Mammoth Ridges DGC reviews
14
1
Nice, but meh 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 6, 2010
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
-Its a disc golf course IN Yellowstone National Park
-Long shots, some technical, make for a well rounded game.
-Close to Mammoth Hot Springs developed area.
-Fun terrain-driven variety
-Away from the crowds, abundant wildlife nearby.
-Cool, historic graveyard near tee 16
-Long shots, some technical, make for a well rounded game.
-Close to Mammoth Hot Springs developed area.
-Fun terrain-driven variety
-Away from the crowds, abundant wildlife nearby.
-Cool, historic graveyard near tee 16
Cons:
-Objects course, and designated objects can often be confused with other nearby objects.
-REALLY need a guide to get through the whole thing, even with a map.
-Man Made objects to mark holes are often missing.
-Many holes are exposed, noticeable during the summer heat.
-REALLY need a guide to get through the whole thing, even with a map.
-Man Made objects to mark holes are often missing.
-Many holes are exposed, noticeable during the summer heat.
Other Thoughts:
Mammoth Ridges DGC is an object course built by Yellowstone Employees for their use during the summer. While it is not marked and very difficult to follow, regular visitors to the park are welcome to try to play. Typical NPS rules apply; stay away from animals, pack it ALL out, and respect each other.
The course is found on the hillside and along the ridges behind the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. While much of the land is quite open, this course utilizes the abrupt changes in elevation often, and there are also some sections with dense pine coverage. Some steep climbs both uphill and downhill are incorporated into the course.
The attached directions and map are a valuable resource to completing the course, as you would be utterly lost without them. Even so, there is some confusion to be had for the first time player, and even after that. Targets like "hole is a rock next to a bunch of dead trees" or "hole is the dead tree with a few branches and most of the trunk missing" can make for a very difficult time distinguishing the hole, especially on par 4 or 5 shots. To add to this issue, if you shoot toward the wrong target, you will have trouble finding the next tee.
This course was my first exposure to a 100% object course, and with the 'par 5' shots to the 'rust colored rock on the left' it proved to be very difficult to figure out on my own. By all means, once we figured it out, it was fun, but we certainly felt like we were in on a secret.
The beginning and end of the course proved to be the most interesting. Hole one starts fairly simply with a shot to a tone pole. This is immediately followed by a long uphill par '5' shot which is easily obtainable. Danger lurks on the left with a fenced off section and the right with a steep drop off in the wrong direction.
Hole 3 plays off the steep hill just climbed to a very large rock, and the course proceeds to a wooded section at this point. After a very steep climb at hole 7, the course opens up on top of the ridge overlooking the Mammoth area.
Holes 10 to 14 are where I encountered the most confusion navigating. The area is huge and spread out, and with directions like 'The hole is a large L shaped rock next to a small pine on top of the ridge,' I was never sure exactly where to go. The only terrain features out here are rocks and small trees! Make that a par 4 hole, and it is almost impossible to understand where to go. It is easy to remember once you figure it out but this helps very little with the first time player.
Hole 15 leads you back to familiar territory, eventually ending the course where you began with some fun, open downhill shots. Beware of wind on these holes, and remember that it is very difficult (and illegal) to hop the fence into the power substation. They made it animal proof which makes it pretty human proof as well.
If you walk up the hill behind tee 16, you can get a good little history lesson and visit a historic 1800's era graveyard.
While a fun course to play while in Mammoth Village, in the grand scheme of courses, this one is very skippable. There are better courses in Yellowstone National Park, and you probably should not waste your vacation trying to figure out this nature walk. If you are working in the area, then congrats on the opportunity to grip it and rip it all summer!
The course is found on the hillside and along the ridges behind the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. While much of the land is quite open, this course utilizes the abrupt changes in elevation often, and there are also some sections with dense pine coverage. Some steep climbs both uphill and downhill are incorporated into the course.
The attached directions and map are a valuable resource to completing the course, as you would be utterly lost without them. Even so, there is some confusion to be had for the first time player, and even after that. Targets like "hole is a rock next to a bunch of dead trees" or "hole is the dead tree with a few branches and most of the trunk missing" can make for a very difficult time distinguishing the hole, especially on par 4 or 5 shots. To add to this issue, if you shoot toward the wrong target, you will have trouble finding the next tee.
This course was my first exposure to a 100% object course, and with the 'par 5' shots to the 'rust colored rock on the left' it proved to be very difficult to figure out on my own. By all means, once we figured it out, it was fun, but we certainly felt like we were in on a secret.
The beginning and end of the course proved to be the most interesting. Hole one starts fairly simply with a shot to a tone pole. This is immediately followed by a long uphill par '5' shot which is easily obtainable. Danger lurks on the left with a fenced off section and the right with a steep drop off in the wrong direction.
Hole 3 plays off the steep hill just climbed to a very large rock, and the course proceeds to a wooded section at this point. After a very steep climb at hole 7, the course opens up on top of the ridge overlooking the Mammoth area.
Holes 10 to 14 are where I encountered the most confusion navigating. The area is huge and spread out, and with directions like 'The hole is a large L shaped rock next to a small pine on top of the ridge,' I was never sure exactly where to go. The only terrain features out here are rocks and small trees! Make that a par 4 hole, and it is almost impossible to understand where to go. It is easy to remember once you figure it out but this helps very little with the first time player.
Hole 15 leads you back to familiar territory, eventually ending the course where you began with some fun, open downhill shots. Beware of wind on these holes, and remember that it is very difficult (and illegal) to hop the fence into the power substation. They made it animal proof which makes it pretty human proof as well.
If you walk up the hill behind tee 16, you can get a good little history lesson and visit a historic 1800's era graveyard.
While a fun course to play while in Mammoth Village, in the grand scheme of courses, this one is very skippable. There are better courses in Yellowstone National Park, and you probably should not waste your vacation trying to figure out this nature walk. If you are working in the area, then congrats on the opportunity to grip it and rip it all summer!
