Altamont, KS

Idle Hour Lakes DGC

Permanent course
3.55(based on 5 reviews)
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5 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 548 played 429 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Takes More than an Hour 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 31, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

21 holes, with concrete tees, nice tee signs and good baskets. Idle Hour Lakes has some nice versatility on a lot of holes, with alternate pin locations that can change up the look considerably. Water is a minor concern, but is in play at times. Fairways can be moderately full of trees, and they are used effectively to create really nice lines. Mandos on a couple of holes and a couple of fun gimmicks like a hanging basket and an island hole add to the fun.

There isn't a lot of elevation change but the layout uses the terrain the best way possible. I played after a patch of fairly heavy rainfall, but the mud and puddles didn't really make it too hard to get in a clean round.

I was pleasantly surprised with the course, and happy to find this gem that was off the beaten path. There are many strategic placement shots, some risk reward, and a well balanced variety of shots needed to get around. I posted an extensive array of current pictures, with the signage. Take a look and see what it's all about. I will highlight my favorite holes and spare you a hole by hole review.

Holes 4-11 are a nice stretch. Most of the fairways are open, but have definite lines with obstacles that keep you in check and rough that merit efforts to avoid them. 7 is lengthy and the hanging basket at the top of a hill at the end makes for a tricky approach. 8 is another long one, and the shaping of the tee shot is key to get close enough to par. Hole 9 is the toughest one to find a lane for a drive. Low ceiling and narrow gaps are brutal. The long pin is tucked away, and a good angle is crucial to have an approach you can work with.

The island hole on 10 is one of the classic easy holes that might bite you in the backside if you don't commit. I short armed it and came up just short of the landing zone. 11 is not too hard but takes a bit of finesse, and the basket is hidden from sight on the tee. 18 is a cool drive into a woodsy tunnel, both sides are lined with plenty of trees. Water to the left and a barbed wire fence to the right if you are way off line. 20 is long and has 3 pins, with the longest amongst trees and backed by a creek.

Cons:

Finding the first hole was the most frustrating aspect of my visit. If you're driving south toward the course, take the second entrance to the park, and drive to the south end of the camping spots. The first tee is south of the last spot. I wound up parking next to the playground and played the last three holes first.

Having a rake to dredge the pond on 10 would've been nice. My disc rolled in, and I didn't have any good tools to reach into the water. It was probably not far off the bank, but I couldn't see much and the New Years Eve temps were pretty cool to be wading in the muck.

Other Thoughts:

Idle Hour Lakes is a good one, no doubt. The first half has some real beauties. A few average holes on the second half keep it from being a 4.5 in my view. If you can get through the front 9 even there are several spots that you can bag birdies coming around the back.

I was 9 over on the round first time out. Drives were clean all day, but my putt and approach game cost me a few. I hated losing my Dynamic mid range on hole 10. Bounced it off the railroad tie on the front of the island and rolled straight back into the cold, dark water of the pond. 3 birdies were not enough to offset a run of bogies and double bogies.
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2 1
Dynamic_83
Experience: 16 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Favorite course around labette 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course has a great variety of open long fairways with wooded and tight technical shots.The course is more of the time mowed and the course is nice and clean with nice signs and there are post at several of the tees for hanging your belongings.Being at a lake it's a nice place to play some golf.

Cons:

The wooded holes can be very unforgiving and many discs have been lost In the woods and the lake where the lake comes I to play.There can be some vehicle traffic on the driveways and campers but nothing major.The baskets always seem to spit out discs here more than anywhere I have played at before.
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1 0
hook
Experience: 3 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of Labette County's many nice courses 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 15, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Scenic, as it plays around a small lake.
Variety, as it has technical as well as power shots required from the tee.
Not crowed, you can usually play a round with the course to yourself.
Well mowed. Seems it is mowed more often than other courses, even when there has been a lot of rain.

Cons:

Baskets. They look nice, but dont seem to catch as well as what I am used to.
Fisherman. Sometime fisherman and/or their vehicles are in the way of shots.

Other Thoughts:

With the foot traffic and continued effort to clean up the loose ends, the course is becoming better every time i play it.
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3 0
Chained Evil
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 1091 played 232 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice secluded course on lake property 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is in a secluded location that plays next to a lake and has a nice campground on site. There is good signage and the tee pads are ample. This course offers both long and short holes as well as both technical and open holes. The grass was nice and short upon my visit too. Here are some of my hole observations:
Holes 1 and 2 are both straight and open holes with #2 having thick rough to the left hand side of the hole.
Holes 3 and 4 both offer protected pins upon approach.
Hole #5 is a short hole but there is a thick grove of trees on the right hand side.
Hole 9-low ceiling off the box and dog legs to the right
Hole 10-has the lake to the left and a huge mound of dirt that protects the basket.
Holes 11-16 are mainly open holes with #14 having and elevated basket, see pics.
Hole 17 dog legs to the left with a water hazard upon approach.
Hole 18-is a short hole with the basket to your left.

Cons:

This course can get very swampy after a heavy rain. There was standing water in several fairways and some of the tee pads were wet as well. Some of the holes in the middle section of the course, 4-9, have tree stumps that are not cut flush with the ground. This creates a tripping hazard so be careful.
Hole #9 was a bit of a head scratcher. There really wasn't a defined line and you have a low ceiling over your head while teeing off. Getting a deuce here would take a lot of luck in my opinion. A little more clearing would help the middle group of holes on this course to open up the lines a bit. I didn't notice any trashcans or benches. Wind could be an issue on the back 9 because many of those holes are out in the open.
The cedar trees are very unforgiving.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this is a pretty good little course. If you play here when it's not wet it would be best. If you were looking for a place to camp and fish and get in some disc golf then this place would be right up your alley. With a little clearing in the middle section of this course and some beating in on some holes I think this course will improve as time goes by. You will most likely have the course to yourself and it is a quiet place to play a round. I wouldn't drive out of my way to play this course but if I were in the vicinity again I would hit this course up again. It will offer you a good challenge and will keep you thinking about your shot selection.
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3 0
jayhawker737
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.2 years 52 played 41 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Hidden Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 3, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

I love the layout of this course. The front nine weaves in and out of a wooden section of the park. This is the more techincal portion of the course, but there are still holes with good distance. The back nine, while much more open, is still very fun. The baskets are all very close to the lake, making each shot a little nerve racking. The flow of the course seemed very logical.

Cons:

Signage. 9 out of 18 holes are blind shots to the basket. While there is a post telling you how long each hole is, there is no sign showing where the basket is. This is frustrating when you have to walk for a minute or two each time to find the basket.

Other Thoughts:

It is unfortunate that there are not more people playing this course, or even reviewing it. There is a good variety of distance and technique and is in a great setting for a disc golf course.
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