Saco, ME

Grants Nonesuch Valley Farm Disc Golf

Permanent course
3.255(based on 2 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Grants Nonesuch Valley Farm Disc Golf reviews

Filter
15 0
Ryal
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 7.4 years 240 played 202 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Somewhat Entranced At Grants Nonesuch

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ The course occupies a quiet area featuring some healthy hills, peaceful fields and pockets of tree tunnels.
+ All 18 holes have flat, long and wide tees made of sturdy identical pavers.
+ All 18 baskets are bright red for visibility and have circle strings tied to them so you can judge your spot in circle-1.
+ All 18 holes have next signage after each basket, even when they're not necessary.
+ Most holes have a bench, table, recycle and trash bins. Please don't litter, folks. This is private property.
+ The grounds appeared decently-maintained and improving.
+ Welcome area has practice baskets and payment box, but...

Cons:

- ...no information/map board or lost disc box?
- About a third of the tee signs were faded, damaged or missing altogether.
- A lot of different fairways are pretty close to one another.
- It's kind of easy and straight-forward.

Other Thoughts:

This review is based on my visit in July 2022, so some of my observations could be out-of-date.

Good infrastructure and upkeep can do wonders for a course. It can make a good course great and a great course spectacular. A boring course can be made tolerable and an awful course made painless all because of mowed lawns, consistent tees, managed undergrowth, etc. In the case of Grants Nonesuch Valley Farm Disc Golf Course (to be referred to as "Nonesuch" for the remainder of this review), the upkeep takes this plain course and make it good.

The disc golfing itself at Nonesuch is just fine and pretty balanced. Things start wide open for the power throwers. Hole1 might be a bit too open. I liked that one the least because it's too direct and obvious. On hole5 I was amused to see distance signs facing the tee pad so players could have a visual representation of how far their drive flew. Then, by the second half of hole8, the experience shifts gears into wooded disc golf for the tacticians. Things don't get too crazy in there, though. There is enough space between trees that most players won't feel hopeless. Hole14 was my favorite hole to play because, even though it was an open sky tunnel shot, the terrain and trees were still enough of a challenge to keep my interest. And if you do have a nasty deflection, the undergrowth isn't insurmountable. I don't imagine there is a large dedicated team keeping this place in order, so two or three fairways might seem unkempt. Then from 15 until the end, it's wide open again with three hily fairways for the finale.

These are all the kinds of holes that you've played before, though. Nothing here jumped out at me as categorically "New England-style" or grabbed my attention. I think that the course designers might have been aware of this and therefore increased the upkeep aspect to put it a step above many of the other common courses that you've seen and played.

Helping in that regard, I will say that the venue is really nice. In a rural region of Maine along a road where cars seldom travel, this course feels like an oasis of tranquility. And once you start playing and get further away from the road into the woods, it's not hard to feel as though you're suspended in time with how quiet and pretty it is. Hole6 gets a special mention because of its perfectly-trimmed foliage carving a circle around the basket as seen from the teepad. That's a nice touch.

So, in closing, I recommend Nonesuch. The $5 per visit is worth it. It doesn't dazzle, but the basics are rock solid. This is just the place to go with your buddies to turn on some chilled music, achieve a nice vibe, take multiple throws off the tee and forget about life for a few hours.

Oh, one more thing. If you're allergic to bee stings, don't forget your epipen here just in case. There are some spots where I saw a bunch of them buzzing around. Holes5 and 17, I think.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
14 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 21.4 years 562 played 429 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The Name Says it All 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 17, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

GNVFDGC has 18 holes, with nifty red halos above the chains. The layout is about 2/3 grass and 1/3 woods. A few holes have significant elevation changes, and the Nonesuch River winds along one side of the course but the amount of water in play was not intimidating.

The tee pads are mostly wooden platforms. There are tee signs for each hole with distance and a rudimentary map. Scorecards are available at the pay station, and there is a course map on the back. Par is 58, mostly par threes, but hole 5 is a five, and 13 and 15 are fours.

All of my favorite holes were from hole 76 on. This is where you finis the first few flat holes and enter into the more hilly and densely wooded part of the course. 6 and 7 are still teeing from the open grassy areas, but curve to the right into the trees on the hillsides. 8 is a downhill shot into the trees with a slight bend to the left.

9-14 are entirely lines through the trees. 9 is a downhill right to left with a line that is defined by tree trunks and the windows between them. A fun hole as long as you make a good drive. If I remember right 10 was short and uphill, with some rough that can punish a poor tee shot. 11 is a bit of a flex shot with trees setting the course. 12 crosses a slight depression with trees on the right side that form a barrier and protect the pin. 13 iis a par 4, and it is a fun tee shot with slight elevation. There is a good landing zone that sets up the approach iwell if you hit it. 14 gives one last drive across rolling terrain, with several trees limiting the angles you can send a disc toward the pin.

15-18 are back into the open grassy area, but play on the ridge that from one end of the farm to the other. 15 is along the top and off to the side of the ridge, and is a good birdie opportunity as a par 4 measuring 413'. 16 plays from top to bottom, crossing the hill, dropping gradually. 17 is directly up the hill, shortest possible route, with the pin near the front of the plateau. 18 is top to bottom again, pretty much straight down, the pin is into the flat a ways and protected by a bushy pile of branches and brush.

Cons:

Most of the tees are painted plywood platforms, that vary in length. I imagine that they are slick on a dewey morning or in wet weather. I think it was hole 10 that was a natural tee, and is had ruts and roots trying to trip me up. I aimed at the wrong basket on the second hole, playing the target for 18 instead.

My phone had no reception here, so DGCR app wasn't available to keep score. Glad there were scorecards with a course map. Cost is $5 per round or $8 for all day.

Other Thoughts:

I was also seeing Highlander signs around the course. Is this an nickname for GNVFDGC, an alias, alter ego? Not sure, but I had a good time playing it. The course is a bit of a slow starter, but builds interest as you are in the middle of it, and ends with some fun elevation ups and downs.

I scored a 56 (-2) and that felt a bit disappointing really. Missed a couple of putts that I should have made, and had a handful of bad throws throughout the round. My only bogie was on hole 14. I had birdies on 4, 10 and 15. When I am under par on the first time around any course, you can tell it isn't too difficult of a test, but the mix of shots are fun, and it is affordable. There is room for improvement, but very playable as is.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top