Lake Montebello DGC reviews
3
2
Lake Mediocre 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 23, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
Lake Montebello is a park surrounding a large reservoir with a cement path . Many walkers and joggers use this cement path .
There is no real parking lot . You will have to " take your chances " and park on the street . I did not see a bathroom here
when I played .
The Equipment - The tee pads are part carpet and many are natural . There are usually 2 tees per hole . The tee signs informative , but kind of cheap looking . The baskets are a mix here . I guess I expected some upgrades since 2011 .
The Landscape - The grass here was a little high , and branches needed to be cut back some on the fairways when I was here . The course starts in a far corner of the reservoir . The first hole is park style , but dips into the woods right away , then goes in and out of this woods . Don't let the semi flat reservoir area fool you . There are holes that have plenty of elevation . The first woods holes shoots over a creek and up a good sized hill in the woods . Plenty of trees , especially in the woods holes . Fair throwing lanes . This part of the course in the back has a kind of rough and sketchy feel . I would be on the alert when back here , and not think about playing at dusk . The nearby neighborhood might infringe on your fun . Once back out of there and a couple of early holes that shoot straight down a hill , then come straight back up . you should be safer ( I think McGruff the Crime Dog was mugged back here a few months ago ) . There are at least 3 top-of-the-world shots or straight down putter runs during your round . The last 7 holes or so follow a park style course and are within eyesight of the reservoir track .. You have to throw around or over cement on hole #17 .
The Highlights - not a lot of highlights , but some fun or solid holes . #2 ( 204' , 275' ) throws across a creek and up a large tree filled embankment . #7 ( 240' ) is a straight downhill putter/midrange run to a basket in front of a ditch . #8 is a drive back up the steep hill to a basket protected by a large rock formation . #10 is a downhill 261'doorway drive to a basket sitting under a grove of trees that's canopies can repel your disc . #12 takes you back up the hill , but much more open and longer at 450' , 633' .
Signature Hole - Maybe #15 ( 546', 672' ) It runs up a slope to a basket protected by some fairway trees blocking the green . Nice basket placement .
The Time - It took me about an hour and 15 minutes to play the course , with some of it climbing up and down the steep parts of the course , and looking for a disc . A group of 4 might get through in about 2 hours and 20 minutes .
This course has plenty of length and makes good use of the elevation . There were people playing at 9:00 on the Sunday morning that I was here .
There is no real parking lot . You will have to " take your chances " and park on the street . I did not see a bathroom here
when I played .
The Equipment - The tee pads are part carpet and many are natural . There are usually 2 tees per hole . The tee signs informative , but kind of cheap looking . The baskets are a mix here . I guess I expected some upgrades since 2011 .
The Landscape - The grass here was a little high , and branches needed to be cut back some on the fairways when I was here . The course starts in a far corner of the reservoir . The first hole is park style , but dips into the woods right away , then goes in and out of this woods . Don't let the semi flat reservoir area fool you . There are holes that have plenty of elevation . The first woods holes shoots over a creek and up a good sized hill in the woods . Plenty of trees , especially in the woods holes . Fair throwing lanes . This part of the course in the back has a kind of rough and sketchy feel . I would be on the alert when back here , and not think about playing at dusk . The nearby neighborhood might infringe on your fun . Once back out of there and a couple of early holes that shoot straight down a hill , then come straight back up . you should be safer ( I think McGruff the Crime Dog was mugged back here a few months ago ) . There are at least 3 top-of-the-world shots or straight down putter runs during your round . The last 7 holes or so follow a park style course and are within eyesight of the reservoir track .. You have to throw around or over cement on hole #17 .
The Highlights - not a lot of highlights , but some fun or solid holes . #2 ( 204' , 275' ) throws across a creek and up a large tree filled embankment . #7 ( 240' ) is a straight downhill putter/midrange run to a basket in front of a ditch . #8 is a drive back up the steep hill to a basket protected by a large rock formation . #10 is a downhill 261'doorway drive to a basket sitting under a grove of trees that's canopies can repel your disc . #12 takes you back up the hill , but much more open and longer at 450' , 633' .
Signature Hole - Maybe #15 ( 546', 672' ) It runs up a slope to a basket protected by some fairway trees blocking the green . Nice basket placement .
The Time - It took me about an hour and 15 minutes to play the course , with some of it climbing up and down the steep parts of the course , and looking for a disc . A group of 4 might get through in about 2 hours and 20 minutes .
This course has plenty of length and makes good use of the elevation . There were people playing at 9:00 on the Sunday morning that I was here .
Cons:
#1 Safety , not the park users , YOU . The reservoir and the course that turns into the woods can be seedy . Play with a group , or head for a safer course . Even though I was alone , I didn't worry about me , but I WAS nervous about my car on the street . The park patrons may walk across fairways or picnic in between the tee and basket . Skip a hole if you need to . The people using the park also seemed angry as a whole . Not sure , but since the riots were within a close proximity of this park , you might not be " well received " .
#2 Navigation - This course darts in and out of the woods , and there are not enough Next Tee signs to keep you on course . If not a returning player , you are going to be searching for tee pads a lot . I had a map and was Still Confused . A sign did show you where to go in a few needed spots .
#3 Equipment - Natural tee pads and the signs here ? Really ?! And the baskets ? Minor league equipment leads to minor league interest .
#4 Vibe - unless living close by ( very close ) , this course just won't attract many return players . Maybe they don't have chill areas because they want you to go check on your car .
#2 Navigation - This course darts in and out of the woods , and there are not enough Next Tee signs to keep you on course . If not a returning player , you are going to be searching for tee pads a lot . I had a map and was Still Confused . A sign did show you where to go in a few needed spots .
#3 Equipment - Natural tee pads and the signs here ? Really ?! And the baskets ? Minor league equipment leads to minor league interest .
#4 Vibe - unless living close by ( very close ) , this course just won't attract many return players . Maybe they don't have chill areas because they want you to go check on your car .
Other Thoughts:
I may be playing the player safety up too much , but I really didn't feel welcome here . I give course designers Norm Eckstein , Rich Olson and Glen Hatfield a lot of credit for making something happen in the way of a disc golf course . Some fun holes that will challenge you and force you to either unload a drive , or shape a good angled approach . If you have a kid or a friend that tags along and you don't want to overwhelm them with this course , there is a short 6 hole course on the exact opposite of hole #1's regular course .
My Recommendation - Even though there are shorter tees , you may want to cut your teeth at Druid Hill .4 miles away . A group of intermediates , locals or pros living nearby may get some afternoon practice in . Travelers , this is too close to the city . Course Collectors , grab the 2 and head out . IMO , Pass this one by and concentrate on Druid Hill Kinder or Scarboro Hills .
My Recommendation - Even though there are shorter tees , you may want to cut your teeth at Druid Hill .4 miles away . A group of intermediates , locals or pros living nearby may get some afternoon practice in . Travelers , this is too close to the city . Course Collectors , grab the 2 and head out . IMO , Pass this one by and concentrate on Druid Hill Kinder or Scarboro Hills .
6
4
Redesigned, but I am not coming back until the 3rd redesign 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jul 5, 2013
Played the course:once
Pros:
The re-design is a nice improvement. 18 holes (many have 3 tees each, some have multiple baskets) that feature a wide variety in elevation, wooded vs. open, and left vs. right. There is some older DGA signage mixed with paper signage.
Baskets had small tags under the catch area guiding you to the next tee.
The Youth Course provides a near by 6 hole warm up on the other side of park
Large green stakes in the ground help you find your tee.
Hole 4's novelty basket now ends the course at hole 18.
Baskets had small tags under the catch area guiding you to the next tee.
The Youth Course provides a near by 6 hole warm up on the other side of park
Large green stakes in the ground help you find your tee.
Hole 4's novelty basket now ends the course at hole 18.
Cons:
While the redesign added a lot of challenge and greatly improved the holes many of the flaws are still stand out flaws and I can not raise the rating of this course.
The tees look like a back yard course, just slippery mud patches, toe boards, scraps of carpet, and road.
Several safety issues: the terrain on 7 can be difficult to maneuver for older, larger, or youth players. There are also several drop offs that can lead to dangerous lies. HOLE 10 (formerly hole 6) IS STILL A SERIOUS HAZARD. This basket location is a danger. There is no break to the traffic and the discs can easily go into the road. I did not want to finish hole 10, I was tempted to just concede the hole and walk away. 11 still plays along the road which is more distracting than a safety issue, but there is a possibility of a new player hyzer bombing a disc into traffic.
Crossing fairway on hole 11 from 12 Blue and 16 from short tee on 17.
risk of disc loss: Hole 4 has a hidden fence on left and rough on both sides that can eat discs. 14 still plays along the barb wire fence.
I think I needed a tetus shot after shooting on some of the earlier baskets. Holes 2 and 3 have rusty abused baskets.
Some baskets are labeled with old numbers and it can be confusing. Hole 1B is labeled 7, so you would think after 6, you should be playing back towards 1.
This course is crowded with none disc golf traffic. We had children riding power wheels over the tee pads and people picnicking on fairways. Also I stand by my previous comment that I do not feel that this is a terribly safe area, but I have heard from several angry locals about this comment. Last time I played my disc rolled off the edge of the grass and under a car and a large angry man confronted me telling me I dented his car, thankfully I was with a large group.
The tees look like a back yard course, just slippery mud patches, toe boards, scraps of carpet, and road.
Several safety issues: the terrain on 7 can be difficult to maneuver for older, larger, or youth players. There are also several drop offs that can lead to dangerous lies. HOLE 10 (formerly hole 6) IS STILL A SERIOUS HAZARD. This basket location is a danger. There is no break to the traffic and the discs can easily go into the road. I did not want to finish hole 10, I was tempted to just concede the hole and walk away. 11 still plays along the road which is more distracting than a safety issue, but there is a possibility of a new player hyzer bombing a disc into traffic.
Crossing fairway on hole 11 from 12 Blue and 16 from short tee on 17.
risk of disc loss: Hole 4 has a hidden fence on left and rough on both sides that can eat discs. 14 still plays along the barb wire fence.
I think I needed a tetus shot after shooting on some of the earlier baskets. Holes 2 and 3 have rusty abused baskets.
Some baskets are labeled with old numbers and it can be confusing. Hole 1B is labeled 7, so you would think after 6, you should be playing back towards 1.
This course is crowded with none disc golf traffic. We had children riding power wheels over the tee pads and people picnicking on fairways. Also I stand by my previous comment that I do not feel that this is a terribly safe area, but I have heard from several angry locals about this comment. Last time I played my disc rolled off the edge of the grass and under a car and a large angry man confronted me telling me I dented his car, thankfully I was with a large group.
Other Thoughts:
While many of my previous issues have been addressed I still have a massive problem with hole 10 and the tee pads. This course is seems like primitive backyard course that happens to be in the public park. With improved tees and a safer basket location of hole 10 along with a few other minor tweeks this course would deserve the 4 star ratings.
