The new layout of holes is a huge improvement on an already enjoyable course. The new holes create a more natural line of travel from from basket to the next tee. This course challenges my novice skills without the punishment of courses with steeper terrain or more trees.

Tees are not marked and the pads are very uneven and sometimes cramped for those with an elaborate approach.

This is my favorite course for the walk, scenery, and developing skills for the varied shots required. If it was closer to my house it would be 'my course'. Thank you Army Corps of Engineers for the space and the local volunteers for a great course.

New Hogan Dam is a scenic and serene course. Set on rolling grass hills spotted with mature oaks, the course overlooks a large man-made lake. The hills are broken up by jagged, geometrical rock gardens. Wildlife is abundant. During our time at the course we saw falcons, hawks, bluebirds and woodpeckers; deer and jackrabbits grazed in the grass. The park is expansive and the course does not conflict with other recreational uses. We saw some people walking their dogs by the lake and a few other golfers, but we practically had the course to ourselves. What a treat to sit amongst the angular rock formations and gnarled oaks and watch the sun sink into the lake!

The original 18, while short, makes good use of elevation and natural obstacles. Birdie opportunities are abundant, but many holes require shot shaping and distance control off the tee. Most baskets are guarded by clumps of oaks and rows of rock spires. Players will have to throw a variety of shots to score well here. There are some blind shots, but the holes are well-signed.

Apparently, the course has recently added 9 new holes for a total of 27. While these holes were not signed at the time we were there, they were fairly easy to find and flowed naturally with the original layout. The new additions were generally longer than the original 18. There were several legitimate par 4s and some longer par 3s. The new holes are well designed, making great use of natural obstacles and requiring risk/reward decision making.

Parking is plentifult and restrooms and drinking water are available. There is a day use fee of $4.00. We didn't get a chance to swim in the lake, but it is easily accessible. There are campgrounds nearby.

Tee pads are dirt and some are in poor condition. Footing can be difficult and at times it's tough to tell where the tee area begins and ends.

Several of the shorter holes are susceptible to overhand shots off the tee. Apparently the designer did not consider this shot, as it takes all the challenge out of these holes.

The original 18 is a classic "deuce-or-die" setup. While scoring a birdie can be a challenge, there's very little risk. Bogeys are hard to come by because the course does not adequately punish bad shots. This is offset somewhat by the new 9.

New Hogan Dam is a scenic and fun course. The lake, rolling oak-studded hills, bizarre rock formations and abundant wildlife make for a pretty setting. While the original 18 is short, a wide variety of shots are required to score well. The new 9 is considerably longer and more challenging. The additions are well-designed with several legitimate par 4s. This is a great recreational course, however, the dirt tees, short length and some design flaws prevent it from being a great competitive course. 3.5/5- Very Good.

- Very easy to navigate
- Great us of Elevation, Trees and Boulders.
- 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...)
- 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.
- The last 4 holes are really nice
- all tee signs were accurate and informative
-back nine is tougher than front
- get the course to yourself.

- dirt tees(some were really rocky, few were kinda slick)
- Most holes are wide open with a tree here or there to deflect a shot(doesn't really punish bad drive off the tee)
- few close fariways were people may come into play if could was packed
- pay to Play(worth the 4 dollar park fee)

although i say the course didn't live up to its rating the whole course play a top the hill next to the lake which makes for some AMAZING VIEWS. Course is pretty much your for the the day, i saw maybe 15 people while playing 54 holes here. the course is fun enough and the flow is really nice so makes for enjoyable rounds. with that being said most people will find the front nine fairly easy as it is mainly wide open but the back nine makes up for it and has some pretty nice pin placements which require good shot shaping..

Long holes - it is nice to see par 4/5s every few courses.
Great elevation changes - I can't remember a single flat hole.
Great views of the reservior throughout the back 9 - The 'Ol Lady stopped multiple times to admire it all.
No complaints basketwise.
Absolutely no one else playing - the only other mammal on the whole course was a deer who stopped on the tees at 14 and checked us out as we walked up 13.
Multiple restroom faciluties

Hotter than a fart in a skillet - not enough shade either. SERIOUSLY IT WILL BE WORSE THAN YOU EXPECT.
$4 to park - not too bad but definetly not good.
Multiple holes were straight as a frozen rope.
Stickers/Thorns/Burrs/Foxtails/Spurs and the like....... everywhere!
Trails not suitable for strollers. We brought along The Goodboy (1 1/2) in his Jeep three-wheel jogging stroller and there were parts were we had to carry the whole thing uphill.

Pretty darn steep in a lot of places so prepare yourself...good shoes/more water than you think you will need/lunch/sunblock/extra pair of socks for after the round.
Nice to play once or twice...defenitely has some things worth checking out. Not entirely worth driving more than 45 minutes for.
Also the par 4s and the 5 were rather easy if played as is. I blew a short-ish putt for eagle on the par 5 17th.

Good location, not crowded at all. Good fun layout, picnic tables, water and even a bench at the right location! Well marked signs at each tee. What can you say about #17 that hasn't been said already...wow, you play it once and you will be there twice.

Weeds and stickers. Also, be careful of snakes, this is snake country and Hogan and the Valley Springs area are famous for rattlesnakes. ( I know I grew up near here) TRASH ON COURSE. My son and I packed out way to many empty water bottles and beer cans, have some respect people, if you pack it in pack it out.

Don't forget to pay the iron ranger, its 4 bucks. They stock course maps near the 1st tee.

As mentioned prior: Clean up after yourself. I think it would be easy to get another 18 holes here with all the room they have but if we leave a mess it will never happen.

Well designed course. No crowd whatsoever. We were the only golfers on a Saturday afternoon! 17 is epic. Other than the valley heat, a great afternoon of disc golfing. Camping on the lake. Would be a great winter course. Picnic area on hole 7/8 is awesome.

No shade. Dirt tees need to be leveled. Beach at seventeen is a tease. Wanted to jump in and swim, but the water is green and brown, too much algae and not cold.

It's a shame no local players are there to maintain the course, cut down weeds, put up some benches and improve it. It is a hidden gem. Layout is first class.

This is a nice course through the oak studded foothills of the Sierra. The area is beautiful with lots of oak trees crusted in yellow and orange lichens and wildlife (I saw a few deer and deer trails everywhere). Hogan has a nice mix of long/short/straight/dogleg/open/blind/etc... The use of the land is excellent, maximizing the terrain with lots of elevation and cross canyon shots.

It's HOT in the summer. I played two rounds in 100 degree heat, but when your there and the course is there... you have to play. To make things worse, you have to wear pants because there is an abundance of weeds and rattlesnakes.
It could also be a little bit confusing as to where in the lake the course is. I went in the wrong entrance and then had to double-back to the other side of the lake.

I liked the course. I played it twice, mostly because I had driven so far to get there... but then again if the course would have sucked, I would have left. Because I played it twice, I ran out of water. There seems to be an argument about the Par on hole 17, with people graffiti-ing their preferred par on the tee-sign. Par 5, Par 3, Par 5, Par 3... Can we comprimise on Par 4? Either way... it's a big 700' Par 3... I almost aced it (3' over the top) and my resultant 50' birdie putt spit.
My score: -5

challenging course, nice paths from hole to hole, good signs with detailed info, right by the lake, 18 holes with lots of obstacles

dirt tees, hard to find next hole, tall weeds off of path