Horicon, WI

Horicon Phoenix DGC

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2.945(based on 8 reviews)
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4 1
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.2 years 652 played 631 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Pleasant Park Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 28, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

(2.336 Rating) A park style layout that will be appreciated by the locals.
- RECREATIONAL FRIENDLY - IMO this is a near ideal club course and I feel I've played many courses just like this one. It's your typical park set-up with a light to moderate tree canopy of mixed species. The lines and par structure are geared for 825 to 875 rated players. A player with about 325 foot power off the tee should be able to birdie them all at some point. The lines are fair and require maneuvering around at least one or two tree obstacles on most holes. It can be a laid back fun round for a group or a quickie solo practice course during a lunch-break or after a day's work. Not a true beginners course, but fair enough on a vast majority of the holes for them to have good time as well.
- THE BASICS - The tees, baskets and navigation are all adequate. The tees are concrete and measure 4 feet by 10 feet. The baskets are MachVs.
- NAVIGATION - There is a small course map located by tee (1). Although it only shows a nine hole layout, finding the alternate tee is fairly easy in most instances. The one exception is tee (11, alt tee 2) which is tucked into a wood pocket back and right of tee (2). The tee signage is adequate, being the typical decal type with metal frame.
- QUICK PLAY - I played all 18 holes in well under an hour. Players on an empty course will have the option to play both tees right away in stead of doing two loops to complete 18.
- MAINTENANCE - The park was in great shape on my appearance. Mowed, little tree debris and no trash.

Cons:

An everyday local course that lacks complexity to draw in travelers beyond a 50-mile radius.
- 9 BASKETS - This is not a true 18 hole course, as there are two tees to each of the 9 baskets. The tee signage is listed (1) and (10) to the first basket, (2) and (11) to the second basket and so on. Not all of the front nine listed tees are the long tees, but rather it's a mix between the two nines.
- LACK OF DIFFICULTY - Recreational challenges in both power and technique. Lots of holes can be attached from multiple angles. The three listed par 4s and one par 5 would play as par 3s and maybe one lone par 4 on (3) to an Advanced player. Honestly, hole (3) should be listed a par 4 for rec players too. An even par 59 might only bring an 850 rated round in tournaments unless unnecessary OB is added everywhere.
- UNIQUENESS - Not much for the course designers to work with. Flat terrain, lightly wooded and little usable acreage. I liked (11) coming out of a shoot, but too many seemed like run-of-the-mill shots. The Rock River is along holes (8/17) and sort-of comes into play on bad shots. I wish that element was more gracefully intertwined.
- SPACING - Lots of walking paths and park roads come into play. There were numerous walkers in the park already when I showed up at 6:30 in the morning. Players will have to wait occasionally for these users.

Other Thoughts:

Horicon is fine league and local everyday course. Clearly the best course in town as the nearby high school course is a complete dud and waste of time. That stated, there is really not enough here to entice players outside 45 minutes to throw here. Anyone who's played 8 or 9 courses has likely already thrown a course just like this one. Overall, it fell like a low 2.5 course compared to 398 courses I've played as of this review. There are some things they could do for me to consider me to raise the score up to the 2.75 range, but it would take some money and a small tweaking of the layout. Regardless, still a nice spin and I had a good time.
- RAW BEAUTY - I scored the course average. I was honestly a bit surprised that the park was as nice as it was considering that its in a small rural town. The park is in the flood plane of the slow moving Rock River. Other than the constant view of park structures and roads, the park is well separated from the surrounding community. Lots of tree species to weave shots around and a couple views of the river. Too park style, lightly wooded and the lack of wow tee shots is why scored the course around average among all courses I've played to date.

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2 0
Awol
Experience: 20.8 years 22 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course, great use of space 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 18, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Designers did a great job with the area they had to work with. As other reviewers said, 2 unique looks at most of the baskets from the different tee pads.

Some distance on a couple holes to let the bigger arms come out to play.

Low ceilings with some trees in spots makes some holes a little more tricky.

I'm interested to see it develop as some of the smaller trees will grow up over the next few years and change some of the easier holes.

Baskets and tee pads are in great repair.

Cons:

Shared use in a couple spots, but normally not a big deal aside from a really bad griplock.

Tee pads could be a touch bigger, but I'm spoiled by Waupun.

Other Thoughts:

In general, this is a great course. Get some wind, get some shorter ace-bait holes, get a longer hole or two in there with a good variety of shots.

Definitely a course worth stopping by to play if you are in the area. I'd love to see more elevation or some blind shots or a harder dog leg, but with the land the course designers had to work with, I think they've done a great job at maintaining safety, and putting in a course that is an absolute blast to play.
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4 2
Spike Hyzer 23
Experience: 30.7 years 92 played 87 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Devilishly Ingenious Design 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 13, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course designers did a great job of creating an 18 hole track with only 9 baskets and utilizing two very distinct tees in most cases to make the holes seem utterly different (on all but #4/13 which is only 20 feet longer and 30 feet left, which doesn't change the angle at all, and #8/17, which is merely 100 feet longer and takes out of play the trees that make the shorter location more interesting).

#1/10 is a brilliant design, utilizing a single tree on each tee to force the player into an uncomfortable line.

#3/12 should be easily reachable in two for a player who can throw 280-300, but a slope forces shots to the left and makes the hole play much longer (another reviewer said this is the only elevation, but #9/18 has a fair elevation that must be calculated to throw an accurate distance).

#5/14 is my 3rd favorite hole, owing to it being lefty friendly and having a nicely guarded green.
#9/18 is my 2nd favorite, owing to the elevation and a magnificent use of the trees to obstruct the tee shot and force an angle on a player.
#7/16 is the signature hole, with the most magnificent guarded green on the course (and one of the best I've seen anywhere).

Cons:

The tee pads are far too short, but I see this often on courses with shorter distance to force a player into fewer step and shorter throws. I'm not sure I agree with this tactic, but it's OK in this case for the most part.

#13 and #17 could use a re-design to change the angle more significantly and truly make them seem like different holes.

The sign after #2 is ridiculous. You can't see it until you've exited the green to the path and look BACKWARDS. Then, you see an arrow pointing perpendicularly across the path that it SEEMS to be telling you to take. The roadway is so narrow that you might mistake it--running parallel to the arrow--for the path you should take.

This sign should either be removed or placed on the front side of that post with the arrow pointing parallel to the path, so that a player sees it when exiting the green. Other than that error, the course is super simple to follow and needs no signage.

Other Thoughts:

A lot of signs were missing/stolen when I played.
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7 1
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.7 years 1002 played 214 reviews
2.50 star(s)

9 holer, with an 18 hole feel 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 3, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Decent 9 hole course next to a boat landing in a city park.

Nice concrete tee pads (2 on each hole). They are all in great shape, although at 10', they feel a bit short to me. Each tee pad offered a different look on almost every hole, which really makes it feel more like an 18 hole course.

Good baskets (DGA, I believe), all in good repair and good catchers.

A good amount of mature trees create a lot of nice obstacles.

Decent variation in hole distance, even though the bell curve leans toward the shorter side.

Tee signs at every tee pad, with hole number and distance.

Cons:

Distinct lack of elevation here. There's really only one hole with any sort of elevation (#11), and even that's not too much of a difference.

Outside of some trees, there's not much in the way of obstacles here.

Other Thoughts:

A decent job is done here with what's available. It's 9 baskets, with two tees at each, numbered 1 through 18.

It would have been cool to use some more of the land in this park, but they weren't able to due to city restrictions, so this is what they ended up with. It's not bad, it's not great...but it's quite serviceable.

Worth a spin if you're in the area. Nothing that will knock your socks off, but definitely an enjoyable round of golf.

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4 1
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

There are 9 nice Mach 5 baskets here. All were in great shape and caught well. There are now 2 sets of nice, level and grippy concrete pads on each hole. The signs are basic but all were present and they have the hole #, par, distance and basic hole layout. These weren't the best but they are way better than none at all. There are numerous trees throughout the course adding the majority of the challenge here. Wind also can be a factor. There is a restroom right after hole 2/11, which is nice. The course was very clean, well mowed and wouldn't seem to ever be too busy. The course is free to play.

Cons:

Not much difference between the new 9 tees and the old ones on most holes. It's set up as the original 9 holes with the new tees starting with number 10 throwing at 1's basket, 11 at 2's etc. Course is mostly flat and there are a few longer walks between holes. It was a little confusing at first but I've seen way worse. A few next tee signs for the longer walks would be great though.

Other Thoughts:

This is your typical city park course. It's still a lot better with the two sets of tees. With just one set this would be a really bland course. Not really worth driving any distance to play but there are numerous other nearby courses that could make for a solid day of discing.
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2 2
reddog49866
Experience: 14 years 4 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good small town course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 17, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is pretty well laid out. Easy to navigate with multiple pads. The hole placement allows for a variety of shots to each basket. The use of the foliage is outstanding. Overall this course is worth playing if you are in the area.

Cons:

NO TRASH CANS AT THE HOLES!!!!!!!!!! Needs some mandos, Wish they had different pin placements. That's about it.

Other Thoughts:

Can spend a whole day there with your family. Nice park and fishing also.
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9 0
HeavyCritters
Experience: 24.9 years 712 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Horicon Resident 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 27, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1. Good flow to the course overall.

2. Great course for beginners and intermediate players.

3. Great park, right by the Rock River.

4. Nice baskets and signage.

5. Fairly low traffic on weeknights, which means you can reasonably play two rounds (18 holes) in about an hour.

6. Each hole presents it's own set of challenges (Hole #2 excluded).

Cons:

1. Could probably use a couple of "Next Tee This Way" signs.

2. Agree with the reviewer above that Hole #2 is a snooze. That said, it's probably the most "ace-able" holes on the course.

Other Thoughts:

As a resident, I'm just happy that Horicon took an under-used park and put something cool there to bring people to it.

I've played a TON of disc golf courses in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and as a 9 hole course, Horicon can easily stand with the 9 holers I've played in the Twin Cities.

Is it the greatest disc golf course in the world?

Of course not.

Is it a pretty challenging 9 hole course that gives people a reason to get out and have some fun at a park they didn't know was there or never used?

Absolutely.
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8 1
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Horicon Huking 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 17, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Nice DGA baskets look good and catch well.

2) Nice DGA signs (no information on the signs yet) just a temporary printout of google image of the hole. Distance is included ont he google image.

3) Nice big park which does a pretty good job to keep the other activity areas away from the disc golf course.

4) Overhead google image of the course at the first tee including distances for all 9 holes listed. Pay attention to this sign before heading out at least until they get the missing tee signs in place.

5) Beginner friendly other than the long 550' hole #3. The rest is all pretty doable for a beginner.

6) Decent park in a small town . . . a play set or two, it sounded like there was some sort of activity down by the river in the park. There were a few pavilions for picnicking and the river and a boat launch right on site.

Cons:

1) Road is definitely in play on 2 or 3 holes . . .typically not necessarily a negative unless someone isn't paying attention to who might ne driving in or out of the park. Fortunately it is a one way loop road so cars will only come from one direction.

2) Only a few holes with much for obstacles leaves me feeling minimally challenges anda little bored.

3) I'm posting this as a con but I know it will be handled soon . . . since almost all the signs are in, but also because the course is only a couple weeks old. I won't let this affect my rating of the course but it is worth mentioning for those looking to get out there right away and play. Just beware of no tee signs on 3 holes (3, 8, 9) Just look at the map on one and figure out where you are supposed to throw from.

4) Not sure what the well drilling is all about or how long it will be there . . . mostly out of play but still a bit of an eyesore to the course.

5) Grass tees right now . . . not sure if there are plans to upgrade, but at least they seem pretty level and the turf is in ok condition . . .that is obviously due to only be a couple weeks old.

Other Thoughts:

All in all this course has a few good holes, a few mediocre holes and a few boring and bad holes . . .I think some of the holes could be better if some tree thining was done or perhaps raising them up just slightly to at least give a low lane to the basket that is hittable. Don't make it easy but make it fair.

It is mostly wide open but where the trees are used they are used well. Not my normal cup of tee, but it has some potential after some work and the rest of the amenities get put in.

Course recap here for those interested in determining if they want to venture out there.
#1 has a big mature tree about 75' off the tee forcing big anny or big hyzer or opposite flicks
#2 is pretty straight forward and boring with no obstacles
#3 is a long long 500' + distance and has a natural area including a couple mature trees lining the right side, but if you play safe and stay out left it won't hurt
#4 has a row of tall shrubs and a few trees in the middle of the fairway about 75' short of the basket which you can barely see from the tee, #5 has a low ceiling to keep your disc down and 2-3 tree protect the basket's right side on the way up the fairway so it is a tough shot. Maybe a little pruning needed to make it a good hole.
#6 A tree branch on the left side of the tee protects the big anny and the three trees around the basket protects the basket also.
#7 is a nice tight tunnel (the last 125' of the shot only) shot with a low ceiling. This is the best hole on the course but could use light pruning on the tree to open up a more possible fairway.
#8 is a nice hole with three massive cottonwood trees halfway betweent he tee and the basket. The natural wetland or unmaintained area along the Rock River also creates an obstacle and a reason to avoid the right to left shot on this hole.
#9 is pretty straight forward up a hill to a basket with little protection.
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