Binghamton, NY

Binghamton University DGC

Permanent course
2.545(based on 13 reviews)
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Binghamton University DGC reviews

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gabereif
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 57 played 37 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Wooded, challenging, fair 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 28, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

-I was able to make my way around the course on a first-time solo trip thanks to good signs.
-Color score cards with course map available at first tee. NICE!
-Some scenic holes. I like the river (and it would take a terrible shot to lose your disc in it).
-Although the course is heavily wooded, it's pretty easy to find discs due to light undergrowth/brush.
-No poison ivy and no problems with mosquitoes.
-It's great to have 18 more baskets in the ground in a region with so little disc golf!

Cons:

-Parking is hard during business hours since you have to park off-campus. Best to play after 5PM or on weekends.
-The first 10 holes (the only part of the course I played) is heavily wooded. Not a lot of use for drivers.

Other Thoughts:

I only played 9-and-a-half holes on this course and wasn't going to post a review, but I had a different, more positive perspective than some other reviewers, so I decided to share my thoughts nevertheless.

I have never seen such a heavily wooded disc golf course in the ~20 courses I have played. It was frustrating to only be able to throw drivers 1-2 times. Most of my energy went to finding lines to throw through all the trees. That said, the course was fair and it's not too difficult for a competent disc golfer to throw par on every hole. The lines exist and you can hit them. It feels great when you do and nail that par! This is a great course to develop your tight, mid-range shots.

It's a really bad course for beginners due to the overabundance of trees, but it's not hard to find errant discs among the trees due to light undergrowth. I wish the course was easier so novice Binghamton students could be introduced to the sport through it. I am hopeful that the course will be improved upon in the coming years by taking out a few key trees. But in the meantime, it's a great resource for the community and a good course for developing your mid-range and short games.
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1 9
hunterdust
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Disappointed 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 8, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Most holes are well marked.

Cons:

Too many holes deep in debris filled woods.
Buggy.
Zero long holes.

Other Thoughts:

I played a round with the previous reviewer and agree with pretty much everything that was said. Having over half the holes being entirely in the woods was a terrible idea and a waste of the space they had. There were no holes where you could just grip it and rip it. Sure, there were plenty of holes that will require 5 or more throws but not fun ones. The 7th time your disc plunks a tree despite it being a decent throw, you will get frustrated. The 43rd time, you will just want to get the round over with. Thick woods should be the penalty for a bad throw, not a tee shot. The first two holes are entirely in the woods. And even after that, I felt it was too much. Little did I know after I came out of that section of woods to the 3rd tee, that I was going right back in. This course could have been much better had there been only 2 or 3 holes entirely in the woods, maybe 4 or 5 more than either started or finished in the woods (requiring a good slice or hook), and then the rest nice creative, longer shots where the woods only come into play on errant tosses. Up by the 13th hole, there is a perfect opportunity for a signature long Par 5 with a nice clearing, and an uphill. Then another Par 5, this one a downhill, coming back. But they didn't take advantage of it, because they started back to the main part of the course too soon.

I used a rented disc and after playing this course, I'd never use my own. They were so dinged and nicked up from previous players hitting trees 20 times per round that it actually scratched my fingers throwing them. They were like when your skip a Frisbee on a road too often. But considering there is no asphalt, that shouldn't happen. Even the three...yes, only three...holes that were not in the woods nestled the basket between tight groupings of trees. There was just no hole that was purely about skill. IF you played this course 100 times, you could easily score just as badly the last 10 times as the first time you played it. And I don't consider that a good thing because it means it is all about luck.

I'm also not too happy that they felt the need to clear more trees for this when the campus has lost so many trees in recent years as it is. Had they limited the holes in the woods to a few, the environmental impact would have been much less. I am not a PETA member by any means, but I felt bad seeing so many baby chipmunks scurrying away every time I threw, as well as collapsed gopher holes from people walking on them. And I can't imagine the people living across the creek from holes 6-8 are happy about losing their privacy and the added noise. The woods also means you need to take precautions. First, buy a can of OFF! and be prepared to reapply it a few times. Second, wear strong boots to protect your ankles as even the tee boxes have large rocks that can twist them. And long pants are a must, and you may want to tuck them into your socks. To be walking through brush where you can see dozens of deer have just walked is a recipe for Lyme Disease.

If you go to this course, I honestly think your best bet is to make up your own course as you go along. Play maybe half of the permanent holes, and the rest, just pick a tree in the distance and make that your hole, like we used to do in the 80s before any place had baskets. The area offers plenty of obstacles to go around and elevation changes. It's just a shame the course uses nothing but the thick woods as obstacles. Like I said, the campus lends itself to some nice holes with the right imagination. It's just a shame the designer had none. Or maybe too much. When I was a kid, I had a computer golf game that let you design courses. I thought it would be hilarious to make impossible holes. Fairways that were one pixel wide surrounded by water, or having to hit through narrow corridors of trees with sand all around. The problem is, when I went to play those courses, I quickly found out they weren't fun. This course reminds me a lot of those courses that I made when I was 11 years old. I honestly think that the Campus Rec. just wanted to jump on the bandwagon and hastily built a course without giving much thought to what the sport is really all about
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