Hoge Bergsche Bos
Bergschenhoek, Netherlands · 1 course · 27 holes
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100%
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D
James "Razor" Rizor
Apr 2012
James "Razor" Rizor
Apr 2012
The Dutch Open, currently a PDGA sanctioned B-Tier tournament and officially the first event of the European tour for the season, is a source of pride for the small community of disc golfers residing ...
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The Dutch Open, currently a PDGA sanctioned B-Tier tournament and officially the first event of the European tour for the season, is a source of pride for the small community of disc golfers residing in The Netherlands (approximately 50 people for the whole country). In an attempt to show the world (Europe) that disc golf can be a legitimate sport in The Netherlands, a course was created that featured elevation (not easy to do), woods (again, sparse in this area), and open fields with good length and was relatively close to a major city (Rotterdam). However, combining these good intentions with the following typical Dutch ingredients created a near disaster of a course:
Wind - there is typically a constant 10-15 mph wind in the country, usually from the southwest. With no hills or major forests, this wind blows uncontested. But if you are on a hill, as was this course for a number of the holes, since you are the highest elevation, the wind is amplified. For this weekend there was a steady 25 mph wind from the northwest which meant on top of the field hill, gusts were up to 35-40 mph. That type of gale is difficult for most players. I had discs that have never turned-over on me turn over, including my Pro Pig and Champion X-caliber. Conversely, if you needed a turnover shot with the wind, you better have remembered to bring your most beat rollers to do the job. Wooded holes did not suffer from wind so much, except the few that went from woods to open played tricks on flight: the disc that flew well in the woods would be immediately knocked off course when coming into the open.
You may be saying, "Everyone has to deal with the wind, so what if everyone is over par?"
Privacy (or lack there of): The course is built on a year round public park, managed by a private outdoor adventure business on lease, with wide spread paved and rugged trails - it is THE spot for mountain biking in the area. Some of the trails were marked off for mountain bikers' safety, but this only made a few of them angry at the tournament play. One top-rated Finnish player quit the tournament after he exchanged words with a surly mountain biker and then in retaliation, the mountain biker threw his disc far into a pond. So, a number of locals who use the park frequently were not welcoming. Regardless, to promote safety, tight OB lines are drawn. In this case, the designer may have gotten a little too tight. Most baskets were placed within 20 feet of one or more OB line. This diminishes the value of an aggressive approach to the basket for players who can make 40 foot putts because if you go 40 feet beyond the basket, you will be out of bounds; with the stroke penalty, it is effectively a 2-putt. Good strategy then would be for the controlled up-shot - in a 35 mph headwind. Since that is equally difficult, a better strategy was to throw as hard as you could and hope to go OB after some distance and use the relief from the OB line to give yourself a good lie - a number of circle threes were recorded this way.
However, that strategy has its problems too because of the third standard Dutch ingredient for disc golf courses.
Water: Of the 27 holes on the course, only 10 holes did NOT have plausible water hazards. By my unofficial estimation, the average number of lost discs per player was about 5. I myself lost 6 discs. Serious attempts at retrieving discs were made by the tournament and dedicated individuals. Being part of one rescue team, we grabbed about 100 discs and all of them were returned to their original owner (except when no name was present and even then most of those found their way home). (Funny side story: the guy who is the official disc seller in The Netherlands raked and was able to move more product this weekend than he ever has - combined. Also, since many people from many different countries like different discs, he was able to unload discs that the Dutch do not like. The Dutch disc golf community hopes that now he will be able to get newer discs, especially any of the Blizzards - we took one out of the water, looks pretty cool, but alas, it had a name ;-) ) I estimate about 200-300 discs in total were rescued, but none of my 6 were found. There is likely another 300-500 discs in the surrounding pounds too far off the shore to be easily gathered.
So, combined with the elements, water hazards, and moronic bystanders, this course was a bitch. But couldn't you just play safely? I played many holes "safely" only to have the wind pick the disc up after a skip and go OB. So instead of taking an OB penalty and marking myself 300 feet up the fairway, I took an OB penalty and marked myself 100 feet up the fairway. Or took no OB penalties, but still took three throws to get to the spot where my opponent took his relief from his first throw. I do agree that ultimately OB and wind are not so bad and everyone has to deal with it (except wind didn't pick up until about 10 am - so players who got to play the windy holes early in the morning had a better go of it) but it is one thing to have your disc hit a gust of wind, turn, and fly 40 feet past the OB line - that's just a stroke. It is entirely another to have your disc hit a gust of wind, turn, and fly 40 feet out over a pond, and now you have just lost your last controllable mid range in your bag, the one you learned how to play with and scored your first ace with. That is a stroke and a heart attack.
Recommendations for the course: amateur tees - the course is rated 990 - so only about 20 of the 125 entrees were truly rated to play the course as it was constituted; less water holes - no problem with a few over water shots, but no need to belabor the point either - we get it, there is a lot of water in The Netherlands; wider spaces around more of the baskets - sure, have a few "island" holes, but let those who think they can make the aggressive shots try and make them, without penalty of stroke and/or lost disc. Also, the Dutch Open may be best served if they paid for the use of a private park (i.e.: ball golf course - and they have to pay for permits with the public courses anyway) where there is not a large local population who have already decided how the park should be used for their own concerns (i.e.: mountain bikers would not think to tear up a ball golf course while people are playing ball golf, but it's ok to engage in near fisticuffs with a disc golfer because for a weekend out of 52 the park is being used for disc golf?). Because of public safety, disc golf is a winter pass time here - the Open should be in early March or February, not late March, early April - the weather is too nice.
Wind - there is typically a constant 10-15 mph wind in the country, usually from the southwest. With no hills or major forests, this wind blows uncontested. But if you are on a hill, as was this course for a number of the holes, since you are the highest elevation, the wind is amplified. For this weekend there was a steady 25 mph wind from the northwest which meant on top of the field hill, gusts were up to 35-40 mph. That type of gale is difficult for most players. I had discs that have never turned-over on me turn over, including my Pro Pig and Champion X-caliber. Conversely, if you needed a turnover shot with the wind, you better have remembered to bring your most beat rollers to do the job. Wooded holes did not suffer from wind so much, except the few that went from woods to open played tricks on flight: the disc that flew well in the woods would be immediately knocked off course when coming into the open.
You may be saying, "Everyone has to deal with the wind, so what if everyone is over par?"
Privacy (or lack there of): The course is built on a year round public park, managed by a private outdoor adventure business on lease, with wide spread paved and rugged trails - it is THE spot for mountain biking in the area. Some of the trails were marked off for mountain bikers' safety, but this only made a few of them angry at the tournament play. One top-rated Finnish player quit the tournament after he exchanged words with a surly mountain biker and then in retaliation, the mountain biker threw his disc far into a pond. So, a number of locals who use the park frequently were not welcoming. Regardless, to promote safety, tight OB lines are drawn. In this case, the designer may have gotten a little too tight. Most baskets were placed within 20 feet of one or more OB line. This diminishes the value of an aggressive approach to the basket for players who can make 40 foot putts because if you go 40 feet beyond the basket, you will be out of bounds; with the stroke penalty, it is effectively a 2-putt. Good strategy then would be for the controlled up-shot - in a 35 mph headwind. Since that is equally difficult, a better strategy was to throw as hard as you could and hope to go OB after some distance and use the relief from the OB line to give yourself a good lie - a number of circle threes were recorded this way.
However, that strategy has its problems too because of the third standard Dutch ingredient for disc golf courses.
Water: Of the 27 holes on the course, only 10 holes did NOT have plausible water hazards. By my unofficial estimation, the average number of lost discs per player was about 5. I myself lost 6 discs. Serious attempts at retrieving discs were made by the tournament and dedicated individuals. Being part of one rescue team, we grabbed about 100 discs and all of them were returned to their original owner (except when no name was present and even then most of those found their way home). (Funny side story: the guy who is the official disc seller in The Netherlands raked and was able to move more product this weekend than he ever has - combined. Also, since many people from many different countries like different discs, he was able to unload discs that the Dutch do not like. The Dutch disc golf community hopes that now he will be able to get newer discs, especially any of the Blizzards - we took one out of the water, looks pretty cool, but alas, it had a name ;-) ) I estimate about 200-300 discs in total were rescued, but none of my 6 were found. There is likely another 300-500 discs in the surrounding pounds too far off the shore to be easily gathered.
So, combined with the elements, water hazards, and moronic bystanders, this course was a bitch. But couldn't you just play safely? I played many holes "safely" only to have the wind pick the disc up after a skip and go OB. So instead of taking an OB penalty and marking myself 300 feet up the fairway, I took an OB penalty and marked myself 100 feet up the fairway. Or took no OB penalties, but still took three throws to get to the spot where my opponent took his relief from his first throw. I do agree that ultimately OB and wind are not so bad and everyone has to deal with it (except wind didn't pick up until about 10 am - so players who got to play the windy holes early in the morning had a better go of it) but it is one thing to have your disc hit a gust of wind, turn, and fly 40 feet past the OB line - that's just a stroke. It is entirely another to have your disc hit a gust of wind, turn, and fly 40 feet out over a pond, and now you have just lost your last controllable mid range in your bag, the one you learned how to play with and scored your first ace with. That is a stroke and a heart attack.
Recommendations for the course: amateur tees - the course is rated 990 - so only about 20 of the 125 entrees were truly rated to play the course as it was constituted; less water holes - no problem with a few over water shots, but no need to belabor the point either - we get it, there is a lot of water in The Netherlands; wider spaces around more of the baskets - sure, have a few "island" holes, but let those who think they can make the aggressive shots try and make them, without penalty of stroke and/or lost disc. Also, the Dutch Open may be best served if they paid for the use of a private park (i.e.: ball golf course - and they have to pay for permits with the public courses anyway) where there is not a large local population who have already decided how the park should be used for their own concerns (i.e.: mountain bikers would not think to tear up a ball golf course while people are playing ball golf, but it's ok to engage in near fisticuffs with a disc golfer because for a weekend out of 52 the park is being used for disc golf?). Because of public safety, disc golf is a winter pass time here - the Open should be in early March or February, not late March, early April - the weather is too nice.