Pros:
The Hawk at Sabattus Disc Golf is an exceptional course that features great variety and is an outright joy to play. The course has a great layout featuring a solid mix of L, R, and straight fairways. Most holes incorporate trees, obstacles, and elevation in a well-thought, elegant manner. The Hawk has numerous densely-wooded, but fair fairways. The course has good variation in distances from the first hole ace run to long-bomb fairways. Two noteworthy holes include:
Hole 2 - This hole is a fantastic example of a unique design the plays mind games with the players. The fairway is actually quite wide with the basket tucked slightly downhill and in the back, right corner with woods bordering the fairway on the right and in the back. The head games come into play when viewing the wall of birch trees half way down the 555' fairway that take up the left 2/3 of the space. The trees are only 6" around and spaced 3-6' apart, which should provide plenty of space through which a disc could pass. Despite this, the natural inclination is to throw to the right of these trees and any drive that isn't on the mark will end up in the woods to the right.
Hole 14 - Requiring both control and power, this hole features a tight, straight tunnel shot that opens into a wide-open fairway. If you can get your drive out on the first throw, you've got a solid shot at par. If you miss the gap, you're looking at a multiple bogey situation.
The tee signs at the Hawk were exceptionally detailed and displayed fairways, major obstacles, distance, par, and basket location. In addition to tee signs, the course had plenty of signage directing players to the baskets and toward the next tees.
The course itself was meticulously maintained. The concrete tees were in fantastic shape, as were the baskets. Garbage cans, picnic tables, and butt buckets available on nearly all the tees. The fairways and paths were all clear and wooded lanes consisted of gravel, mulch, or wood chips. Surrounding many of the baskets were wood chip greens. There was very little underbrush and shule, reducing the possibility of a lost disc and making the course more aesthetically pleasing.
On many other courses, close proximity of baskets to the next tee is a big safety risk and falls solidly into the "Cons" list. At the Hawk, however, the people at Sabattus Disc Golf covered all their bases. A saftey net was installed between the basket of hole 6 and the tee of hole 7, protecting the players without sacrificing the layout of those two holes.
Cons:
Very, very few cons. Several of the holes had a simplistic feel and were somewhat repetitive. Additionally, other than trees and giant rocks, there wasn't anything to really push the risk/reward aspect of the game. A water hazard, unique "locals route", or distinctive mando would have done something to push this course to the upper-most level.
Other Thoughts:
The people at Sabattus have their act together across the board. I had the most fun playing the Hawk out of all the courses I've ever played. After my first round, this course is now tied as my favorite course.
When comparing the Hawk to the other courses at Sabattus Disc Golf (although this had no impact on my rating), this course had wider and more traditional fairways and throwing lines than the Eagle. The Hawk was also much longer and had a lot more variety than the Owl.
Sabattus, ME isn't exactly in the thick of things, but Sabattus Disc Golf is well worth the trip and I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone that is considering a disc golf trip to Maine. I wish more courses were modeled after the disc golf complex at Sabattus.