Portales, NM

Portales Sports Complex DGC

2.655(based on 10 reviews)
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Pizza God
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 36 years 1689 played 554 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Debatable if it should still be listed

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 10, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well, There are tee signs for most of the holes.
There are 8 baskets left
If you go in the summer, you will probably come across a rattlesnake
Decent flow, easy to follow course

Cons:

There are only 7 holes with both tee signs and baskets
Desert grass and bush is knee high on the whole course.


Other Thoughts:

This course has been listed as "unplayable" for years, but since I was driving by I figured I would stop and check it out.

UDisc does not even have a map of this course so I had pulled up the map from here. I was ready to figure out what was playable. As an avid course collector I have played some pretty rough courses.

Well, I started on what I thought would be the Red (back 10) off the course map as I knew the new pond had taken out a couple of the Blue (front 10) holes.

Sure enough, I found the tee sign for hole 11 and was able to play 11 to 17 with no problem. Really didn't even need the map as you could see the next tee sign from the previous basket.

Now don't get me wrong, most of the tee boxes were totally overgrown with knee high desert grass and other brush including yucca plants. But at least these holes were marked and the baskets were there.

Well the tee sign for hole 8 was stuck inside of basket 17. Basket 18 was in place, but no tee sign. I did find some rocks that probably outlined the original tee so I played 18.

Well, that was it, 19's tee sign was there, but no basket.

I walked the map for the Blue course, no tee signs or basket for holes 1 or 2, holes 3 to 7 had tee signs, but no baskets. Normally when I play a course with a missing basket, I usually throw to a nearby tree. In this case there were no trees. So I usually just threw my drive, then walked to the next tee box.

When I got to where 8 should be, I knew there was no sign. I looked for some rocks but had to just make an educated guess an made up hole 8's tee. 9's tee was there but I knew that basket was already missing along with 10's tee and basket.

So as it stands right now this is an 8 hole course that is almost playable. It was 50 degrees when I played so no snakes were out. But from what I have read, this course is known for rattlesnakes.

In all honestly, this course is not worth a stop, not even close. The newer course up in Clovis is worth playing and is actually a decent course.

Would I play here again. NO, even if they replaced the baskets I don't think I would stop here again. But looking at the state of the park, that is never going to happen.
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0 0
apollocreed
Experience: 4 played 2 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Nice little desert course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 9, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

-nice desert scenery
-couple small elevation shots
-someone was working on course

Cons:

-Prairie dog holes everywhere
-lots of cacti
-course had closed or missing holes, only played about 13 holes

Other Thoughts:

Pretty easy course, not a pitch and putt though. Cool scenery. Could see it being better with all holes in play. The first few holes that are mentioned in other reviews playing around a quarry or something are the missing ones. I think we started on 3 or 4.
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1 0
johnny4put
Experience: 13.8 years 17 played 8 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 9, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Not a busy place. Nice baskets. Good parking. Easy to find. Cool if you are looking for a different kind of course...

Cons:

Looks like 1 and 2 are not playable at thins time due to pipes being laid. Also 9 and 10 baskets were not there or realy hard to locate... i didnt see a garbage can or rest room... not maintained well, maybe due to the pipe work. WIND....Omg...wind can make this course unplayable...

Other Thoughts:

Its a desert course.. not alot of grass. Big odd bush type things. Not good for skipping shots. Signs at the back parking warning about rattle snakes was a concern. I usualy leave my side arm in my truck. Here i chose to carry it. The wind the day i played was annoying to the point that our round was a walk of the course. the discs that were thrown were sooo affected by the wind that it was not fun. I would REALY love to play this course again after the pipe work is done and the wind is reasonable. Concrete tee pads would be nice... this could be an awsome course..
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0 0
rickbergman10
Experience: 10 years 6 played 3 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Long and Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 28, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good baskets.
Not busy. Not many walkers either.
20 holes. (There was 20. Construction now)
Blind shots.
Tee markers with distance on them.

Cons:

The city is implementing a new water treatment area where several of the holes played. So #1,2.9.10,19 were all taken out of the pit area.

Needs some direction to the next tee.
It would be an awesome course if they put in concrete pads.
Wind is fierce on occasion.
No shade.
Needs more trash cans.
No bathroom. But hey no one's around.
No water fountain.
I don't like the tee placement on #17. It needs to be moved so you're not forced to throw at a steep angle. Move #18 tee as well it's not my favorite either.

Other Thoughts:

Start on #11. Since #1 and #2 are gone #3 starts a long way from the parking lot.

I grew up in Portales and moved away. I discovered disc golf so when I went back I had to try the local course. My hopes were not high because I had never heard of anyone playing out there and honestly our city does things cheap and poorly. So I was pleasantly surprised when I played Windgardens. It's a fun course. Pretty easy. The distance is really the only hard part about it other than the wind. I recommend getting up early to play to avoid it.
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1 0
tkmcdougal
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.1 years 196 played 96 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The baskets were nice DISCatchers. The holes were a good distance not too long but nothing too shortI really enjoyed the elevation change that is carried throughout the course. My favorite hole were holes 2,9,10 because of the elevation change. Hole 2 you shoot across a gap. Hole 9 is a blind shot down into the big hole. 10 you shoot back out of the gap. The course was easy to navigate even though there weren't signs.

Cons:

One con I have but is not fixable was the wind was terrible because it was so open. I also wish that there were tee signs. I realized that there were the red painted poles but its always nice to know the distances and it makes the hole more permanent because the painted rock could always be moved then people would not know which hole is which. Also, the were no tee pads so the tee pad was rocky and not flat like they should be.
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1 1
oidhchegaoth
Experience: 19.8 years 14 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Challenging course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 27, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging course, love the elevation changes, wonderful how the designers used as much of the available elevation changes and trees in this area of the country to make the course as challenging as possible.

Cons:

The wind greatly affects play, hard to follow the course, not all the tee boxes are labeled, get to the back nine and start over with numbering which as a first time playing the course was a bit confusing especially when get to basket 10 and there are two number 10's not far from each other, only differentiated by color of the number, which finally made since when we found number 11 which was also in red, where the first 10 in black numbers

Other Thoughts:

Initial directions stated to go to the parking lot that is on the left past the pit, well we spent 15 minutes looking for the 1 tee box which it turns out is much closer to the parking lot for the "back nine" so just park there get out and head toward the ball parks parallel to the street and you'll see the first tee box. As above, first 10 holes are blue and white T-posts to mark the tee box and the baskets have the number of the hold in black the last 10 are red and black T-posts with the number on the basket in red.
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1 2
Miniclapton
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great and Challenging Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 27, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

* 20 holes with 17 baskets
* Varying terrain, ranging from flat to hilly.
* Good range of difficulty throughout course
* Great baskets

Cons:

* More trees would be welcome
* The wind can be an issue

Other Thoughts:

The course is technically still in development; however, I would recommend it any one who likes a challenge and can appreciate a desert course.
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0 2
samuelson2484
Experience: 18.1 years 31 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My Home Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 6, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a challenging and well thought out course. There several different types of terrain and an abundance of wildlife. I have played this course since it's initial conception, and it has continued to improve over the years.

Cons:

The wind can be BRUTAL, and the back 9 needs to be updated like the front 9.

Other Thoughts:

As one of the course designers, I can assure you that this course will change from excellent to best of the best by the end of this year
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1 1
SmittyDisc
Experience: 17.8 years 15 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A personal Favorite 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 30, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A fun course with lots of terrain, a crazy pit that is always more trouble than you think it will be, and almost always great weather. I've played Wind Gardens several times since it's initial design and opening (playing to painted fence posts before the shiny discatchers were installed) and it gets better as it evolves.

Cons:

hard to navigate for a first time player, would be nice to have some more trees in play.

Other Thoughts:

This was one of the first courses I ever played, and remains a strong favorite. I highly recommend it if you ever go through the Portales/Clovis area.
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4 1
manuel_g85
Experience: 17.8 years 11 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

My home course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 15, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The "Wind Gardens" Disc Golf course is one that plays on many different types of terrain. Lots of long shots with new innova baskets.The massive course consists of holes in an expansive caliche pit, along convenient jogging trails, several tree hazards, sand flats and dunes and mostly flat and rugged terrain typical of eastern New Mexico. Most of the holes are over the flat area but the holes in the caliche pit add downhill and elevation shots. The entire course plays away from the road so you never have to worry about crossing streets or car hazards.

Cons:

There is not a great deal of elevation besides the caliche pit holes. Needs better tee pads (on the way).

Other Thoughts:

This is a fairly new course that is still being tweaked with to make it more playable. It has a great deal of potential because of the varying terrain and the massive area in which the course was built. Maps, hole markers and tee pads are coming soon. If you play it in the near future, it would be smart to contact one of the guides because it can be confusing until we put up the signs and maps.
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