Course Improvements

[Derek Tonn]

I hope people don't mind, but I thought I might start a thread here that effectively serves as a sort of "blog" or history of how we've been working to make our course here in Springfield better. We really do have a nice course...and it's been continually improving as the months have passed. Maybe that's a personality flaw....the fact that I am NEVER really, truly satisfied with the status quo?! :-) I just want us to do the community proud and have the very-best course we can.

[Derek Tonn]

Just wanted to share that the course improvements on Hole 10 are now well-underway...and I have spent about 7-8 hours (so far) cleaning out a TON of mostly-dead brush over the past ten days where our new Pro/Tourney tee will be located. My plan is to also clear out 1-2 spots immediately adjacent to the water, so that people can come back there and have a couple more great spots to fish! I'll also be clearing a narrow path in the trees from the Hole 9 basket to the new Hole 10 tee...which will be very scenic and peaceful. The new Pro/Tourney tee will be 271 feet from the basket (compared to 243 feet from the existing Pro/Tourney tee), with a 14-15' wide alley which will make attacking the basket off the tee a much more difficult proposition for both left- and right-handed players. Most advanced players would generally score an easy 3 on that hole before. I still expect mostly threes off the new tee from the better players, though there will be more bogey-4 scores as a result of this improvement, as well as a few more discs in the water if people are careless off the tee.

Most of my work this Spring, other than some general litter pick-up, has been concentrated on Hole 10, although I did also add about 15 wheelbarrow loads of dirt on the 6th tee. I'd like to build that tee up even more and potentially place a bit of rock at the back of it that would help with drainage. I'll need to get permission to do that though before I move ahead with those plans.

[Derek Tonn]

Put in another six hours today of clearing brush, moving rock, picking up trash, etc. along the new "Pro/Tourney" tee on Hole 10. I've done about all I can do now which doesn't require a chainsaw...and with mine in desperate need of a sharpening, I might have to wait for someone to help me clear the last two small clusters of brush/trees that will need to come down in order to play that hole. It's going to play even longer/tougher than I had originally envisioned! I re-measured today, and it will be exactly 300 feet from the front of the tee to the basket. Factor in a 12-15 foot wide window between brush/trees that you have to navigate for the first 90-100 feet of the hole and water along the entire left edge of the fairway, and that ought to strike a little "nervousness" into even the better players when they are staring down that shot! :-)

While I was out working, Dustin Reutzel from Fairmont, MN aced Hole 11. I had aced Hole 12 last summer (a much easier hole), but I never heard of any other aces out on the course...much less on Hole 11, which requires both an exceptional shot AND a bit of luck to accomplish. Congratulations again to Dustin!

[Derek Tonn]

I thought this thread needed a few pictures to spice things up today...so I packed up the portable in my wheelbarrow and headed down to the course. Here are some visuals which hopefully help to explain some of the improvements that are in-motion here in Springfield:

Above is a photo of what you see from the new pro/tourney tee on Hole 10, in-progress. We've got three small clusters of trees that will need to be cleared in order to make the hole playable, and we still need to get the railroad tie for the front of the tee box in the ground (as well as clear the path through the brush from the Hole 9 basket to the 10th tee). However, we're getting VERY close to having this hole be playable now.

This shot shows you what you will eventually see when looking back at the 10th tee from the basket. You can't make out the tee area very well yet (until those few clusters of small trees are removed), but it gives you an idea of the "tunnel" you will have to shoot through when heading towards the basket.

MY brush pile is bigger than YOUR brush pile!!! LOL. Seriously though, I put the wheelbarrow in front of the brush pile to give people an idea of just how much I've had to clear out from Hole 10 during the past few weeks. My back is killing me, but it'll all be worth it when we're done.

Here is a view of the proposed Hole 13 am/rec tee, before any brush has been cleared. Not TOO hard...though if one gets careless in their tee shot, that 2-3' tall CRP grass on the right (once we get later into the season) and trees/river on the left would make folks pay.

Once we get into the summer months, this proposed pro/tourney tee for the proposed Hole 13 would be one of the toughest psychological holes on the course. If you miss short or to the right, you're wading through 2-3' tall grasses. If you miss long....splash (or at least a little "pinball" off the trees).

[Derek Tonn]

One more photo to share (as my previous post must have maxed-out its length or number of images. What you are looking at above is the proposed view from the Hole 14 tee to the basket. If you look VERY closely, you'll see just a bit of red in the photo, which is the basket. The photo is a bit misleading, as there really isn't that much brush in the proposed hole's fairway. Still, prior to any clearing/grooming work, this is the current view off that proposed tee.

[Derek Tonn]

Thought I would share tonight that I spent a couple more hours this afternoon out on the course...mostly moving rock, but I also picked up two bags of trash and recycling along Holes 2, 3, 4 and 5. I have been taking rock out of the pile of concrete and other misc. materials that are sitting on Kenny Lange's land which houses Holes 5 and 12...taking some of the rock down to the shoreline of Salonek's Pond (to the West of the 10th basket), and a bit more up to the area about 40 feet in front of the Hole 2 tee (encouraging people who occasionally park their cars to go fishing there to make sure and park a bit further back...to avoid any vehicle/disc conflicts. Positive yardage today....though Holes 5 and 10 still need a LOT of work. We're getting there though....a day/week at a time! :-)

[Derek Tonn]

I spent about 90 more minutes out clearing brush and picking up litter along the new Hole 10 "pro" tee this afternoon. Pulled out one bag of trash and one bag of recycling, and had two great conversations with an elderly woman and one of the neighbors adjacent to Hole 12, who both said how much they've appreciated my/our efforts to clean up that portion of our Parks and Rec land in town. More litter and brush-clearing is STILL needed down at Hole 10, but we're getting much closer to being able to open that new tee. After work, I made sure I got a little "play" in as well. Struggled in the wind, though I did deuce Hole 11 for the first time today...which made it all worthwhile.

[Derek Tonn]

Put in another two hours this afternoon on Hole 10...mostly picking up trash/recycling and moving some rock down along the shore by the 10th basket, but also working to connect the new 10th "Pro" tee to the 9th basket via a scenic path along and "above" Salonek's Pond. It's going to be 80-times nicer when we're done with all that compared to before...walking through the trees and overlooking the pond versus the current path from the 9th basket to the 10th tee. Probably sounds stupid having a 37-year old getting excited over something as silly as a path on a disc golf course, LOL! However, it is going to be really, REALLY pretty back there...and can also double as 2-3 great spots for people to fish as well. I can't wait to get all of that done! A couple of weeks away...

[Derek Tonn]

Spent about another hour out around Hole 10 this afternoon...mostly removing dead branches, though I did FINALLY bridge the connection between the 9th basket and 10th tee today. That is SO cool! Lots more clean-up work yet to be done...but that path will be a huge aesthetic improvement over what we've had in the past, with a couple of beautiful spots to look out over Salonek's Pond. Now if I can just get a little help with a chainsaw for an hour or two, we should be able to open-up that new tee and let 'er rip. :-)

[Derek Tonn]

Wanted to quickly report that on Thursday (May 8), I spent another hour working on the new Hole 10 tee. I am basically digging out a narrow trench through the new Hole 10 "fairway" so that water from the grassy areas by Holes 6 and 7 can drain directly into the pond. It looks like that was the intent of our City Grounds folks all-along, but the drainage trench only extended about five feet to the West of the current walking/biking trail and then abruptly stopped...forcing water to pool and back-up to the East of the trail. I added another ten feet or so to the trench and it already made a BIG difference! When I can connect that trench to the pond, it should help Holes 6 and 7 to dry-out much quicker in the Spring, as well as after a heavy rain.

With the dirt from that drainage trench, I am basically grooming the new Hole 10 "pro" tee, as well as covering up a few of the lowest stumps along the new Hole 10 fairway. Recycling at its finest! :-) It'll take me 15-20 hours to complete my work on "the trench"...but it'll be well-worth the effort when we're done.

[Derek Tonn]

Had a good day working out on the course this afternoon. Got the 10th "Pro" tee railroad tie in the ground...and also extended that drainage trench another 12-15 feet...using the dirt from the trench to fill in low spots on the new Hole 10 "Pro" fairway. I had a great chat with Doug Mehr (Springfield Grounds Crew) out on Holes 10 and 11 too...showing him what I've been doing and asking if a few other ideas I've had will be okay to implement. I even had time to wheel the railroad tie for the new Hole 2 "Amateur/Recreational" tee to its location and started clearing brush and garbage from that area too. It'll take 3-4 afternoons of work to get that new tee on Hole 2 ready to play. However, I'll make sure that it's ready to play in advance of our first "league night" on Tuesday, June 3. Onward and upward! :-)

[Derek Tonn]

Spent another two hours out on Hole 2 today, digging out and leveling that new Am/Rec tee pad and getting the railroad tie into the ground. Cleared a ton more dead branches and garbage too...as somebody had left a busted-up television in that area. The new tee is now open and playable, as of around 4:00pm this afternoon. A good job done! Next week, we'll see about opening that new Hole 10 "Pro" tee as well...

[Derek Tonn]

I spent another four hours yesterday down on Holes 9 and 10, and we got about two hours of "chainsaw" help from Craig Curry, John Mueller and another one of John's relatives, and I am proud to report that the new "Pro" tee on Hole 10 is now officially open for business! The path in the trees between Holes 9 and 10 is also finished...and we even got a "bonus" of taking down three small stumps along the Hole 9 fairway as well! Be afraid, MFA/SMDGA...be VERY afraid (LOL), as that new Hole 10 tee will test even the best of you. :-)