In a stunning turn of events, Caesar Ford has been dethroned as the emperor of Dayton disc golf. Playing through the woods of Hoffman Reserve, the now-permanent Echo Valley DGC offers woods golf similar to the great Idlewild, albeit with fewer wide-open holes. Gorgeous grassy, wooded fairways similar to those at Harmony Bends abound, and the natural beauty here is unmatched by anything I have played to this point. Almost all holes have elevation changes of some sort, and angle control and placement are critical to scoring well. Small streams and gravel access roads that intersect the fairways provide OB hazards that can affect your shot selection. Get off the fairway, and you can be left scrambling just to save a bogey. Blue and Gold tees, each with concrete teepads are available on every hole, with accurate tee signs on each. Brand-new Discatchers are installed.

As with most brand-new courses, the rough has not been worked-in and can be very thick in places. Send a spotter out.

3 and 17 are arguably tweener holes, with excellent shots required to even get a long look for 2.

I have never given out a 5 in a review before, but Echo Valley is right up there with the best course I've ever played (Idlewild). In fact, I actually have to say I slightly prefer it to Idlewild. I never thought Dayton would have a course better than Caesar Ford, but Echo Valley is clearly better, and up there with the best available anywhere. If you're in the area, you absolutely owe it to yourself to play this stunner.