Winter Wednesday #1 – Lynnwood Golf Course
Winter Wednesdays
Wednesday, January 15 at Lynnwood Golf Course in Lynnwood, WA
Meet Director: Mike Schuh
Winter Wednesdays is a new series offering training opportunities between the Winter League meets. The training events are low-key with two point-to-point courses, the Easier with reflective control markers and the Harder with non-reflective markers. In addition, a Score-O format course will be offered. The timing is self serve if you so choose; there will be no punching (neither manual nor electronic).
The first event will be held at Lynnwood Golf Course, a venue first used for the night sprint at SART in 2017. Like golf courses in general, it is flat, has mostly open terrain or forest, and allows for fast running.
Please note: Shoes with metal spikes or studs are not allowed on golf courses. Stay off of greens and out of sand traps or water features.
Remember to bring a headlamp or flashlight. Whistles are required.
COURSES
Course designer(s): Mike Schuh
Easier Course: 11 controls 1.4 km – markers with reflective tape
Harder Course: 18 controls 3.5 km – NO reflective tape
Create Your Own Course (Score): all of the above, 28 controls
Lengths subject to change at the whim of the Course Designer. Courses not available east of the Mississippi River.
How are courses measured?
Courses are measured as the crow flies, in a direct line from control to control. Unless you have wings, you will travel farther than this distance! Courses are measured in kilometers, so a good rule of thumb is to simply round up to miles to estimate how far you will go. So in a 5 kilometer race, you’ll likely travel up to 5 miles.
MAP AND COURSE NOTES
Patrick Nuss created the original map for the SART 2017 night sprint and then updated it for the 2023 Vampire O’. Mike Schuh did the most current update.
The terrain is a typical golf course, and is flat and runnable nearly everywhere. Fairways dominate the map and are shown as 401 Open land. Most of the forested areas between fairways are mapped as 402 Open land with scattered trees. At night these two symbols are difficult to distinguish from each other and so the yellow in the latter has been lightened slightly.
The greens are drawn with 520 (nee` 528) Area that shall not be entered; both greens and sand traps are drawn with a thin purple border. Please stay off of greens and out of sand traps or water features.
The courses are nothing out of the ordinary other than being designed for running at night. The Easier course will have control markers with reflective tape while the markers on the Harder will not be reflective.
The Easier and Harder courses will be printed back-to-back on one sheet of paper and an “All Controls” map will be on another. Suggested options:
- try the Easier course, review it, then try the Harder one
- do the two courses in succession without stopping (4.9 km, arrive early)
- use the All Controls as either a score O’ activity …
- … or pick controls to practice specific techniques
This is COC’s first event like this, please let us know your thoughts and reactions.
My thanks to Patrick for creating this map and introducing the club to orienteering on golf courses and to the COC Board for supporting this series.
– Mike Schuh
SCHEDULE
4:45 pm – sunset
5:20 pm – end of civil twilight
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Start window (no assigned start times)
8:30 pm: Course closure
Report to Finish by 8:30 pm even if you have to abandon your course.
Why is there a start window?
This event uses an interval start, which means that participants are started in waves instead of all at once. When you arrive at the start tent, follow the start volunteer’s instructions.
PRICES
PRE-REGISTRATION PRICES
$12 base price
– subtract $4 for Cascade OC members
Participating as a group? Just add $5 for each additional adult (18+) group
member, no cost for additional minors. Max group size is 3 including the group leader.
SIGN UP
LOCATION
PARKING
Park in lot Q just south of Woodway Hall.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the club email group and share your request to find a ride.
SAFETY & ETIQUETTE
Return to the Finish
All participants MUST return to the finish and check in with meet staff.
Even if you have not finished your course, you must still return to the the finish and confirm with event staff that you have returned safely.
Out of Bounds
Some areas may be marked out of bounds. It is imperative to respect these boundaries to maintain our relationships with land managers. Participants MUST NOT go out of bounds. Any participant caught going out of bounds will be disqualified.
Course Closure
All participants MUST return to the finish by course closure time. If a participant does not return by course closure, event volunteers will begin coordinating a search party.
If you need a long time on the course, start as early in the start window as possible, wear a watch, and be prepared to cut your course short to make it back by the course closure time.
Whistle
All participants MUST carry a whistle on the course. Complimentary whistles are available at the start tent (please only take one).
If you are injured on the course and need assistance, blow three long blasts to call for help.
If you hear a call for help, abandon your course to find the person in distress.
Voices
Part of the fun and fairness of orienteering is navigating your own course, so please be polite when you find a checkpoint and don’t holler that you’ve found it.
