Binghamton University DGC reviews
3
1
DantheDigger
Experience:
33.9 years
2 played
2 reviews
OK...but could use some tweaking 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Sep 23, 2013
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Good scenery
Not usually crowded
Not usually crowded
Cons:
Too short
Fairways need some cleaning up
Fairways need some cleaning up
Other Thoughts:
I haven't played this course since last fall, so I can't say how well it plays after the harsh winter. However, after reading the recent reviews, I did a walkthrough in mid-June. to address some of the issues brought up in other reviews.
First off, bugs. Are there bugs on the course? Of course. Anywhere in the woods and near slow moving water is going to have bugs. And sure, they will bother you if you don't use bug spray. But that is the key point. I don't think there is a course anywhere where bugs will not be an issue on a hot summer day when you are sweating. It is just common sense to use bug spray if you are going to sweat outdoors. So give yourself a good spray before you leave your car and you should be good to go. As for parking, I have always gone while the college was not in session, so I park in the East Gym lot. But I can see where it could be a problem during SUNY semesters. The placement of the 1st tee was clearly done with students in mind, as it is close to the East Gym entrance where they can check out the discs. So it is pretty far removed from the bulk of the holes. But the walk from the off campus parking isn't really THAT long. Certainly not enough to keep you from playing.
On to the woods holes. They are demanding, but I would say that they are all possible. I might accept that maybe 1 or 2 might require both skill AND luck to get par, but the rest are OK. My problem with these holes are that if you are off by even a tiny bit and hit a tree, your disc could go anywhere in the ricochet, and now your next throw could be totally blocked. There isn't much chance of a recovery par in that case. But my biggest concern with the holes in the woods is all the debris on the ground. This is not a course where you want to casually chat with your buddies while walking to your next throw. There are so many roots, fallen trees, stumps, and large rocks on the ground that it really feels like you're hiking, rather than playing a sport. So make sure you pay attention to where you are stepping when walking to your disc. And a pair of sturdy boots is better than loose low top sneakers or shoes. And I'd definitely avoid open toed shoes like sandals. (and be careful....there are quite a few animal holes in the woods, so definitely watch your step especially on the hills.) Another problem I have with the debris is a perfect throw could hit a stump on the way down and roll into no man's land where your next shot is completely blocked. I feel a fairway should be a fairway. I'd like to see them make actual fairways by clearing out the path of all the debris and laying down woodchips the way the school did for the nearby High Elements Training Course. It'd make the woods holes both safer, and more fair. Even if the path was just a narrow path to walk (like a cart path in real golf) it would give it a nicer look and make the hike safer.
My biggest complaint about the course is its length, or lack thereof. There are also some baffling placements that make holes shorter than they need to be. For example, after the 2nd hole, which is in the woods, you come out of the woods for the 3rd tee. However, when you exit the woods, the tee box is a good 50+ feet away. Why not make the tee right out of the woods to make the length of the 3rd hole longer? Also, understandably, most of the holes in the woods are very short. There are two 3-hole segments that total only about 600 feet. I'd like to see those 6 holes turned into 4 by combining two into one, or three into two. For example, take out the 15th hole and 16th tee and make that one hole. Or move the 5th hole in more, then move the 6th tee closer to the 7th hole, making the current 7th hole the 6th. This would add some length, and free up 2 holes that could be used in the area of the 5th or 13th hole to make some nice long Par 5s. This would especially appeal to new players who tend to like to just throw as hard as they can. I think they designed it to have as little impact on the land as possible, meaning that no student walking to class would have to worry about getting hit by a disc, but I'd love it if they basically took a small part of the outer edge of the East Gym field and made it just for a few holes of the course. No real reason for students to walk around there anyway.
As one previous review said, this course set up is probably not the best for making new players take up the sport regularly, which is a shame considering it is a college campus and will likely get many new players.. In fact, when I did my walkthrough last week, I saw a groups of players coming in and starting on the 3rd hole. I asked them why they were doing that and they said the first two holes are pretty far away from the off campus parking and are pretty much the same as some of the others so they usually skip it and just play fewer holes. (They said every so often then will play the first two holes several times in a row so when they play in leagues they would not be at a disadvantage.) They also said they sometimes skip 10-13 as well, which was strange since IMO, 13 is the best hole. But I guess since the 14th tee is so close to the 10th hole they decide it isn't worth the walk to the 11th tee.
All in all it is not a bad way to spend an hour or so. The course is well marked, except for the 12th tee which is a bit removed from the 11th hole and I didn't see any "Next Tee" sign like all the other holes have. (It may be there, but I didn't see any.) It is definitely a course that will appeal to hikers and nature lovers. Plenty of wildlife around, ranging from baby chipmunks, squirrels, and deer. I heard some woodpeckers a couple times, but couldn't find where they were. The course could definitely use some tweaking, but I think that is true of almost every course, especially newer ones. I don't know if there are plans to make changes based on feedback, but it would be nice. At the very least, they need to clean it up quite a bit in the woods. But what I'd love to see is for them to build a second course and really utilize more of the campus. They've got a short par 58, now go for a long par 72! Start at the East Gym field and work your way across the entrance road to the West Gym. (obviously not to throw across the road) Maybe even have a hole cross the creek and go onto the rugby field. Or go more south beyond the current course's 13th hole. Make this course more open, and with much more length. Give players a choice. But I guess having two courses on the campus is expecting a bit much right now. I think for the students, especially those who live in Newing and Dickinson nearby, it will likely be a nice distractions once in awhile, maybe even just playing a few holes here and there, and with a regular Frisbee. Nothing wrong with that. That's how the sport got started, after all. But I'm just not sure it is going to get students in the other 5 communities to want to make the walk to play.
I want to add one thing...even if you don't like all the wooded holes as one reviewer obviously doesn't, don't let it scare you away from playing. You will surely find 9 or so holes that you would enjoy. And if you are just playing for fun, as opposed to tournaments or leagues, there is no reason why you can't make up some new holes on the spot. The land around the course definitely allows some alternatives. So if you don't want to play all the short wooded holes...don't. That's the beauty of this sport. It doesn't take much more than a disc and some creativity to play, even if it means that for some holes you won't have a basket to throw to. After all..In MY day if we wanted to play, we have to throw dinner plates 5 miles in the snow...uphill...BOTH ways! OK...maybe not. But there was only 3 baskets in the one park that had any. And the rest we had to make up by picking a tree, or having to touch home plate at the little league field or whatever. In some ways, that can be more fun. But this course should give most people at least 12 set holes to enjoy, and the others shouldn't scare off or bore too many others.
First off, bugs. Are there bugs on the course? Of course. Anywhere in the woods and near slow moving water is going to have bugs. And sure, they will bother you if you don't use bug spray. But that is the key point. I don't think there is a course anywhere where bugs will not be an issue on a hot summer day when you are sweating. It is just common sense to use bug spray if you are going to sweat outdoors. So give yourself a good spray before you leave your car and you should be good to go. As for parking, I have always gone while the college was not in session, so I park in the East Gym lot. But I can see where it could be a problem during SUNY semesters. The placement of the 1st tee was clearly done with students in mind, as it is close to the East Gym entrance where they can check out the discs. So it is pretty far removed from the bulk of the holes. But the walk from the off campus parking isn't really THAT long. Certainly not enough to keep you from playing.
On to the woods holes. They are demanding, but I would say that they are all possible. I might accept that maybe 1 or 2 might require both skill AND luck to get par, but the rest are OK. My problem with these holes are that if you are off by even a tiny bit and hit a tree, your disc could go anywhere in the ricochet, and now your next throw could be totally blocked. There isn't much chance of a recovery par in that case. But my biggest concern with the holes in the woods is all the debris on the ground. This is not a course where you want to casually chat with your buddies while walking to your next throw. There are so many roots, fallen trees, stumps, and large rocks on the ground that it really feels like you're hiking, rather than playing a sport. So make sure you pay attention to where you are stepping when walking to your disc. And a pair of sturdy boots is better than loose low top sneakers or shoes. And I'd definitely avoid open toed shoes like sandals. (and be careful....there are quite a few animal holes in the woods, so definitely watch your step especially on the hills.) Another problem I have with the debris is a perfect throw could hit a stump on the way down and roll into no man's land where your next shot is completely blocked. I feel a fairway should be a fairway. I'd like to see them make actual fairways by clearing out the path of all the debris and laying down woodchips the way the school did for the nearby High Elements Training Course. It'd make the woods holes both safer, and more fair. Even if the path was just a narrow path to walk (like a cart path in real golf) it would give it a nicer look and make the hike safer.
My biggest complaint about the course is its length, or lack thereof. There are also some baffling placements that make holes shorter than they need to be. For example, after the 2nd hole, which is in the woods, you come out of the woods for the 3rd tee. However, when you exit the woods, the tee box is a good 50+ feet away. Why not make the tee right out of the woods to make the length of the 3rd hole longer? Also, understandably, most of the holes in the woods are very short. There are two 3-hole segments that total only about 600 feet. I'd like to see those 6 holes turned into 4 by combining two into one, or three into two. For example, take out the 15th hole and 16th tee and make that one hole. Or move the 5th hole in more, then move the 6th tee closer to the 7th hole, making the current 7th hole the 6th. This would add some length, and free up 2 holes that could be used in the area of the 5th or 13th hole to make some nice long Par 5s. This would especially appeal to new players who tend to like to just throw as hard as they can. I think they designed it to have as little impact on the land as possible, meaning that no student walking to class would have to worry about getting hit by a disc, but I'd love it if they basically took a small part of the outer edge of the East Gym field and made it just for a few holes of the course. No real reason for students to walk around there anyway.
As one previous review said, this course set up is probably not the best for making new players take up the sport regularly, which is a shame considering it is a college campus and will likely get many new players.. In fact, when I did my walkthrough last week, I saw a groups of players coming in and starting on the 3rd hole. I asked them why they were doing that and they said the first two holes are pretty far away from the off campus parking and are pretty much the same as some of the others so they usually skip it and just play fewer holes. (They said every so often then will play the first two holes several times in a row so when they play in leagues they would not be at a disadvantage.) They also said they sometimes skip 10-13 as well, which was strange since IMO, 13 is the best hole. But I guess since the 14th tee is so close to the 10th hole they decide it isn't worth the walk to the 11th tee.
All in all it is not a bad way to spend an hour or so. The course is well marked, except for the 12th tee which is a bit removed from the 11th hole and I didn't see any "Next Tee" sign like all the other holes have. (It may be there, but I didn't see any.) It is definitely a course that will appeal to hikers and nature lovers. Plenty of wildlife around, ranging from baby chipmunks, squirrels, and deer. I heard some woodpeckers a couple times, but couldn't find where they were. The course could definitely use some tweaking, but I think that is true of almost every course, especially newer ones. I don't know if there are plans to make changes based on feedback, but it would be nice. At the very least, they need to clean it up quite a bit in the woods. But what I'd love to see is for them to build a second course and really utilize more of the campus. They've got a short par 58, now go for a long par 72! Start at the East Gym field and work your way across the entrance road to the West Gym. (obviously not to throw across the road) Maybe even have a hole cross the creek and go onto the rugby field. Or go more south beyond the current course's 13th hole. Make this course more open, and with much more length. Give players a choice. But I guess having two courses on the campus is expecting a bit much right now. I think for the students, especially those who live in Newing and Dickinson nearby, it will likely be a nice distractions once in awhile, maybe even just playing a few holes here and there, and with a regular Frisbee. Nothing wrong with that. That's how the sport got started, after all. But I'm just not sure it is going to get students in the other 5 communities to want to make the walk to play.
I want to add one thing...even if you don't like all the wooded holes as one reviewer obviously doesn't, don't let it scare you away from playing. You will surely find 9 or so holes that you would enjoy. And if you are just playing for fun, as opposed to tournaments or leagues, there is no reason why you can't make up some new holes on the spot. The land around the course definitely allows some alternatives. So if you don't want to play all the short wooded holes...don't. That's the beauty of this sport. It doesn't take much more than a disc and some creativity to play, even if it means that for some holes you won't have a basket to throw to. After all..In MY day if we wanted to play, we have to throw dinner plates 5 miles in the snow...uphill...BOTH ways! OK...maybe not. But there was only 3 baskets in the one park that had any. And the rest we had to make up by picking a tree, or having to touch home plate at the little league field or whatever. In some ways, that can be more fun. But this course should give most people at least 12 set holes to enjoy, and the others shouldn't scare off or bore too many others.
