garydropcho
Apr 14 2010, 10:35 PM
If you viewed the slideshow on pfds.org about the club's course priorities for 2010, you know that a disc golf course project on the Slippery Rock campus is moving forward.

To that end, the design team would like some feedback on the proposed front nine. What would the interest be for walking through the first nine holes at SRU this Sunday afternoon after the Ironwood has concluded? SRU is only 15 minutes north of Moraine, and would take about 90 minutes.

All the indications from Steve Roberts, director of Outdoor Adventures at SRU, are a go for getting the first half of the course installed by the end of the summer. Dialing in the routing of the holes, the par and the appropriate lengths for three tee positions is our next step.

Are you in?

garydropcho
Apr 18 2010, 08:00 PM
8 of us walked or pedaled the proposed layout of the front nine of the Slippery Rock University disc golf course today after the Ironwood Open concluded. Thanks to Scott Bolen, Vince Slaugh, KB Clark, Jerry Gotcher, Chris Deitzel and Lori Merriman for spending an hour out there with me (I'm sure everyone was plenty tired from the weekend golfing at Moraine).

Many good points about the holes were raised, including safety and recreational fun issues were made. Much more to decide before this is all done.

Comments here are welcome.

vslaugh
Apr 20 2010, 12:42 AM
8 of us walked or pedaled the proposed layout of the front nine of the Slippery Rock University disc golf course today after the Ironwood Open concluded. Thanks to Scott Bolen, Vince Slaugh, KB Clark, Jerry Gotcher, Chris Deitzel and Lori Merriman for spending an hour out there with me (I'm sure everyone was plenty tired from the weekend golfing at Moraine).

Many good points about the holes were raised, including safety and recreational fun issues were made. Much more to decide before this is all done.

Comments here are welcome.

Thanks for the tour, J Gary. It was a lot of fun to walk the course...I'm excited to see it come to fruition. Just to put them on paper, here are a couple suggestions--either my own or others' that I heard--from Sunday.

Hole 1 and 2 were really good and will hopefully hook many college students on the sport.

For Hole 3, I didn't like it as a Par 4. If there's a headwind, many discs are going to go on the field. It would be fun if it were simply OB, but the risk of hitting injuring someone on the field makes it unappetizing. Also, having a hole defined by the ugly fence with its sharp angles takes away from the natural feel of the course established so nicely by Holes 1 and 2.

I'd prefer extending Hole 2 to make it a Par 4 and advancing the tees on Hole 3 to make it a Par 3. Or, Holes 1, 2, and 3 could all be Par 3's--that might even be preferable for keeping shots more contained on that area of the course, and for less grueling start for beginner-type players. If 1, 2, 3, and 6 were Par 3s, you could have one more Par 3, three Par 4s, and one Par 5, for a total of 32 for the Front 9.

As pointed out (and demonstrated by Sean :)) Hole 4 had some serious safety issues. Can you make it a Par 4, and make either Hole 5 a Par 5 if there's enough room, or Hole 8 a Par 5 (with its pin at your proposed Hole 4 pin)? I forget if the lay of the land would allow it. Also, since there's a lot of walking between holes on the Front 9, perhaps the distance between baskets and tees on Holes 4/5/6 could be designed to be minimal?

I didn't really like Hole 8 because there's nothing memorable about it, as you're playing over a horizon into the wind and bounded by IM fields with nothing to guide your sight. (Maybe I'm just not aesthetically used to completely open holes.)

Hole 6 is pretty awesome, but I feel like the other holes 4-8 could be reshuffled to make better use of the wood patch. For example, Hole 4 could be a Par 4 that makes a right turn toward the tee for Hole 6 (which would then be Hole 5 instead). From there, could something good fall into place for the rest of the holes on the Front 9? Or Hole 4's pin could be tucked along or in the woods, and Hole 5's tees/and or basket could be moved forward if there would be any value to that.

Anyway, it seems like Slippery Rock is going to be another extraordinary course that will complement Moraine nicely. I'm anxious to see Hole 7 and the Back 9. I know these thoughts are from a hazy memory and not well-polished, so feel free to summarily reject any of them...hopefully at least one or two will help.

garydropcho
Jul 30 2010, 02:18 PM
Locations for the A pin positions of the front nine at Slippery Rock University got staked out last week, and SRU Outdoor Adventures officials Steve Roberts and Koi Adams confirmed that the anchors will get installed by SRU staff sometime in the next two weeks.

DiscCatcher baskets will be installed on the course, and thanks to the Disc Golf Foundation's Matching Basket Grant and Innova Disc Golf for providing the baskets for holes 10-18! Temporary tees signs and natural tee surfaces will mark the course initially as we dial in locations for gold, blue and white tees, but the par 32 front nine layout should play around 4824/3857/3183 ft.

garydropcho
Sep 02 2010, 08:50 PM
SRU Outdoor Adventures director Steve Roberts confirmed that the front nine baskets have been installed! Temporary tee signs will be put up soon, and the course is playable.

More information at the ARC recreation center (behind #4 green).

Design work on the back nine should begin this winter.

Attached map should help you get around the course:

vslaugh
Sep 03 2010, 11:43 PM
That's great news! I look forward to seeing it with baskets.

vslaugh
Sep 15 2010, 02:10 AM
By the way, is there anything we need to know about parking at the course during the school year? I saw someone mention something about a parking pass here:
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/reviews.php?id=4126&mode=rev#25881

garydropcho
Sep 15 2010, 11:12 PM
I'll find out exact procedure from Outdoor Adventures Director Steve Roberts, but if you are not a student, faculty or staff member of the university, it is wise to register with the Campus police and or staff at the ARC (brick building behind #4 green and #5 tees.) Stop in and chat with Outdoor Adventures staff about the course.

vslaugh
Sep 17 2010, 12:58 AM
Here's a nice write-up about the course from the SRU student newspaper:

http://media.www.theonlinerocket.com/media/storage/paper601/news/2010/09/10/News/New-Disc.Golf.Course.On.Campus.Open.To.The.Public-3929756.shtml