Anyone built their own horseshoe pit?

I have ideas of how I want to build it and the way that I want it to turn out, but I wanted to see if anyone around here had any recommendations or suggestions to add to my ideas.

• What type of materials did you use? I would like to use railroad ties as the border, does anyone know where to get ahold of any?
• I plan to place landscape cloth underneath the sand.
• Did you build it raised above the ground, or make the top flush with the ground surface?
• I would like to have a cover to place on it when not in use, but don't want to have to take out the stake to put it on.
• Any other ideas are welcomed.

[This message has been edited by madams (edited 5/20/2009 3:33p).]

Here is what I have...I'll try to take pictures tonight if I remember.

-I use a small hand-cranked pool cover when not in use. I bought it for like $75...it was the smallest one they made...for a lap pool.

-I built essentialy two sand boxes and each one of those is surrounded by a larger box filled with loose pebbles...the pebbles help stop all of the crazy "rollers" that my drunk friends always seem to throw. I decided to put in the pebbles after replacing fence boards pretty regularly.

-I did use a landscape lining under the whole thing. I rimmed the boxes with landscape timbers that I sunk in to be flush with the lawn.

1. Drive in first stake.

2. Pace off the appropriate number of steps, and drive in second stake.

3. Play horseshoes.



I have blueprints avaialable for a small reproduction fee if you need them.

Use silica instead of sand. make those pits look like PGA bunkers!!

This looks good.

quote:

---

Use silica instead of sand. make those pits look like PGA bunkers!!

---

Not to split hairs, ok I am... "Sand" is a grain size not a composition. Geologists call any grains between 1/16th mm and 2mm sand. Engineers go a bit larger (>50% passing the #4 sieve, but retained on the #200 sieve). To get a brilliant white you are correct you'll want pure quartz sand (Quartz = mineral name for the compound Silica SiO4). Calcite and gypsum sand will also be a brilliant white, but their solubilities in water will lead to frequent replacement. (Think White Sands New Mexico).

Ok, done bustin your chops now.

[This message has been edited by Kenneth_2003 (edited 5/21/2009 12:04p).]

Whoa....check out the big brain on Kenny.

[This message has been edited by pauley01 (edited 5/21/2009 1:46p).]

Thanks for the education... go with what he said.