by Dee Leekha Houck
There is a proverb that if you do not know about a problem or a misdeed, you will not make yourself unhappy or worry about it. Is ignorance bliss? Remaining ignorant or uninformed about something will also allow you to not have to feel responsible. I suppose that could be bliss, but is it responsible?
As disc golfers, we have a deep-rooted history of responsibility towards the industry, the sport of disc golf, the parks which host courses, private clients who invest in courses, the people who want to host tournaments, the players, the environment, all wildlife and nature, and to doing our best for all others. To be a disc golfer means to do our best for disc golf, our communities, and humanity.
The fast growth of the sport has enabled many to enter into the realm of course design without much experience and current knowledge of safer, smarter and more sustainable designs. Older designs that were not focused on quality or safety may keep getting repeated by parks departments or new players who want to design even though the sport is very different today.
The reality is when the sport started, there was no education offered. Everyone had to learn to design on their own -- through golf course design books or discussions with each other. Everyone was collectively creating the art and science of course design. Some of those concepts survived and others didn’t work out so well. All this has created much confusion about how disc golf courses should be designed. Variety is the spice of life, and it can be in disc golf too. But the fundamental concepts and principles should be adhered to for greater sustainability, which includes safety.
For the past 10 years, workshops, on-line sessions, discussion platforms, interviews with experienced designers and more have been available as resources for designers who want to pursue knowledge.
A platform was created 8+ years ago to discuss and seek solutions for greater safety, smarter designs, and greater sustainability. 3DISCGolf on Facebook was inspired by a desire to give back to disc golf as someone who understood liability, risks and design after learning from John for over a decade at that time. I wanted this industry to start paying attention to things that were never considered as disc golf grew in leaps and bounds with better disc technology and larger player base. I thought, "let’s help increase the sustainability of the sport itself by seeking out solutions before they became a big problem." Our sport is great, and we have a great record. Let’s keep it this way.
As Tony Robbins says, “Kill the monster while it’s tiny.” Creating platforms and getting people together is also something that comes natural to me. I had hoped that by creating this group and hosting discussions on topics that would help keep this industry healthy for years – all that would create greater awareness.
For 40 years, John Houck, my husband and business partner, has been focused on quality in design and build. He has written many articles about course design and shared his knowledge as he started to innovate and create design principles and concepts based on the sound theory in golf course design. He customized those ideas to make them work for disc golfers. That’s the strategy and theory he developed, and he shared it with many through his series of articles for 3 or more decades. Discs fly in the air and land on the ground. The design had to be fair in the air and on the ground and the strategy had to be created on each fairway to help the player enjoy the game more.
There is an actual design philosophy and reasoning that designers can use to make better decisions and create a richer more enjoyable design. In addition to the aesthetics and using features optimally, there are many decisions a designer must make to create variety, balance and fair competition.
Not only does a designer need to know how to route and design with strategy, today's designers need to understand how to work with other stakeholders like communities, and other park users, so disc golf can work in harmony with other amenities
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The 3DG-CON3 will give you a glimpse into many topics and take you deep into the world of disc golf course design where you will discover and learn the latest in design and build.
JOIN IN. COME TO NEW ORLEANS. JAN 8-11th 2025.
You can attend by selecting single days or any number of days you can make it.
All details are here. Conference | Houck Design (the conference tab on the HouckDesignDiscGolf.com website)
Many designers have attended more than onc conference because they learn more each time. The knowledge goes deeper. And they meet other designers and people in the industry. It's a gathering with great energy focused on the greater good.
We all know, that we don’t know, how much we don’t know.
But now, we have a chance in this industry where we can all learn new things through each speaker and each session, each day and each other. This conference is about collaborating in goals to grow the sport responsibly.
At this end of this conference, we all become better designers, better parks directors and staff, better contractors for disc golf courses, better course owners, and some of us may realize how much we can still keep learning even after 40 years in this industry or 20 years in this industry. That’s one of the most satisfying and magical things about disc golf course design.
I wholeheartedly believe one thing for sure – we all want to keep taking the industry forward. So move forward, step up, and take part in this conference and participate. Share your thoughts in discussions and Q & A’s. Collaborate with others there.
Knowledge is Essential.
Conference | Houck Design (details and schedule here)
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