Southampton, ON

Dreamaker

3.65(based on 5 reviews)
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11 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 18.7 years 232 played 223 reviews
3.50 star(s)

What Ontario Dreams Are Made Of

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 21, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

- four (yes, FOUR!) tees per hole complement every skill level
- some very cool incorporation of limited elevation change
- navigation is very straightforward
- high quality tee signs with maps showing 3 main tees
- Innova DISCatcher baskets in good shape
- port o potty near hole 5, some benches/garbage cans
- parking available even if you aren't staying at campground
- well maintained and picturesque course
- incorporates multiple pond hazards with high risk water carries
- generally devoid of major safety hazards
- very accommodating owners will allow you to leave payment and play outside of office hours
- varied terrain with some more wooded holes and some more open shots
- variety of hole lengths
- brooms at every hole for tee cleaning
- nice built in stairs on hole 6
- some of the alternate tees add different lines and make water carries longer and/or avoidable, giving some different flavor

Cons:

- orange junior tees not documented on tee signs
- no pars listed on tee sign/documented for course
- only one tee sign per hole to cover the 3 main tees
- rubber tees leave a bit to be desired
- some backtracking to main walking path where elevation change is designed in
- hole 19 ends quite a distance from hole 1 and requires walking around the large pond or through the campground

Other Thoughts:

Dreamaker is a pretty darn cool course and you're only decent option if you're heading up towards Bruce Peninsula. I played the white tees which are a good level of challenge for those 900-950 rated players. I was going to be arriving at first light but the owners graciously allowed me to leave payment in their mailbox and start before office hours - it should be noted this is a pay to play course and is $10 CAD if you aren't staying at the campground. Unless the fee is exhorbitant, it doesn't really make sense to me to list this as a pro or a con; it's a private course and goes towards upkeep, which seems good here.

I'd probably say this course is close to a 3.75. There are some really cool water shots, and some good incorporation in a few spots of neat elevation change, including both uphill and downhill throws. Overall, the course follows the "Beaver Trail" and this does lead to some repetitive feeling on some of the holes, but over the span of all 19 holes, there is a lot of variety in hole length, open vs. wooded shots, elevation change, water hazards, etc.

While there could be safety hazards if this trail was heavily trafficked, I don't think that is typically an issue. Early on Thursday morning when I was playing I think I saw one other human - perhaps not the best indicator of weekend load, but I think it should be pretty light. Navigation is almost always clear due to the walking trail, although when you hike up off the trail to play the fairways for uphill or downhill shots, you do have to backtrack sometimes.

The equipment here is pretty nice, with solid baskets and nice tee signs, though having a sign per tee instead of 1 per hole might be nice. Sometimes the alternate tees are just adding a bit of distance and so this would be overkill, but some, particularly near water hazards, have different lines and would benefit from some more signage. The rubber tees are, well, rubber. In wet conditions these would be unfavorable. Concrete tees would be an awesome upgrade, but the rest of the infrastructure here is nice and the current tees are serviceable.

There are brooms to clean off tees and at least one port o potty on the course. My biggest con here is probably just where the course ends - you either end up walking through the campground that you may not be staying at, or all the way around the huge pond back to the beginning. It would be nice if you didn't have to complete the loop off the course like this.

After an optional water carry on hole 1, depending on tee, the course got interesting again on hole 5, where you have to throw a hard dogleg right then go up a pretty steep elevation to the basket.

Holes 6 and 7 were probably the highlights here for me. Hole 6 throws from elevation down over the pond/wetland area to a small green surrounded by OB areas. Hole 7 then throws over the largest pond in this wetland area at a risky distance many players will just be able to clear. There's a great view from hole 6 and this is a cool part of the course that opens up from the woods a bit but replaces trees with water.

From hole 11 onwards, the course moves into heavier woods a bit more. A few of the tee signs at the end are missing, but otherwise everything was in good shape. Hole 12's white tee shot is deceiving; while it is mostly lightly downhill, there is a small bump about 50 feet in front of you that caught my shots no matter what I tried to do. The one place I felt a next tee sign was needed was between holes 15 and 16 - since you are more in the woods at this point instead of a defined trail, it wasn't as clear.

Overall, this was a really fun round. I capped it off by putting my car in drive while multitasking and getting ready to leave, then stepping out of the car to get something out of the backseat and almost watching the car roll away without me. It might not have been a "dream" of a round at that point, but I certainly would have remembered my time here!

This course is a bit off the beaten path unless you're headed up to Bruce Peninsula but is well worth the trip. I opted against camping here as the fee was fairly steep, which seems to be a theme in Canada. If you are taking a similar route to me, there is a park in Exeter, ON where you can park overnight for $5 CAD which was more what I was looking for. This one is definitely worth a round, and there is a course fairly close by in Hanover if you are looking for more.
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4 0
Seth D
Experience: 2.8 years 4 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Course drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 10, 2022 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

< It is a very fun course.

< It is mostly wooded but does open up a bit after the first few holes.

< It offers a bit of everything. Shots for every occasion. There are a few elevation changes. One when you are throwing up a hill and then 2 where you are throwing down. The only thing it does not lend itself to is just unleashing your bomb of a drive. If you do that, then most likely you will find yourself in the rough. There is only one shot when I would pull out the big guns, and even then, the fairway isn't the biggest so it might not be worth the risk if it just skips into the rough and you have to lean out and throw a weird forehand and try and get a look at the basket.

< The baskets are all in great condition.

< They do have poles and hip waders at points where you might lose your disc in water. That is always helpful.

Cons:

Not a lot of opportunity for long bombs.

It is kind of in no mans land (trailer park)

THORNS!!!! If you go into the rough, be prepared to encounter thorns. I think a lot of courses here in ontario will have thorns... Unless the courses have been urbanized. It it is a town park then you should be ok.

Other Thoughts:

It is a 50 min drive from me. We don't have a lot of options for courses. I have 5 courses to pit from in a 1 hours drive radius (and all of them are at least 50 min from me). This is a great one especially if you have a buddy who lives in the park. Good times, Good company, Good disc golf. Isn't that what disc golf is about.

This one is a fine course though. It could use some "sprucing up" as it isn't refined at all but that is kind of nit picking.
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4 0
MikeTorre
Experience: 11.8 years 80 played 23 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Pretty dreamy! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 26, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful setting -> Dreamaker private park 15 minutes due south of Sauble Beach (a popular summer destination) and just minutes east from Southampton

Great for different skills/ages -> Long, middle, and short tee positions on all 18 holes make the course fun for different levels, including beginners

Technical course -> well maintained course with lots of tight tunnel drives that challenge players to stay on the green with some unusual twists and turns

Elevation -> creative course design makes the most of the natural topography - some hills and valleys to enjoy and some water hazards right out of the gate

Great facilities -> friendly employees, for just $5, you get a printed map, a score card, and the orientation you need - they also sell snacks, cold drinks, and an assortment of disks.

Cons:

Water hazards -> while not really a con, losing a disk or two in swamp water can make anyone miserable - pack a floater!

Bugs -> I went in the summer and, man, those bugs just feasted on me - pack your bug spray!

Way-findings -> the course needs some basket arrows or "next hole this way" signs here and there (like at hole #9). No big deal, but easy to get turned around the first time out.

Other Thoughts:

For many of us who live in Toronto, the three hour drive makes the drive to throw the course in itself hard to justify. But if you make an outing of it--hit the beach, camp, visit the local Outlaw brewery, etc.--you've got the makings a killer day trip.
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2 3
Jandro
Experience: 8 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Worth it if you are in the area, that's about it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Scenic little spot in the heart of cottage country, but by no means an excellent track. It's just a chance to play disc golf in area without any other courses really. The one hole over the water from the elevated tee is kinda cool though

Cons:

Too much of the same hole, down the road basket to the right, repeat. Not maintained really at all or very well marked. They do give you a card and a pencil with your fee to play.

Other Thoughts:

Play it if you are in the area, but certainly don't drive far or you will be a little let down.
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5 0
Bobbily
Experience: 21.8 years 39 played 22 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Gem in Bruce County 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 25, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great Variety of tight wooded holes and open drives. Very well maintained. 3 count em 3 tee placements. Easy to navigate with great signage. Extremely challenging for just about any level. Situated on a campground with in ground pool. Enjoy a swim for $5 after your round.
I'll go into further detail on my fav holes for just the middle tee placements
1-Shoots over a large pond, about 220 ft. to clear, 2 large windows to hit on the other side. About 300ft
5-A huge Anhyzer going up hill with water in play on the left and thick woods on the right.
6-Coming back down the hill, water in play, woods behind the basket. 270 ft great ace run.
7-Across another larger pond, about 260-ft to clear it, with basket about 20 ft beyond that.
10-A 440 ft, long tunnel, with tall mature woods on either side. 3 is a very good score here.
The next 8 holes are tight wooded tunnels, good mix of straight, left and right hand shapes to them.
If you are in the area, I would say this course is a MUST play. Surprisingly, one of the better courses in Ontario. What a great secret.

Cons:

pay to play ($5). A bit remote, as in its a long drive from just about anywhere. Lots of fallen leaves to hide your disc (avoid using orange and red discs). It can be a very punishing course. That said, I shot a -8 on the shorts one time, and my best round on the mids is even par... only played the longs once, super punishing.
Oh, and probably the biggest con is the somewhat lengthy walks to start and end the course. finding the 1st hole from the parking lot is a bit of a challange (New this year the owners made up some maps to help with this problem), and its a hike from 18 back to the parking lot, so the walk from 18-1 all told probably takes close to 5 minutes for average walkers.
Brings to mind another problem. There is no water, bathrooms, and only 1 bench on the entire course. So come prepared for a hike.(near hole 10 basket). Also food can be hard to come by in the area depending on the time of year. I'd pack a lunch or some snacks.

Other Thoughts:

If you're into wilderness disc golf like me, this is a great course. You're unlikely to cross paths with anyone during your round. A serene disc golf haven if there ever was one.
Enjoy a night of camping after your round. The owners are lovely people who love to see the course get used, and love to hear feedback on how to make it even better. (I'm thinking 9 more holes).
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