• Satisfy the design requirements of the people and organizations who approve use of the land and fund the equipment for the course.
• Design course to be safe for both players and non-players who may pass near or through the course.
• Design course with the potential for multiple configurations to serve not only beginners but players with advanced skills; consistent with the budget and design needs expressed in Goal A above.
• Design a well balanced course with a wide range of hole lengths and a good mixture of holes requiring controlled left, right and straight throws.
• Utilise elevation changes and available foliage as well as possible. Take care to minimise potential damage to foliage and reduce the chances for erosion.

Course Design Elements

• SPACE: A Community Full Service course requires up to one acre per hole. However, a Recreational Standard course can sometimes fit 2-3 holes per acre depending on terrain.
  
  
• HOLE COUNT: Most courses are either 9 or 18 holes. There are several with 12, 24 or 27 holes. Tradition appears to dictate that the number of holes be divisible by 3. It's better to install a well designed, dual tee 12-hole course than it is to install a cramped, less safe 18-hole course on the same piece of land.
  
  
• LENGTH: All courses should have at least one configuration for beginners and casual recreational players that averages no more than 250 feet per hole (75 meters). This is a maximum of 4500 ft (1350m) for an 18-hole course or 2250 feet (675m) for a 9-holer. The preferred length range is 3600-4300 feet (1080-1290m) for the shortest set-up on an 18-hole course. This is an average length of 200-240 feet per hole (60-73m). No hole should be shorter than 120 feet (35m) and 150 feet (45m) is the "normal" low end limit.
  
  Longer configurations are achieved by installing alternate tees or target positions on several holes. Typical 18-hole course set-ups for advanced players range from 4500-6000 feet (1350-1800m). Course set-ups longer than 6000 feet (1800m) are primarily for expert players and tournament play. There is no maximum length allowed for a hole. The longest holes in the world are about 1000 feet (305m).
  
  
• HOLE NOTES: There should be a preferred flight path to a hole. Ideally, there should be more than one flight path (including rollers) to play several of the holes. There should not be too many obstructions within 30 ft (10m) of each target. An obstruction should not be so imposing that a player can't at least try to putt by stretching sideways, throwing from a low stance or throwing over the top of or through any obstacles near a target.
  
  No player throwing from the shortest (or only) tee on a hole should ever be "forced" to throw over water that is normally greater than 18" deep (50cm). Have an alternate flight path (usually to the left) that gives player the option to not cross water. Any normally dry trenches or bodies of water under 18" deep that are regularly in play should have safe paths down and out to be able to throw and/or retrieve discs safely.
  
  
• TEES: Hard surface tee pads of textured cement or asphalt are preferred."Normal" size is 4 ft wide by 12 ft long (1.2x3m). Maximum size is about 6 ft wide by 20 ft long. If you need to conserve materials, make tee pads shorter on short or downhill holes and longer on long holes. For example, a hard surfaced tee pad at the top of a hill on a short hole might only need to be 6-8 ft long because players will just stand at the front edge of the tee to make their throws.
  
  Non-hard surface tee areas should be even surfaced and not contain protruding rocks or roots. Tee areas should be level from left to right. They should not slope too sharply from front to back. The front edge of tee area must be indicated by the front edge of a tee board buried flush in the ground or by the imaginary line between two stakes that mark the front edge.
  
  Beyond the front of each tee pad should be adequate room for follow-through so a player doesn't risk twisting an ankle, falling off a ledge or whacking their arm on a tree or sign. If possible, provide adequate level ground for a runup behind each tee pad, especially on longer holes. Avoid major obstructions that severely block flight path up to 20 feet in front of tee.
  
  On courses with alternate tees on some holes, the tees in the shorter positions should always be better or at least equal in quality to those in longer positions. For example, avoid designs where the long tee pads are cement and short tee pads are grass or dirt.
  
  
• TARGETS: Any well marked object, post or basket can serve as a target. Make sure targets do not have any sharp edges to injure players or damage discs. Custom fabricated targets for sale or to be installed on public land must not violate any patents owned by the Disc Golf Association (DGA). Only DGA pole holes are currently acceptable at events sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA).
  
  
• SIGNS: Install a rules sign prominently before the first tee plus post a rules sheet on an information board (if there is one). Signs or marker arrows near each target should indicate the direction to next tee (as needed). Signs should indicate Out-of-Bounds boundaries and any other areas players should avoid. The shortest tee on each hole should have permanent signs indicating the hole number, length, teeing direction (if needed) and recreational par. Signs on shortest tees should always be equal to or better than those at longer positions on each hole.
  
  
• PAR: Par for recreational players using the short tees should range from about 68-75 on an 18-hole course. Many holes should be par 4s. A hole up to 200 feet (60m) is at least a par 3; from 200-280 feet (60-85m) is a par 4; from 280-400 feet (85-125m) is a par 5. (Add 1 to par for every additional 150 feet (45m) if needed.) Adjust par on a hole up or down if it has a significant upslope or downslope, respectively. Since it's easier to keep score in your head, advanced and expert players usually play all holes as par 3s (even if they rarely score 3 on long holes).
  
  
• LAYOUT: Fairways should (almost ) never cross one another and should be far enough apart so errant throws aren't regularly in the wrong fairway. Fairways should not cross or be too close to public streets, sidewalks and other busy areas where non-players congregate. Avoid hazardous areas such as swamps and thorny or poisonous foliage. Tees and targets should be far enough from the targets and fairways of other holes.
  
  The tee for the first hole should be the closest to the regular parking area. The target for the last hole should not be too far from the parking area and relatively close to the first tee. If possible, try to locate at least one other hole in the middle of course near the parking area. Try to minimise the amount of walking between holes (still keeping safety in mind).
  
  In rare situations, fairways can cross safely. For example, if the expert tee is significantly elevated 20+ feet above the previous basket, especially when previous hole is very long (450+), players can tee over other basket safely.