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Kadena Air Base DGC reviews
3
0
The Island's Best Course 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 20, 2016
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
- Free to play
- Open and forgiving layout for learning beginners
- Only 18 hole layout on the island of Okinawa
- Artificial turf tee pads
- Slight variances in elevation
- Japan's longest permanent course
- Pro shop with bathroom on location
- Ample parking
- Course regularly landscaped
- Open and forgiving layout for learning beginners
- Only 18 hole layout on the island of Okinawa
- Artificial turf tee pads
- Slight variances in elevation
- Japan's longest permanent course
- Pro shop with bathroom on location
- Ample parking
- Course regularly landscaped
Cons:
- Limited access to military land
- Tee pads not marked
- Many nearby throwing hazards (roads, softball fields, parking lots, fences with barbed wire, ect)
- Half of the baskets aren't numbered and the half that are don't match the map
- Course greatly rewards raw distance ability over control.
- The online map lacks distances
- A few baskets are too close to heavily used roads (1,2,5,6)
- No alternate tees or pins
- Tee pads not marked
- Many nearby throwing hazards (roads, softball fields, parking lots, fences with barbed wire, ect)
- Half of the baskets aren't numbered and the half that are don't match the map
- Course greatly rewards raw distance ability over control.
- The online map lacks distances
- A few baskets are too close to heavily used roads (1,2,5,6)
- No alternate tees or pins
Other Thoughts:
If I had one word to describe this course it would be the word "OPEN".
This openness is a blessing for beginning to intermediate players, but makes gameplay less interesting for experienced players. Basically, it's a hyzer line course that often uses distance, slight changes in elevation, and wind to create most of the course difficulty. That wind though....... Most players will likely shuffle between fairways and distance drivers off the tee, but not have much need for mids. I like how the drainage culvert works its way through the heart of the course and forces risk reward scenarios if you count it as OB. The course is always immaculately maintained and more or less deserted too.
As for course bummers, there's no tee signs and no directional arrows. Make sure you use the map provided online, it's very easy to miss the astro turf tees (which are awesome) if you don't know where to look. They blend in quite well. Another thing that took some time to figure out was how to actually play the course. The online course map I used has 1, 2, and 7-18 correctly listed everything else is wrong. The black flagging numbers are also incorrect.
The feature that I disliked the most about this course was the first 7 holes. These fairways and baskets are in dangerously close proximity to rooftops, busy roadways, parking lots, and high pedestrian traffic area. Holes 1, 2, 5, and 7 should probably be removed for safety reasons. They're crammed into an area that's not really suited for DG.
Overall, I like the general playability of the course. Anyone can learn to throw in these open fields, which is makes it easily approachable for beginners. Unlike most courses in Japan, you can really open up and rip a monster drive here. I'd like to see better utilization of the area between the running track and the softball fields, though. This area is filled with trees and could benefit most from alternate tees with a little bit of redesign.
This openness is a blessing for beginning to intermediate players, but makes gameplay less interesting for experienced players. Basically, it's a hyzer line course that often uses distance, slight changes in elevation, and wind to create most of the course difficulty. That wind though....... Most players will likely shuffle between fairways and distance drivers off the tee, but not have much need for mids. I like how the drainage culvert works its way through the heart of the course and forces risk reward scenarios if you count it as OB. The course is always immaculately maintained and more or less deserted too.
As for course bummers, there's no tee signs and no directional arrows. Make sure you use the map provided online, it's very easy to miss the astro turf tees (which are awesome) if you don't know where to look. They blend in quite well. Another thing that took some time to figure out was how to actually play the course. The online course map I used has 1, 2, and 7-18 correctly listed everything else is wrong. The black flagging numbers are also incorrect.
The feature that I disliked the most about this course was the first 7 holes. These fairways and baskets are in dangerously close proximity to rooftops, busy roadways, parking lots, and high pedestrian traffic area. Holes 1, 2, 5, and 7 should probably be removed for safety reasons. They're crammed into an area that's not really suited for DG.
Overall, I like the general playability of the course. Anyone can learn to throw in these open fields, which is makes it easily approachable for beginners. Unlike most courses in Japan, you can really open up and rip a monster drive here. I'd like to see better utilization of the area between the running track and the softball fields, though. This area is filled with trees and could benefit most from alternate tees with a little bit of redesign.
1
0
bhove_af
Experience:
9 years
21 played
3 reviews
Work in progress 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:May 7, 2016
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Full 18 holes with a pretty good flow. Solid mix of long shots and short technical holes. Great course for new players because of the wide open fairways on most holes.
Cons:
No tee signs or markers, just a piece of turf tacked to the ground.
Other Thoughts:
It's a pretty nice course and it's still being developed by the players to make it even better. Most of the course was funded by the players and built by them as well. With that said enjoy it if you're on island and clean up after yourself if you use it.
5
0
medikated
Experience:
25 years
32 played
5 reviews
Kadena AB DGC 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Jan 15, 2016
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
-Baskets are in good shape
-Layout/land use is good, the basket placement is pretty excellent, they are place in well guarded spots, either guarded by the few available trees and the use of the giant cement drainage canal is great and adds an OB/water hazard to a lot if the holes.
-Layout/land use is good, the basket placement is pretty excellent, they are place in well guarded spots, either guarded by the few available trees and the use of the giant cement drainage canal is great and adds an OB/water hazard to a lot if the holes.
Cons:
-Don't trust the map on here it's not accurate
-Tee pads are hard to find as there are no signs and the front is marked by a 3 ft. length of rope are slowly being embedded into the ground.
-Tee pads are hard to find as there are no signs and the front is marked by a 3 ft. length of rope are slowly being embedded into the ground.
Other Thoughts:
I figured since no one has reviewed this course I should take a minute to do so. I really just wanted to write this up to give people an idea of what to expect.
As stated in the con section the map here is off, the course is evolving, there are a dozen or more baskets and the total hole number is somewhere closer to 15. That said find a local and they can show the way, they are out there on a regular basis.
You can go to the outdoor rec. building by the paintball course and they sell some over priced Innova discs, I grabbed up a star Excalibur with a kadena stamp on it. They also have print outs of the map, just ask, they're behind the counter, problem is it's a printout of the map that's here and its smaller then a business card.
Tee pads are hard to find, they are either marked by a length of rope, so look for wear spots on the grass, or the tee pad is on the sidewalk which in that case the front is indicated but a stripe of red paint.
Next the wind, it can make the course nearly unplayable you either have to learn to play and deal with it or track the weather and try to go when it's not so bad.
Last thing I have to say, being in the military and having this available is awesome, I am really glad this exists as there is no better way to spend a day off then throwing plastic and putting back a few chu-hi's.
As stated in the con section the map here is off, the course is evolving, there are a dozen or more baskets and the total hole number is somewhere closer to 15. That said find a local and they can show the way, they are out there on a regular basis.
You can go to the outdoor rec. building by the paintball course and they sell some over priced Innova discs, I grabbed up a star Excalibur with a kadena stamp on it. They also have print outs of the map, just ask, they're behind the counter, problem is it's a printout of the map that's here and its smaller then a business card.
Tee pads are hard to find, they are either marked by a length of rope, so look for wear spots on the grass, or the tee pad is on the sidewalk which in that case the front is indicated but a stripe of red paint.
Next the wind, it can make the course nearly unplayable you either have to learn to play and deal with it or track the weather and try to go when it's not so bad.
Last thing I have to say, being in the military and having this available is awesome, I am really glad this exists as there is no better way to spend a day off then throwing plastic and putting back a few chu-hi's.
