- beautifully maintained course (and/or owner's backyard!)
- fantastic pro shop on site with incredible DG selection
- port o potty AND plumbed bathrooms on site
- snacks available for purchase at pro shop (and very affordable)
- pay to play rate is extremely reasonable for a private course
- owners are extremely friendly/helpful
- three concrete tees per hole
- innovative disc catching system over pond hazard
- small creek hazard on hole 16
- tee signs at each of the three tees
- virtually no rough to speak of; course is clean of debris
- picnic tables and benches throughout course
- some good technical challenge in wooded portions of course with possible wildlife sightings
- reflectors on baskets to see them better
- Innova DISCatcher baskets in good shape
- navigation is very straightforward with tons of next tee signs
- multiple practice baskets
- built-in bridges where necessary

- pretty much entirely flat
- definitely a short 18 holes, which some people may not like
- while multiple tees offer different difficulty levels, they mostly add a bit of distance but no different line
- tee signs have rudimentary maps but could be improved

Hawk's Landing is a bit out in the middle of nowhere in the Buffalo area of New York, but the bonus of making the trip here is you get not one, but TWO courses using the same fairways. This probably sounds like a bad idea, except in this case when one of those courses is the Shadow of the Hawk mini DG course! Note, I will not review Shadow of the Hawk here, please see the separate review on that course page.

In addition to being able to play 2 courses (simultaneously if you choose to and it isn't busy), there is a phenomenal pro shop here. This is probably #2 or #3 in terms of best stocked shops I've seen. There are all different brands of discs, mini discs, macro discs, bags, etc. plus very reasonably priced snacks and water.

It's rare that as a stranger on someone else's property, you are told to "make yourself at home" - even more so when they are saying this to dozens of people EVERY SINGLE DAY. The owners here showed me around, explained the various tees and tee signs, and showed me where their "real" bathrooms were - these are attached to the house but are designed specifically for the disc golf course users. You can't really complain about the pay to play fee here - $6 on weekends and less on the weekdays - considering how nice this property is. Money is clearly going back into the course.

In terms of how it plays, this course isn't ever going to be top 10 in terms of the property, but man is it fun. It's set on a relatively compact parcel of land but I didn't note any real safety hazards, besides hole 18 throwing over the entry drive - a very minimally used "road" to be sure, but perhaps not entirely ideal. The course is very clean and well maintained with no rough or debris left around. The biggest con here is the course is pretty much entirely flat. It's probably a bit overrated right now in terms of overall quality vs. some of the top-tier courses, but that in no way is a suggestion it isn't worth playing.

Holes are pretty short on average but this varies a lot depending on if you play the red, white, or blue tees. You won't need your distance driver for much of anything here but you will need some accuracy to throw a variety of shots. The name of the game here is technical wooded challenge, with a few open holes mixed in. This isn't an especially difficult course, and is one I found very relaxing and very quick to play. I think I played 18 holes of regular + mini solo in something like 1 hr 15 mins (simultaneously).

The tee signs are just ok; they have basic maps but these could definitely be improved. For a private course, I think 3 concrete tees per hole is awesome and most of the equipment really goes above and beyond what you'd expect.

The water hazards here are another cool feature, with a decent size pond that comes into play on a few holes and a small creek that mostly factors in on 16. What they have done with the pond is really need - there is a plastic mesh over the pond that allows wildlife to pass in and out but catches discs from falling in the water. There are poles with suction cups to grab discs that land on top of the mesh and a floating dock if you need to walk out into the pond to reach a disc. Honestly... I kind of prefer the "true" water hazard without these protections. However, as a landowner I wouldn't want 10 people a day wading into my pond, so I get it, and I've never seen a setup like this. It's a pretty neat idea. Of course, if your disc hits the mesh it frequently skips off and clears the rest of the pond - I decided this counted as a penalty stroke, as hitting water should not add to your distance!

I was here on a Saturday morning and the course wasn't too busy, just a few other people. It's pretty close to Chestnut Ridge which was a really cool course, so this area is definitely worth a stop, especially if you need a few new discs.

A shockingly well stocked disc golf store
Refreshments!
The reason you feel like you're playing in your back yard, is because you are in someone's back yard
Lots of fun obstacles
The net and walkways over the ponds, and the grabbers....so delightful.
Three tees on every hole.
A mini disc course follows along with the main course so you can do both at the same time.
Shady, almost every hole is in the trees, but there aren't any crazy narrow shots.
Nice tees, nice baskets...it's all nice!

Sure, it's $5, or really $7 because you're probably going to get a snack or two, but it's worth it.

It's all par threes and none of them are particularly long, so you aren't going to learn how to throw far here. You are going to learn how to throw a lot of 250-foot shots that curve a lot

Some of the back tees are sort of unplayable, mainly due to picnic tables being in front of them. I played a 4-5 back tees and really there's no reason. The middle tees are plenty of challenge and the front tees are very pleasant.

The course is pretty tiny, with two 9-hole loops on either side of the house/garage/pro shop, so you're never very far away from your car. It can be busy, because there's nothing else nearby, you may need to be patient and remind other players to try not to throw into you. But the course itself is really delightful, like a fun mini-golf course in Myrtle Beach. Lots of varied shots are needed, scary shots over water into the woods and back out.

Hole 10 is kind of confusing, because it looks like you go to a different basket from the tee. The correct basket is to the right of where you're looking, over a pond and into the woods. But it's nice to be able to really challenge the water hazards because you're not going to lose your disc. They have bridges over the ponds, with nets so your disc doesn't sink. If you lost a disc every time you came here, you'd stop coming here.

The only real drawback is that there is no elevation to speak of, and no hole where you can really throw it as far as you want. It's pretty much all either tunnels or short shots around hazards.

However, the owners are incredibly friendly, and the place is in excellent condition at all times, and it's crammed full of fun shots. I should browse the store more next time I go, they have a lot of nice stuff.

Lots of tricky shots with trees and streams.
3 concrete tee pads EVERY hole
Regular and mini basket every hole
Great clubhouse and pro shop
Amazing owners

Zero cons

Fun, technical, short course. Great owners who absolutely love the game. Can't wait to try it again and again.

Concrete teepads on all holes and from each distance, Blues, Whites and Reds. Each hole has signs to show fairway and distances. Chairs and garbage cans on each hole too.
Course is clean and well weeded, no ticks, poison ivy or other bad thing. No Sasquatches either.
Best pro shop in the Great Lakes area, bring extra cash, or credit cards, they have everything you can think of.
Safe parking, don't have to worry about being broke into.
Super family friendly.
Owners, Doug and Mary are great ambassadors for the sport.

None at all!

Currently in process of adding another 18hole bigger course on the property, next year is going to be epic!!!

As some of the other reviews have said, everything you could want. Super cool owners, pro shop in case you need a disc, drinks, snacks, clean bathrooms, other golfers hanging out, everyone friendly.

If you are proud of your 400 foot drive, but have no short game, stay away.

Bring your middies and butterscotch a day of fun. Learn those technical shots. Just a great atmosphere to play the game. Thanks to Brandon and his group for letting me jump in, and showing me the course.

Every amenity you could ask for...and some you didn't even know you wanted:
- 3 well marked tees
- tee signs at all tees
- next tee arrows everywhere
- distance marker stakes at 50, 100, 150
- rope on each pole to measure 10m circle
- pro shop, lounge, bathrooms, etc.
- benches at each tee of each hole!?!
- intuitive course flow

The owners are awesome.

Even on a beautiful sunday morning there was relatively little DG traffic, which surprised me.

With all holes in the woods there is great shade for a hot summer day round.

Golf wise:
- Great mix of a few straight shots and a nice balance of R>L and L>R shots. I didn't count em but I threw a ton of FH shots.
- Unlike many tight, technical courses there are well defined fairways with real golf lines (with a few exceptions in the cons).
- Great use of the pond. The first pond shot is a L>R where I threw a flick out over the pond and prayed it faded in safely. Likely only a lost disc if you are short, turn it over, or greatly offline.
- The 2nd pond hole is an evil risk/reward pucker factor. Its a short hyzer that is pretty open on the right with the pin tucked against the pond maybe ~3' from the edge. To add more fun it is hard pan with no grass....so your gently hyzer is going to skip/slide towards the ob. But......if you leave it out wider and safer, then you have a pucker factor death putt that just may put your favorite putter in the drink if you air mail it.

Not really a con for me as it is WELL worth it - but I'm listing it here as it may be a con for others - PTP at $3 a round or $5 a day.

Leave your drivers at home as they won't get used. All holes are <300'

3 holes that made we scratch my head:
#7: 87/112/143' and super tight, dead straight but needing to shape a bit at the end as the pin is tucked behind a few trees.
#12: 203/246/286. This one is a huge U shape to the left. I emptied my bag from the blue and white and just couldn't find a way through. Too long...too short...looks like the line...smack...didn't see that tree. I can't imagine there are many 2s here and figure its basically a layup, layup, drop in....or try it....scramble...hope to hit a funky putt. I'm sure there is a way somewhere in there but it just couldn't get it once, let alone repeat it.
#17: 128/164/180' dead straight but there is a 4' gap about mid fairway (from the blues). So...hit a 4' gap 90' out? Ouch. Enough small trees around the sides to take out any other options as well. From the white there is a creative OH route available but nothing I could see from the blue. That gap just seems WAY too tight and when I do make it it seemed more like luck than skill. If you catch a tree...its just and easy 90' up and drop in putt. Boring.

Teepads are gravel and in decent shape, but small. It generally isn't a problem as you don't need a huge pad for a 180' shot but it definitely could throw some people off.

One thing that I didn't know where to list (pros vs. cons) was the "greens". Most of the holes have from some to a LOT of vegetation (from overhanging branches to saplings to 4' diameter trees) all through the circle. To some degree I liked it as it forced me to putt from multiple stances and use different lines....for a few holes. But when you have to layup a 15' putt under the basket to drop in a 3 because there is literally NO way to get even a lucky putt there. At that point, you get a bit frustrated.

I changed my rating on this one several times before settling at a 3. If I were rating amenities - it is a 4.5/5 - only missing 5/5 due to the pads. If I were rating the atmosphere - easy 5/5. But the bottom line for me and my ratings scale is where do I want to play a round and because the course is 100% tight and technical it takes a hit. Don't get me wrong - it does tight and technical VERY well, but even though I like tight & technical, I don't want 18 holes of it.


I think this is a great course to play and learn at. You will have to develop a variety of shot shapes. You will be forced to learn accuracy. You will get comfortable making putts from weird places with obstacles. All of these things will make you a better player. BUT....

With all of these things and looking back at my rounds I kept feeling that luck really factored into my score. This didn't bother me much for a casual round but would drive me bonkers in a competitive round. I'm not talking about getting lucky hitting a line...I'm talking about throwing 2 drives and having them land 1' apart and one sliding slightly left and being under the pin and another clipping a root or stone and sliding right to leave you 15' out with no way to get a 2. Landing 1' apart (both still mid fairway) after hitting exactly your line and having a different score as a result is frustrating in a competitive setting.

edit...typo fixed.

Great technical course on private land. Mature but young deciduous forest offering lots of lanes if you go off track, some shrubs and low branching conifers throwing in some lower obstacles here and there. All short holes with lots of trees and turns, so bring your "touch". If you like technical disc golf, driving with putters and mids, playing slow and smart, this course will please you. Solid layout, the course walks well. All holes marked clearly with adequate signage, distance markers. Even chairs on almost every teepad, nice to set the bag up high if its wet. 3 dollars for a round, 5 for an all day pass. Pro shop with a very nice and respectable selection of discs from most of the manufacturers (I think). Areas for having a break or lunch. Warm up basket. Mary and Doug are both very welcoming and friendly and clearly love the sport and sharing that love.

None for me, but if you are looking to crush some drivers, you will get frustrated. Bring the proper expectations and it's a fun course.

Doug and Mary are offering a great thing to the disc golf community here. If you play their course, remember that you are on someone's property. Leave no trace and all that. Also, bring some cash or a card, because the pro shop is well stocked and very hard to walk away from empty handed. Well worth the trip from Rochester. Will play this course many more times.

Beautiful wooded course. Everything has been thought of. Amazing attention to detail. Every hole is challenging and fun. The lounge is a museum of sweet collectibles. The pro shop has a huge selection and is well organized. The owners treat you like family.

People have already commented on the length; it is shorter than other courses I've played, but I really appreciated and enjoyed the design.

We drove in from Rochester and felt like we walked into a disc golf wonderland. After playing 3 rounds of 18 I went into the lounge and Mary gave me a chocolate chip cookie!!! Ive been to some great courses, but I've never left a course feeling so great.

What would all you DG fanatics do with a bunch of cash & 40 acres? Well the folks here at Hawk's Landing DGC have built a knock out, meticulous, homemade course & one of the nicest woods courses I have ever played. Three unique tees complete with great signage & plastic chairs await you at every hole. I played a very well-run tournament in June, 2014. Awesome lines out of the box: from classic straight tree holes to knife hyzers to flip shots to rollers to "S" shots with Middies & drivers to huge anny's & even huger hyzers that you need to nail if you want a chance at a bird. Super test of your skill set. Throwing over ponds, baskets on the edge of H2O, a "U" shaped hole, sneaky OB's, even a full mini-course is included here. I used 17 discs one round - 1st time ever. A massive pro shop on site is the greatest I have witnessed. The clubhouse as well, has more collector discs-back to the roots of DG- than I have seen anywhere. I had a rather superlative experience to say the least. I can't stop talking about the place & will never drive through Western NY without dropping in. These folks know what's up with DG without all the pretentious BS. If you ask nicely, they will even let you camp on site. Best $5 I ever spent.

Watch your head in the clubhouse. I almost knocked myself out cold bumping my head into a low roof line. Bring bugspray.

Word has it, they are expanding soon. OMG. I'll be back.

The course has all the little bells and whistles that a course could have such as stakes with distance to the pin, 10 meter ropes at each hole, etc. The tee pads were nice and level gravel pads. Anytime there was low laying water on the course there was a foot bridge over top of it. Tight and technical course. The tee signs were very descriptive and navigation was a cinch because of the numerous arrows to the next tee found around the course. Course is maintained very well.

The course was short, very short. Not one hole was over 300ft and I didn't bring out any of my drivers once. The fairways though defined were almost too tight. I played by myself and finished a round in under an hour. The course is very repetitive, I didn't really see one hole that stood out amongst the rest as being different.

All said and done it's your typical course that is maintained well. The course also has a pro shop on site that carries Innova, Discraft, and Vibram. The course owner, Doug is great and will help you with any problems you may encounter on the course and he will drop everything he may be doing to help you. Very friendly guy.

Quiet, challenging , each hole has trees but there are many options and lanes, on-site pro shop (run by very nice, smart, disc savvy people), etiquette among fellow golfers is unmatched anywhere, two of finest people I have ever been lucky enough to meet (Doug n Mary)

I will update this rating if I find a con about this course....imho

The blue ,white and red tees are not just a little longer than each other, but a completely different shot!...when you do try this gem , please check out the pro shop. it's the best in this area and has on-site pros that are some of the most knowledgeable people in the sport

Well wooded technical course. Doug and Mary were great hosts. I just drove up without calling ahead. My mistake by not reading up about course first. They welcomed me openly and showed me around. Excellent pro shop with many options for discs. If I lived in the area, I would play this course always. Water comes into play on two holes.

Muddy the day I played, but still very playable without concern.

I plan on playing there every time I go back to the area to visit family.

Doug and his wife were super friendly and accomadating. We called ahead, and when we arrived we got a quick tour, showing us the public bathrooms, the disc shop, and then were handed a score card, pencil and given a quick rundown of the course, and it's nuances.
I had my reservations early on about playing on someones private land but they were quickly put to rest with how happy Doug and his wife were to have us and see to us enjoying ourselves. The course itself is a great change of pace for those who play chestnut alot. For starters, it's shorter so you walk alot less. a group of two could hammer out 18 in about an hour. it's heavily wooded much like the Ridge, which i enjoy, but this is an area of thick forest (SO BRING SOME BUG SPRAY). The course is setup with care and there are chairs and each hole and a fully colored course map sign. Arrows and signs abound showing the way to each tee.

I found the back nine particularly fun, with the small pond hazard, and seeing the giant fallen tree. We had a fun playing this clever, beautiful serene course and hope to be back often.

Only one real con would be pretty much the say anyway and that's it'll be muddy when it rains. Also like I said earlier this is DEEP WOODS territory.. Check yourself for ticks,, bring the bug spray.

I'd like to advise anyone considering this course to Call ahead for one... The best part of this course was it wasn't flooded with groups of 5, dog walkers, and etc.

Also, there are several garbage cans,, but my group tried to take the utmost care to not leave any footprints.. i.e no cigarette butts, drink cans, candy wrappers etc. If the place isn't treated well I doubt Doug and his wife will have much incentive to keep it open to the general public.

A beautiful wooded course, extremely well maintained. 18 holes with 3 sets of tees each, and a practice basket Challenges a variety of shots, with a focus on accuracy both off the tee as well as on the approach shot/putt.

One of the best features of this course in my opinion is that in an area with 2 big courses (chestnut ridge and Emery park) Hawk's Landing is easier on your arm, feet, and time. The course has 2 9-hole loops that begin and end right at the parking lot, making it very easy to stop by and get in a quick 9 or 18. With 3 sets of tees, its also a great place to take a beginner.

Nice additions: Chairs or benches at the long tee of every hole, stakes marking distance from pin on every hole, all tees have gravel teepads, indoor public restrooms. Great pro shop on site also.

Its great for what it is: a short, technical course that challenges players finesse and touch shots

bit muddy due to recent rain. no holes over 300ft, due to every hole being in the woods, very few high shots are available, so while holes may offer a couple different routes, being creative is not necessary. this is probably due to the small size of the course not a preference of the course designer.

Pro shop on site carries all major manufacturers, and some collectors discs for sale as well. It is pay to play and $3/round, $5/day. Its open 8am-dusk.

This course is a glimpse into the future of disc golf if you really want this game to thrive, private courses.

In the ground for just this season and the course is evolving almost daily. That said, its in beautiful shape to play right now. Doug Opiela, the owner has 25+ years of disc golf experience and it shows in his attention to details on the course. In fact this includes the whole disc golf experience with a well stocked full service disc golf pro shop carrying Innova, Discraft, Millenium, Vibram, apparel & accessories. And there is also a mini course if you are looking for something different.

The course is a tight and technical wooded course. Three sets of tees and nothing over 300 feet. Birdies can be had everywhere and Aces abound. But don't stray off of the very well defined fairways or you might not only find yourself in jail but solitary confinement. OB comes into play on holes 5, 6, & 16. And of course there are 2 holes, 10 & 14, where a pond comes into play. Doug has tried and succeeded in giving you a different look and line with every hole; left, right, turnover, overhand, and even rollers could be needed to score well. The course is marked well with very nice signs, and distances on the tee markers. A nice touch are the distance stakes in the middle of the fairways denoting 50, 100, and 150 feet from the basket. This helps to spot not only the sometimes hidden lines of the wooded fairways but gives you a clue as to how best reach that hidden basket. Near ground level there are orange next tee signs.

There are regularly scheduled events, leagues, glow rounds, and more.

There are many chairs & benches throughout the course, and some garbage cans too. There is a large parking lot.

At only $2 per round and $5 all day it can't be beat. Doug and his wife Mary are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet and they can be quite helpful with expert advice.

Please call first at 716-992-4374.

Still a work in progress. The course can be muddy but the drainage is being addressed. The teepads are a tar/gravel mix and not all of them are installed yet.

There are more plans for this wonderful course. A 2nd longer, tougher 18 is to be developed in the next year or two.

The grand design has this rivaling the nicest private ball golf course.