One of my favorite courses in all of Conneticut. Not only is the course itself amazing the amentities are great as well. There are two sets of tees on most of the holes. There are clean and easy to understand tee signs at every hole and next tee signs where needed. The course itself doesn't cater specifically to one kind of thrower but will punish you if you don't have multiple styles available. The rough is some of the thickest I have ever seen. This is good because it forces you to stay on the fairway. The fairways are clear of fallen debis and there are only a few small piles of scattered brush throughout the course. There is a good use of OB and clearly marked by colored rope. The teepads are made of rubber and level! Benches are available on most of the holes; even the ace races. There is ample parking and bathrooms and athletic fields across the way, Hole nine comes out right next to one. A welcome board and scorecards are on the way to the first tee. There are also wooden planks on the low boggy areas.

After a little rain the course could become soaked. Some of the recreational tees are in rough condition ( wood chips recently put down to help with this). Some of the rough is almost too thick to the point it is easy to lose a disc. A few of the holes are slightly overgrown. The possibility of a lost disc is a little higher here than most other non-water courses.

Nice, hand-painted signs on all holes (except 1, which was missing), with distances noted for Pro and Rec tees. Well marked Rec tees on all of the longer holes make a good option for novice players. Course is very challenging from the Pro tees, but fairways are well-defined and generous enough in most cases. Although in heavy woods, the rough to either side of the fairways is relatively sparse and easy enough to play out of when your disc is misbehaving and avoiding fairways.

Although dry this time (due to major drought conditions), the course is built on swampy ground and is very muddy a lot of the time. However, there are many wooden paths built between holes and up the middle of many fairways to keep you from continuously walking in the mud.
Next Tee signs are everywhere on many holes, but non-existent on many others. When the course was expanded from 9 holes to 18, there were 4 holes added between the original holes 4 and 5 (with the other 5 holes being added on to the end of the course). Finishing hole 4 is confusing, as there are now 2 clearly defined paths leading away from the hole and no signs indicating which way to go (to the right, btw). Also, baskets for holes 9 through 13 still are marked 5 through 9, respectively, which might be a little confusing.
The course itself is difficult to find if you haven't been there before. Drive to the back of the park until you are dumped into a parking area which seems like the end of the road. But at the back left corner of this lot is another road shooting up and around the corner into another lot that again, seems like the end of the road. But in the back left corner of this lot is a gravel road that leads into a large gravel parking area, where the course begins (where else) at the back left corner.

Overall, a nice course, just try to hit it during dry periods!

Easy on/off
I like to play in the woods and this course certainly offers a few fun woodsy holes.




I'm still trying to think of more pros

At one point I was sure we'd have to tee over the interstate. It was way too close to the highway there was alot of road noise. With the other local options I'm not sure I'll comeback.

easy to get to, right off 84, somewhat good signage leading to the holes. The rubber tee pads were nice, a great way to find the next tee

The course is way to close to the highway, very distracting and not relaxing or enjoyable @ all. The high brush after hole number 3's tee you need a machete to find your disc in. It was full of thorns and bushes that stick you, OUCH! Each hole was the same thing over & over again, very flat & boring, no elevation changes at all.. There is no par listed on the tee signs, and some of the signs were missing, there were almost no "next tee" signs so good to have a map with you or be ready to get lost.. The baskets were very difficult to see, not visible from the tee @ all, and until you're on top of them, it's hard to see them.

I tried this course for the first time today, my gf and I will never come back, there is little to no good things about this course. The baskets need to upgraded to the ones with yellow markers @ the top so they are easier to spot & throw to. Every hole had a "chilling spot" at the tee, perhaps to sit & party? I was there for DG, not to party.

Right off I-84, Panthorn Park is very easy to find. The main park is massive and well manicured.

Once you make it to the DG course, the course signs are great. The signs are hand-painted (which shows some dedication) and show tee locations, OB, expected lines (and the locals route), and distance. Further, "Next Tee" signs and arrows are all over the place making it difficult to get lost going from the last basket to the next tee.

The heavily-wooded layout of the course forces a technical approach over a power approach. Most holes have two different tees with shorter, easier lines for rec players. The mix of left-to-right, right-to-left, and tunnel holes in combination with the variety of hole lengths keeps you on your toes and requires a refined skill set.

One signature hole is a < 200' potential ace run with a 12-foot round OB water feature (called the "Hot Tub") within 3 feet of the basket. The layout of the fairway and OB on this hole really pushes the risk vs. reward aspect of the game.

The vast majority of the baskets and tee pads were in great shape.

Park signage pointing to the DG course would helpful for anyone that hasn't played Panthorn.

Panthorn is easy to get to because it's right off of I-84, but the disc golf course is right next to the highway. The highway can be heard the entire time you're on the course. The danger to motorists is of concern as there are a few holes where it's entirely possible for an errant throw to drop a disc on the thruway.

Although the hole lengths and layouts change, there are nearly zero elevation changes. Panthorn Park itself has numerous hills, but these were not incorporated into the course design (might not have been able to use this land for DG though).

Having an almost entirely wooded course is great for fine-tuning controlled throws, but the lack of any real wide-open spaces to uncork a disc is a detracting factor to the course overall.

There were numerous fairways where the adjacent rough/brush could be trimmed back.

By far though, the biggest drawback to the course is the ground underfoot. The course appears to be built on a bog. Most holes were swamp-like, sloppy, and extremely/excessively muddy. Just when we really started to really have fun on the course, the muck could come into play and act as a big buzz kill. Luckily, it was cold enough that the insects hadn't come out, but I'm almost positive that mosquitoes are a major problem during the warmer months. To give the local DG community credit, over some of the most seriously messed up trails/fairways, there were objects that you could step on to cross the bog. Unfortunately those were few and far between and a large portion of these planks, logs, and pieces of fence were half buried in the mud.

On several of the holes throughout the course there was a fair amount of litter that took away from the natural wooded beauty of the course.

I really, really want to like this course. If the some of the underbrush could be cut back, it would be a big help. If something, anything, could be done to help mitigate the muddy mess throughout the rest of the course, I would be happy to rate this course a 4.

The next time I'm in the area, I'd like to play Panthorn Park again, however, it's going to have to be pretty dry month before of my round.

- Great signage on this course. I played by myself and never once got lost. The map of each hole was precise and the distance seemed to be spot on. There were also signs for "next tee" after every basket, and that was the best part for me. With this course being totally enclosed in the woods, I would have wandered about like little red riding hood until a brave lumberjack came to rescue me. I did not see any wolves however. I did have a run in with a giant schnauzer though.

- This course is challenging. There isn't any "easy" holes on the course. even the under 200 foot holes weren't easy to just attack and go for it. Most of the baskets were hiding behind trees like little precious metal deer.

- manmade water hazards were a really neat (though not really needed with all of the water) touch. I like the little coy pond looking thing in front of the basket (see the video in the other thoughts).

- there were tee pads on every hole. Though some of the pads were small, or just a rubber mat tossed on the ground, they were absolutely needed with all of the water flowing here and there. The joint was flooded from front to back, and I would have fallen like an old drunk without those pads.

- good layout for the most part. for the most part, all of the holes favor a RHBH player. I can tell you that my flick was not loved by the trees on this course. I felt at times like I was in Oz and that they were going to start throwing apples at me at some point. There were some two or three straight ahead holes as well. They were NOT easy either.

- every hole had a place to sit down and a table to put your stuff down at the tee pad. Again, this place is WET and the tables were much needed.

- I can't mention enough, as you have probably noticed, how bloody wet this course was. I was up to my ankles in mud from the time I teed off until I trudged my way back to the car. I almost packed it in about half way through because I was tired of sinking up to my ankles in the middle of the fairways and basket areas.

- some of the tee pads were short and not full out "pads". they could have also been elevated to get them out of the water.

- I'd have like to seen more variety in the shot from time to time. It's not much of a "con", but there were a TON of dogleg left holes. I am probably just griping because I am primarily a forehand player.

Did I mention that this place was wet? ha.

I want to play this place in the summer when the leaves are on the trees and when it dries out. I can't imagine that it isn't just more kickass when you can throw a roller and not have it stick straight up in the mud.

I'd have liked to played with a local, but alas, I played alone. Not a huge deal, but it's always funner (my word) to get in with someone who knows the lay of the land.

Check out my youtube video that I made with this review to try and give you a visual of the place. please let me know if this is helpful in the youtube comments, or what else you would like to see in the videos. It's my first shot at this to enhance my reviews, so any feedback is most helpful.if it happens to not be processes yet, come back and check it out. THANKS!
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87GTc-IJAUA

Long, wooded and challenging. great mix of shots, no advantage for any type of throw or player. 18 nice Chainstar baskets and almost all tees now have full raised boxes with fly pads. Signage is improving, can be tricky at first but it is a well worn/played course so just follow the footsteps. Nice flow and design with 1 and 9 and 10 and 18 right next to the parking lot, to play front/back options (nice for a backup on hole 1, start on 10) Course is only upgraded for and by players, town is 'hands off' which can be good and bad. Big fields adjacent to parking for practice throws.

A little tough to find from the park entrance; just keeeeep driving up and to the left until you're there. Usually, the course is wet in all but the driest of weather, with puddles and swampy sections. Bug spray mandatory in spring through fall.... seriously. Signage could use updating for new players. Fairways are kept up but rough is just that... ROUGH. Long tight holes are beginner un-friendly, but there are short tees.

One of the toughest courses in CT; long, tight, gnarly rough, accuracy needed, easy to blow up on any hole. Only thing missing is major elevation and huge open holes. Pro par is 58, and course singles record is only about a 54 or so (update: might be lower now).... Some new tee boxes added in late November '09. Bring waterproof shoes and some patience, worth the stop.

UPDATE: don't listen to the bad reviews here. It is bone dry, and a great course. If you can't throw in a straight line more than 200ft, throw from the rec tees.

Tricky course with plenty of brush and small fairways to keep you from getting that close birdie. Water hazards <3. Very easy to find as long as you follow the signs.

The brush along side the course was horrendous. The course NEEDS to be cleared of all the deadwood at the least, and the mosquitos could have been a little less atrocious. That and the course billboard could have a map to show people who didn't design where the fuck the holes are. Getting lost in that section isn't exactly what I had planned for my first time out on a course in Connecticut.

If the designers or town or Parks and Rec could at least put up a map for people to use, that would greatly improve the course. I would have rated it higher had it not been for the lack of organization.

Very cool wooded course. Interesting holes that require different kinds of shots. Enough trees to make it interesting but not so many that it's ridiculous. Good mix of longer and shorter holes. A few memorable holes. Some minor elevation changes on the back 9.

Very poorly marked. The course needs new signs as it seems that it was recently expanded from 9 to 18 holes. There are some signs pointing the direction of the next tee but not always. A couple possible places to get lost so bring a map. Recently rained the day I played and was very muddy. Many fairways were not easily passable. Rubber mats in some of the tee boxes are very poorly laid. Course needs some work.

This is a really cool course but it needs a bit of work. I would rate it at least a half star better if the signage and tee boxes were improved.


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Course is set deep in the woods and challanges your game with lots of trees but fair openings. Many of the holes are long so makes sure you stay on the fairway on your drive so your second shot isn't in the thick brush. I lot of fun and tricky holes.

Course is hard to navigate, I was lucky to have a local find me in the woods wondering around and offered to play the rest of the round with me. I course is this way because they just converted it from 9 to 18. Very Muddy, make sure to wear your boots

You can tell the local club has done a lot of work on this course over the winter. Once a little more work is done and fly pads are put in on the new holes this course will be awesome. I am looking forward to getting back and playing it again in 6 months.

Great little course in the woods. Lots of trees to make things interesting but there was always an obvious route to throw through. Good variation of hole lengths and shot selections. Does not seem to favor left of right handed players. Good signs made it pretty easy to find the next hole and the course seemed to flow well. There were a couple sets of tees on the longer holes.Tee-pads were rubber mats and generally well kept.
There appeared to be more than 9 baskets but I didn't see any more signs upon quick examination and didn't have time to really look into it. Easily accessed of off interstate 84.

Some of the tees seemed to be rubber mats that were simply thrown on the ground, and although the provided some traction they were very bumpy. Water can seem to be a problem on this course, although there are no water hazards it had rained about two days before I played and the course was still extremely wet, to the point where one tee pad was nearly submerged and there were many puddles on the fairways. I played in the winter but I can imagine in the summer the foliage could be extremely thick and the presence of ticks and poison ivy is not unlikely, this also presents the opportunity for lost discs.

The course appears to be in the process of expanding from 9 to 18 holes, as I saw at least 3 extra baskets while playing, but I couldn't find any signs or tee pads for these holes.
This was a fun course that provided plenty of challenges, yet not to the point of being frustrating. In you're in the area I would recommend it.