How to Build a Disc Golf Course in Spain

From site selection to opening day: design, permits, safety, budgeting, and maintenance.

Do you own land, work for a local government, or belong to a group that wants to bring disc golf to your community? Your first question shouldn’t be how much nine or eighteen baskets cost. It should be this: Can we create a safe, enjoyable activity here that people will want to come back to?

I’m Robert Abel, founder of MAD Disc Golf. I’ve been playing for more than 30 years and have been involved in course development in the United States, Spain, and Cyprus. Some of those projects grew out of volunteer work and partnerships with clubs and institutions. I’ve learned that installing the baskets may be the most visible part of a project, but it isn’t always the hardest.

This is my guide for anyone who wants to build a disc golf course in Spain with the long term in mind, from finding the right site to making sure the course remains useful after opening day.

1. Decide who the course is for

Designing a municipal facility for people who have never thrown a disc isn’t the same as designing a tournament course for experienced players. A rural hotel, a private property, and a ski resort will also have different needs.

Before laying out the first hole, answer four questions:

• Who will use it? Local residents, beginners, families, guests, clubs, tournament players, or a combination of these groups.
• What kind of experience do we want to offer? A short introduction to the sport, a recreational round lasting one or two hours, or a challenging competitive course.
• Who will maintain it? The local government, the owner, a business, or partners working under a formal agreement.
• How will players get there? On foot, by public transportation, or by car, and what will they find when they arrive?

My rule of thumb is simple: If there isn’t another course within about a 45-minute drive, the first one should be beginner-friendly. This is a practical guideline based on my experience, not an official standard. If we design a course that’s too difficult for a community that doesn’t know the sport yet, someone may visit once and never return.

That doesn’t mean building a boring course. A good beginner course can use trees, gentle elevation changes, and different shot shapes. The challenge should be fun, not a series of lost discs.

2. Choose the site, not just the scenery

Spain has open oak woodlands, forest parks, rural properties, green spaces on the edges of towns, and natural areas that can work well for disc golf. But a beautiful location isn’t necessarily a suitable one.

On an initial visit, I focus on five things:

Space and shared use. Discs must not be thrown toward playgrounds, busy paths, roads, homes, or other areas used by people who aren’t playing. A warning sign doesn’t fix a poor design.

Visibility and course flow. Consider where players will throw from, where an errant shot could land, and how people will move between holes. Avoid crossing fairways and blind throws toward trails.

Vegetation and terrain. Trees can create interesting holes without major alterations, but thick brush, dangerous slopes, and areas where discs are easily lost can ruin the experience.

Access and arrival. Consider parking, public transportation, entrances, paths, and wayfinding. A good course that no one can find or that is too difficult to reach has a problem from day one.

Realistic maintenance. Know who will mow, who will remove hazardous branches, how machinery will access the site, and what happens during peak growing season.

The PDGA provides general design and safety guidelines, but every site needs its own assessment. There is no single acreage requirement that works for every course. The space needed depends on distances, obstacles, safety, and the property’s other uses.

3. Check ownership and permissions before making promises

This step often takes more work than people expect.

On private land, the owner needs to confirm that the proposed use complies with applicable planning and environmental regulations and that they can authorize the installations and activities. On public land, you’ll also need to work with the body responsible for the property, such as a local government, university, or another organization.

Depending on the location and scope of the project, you may need to review planning, environmental protection, trees, heritage, construction, accessibility, liability, insurance, and shared use of the space. There is no single “disc golf course permit” that replaces all these checks.

My advice is to get initial agreement on the location and proposed use before ordering equipment or starting construction. It’s also worth putting in writing who may organize activities, what happens if the use of the land changes, and who is responsible for maintenance.

In Madrid, I learned that a strong relationship with the relevant institutions matters just as much as the design itself. A course can have excellent holes, but without a clear agreement on its use and responsibilities, its future is uncertain.

4. Design for safe play and repeat visits

A course should work as a whole, not just as a collection of baskets scattered around a park.

Every hole needs a logical tee location, a safe flight path, a well-placed basket, and a reasonable walk to the next tee. Good signage should help first-time visitors find their way without relying on a regular player.

Safety is a requirement of the project, not an optional budget item. If a layout directs throws toward a public trail or doesn’t provide enough separation from other activities, it needs to be reconsidered. At MAD Disc Golf, I’m not interested in installing a course I consider unsafe just because the baskets are already in the budget. I’d rather explain the risks and propose an alternative.

Where there is enough room, short and long tees can allow beginners and advanced players to share the same facility. The PDGA identifies different skill levels in its design recommendations.

A championship course can be a great investment in an area with regular players and other places to play. But a community’s first course should help create players, not require them to exist already.

5. Nine holes or eighteen? It depends on the project

Not every municipality needs to start with eighteen holes. A well-designed nine-hole course can introduce the sport, support activities, and test local interest without immediately committing all the available land.

An eighteen-hole course may be appropriate when there is enough safe space, funding, maintenance capacity, and realistic demand. It can also offer more variety and opportunities for events.

The number of holes shouldn’t be driven by a sales target alone. A well-designed, well-maintained nine-hole course is better than an eighteen-hole course with safety conflicts or fairways that can’t be kept clear.

The project also needs to cover baskets, tee areas, signage, a course map, paths between holes, and, where appropriate, site furnishings or protective features. Buying baskets without addressing the rest doesn’t create a complete course.

6. Budgeting and procurement: who designs, who supplies, and who installs

When someone asks how much it costs to build a disc golf course, my answer is that I first need to understand the site and the project’s goals.

The budget may include an initial assessment, design, permits and documentation, baskets, site preparation, tees, anchors, signage, installation, safety measures, and ongoing maintenance. Open oak woodland with existing paths won’t have the same needs as a degraded site requiring substantial work.

In public projects, it’s important to distinguish responsibilities: The person or organization proposing the idea, designing the course, selling the baskets, and carrying out the installation may all be different. Winning an equipment supply contract doesn’t necessarily mean developing the concept or designing the course.

In Spain, Law 9/2017 on Public Sector Contracts, particularly Articles 118 and 145, governs procurement procedures and award criteria. As a general reference, minor contracts have estimated-value thresholds below €15,000 for supplies or services and €40,000 for construction work, excluding VAT (IVA). That does not mean there is a universal requirement to obtain three quotes for projects costing €10,000 or more. The contracting authority needs to review the specific procedure based on the nature and circumstances of the project.

Well-prepared tender specifications should consider the quality and safety of the overall project, not just compare basket prices. If someone volunteers a preliminary design, its authorship, scope, and terms of use should be clear before procurement begins.

7. Install, sign, and test the course before opening

Before opening, walk and play the course. Test it with beginners as well as experienced players.

I check whether the first hole is easy to find, whether the tees provide secure footing, whether the baskets are visible and firmly installed, whether the signs explain each hole clearly, and whether the walks from baskets to the next tees feel natural.

A throw that looks safe on a plan may reveal a problem when you see how people actually use the space. Fixing it before opening usually makes far more sense than waiting for a complaint or an incident.

Opening day shouldn’t be the course’s first test. It should be the moment you introduce the public to a facility that’s ready for them.

8. Maintenance determines whether people return

One of my biggest concerns is seeing courses open with enthusiasm and then become practically abandoned.

A disc golf course doesn’t need to be maintained like a traditional golf course. But players need to be able to walk the fairways and find their discs. If grass or vegetation causes beginners to keep losing discs, the experience stops being fun.

As a practical guideline, I try to keep grass in playing areas below roughly 25 cm under normal conditions, and shorter if it’s very dense. This isn’t an official standard or a measurement that applies to every site. The real goal is to make the course playable and discs easy to find.

Plan for regular mowing, removal of hazardous branches, basket inspections, tee repairs, and updated signs. If minimum standards of safety and playability can’t be maintained during certain months, it may be more responsible to temporarily close the course and communicate that closure than to let someone’s first visit become a bad experience.

This matters even more at paid facilities, where visitors reasonably expect the activity they’ve paid for to be in suitable condition.

9. The real work starts the day after opening

A course doesn’t automatically become a community. You need to give people reasons to discover it and return.

In my experience, the most successful projects plan from the start for an introductory event, discs people can try, someone to welcome new players, regular social rounds, and clear information on getting started.

Working with a local club can also help. But a volunteer club shouldn’t automatically be considered responsible for maintenance or promotion simply because it exists. Responsibilities and any partnership need to be explicitly agreed upon.

To assess success in attracting new players, I’d look beyond opening-day attendance: How many people come back a second time? How many bring a friend? How many start using the course regularly?

10. What if the project is for a private property, hotel, or ski resort?

The approach changes when the land is part of a tourism property. Along with offering a good experience, the course may help attract visitors, extend stays, or generate additional income.

A daily admission fee may work in some places. Elsewhere, the activity may be included with accommodation, admission to the property, or an experience package. Partnerships with clubs may include introductory events, agreed discounts, or an annual tournament. The owner may also benefit from spending on food, accommodation, or other services.

But safety, the intended audience, and maintenance still come first. A paid course that’s hard to find, isn’t suitable for beginners, or spends months overgrown isn’t a good tourism offering.

How we work at MAD Disc Golf

I don’t see course development as simply selling baskets. To me, a good project needs to answer four questions: Is it safe? Is it fun? Can it be maintained? Will people have reasons to come back?

At MAD Disc Golf, we assess the site and its intended use, consider nine- and eighteen-hole options, propose design and signage solutions, and can work with you through different stages of development and installation. The right solution depends on the property and the project’s permissions and conditions.

If you’re considering a course for your municipality, private property, or tourism facility, you can learn about our disc golf course design and installation service.

To get started, the most useful information is the location on Google Maps, the approximate area in hectares, and three to eight photos of the site. With that, we can have an initial conversation about whether the idea is feasible. You can reach us through the MAD Disc Golf contact page.

Installing a course is the beginning. Designing a place people want to return to is the real goal.

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Robert Abel, founder of MAD Disc Golf. More than 30 years of playing experience and involvement in course development projects in the United States, Spain, and Cyprus.

Further reading: PDGA: course development; UDisc: first steps to building a course; BOE: Public Sector Contracts Law.