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Rolling Pines DGC reviews
8
3
Too Smooth, Gimme Danger 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 21, 2019
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Stepping into a world where disc golf is the pure focus of an amazing piece of property, this is surely one of the smoothest disc golf experiences in the world. Step onto the large and smooth concrete tees, study the clear and informative tee signs, and gaze across manicured lawns over the rolling hills, the large pines dotting the hillsides, and the baskets carefully placed amongst them. No pedestrians, cars, or other activities to distract from the pure disc golf here. It's an amazing sight!
+ Two sets of tees differ not just in distance, but also very often in the lines to be taken, and the way that elevation comes into play. The long tees are a true challenge, where even par is an accomplishment.
+ Elevation is a factor through the course. Many baskets are uphill from the tee, and play much longer than the sign distances indicate. A few baskets are placed on hillsides, requiring careful approach angles and rollaway potential.
+ There's very little rough on the course, making for a smooth and friendly play almost no matter how wildly you throw.
+ Hole 12 is one of the few places with threatening rough, but it's one of my favorites here, a beautiful straight-shot par 4. It could be eagled with an outstanding hyzer-flip, though that's a very risky shot if your angles are wrong!
+ Two sets of tees differ not just in distance, but also very often in the lines to be taken, and the way that elevation comes into play. The long tees are a true challenge, where even par is an accomplishment.
+ Elevation is a factor through the course. Many baskets are uphill from the tee, and play much longer than the sign distances indicate. A few baskets are placed on hillsides, requiring careful approach angles and rollaway potential.
+ There's very little rough on the course, making for a smooth and friendly play almost no matter how wildly you throw.
+ Hole 12 is one of the few places with threatening rough, but it's one of my favorites here, a beautiful straight-shot par 4. It could be eagled with an outstanding hyzer-flip, though that's a very risky shot if your angles are wrong!
Cons:
- The long tees don't make much sense for 95% of the players who will come here. Many of the baskets are too far to ever be parked (as par 3s, they'd be too easy as par 4s), so without incentive to attack on the drive, the course essentially becomes upshot practice. That's not very fun. And too bad, because the lines and elevation usage are often very interesting.
- The short tees are a strange mix of difficult-to-attack tweeners similar to the longs, and some dead-simple must-get birdies. Hole 3 for example is wide open and 200 ft., a stunningly easy hole. Certainly more fun than the longs for most folks, but the level of challenge is inconsistent.
- With so much elevation available, it's surprising to have so few long downhill holes to air out an open drive. Hole 15 comes the closest, but tree canopies block the most fun heights, forcing an extreme low ceiling or a blind over-the-top play, neither of which is very satisfying. The other downhill holes are all short and tightly wooded. Seems like a missed opportunity for more fun and memorable holes.
- I can see why many people find the course to be beautiful, but for my personal tastes, I find it to be a little sterile. Even by park course standards, there's an element of wildness that's almost entirely missing.
- Especially from the short tees, where's the danger on this course? There's almost no OB anywhere, and very little rough. If your drive is astray, your next shot will be longer than expected, but you'll probably still have a clean line. There's very little risk/reward thinking involved with this course, because there's just so little risk involved anywhere. Personally I think the course is too straightforward from a mental standpoint, I feel like I could play it in an unfocused stupor and still do okay.
- That said, holes 12 and 3-long do feature thick rough that hide dangerous drop-offs. Compared with how soft the rest of the course is, these moments of danger are shocking and unexpected. Beginners should especially beware on hole 12, given the necessity of a smooth straight shot to stay safe.
- The short tees are a strange mix of difficult-to-attack tweeners similar to the longs, and some dead-simple must-get birdies. Hole 3 for example is wide open and 200 ft., a stunningly easy hole. Certainly more fun than the longs for most folks, but the level of challenge is inconsistent.
- With so much elevation available, it's surprising to have so few long downhill holes to air out an open drive. Hole 15 comes the closest, but tree canopies block the most fun heights, forcing an extreme low ceiling or a blind over-the-top play, neither of which is very satisfying. The other downhill holes are all short and tightly wooded. Seems like a missed opportunity for more fun and memorable holes.
- I can see why many people find the course to be beautiful, but for my personal tastes, I find it to be a little sterile. Even by park course standards, there's an element of wildness that's almost entirely missing.
- Especially from the short tees, where's the danger on this course? There's almost no OB anywhere, and very little rough. If your drive is astray, your next shot will be longer than expected, but you'll probably still have a clean line. There's very little risk/reward thinking involved with this course, because there's just so little risk involved anywhere. Personally I think the course is too straightforward from a mental standpoint, I feel like I could play it in an unfocused stupor and still do okay.
- That said, holes 12 and 3-long do feature thick rough that hide dangerous drop-offs. Compared with how soft the rest of the course is, these moments of danger are shocking and unexpected. Beginners should especially beware on hole 12, given the necessity of a smooth straight shot to stay safe.
Other Thoughts:
I have a simple proposal for greatly improving the issues I have with this course. This will probably never happen, since the reviews here confirm that most people are extremely happy with the course as-is, but I just want to throw this out there, maybe as an experiment to consider for a tournament.
Add a lot more OB! There are already gravel roads running through the course. Let those either play as OB rivers/creeks to cross, or as lake-like boundaries that you must safely play to one side of. Doing so would create some very interesting narrow fairways and peninsular/island greens.
I think (my out-of-towner info could be wrong) that holes 4 and 10 are the only ones where the roads currently play as OB (12 rightly has the off-fairway rough marked as OB as well). At the very simplest level, I think holes 2, 11, 16, and 18 could very easily be improved by playing with the roads as OB in some way.
Going even further, where those roads aren't available, put up stakes and ropes. At a minimal level, those can be extensions of road boundaries. Or, you can play with more creative and aggressive rope boundaries to force specific landing zones off the tee, USDGC-style.
Doing so would introduce far more risk/reward thinking, that I personally think is seriously lacking from this course. This could especially benefit the long tees, where tightened fairway landing zones could legitimize changing many of these holes into true par 4s, and make the long tees far more interesting and playable.
To me, that could elevate this course into one of the best in the state, if not the very best. As it is, I know that's where the course is already rated on DGCR, but it doesn't even make my personal NC top 20. It's too manicured and smooth, I need more danger.
Add a lot more OB! There are already gravel roads running through the course. Let those either play as OB rivers/creeks to cross, or as lake-like boundaries that you must safely play to one side of. Doing so would create some very interesting narrow fairways and peninsular/island greens.
I think (my out-of-towner info could be wrong) that holes 4 and 10 are the only ones where the roads currently play as OB (12 rightly has the off-fairway rough marked as OB as well). At the very simplest level, I think holes 2, 11, 16, and 18 could very easily be improved by playing with the roads as OB in some way.
Going even further, where those roads aren't available, put up stakes and ropes. At a minimal level, those can be extensions of road boundaries. Or, you can play with more creative and aggressive rope boundaries to force specific landing zones off the tee, USDGC-style.
Doing so would introduce far more risk/reward thinking, that I personally think is seriously lacking from this course. This could especially benefit the long tees, where tightened fairway landing zones could legitimize changing many of these holes into true par 4s, and make the long tees far more interesting and playable.
To me, that could elevate this course into one of the best in the state, if not the very best. As it is, I know that's where the course is already rated on DGCR, but it doesn't even make my personal NC top 20. It's too manicured and smooth, I need more danger.
6
1
J-Hghar
Experience:
45 played
8 reviews
Beautiful course with lot's of tweeners 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Oct 26, 2018
Played the course:once
Pros:
This property is perfect and Taylor Made for Disc golf. It is beautiful , well manicured , and has the perfect amount of openness and trees to make the course interesting.
There are some really picturesque holes here that will make you stop to take it all in and some really great holes as far as DG lines go as well.
Signage and navigation is very easy.
You don't see many holes that are designed with the pro market in mind and this is one of the few who take on the challenge of pushing pro players to test there skills.
There are some really picturesque holes here that will make you stop to take it all in and some really great holes as far as DG lines go as well.
Signage and navigation is very easy.
You don't see many holes that are designed with the pro market in mind and this is one of the few who take on the challenge of pushing pro players to test there skills.
Cons:
Unfortunately I think they are pushing just a little too much in a few places and that causes several holes that are just non-scoring separators. 90% of a pro field will just get a 3 and move on. Most of these holes are 500' uphill holes that most high level players are ending up just outside circle 2 and having a little layup for a 3. Unfortunately not very exciting for the player or anyone watching.
Several pads just end and there is not much room to follow through without falling down a large hill or drop off. The pads can also be pretty slick if wet. There is almost no room on hole 13 short to follow through.
Kingpin Baskets are not that great. I don't know if it's the light chains or what but they do not seem to catch very well.
Several pads just end and there is not much room to follow through without falling down a large hill or drop off. The pads can also be pretty slick if wet. There is almost no room on hole 13 short to follow through.
Kingpin Baskets are not that great. I don't know if it's the light chains or what but they do not seem to catch very well.
Other Thoughts:
This course is beautiful and was very unique but I was not a fan of all of the hole just because of the lack of scoring separation. It is still a very good course but just wasn't as exciting as I expected.
