so ive been flying freestyle for about two years and my buddy keeps dragging me to local races and honestly ive started to catch the bug. decided im just gonna build a proper little track in my backyard so i can actually practice lines instead of just goofing around.

got a bunch of the standard PVC gate frames, some pool noodles for the flag poles, and i ordered like 30 of those plastic flag ribbons from amazon. the yard is maybe 60 by 40 meters give or take so not huge but i figure i can do a decent technical course with some rhythm sections.

my question is more about layout i think. like should i be prioritizing tight technical stuff since the space is small or try to squeeze in at least one longer straight even if its not that long. also how many gates is reasonable for a course this size. i keep seeing tracks that look way more complex than the space should allow and im not sure if thats just a wide angle lens thing or what

honestly for that size i wouldnt go crazy trying to cram in too many gates, maybe 8 to 12 max depending on how you route it. the mistake most people make is making the course too tight and then you cant actually build any momentum so it ends up just being a hover fest which isnt that fun to race on.

even a short straight matters more than you'd think. even like 15 meters where you can get your throttle down teaches you something different than constant chicanes. if you have any elevation change at all use it, even stacking a gate slightly higher than the others breaks things up nicely. pool noodle flags are fine, just make sure they're weighted at the base or the first crash takes out half your track.

wide angle lens thing is def part of it lol those gopro shots make everything look way bigger and more spread out. but yeah 60x40 is actually a decent amount of space, our club runs on a field not much bigger than that.

one thing i'd add ? think about your start gate placement relative to the sun if you fly in the afternoon. sounds dumb but racing directly into afternoon sun through your goggles is miserable and people crash way more. learned that the hard way at our last club day