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Little America Crew Course reviews
10
0
PastorofMuppets
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
4.9 years
150 played
118 reviews
Little America, Big Elevation
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 13, 2023
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
1) Set in the picturesque ponderosa forest just off I-40 in the foothills of some majestic mountains in practically downtown Flagstaff. The Little America resort boasts tons of parking, luxurious accomodations, and two separate full 18 hole courses (Little America Crew Course and Little America Longs). Elevation here is at roughly 7'700 feet.
2) Nice new turf tee pads set atop what appears to be smoothed and compacted tiny gravel and sand, staked into place, and surrounded by mulch, level with the playing surface (huge plus as you can easily approach from any angle off the tee pad). Baskets were new Discatchers, tee signs were Masters Worlds Specific but matched the coorigated plastic full color tee signs you see at DGPT events with all relevant information.
3) What I would classify as a "short" course with most Par 3's ranging in the 275-350 feet range with a few extreme exceptions in both the shorter and longer varieties. Very short but well designed two shot Par 4's. Reachable only by the longest throwers and only by taking an incredibly risky line to achieve.
4) Extremely fair course that can be shredded with excellent play, parred with steady conservative play, and that can eat your lunch if you are off your game and not hitting lines or putts.
5) Very much a hit your gap and pick your landing zone course. The thick Ponderosa forest provides multitudes of massive trees you must weave around, unpredictable kicks when you do happen to hit one, and tons of precarious greens where you may be 15 feet from the basket and completely blocked off by a massive tree or several massive trees.
6) Elevation is used in a variety of excellent ways from Hole #2 (steep downhill tunnel shot to a very fast but heavily tree guarded green) to Hole #3 (which is a short but severely uphill tunnel shot that curves hard left to right at the top of the tree line, protected by a massive downed Ponderosa probably 4 feet in diameter laying just along the bullseye.) Hole #7 feels like you are throwing down a steep cliff face and trying to stick a disc on a small outcropping ledge the size of a small car with OB all around it, with a wall of trees directly in all your lines to get there. Followed by Hole #8 going right back up the steep cliff and turning hard left into what feel likes a bowl inside a perimeter or volcanic rock and old growth trees. Just to mention a few.
7) While the course can certainly reward the big arms, it requires them to have pinpoint accuracy throughout to truly gain an advantage. The player who can hit gaps consistently at manageable distances can pick this course apart and perform well here.
8) Outside of possible health issues with elevation and the steep holes in places, this course would be wonderful for all types of skill levels.
9) Picturesque Hole after Picturesque Hole. Hole #18 is the most wide open of all the Holes but probably the prettiest. Mt Humphrey's is in the background with just a hint of snow on the peak as you tee off towards I-40 in the distance. Arizona Snowbowl helps to shape the deep backdrop. Behind you is just an endless landscape of Ponderosa's and Coconino National Forest. After 17 Holes in that Forest, you feel like you are rewarded by exiting it and heading towards the parking lot, back to civilization, a conquering hero (or a wilderness survivalist depending on how you played lol).
10) A truly amazing course design that succeeded in providing a little bit of everything without the need for tons of artificial OB.
2) Nice new turf tee pads set atop what appears to be smoothed and compacted tiny gravel and sand, staked into place, and surrounded by mulch, level with the playing surface (huge plus as you can easily approach from any angle off the tee pad). Baskets were new Discatchers, tee signs were Masters Worlds Specific but matched the coorigated plastic full color tee signs you see at DGPT events with all relevant information.
3) What I would classify as a "short" course with most Par 3's ranging in the 275-350 feet range with a few extreme exceptions in both the shorter and longer varieties. Very short but well designed two shot Par 4's. Reachable only by the longest throwers and only by taking an incredibly risky line to achieve.
4) Extremely fair course that can be shredded with excellent play, parred with steady conservative play, and that can eat your lunch if you are off your game and not hitting lines or putts.
5) Very much a hit your gap and pick your landing zone course. The thick Ponderosa forest provides multitudes of massive trees you must weave around, unpredictable kicks when you do happen to hit one, and tons of precarious greens where you may be 15 feet from the basket and completely blocked off by a massive tree or several massive trees.
6) Elevation is used in a variety of excellent ways from Hole #2 (steep downhill tunnel shot to a very fast but heavily tree guarded green) to Hole #3 (which is a short but severely uphill tunnel shot that curves hard left to right at the top of the tree line, protected by a massive downed Ponderosa probably 4 feet in diameter laying just along the bullseye.) Hole #7 feels like you are throwing down a steep cliff face and trying to stick a disc on a small outcropping ledge the size of a small car with OB all around it, with a wall of trees directly in all your lines to get there. Followed by Hole #8 going right back up the steep cliff and turning hard left into what feel likes a bowl inside a perimeter or volcanic rock and old growth trees. Just to mention a few.
7) While the course can certainly reward the big arms, it requires them to have pinpoint accuracy throughout to truly gain an advantage. The player who can hit gaps consistently at manageable distances can pick this course apart and perform well here.
8) Outside of possible health issues with elevation and the steep holes in places, this course would be wonderful for all types of skill levels.
9) Picturesque Hole after Picturesque Hole. Hole #18 is the most wide open of all the Holes but probably the prettiest. Mt Humphrey's is in the background with just a hint of snow on the peak as you tee off towards I-40 in the distance. Arizona Snowbowl helps to shape the deep backdrop. Behind you is just an endless landscape of Ponderosa's and Coconino National Forest. After 17 Holes in that Forest, you feel like you are rewarded by exiting it and heading towards the parking lot, back to civilization, a conquering hero (or a wilderness survivalist depending on how you played lol).
10) A truly amazing course design that succeeded in providing a little bit of everything without the need for tons of artificial OB.
Cons:
1) Volcanic Rocks and Pumice stones - This course is literally built on an old dormant volcano debris field. There are probably millions upon millions of varying size rocks and stones littering the course. While adding an unmatched beauty you will not find in many other places, they prove extremely aggravating. Your discs will get beat up, you will trip, you will get bad kicks, you will have terrible lies in the middle of the fairway, you will get frustrated.
2) Not Cart Friendly - This course, for the rocks mentioned above, is NOT CART FRIENDLY. Don't even try, it's not worth it, you will regret it every single second.
3) Lack of amenities - For worlds, there was multiple water stations and port o potties spread throughout, but this course is one large 18 hole loop that does not come back to the parking lot until after hole 18. And there will probably not be any of these things available when an event like that isn't going on.
4) Not so much a con as advice, but DRINK WATER. Bring more water than you could possibly imagine needing. If you aren't used to playing at this elevation especially. It will take a lot out of you and much faster than you'd expect.
2) Not Cart Friendly - This course, for the rocks mentioned above, is NOT CART FRIENDLY. Don't even try, it's not worth it, you will regret it every single second.
3) Lack of amenities - For worlds, there was multiple water stations and port o potties spread throughout, but this course is one large 18 hole loop that does not come back to the parking lot until after hole 18. And there will probably not be any of these things available when an event like that isn't going on.
4) Not so much a con as advice, but DRINK WATER. Bring more water than you could possibly imagine needing. If you aren't used to playing at this elevation especially. It will take a lot out of you and much faster than you'd expect.
Other Thoughts:
This course is truly amazing. Maybe a little soft for the caliber of competition that played it for Masters Worlds, but it was still very fair and players still had to take advantage. If this course becomes permanent and not just a temp worlds course I would highly recommend it to anyone going through the area. Flagstaff has so many amazing courses within a few miles of each other. It's hard to choose a favorite. Not quite an Eagles Crossing, Idlewild, Smugs level course by any means, but what I would consider the top tier of 4 Star style courses. It has all the ingredients and has done most everything right, it just doesn't have that wow factor and unforgettable extras the top courses do. Regardless, visit the Grand Canyon, go ski Snowbowl, then come huck some discs at Little America!
