The honest answer is, unless you are a private landowner who only wants to design something for you, your family and maybe some friends, the answer will always be "You shouldn't", and there are some very strong reasons for that.

I really hope I haven't lost you already because I'm still going to go over some of the work we do, and how you can build something fun, challenging and enjoyable for yourself further down the page!

You Shouldn't.....wait, what?

Let's first address the elephant in the room. Why shouldn't you design? We all have to start somewhere, right? There is a long list of important reasons, and I've gone over a handful here... Why use a Professional Disc Golf Course Designer? ... from the perspective of someone considering hiring a designer. I'm going to come at this differently for your benefit though, and I'm not going to pull punches: this is a serious topic and you deserve to be well informed.

1. Safety: Until you've done a LOT more research, you simply don't know what you don't know. The PDGA outlines a number of things that should NOT be done when designing a course here: Course Design Elements | Layout.
2. Insurance & Liability: There are at least two types of insurance that a disc golf course designer needs: CGL (Commercial General Liability) and a policy that covers design decisions in perpetuity. Without it, you are putting your house, assets, savings and family stability on the line.
3. Designing Courses, Not Holes: A professional designer can't get hung up on one "must-have hole"; you have to be willing to sacrifice it to achieve the "must-have course".
4. Designing for Everyone: You need to think about skill levels, risk vs. reward, right and left bias, forehand vs. backhand bias, and dozens more questions on every throw on every hole. See PDGA Par Guidelines and PDGA Player Skill Level Guidelines.
5. The Business of Disc Golf: You can't build the course you want; you can only build the course the client needs. Until you understand those needs and can back them up with data and sound reasoning, you shouldn't design it.

That's the cold hard truth. Becoming a professional course designer has been the best decision I've ever made, but don't go into it blind. Be safe, be smart, and do the groundwork before jumping in!

So You're Building a Course for Yourself?

Awesome, that's how I started too! I built my first course on a family cottage property, and it's still around and played regularly. It uses every inch of the property, including around buildings, across roads, over water and crossing fairways.

This is where it's still fun, and not a business. You can be as flexible as you want. Make sure you build something fun for you and your family! But if your intent is to bring strangers onto the property to play it, have a real designer do it.

Here are a few things I would recommend when building your own course...

1. Scout your own land even if you know it well. Look for old growth, erratics or other cool geological features, and views.
2. Try multiple routings, including reverse routings, and be willing to toss out your favourite hole.
3. Flag first. Plan on multiple cuts and make adjustments as you see how discs actually fly.
4. Thin or limb just off your fairways to make it easier to fetch discs and help tree health.
5. Make it yours with custom signage, tee pads and fun features.
6. Enjoy the fruits of your labour, crack a cold one, and go play.

I'm always willing to answer questions, so if I haven't answered it here, reach out and I'll do what I can!

Kevin.