Thornhill Park DGC reviews
4
0
I Could Love This Course? 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Sep 22, 2012
Played the course:once
Pros:
If it had baskets, I could love this course. Thornhill Park is a most surprising little country park. From the street you see a small community building and an older tennis court. But starting near the building is a enjoyable little 14 hole Tonal course set in a very lovely forest of mature cedar trees. The forest floor is covered with ferns making it the quinessential BC forest. I almost expected to see some native BC Indian types carving a cedar canoe or drying some bark around a campfire.
Each hole is named after a native BC plant.
# 1 = Huckleberry
# 2= Red Cedar
# 3=Trillium
# 4=Big Leaf Maple
# 5=Foam Flower
# 6=Sword Fern
# 7=Vanialla Leaf
# 8=English Holly
# 9=Douglas Fir
#10=Hemlock
# 11=Twister Stalk
# 12=Blackberry
# 13=Wood Fern
The Tones all have three teepads. Each gives a slightly different look but mostly each one is slightly longer. Most holes play in the neighborhood of 175-200. The courses climbs slightly up to # 8 and then plays back to the start and the community building.
The tonals here give off the most pleasent melodous chime like noise. It resonates for what seems like 15 seconds.
# 13 is a hanging Tonal approximately 10 feet off the ground, it makes for a nice added challenge. And then # 14 is the only actual basket on the course.
Each hole is named after a native BC plant.
# 1 = Huckleberry
# 2= Red Cedar
# 3=Trillium
# 4=Big Leaf Maple
# 5=Foam Flower
# 6=Sword Fern
# 7=Vanialla Leaf
# 8=English Holly
# 9=Douglas Fir
#10=Hemlock
# 11=Twister Stalk
# 12=Blackberry
# 13=Wood Fern
The Tones all have three teepads. Each gives a slightly different look but mostly each one is slightly longer. Most holes play in the neighborhood of 175-200. The courses climbs slightly up to # 8 and then plays back to the start and the community building.
The tonals here give off the most pleasent melodous chime like noise. It resonates for what seems like 15 seconds.
# 13 is a hanging Tonal approximately 10 feet off the ground, it makes for a nice added challenge. And then # 14 is the only actual basket on the course.
Cons:
The holes are short probably averaging 175'. Only having one basket is a huge downside for me. The tonals, even with their lovely sounds, just don't compare to baskets.
Previous reviewer Mr. JR Stengele was probably spot one (And he almost always is) when he commented that having 42 tee boxes probably constitutes overkill in such a small area.
Previous reviewer Mr. JR Stengele was probably spot one (And he almost always is) when he commented that having 42 tee boxes probably constitutes overkill in such a small area.
Other Thoughts:
If this course had baskets, I'd love it. The towering cedars and the ferns. The little stream running down through it. It still wouldn't be a championship or a destination course but it would be one of those beautiful little wooded pitch and putt throws. Find me some baskets somewhere!
8
0
discRabbit
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
24.9 years
1136 played
136 reviews
Surpasses expectations 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Nov 6, 2010
Played the course:once
Pros:
Thornhill is a surprisingly fun little tone course in a small suburban (bordering on rural) neighborhood near Vancouver. The course mostly plays through tightly wooded and fern'y' forest and offers many short, but tight lines through the large trees - pretty classic Pacific Northwest terrain for a disc golf course.
Variety: The tight woods and shortish nature of the course usually call for controlled putter or midrange shots but there are quite a few utility holes where a short sidearm, skip, or other funky shot is best. This variety does not really apply to hole lengths at the course with many being quite short (although multiple tees tend to add a bit here).
Replay-factor: The replay factor isn't all that high here, but it is fairly good for such a small course. The tight woods often allow for several, relatively equally enticing lines to reach the pin and the three teepads, which, while usually not all that different, do allow for some variety in layout. Having all of these teepads in such a small course does come with its own drawbacks in that fairways are often VERY close together or, in some cases, overlapping. If this course ever gets busy, it would be a pretty big problem. However, if our experience is any indicator, the course is usually not very heavily trafficked.
Variety: The tight woods and shortish nature of the course usually call for controlled putter or midrange shots but there are quite a few utility holes where a short sidearm, skip, or other funky shot is best. This variety does not really apply to hole lengths at the course with many being quite short (although multiple tees tend to add a bit here).
Replay-factor: The replay factor isn't all that high here, but it is fairly good for such a small course. The tight woods often allow for several, relatively equally enticing lines to reach the pin and the three teepads, which, while usually not all that different, do allow for some variety in layout. Having all of these teepads in such a small course does come with its own drawbacks in that fairways are often VERY close together or, in some cases, overlapping. If this course ever gets busy, it would be a pretty big problem. However, if our experience is any indicator, the course is usually not very heavily trafficked.
Cons:
Even though Thornhill is relatively tight, most of the holes are too short to really adequately challenge veteran disc golfers. You'll be throwing a lot of putters and a few trick shots to navigate the wooded fairways, but you'll almost always have at least a long jump putt for the birdie.
Trying terrain: You'll be fern-hopping and managing some serious mud/water when you leave the fairways or get a bad kick which can become a bit annoying over time. Fortunately, most of the course is straightforward enough that experienced players should be more likely to be under the pin than under a fern.
Getting there: I usually don't mention this but finding the course even with the directions provided can be quite challenging. There are several roads which are numbered as 98th that are either not the same road or don't go through and have lots of dead-ends. Bring a map or GPS to avoid this!
Trying terrain: You'll be fern-hopping and managing some serious mud/water when you leave the fairways or get a bad kick which can become a bit annoying over time. Fortunately, most of the course is straightforward enough that experienced players should be more likely to be under the pin than under a fern.
Getting there: I usually don't mention this but finding the course even with the directions provided can be quite challenging. There are several roads which are numbered as 98th that are either not the same road or don't go through and have lots of dead-ends. Bring a map or GPS to avoid this!
Other Thoughts:
The finishing target is pretty fun - located in a small hollow in between two trees, the tone is actually suspended in mid-air making layup's all the more difficult. Those who aren't feeling confident with their putting might be doing a bit of back-and-forth at the finish on their way to big numbers. For those who make the putt, this is a fun little finishing hole that leaves you wanting more. Overall, I'd recommend this little tone course to players looking for something a little bit out of the ordinary although skilled players looking for a challenge should head to Langley Passive Park for a couple rounds instead of making the trip east to Thornhill.
