Lydle Gulch - Blue reviews
6
0
Rugged and rough canyon course worth the spin 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jul 5, 2018
Played the course:once
Pros:
- 20 permanent DISCatcher 28's with nice blue bands that are well mounted.
- All 20 natural tees were actually pretty serviceable, even on the longer throws requiring a run up.
- Lots of elevation in play. A few holes even have multi stage elevation change. Loved the terrain out there.
- For being about 75% open, the designers did a nice job using the available trees, elevation changes, and angles of the hillsides to force lines and shot placements creating lots of diverse and challenging holes. Really, only a couple holes that could be considered "throw away holes".
- Great variation in hole lengths. No monotony in that regard. Course has 5ish multi-throw holes, all of which are unique from each other adding to the variety and challenge.
- Beautiful scenery and plenty of wildlife. Neat views of the Boise River looking back down the canyon.
- All 20 natural tees were actually pretty serviceable, even on the longer throws requiring a run up.
- Lots of elevation in play. A few holes even have multi stage elevation change. Loved the terrain out there.
- For being about 75% open, the designers did a nice job using the available trees, elevation changes, and angles of the hillsides to force lines and shot placements creating lots of diverse and challenging holes. Really, only a couple holes that could be considered "throw away holes".
- Great variation in hole lengths. No monotony in that regard. Course has 5ish multi-throw holes, all of which are unique from each other adding to the variety and challenge.
- Beautiful scenery and plenty of wildlife. Neat views of the Boise River looking back down the canyon.
Cons:
- Natural tees for all 20 holes. As mentioned above, they're in pretty good shape but I know many golfers really dont like natural tees.
- Area is rough country and not for softer golfers. Terrain is exposed, hillsides are rocky, crumbly, and pokey. If you prefer manicured park golf, this is not a course for you. 3 out of the 4 of our group are very used to this type of landscape and had our gaiters ready to fight off the cheat grass, etc. I think the 4th maybe just threw his socks away.
- No tee signs. Some of the wooden stakes with hole numbers still remain but tees signs with hole and directional info would go a long ways.
- Navigation was a little tough at points. Once we got rolling and got used to the proportions on the map and looked for the established trails, we didn't have any trouble but again, next tee signs would be nice. Finding the first tee was probably the toughest, its located behind the Gold #1 tee(huge tee made of pavers) and points at the first blue basket downhill over the access road. Its a farily obvious large, flat natural tee area but no wooden stake was there.
- Long course with no real midway break point to refuel. Play all the way down the gulch, then all the way back up. If i return, I'll likely start on hole 13 and finish on hole 12, getting the uphill portion done on the front 10. Could theoretically park cars at both lots, near 1 and 12/13 to allow for water/snack refill.
- While its obvious the course is played a bit from the trails we followed, not much maintenance work is done. There were points where the growth was quite thick.
- Hole 20. Good Par 5ish length for a Blue level course but it just pushes back uphill through some moderate rolling gullies to get back to the lot. I love some multi throw holes but this finishing hole was not my favorite. The green at least had a few small shrubby trees to avoid on the approach.
- Area is rough country and not for softer golfers. Terrain is exposed, hillsides are rocky, crumbly, and pokey. If you prefer manicured park golf, this is not a course for you. 3 out of the 4 of our group are very used to this type of landscape and had our gaiters ready to fight off the cheat grass, etc. I think the 4th maybe just threw his socks away.
- No tee signs. Some of the wooden stakes with hole numbers still remain but tees signs with hole and directional info would go a long ways.
- Navigation was a little tough at points. Once we got rolling and got used to the proportions on the map and looked for the established trails, we didn't have any trouble but again, next tee signs would be nice. Finding the first tee was probably the toughest, its located behind the Gold #1 tee(huge tee made of pavers) and points at the first blue basket downhill over the access road. Its a farily obvious large, flat natural tee area but no wooden stake was there.
- Long course with no real midway break point to refuel. Play all the way down the gulch, then all the way back up. If i return, I'll likely start on hole 13 and finish on hole 12, getting the uphill portion done on the front 10. Could theoretically park cars at both lots, near 1 and 12/13 to allow for water/snack refill.
- While its obvious the course is played a bit from the trails we followed, not much maintenance work is done. There were points where the growth was quite thick.
- Hole 20. Good Par 5ish length for a Blue level course but it just pushes back uphill through some moderate rolling gullies to get back to the lot. I love some multi throw holes but this finishing hole was not my favorite. The green at least had a few small shrubby trees to avoid on the approach.
Other Thoughts:
We played this course first thing the day we got to Boise around noon thirty in 104 degree heat. This was not the best choice. Pretty sure our foursome was all close to heat exhaustion/stroke. Even so, the entire group agreed that this course had some of if not the best golf shots of all the Boise area courses we played. Certainly rough and not super well maintained but not completely neglected. If you're not a fan of Diamond X, Bengal Ridge, Massacre Rocks, etc. type courses, this course is not for you. It's quite a hike, 20 holes and mostly exposed.
I personally loved it(despite the painfully hot day) and would likely make this my main course if I lived in the area(even though I'd rate Ann Mo higher). The course offers such a great variety of golf shots that will challenge most any golfer's game. I'm a huge fan of elevation an this course has plenty. More infrastructure such as signs, tee pads, and benches would do wonders out here where creature comforts could ease the pain of the rough terrain. Not sure what type of vegetation control is possible but some trimming/mowing/basic clearing would help on a number of the holes as well(2, 5, 13, and 15 come to mind) . Tons of work has been put in the Lydle Gulch courses so I'd be surprised if I didn't find it to have improved on my next visit. Looking forward to playing this again and you should put it on your list if this type of terrain floats your boat.
I personally loved it(despite the painfully hot day) and would likely make this my main course if I lived in the area(even though I'd rate Ann Mo higher). The course offers such a great variety of golf shots that will challenge most any golfer's game. I'm a huge fan of elevation an this course has plenty. More infrastructure such as signs, tee pads, and benches would do wonders out here where creature comforts could ease the pain of the rough terrain. Not sure what type of vegetation control is possible but some trimming/mowing/basic clearing would help on a number of the holes as well(2, 5, 13, and 15 come to mind) . Tons of work has been put in the Lydle Gulch courses so I'd be surprised if I didn't find it to have improved on my next visit. Looking forward to playing this again and you should put it on your list if this type of terrain floats your boat.
4
0
don't be cruel, to a course that's... 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:May 22, 2015
Played the course:once
Pros:
Innova baskets w/blue band
elevation
variety
restrooms (@1 & 12)
plenty of parking
isolated (though a few dog walkers)
elevation
variety
restrooms (@1 & 12)
plenty of parking
isolated (though a few dog walkers)
Cons:
Dirt pads & no signs (for now)
tall grass in some areas
blind shots
no smaller loop (there are a few chances to skip to 20)
no trash cans or benches
flow -hard to find next tee (tee signs would fix this)
tall grass in some areas
blind shots
no smaller loop (there are a few chances to skip to 20)
no trash cans or benches
flow -hard to find next tee (tee signs would fix this)
Other Thoughts:
It's better than the gold course: it has more variety of throws, goes through the TREES (shade), and has some grassy areas. Too bad they decided to finish the gold course first. It seems they want to attract the hard core golfers, not the casuals. This course requires some technique and shot shaping, but the casual player will still have fun on this one, if they are in shape (up and down hills). It has some artificial OB that is more for safety than adding to the challenge. If the course ever gets busy the closeness of holes might become an issue. The highlight for me was #17 throwing downhill across the ravine over the bushes. combine this course with the gold course and you have a good workout for the day.
