Spring Fling Showcases New Turf Tee Pad
By Jayson Woods, Programs & Facilities Supervisor, Orange County Parks & Recreation
Following two successful Turkey Toss disc golf tournaments held in the fall in recent years, Parks & Recreation staff decided to increase its offerings with a new spring disc golf tournament. Unlike the Turkey Toss ’ team - based formats, this tournament was planned as an individual competition. The inaugural “ Spring Fling ” was held the morning of Saturday, April 10, 2021, with 15 participants, many of which were repeat contenders from prior events. Thomas Forrester (pictured right) was one of these familiar faces. After two strong rounds of play, he finished at ten under par to take home the overall champion position in Flight 1, winning a BP1 - V3 disc golf backpack valued at $120 (courtesy of our sponsor Prodigy Disc) as his grand prize! Other top finishers included Jeremy Butterfield in Flight 2 and Jeffery Donnell in Flight 3.
There was more on display than these player ’ s skills that foggy Saturday morning. Staff chose this event to unveil the first of the new artificial turf tee pads to be installed at the course. Players have requested this feature since shortly after the course opened in 2019. Turf tee pads improve safety and course maintenance as frequent play can wear natural tees down to slippery mud in short order. Participant Ricci Deloriea prepares to throw his first drive from the new tee pad at hole #1.
Installation of the 12’ x 6’ tee pads is more complex than the final result would suggest. Parks and Recreation staff challenged themselves to have the first of these in place prior to the Spring Fling, with the hopes of getting some feedback from players before committing to the plan for the whole course. Installation begins with a wooden 2” x 6” frame placed in a rectangular hole. With the help of the CVRJ Workforce, the location was prepared through digging and the placement of millings, courtesy of the Town of Orange. Road millings and crusher run comprised the base, over which a Prodigy Disc turf pad was affixed. A final wooden border of 1’ x 2’ locks it into place, followed by fill dirt, grass seed, and straw to complete the installation. Tournament participants had only positive comments about the new sample tee pad. OCPR anticipates installing 17 additional tee pads over the next year or two. This will enable Orange County to offer an even higher quality recreational disc golf experience to its citizens.
Tee box installation steps.
Page 13 | May, 2021
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