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Glen Helen Regional Park DGC reviews
6
0
Worth a Visit 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 14, 2013
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
- The course sits on a well maintained regional park. Equipped with restrooms, picnic areas and water fountains.
- Course maps are available at the font gate and navigation is pretty easy using the map.
- The course layout makes good use of the land available. With a bunch of long holes that really let you air it out. Including three par 4 holes.
- A couple fun downhill drives on 7 and 10 that stand out as memorable holes.
- Howling wind most of the time to keep things interesting.
- The course if very lightly used, you will find other disc golfers on the course, but you shouldn't have to be waiting around on every hole.
- Course maps are available at the font gate and navigation is pretty easy using the map.
- The course layout makes good use of the land available. With a bunch of long holes that really let you air it out. Including three par 4 holes.
- A couple fun downhill drives on 7 and 10 that stand out as memorable holes.
- Howling wind most of the time to keep things interesting.
- The course if very lightly used, you will find other disc golfers on the course, but you shouldn't have to be waiting around on every hole.
Cons:
Most holes are wide open leaving you to chose whatever line you like. Other than OB, there are no significant hazards to speak of.
Other Thoughts:
Overall it is a nice addition to the courses in the area, and the distance makes it a tournament worthy destination. However it just doesn't have the "wow factor" to make it a destination course. It gets kind of repetitive as you can RHBH hyzer the majority of the holes if you want to.
WARNING: Before you drive out here be sure to check for course closures!!. I showed up on a Saturday morning only to have the course closed for some non-DG event. Then depending on the time of year they close early, Seriously you are going to kick everyone out at 5pm in May????? And even in the summer I think it is only open until 7.
It's good to have another course in the area and it is worth checking out. But if I'm going to travel and pay to play, I'm going straight to Wrightwood.
WARNING: Before you drive out here be sure to check for course closures!!. I showed up on a Saturday morning only to have the course closed for some non-DG event. Then depending on the time of year they close early, Seriously you are going to kick everyone out at 5pm in May????? And even in the summer I think it is only open until 7.
It's good to have another course in the area and it is worth checking out. But if I'm going to travel and pay to play, I'm going straight to Wrightwood.
7
0
inland Empire Disc Golf 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Feb 19, 2012
Played the course:once
Pros:
Nice cement tees. Has a couple of terrific holes with elevated tees (7 and 10). Also has a couple of the longest holes in the area (4, 5 and 10). Newer innova baskets. Has at least two rest rooms nearby. The park lies in the San Bernardino foothills and has a nice vista of the surrounding area. Has many opportunities for bigger throwers, such as the 720' Hole 10.
Cons:
No signage means very iffy navigation for the first timer. Winding road mandatories seem like too much of a compromise on Holes 4 and 5. Hole 12 is a cheap hole with awkward road out-of-bounds areas. Holes 4, 7 and 10 can be diffcult to locate and are a fairly long distance from previous holes. Ten dollars for a weekend pass seems a bit steep. Starts a bit weak but is great once you pass Hole 5 until Hole 12.
Other Thoughts:
Thematically similar to Prado DGC (another San Bernardino county park), with several holes over rolling plains that provide a number of fun drives. Slightly more challenging but less consistent than Prado, but also more difficult to find your way around in. However, a course map is available at the front office. No discs or refreshments for sale on-site, but there are a few water fountains around.
15
0
Sloppy Prado 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 5, 2011
Played the course:once
Pros:
-Designed with the advanced player in mind
-Easier holes thrown in the mix for non advanced players
-Descent variety for a park course
-Brand new DISCatchers
-Drinking is allowed at this course
-$10/car $2/pedestrian. Pay to play = less riff raff
-Helps fill the void for longer, newer style golf in So Cal.
-Easier holes thrown in the mix for non advanced players
-Descent variety for a park course
-Brand new DISCatchers
-Drinking is allowed at this course
-$10/car $2/pedestrian. Pay to play = less riff raff
-Helps fill the void for longer, newer style golf in So Cal.
Cons:
-Repetitive
-The course felt fragmented around the park
-Lack of personality
-Inconsistent grass
-Dueling fairways
-The course felt fragmented around the park
-Lack of personality
-Inconsistent grass
-Dueling fairways
Other Thoughts:
Glen Helen Regional Park is one of many San Bernardino County parks, and has a very similar vibe as the other two courses in these parks, Prado and Yucaipa. All of the fairways are grass, with a variety of trees scattered throughout.
During our visit, the course was still under construction. There were only flags to mark the tee pads, and there were no directional signs pointing to the next tee. Both of these will be necessary in the long run due to the length of the course, however these missing elements were not factored into my rating.
The course begins at a lower section of the park, with probably the three easiest holes on the course. While close to each other, enough foliage exists to separate the fairways and create obvious lines and specific shot selections.
While these first three holes may have seduced you into thinking you are going to tear this course up, this all changes at hole 4. A very long uphill shot, with a mandatory requiring you to shoot around a left turning curve with an OB road. This leads you to drive into essentially the fairway for holes 8 and 9, but there should be enough space for all of the holes to be played simultaneously. Hole 5 is similar, continuing around the left turn, however the pin on this hole is in a brushy area with a considerable drop off behind it.
After a short uphill shot, the course begins to work its way downward. Hole 7 is a wonderful, long downhill shot, however BE WARNED that the brush on the left is totally inundated with poison oak. If you are immune, there are two discs in there somewhere with phone numbers on them
Continuing downhill, you play right alongside the holes that led you to this area. These are slightly graded downhill holes, that more or less have trees, but they are all small and the general strategy was just to go up and over them.
Hole 10 is by far the longest hole on the course, working down a considerable hill then another 500 feet out across a flat fairway. A large oak at the beginning really determines how you are going to play this hole, as it blocks most of the fairway, and shooting to the left will result in OB, or at the very least, some disc finding time.
Honestly, after hole 10, we started getting kind of bored with the place. Another park shot, around some trees, pin over here, tee pad over there, blah blah blah. 11 - 15 are all very basic, par 3, flat park holes with scattered trees, but not enough to force any crazy decisions or wacky shots.
16 and 17 are across the parking lot and sort of out of the way, and are by far the most lackluster holes on the course. Essentially, they are pitch and putts on open fields. There is a lake behind them that doesn't come into play, and I guess the scenery there is their only saving grace.
Crossing the parking lot again, you reach 18, another flat hole with no tee, fairway, or pin protection. People seem to use pin 18 as a practice pin (its near hole 1, and there is no practice pin), so keep an eye out and make sure you don't nail anyone.
Our immediate thoughts after playing the course is that it started out strong and fun, but lost all of its personality by the end. Perhaps utilizing the back half of the course at the beginning would have created a design that would be more fun to finish and make people want to come out again. Inconsistent grass over most of the course prevents any consistency with rollers. Weird gopher holes and mounds of dirt are everywhere, so even if it appears to be easy footing, you still need to keep your eye out at all times. We were joking around and referring to it as 'sloppy prado,' since it basically played the same way but had more random crap (mounds of dirt, poison oak, picnic pavilions, grass changes). Big arms will enjoy their time here, to the extent that most of the course requires a long drive to have placement for any possible birdie action. That being said, it was not particularly scenic to me, it felt scattered, and it just always felt like something great was going to happen, but then it never did. I am glad the Inland Empire got yet another p2p course, but that being said if I am golfing in the area I will probably skip it and go straight to Sky High or Yucaipa.
During our visit, the course was still under construction. There were only flags to mark the tee pads, and there were no directional signs pointing to the next tee. Both of these will be necessary in the long run due to the length of the course, however these missing elements were not factored into my rating.
The course begins at a lower section of the park, with probably the three easiest holes on the course. While close to each other, enough foliage exists to separate the fairways and create obvious lines and specific shot selections.
While these first three holes may have seduced you into thinking you are going to tear this course up, this all changes at hole 4. A very long uphill shot, with a mandatory requiring you to shoot around a left turning curve with an OB road. This leads you to drive into essentially the fairway for holes 8 and 9, but there should be enough space for all of the holes to be played simultaneously. Hole 5 is similar, continuing around the left turn, however the pin on this hole is in a brushy area with a considerable drop off behind it.
After a short uphill shot, the course begins to work its way downward. Hole 7 is a wonderful, long downhill shot, however BE WARNED that the brush on the left is totally inundated with poison oak. If you are immune, there are two discs in there somewhere with phone numbers on them
Continuing downhill, you play right alongside the holes that led you to this area. These are slightly graded downhill holes, that more or less have trees, but they are all small and the general strategy was just to go up and over them.
Hole 10 is by far the longest hole on the course, working down a considerable hill then another 500 feet out across a flat fairway. A large oak at the beginning really determines how you are going to play this hole, as it blocks most of the fairway, and shooting to the left will result in OB, or at the very least, some disc finding time.
Honestly, after hole 10, we started getting kind of bored with the place. Another park shot, around some trees, pin over here, tee pad over there, blah blah blah. 11 - 15 are all very basic, par 3, flat park holes with scattered trees, but not enough to force any crazy decisions or wacky shots.
16 and 17 are across the parking lot and sort of out of the way, and are by far the most lackluster holes on the course. Essentially, they are pitch and putts on open fields. There is a lake behind them that doesn't come into play, and I guess the scenery there is their only saving grace.
Crossing the parking lot again, you reach 18, another flat hole with no tee, fairway, or pin protection. People seem to use pin 18 as a practice pin (its near hole 1, and there is no practice pin), so keep an eye out and make sure you don't nail anyone.
Our immediate thoughts after playing the course is that it started out strong and fun, but lost all of its personality by the end. Perhaps utilizing the back half of the course at the beginning would have created a design that would be more fun to finish and make people want to come out again. Inconsistent grass over most of the course prevents any consistency with rollers. Weird gopher holes and mounds of dirt are everywhere, so even if it appears to be easy footing, you still need to keep your eye out at all times. We were joking around and referring to it as 'sloppy prado,' since it basically played the same way but had more random crap (mounds of dirt, poison oak, picnic pavilions, grass changes). Big arms will enjoy their time here, to the extent that most of the course requires a long drive to have placement for any possible birdie action. That being said, it was not particularly scenic to me, it felt scattered, and it just always felt like something great was going to happen, but then it never did. I am glad the Inland Empire got yet another p2p course, but that being said if I am golfing in the area I will probably skip it and go straight to Sky High or Yucaipa.
