At this year’s Rendezvous how about a round of TreeGolf.


See you at the top,
Dan House

Hopefully one will be set at 115', we'll see who can reach that high never mind hit the target.
-moss

Moss,
Any rules on the techique used to launch the throw weight? My recently completed pneumatic tennis ball launcher can shoot a custom weighted 14 oz "tennis ball throw weight" somewhere around 200 plus feet streight up. I haven't bothered to accurately measure the height yet, but it easily clears two to two and a half times higher than any trees I have on my property. ( Oh, and it's from ACME.)
Wiley Coyote

Sounds good. We had a climber bring a pneumatic launcher to the 07 Rendezvous but it fizzled. Rules (if any) are yet to be written on launch devices but can't imagine that yours would be denied entry.

How do you generate compression for the device? Hand pump or some other method? Have you attached a throw line yet to your tennis ball? A typical large tree slingshot will throw an "untethered" golf ball ridiculously high. When you attach a throw line you introduce additional drag/weight and the height potential is reduced.

I suppose rocket launcher throw devices may not be allowed. I'm waiting to see someone come up with a radio controlled trunk crawler robot/mechanical squirrel for line placement.
-moss

Whats the big deal with RPL's, Mine works great!

It would definitely have to be an "unlimited" event. My shoulder fired Sidewinder should be a force to be reconed with. Frankenwinder would school in the high shots.

The best bet in reality would be a good old fashion throwing compitition with a golf style twist. That lets everyone compete and levels the playing field.

I think of flagged crotches in multiple trees. The entrant with the lowest throw count wins the grand prize.

Okay, I'll go along with that -- as long as Abe Winters and Eliot Su are banned from the competition...!

Moss,
Air source for the pneumatic launcher depends on where I'm climbing. If I'm just climbing in the Water Oaks in my back yard, I use the air compressor in my shop. 30 to 40 PSI will easily reach a 50' to 60' TIP with Target Line attached and a good deal of accuracy. At 100 PSI you just aim it as streight up as you can and wait forever for the ball to come back down. That's just for fun and to impress visitors. In the woods, I either use a foot pump (it takes suprisingly little time to reach 40 PSI) or, if I'm climbing close to my car, I have a small compressor that plugs into the cigarette lighter jack in the car. The compressor cost me a whopping $6.99 at Harbor freight. Obviously, this is not for wilderness climbing where every ounce matters. The nice thing is that I was inspired to build the launcher after reading a post and attached links here on the TCC site.
Maybe we should start a new post titled "The impractical tree climber". Then I could get Fell Glenn to help me film a video using my 2 3/4" bore black powder Cohorn Mortar to launch concrete filled Campbell's Soup cans for "throw weights". At 200 grains of 4F powder you can easily get 600' elevation with a 1200' range. All you need to do is cast a short aviation cable leader into the soup can when you fill it with concrete. For this you definitely need sherpahs. The barrel alone weighs in about 70 pounds.
Wiley Coyote

I'm more of a light mounted brigade strategist. I believe that an agile unit consisting of 20 camels and 20 riders armed with big slingshots and a sack of golf balls per rider could take over a small country (a very small country), maybe for a few hours. Might need Cohorn Mortar backup and a few of Hunab's RPLs. The primary strategy is to make the opposing army laugh so hard that they become totally helpless. I'd never make it in the military.
-moss

I've been practicing, you said Tree Golf, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATwr7YxcM8Q

Wiley, I like the way you think...

THIS...

NcSTAR AR-15 Golf Ball Launcher

Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Willie Namath once said: "Practice increases your chances of getting lucky."

After viewing J~bird's video, I'm convinced that "the kid" needs a helluva lot more practice before he ventures into any tree golf competition...!

And, by the way Hunabku, while J~bird obviously needs a lot more practice, at least he DID post a video. The rest of the adventure, research and educational tree climbing world is still waiting for the videos you prom...! Oh, never mind..!

Hey man, the ball didn't move, so I don't have to count a stroke. They don't call me birdy for nuthin.

Jbird,
While I'm no "golfer" I do know that if you swing at the ball, and miss, it is still counted as a stroke, I think. Oh, and I love the camo cover on your helmet, where can I get one for mine?
As far as this tree golf competition is concerned, will there be a division for those of us not fortunate enough to have mechanical throwing devices?

Well in regular golf you would count the swing, after your practice swings, if you did indeed intend to hit the ball. But this is tree golf, and that was definately a practice swing. Google helmet covers and army navy surplus to subdue your brain bucket.

Oh, practice swing. Is that like the old thing when we where kids playing baseball and you would call "Do Over!"?