Watertown, WI

Rock River DGC

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3.395(based on 23 reviews)
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17 0
tbonesocrul
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 183 played 21 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great stop on a Road Trip drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

Having only played the Long pads:

- Multiple Tee pads for Pro/Am layouts
- Tee signs do a good job of describing fairways and pin positions
- The holes in the woods were nice and cool on a hot muggy day
- We didn't have too much issue with bugs
- A good amount of variety in hole design and shot shapes
- Ample parking near some athletic fields and tennis courts
- Bathrooms at parking lot
- Wild Parsnip warning signs are amply placed in the areas where you might encounter it.

Cons:

Having only played the Long pads:

- Old tee signs seemed to disagree/mislead with a few of the holes (not an issue using UDisc)
- Watch out for the wild parsnip in the rough
- A few of the holes feel added for the sake of convenience and hole count, rather than being designed with a specific intent

Other Thoughts:

I had a really nice time at this course, it was a great break from driving and chance to stretch my legs. The Wild Parsnip warning sign near tee one made me nervous, but either the park dept/volunteers have done a good job of managing/removing it closer to the baskets and the common areas your discs might go in the rough.

On the front nine, a few of the hole designs also seem to create dangerous conditions, hole 2's placement isn't great and then holes 5-8 seem a little too close together. This might not be an issue if the course isn't ever that busy, but could potentially lead to headaches in a tournament round.
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15 0
Jukeshoe
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 315 played 266 reviews
3.50 star(s)

For Those About To Rock River, I Salute You

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 17, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Rock River DGC offers 21 holes of reasonably fun, reasonably challenging disc golf catering to two levels of players with long and short concrete tees.
- The first 9 holes play through a park-style area with mostly grassy, open fairways and scattered trees with occasional thick prairie rough/wooded undergrowth. Cross the road to reach the back half of the course, where things become decidedly more wooded before eventually playing back through some open grassy areas and downhill bombs (avoid the prairie rough at all cost on these holes or risk losing discs).
- Elevation, trees, and prairie rough all used to their potential to create interesting, fun holes. This course is well-executed throughout.
- Amenities are all there. Signage is sufficient. Dual concrete tee pads in good condition. Practice basket.

Cons:

- The prairie rough can get a bit gnarly in summer months for those who aren't into that thang.
- Where are all the rocks? Where's the river?

Other Thoughts:

- By no means a destination course in and of itself; yet, super solid for a local course, for those traveling through the area, course baggers, or people who just plain like discin'.
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9 0
ElementZ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 212 played 197 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Could be a 4.0! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 30, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

This was a pretty great place to be on an early Spring day.

While the back nine is still a work in progress (the pro tees are a rubber mat, the am tees are just stakes in the ground), the front nine are executed well. Each hole has two sets of concrete tees and a tee sign that is illustrative and detailed. Baskets catch great and the kiosk at the beginning of the course (east of the tennis courts) is very informative (when leagues are and the big course map).

With 21 holes, this course has something for everyone. It's one of those rare courses that's great for beginners and families, but also challenging for advanced and pro level players. In other words, there are no true par 4s and every hole can be 2'd with a well-executed drive (hole #19 at 442 feet uphill may be the one exception).

There's a nice variety of shots. Uphills, downhills (#3 and #20), lefts/rights, short/long, wooded/open, etc. This course has a little bit of everything (except water).

The flow is very logical. As it's fairly heavily played, you can see where the foot prints go. In the woods towards the end, there are logs outlining the path to the next basket. It's great that this course receives a lot of love and it shows.

Cons:

Is the goal to make #21 an island hole? Without an island, this is a pretty lame finishing hole to an otherwise solid course.

It was very, very muddy when we played. I'm sure this was an unusual occurrence given the snow this year, but it definitely impacted our round.

When we played on a Friday around 1pm, there were probably 7 or 8 groups playing here, which leads me to believe this course can get backed up on a nice weekend day.

When this course cleans up the back 9 (gets all the dead trees and branches out of the fairways) and gets two sets of concrete tees in, I would say this is a solid 4.0 course. A little bit of work still needs to be done.

I think basket #1 was missing completely? It really threw us off.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, this was the "best" course we played on our little road trip. It's an enjoyable round in early spring, but I'd imagine that when the rough starts to grow, finding a disc could become more cumbersome.

I loved the variety of starting in the prairie for the first 9 and then getting wooded for the back half. It makes for a diverse and fun round. I'd recommend checking it out if you're in the area and have 1-2 hours.
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6 0
isaiah.oetken
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Coarse and Getting better 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 23, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good variety of holes, the front half is much more open than the back half.
Front half is a great place to introduce new players to the sport as it isn't too long and not too much rough.
The back half is wooded and more of a challenge. It also has good elevation change for the area.
Love to see the constant improvements being made. New/alternate hole placements/ new teepads/ and new holes in the future possibly.

Cons:

Would like to see some of the pars changed in the back half. I feel like holes 17,18, and maybe 19 should be par 4's.
The rough on the left side of hole 20 is almost unplayable when the weeds are full grown and the right side is a corn/soybean field. Pretty much 50/50 chance of loosing a disc or spending a long time looking for it.
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6 0
samura1234
Experience: 8 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

theres no river! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 10, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-nice tee pads
-little bit of everything
-well maintained

Cons:

-no garbage cans in winter
-soccer games sometimes interfere with hole 11 making it unplayable
-poor signage on the back

Other Thoughts:

this is a pretty good course with a little bit of everything that makes a disc golf course enjoyable to a seasoned player. elevation changes, wooded holes, open holes, pin placements are a good variety of left right and center as well as sometimes being just the right amount of protected by guardian trees but everything is still gettable.
the front 11 and back 10 are almost 2 completely different types of courses which can be both a positive or a negative depending on what you enjoy playing, or if you enjoy playing a mix.
the front is the easier more open side to get birdies and run aces on, playing some medium length doglegs, minor elevation changes, protected baskets and a cool orchard to play into.
the back is the more advanced big brother where the length of the holes really starts to increase allowing you to open up and throw bombs and play through the woods where the lines you need to hit in the fairways are pretty clear but still narrow enough to make it tricky to get to the basket easily.

i only wish that this course had a better mix of the front and back type holes, but that is probably one of the best uses of the two different types of land.
and i also wish there there was actually some water having a name with river in it but hey its a great course go play it if you are in the area and even if you have to drive it is worth a trip.
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3 1
kizhax
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good overall design requiring a variety of shots 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Front nine is bland. Starting with hole 12 is where this course gets interesting. The design is challenging requiring long turnovers/hyzers and straight shots with a variety of elevation. Hole 17 is a 400+ foot shot that is completely in the woods, from a slightly elevated teepad. It is birdie-able with a good drive and upshot. Hole 20 is a downhill bomber that I could not play in 15-20mph headwinds.

Cons:

This course is almost unplayable on windy days, which is a shame because it is very well designed. The gusty winds will easily place your tee shots in the thick, waist-high rough along the hillside, especially on hole 12, 13, 19, and 20. Holes 20/21 will also be more dangerous when the bordering crop is grown-in.

Other Thoughts:

This course is best avoided on windy days (10mph+) and could be most enjoyable the Spring and Fall when the foliage is less. I would make the 1hr drive to play this again on a calm day in late October or early November.
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7 0
Flipping Cheese
Experience: 15.7 years 126 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Beauty and the Beast 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 19, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Very clean park with plenty of parking space.
- Maps are usually available on the display board.
- Practice basket
- Two sets of really nice large concrete teepads (pro and am) on all front side holes.
- Tee signs for each set of teepads on every hole.
- The front and back sides almost play like two unique courses which is great for all skill levels
- The front half is relatively open with a few small elevation changes. The terrain is mostly prairie land with an old orchard and plenty of long grass lining most of the fairways.
- The back half of the course is much longer, playing up and down a large hill through narrow wooded fairways. You will also need to use a variety of shot types and shaped lines to score well.

Cons:

- No concrete teepads on the back side of the course.
- Very few garbage cans.
- Tennis courts and soccer fields can occasionally get in the way but it is rarely a problem and only effects a few holes.

Other Thoughts:

- Hole #1 begins behind the back right corner of the tennis courts (looking from the street). You will see the practice basket first as you walk back, and the teepads for hole #1 are about 50 feet to the left.
- The back side of the course starts after you play short hole #11 (soccer field will be on your right), afterward, turn left through the line of trees and cross the street. Hole #12 starts by the big bushes and plays slightly left and behind the large treeline at the bottom of the hill.

- I enjoy the back half of the course much more, and it's almost worth a trip just to play the back side a few times by itself, which is a beast compared to the front.
- Hole #17 and #20 are by far my two favorite holes. #17 is a long downhill tunnel shot and #20 is an open downhill bomb with a great view from the teepad.
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9 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of the best in the area 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is set in a nice, quiet and well manicured park. There are multiple concrete tees on the first 11 holes with solid sized rubber mats on the last 10. The baskets are chainstars that are all in great condition and catch fantastic. The tee signs are now present on every hole. These are some of the best I've seen. They have a a nice hole map with distances from both sets of tees and an arrow showing the direction to the next tee on each one. The course is free to play which is always nice. There is a nice kiosk with the hole course map on it. There is a decent amount of elevation in play here, especially on the back half of the course. The back half is also pretty heavily wooded requiring more technical shots. There are also some tough lines to hit on the first half too but not as drastic as the back. The course is permanent which I always consider a bonus. This would be a fun tough round in the winter for sure too.

Cons:

Not many. The rough is extremely thick in a few spots so be sure to really pay attention to your shots. Found a putter on hole 12 today in a pretty rough area off the fairway. A few of the holes are kind of bland. Especially the last hole. I understand it is just there to get you close to hole 1 again but it is not really necessary. It would just kind of be cooler to finish your round after the awesome 20th hole.

Other Thoughts:

This is definitely a course to go out of your way to play. Almost all of the negative things in the earlier reviews have been addressed. With concrete on all holes I'd probably bump this up to a 4. It's only about 15 minutes off of I-94 so well worth the drive and not too far out of your way. Definitely worth checking out at least once and if it's been a few years since you last played I'd recommend giving it another try, you'll like the improvements.
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4 4
Spike Hyzer 23
Experience: 30.7 years 92 played 87 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 12, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The original 9 holes is open but has enough elevation and foliage to make for challenging shots (unless you are a huge bomber who can reach them easily).

The new holes are where the excitement begins. Three of these holes are mere connecting holes to the original 9, but and they are simply longer versions of those more open holes.

The holes that wind through a huge wooded hill are among the best in the state. The first is a deceptive hole with a deeply guarded green that makes the second shot a tricky challenge. The following hole is a manageable distance that can't be reached because of the elevation and a left to right slope (making it even harder for this lefty). This is followed by tunnel shots and technical holes that are easily reached with a putter, though you rarely find yourself on the green.
There is one magnificent double dogleg downhill monster of a hole that is always gratifying to make a 3. The 17th comes out of the woods, but winds uphill nearly 400 feet and is as difficult to make 3 as the previous hole. The downhill 18th can be reached, but there seems always to be huge wind out there and one is often in the soybeans.

Cons:

The tees and the lack of signage.

Other Thoughts:

It's still one of my favorite destinations in South Central WI during the thaw when my locals are closed.
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7 0
rusch_bag
Experience: 17.8 years 106 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Needs a current review 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Other Thoughts:

I just saw there hasn't been a review in a few years so I wanted to offer a few updates from the past reviews. Also a little background on me, this is the course where I learned to play. I was rated up to 975 at one point before a back injury but just got the bug to start playing again and I was very critical of the course.

When the back 9 went in, I hated it. It was confusing, there were no teepads, and no lines on half the holes. In addition to that, THORNS everywhere. It was not a pleasant experience and I avoided the newer 9 at all costs.

A few years later and living back in town, I gave it another shot. The club here has done a TON of work. First, there are 21 holes now. They added 3 connector holes to have a better flow between the two 9's. Next, they added rubber pads to all of the back 9's pads. Additionally, they cut down a few trees to actually make the holes playable and have removed the thorns.

I still think the course would be confusing for someone new to the course playing alone, but they have made attempts to put some additional signage out on the course apart from the teesigns.

The front is still a 2 or die kind of course and the back is much more challenging with only a few birdie options unless you have a cannon. For those of you who have had a rough experience, come give it another chance.
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3 1
dehaas
Experience: 22.5 years 92 played 10 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Ok front 9, back 9 is a joke 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Large concrete tee pads on holes 1-11 at least.

Multiple tee pad locations.

Tee signs on front 9 labeled with tee numbers

Cons:

LACK OF ADEQUATE SIGNAGE!!!!!!

Most of the holes I played were straight ahead aside from hole 6 where there is a random basket placed in the middle of a thicket of trees without a clear line of getting to it.

Other Thoughts:

The front 9 of this course is ok, I looked around for hole 1 and was directed by the reincarnate of Jeff Spicoli to behind the tennis courts and found holes 8 and 9 instead. I found hole 1 after playing 9 and the rest of the front half played ok. Tee signs simply giving the hole number were there, but distances would've been nice.

No signage from 9's basket to where hole 10 was, but I manged to find it after wandering around a bit. Holes 10 and 11 had concrete pads but no signs indicating them as holes 10 and 11 with no stickers on their respective baskets indicating them as such. Wanna play hole 12? Go wander across the street and find a patch of mud to throw from and assume it's hole 12. I played what I thought was hole 13, got to the basket and the sticker on the center pole said 18...decided I wasn't going to waste another moment on this course any longer.

I came up to Wisconsin with the intent of playing as many quality courses as time would allow. Luckily I'm hitting the big 3 in Madison tomorrow. I was severely disappointed with the general sense of flow in this course and was not willing to wander around to figure it out. I would have much rather played another 9 at Ripley and Firemen's than here.

This course could potentially be a nice course, but rated separately I'd give 1-9 a 3 disc rating and 10-whatever a 1 disc rating. As a first timer I couldn't get past the random baskets of the back 9 with no indication of where the tees and general course flow were. I guess that money went towards one of the many unnecessary roundabouts in Watertown.
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2 0
ljcblink182
Experience: 15.7 years 12 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very Good Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 11, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-2 Seperate 9 Hole Setups
-Front 9 Concrete pads
-Good Variety of Hole Lengths
-Good Variety of hole opsticles
-Great course design

Cons:

-Back 9 grass tees (the property is owned by the school district and no permant style tees will ever be there. They are planning on gravel tees though)

-Back 9 no signs (there coming this summer)
-Some of the holes tend to retain water around them after it rains so it can geet soupy some times.
-Wish they would have different basket placements (not there fault)
-Wish there was an actual water hazard.

Other Thoughts:

This is a very good course for both amatures and experienced players.
The Front 9 offer a fun and enjoyable course for players of all caliber.
The Back 9 is still fun and has a few really really long and tricky holes. But its more for people who have a few months under there belt.
All in all this is a good course and a fun one.
Plans are in the works from what I hear to add an additional 21 holes in the not too distant future, which means the Rock River DGC could be one of the premier courses in the state. But as of now I am happy with the 18.
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2 0
BudDanger
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

New Pads! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 7, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The tee pads are in on about half of the front nine and will be completed soon! There are a wide variety of shots, easy, hard, technical, long, etc... Members of the local club are very knowledgeable and willing to assist players unfamilier with the course or sport.

Cons:

Poor markings for pads on the back nine. This should be resolved when the concrete pads are completed.

Other Thoughts:

A great course to check out if you are in the area. Once the tee pads are completed this will be a course worth driving a distance to shoot.
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2 0
iabengalfan
Experience: 12.8 years 5 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Was good course but could be much better 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course contained both easier hole layouts for the beginners out there and tougher layouts for the more experienced players. The buggs were not TOO bad on the course for playing at dusk. The fairways were well maintained and the hazzards were placed in good spots too keep a challenge.

Cons:

The course was not marked well and was hard too find the tee box for some holes.

Other Thoughts:

There was open spots near the course too practice ur throwing and there was a bathroom and drink machine nearby.
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2 0
Byteme62
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Prepare for mosquitos 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 5, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Variety of course layout means rarely the same shot twice. Decent location. The Beauty (front 9) and the Beast (back 9) really provides variety.

Cons:

Back 9 drastically needs hole markings. Even after downloading the photos, it was challenging to find the holes without giving up too much blood to mosquitos.
Really could use improvement on the tee boxes.

Other Thoughts:

Seriously consider printing out the photos for the back 9 or you may find yourself spending time wondering.
Note that the photos are identified as 1 to 18, but they renumber the back 9 starting at 1 again.
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5 0
koogs
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 130 played 19 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Could be better 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 5, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

These two courses should really be reviewed as separate 9's because they are completely separate and very different, but I'll do them as an 18 to save space. Most of the holes have 2 tees. Good mix of short and long, between 213 and 455 from long tees. Most of the front nine are open, while the back nine are either on the edge of the woods or go right through. Slight elevation change on front nine, more on back nine. The back nine are definitely the more interesting of the two halves, and the riskier as far as losing a disc in the woods--much underbrush. About half a dozen holes require a forehand or anny. Hole 15 is the best hole of the bunch -- a long, left turning dogleg in the middle of the woods. Some benches and trash cans scattered around. There is a practice basket also.

Cons:

The gravel tee pads are not good. They are prone to getting churned up from the planting and pivoting of feet and some of them are currently washing away because they are not bordered by anything. Tee 1 is absolutely horrible. Holes 1-3 are currently very soggy, with standing water on hole 1. The back nine still has no signs, only small stakes in the ground, and some of those are still missing. If it's your first time there, you might have a hard time navigating

Other Thoughts:

This course is in the same shape it was in when I first played it last September. There have been no improvements since then, other than second tee pads on 3 of the holes. I keep hearing about a big expansion here, but no sign of it, and the maintenance of what is already here is somewhat lacking, mainly in the tee pads and signage.
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3 1
guitar_freak_159
Experience: 16.9 years 41 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 26, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The "Beauty" course is great. It is nice and open, holes are clearly visible. The "Beast" course is also a great course. It is challenging, yet tasteful. The holes are longer and many of them favor a righty like me.

Cons:

As of now, the "Beast" is basically unmarked. If you go now, i suggest taking a picture of the course from the sign with your phone so that you can see the basic direction of everything.
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3 1
Tradisc
Experience: 15.8 years 37 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good, could be great 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 20, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Dual tee pads on most holes.
Different hole types.
Great club that runs the course.

Cons:

Dirt tee pads.
No signs.
Back 9 still needs some trimming to open up the lines a bit. (hole 6 could be the best hole in the area with some trimming)

Other Thoughts:

This is my home course and I really think that it can be a great course and rival anything in madison with some work. THe watertown park and rec havent been much help to us most of the work has been done by the rock river disc club.
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3 0
Omnibot
Experience: 28.8 years 38 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 3, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

~ 18 holes on a course that's nicely set up
~ Front 9 and Back 9 are two far different courses
~ Good mix of hole sizes and types
~ Gravel tees on front 9 (pro tees included on most holes)
~ Easy to find and access
~ The club and leagues are great here!

Cons:

~ Needs concrete or pads for all holes
~ Back 9 is a bit of a challenge on a hole or two to navigate if you are new to the course and solo
~ A bit of a walk between 7 and where the back 9 starts, easier to play that first then hit 8 & 9

Other Thoughts:

Overall this course is very nice. Once they have more cash i'm sure more will be done but since this is club run they need people to show up for leagues to help the funds grow. More members = better things!

League Info:
~ Thursdays 5:30pm & Sunday Noon
~ Random doubles, ace pool - Great for novice players since you have a chance to cash
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6 3
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.8 years 393 played 271 reviews
3.00 star(s)

B = Better Than Average 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 16, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

What I personally like and how this course stacks up:
1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == C
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == B-
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == B-
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B+
5) Bonus points for multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == N/A

Other Thoughts:

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (125 18-hole, 64 9-hole as of mid 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

Over time, I expect to fill some of my reviews in with more descriptive verbiage...if what I can add anything to what has already been written. For now, my list is more important to me than the verbiage of my reviews.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.
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