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Breckenridge Circuit reviews
16
0
Beautiful Terrain, Lacking Infrastructure 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jul 15, 2021
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
A gorgeous and promising object course along the lower bounds of Breckenridge's ski slopes, but missing many amenities. I've made major revisions to my original review in light of updates and the posting of a course map.
-Beauty: Undoubtedly players will take a moment on the ski slopes to appreciate gorgeous views of the town of Breckenridge and its opposing mountains, especially in the middle of fairway (15). Of course, the peaks looming above may also draw the eye. Barring distant sights, the strips of aspen forest here are gorgeous and long grassy downhills are also visually appealing.
-Terrain: The same terrain that makes this beautiful makes it promising for golf. Constant elevation change and thick woods, plus meadows, are great for designing a course around. Unlike any ski courses, they were able to use the strips of wood for challenging technical holes.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: The holes are at a 3.5 or 4.0 level here. There are long par-3s playing across slopes and into pockets, short and very technical woods shots with tiny lines, and some multi-shot holes that play with contours of the tree pockets more. Holes (1)-(16) go generally uphill, with (17)-(27) downhill. The best variety of a ski course I've played, with the biome seeming to hold for several holes at a time but changing often. Par-92 means about a third of holes are multi-shot, and most of those aren't just wide open rips. Woods can punish off-line shots pretty badly, and wetlands can snag underthrown drives. Holes (12)-(14) are notable for playing through the remains of some sort of walking/climbing course with the most exotic scenery and cliffs, while (18)-(21) provide many chances for fun downhill drives that aren't super steep.
-Improvements: In the four weeks between my playthroughs, there were massive improvements. Chief was adding a course map to UDisc, but there were plenty of other substantial helps. Tees are now marked with stones and numbered, and next tee paths are bordered by lines of limbs. I also noticed one basket down near Beaver Run - possibly a portent of baskets for the main course? (I certainly hope so.) There were also some plywood boards over the wetland streams, which made things much nicer.
-Beauty: Undoubtedly players will take a moment on the ski slopes to appreciate gorgeous views of the town of Breckenridge and its opposing mountains, especially in the middle of fairway (15). Of course, the peaks looming above may also draw the eye. Barring distant sights, the strips of aspen forest here are gorgeous and long grassy downhills are also visually appealing.
-Terrain: The same terrain that makes this beautiful makes it promising for golf. Constant elevation change and thick woods, plus meadows, are great for designing a course around. Unlike any ski courses, they were able to use the strips of wood for challenging technical holes.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: The holes are at a 3.5 or 4.0 level here. There are long par-3s playing across slopes and into pockets, short and very technical woods shots with tiny lines, and some multi-shot holes that play with contours of the tree pockets more. Holes (1)-(16) go generally uphill, with (17)-(27) downhill. The best variety of a ski course I've played, with the biome seeming to hold for several holes at a time but changing often. Par-92 means about a third of holes are multi-shot, and most of those aren't just wide open rips. Woods can punish off-line shots pretty badly, and wetlands can snag underthrown drives. Holes (12)-(14) are notable for playing through the remains of some sort of walking/climbing course with the most exotic scenery and cliffs, while (18)-(21) provide many chances for fun downhill drives that aren't super steep.
-Improvements: In the four weeks between my playthroughs, there were massive improvements. Chief was adding a course map to UDisc, but there were plenty of other substantial helps. Tees are now marked with stones and numbered, and next tee paths are bordered by lines of limbs. I also noticed one basket down near Beaver Run - possibly a portent of baskets for the main course? (I certainly hope so.) There were also some plywood boards over the wetland streams, which made things much nicer.
Cons:
Mainly the lack of guidance and infrastructure, plus some tricky pathfinding
-Amenities: In my original review I said it was the worst of any course I've ever played. Thankfully, it's merely bad now. Tees: All-natural, which provides varying level of grip. Clearly marked though. Targets: Just trees. The trees have a pink blaze, and some of them have one or more white bands to mark where on the tree you have to strike to finish the hole. These blazes are also virtually impossible to spot unless you know right where to look. In-Hole Aids: whoever set up the course attempted to provide extra help. Yellow arrows point to pocket baskets, but it's not enough to guide precisely. Tee Signs: Still desperately needed. The course is essentially impossible to play without UDisc. Basic maps would be especially valuable for pocket baskets.
-Navigation: Still tricky. Without UDisc, again, it would be almost impossible to follow the flow without issues. Increased blazes would be excellent.
-Strenuous: Just walking this course is no joke. There are substantial elevation changes at high altitude - I felt more lightheaded doing this in the afternoon than I had hiking a 14er in the morning the week before. There is also some, as the UDisc posting says, "natural pathfinding" through bushes, streams, and gullies. Hole (14) seemed downright dangerous--not in a deadly way, but in the sense that losing balance or twisting an ankle seemed a definite possibility for a 21-year-old with good footing.
-Wetlands: A couple of the early holes (and (27)) play over wetland. Two things go with this. First, it's super uncomfortable to walk through. Torso-high bushes, marshy ground, and small streams. Second, they eat discs alive. I lost only one, but anything short could be gone easily.
-Grass: Due to being on a ski slope, the grass is consistently close to a foot tall. It wasn't a major issue, but disc-searching will be more than average throughout non-technical holes.
-Reaching It: The only way I could reach the course with my sedan was to pay almost $10 for parking at a resort and hike half a mile to the start. Not something I'm deducting points for.
-Amenities: In my original review I said it was the worst of any course I've ever played. Thankfully, it's merely bad now. Tees: All-natural, which provides varying level of grip. Clearly marked though. Targets: Just trees. The trees have a pink blaze, and some of them have one or more white bands to mark where on the tree you have to strike to finish the hole. These blazes are also virtually impossible to spot unless you know right where to look. In-Hole Aids: whoever set up the course attempted to provide extra help. Yellow arrows point to pocket baskets, but it's not enough to guide precisely. Tee Signs: Still desperately needed. The course is essentially impossible to play without UDisc. Basic maps would be especially valuable for pocket baskets.
-Navigation: Still tricky. Without UDisc, again, it would be almost impossible to follow the flow without issues. Increased blazes would be excellent.
-Strenuous: Just walking this course is no joke. There are substantial elevation changes at high altitude - I felt more lightheaded doing this in the afternoon than I had hiking a 14er in the morning the week before. There is also some, as the UDisc posting says, "natural pathfinding" through bushes, streams, and gullies. Hole (14) seemed downright dangerous--not in a deadly way, but in the sense that losing balance or twisting an ankle seemed a definite possibility for a 21-year-old with good footing.
-Wetlands: A couple of the early holes (and (27)) play over wetland. Two things go with this. First, it's super uncomfortable to walk through. Torso-high bushes, marshy ground, and small streams. Second, they eat discs alive. I lost only one, but anything short could be gone easily.
-Grass: Due to being on a ski slope, the grass is consistently close to a foot tall. It wasn't a major issue, but disc-searching will be more than average throughout non-technical holes.
-Reaching It: The only way I could reach the course with my sedan was to pay almost $10 for parking at a resort and hike half a mile to the start. Not something I'm deducting points for.
Other Thoughts:
Huge improvements at Breckenridge Circuit since my original review. It's playable by anyone in good shape as a course now, and I think the design is above average for ski slopes. Unfortunately, there are some major issues - principally no baskets, no tee signs, and a lot of rough pathfinding due to extreme elevation and brush. I wouldn't take anyone except a seasoned veteran out here. I hope they add amenities and clear some more paths, because the result could easily be an Excellent course. As is, I've gone with Reasonable for now. PM me if things are updated.
