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Northgate Park reviews
15
0
Wooded Gap Play
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Sep 14, 2022
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
***January 2023 Visit:
-A 9-hole city park course meandering thru woods, canopy, a little openness, and flat. A few holes border ballfields, and a few other holes heavy bushes and a creek. There are mando's, a roller green, and a concrete obstacle.
-There are two concrete tee pads per hole, and two pin placements per hole, with one basket rotating. Some pins are close in distance, but all pins are spaced apart for separate lines. ***On my third visit, I've now played both pin positions on the course.
***The new tee signs are outstanding and placed at both tees. Vibrant colors with pin positions, hole number, par, distance for both pins, O.B markings, mando markings, matching pin colors with flag on basket location, and left side blue background for long blue tee, and white background for short white tee. The tee signs rank in my top 5. Mando signs black lettering with white background. There are now blue whiskers to mark water all along #8 and 9.
-With gap play close to a few tee pads, and most holes having gaps down fairways, the layout plays as a wooded gap course. I rank Northgate #3 in the 9-hole courses I've played in difficulty. The Lambs at Lake Marshall Rank #1, and Riverbend Park in Louisburg, NC ranks #2.
-The #8, and #9 greens in both C1 and C2, are unique with likely frequent 2-putts, and high disc loss.
-The 9th hole ranks #2 in difficulty for a closing hole behind The Bear in Midlothian, Virginia. When beaten in, and if flowers bloom in the spring could join The Bear as scenic. It will be the most memorable hole on the course.
-From the bag on the tee a variety of fairways, and drivers.
-Beginners and Recreational will get a good taste of woods golf, maybe a struggle to score well. Intermediate and Advanced will pulling a variety of disc out of the bag to find the best line.
-The course is centrally located in urban Virginia Beach centered between the oceanfront, the two 9-hole courses in Norfolk, the Bayville Course is to the north, and Munden Point to the south.
-A 9-hole city park course meandering thru woods, canopy, a little openness, and flat. A few holes border ballfields, and a few other holes heavy bushes and a creek. There are mando's, a roller green, and a concrete obstacle.
-There are two concrete tee pads per hole, and two pin placements per hole, with one basket rotating. Some pins are close in distance, but all pins are spaced apart for separate lines. ***On my third visit, I've now played both pin positions on the course.
***The new tee signs are outstanding and placed at both tees. Vibrant colors with pin positions, hole number, par, distance for both pins, O.B markings, mando markings, matching pin colors with flag on basket location, and left side blue background for long blue tee, and white background for short white tee. The tee signs rank in my top 5. Mando signs black lettering with white background. There are now blue whiskers to mark water all along #8 and 9.
-With gap play close to a few tee pads, and most holes having gaps down fairways, the layout plays as a wooded gap course. I rank Northgate #3 in the 9-hole courses I've played in difficulty. The Lambs at Lake Marshall Rank #1, and Riverbend Park in Louisburg, NC ranks #2.
-The #8, and #9 greens in both C1 and C2, are unique with likely frequent 2-putts, and high disc loss.
-The 9th hole ranks #2 in difficulty for a closing hole behind The Bear in Midlothian, Virginia. When beaten in, and if flowers bloom in the spring could join The Bear as scenic. It will be the most memorable hole on the course.
-From the bag on the tee a variety of fairways, and drivers.
-Beginners and Recreational will get a good taste of woods golf, maybe a struggle to score well. Intermediate and Advanced will pulling a variety of disc out of the bag to find the best line.
-The course is centrally located in urban Virginia Beach centered between the oceanfront, the two 9-hole courses in Norfolk, the Bayville Course is to the north, and Munden Point to the south.
Cons:
-It's one of the few 9-hole courses that I had difficulty remembering what I played. Primarily hole 2, and 4-6. Holes 1-2, 4-7 is a cluster of trees, concrete tees, and baskets. Hole 7 sets itself apart with an O.B. concrete slap in front of the basket, what may have been a basketball court in the past. As a whole not too memorable for a first-time visit.
***Despite now having tee signs from the 6th tee, can still be confusion with 1st and 6th basket.
-The concrete tee pads are a little too small, a problem for run up players.
-There is loose debris on the course here and there. Should be beaten in and firmed up as play continues.
-The park and course are in a flood zone. For any heavy rain you may want to wait a few days. We've had hurricanes and tropical storms pass by where the park was under water for at least a week.
-At this time parking is a problem, there's parking on the property but only for ballgames and practices, then the gates are locked. The city is working on Disc Golf Parking, just use the address on the Course Information Page and park on the residential street. I started on tee 8 closes tee to where I parked.
-There are dog walkers in the park, I saw a few strolling thru the course.
***On my January visit piles of leaves on fairways 6 and 7 spending about a total of 20 minutes looking for disc which I found.
-Disc lost is very high on #9 with the heavy bushes and creek, #8 around the green area. There are thick bushes in both C1 where a disc can get lodge or hiding in the grass. A few times a week on a local disc golf facebook page "if anyone finds my disc on #9........." and that also includes disc lost in pile of leaves.
***Despite now having tee signs from the 6th tee, can still be confusion with 1st and 6th basket.
-The concrete tee pads are a little too small, a problem for run up players.
-There is loose debris on the course here and there. Should be beaten in and firmed up as play continues.
-The park and course are in a flood zone. For any heavy rain you may want to wait a few days. We've had hurricanes and tropical storms pass by where the park was under water for at least a week.
-At this time parking is a problem, there's parking on the property but only for ballgames and practices, then the gates are locked. The city is working on Disc Golf Parking, just use the address on the Course Information Page and park on the residential street. I started on tee 8 closes tee to where I parked.
-There are dog walkers in the park, I saw a few strolling thru the course.
***On my January visit piles of leaves on fairways 6 and 7 spending about a total of 20 minutes looking for disc which I found.
-Disc lost is very high on #9 with the heavy bushes and creek, #8 around the green area. There are thick bushes in both C1 where a disc can get lodge or hiding in the grass. A few times a week on a local disc golf facebook page "if anyone finds my disc on #9........." and that also includes disc lost in pile of leaves.
Other Thoughts:
Northgate DGC what a surprise by the local club working with the City of Virginia Beach, the project was kept under wraps and only known to the local club working on the course. The announcement was made on a local facebook page Sunday Labor Day Weekend as open, and we were just stunned. 3rd public course in Virginia Beach, Munden Point the last one to open in 2005, Virginia Beach is starved for Disc Golf.
Northgate as a wooded course actually only has three traditional fairways to hit gaps thru. The rest is hit the gap some up to 150 feet away and hope your disc passes thru, and you'll need to figure out the next gap for your approach on longer holes as in long tee to long pins. You could play the same hole round to round and find your approach thru a different gap. I enjoyed the course, a great course to work on the woods game, and a place for afternoon rounds the course is just four miles from my home. My personnel con is the smaller concrete tee pads, I'm only using an x-step this year (building on my form) and it felt odd on the tee.
My overall rating is based on the woods golf with difficulty, gap play thru out the course, two unique greens, and a memorable closing hole anchored at 4.5. The time to play taking pictures was 35 mins per 9-holes. ***From original review " At this time, I'm rating a 3.0, I would like to see where those short pins are placed, and not just in gimmie positions. Would also like to check out the tee signs when posted, to make sure the long pin distances are posted. Very possible to re-rate at a 3.5?" ***On my January visit met my criteria, I've bumped up my overall rating to 3.5, well deserved. Kudos to the course designers and those who have worked on the course.
Featured Greens:
-#2 Long Pin sets up on a knoll less than three feet high more likely to roll on the back end. There are trees and a few skinnies protecting the basket in C1, can be a tough putt. The short pin was the only one I found on the course as I was passing by, not so difficult.
-#8 Short Pin is set up right in the middle of what looked like rose bushes or maybe some other type. If roses will be beautiful in the spring. The bushes are all along the right-hand side of fairway, plays a slight dogleg right into the bushes about 100 feet deep, bushes are spaced just 5 to 10 feet apart. Keep your eyes on your disc, would be easy to lose either in the bushes or misjudge distance, I found a disc just 15 feet from basket. Only 1/3rd top portion of basket can be seen, makes for some fun putting.
Featured Tee:
-Long Tee #5 short pin 230/260 feet. 100 feet out a wall of trees and bushes in the middle, and not possible to get thru. Can go left thru a narrow gap, the better gap is to the right with height with a righty hyzer, or a lefty anhyzer. More tree gaps past the wall. I'm lefty, my disc didn't turn, and I was basket high right about 100 feet.
Featured Pin Positions:
***Both pins on # 3 are hidden from both tees, and the only par 3 on the course to do so. The hole is a meandering dogleg left that straightens out. Short pin hidden behind a roll of Cedars to the right. Long pin behind a group of oaks in the middle.
Signature/Trouble Hole:
-#9 Par 4 Long Pin at 540/533 feet, short pin 489/479, I played long pin. Very difficult off of both tee's with canopy, gaps straight all the way down fairway to the creek, gaps as short as 10 feet, you need your straightest disc, and you need to get that disc down there or you're laying up before the creek on approach, and best to stay middle left. Those bushes on 8, border 9 on the right side all the way to the basket on the other side of the creek and turn with the creek when it crosses the fairway. On the right side as the creek crosses fairway heavy trees and bushes, blocking view of basket and the fairway on other side of creek. The fairway doglegs right at the creek which can be dry or with water depending on recent rain. Your about 220 feet on tee side of creek to basket, and about 170 feet to basket after passing over creek, but passing over those same type of bushes on #8. Past the creek trees on left side of fairway, flying over bushes to reach the basket only seeing the top portion, same gapping as the #8 basket with putting difficulty. The hole is difficult and a grind, big lost disc potential on approach from tee side of creek when your disc flies out of sight along the dogleg. #9 is currently the most talked about hole in the region for those who have played it.
Northgate as a wooded course actually only has three traditional fairways to hit gaps thru. The rest is hit the gap some up to 150 feet away and hope your disc passes thru, and you'll need to figure out the next gap for your approach on longer holes as in long tee to long pins. You could play the same hole round to round and find your approach thru a different gap. I enjoyed the course, a great course to work on the woods game, and a place for afternoon rounds the course is just four miles from my home. My personnel con is the smaller concrete tee pads, I'm only using an x-step this year (building on my form) and it felt odd on the tee.
My overall rating is based on the woods golf with difficulty, gap play thru out the course, two unique greens, and a memorable closing hole anchored at 4.5. The time to play taking pictures was 35 mins per 9-holes. ***From original review " At this time, I'm rating a 3.0, I would like to see where those short pins are placed, and not just in gimmie positions. Would also like to check out the tee signs when posted, to make sure the long pin distances are posted. Very possible to re-rate at a 3.5?" ***On my January visit met my criteria, I've bumped up my overall rating to 3.5, well deserved. Kudos to the course designers and those who have worked on the course.
Featured Greens:
-#2 Long Pin sets up on a knoll less than three feet high more likely to roll on the back end. There are trees and a few skinnies protecting the basket in C1, can be a tough putt. The short pin was the only one I found on the course as I was passing by, not so difficult.
-#8 Short Pin is set up right in the middle of what looked like rose bushes or maybe some other type. If roses will be beautiful in the spring. The bushes are all along the right-hand side of fairway, plays a slight dogleg right into the bushes about 100 feet deep, bushes are spaced just 5 to 10 feet apart. Keep your eyes on your disc, would be easy to lose either in the bushes or misjudge distance, I found a disc just 15 feet from basket. Only 1/3rd top portion of basket can be seen, makes for some fun putting.
Featured Tee:
-Long Tee #5 short pin 230/260 feet. 100 feet out a wall of trees and bushes in the middle, and not possible to get thru. Can go left thru a narrow gap, the better gap is to the right with height with a righty hyzer, or a lefty anhyzer. More tree gaps past the wall. I'm lefty, my disc didn't turn, and I was basket high right about 100 feet.
Featured Pin Positions:
***Both pins on # 3 are hidden from both tees, and the only par 3 on the course to do so. The hole is a meandering dogleg left that straightens out. Short pin hidden behind a roll of Cedars to the right. Long pin behind a group of oaks in the middle.
Signature/Trouble Hole:
-#9 Par 4 Long Pin at 540/533 feet, short pin 489/479, I played long pin. Very difficult off of both tee's with canopy, gaps straight all the way down fairway to the creek, gaps as short as 10 feet, you need your straightest disc, and you need to get that disc down there or you're laying up before the creek on approach, and best to stay middle left. Those bushes on 8, border 9 on the right side all the way to the basket on the other side of the creek and turn with the creek when it crosses the fairway. On the right side as the creek crosses fairway heavy trees and bushes, blocking view of basket and the fairway on other side of creek. The fairway doglegs right at the creek which can be dry or with water depending on recent rain. Your about 220 feet on tee side of creek to basket, and about 170 feet to basket after passing over creek, but passing over those same type of bushes on #8. Past the creek trees on left side of fairway, flying over bushes to reach the basket only seeing the top portion, same gapping as the #8 basket with putting difficulty. The hole is difficult and a grind, big lost disc potential on approach from tee side of creek when your disc flies out of sight along the dogleg. #9 is currently the most talked about hole in the region for those who have played it.
