Pocatello, ID

Bengal Ridge @ Idaho State

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4.35(based on 10 reviews)
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Bengal Ridge @ Idaho State reviews

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6 0
DuBose
Premium Member
Experience: 4.8 years 137 played 16 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Tiring 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 27, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great variety of shots. Especially elevation changes. Tons of uphill and downhill shots. Nice scenery from holes on top of mountain. Not crowded, even on weekend. Very friendly locals.

Cons:

Tough to navigate. Good baskets, but the markings are gone. So when you are trying to navigate and you find a basket, you don't know what basket you found. Also could use some poles on top of baskets. But most importantly, need to add some markers showing direction to next tee. Massacre Rocks is a prime example of good signage. Very easy to navigate.

Other Thoughts:

Overall a very nice course. Definitely take water to drink, because the hills will test your cardio conditioning. (Kicked my butt) I had a hard time finding holes even with a screen shot of the map. Took me quite a while to find tee pad for 11. Bring a spotter if you can. I'm lucky I didn't lose a disc playing by myself. Add some signs to next pad and paint the number on the baskets and I would agree with the 4 1/2 rating.
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8 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 548 played 429 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Eye of the Tiger 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 3, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Bengal Ridge is the bomb. Tony the Tiger would call it GRRREAT! My main focus is always on the quality of holes from tee to pin, and the full 18 is a trying circuit. I liked the hillside pin placements with "greens" terraced in using landscaping blocks. The ups and downs are steep and constant, very fun and challenging. The front 9 is a bit more open, with some evergreen variety trees that are not very tall. The back 9 has a higher density of trees, while still utilizing a fair amount of elevation.

Most of the holes have long and short tees paved with brick. Nice and level, with signs that are pretty solid. The DISCatcher baskets are still in nice condition. The layout of the course is well done. There are not too many long walks between holes and the transitions are not really hard to figure out. The front and back nine are loops so you can trek back to the car midway if you need to.

As always, my favorite holes are the ones that throw off of an elevated tee, and carry downhill a long way. Hole 3 and hole 8 give this look, and do it well. Holes 5 and 10 are the inverse, with fairways that climb, and the rise feels almost equal to the run. I also enjoyed a lot of the holes that didn't play with much elevation, instead going across the hillsides laterally. The great landscaping will often leave a small, flat space under the pin, and a lot of putts that are uphill or downhill if you miss. The brush will stop the roll aways sometimes, but I did get one or two.

The last several holes are pretty tricky, with some blind drives, and potential to go a long way the wrong way if you misplace a tee shot. On 17 I let one go too early, and it faded left hard. That is not the direction you want to miss. I ended up with a second shot that added a lot of unnecessary hiking down to find the disc and a tough throw to get most of the way back up. 18 is a finisher that can be cruel too. It is a straight shot, but long, and it crosses a gentle rise and fall that takes the basket out of sight from the tee. There are some trees you need to avoid, and the slope falling off to the left side again.

Cons:

I wouldn't change a thing. If you can't do big climbs on sometimes rocky footing, this one is not for you. Is not cart friendly. Also not a great one for newbies, but the short tees will give a bit easier option for the brave ones that take it on. There is a lot of brush that could easily hide discs if it were much thicker, I played after a dry summer and did not have problems with it.

The par is listed as 70 for the advanced (long tees), or 54 for expert (long tees, all par 3). I think a number in between would be more reasonable.

Other Thoughts:

This is my favorite of the 5 courses I played in Idaho on this road trip, and one of the best from of the 19 total. I admired the scenic mountains and the amount of work put in to install this wonderful course. I camped nearby at a KOA, and wish I could have stayed in the Pocatello area longer to explore other courses. I'm going to have to come back to it later, because they have a few more I want to play. This one is worth stopping for by itself.

I shot a 63, and the scorecard says that is 7 under. Too generous if you ask me, but I'll take it. Using the listed pars I had 3 eagles, 4 birdies, 9 pars, a bogey and a double bogey. It felt like a decent round, but 7 down is ridiculous. I think the three par 5 holes could fairly be called par 4, and a some of the par 4's could be cut by a stroke as well.

At any rate, Bengal Ridge was in the favorites list right away, and would be an awesome home course. If you are are anywhere close to Pocatello and have the time, think about playing this one for sure. If the weather is right, you should have a good time here.
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8 0
nightwing
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 273 played 56 reviews
4.50 star(s)

A Severe and Sublime Challenge 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 28, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

-A true Championship caliber course!
-Gorgeous snow-capped peaks half the year.
-Stone block 'Greens' built up onto canyon sides.
-Big air that's smart! Not just hucking but crafting the shot.
-Strategy...risk vs reward...sticking approach shots etc
-2 sets of tees (though three would help)
-Both nines start fairly near the parking lot
-Very near town, college, freeway.
-Unique...no course I know of is like it at all
-Benchs, tee signs, clear pathways. Has 'The Love'.

Cons:

These are not really 'Cons', just realities to be aware of:
-Can be a real haul, especially for beginners or if windy.
-Unforgiving. Rollers, trees, wind blown shots etc.
-You could lose a disc or two, especially on the back

Other Thoughts:

Since this course has not been reviewed (or played?!?) enough, I will do my best here, though I could only play it once. First up, I straight up LOVED the tiger. It brought out my A+ game even though I was tired and that inspiration is hard to find on many 3 to 4 star courses.

Although the DGCR directions work, if you are in Pocatella, just go to the south side of town and go east on Terry. The unmarked course lot is on the left exactly where the sidewalk runs out. Both nines are about a minute up the path, with the front up left, the back is down a bit to the right.
I like this since the front took me 2 hours. i was ready for lunch before tackling the even longer and steeper back nine.

The front plays up both sides of a canyon that is remarkably rural for being just 3 minutes from town. There are only a few trees and many opportunities for roll-aways. The nine is mostly open air and turnover OMG shots can happen.

The back goes up higher on the ridge to the right of the canyon. There are many more trees and some holes could use some spotting. Although the tee signs are pretty good, this is basically an out back type of course. Downloading the map and paying attention will save you wandering. BTW: Where the trees don't offer wind protection, those OMG loose turnover shots could go a LONG way down.

However, at no point did I think the course design was unfair. If you stick your hyzer and play in control, you can make some hay here. I am a 58 year old, 922 rated lower end pro and managed to play a par 54 from the 'A' long tees. I shot 49 from the mid 'B' tees, but again, that was my A+ game which makes this one of my favorite days of Disc Golf ever. This course could easily have played 5 or even 10 shots higher for me.

About the scorecard, tees etc. The signs do not refer to Red, White and Blue at all and I would not bother with all that. They indicate a longer A tee and a shorter B tee. I would rate the A as Strong Advanced to Pro. The B would be Intermediate to Advanced. So this is a pretty tough course for new players.
But I think the climbing is at least half the challenge. Like any gorgeous hike, many may just forget about their score and enjoy this special place.

Bring strong shoes, plenty of water in summer and plan on 3 to 5 hours, though 2 hours could be done I suppose. Plan on some pain if you can't stick a hyzer in the wind or make an approach shot stop by the basket. This course is well worth the drive for serious road-trippers looking for a challenge.
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1 8
moon2an1
Experience: 8.8 years 12 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 23, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

very challenging course. great exercise, a ton of fun. the locals are willing to show you the course and help you find discs if you loose a disc! Best course i have ever played on

Cons:

Not a good beginner course. easy to loose a disc.
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10 0
sillybizz
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.2 years 407 played 392 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Idaho State University - Bengal Ridge

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 30, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Bengal Ridge course has a ton of elevation and several par four holes with some being shorter and very steep with others having a lot more distance. You can see by the pictures of this place that there isn't a ton of trees but the ones they do have here have been mixed in very well with the varied terrain and elevation change to create some spectacular holes that you won't soon forget. Make sure you stop at the benches and take in the scenery, when I was there the surrounding mountains still had a lot of snow on them and they made for a wonderful picture so bring a camera. The front nine had a lot of the same RHBH hyzer in it but the back nine seemed to even this out and created much more of a variety of throws to combine with the variety in length. The baskets all sat on these bricks built into the side of the hill that made putting from below them a little bit harder but they also blocked your disc sometimes if it was rolling down the hill. The tee pads and signs are all really nice and I like the short and long tee pads to help out newer players just learning the game but us advanced players will be using the more difficult and more fun long pads. My review is of the entire course but my rating is based more on the long pads.

Cons:

Being so high up above sea level I found myself gasping for air even when I wasn't climbing a hill and then when I was it got even worse. Players that haven't developed control will be hunting for and losing discs. Really even if you don't play smart this can happen to you. There are seriously very few cons and I'm having a hard time nitpicking a couple.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a blast to play and teaches you how to control your disc in the wind and up and down hills. If you aren't a complete beginner then I say play the longer tee pads and skip the short ones and they are a little boring for my tastes. This is a great spot to play in town, I highly recommend it! Oh and bring some water and use the benches!
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4 1
fiya79
Experience: 10 played 9 reviews
4.00 star(s)

home course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 1, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Variety of shots from 240 to 500+ feet. Lots of cool downhill and some tough uphills. good use of terrain

Cons:

Does take a while to play 18. Lots of potential for lost discs if you don't know how your shots go on the course. Beginners quake in fear.

Other Thoughts:

Has stood the test of time well. Trails still in good shape, brick pads holding up well. Take water! Don't try a winter round. Don't throw DX. Send a spotter out on 18.
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2 2
Brad T
Experience: 19.8 years 8 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Very nice course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 28, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Awesome job on building this course! Very well designed and constructed. Very close to town but have the seclusion on the back side. Many of the tees and baskets are on the side of hills and are built up with pavers to make them level with brick pavers for the tee box. Nice instruction posts on ever hole. A lot of work went into making this great course. I will definately play anytime I come to the area!

Cons:

Maybe some trash cans at the parking area. Some trash around.

Other Thoughts:

Played on a Friday and met some friendly locals thanks for helping with a lost disc!
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1 6
domromer
Experience: 21.4 years 88 played 21 reviews
4.50 star(s)

One of the best courses in the West. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2007 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful scenery, incredible use of the terrain, lots of elevation changes, a wide variety of challenging holes.

Cons:

It's not in my home town...Seriously I can't think of any.

Other Thoughts:

There is a must play course if you are ever in the area. I've played over 30 courses and this is easily top 3.
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8 0
[email protected]
Experience: 23.8 years 39 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Unique Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 1, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

This course is a different experience from nearly any course i've ever played. It utilizes the RISK/REWARD factor very well. You are often faced with the question of running a shot or laying it up easy, and this can DRASTICALLY effect your score depending on your decision.

The use of elevation is a huge part of this course, many holes have over 75 foot rise or falls, and there is a great variation in the use of this. The large junipers will eat a poor shot alive, however still allow for a good shot to get right on by.

Allowing many good shoots the chance for birdie, but with poor shots looking at possible bogies or doubles.

Many good long crush holes.

Despite the fairly rough terrain, the trails and tees are very well maintained. The tee signs are fairly well descriptive and it is very easy to see the pins on most holes.

Cons:

Quite Left Backhand favorable. Most holes lean to the RHBH player, and a couple of tees make different shots quite difficult. Most the locals have a 400 foot hyzer shot pretty much dialed in.

There is often a chance of putts getting up and taking off down the hill.... most the time this requires a nice touch to your putts, but there is often a time when a good putt still can turn into a terrible roller adding 2 or more strokes to your hole.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a definite hike. Be sure to wear the proper shoes and carry plenty of liquids. Playing the full 18 will take nearly 3 hours for the average group. And leave the DX plastic in the bad... it won't last long on this course.

If your in the area be sure to stop by and play, really not like any course i've played before.
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10 0
martinb
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 44.6 years 183 played 57 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bengal Ridge Disc Golf Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Advanced/Pro Challenging course, with two sets of tee pads on just about every hole. The terrain keeps it from being beginner friendly, as it plays up and down two ridges with lots of cardiovascular effort involved. Its a tough course from the pro pads even without the up and down you play, but still great. The other set of pads make it fairly easier, but you still hike the same terrain.

Cons:

You need to carry a lot of water. If your not fairly healthy, one round is all you will be able to play. Windy most of the time, which some people dont see as a con. Hole eighteen needs a spotter from the pro pad.

Other Thoughts:

Technically, its well laid out with short and long holes to challenge even the best pro. The wind picks up in the afternoon as it is a very exposed course with not a lot of trees and elevated teepads, but you may like that. I make it a point to play this course when in the area if i have 2.5 hours to spend on a round. Its definitely one of the better courses within a 100 mile radius, the locals are all friendly and will help you locate a lost disc on the course, or let you know where the best place to eat is in town.
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