Sabattus, ME

Sabattus Disc Golf - Falcon

3.755(based on 6 reviews)
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Sabattus Disc Golf - Falcon reviews

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MrFrosty
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.1 years 764 played 387 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Falcon - The First Stage 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 18, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Missing the Sabattus Disc Golf Course from the road is almost impossible , With its name on top of a large decorative basket that you can't miss . There is a large parking lot here , and a 2 story pro shop that carries everything from a huge amount of discs for sale , to merchandise , snacks and drinks . The staff here is friendly and instructive . There is a nice bathroom in this building . This is by far the best pro shop that I have ever set foot in . You will pay for your round in here . It is $7 per round on the weekdays , with an all day pass for $11 , and the cost is $8 per round and $12 all day on weekends . After you come here , you will realize the cost is more than fair .

The Equipment - The tee pads are concrete and spacious . some of the early tee pads are shared with the Eagle Course . The signage is nice , an old fashioned shape hanging off a color coded base . Falcon will be orange based . The sign also has a number on the back of the sign to help with navigation , along with some next tee signs . The baskets are orange Mach 5s .

The Landscape - Sabattus Falcon , like all of the other courses and grounds here are kept clean , mowed and trees trimmed and void of branches in the fairways . The course rolls , and goes in and out of some woods .There are large rocks and small boulders that are visible or come into play . A decent amount of it follows paths on top of or close to the Eagle Course , but the pond and a creek are taken out of play , and Falcon plays almost 2000' shorter than Eagle .

The Highlights - #4 is a slight left to right next to a creek with a basket on a small ridge . #10 is a 526' drive starting in the open and filtering into a tight fairway to a basket just off a path . #18 is a 299' drive to a basket hidden behind and next to a side of a downhill .

Signature Hole - #11 . 404' , it is an uphill drive that fades to the right and into a large indentation
.
Amenities - 2 putting baskets near the lot , a driving net , nice cement/stone benches and waste cans at the holes , and the pro shop .

The Time - It took me 55 minutes to play this course . A group of 4 could play this in under 2 hours .
Disc Risk - Very low . The pond is mostly out of play , and the rough is manageable because of the clean conditions of this course .
There are no tee time s here , so you can just show up to play . Make sure that if you are here during the evenings or especially weekends , that you may have to wait at some of the tee pads .

Cons:

#1 Sharing tee pads . There is some sharing of tee pads with the Eagle Course early on with the courses . You can tell by the orange/yellow mark on the sign . They split off and become their different course after about 7 or 8 .
#2 Challenge - 14 of these holes are under 300' . Though not as challenging as big brother Eagle , this course will be a handful for the newbie or casual player . I suggest the more seasoned players work on their game at the 2 other 18 hole courses here .There is a lack of much elevation here .
#3 Pay To Play - Had to mention it . I can see that part of my money goes into upkeep on this course , and Sabattus does a great job of creating a disc golf Experience for you , but $7 or $8 per round for a local that is watching their money , or a family with different kids with different skills could be costly ( I still think it was a bargain for me ) .

Other Thoughts:

Falcon is the shortest and easiest course of the 3 full courses here . It does NOT mean that it is a cupcake course by any means . If I was a local , I would personally start here at the Falcon , and after mastering it , then working my way to the Hawk and ending with the Eagle , in that order . The course is on a beautiful piece of Maine land , and it devoted to disc golf only .This is less about raw competitive disc golf and more about the Disc Golf Experience . You can pay 11 or $12 and be entertained until your arm falls off .
Sabattus was raising the bar before we knew where the bar was supposed to be . The owner is said to have shelled out over a million dollars , but your visit here will be priceless .
Don't forget to wander through this pro shop . You will never see one better .
My Recommendation - Perfect for newbies , the 1 disc player , recreational or casual player . Still good enough for an intermediate to conquer if pressed for time . Ams and pros will likely stay on the Eagle course . Travelers will like the idea of using this course as a leg stretcher since it is between I-95 and I - 295 , but will lose some time from being hypnotized by the pro shop . The Course Collector ? This is a 4 for 1 stop , and it may only cost you about 4 hours of continuous play .
The 100 acres of grounds that are designated for disc golf only are a sight like no other . Come Here ,Enjoy All Of It , And PLAY IT !!!!
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13 0
jtreadwell
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 92 played 28 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Frankenbird 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 5, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Course specific
-Very well kept
-Tough for beginners and fun for better players
-Adds more holes to an already fantastic complex
-A great blend of open and technical shots
Complex
-Amazing pro shop
-3.5 courses for one low price
-courses available for all skill sets

Cons:

- Many of the holes simply watered down versions of the Eagle's holes.
- Said watering down lessens the quality of the Eagle in some cases (hole 12 for instance).
- New holes made for the Falcon are not very exciting or unique.

Other Thoughts:

In a valiant bid to add yet another course to the Sabattus Disc Golf complex, the masterminds behind the Eagle, Hawk, and Owl courses have given birth to the Falcon, an amalgamation of new holes and fresh approaches to the Eagle. The intent was to create a course tougher than the Hawk and easier than the Eagle. In my opinion, the addition was about 75% successful and 25% detrimental to the complex. Most of the holes on the falcon use the same fairways as a hole on the Eagle, albeit with an alternate tee pad or different colored (yellow) basket. While it was nice to play some of my favorite holes from a different perspective, many of them were simply watered down versions of great holes, making the overall feeling one of disappointment. I was also disappointed to find that some holes on the Eagle were altered to make the falcon possible, most notably hole 8, the horseshoe around the pond hole. Before the falcon was installed, players on the teepad of hole 8 had a tough choice to make; do I take the long and somewhat safe route around the pond for an easy par, or do I set up to shoot through a narrow alternate path and cross the pond for a potential 3 or 4? Classic risk/reward. To make a new hole for the falcon, the designers made a new teepad right on the safe route fairway and made a mando that forces players on the Eagle to take the risky shot across the pond, and the falcon players to use the original fairway (shortened for them, of course). I did not appreciate this awesome hole being cannibalized to make two new, less awesome holes and feel it was a bad call. Of the new holes that were made for the falcon, most were in the field section of the complex and were less than exciting. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty to like about the falcon layout, even if I didn't find it ideal. This is still a well maintained, decently planned out course that fulfills it's role as an intermediate course to the Hawk and Eagle. Many of the fresh looks at the holes were quite fun and definitely added something to the complex. Beginners will be challenged and pros will still have fun, but calling the falcon a new course just seems forced. It would have have been much healthier for the complex if the designers had simply made alternate tees or baskets for the Eagle instead of watering it down, adding a few mediocre holes, and calling it something different. Sabattus Disc Golf is still one of the best complexes (if not THE best) in Maine, but that is in spite of the addition of the Falcon, not because of it. Try it out if the Eagle is too much for you and the Hawk is too easy, but if you can handle the Eagle, you're probably better off just playing that.
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