a challenging and thought provoking disc golf hole everywhere we look. It's an illness, but one that we keep in check with regular practice, play, and study. This vision is of the future of our sport and the field of play, as well as understanding modern golf disc technology and how it should relate to course design.
Although still a fledgling alt sport, this is an exciting time for disc golf. PDGA membership continues to grow and the number of sanctioned events is at an all time high. Due to the fact that most DG courses reside in public parks and are free to play, it's difficult to get a firm grasp on the number of casual players and rounds played. However, judging by the exponential growth in course numbers as well as the growing number of equipment manufacturers, DG seems poised to explode. One could argue it has already.
Why is DG so popular? The short answer: it's fun, it's challenging, and there's a very short learning curve. That last part is important as most new players see massive improvements within their first few rounds. This in turn keeps them coming back.
In the beginning, golf discs were slow, small diameter objects, loosely based on the Frisbee design most people are familiar with. The early courses, especially in the northeast, were often short, tightly wooded affairs, resembling hiking trails more than golf holes. Today, golf discs go much faster and farther than their predecesors, not to mention the dizzying array of molds to choose from, each possessing a unique speed potential, flight path, and roll pattern.
On the other hand, DG courses have largely remained the same. Disc technology, in a sense has relegated most courses to "pitch and putt" or "mini golf" status. As flight distance increased, most designs couldn't hold up, their intent lost.
We believe "pitch and putt" courses are vey important for the growth of our sport. In fact, every venue should have one. They serve as a great place for beginners to hone their skills as well as casual players in search of a quick round. These short courses should always be considered when introducing new people to the game. However, 18 par 3's in a row fails to provide the intended challenge.
The game is golf, one of the greatest games ever invented. Disc golf borrows many of its rules and although there are obvious differences, the goal is the same in both games: get the object in the hole in as few shots as possible. The difficulty lies in linking shots together to finish each hole. That being said, you'll find most holes on a ball golf course to be two (or more) shot affairs, needing an adequate drive and accurate approach to have a chance to putt for a birdie. The idea is to force the player to link shots in order to score well. As it relates to a championship caliber course, par 3 holes present the player with less of a challenge overall and should represent no more than a third of the course.
In designing DG courses, our goal is to present the player with challenging, strategic holes that keep step with, if not compliment modern disc technology. We want to liberate the golf shot, let it air out, let it breathe. The flight of a golf disc can be a beautiful sight. It's a shame to see good shots cut short because the designer had the wrong idea of what should make a hole difficult. We subscribe to the school of thought that suggests reasonably good drives (in reference to wooded courses) shall make their way down the fairway, relatively unimpeded. Near-impossible gaps and low ceilings, while being important design elements, shouldn't be the pervasive theme of a DG course, especially off the tee. The difficulty with this sport should lie in hitting landing areas and linking shots together, while also considering the proper speed, angle, and rpm.
In the end, players want to see their discs fly, their potential realized. This makes them happy. I trust that someday ample fairways and more par 4's become the norm but until then, we're taking it one shot at a time. As we look toward a future so bright, as you design and build new courses, let's keep these ideas in mind because happy golfers play more golf.
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