I wasn't sure what to expect but glad I came out! The course is in great condition and its got a little something for everyone from long par 4's to short birdieable 2's. The views are amazing and Mark is extremely nice and helpful. For the layout he had when I went, you play the front 9 to the baskets with the numbers on top and the back 9 is played from the same tee pads (except for a long tee pad on 13) to the baskets without the top numbers. I was skeptical about sharing the tee pads for the same hole because i thought it would be a bit redundant, but the way its designed really makes it feel like a completely different hole each time. Would 100% recommend to anyone and hope to one day be able to have a course of my own half as challenging and beautiful as this one!

The only knock I have is that its a predominantly right hand back hand course. I am a righty so i was fine with this but I didn't have to flick or throw an anyhyzer on any hole. Other than that, this course rocks!

This is a well thought out course. There are mostly elevation shots with many obstacles that are quite challenging.

If you are able to get it worked out with your schedule and Mark's then you'll get a personalized round with the course designer in his 13.2 acre backyard.

There are 9 tees but the 18 baskets are well placed so that you're really playing two different rounds, especially if you use the long tees. By looking at the hole lengths at the bottom of this review you can see how much longer the second nine is.

On the first hole you are throwing down hill into a horse coral that has two baskets in it. The first basket is 275' and the second basket for #10 is 300' but if you land outside the coral you must drop into the corner of the coral and take a penalty.

All tees are numbered and since you'll most likely be playing with Mark he explains every hole in detail. For example, on #8 you can't see a ravine from the tee that is off to the left, but he warns you to stay away from it. I still ended up in the ravine.

The course is not crowded because you are scheduling your round ahead of time with Mark.

It's way off the beaten path to get to this place, but it's right next to the Hellhole Canyon Preserve, which is beautiful. That's where the name of the course, The Gates of Hell, came from.

It's great to play with Mark, the course designer, but it also limits the time you can go there.

There is currently no course map to look at, but it's not a big deal if you're with Mark since he explains better than a map can.

Mark hosts a tournament on July 1st that is limited to 27 entrants. You can sign up soon on his Facebook page, "The Gates of Hell Disc Golf Course" for $30. This will be his third year for the event.

Only 12 people, as of today, have recorded on this site that they played there. Mark said he's had about 300 visitors play his course since he put it in 1.5 years ago.

You can see a satellite view of the course from his Facebook page.

Mark is an active member of the San Diego Aces Disc Golf Club and hosts a two day match play in December with different skill levels.

Mark gave me a score card with hole distances:
1 - 275'
2 - 265'
3 - 235'
4 - 325'
5 - 180'
6 - 240'
7 - 350'
8 - 270'
9 - 220'
10 - 300'
11 - 285'
12 - 500'
13 - 500'
14 - 265'
15 - 235'
16 - 480'
17 - 280'
18 - 400'