As an FYI, we won’t be using standard golf balls for this course (too many concerns about golf balls flying through the halls). We’ll be using ~3" foam stress balls. Please make sure the design takes this into account.
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@ty_s or @Caroline Maybe you should add this information in the building requirements mentioned above.
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That will change the dynamics, or should I say physics, of the designs. Imagine for example an upward spiral path, a standard golf ball would retain enough momentum to be hit up a ramp in the form of a helix but I doubt a foam ball could do the same.
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So, it looks as though we have another challenge 
…
. I actually have a few questions about the material requirements. It specifically states that the model must be cut from 2 4x8 sheets of plywood 
. When you say this, does this mean these are the only materials you can use in the actual construction of the miniature golf “hole”? (Can it only be made with this plywood, or can you incorporate a ton of other stuff, too, like extraneous details such as a clown with a blinking nose, and Happy Gilmore standing in front of it, whacking it with a putter, for instance). Just asking completely out of curiosity.
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If you can cut Happy Gilmore from one of the sheets of plywood, then you can use him!
The reason for not allowing additional items is twofold; First off, the point of this challenge is to come up with six or seven mini golf holes that we can actually fabricate and use in a course at Basecamp. To do that, we need to control what pieces the holes are made of. We cannot rely on finding a 5’6" tall clown to hold up a portion of the hole, if that is what your design calls for. Second, this adds a serious challenge! How can you most creatively use the materials you are allotted to make an incredible golf hole? It would be easy to make a 30’ long dinosaur model where you put from the head and have the hole down at the tail, but it;s a challenge to make a great, fun, playable hole that is limited to a specific footprint using only specific materials… Thus the challenge!
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But, that being said, we CAN incorporate fun details that we can purchase online somewhere (within reason) so if you want to add some flair to your model, go for it 
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That is a good point, I do think one of the concerns with the indoor holes would be people having to hit the ball hard enough to go up a helix… And then missing. But I do like the way you’re thinking.
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Alright. A challenge is a challenge, nonetheless. I can also, now, see why each design can only be made with two sheets of plywood. The model has to be creative and economical. Are these supposed to be those ‘single hit’ courses, or can you stand around them and hit a ball multiple times?
That’s the idea! Looking forward to seeing your design!
I have here a very, very crude model that hopefully falls within the guidelines. If the background is irrelevant, feel free to paste the 3d basecamp wallpaper to the back panel.
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Usually, you can hit the ball multiple times in minigolf. Whoever gets the fewest strokes wins. Also, I’m worried that a 3" ball might be extremely difficult to hit into a 4" hole. A standard golf ball is 1.68" in diameter, so a stress ball is almost twice the size. Can we make it a 5" or 6" hole if we want?
Thus this makes it a greater challenge! The stress ball is used as opposed to a standard golf ball because the stress ball won’t bounce and roll everywhere and cause a potential safety hazard. If the rules and constraints say ‘4" hole’, then it must be a 4" hole. 
Wow! CNC machines can make some awesome things…
I made a starry design to match Basecamp’s retro style.
By the way, what do the foam stress balls look like?
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I’m guessing something like this.
Edited for something a little more dynamic.
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Posted Ricochet Sand Dunes Submittal v1 today and thought this would be the appropriate place to post my thoughts for design.
This hole is designed to hold up without screws, except for the logo stuff, which will probably be screwed in. Although some type of key or bow tie might be used in a future revision. Please also note that the 2 sand traps and ricochet hill are adjustable in height with pins cut from the 2x4s.And I believe that there will be some bounce in the panels themselves. Helping the foam stress ball move along.
I think wood glue will likely be required in the panel keys. In a future revision I might beef up the CNC cut logo stuff.
I have not added dog bones at inside corners. I’ve read that their size will be driven by router bit size and other operator choices that are beyond my current knowledge. I imagine a chamfered edge should be added to ease connection points.
I am curious what plywood grade will be used. I’m hoping for a good grade Baltic Birch. Also how the angled half lap connections will be done on a CNC machine. Flip the stock, or will they need to be done with some other saw? A Jig or band saw would work well.
I’ve left the basic materials for this submittal. My choices would be to stain the plywood with possibly Rubio Monocoat exterior, polyurethane, or even a shellac might be cool. These would add to panel thickness and should probably be applied before cutting and considered during tool pathing. I am not sure if that would dull the router bits?
A wood dye could be neat, and I believe would resolve any exterior coat issues if there are any. Spraying some green felt on each cut out with glue could also be a good alternative. And there is always paint.
I think the 3D SketchUp cube should be done on a 3D printer. I am open to suggestion for sure. I am thinking about ways to add the ShopBot Logo in a revision to be uploaded soon.
I am curious what the workflow will be towards tool-pathing for the ShopBot folks if this model gets chosen for fabrication: SketchUp, VCarve Pro, Cabinet Software, Fusion 360, or direct to machine from SketchUp?
I would like to throw a shout out to ThomThom for Solid Inspector on Extension Warehouse which was very helpful. Easy to use and saved time. And thanks to Justin Geis for suggesting it. Great tutorials. https://www.youtube.com/thesketchupessentials
Have to say this was a fun exercise. Learned a lot.
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Here’s a the @davegx1 entry:
Going back to my nearly forgotten mini golf enthusiasm I went through while my age was still stated with single digits, I’d get very mad if I had to play this hole! Why? My ball would inevitably get stuck at the low end of one (or both!) of the two valleys!
All mini-golf courses I recall had a rule that you could use if your ball comes to rest too close to an edge: You may move to ball to be one putter-head length away from the edge in a perpendicular direction.
The rule is intended to allow you to actually swing the putter a bit to make contact with your ball in a manner that allows you to control the direction. On this hole? It won’t work! After moving it away from the edge, he ball will roll back down to the bottom of the valley!
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Thanks for your input @sjdorst . Love to see it get built and test your theory. My belief is that with a decent shot and correct angle you will get beyond the traps/valleys into that final slot.
Found this challenge by complete accident and thought I would give it a blast…
Simple design, two ramps inside the Sketchup logo box. One ramp takes the ball back to the start the other takes the ball on the side of the course with the hole.
Bit of luck for which side the ball comes out but plenty of space to walk and take shots either way.
Will upload the model as soon as I get chance to tidy it up. Taken a couple of snapshots for now.
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Some of these things are great. I think I might want to add more interesting designs on my existing model.
I just uploaded my model to 3DWAREHOUSE.
Can I enter the challenge?
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/a91c571a-8d19-4aa4-9098-1943bab756a9/CNCGolf-SULO