The Course : Design philosophy

Course Design
The objective was to create a course which would be enjoyed by players of lesser ability, and yet pose the challenges expected of a championship course. There should be minimum interference between holes for the safety and comfort of players, and to enable continuous play with a full loading of disc golfers.

Many hazards are placed close to baskets, posing a challenge to strong players who wish to attack the pin, whilst enabling weaker throwers to make progress from the tee. Some holes have hazards close to the tee which force a more difficult shot, but short tees are provided so that recreational players have a challenge appropriate to their level of ability.

Landscape Design
The objective was to be sympathetic to the local landscape by planting indigenous deciduous trees on the lower level, and combining these on the upper level with more diverse and decorative species - as found in the grounds of the adjacent nursing home.

The main planting on the lower level is a 2 acre woodland, in which the climax species are Oak and Ash. Most prominent at the moment are the fast growing Black Poplar and Silver Birch.

On the upper level the initial planting was mostly in small fenced off clumps with many Alder and some Birch, Maple, Rowan, Pine, Hazel and Dogwood. Three specimen Cedars were planted to add to the parkland appearance. Fencing was required to protect trees from grazing sheep and it's cost was a constraining factor in the planting plan. In 2003 I decided that the land would not be grazed and planted a further 100 trees, this time with a far greater variety of species. This time the emphasis was more on landscape value than course structure, and in time this part of the course will have more of the appearance of an arboretum, complementing the grounds of the adjacent clinic.

There is more detail on the trees and shrubs in the Nature pages.