New Hogan Dam - Old Layout reviews
4
0
Pretty Fun 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jul 28, 2012
Played the course:once
Pros:
-Not busy
-A narrow fairway is maintained throughout the course
-Good use of elevation & existing foliage
-Great downhill shot toward lake
-Mostly no blinds
-Pretty easy to follow, especially with map
-A narrow fairway is maintained throughout the course
-Good use of elevation & existing foliage
-Great downhill shot toward lake
-Mostly no blinds
-Pretty easy to follow, especially with map
Cons:
-Fox tails & long grass (I uploaded picture examples but they were removed...apparently the 471kb is desperately needed elsewhere on the site. Anyway, It's bad in the summer.)
-Lack of shade / exposure to sun
-Straightforward holes, no risk / reward
-Lack of shade / exposure to sun
-Straightforward holes, no risk / reward
Other Thoughts:
New Hogan Dam DGC plays on a couple of hills overlooking popular New Hogan Reservoir with dotted oaks, small granite outcroppings, and lots of grass. Many holes afford views of the lake and boat launch, as well as the surrounding area.
The pictures show a wonderful green grassy course, but keep in mind that if you visit in the summertime, this all becomes long brown grass and fox tails, with quite a bit of dust. We actually thought it would be unplayable due to the grass but there was about a 20 foot wide median that was mowed throughout the course...as long as you can stay on the fairway you don't have to worry about the weeds. We had minimal 'shoe picking' afterwards.
The main source of challenge for this course is definitely use of the terrain, elevation is present on almost every hole. The scraggy trees define the rest of the fairway, and hitting any of them will almost certainly knock your disc down...no 'local routes' here
We did not have the opportunity to play the 9 newer unsigned holes due to time constraints, but they look like they were longer than the original 18, which is good because the majority of the main course played 250-350 feet and a few longer holes are certainly welcome.
I recall enjoying the 2nd half of the course a bit more...the front meandered around on a hill and had some great shots, but they were just kinda missing some 'oomph' and were really easy to par. The back half was a bit more secluded and had more variety involving the cool rock features of the area.
Signature hole #17 is awesome. The tee plays at the top of a large open hill and shoots directly toward the lake. The pin was off to the left, on a rocky outcropping between the lake and the parking lot. The lake is far enough away that you can basically try to throw your disc into it without any fear of it actually going in. The unobstructed shot and view toward the lake was certainly unique and a nice 'closer' to the course. Hole 18 was a bit of a walk away and in my opinion, defines 'filler hole.'
I would love to get back to this course when the grass is green because the pictures make it look truly majestic. As mentioned before this is not the case in the summertime, pretty much everything looked dead along the course which created kind of a weird, quiet, 'get the job done' vibe. That's fine with me though, golf is golf, and while fun, the course wasn't anything special and unless it's on the way to or from another destination, it's probably not worth veering off the 99 for specifically.
The pictures show a wonderful green grassy course, but keep in mind that if you visit in the summertime, this all becomes long brown grass and fox tails, with quite a bit of dust. We actually thought it would be unplayable due to the grass but there was about a 20 foot wide median that was mowed throughout the course...as long as you can stay on the fairway you don't have to worry about the weeds. We had minimal 'shoe picking' afterwards.
The main source of challenge for this course is definitely use of the terrain, elevation is present on almost every hole. The scraggy trees define the rest of the fairway, and hitting any of them will almost certainly knock your disc down...no 'local routes' here
We did not have the opportunity to play the 9 newer unsigned holes due to time constraints, but they look like they were longer than the original 18, which is good because the majority of the main course played 250-350 feet and a few longer holes are certainly welcome.
I recall enjoying the 2nd half of the course a bit more...the front meandered around on a hill and had some great shots, but they were just kinda missing some 'oomph' and were really easy to par. The back half was a bit more secluded and had more variety involving the cool rock features of the area.
Signature hole #17 is awesome. The tee plays at the top of a large open hill and shoots directly toward the lake. The pin was off to the left, on a rocky outcropping between the lake and the parking lot. The lake is far enough away that you can basically try to throw your disc into it without any fear of it actually going in. The unobstructed shot and view toward the lake was certainly unique and a nice 'closer' to the course. Hole 18 was a bit of a walk away and in my opinion, defines 'filler hole.'
I would love to get back to this course when the grass is green because the pictures make it look truly majestic. As mentioned before this is not the case in the summertime, pretty much everything looked dead along the course which created kind of a weird, quiet, 'get the job done' vibe. That's fine with me though, golf is golf, and while fun, the course wasn't anything special and unless it's on the way to or from another destination, it's probably not worth veering off the 99 for specifically.
6
0
A Pleasant Day at the Beach 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 18, 2010
Played the course:once
Pros:
• Easy to navigate
• Beautiful views all over the course with a decent amount of additional activities (e.g. camping/RVing, boating, fishing, walking/biking trails, picnic areas, etc....) and facilities (e.g. restrooms, water fountains, etc...)
• Warm-up areas everywhere
• Nearly impossible to lose a disc
• Variety of shots to choose from on just about every hole
• Wonderful Top of the World shot on #17. Might've been my longest throw ever.
• Huge huge huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge amount of space. If desired, this could be a Disc Golf Academy. There's room for a gozillion holes here that would have something for everyone.
• Beautiful views all over the course with a decent amount of additional activities (e.g. camping/RVing, boating, fishing, walking/biking trails, picnic areas, etc....) and facilities (e.g. restrooms, water fountains, etc...)
• Warm-up areas everywhere
• Nearly impossible to lose a disc
• Variety of shots to choose from on just about every hole
• Wonderful Top of the World shot on #17. Might've been my longest throw ever.
• Huge huge huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge amount of space. If desired, this could be a Disc Golf Academy. There's room for a gozillion holes here that would have something for everyone.
Cons:
• Tees are dirt. It's not too bad because it's hard red clay but some were a touch muddy and rocky.
• If the park were busier, then it's likely there could be some people in play on a few holes.
• Can get warm to hot. Pack plenty of water and sunscreen.
• A couple pins/baskets can be tough to locate. Definitely use the tee maps.
• If the park were busier, then it's likely there could be some people in play on a few holes.
• Can get warm to hot. Pack plenty of water and sunscreen.
• A couple pins/baskets can be tough to locate. Definitely use the tee maps.
Other Thoughts:
Tips
• Can be a little tricky to find this course, but if you use this map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f...addr&om=1it will help. Hole #1 starts just above the horseshoe shaped parking lot just above and left of the 'A' marker on the map (Zoom in on the map or use Lat 38° 9'52.36"N / Long 120°48'1.30"W). There's a big sign with "Fiddleneck" on it and a box of course maps (empty when I was there, though).
• #11 basket is just left of center. It's not the basket in the rocks. That's #12
• #15 basket is to the right. The tee box makes it seem like it's straight ahead but it's not. Use the map and step back and you'll see it.
• Don't forget to pay your $4 parking fee. There are payment boxes in several places.
Random Thoughts:
This was a pleasant surprise. When you first roll in and see the baskets strewn about, you might think you're in for a boring/easy round, but not so fast. Even though a lot of the holes are under 300', the baskets are quite cleverly placed where the trees are juuuuuust in the right spots to make you either think twice about throwing right at it or in a lot of cases, make you try to throw a pinpoint anhyzer or S shot. Consequently, I constantly found birdie just out of reach (the temptress that she is), which told me this course had the right amount of challenge for my skill level. And wow, stop and look around just about anywhere, and you'll see some great views. Top that off with a few neat and memorable holes and it was a good day. Speaking of which, #17: What can you say but devilish grin. According to Google earth, it's a ~100' foot drop and ~700' to the current basket. I say current basket because it looks like there's a basket location at the bottom of the hill about ~500 feet but the current one is out by the water. Type this into Google Earth (Lat 38° 9'53.93"N Long 120°48'11.37"W) and prepare to smile, because the second shot is a butt pucker moment when you think about possibly throwing long, getting it into that nice reservoir breeze and kissing your disc goodbye. Fortunately, there's a good amount of beach back there, but bravo course designers. I smiled all the way down the hill.
Bottom Line: I would imagine the advanced player might think this course a bit too easy/short, but I truthfully think you'll have a good time no matter your skill level. Assuming it's not too crowded or hot, and yes, it's a fair ways off the beaten path, but this is a beautiful area with some interesting holes. I enjoyed it enough to play two rounds back to back and would've played a third but we were starving. A job well done, course designers! Now get working on the other 5, 000 holes!
• Can be a little tricky to find this course, but if you use this map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f...addr&om=1it will help. Hole #1 starts just above the horseshoe shaped parking lot just above and left of the 'A' marker on the map (Zoom in on the map or use Lat 38° 9'52.36"N / Long 120°48'1.30"W). There's a big sign with "Fiddleneck" on it and a box of course maps (empty when I was there, though).
• #11 basket is just left of center. It's not the basket in the rocks. That's #12
• #15 basket is to the right. The tee box makes it seem like it's straight ahead but it's not. Use the map and step back and you'll see it.
• Don't forget to pay your $4 parking fee. There are payment boxes in several places.
Random Thoughts:
This was a pleasant surprise. When you first roll in and see the baskets strewn about, you might think you're in for a boring/easy round, but not so fast. Even though a lot of the holes are under 300', the baskets are quite cleverly placed where the trees are juuuuuust in the right spots to make you either think twice about throwing right at it or in a lot of cases, make you try to throw a pinpoint anhyzer or S shot. Consequently, I constantly found birdie just out of reach (the temptress that she is), which told me this course had the right amount of challenge for my skill level. And wow, stop and look around just about anywhere, and you'll see some great views. Top that off with a few neat and memorable holes and it was a good day. Speaking of which, #17: What can you say but devilish grin. According to Google earth, it's a ~100' foot drop and ~700' to the current basket. I say current basket because it looks like there's a basket location at the bottom of the hill about ~500 feet but the current one is out by the water. Type this into Google Earth (Lat 38° 9'53.93"N Long 120°48'11.37"W) and prepare to smile, because the second shot is a butt pucker moment when you think about possibly throwing long, getting it into that nice reservoir breeze and kissing your disc goodbye. Fortunately, there's a good amount of beach back there, but bravo course designers. I smiled all the way down the hill.
Bottom Line: I would imagine the advanced player might think this course a bit too easy/short, but I truthfully think you'll have a good time no matter your skill level. Assuming it's not too crowded or hot, and yes, it's a fair ways off the beaten path, but this is a beautiful area with some interesting holes. I enjoyed it enough to play two rounds back to back and would've played a third but we were starving. A job well done, course designers! Now get working on the other 5, 000 holes!
2
8
KENDOG
Experience:
26.1 years
18 played
3 reviews
finals 2005 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Feb 21, 2009
Played the course:once
Pros:
Very nice course with a great view of the lake. when I played it was just a 9 hole course. I did enjoy the time I spent there. Also has a camp site just a cross the lake.
Cons:
Course is set up in a lot of trees so be ready to feel like a lumberjack.
Other Thoughts:
Would love to go back and play the course now that it is 18 holes.
