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Chains Edge - Blue reviews
9
0
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Oct 1, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
The three courses all start at about the same place. I'm sure this makes for a really fun start for events with everybody gathered together. The campsites are neatly laid out, and I saw several stacks of wood. It just felt welcoming!
The signs are clear about which course starts where. The signs on the teepad tell you the number, and there are probably a couple of spots where you could accidentally jump from one course to another, but they're well spaced that this seems unlikely. I also enjoyed seeing all the names of the sponsors and people who had aced holes and the like. Again, it provided a very strong community feel that I enjoyed.
The warmup - As the longest of the 3 courses on the property, it starts out pretty slow to let your arm warm up. If you've played the green course here, you might be wondering "am I playing green again?" as the first 4 holes are all sub 250 feet. I thought this was brilliant.
Teepads - Most of the teepads are big, beautiful teepads where somebody like me (6'4" with a generous runup) has plenty of room. This is especially critical since some of the holes are quite long!
The design - The shorties are typical for Chain's Edge: A couple of options with tight lines. If you can throw straight then you can get yourself into circle 1. I don't remember the exact number of par 4s and 5s (I think four par 4s and one par 5?), but for the most part (feedback in the cons) these are well thought out. The par 5 was a super fun shape, and I think somebody with a really big arm and a great throw off the tee or on their second shot could get it in 3. I loved that.
Some use of elevation - There were a couple of holes that made good use of elevation. The red course doesn't have that (the green has it in spades), but there were a couple of times where I had to disc up or disc down depending on the slope.
Protected baskets - Besides the handful of field holes, I think the blue course has some of the best protected baskets of the three. On more than one occasion I took a risk on a putt and ended up three-putting. I think that's fun golf!
The care and attention was evident everywhere. All of the paths were very obvious. The little signs on the baskets pointing you in the right direction, even when it wasn't necessary, were great. The landscaping wasn't over-the-top but added to the experience. Not even a cigarette butt on the ground. Just fantastic.
The signs are clear about which course starts where. The signs on the teepad tell you the number, and there are probably a couple of spots where you could accidentally jump from one course to another, but they're well spaced that this seems unlikely. I also enjoyed seeing all the names of the sponsors and people who had aced holes and the like. Again, it provided a very strong community feel that I enjoyed.
The warmup - As the longest of the 3 courses on the property, it starts out pretty slow to let your arm warm up. If you've played the green course here, you might be wondering "am I playing green again?" as the first 4 holes are all sub 250 feet. I thought this was brilliant.
Teepads - Most of the teepads are big, beautiful teepads where somebody like me (6'4" with a generous runup) has plenty of room. This is especially critical since some of the holes are quite long!
The design - The shorties are typical for Chain's Edge: A couple of options with tight lines. If you can throw straight then you can get yourself into circle 1. I don't remember the exact number of par 4s and 5s (I think four par 4s and one par 5?), but for the most part (feedback in the cons) these are well thought out. The par 5 was a super fun shape, and I think somebody with a really big arm and a great throw off the tee or on their second shot could get it in 3. I loved that.
Some use of elevation - There were a couple of holes that made good use of elevation. The red course doesn't have that (the green has it in spades), but there were a couple of times where I had to disc up or disc down depending on the slope.
Protected baskets - Besides the handful of field holes, I think the blue course has some of the best protected baskets of the three. On more than one occasion I took a risk on a putt and ended up three-putting. I think that's fun golf!
The care and attention was evident everywhere. All of the paths were very obvious. The little signs on the baskets pointing you in the right direction, even when it wasn't necessary, were great. The landscaping wasn't over-the-top but added to the experience. Not even a cigarette butt on the ground. Just fantastic.
Cons:
Teepads - A few "natural" teepads. I was there after some rain, and I could see where people had slipped in the mud. I opted to throw "teepad adjacent" to avoid a fall.
The design - A couple of the shorties I thought were a little "unfair" with a spray-and-pray situation and a little too repetitive with a kind of, um, yonic shape. I was also disappointed that half of the par 4's were just field holes. For how good the par 4's are on the red course, it was disappointing to be standing in a field with the sun beating down on me, staring at the basket two long throws away. One teebox on a par 4 started in the woods and had a spray-and-pray to get out into a field. I thought that was a missed opportunity. With such a big piece of property, I would have liked to have seen more interesting layouts with landing zones, hyzers, and anhyzer shots.
Lack of information - I understand that with longer holes you're not going to be able to see the basket. I do think it's a missed opportunity not to give more information off of the teepad. On a couple of holes there is white PVC planted in the ground, but without context it serves no purpose. How far is it to the PVC? What does it denote? This is where disc golf really needs to take a leaf out of ball golf's book and add visual clues to help the golfer choose their disc and shot shape. I lost a disc because I was unwilling to walk to the turn to see the shape of the hole. Sure, I regretted being lazy, but I also resented that I would even have to walk when just a little more information at the teepad would have made the walk unnecessary.
The design - A couple of the shorties I thought were a little "unfair" with a spray-and-pray situation and a little too repetitive with a kind of, um, yonic shape. I was also disappointed that half of the par 4's were just field holes. For how good the par 4's are on the red course, it was disappointing to be standing in a field with the sun beating down on me, staring at the basket two long throws away. One teebox on a par 4 started in the woods and had a spray-and-pray to get out into a field. I thought that was a missed opportunity. With such a big piece of property, I would have liked to have seen more interesting layouts with landing zones, hyzers, and anhyzer shots.
Lack of information - I understand that with longer holes you're not going to be able to see the basket. I do think it's a missed opportunity not to give more information off of the teepad. On a couple of holes there is white PVC planted in the ground, but without context it serves no purpose. How far is it to the PVC? What does it denote? This is where disc golf really needs to take a leaf out of ball golf's book and add visual clues to help the golfer choose their disc and shot shape. I lost a disc because I was unwilling to walk to the turn to see the shape of the hole. Sure, I regretted being lazy, but I also resented that I would even have to walk when just a little more information at the teepad would have made the walk unnecessary.
Other Thoughts:
I typically don't like to review a course until I've played it at least a few times, but with only 1(!!) review at the time of writing, I think it's worthwhile to add my two cents. I also only played the blue once at time of writing, but I knew it was short on reviews. I made a point to reflect on holes and jot down some thoughts in my phone. I've also been to the property several times and feel like I have a sense of what Chad is trying to accomplish on the property.
Ultimately, I liked the blue course the least. I had high expectations given how much I like the green and (especially) the red course. I was hoping for tricky par 4s and an exciting par 5. I was a little disappointed. Chad says he's more or less done with the blue, so it is what it is, too. It's a good course and a nice foil to the green, but I will certainly choose it less often than green or red.
Neither pro nor con… On the red and green courses, the baskets correspond to that color. They're all lovely baskets. However, the blue is *mostly* blue baskets of the same wonderful type, but about 6 are either red or temporary baskets that have been fastened to be sturdy.
Each course has its own "feel" or "style." The green is shorties, the red is uh… longies?, and the red has both. In this way, the blue course having the longest holes is a really fun change. When you get to Chain's Edge, you can gauge how you're feeling and pick the course that's right for the day. It seems silly to make the trip and not play two of the courses on site. So presuming you play (at least) two, it's fun that you can play such different styles.
Playing on a private property course can be hit or miss. Chad has really put his heart and soul into this course. Chad told me he used to work at Blue Ribbon Pines until he got his hands on this property. The style and grace of BRP is very evident on this property. He's typically welcoming people, collecting his $8 (what a steal!), shooting the breeze, or on his ATV cruising around working on teepads and the like.
I like to end my reviews by imagining what kind of a player I would be if this were my home course. This is a tricky question to answer since there are three full courses on this property. Focusing just on the blue course: With a solid number of short holes and long holes, my game would be decently well-rounded. Like the shorter holes on red and green, it's all about hitting those tight lines. I'd probably become deadly accurate with my aviar and buzzz/roc off the teepad. For the long holes, I'd probably develop a pretty big arm as the par 4s are 400-500+ feet long and the par 5 is over 800 feet! My accuracy with my long throws wouldn't need to be as killer as my shorts due to the layout of many of the longs. Putting would be solid with so many of the baskets being well-guarded. I probably wouldn't need to carry as many discs. I think a putting putter, a driving putter, a driving mid, a single reliable approach mid, a bomb driver, and a "shape" driver would do me.
This is an incredible piece of property. I visit my mother-in-law down in Cambridge (about 30 mins away) about once a year. I will definitely return. For those of you who don't have a reason to be so close, I strongly recommend setting up a trip and playing all the courses on the property. The camping looked like a good setup, so an overnight could be a great time.
With the blue course at a 3.5 for me, the green a 3.75, and the red a 4.5, I think I would give the entire property and experience a solid 4.25. That's more than the average of the 3 courses. At $8, it's such a good value to be able to have such different experiences on a well-maintained course. I solidly recommend Chain's Edge.
Ultimately, I liked the blue course the least. I had high expectations given how much I like the green and (especially) the red course. I was hoping for tricky par 4s and an exciting par 5. I was a little disappointed. Chad says he's more or less done with the blue, so it is what it is, too. It's a good course and a nice foil to the green, but I will certainly choose it less often than green or red.
Neither pro nor con… On the red and green courses, the baskets correspond to that color. They're all lovely baskets. However, the blue is *mostly* blue baskets of the same wonderful type, but about 6 are either red or temporary baskets that have been fastened to be sturdy.
Each course has its own "feel" or "style." The green is shorties, the red is uh… longies?, and the red has both. In this way, the blue course having the longest holes is a really fun change. When you get to Chain's Edge, you can gauge how you're feeling and pick the course that's right for the day. It seems silly to make the trip and not play two of the courses on site. So presuming you play (at least) two, it's fun that you can play such different styles.
Playing on a private property course can be hit or miss. Chad has really put his heart and soul into this course. Chad told me he used to work at Blue Ribbon Pines until he got his hands on this property. The style and grace of BRP is very evident on this property. He's typically welcoming people, collecting his $8 (what a steal!), shooting the breeze, or on his ATV cruising around working on teepads and the like.
I like to end my reviews by imagining what kind of a player I would be if this were my home course. This is a tricky question to answer since there are three full courses on this property. Focusing just on the blue course: With a solid number of short holes and long holes, my game would be decently well-rounded. Like the shorter holes on red and green, it's all about hitting those tight lines. I'd probably become deadly accurate with my aviar and buzzz/roc off the teepad. For the long holes, I'd probably develop a pretty big arm as the par 4s are 400-500+ feet long and the par 5 is over 800 feet! My accuracy with my long throws wouldn't need to be as killer as my shorts due to the layout of many of the longs. Putting would be solid with so many of the baskets being well-guarded. I probably wouldn't need to carry as many discs. I think a putting putter, a driving putter, a driving mid, a single reliable approach mid, a bomb driver, and a "shape" driver would do me.
This is an incredible piece of property. I visit my mother-in-law down in Cambridge (about 30 mins away) about once a year. I will definitely return. For those of you who don't have a reason to be so close, I strongly recommend setting up a trip and playing all the courses on the property. The camping looked like a good setup, so an overnight could be a great time.
With the blue course at a 3.5 for me, the green a 3.75, and the red a 4.5, I think I would give the entire property and experience a solid 4.25. That's more than the average of the 3 courses. At $8, it's such a good value to be able to have such different experiences on a well-maintained course. I solidly recommend Chain's Edge.
17
0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
20.1 years
1009 played
580 reviews
2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Apr 25, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
Chain's Edge-Blue is the newest of the 3 courses onsite at this excellent complex. The complex currnetly, as of 2021, now has two 18 hole courses ( Red and Blue ) and a 24 hole hole course ( Green ). The course is open on weekends or by appointment during the week. Just make sure to call Chad ahead of time. He's a very friendly host who has clearly put in a ton of work at this complex.
The baskets on the Blue course are a hodgepodge of different types. Well I shouldn't really say that. Almost all of them are Prodigy's, T-1's I think. There's a few other random baskets, but all of them are in great shape and catch nicely.
The tee pads are also mixed. There's a bunch of brick/stone pads which are nicely done. Grippy and level. The rest are natural. These are all leveled off and worked great for natural pads. No complaints on a cold, snowy afternoon.
Tee signs on every hole. These are pretty basic but have enough information on them. Hole number, par, distance and a very simple hole direction arrow. Simple but effective.
Navigation was super straightforward. There are signs by the parking lot guiding you to hole 1 for all three of the courses. They all have nice signs hanging from the bottom of the cage pointing you toward the next tee. In addition to that there's a plethora of next tee arrows on trees on the paths between holes. Our group of 3 had basically zero issues navigating this course. In fact we had no problems navigating any of the 3 courses. Some of the best signage in this regard.
There's a great mix of different shot shapes required here to score well. Left to right, right to left, dead straight. The blue course has the most distance with a few holes over 700 feet. The only open holes on the complex are on the blue course as well. Not more than a handful, but it does open up a bit on this course.
This is a gorgeous piece of property for a disc golf course. It's quiet and out in the middle of nowhere. You feel like you got the place to yourself. It's one of those magical feeling places that you wish there were more of.
Course is pay to play, which is to be expected for a private set up like this one. Camping is available onsite too. $7/person a day for greens fees is more than exceptable though. $15 for 2 days of golf AND camping. Can't be beat at that price.
The baskets on the Blue course are a hodgepodge of different types. Well I shouldn't really say that. Almost all of them are Prodigy's, T-1's I think. There's a few other random baskets, but all of them are in great shape and catch nicely.
The tee pads are also mixed. There's a bunch of brick/stone pads which are nicely done. Grippy and level. The rest are natural. These are all leveled off and worked great for natural pads. No complaints on a cold, snowy afternoon.
Tee signs on every hole. These are pretty basic but have enough information on them. Hole number, par, distance and a very simple hole direction arrow. Simple but effective.
Navigation was super straightforward. There are signs by the parking lot guiding you to hole 1 for all three of the courses. They all have nice signs hanging from the bottom of the cage pointing you toward the next tee. In addition to that there's a plethora of next tee arrows on trees on the paths between holes. Our group of 3 had basically zero issues navigating this course. In fact we had no problems navigating any of the 3 courses. Some of the best signage in this regard.
There's a great mix of different shot shapes required here to score well. Left to right, right to left, dead straight. The blue course has the most distance with a few holes over 700 feet. The only open holes on the complex are on the blue course as well. Not more than a handful, but it does open up a bit on this course.
This is a gorgeous piece of property for a disc golf course. It's quiet and out in the middle of nowhere. You feel like you got the place to yourself. It's one of those magical feeling places that you wish there were more of.
Course is pay to play, which is to be expected for a private set up like this one. Camping is available onsite too. $7/person a day for greens fees is more than exceptable though. $15 for 2 days of golf AND camping. Can't be beat at that price.
Cons:
The natural tee pads were fine when we were here. It's was only in the low 40's though, so they may be troublesome in warmer, wetter times. Chad had 3 pallets of tee pad stones by the parking lot that needed to be installed yet. So this seems like it'll be less of an issue in time.
I was told the mosquitoes and ticks can get pretty bad up here. But it's Minnesota, so that should be a given. Just make sure to do a tick check after your round and to pack bug spray.
The course doesn't loop back to the parking lot in the middle. Not a con per se, but the only restrooms I saw were by the parking lot. So make sure you got what you need for the whole round before starting.
I was told the mosquitoes and ticks can get pretty bad up here. But it's Minnesota, so that should be a given. Just make sure to do a tick check after your round and to pack bug spray.
The course doesn't loop back to the parking lot in the middle. Not a con per se, but the only restrooms I saw were by the parking lot. So make sure you got what you need for the whole round before starting.
Other Thoughts:
This place had been on my wishlist since shortly after it was added on DGCR. And it did not disappoint. I'd recommend this course, er COMPLEX, to anybody planning a trip for some disc golf in the twin cities area. While not technically in the twin cities, It's not too far of a drive north, maybe an hour or so. And with 3 excellent courses onsite it's hard to beat. I'll be back here for sure.
This is probably the second best multicourse (more than 2 course) complex I've played to date. Behind only Highbridge, which is saying a lot. It reminds of a little HB actually. This is currently an excellent course in my books. So a 4 it is. And to think that this one isn't even a year in. Kudos to the work getting put in up here. It's impressive, just like the golf up here.
This is probably the second best multicourse (more than 2 course) complex I've played to date. Behind only Highbridge, which is saying a lot. It reminds of a little HB actually. This is currently an excellent course in my books. So a 4 it is. And to think that this one isn't even a year in. Kudos to the work getting put in up here. It's impressive, just like the golf up here.
