Waahila Ridge "Hila Monster" reviews
23
0
Mountain high 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jan 18, 2011
Played the course:once
Pros:
<span class="underline">NOTE:</span> You have to understand that on O'ahu there are almost insurmountable roadblocks that prohibit any permanent courses from being installed, therefore the island players can only do the best that they can under these conditions. With this in mind, my review criteria are much different than they normally are. Because of the unique circumstances on O'ahu I gave this course lots of grace, and my rating was also higher than a comparable course on the mainland would be. Hey, just being in Hawaii bumps it up!
There are no tees marked, no permanent basket locations, no signs, no hole lengths, no maps... but the alternative is to have no disc golf here at all, so I'm happy just to have a place to throw discs in Hawaii. If this course ever becomes permanent I'll rate it much higher.
You have to play this course by going with locals who show you where to tee off and then someone runs ahead and places a temporary basket. It's not ideal, but it works, and makes it possible to play disc golf on gorgeous terrain. The layout we played was as close to the "standard" layout as you can get.
*Terrain- I look for new and distinctive terrain and that's what this course has. Being way up high on a old volcano ridge there were mostly evergreen trees, including Norfolk Island Pine and Cook Pine. I loved it! There are 18 woods holes, but I never tired of the awesome foliage and hills.
*Very friendly local players- you absolutely MUST have a guide to show you the course. Without one it's completely impossible to play this course. Fortunately the local players are passionate about disc golf and very friendly and helpful to first timers.
*Elevation changes abound. 1 Flat/ 5 Up/ 12 Down. Lots of fun downhill shots.
*Fairway shape variety- there's a pretty good balance of straight, left, right, and S shaped fairways. 8 Straight/ 3 Left/ 6 Right/ 1 S shape. Even though they're not allowed to cut trees the fairways are still nicely defined.
*There's a very basic restroom and a few park trash cans around too.
*There were wild chickens running around free that were pretty cool too.
There are no tees marked, no permanent basket locations, no signs, no hole lengths, no maps... but the alternative is to have no disc golf here at all, so I'm happy just to have a place to throw discs in Hawaii. If this course ever becomes permanent I'll rate it much higher.
You have to play this course by going with locals who show you where to tee off and then someone runs ahead and places a temporary basket. It's not ideal, but it works, and makes it possible to play disc golf on gorgeous terrain. The layout we played was as close to the "standard" layout as you can get.
*Terrain- I look for new and distinctive terrain and that's what this course has. Being way up high on a old volcano ridge there were mostly evergreen trees, including Norfolk Island Pine and Cook Pine. I loved it! There are 18 woods holes, but I never tired of the awesome foliage and hills.
*Very friendly local players- you absolutely MUST have a guide to show you the course. Without one it's completely impossible to play this course. Fortunately the local players are passionate about disc golf and very friendly and helpful to first timers.
*Elevation changes abound. 1 Flat/ 5 Up/ 12 Down. Lots of fun downhill shots.
*Fairway shape variety- there's a pretty good balance of straight, left, right, and S shaped fairways. 8 Straight/ 3 Left/ 6 Right/ 1 S shape. Even though they're not allowed to cut trees the fairways are still nicely defined.
*There's a very basic restroom and a few park trash cans around too.
*There were wild chickens running around free that were pretty cool too.
Cons:
Well... umm... some may consider having no permanent baskets, no permanent tees, and no signs to be drawbacks, but hey I can live without those things.
-Fairway shape variety: maybe there are just a few too many straight holes and it could use a few more dogleg left shots.
-Rough. It's really thick in some spots, but they're not allowed to clear any of it.
-It could use some amenities like a better map, but you can't have those without a permanent course.
-Fairway shape variety: maybe there are just a few too many straight holes and it could use a few more dogleg left shots.
-Rough. It's really thick in some spots, but they're not allowed to clear any of it.
-It could use some amenities like a better map, but you can't have those without a permanent course.
Other Thoughts:
Course Level = probably White
~To get to the course you drive up a very steep winding hill that's an interesting trip.
~Make sure to bring bug spray.
Although many people will envision the ocean when they think about Hawaii, there is also mountainous terrain way up on the old volcanoes. This is a woods course on a mountain ridge, so make sure you know what you're getting into. All of the Hawaii players that I've met have been really nice guys, but I congratulate the guys I played with for developing this course, and I'm grateful for their hospitality in showing me around. This was my favorite of the 3 Oahu courses that I've played. If I could only choose one course on Oahu then I'd definitely play here again first. If only this course could be permanent some day! I'd recommend it for a unique experience, and I can't wait to go back and play it again!
<span class="underline">A note about my rating:</span> My rating is a subjective measure of my <span class="italic">enjoyment</span> of the course, on the day I played it, and it is NOT intended to be a measure of the <span class="italic">quality</span> of the course. My Enjoyment Ratings are given "on the curve" in relation to all other courses I've played.
You can also read more of my review philosophy and rating notes at Disc Golf Course Reviews
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I'm always trying to improve my reviews, so if you mark this review unhelpful or you find a mistake, please send me a personal message here on DGCR to tell me what is wrong with it. I'll be grateful for the feedback.
~To get to the course you drive up a very steep winding hill that's an interesting trip.
~Make sure to bring bug spray.
Although many people will envision the ocean when they think about Hawaii, there is also mountainous terrain way up on the old volcanoes. This is a woods course on a mountain ridge, so make sure you know what you're getting into. All of the Hawaii players that I've met have been really nice guys, but I congratulate the guys I played with for developing this course, and I'm grateful for their hospitality in showing me around. This was my favorite of the 3 Oahu courses that I've played. If I could only choose one course on Oahu then I'd definitely play here again first. If only this course could be permanent some day! I'd recommend it for a unique experience, and I can't wait to go back and play it again!
<span class="underline">A note about my rating:</span> My rating is a subjective measure of my <span class="italic">enjoyment</span> of the course, on the day I played it, and it is NOT intended to be a measure of the <span class="italic">quality</span> of the course. My Enjoyment Ratings are given "on the curve" in relation to all other courses I've played.
You can also read more of my review philosophy and rating notes at Disc Golf Course Reviews
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm always trying to improve my reviews, so if you mark this review unhelpful or you find a mistake, please send me a personal message here on DGCR to tell me what is wrong with it. I'll be grateful for the feedback.
