Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your editing, graphics, step by step directions are perfect for any anyone that has gumption, and your attention to detail is spectacular. Not sure why folks need to give their opinions on best type of tee pad in comments. Your video is a fantastic resource and you sharing your wisdom is extremely kind. Folks get paid for knowledge but you are like so many of the old school golfers that grow the game by action....not words or by being a key board warrior. If you ever come through Kansas City please hit me up. I will make sure to help you out in any way I can.
Thank you very much for this video, Neal. It is the very first one I have seen on turf teepads. Well done! Although I find this fascinating as I have been thinking about turf teepads for a while, after watching this video I am convinced paved teepads remain a superior option for long term use. The only time I can see these turf teepads as being a better solution is where a teepad is NOT mounted flush with the ground, and/or is not intended to be mown over. Also where getting materials to a site is problematic. Burying one of these flush with the ground would make replacing the turf a huge mission, and I am still not convinced of the longevity of the astroturf, nor the long-term flatness of the teepad's surface. Teepads take a huge pounding. Yes, a paved teepad generally requires at least half a ton of pavers and considerable logistics and expertise to install, but they last for several decades with almost no maintenance provided proper pave-lock sand and a compactor was used in the initial process. Only occasional salting is required to control weed growth. On top of this, a paved teepad can also be relocated to a new location, which is not true for concrete teepads, which I dislike on principle for this reason, and the fact disposing of waste concrete is extremely expensive. On the subject of teepad size; I've specified and installed many teepads across many disc golf courses, and we started out with the PDGA standard of 1.8 x 3-metres which seemed oddly wide, and so we built our first ones at 1.5 x 3.0-metres. These turned out to be too short, but plenty wide enough. And so we have settled on 1.4 x 3.5 metres as our standard size. That's roughly 4.6 x 11.5 feet. If you build teepads shorter than 3.5 metres, most people stand behind the teepad to begin their X-Step power shot. Whereas on a 3.5-metre long pad, they tend to stand on the back end of it. As a disc golfer and course designer, it's my very great preference to perform my X-Step entirely on the teepad, and I do not want to ask people to step up, or step onto a teepad for an X-Step. I have no experience pounding sand flat, but I have used compactors to ensure the AP40 and crusher dust below the pavers is packed solid, so the pavers cannot move at all. It seems to me the smallest available compactor (about 40 kilos or so) would be advisable for compacting the sand as it removes the interstitial spaces between grains by vibration, which solidifies the substrate and prevents subsidence after installation. So, that's my perspective on turf vs. paved teepads. I prefer to do the job once and to never have to go back to a teepad and repair it. But that's just me, and I'm glad there are now cheaper and easier alternatives available for places and times when the funding is not available for paved teepads, or the location makes it difficult to install them. I wish I had two thumbs up to give you, but I can only give you one. Vive La Difference!
Love this design, working on installing my second course at a private summer camp. At the first location, the director was not in favor of concrete and I attempted multiple methods for doing recycled turf pads, but none were very durable or looked as good as this, such a simple design, thanks for taking the time to share it here!
Great question. I was thinking the same thing. I think these are unfortunately no good in snow. I'm building a course in Michigan and would love to do turf, but since people actually play in the winter here, I don't think it's really an option unfortunately :(
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your editing, graphics, step by step directions are perfect for any anyone that has gumption, and your attention to detail is spectacular.
Not sure why folks need to give their opinions on best type of tee pad in comments. Your video is a fantastic resource and you sharing your wisdom is extremely kind. Folks get paid for knowledge but you are like so many of the old school golfers that grow the game by action....not words or by being a key board warrior.
If you ever come through Kansas City please hit me up. I will make sure to help you out in any way I can.
Thank you very much for this video, Neal. It is the very first one I have seen on turf teepads. Well done!
Although I find this fascinating as I have been thinking about turf teepads for a while, after watching this video I am convinced paved teepads remain a superior option for long term use. The only time I can see these turf teepads as being a better solution is where a teepad is NOT mounted flush with the ground, and/or is not intended to be mown over. Also where getting materials to a site is problematic.
Burying one of these flush with the ground would make replacing the turf a huge mission, and I am still not convinced of the longevity of the astroturf, nor the long-term flatness of the teepad's surface. Teepads take a huge pounding.
Yes, a paved teepad generally requires at least half a ton of pavers and considerable logistics and expertise to install, but they last for several decades with almost no maintenance provided proper pave-lock sand and a compactor was used in the initial process. Only occasional salting is required to control weed growth.
On top of this, a paved teepad can also be relocated to a new location, which is not true for concrete teepads, which I dislike on principle for this reason, and the fact disposing of waste concrete is extremely expensive.
On the subject of teepad size; I've specified and installed many teepads across many disc golf courses, and we started out with the PDGA standard of 1.8 x 3-metres which seemed oddly wide, and so we built our first ones at 1.5 x 3.0-metres. These turned out to be too short, but plenty wide enough. And so we have settled on 1.4 x 3.5 metres as our standard size. That's roughly 4.6 x 11.5 feet.
If you build teepads shorter than 3.5 metres, most people stand behind the teepad to begin their X-Step power shot. Whereas on a 3.5-metre long pad, they tend to stand on the back end of it. As a disc golfer and course designer, it's my very great preference to perform my X-Step entirely on the teepad, and I do not want to ask people to step up, or step onto a teepad for an X-Step.
I have no experience pounding sand flat, but I have used compactors to ensure the AP40 and crusher dust below the pavers is packed solid, so the pavers cannot move at all. It seems to me the smallest available compactor (about 40 kilos or so) would be advisable for compacting the sand as it removes the interstitial spaces between grains by vibration, which solidifies the substrate and prevents subsidence after installation.
So, that's my perspective on turf vs. paved teepads. I prefer to do the job once and to never have to go back to a teepad and repair it. But that's just me, and I'm glad there are now cheaper and easier alternatives available for places and times when the funding is not available for paved teepads, or the location makes it difficult to install them.
I wish I had two thumbs up to give you, but I can only give you one. Vive La Difference!
Do you happen to have a list of materials used for a full 18 hole course? Trying to get an idea of cost!
Love this design, working on installing my second course at a private summer camp. At the first location, the director was not in favor of concrete and I attempted multiple methods for doing recycled turf pads, but none were very durable or looked as good as this, such a simple design, thanks for taking the time to share it here!
I'm redoing one of my tee pads this weekend and I'm going to do this❤😁🏴☠️
Great detailed video
How would these pads hold up in a flood area? Any possibility of them washing away?
Can lawn mowers mow straight over these tee pads or do they need to be careful of overlap when mowing around them?
once he dropped the level, all confidence went out the window
LOL - I agree -- I thought the same thing. Good catch. Should have edited that out.
Thank you!
Why do you need the outer frame?
Any idea of how these are in snow?
Great question. I was thinking the same thing. I think these are unfortunately no good in snow. I'm building a course in Michigan and would love to do turf, but since people actually play in the winter here, I don't think it's really an option unfortunately :(
Almost all the top courses in Scandinavia use turf, so I assume that it's fine with snow.
That didn't look like pressure treated wood, how do you account for wood rot?
I am a big fan of stainless steel screws. They don't rust and decompose. They are about $16 for 3.5 inch x qty 50.
It is not a disc "GOLF" it is just a FREEZBE.