Pros:
-A 9-hole course on the property of the Wilderness Presidential Resort. The course meanders on a slope of a hill with water in play from a lake. Mostly lightly wooded and some open holes. Also a few roller greens, and a hanging basket.
-It would seem to me that the course has been updated since the last review more than 6 years ago.
-The single turf tees are excellent, with two Discatchers on each hole. I played long baskets, and they catch well! There's a course map as you enter the course.
-Tee signs have excellent map graphics with next tee, hole number, distance, and par.
-Navigation is counter-clockwise and next tee is easy to see from played basket. Some baskets are hidden from tee.
-The elevated parking lot was a first for me, you can see the entire course from parking, and I would imagine very scenic in the warmer months. I played in December. There's a General Store across the road from parking for snacks.
-From the bag on the tee I threw mid's, fairways, and drivers.
-Fairways along the water I saw a few long sticks with hooks to grab discs. The water is very shallow a few inches to even walk out a ways with waterproof shoes or even take your shoes off when warmer to grab a disc.
-Resort guests playing the first time will find the course challenging. Beginners, and Recreational challenging enough and enjoyable! Intermediate and Advanced a few challenges on a very workable course enjoying the scenery.
-The Wilderness Presidential Resort Disc Golf fee also includes other property amenities, and there are a variety of overnight accommodations including camping and RV hookups, cabins, and luxury accommodations. You no longer must be a guest of a member to play, just pay the fee. The resort is within easy reach of Loriella Park and Cannon Ridge. At least a few dozen courses within an hour Hawk Hollow, Blockhouse, and Lake Marshall.
Cons:
-It's a 5-minute walk downhill from parking to the course and I couldn't help but think why not add a few warmup holes, a tremendous elevated open tee shot with distance from parking, and another hole across the water to a basket. A lot of available space to add even more holes on the parking side of water to stretch the course. When your finished playing, you're going to be walking right back up that hill.
-Skilled players may find themselves wanting more, the lines thru trees and brush are wide on 6 of the 9 holes, and the open on the other 3 may also find a repetitive round and a little ho hum.
-Lost disc potential can be high. The heavy here and there brush and trees are going to be very bushy in the warmer months. You may have to disc dive for an errant throw. Water behind long basket #5 and along holes 1, 3, and 6 could capture a disc.
Other Thoughts:
Hazel Grove DGC on the Wilderness Presidential Resort is the perfect place to introduce Disc Golf to newcomers to the game staying on the resort. As I strolled along the fairways, I was wondering how many guests bit by the Disc Golf Bug and found their way to a local course when they returned home. The course is perfect for an introduction to the game from tee box experience to basket. Veterans can vacation with a perfect place for family activities, warm up your game, and hit the stellar 18-hole courses in the area. I have no personnel cons on the course, Hazel course is what it is, a course to accommodate their guests, allowing non-staying guest a chance to play. On a personnel preference would have like to have been squeezed more on most fairways and found myself with wandering eyes to the next hole thinking it may bring something more, but there's enough to keep it at a good round!
My overall rating is anchored on a 4.0 based on the Resort player experience, beautiful scenery on course and bordering it, solid tee box experience, a course with ease, and resort amenities. The time to play taking photos was 35 minutes.
The Hanging Basket:
-Open tee to open short basket hanging off two wooden post and cross pole at 176 feet. I felt that the hanging basket was a good plus for a resort course and fit right in for the course. After throwing to long basket, threw a second disc to hanging basket and ended up right behind it.
Notable Basket:
-No. 5 long basket at 305 feet is open tee down slope to an open basket roller green with the lake just off C1. Half hearted made a birdie run.
Signature Hole:
-No. 9 Par 3 long basket at 340 feet is a straight away open tee downhill to a basket with tree cover. The first 270 feet is open, and you'll see the short basket at 250 feet and a good distance marker, you'll not be able to see the long basket. The fairway on the right is heavy woods with extended branches all the way down. At 270 feet is a line of bushy trees on the left shooting thru a gap about 40 feet wide and at that point the fairway drops to a roller green basket in the wooded gap with a ditch filled with water at the C2 border behind basket. It's a fun throw to complete the round, represents the course with trees and brush, and the open fairways.
Trouble Hole:
-No. 6 Par 3 long basket at 411 feet, and short at 267 feet is a straight open tee to open basket with no trees in play, just water carry or add more distance going around left with dry land. To reach short on a straight line at least 230 feet, and long 375 feet to keep it safe. The short basket is a roller green into the lake at C1. The long basket is on a crest with a roller green to the left or behind into heavy brush, and to the right or front the lake just outside C1. Hole 6 is the most likely hole to lose a disc, and likely scenic with green grass in the warmer months. I choose to keep it safe with a turnover (lefty) aiming for short, but a late release put me a long way from long basket, on approach hit the crest on the left and rolled into the brush, and dumped putt to avoid the roller into the lake for a pickup bogey.