Hawk's Landing DGC reviews
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Experience:
18.8 years
256 played
238 reviews
The Hawk Has Landed!
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 23, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
- 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
- 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
Cons:
- 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
- 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
Other Thoughts:
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.
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.
