Big Sky, MT

Big Sky Resort - Ramcharger

2.135(based on 4 reviews)
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3 0
brentjacobs
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.6 years 641 played 59 reviews
2.50 star(s)

On top of the (little)mountain 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 16, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 9 Metal baskets.
- Bright yellow tee signs and general flow of the course make navigation fairly easy. Next tee sign after #12 is mighty helpful as well.
- Nice use of the elevation, if not going as drastic as some might expect for a ski hill. The course plays nicely down, level, up, then back down again.
- Good mix of playing in, through and back out of trees.
- You get to ride a chairlift up to the course and back down again.
- Killer views from a number of holes and the chairlift ride. The golf is decent, better than the other on site course, but the views are almost worth the cost of the lift ticket.

Cons:

- The baskets are old DISCatcher Sports. Serviceable but not great.
-Tee pads. Roughed out of the dirt and shale chunks hillside, cover with rubber kitchen mats and bordered on the sides and front by small logs. They generally match the slope fo the hill which is unhelpful on a few holes.
- A few holes are just total "get from here to there" fillers. Holes 10 and 16 come to mind.
- Some forced precision from the tees but overall not a lot of challenge to get clean drives out.
- $34 for a scenic lift ticket. You're at a resort where DG is an afterthought. They can charge tourists that much so that's the gong rate. Walking up to the top of this course(which I've done back when it was a different course that started in the same area and lift wasn't spinning)takes a bit over an hour, depending on your pace.
- A little sketchy at points when the course gets close to the downhill mountain bike trails. We waited a couple times as those holes are pretty wooded and a tree kick could easily redirect a disc toward the bikers.

Other Thoughts:

Update for 2020: The course is back open this summer which is great. A few minor tweaks and they added rubber mats on the tees which aren't great but are an improvement. There's perhaps a touch less user conflict with the hike trails and the minor adjustments to a few tees/pins play well. More directional signs have been added which is a nice touch as well. Usually play the Explorer Course once a summer just to take the lift ride but I'll be spinning this one a few times before they shut down summer ops.

Fun 9 hole course with a nice variety of tee shots and hole styles. While it doesn't have the traditional ski hill bomber holes, it is a far more balance and enjoyable(for me) course than the other on site course at the top of the Explorer Lift. Amazing views while you play and ride the lift up tot and back down from the course are really what make the experience worthwhile. Even then, $28/$33 is pretty rough for two 9 hole courses with terrible baskets and rough tees. The resort does have any and all amenities one might want from lodging to bars to shopping. I have a season pass for skiing which gets me on the lifts without the scenic ticket thus making the decision to play these courses pretty easy. With Big Horn Ridge in the meadow, I wouldn't feel too bad if you skip out on bagging the resort courses. If you do go, enjoy the views, the Big Sky, and wear some decent hiking shoes/boots.
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2 2
Feli
Experience: 10 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great senic views and major elevation changes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is set on the face of a mountain, so you ride the chair lifts up to the starting point. Chair lift is about $20, and you can ride twice... a great day is one trip up for DG then one for mountain biking or hiking down. The views are fantastic as you head down the mountain, but do bring sunscreen and some water. More than anything, bring a camera to take some pics of the amazing moutainscapes. After you do the mountain 9 holes, there's another 9 holes (10th-18th) at the Big Sky base camp which is free... it has chain baskets and is reviewed separately on this site.

Mountain 9 is not a very challenging DG course and it's not very developed, but the big asset is just the location and the scenery. It's a nice course for a lazy day when you just want to relax, see the sights, and take things slowly.

Cons:

The tees are improved, but they're still natural with just a number and a few logs or railroad ties at the border. There are no baskets... just wooden poles with some paint on them. The map and course design isn't ideal, but just follow the roads and ski slopes if in doubt.

There's really no obstacles besides the steep decline elevation, but that's enough if there's any wind. You will want some overstable discs... and a spotter in case they get away from you (forests are pretty thick on either side of the ski runs). Most holes are fairly easy birdie chances, but you may go out of bounds or have the winds pull a few tee shots on you.

There's some long grass, but Big Sky is pretty busy with hikers, mountain bikers, and other outdoor visitors, so snake or bear danger is pretty low.

Other Thoughts:

This is a fun walk down the mountain. If you're a rec player who is visiting Big Sky and shoots disc for fun and relaxation as much as challenge, then you'll probably appreciate the senic setting at Big Sky. However, if you're a more serious DG player looking for a top notch and challenging course, you might want to take a pass this one.
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11 2
Danger
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.7 years 105 played 68 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Crap 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 14, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

-You get to ride a chairlift?

Cons:

-All holes are wooden posts painted blue at the top
-Holes are spread out and sometimes hard to find. They are numbered, but the number is on the ground
-Tee pads are natural and uneven
-Course ends 2/3 of the way down the mountain resulting in a long steep walk back to the base area
-Holes are all steep downhill, and much shorter than they could be
-No obstacles, all holes shoot straight down the middle of a ski run
-$19 DOLLARS (plus tax!)

Other Thoughts:

The Big Sky Ski Resort peak course is a 9 hole downhill course that works its way from the top of one of the lifts down the mountain. Lodgepole forests surround the wide open ski runs, and never play a role in any of the holes. Beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountain range are the only distraction from the shockingly bad course you are playing.

Hole one begins near the top of the lift and shoots over a ridge to a blind hole just over the ridge. A sign notifies you that the course is 'par 3 for pros and par 4 for ams.' All holes are easily obtainable in 3 shots, so I am pretty sure by 'Am's' they mean 'children.'

Walks between holes sometimes exceed 100 yards, and there are no signs pointing you in the right direction. The HUGE map provided at the base is completely incorrect for the first 4 holes.

There is only one more blind hole on the course, and it is a slightly left turning hole along a relatively flat ski run. Still no trees or obstructions to deal with. The rest of the course are holes down intermediate runs that are quite short considering the amount of land they had to work with.

One disappointing thing was reaching a tee pad, seeing an awesome opportunity for a long downhill shot, then noticing the post about 250-300 feet away, in the middle of the run, in a location that has absolutely no reason behind it. These holes were all short and simple enough that they were just a matter of aiming a putter in the right direction.

Hole after hole of saying "Really?" when arriving to the teepad left for probably the most disappointing round I have ever had. Furthermore, it ends 2/3 of the way down the mountain. We could see some abandoned tee pads on the walk down, and just chucked our discs from them out into the nothing just for fun. This apparently used to be an 18 hole course that was shortened for the installation of a skeet course at the peak. I have no idea why they removed the last few holes working their way back to the base. Probably because at that point you have discovered that you have been scammed out of 19 dollars and change and just want to quit.

The lift ticket allows you to ride the chairlift twice. We didn't even bother because the course was not fun at all. I was really excited for it after reading the review of it in the 18 hole layout. I got excited toward the end... at hole 7, you notice you are still quite a ways up the hill from the bottom. You are thinking 'There have GOT to be some epic downhills coming up!' But no, 2 more lame holes and the course just ends, leaving you in the middle of a ski run far from anything. If you are in the Big Sky area, go play Buckhorn Ridge, which is one of my favorite courses in Montana. Its free and only about 5 miles away.
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3 0
DiSCRoCKeR
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.9 years 204 played 43 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Big Tosses at Big Sky 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has some great views to enjoy while throwing a round. Also has some of the biggest downhill throws I have ever thrown. I had a few throws that just flew for 10 seconds or more. The scenic ski lift ride to the top of the mountain where the course starts is pretty amazing. First 9 holes play through the woods around the top and holes 10 - 18 are all downhill, some of which are quite steep.

Cons:

You have to purchase a ski lift ticket for $19 to ride up to the top to start the course unlessyou feel like walking it. The course isn't marked very well and most tees aren't numbered. There are only a few baskets as most of the holes are poles with red tops. The baskets they do have are pretty cheap and old. There are no tee pads at all.

Other Thoughts:

Considering all the money that this ski resort must bring in they sure haven't invested much into the disc golf course. With some tee pads, signs, and good baskets for all of the holes this course would have gotten a better rating. Definitely worth playing for the intense downhill throws and for the experience of playing on the side of a beautiful mountain.
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