Worksheet #1: Course Environmental Inventory

Form groups of two to four students and assign each group to a hole on the local disc golf course. Have them use the worksheet to take an inventory of the vegetation within the area of that hole, indicating areas of need for maintenance. Also note problems with erosion, litter, irrigation needs, and any other areas of concern. Compile all worksheets, noting common areas of need, and approach the park authority or local disc golf club to volunteer your help in maintaining and improving conditions on the course.

Proposed Courses
Most proposed courses are in parks, which are for the most part, designated for recreational use, and disc golf is an entirely appropriate activity for these areas. In fact disc golf courses have far less impact than many commonly accepted land alterations for recreational activities, such as: ball golf, tennis courts, soccer or baseball fields, etc. Think about it, a disc golf course leaves the structural integrity of existing vegetation largely intact, while a ball golf course, soccer field, or tennis court requires earth moving and destruction of portions of land.
However, before proposing a course to any parks and recreation district or other land manager, it is highly recommended that you find any existing land use plans for the area you are considering and thoroughly acquaint yourself with them. This step can save an enormous amount of work later on. Parks often have a general land use plan, and if you can show that your course fulfills the goals of that plan, you stand a much better chance of hearing "yes".

If you are contemplating seeking permission to install a course on a tract of land, the PDGA strongly recommends seeking the advice of a professional disc golf course designer. The Disc Golf Course Designer's Guild has many qualified people that can help with all aspects of course design, including environmental impacts. Contact Chuck Kennedy to find the qualified designer nearest you. The PDGA further recommends that the new course proposal include a maintenance element that states when and how maintenance will be performed after course installation.

Even if a land use plan exists, the folks that manage that land will have questions about what kind of effect disc golf will have to the land. In general, it is best to be as honest as you can about the impacts, and that is what the rest of this document is for. Even if there is a plan, you should use the following guide to analyze for yourself what the impacts to the course will be.
The idea is to take the general concepts discussed here, and apply them to the specific situation or location you are dealing with. This requires many field visits. Think about what the course will look like during the rainy season, and during the hot dry season.
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Course Introduction
Worksheet 1
Worksheet 2
Worksheet 3
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