Caddo Valley, AR

DeGray Lower Lake DGC

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3.885(based on 21 reviews)
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5 0
Slaigh
Experience: 7.8 years 72 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Healing Nicely 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 8, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Good amount of Parking next to hole 1
- Bathrooms by hole 1 (Corps of Engineers keeps 'em pretty clean)
- Few trashcans around the course (Holes 1,4,5/9,& 13 if memory serves)
- Tees are level concrete (17 tee slightly tilted, rotated for a new post-storm damage route)
- Baskets are in great shape (#17's cage is slightly bent on one side, doesn't affect play)
- Signs are in good condition (Hole 8's sign post still broken, but technically it's there)
- Picnic table at hole 1, benches between hole 5 & 9 tee pads
- Grass is mowed regularly, wooded paths/fairways are kept clear
- Course does technically loop around near the start
- Fairways avoid each other, little danger of being domed (Holes 11&12 share a fairway however)
- Rarely crowded
- Great amount of shot diversity and hole distances
- Excellent mix of open/technical/mixed hole types
- Several holes have both right and left hand routes
- Most holes play flat, but there's just enough going on to prevent monotony
- Located in a scenic area by the river/lake separated by a dam
- Plenty of other amenities (Picnic tables/grills/playground/fishing/volleyball/crossfit)
- Despite that, course steers clear of pedestrian areas (Hole 10 by playground, 13 by crossfit)
- Pars feel fair here, both beginner and normal. (Except hole 11, see Cons)
- Course flows quite nicely
- Some may not like the posts behind/beside 9's pin, but I find 'em interesting enough to like
- Holes 13-16 make for a fun little birdie alley after the lengthy 11/12 holes

Cons:

- Several places on this course retain water for long periods of time after any decent rain
- A few of which are mandatory to walk through:
-- The valley section of hole 2
-- Half of hole 3's already skinny fairway
-- The 1st 'ditch' between 9&10 really needs a small bridge, 2nd ditch can be stepped over
-- The end of the trail leaving 18 is so bad, so often, pallets are perpetually left there
- Due to all that standing water/mud, mosquitos can get wildly out of hand when in season
- You must cross a junction to get from 2 to 3, 4 to 5, and 10 to 11, with no indication to do so
- Lacking in the way of shot-effecting elevation change
- Although no fault of the course itself, storm damage made a few holes noticeably easier
- Namely holes 2, 4, 14, & 16. With 14 now being a free putter ace run
- Some holes have pretty long walks from pin to tee
- Walk from #18 back to parking is ~200 yards, and crosses blindly in front of #3's tee
- Hole 11 should be a par 4. It has a large Pine ~100' from the tee to block distance line heights, and shot obscuring 400' treeline from the right. DGCR Stats have #11 averaging 4.21 over 113 'played's. 14 Pars to 99 Bogey+'s. Take that how you will

Other Thoughts:

- Overall a solid course that's easy to have fun on
- Couldn't really list difficulty as a Pro/Con as it seems fairly average
- I could see some people finding it a bit hard, and others a bit easy
- I do feel the main thing holding the course back is the water/mud situation
- A couple bridges here and there, plus re-digging some ditches, would do wonders for it
- As it stands I do feel the course well deserves the '3.5-Very Good' rating, with maybe a caveat that it can suffer pretty badly after any rainy weather

Fun Fact: If you've ever wondered what it's like to grab a powerline, hole 8 has a lone power pole with some cut wires still dangling there just for your pleasure.
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2 0
LeeWood
Experience: 16.8 years 32 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 14, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lots of pros to this course. Beautiful setting, ample parking and restrooms nearby, the wooded greens aren't too narrow and restrictive, the open shots are a mix of medium to long, good tee pads and signage throughout.

Cons:

Its very helpful to have the map of the course with you as you play, especially for your first time. Going from basket 4 to tee 5 can be confusing without a map. Same for going from basket 10 to tee 11.

Other Thoughts:

I had a wonderful experience playing this course. There were a couple of trees down that were almost in the way towards the wooded end of the course but they did not affect my play. I could easily recommend this course to others to play. Bring a picnic lunch and take full advantage of the park area.
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1 1
dyerjol
Experience: 22.8 years 54 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Excellent marking 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 1, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Of the 32 courses I have played, this is the best marked. The signage was all intact, graffiti free, and accurate. They even supply paper maps/scorecards.
The holes are a good mix of open and woods. There are no holes that are just long for the sake of long. I thought it was appropriately challenging.

Cons:

Hole 18 ends in the woods rather than leading back to the parking lot. There isn't much elevation change, but that's not the course designer's fault.
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1 1
twshartle
Experience: 43 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Quality course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Quality pads and signage. Well maintained. You must like playing in the trees and have the ability to throw 350+ for the open holes. Park offers plenty to keep any non throwers entertained.

Cons:

i was the only player at 5pm on the Saturday of a holiday weekend. I guess that could be a pro but there must be a reason why not many players. Nature was in full effect. Ticks/mosquitos.

Other Thoughts:

Family friendly.
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2 3
Joshwest
Experience: 11.1 years 106 played 28 reviews
5.00 star(s)

My Favorite 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 27, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great, well maintained course. Great layout, almost every shot has something different to think about. Holes are split between woods and open.

Cons:

The walks between 4 and 5 & 10 and 11 could be better marked since they are not obvious where to go. Hole 11 just needs to be a par 4. There is just no way to get there for a birdie. Even if you could throw 550ft, the layout of the trees just would not let you get it there.

Other Thoughts:

My favorite course to play, if you are in the area and can only play one, I'd choose here, the others in the area are great, but I think are just slightly below here.

When walking on #5's fairway, look to the left (toward the water) once you past the road and you should see #8's basket. Just a helpful hint, because you will not be able to see it from #8's tee.
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1 0
treysonagras
Experience: 9.8 years 9 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 6, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well maintained. Great signs. Good layout with a wide variety of shots. Everyone will find something easy about it...and something difficult.

Cons:

No real "cons" for me. My only complaint is with the par on a couple of holes. (Eleven is a 555 ft Par 3).

Other Thoughts:

Holes 1-4 are fun little holes that go through light woods. 5-7 are wide open for the big arms. Hole 8 is one of the more difficult to score well on....even with a long drive the basket is still protected by trees. 11 and 12 are super long Par 3's but they are pretty open. 13-18 take you back through the woods with lots of short, tight doglegs. A chainsaw would have helped me a lot.
Overall, this is one of the better courses I have played.
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1 1
euclidbr549
Experience: 6 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Variety 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 27, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Well kept grounds, nice signage, best concrete tee pads ever. Biggest pro is the variety of holes. Long, short, open, wooded, uphill, downhill, hyzer, anhyzer, tunnel.

Cons:

Most of the wooded holes are in one block 13 through 18. 1 and 2 are also wooded holes, so that is a really large block if you are in a tournament and begin between 3 and 13.

There are several places where golfers on different holes will get in each others' way, especially 11 and 12, and the walk to 11 from 10. There are a lot of long walks from basket to next tee.

Other Thoughts:

I found myself using every throw in my bag, and wishing I had developed a few more.
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1 3
Shooter14
Experience: 3 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Awesome Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is an awesome course for all skill levels! There are Short holes, long holes, wooded holes, open holes and the whole nine yards!! Excellent course for anyone looking to just have fun, Highly Recommended

Cons:

You have to walk too far from tee box to tee box

Other Thoughts:

Could use more trash cans spreaded out across the course!! Pleasseeee!
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1 3
benwilly
Experience: 10.8 years 28 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

nice course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

1 Nice wooded course with lots of shade
2. has short and long holes
3. has 2 pars one for experienced players and one for beginners
4. signs telling you where the next hole is
5. score card and map at the start
6. mowed course so its easy to find your disc

Cons:

1. all par 3 for experienced players
2. have to cross the street quite a few times

Other Thoughts:

overall great course would recommend playing this course
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3 0
NPCTour
Experience: 19.8 years 18 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Technical with nice length 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 19, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

I feel the use of elevation, pin placement, tee, and variety of shots make this course worth playing. You start off with a few technical holes 1-4 and walk across the street to #5 for a bomb hyzer! #8 requires a long roller and without that, getting a 2 on the hole is almost impossible. #9 had a small version of USDGC back gate around the basket, which was unique. Really appreciated the OPEN air shots especially #11 (555ft) and #12 (430ft+). Depth perception is a must to figure out on the open holes. They play longer than they look. Once you enter back in to the woods, you are required to place a series of short shots. Almost relieved to see once you play the open holes. The wooded holes are the birdie holes for sure and shooting a hot round of -4 to -9 is very possible here. The short wooded holes probably keep this course from being listed as a 5 star championship course, but is worthy of an excellent annual event!

Cons:

Navigation is good, but I still got lost from #4 to #5. Didn't know it was across the street. Walking from #10 to #11 crosses by hole #13 tee. The mosquitoes are relentless in the woods. I played in a 90 degree weather day and was shaded all the way through course.

Other Thoughts:

I believe players will enjoy this course and want to come back. The risk of losing a disc is minimal. The "fun" factor will keep you coming back. Having a course like this will help the players learn how to grow as better disc golfers.
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3 2
Doofenshmirtz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.8 years 121 played 72 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Decent stop off I-30 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 16, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is clean, well-marked, course maps and scorecards are available near the first tee, there are few navigation issues if you pay attention to the signs and much of the course is shaded. There are some very interesting holes, 2, 7 and 8 come to mind. There are a few (3-4) longer holes for airing out your drives. Mostly, this course rewards accuracy over distance.

Cons:

There are a number of holes that are in a semi-cleared/forested area to the east of the roadway that leads to the tubing/kayaking staging area. These holes are all mostly very short with difficult lines to the basket (some are actually nearly impossible). However, the difficulty level is diminished due to the very short length and the fact that all underbrush has been cleared. So if you miss your line with your midrange or putter off the tee, it is no problem to put the second shot under the basket in most cases. These holes get repetitive and even though I am writing this shortly after playing, the holes left little impression to distinguish them by. It may be that there was simply not enough land, but many of these holes were just too short and too well mowed for the technical nature to make them the difficult holes that they should be IMO.

There are several wide open holes. Though I think the backstop on 9 is a good addition to prevent it from being wide open too.

Oh, and did I mention the mosquitos. Much of this course is in prime mosquito habitat. Bring plenty of repellant in the summer.

Other Thoughts:

There seems to be some areas that contain elevation changes that were not utilized. Still some holes, 2, 3 and 18 do have not completely insignificant elevation changes.

This is a fun little course and certainly worth the stop if you are on 30, but Cedar Glades is a better experience if you are on the way to Hot Springs.
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1 1
Memphis Newbie
Experience: 12.3 years 33 played 22 reviews
4.00 star(s)

well done 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 10, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course was recently expanded from 9 to 18 holes

very nice tees

great signs

kiosk in parking lot with course message board

awesome color scorecards with map (facilitated easy navigation. otherwise, navigating this course would have been confusing)

loved the wooded fairways with a good mix of distances and shot shaping

there are also a couple open holes( i like a few open holes where you can just go for distance)

really close to the freeway if you're on a road trip

scenic and well kept park that we had to ourselves

Cons:

not much elevation, but what can you do?

all par 3 makes it less interesting

Other Thoughts:

they have done a beautiful job with this course. the new holes had temporary signs that were laminated paper. they were great, but i'm sure they are working on new signs that will probably match the old ones, which are very nice color signs on metal which should hold up forever. some have criticized the the horshoe shaped backstop that guards hole 9. I think it makes for an interesting hole that would otherwise be wide open.
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1 0
SuperBorg
Experience: 13 years 18 played 16 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 13, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

We stopped to play this course on our way north from Selah Ranch. What a great surprise. At the first tee you can grab nice maps and scorecards and start your game. Nice large cement tees and great signs show the care that has gone into this course.

After a few holes through the trees, the course opens up into some nice open holes. Hole 9 has a unique basket, surrounded on 3 sides by a crazy fence contraption. Some may not like it, but I thought it was a fun change of pace. Our group had some real fun with it.

After the first 9, you head back into the woods for some tight fairway action. Course layout was easy to follow and the new back nine brings you right back to hole one, for a nice wrap up.

Cons:

Not a lot of elevation. A hill right after the 18th could have made for a good last hole.

Other Thoughts:

No holes that you can really go for the basket on. One or two would be fun.
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2 0
Disc chaser
Experience: 12.2 years 35 played 13 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Totally worth the drive 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 10, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Played this on a road trip that included 7 courses from Selah Ranch to Little Rock. This course was a favorite right behind Selah Lakeside. (Yes it's that good). It has something for everyone including a good balance of open, wooded, long, medium, DL right and DL left guarded tee and guarded basket. The only players who will leave wanting are those who love water hazards. Despite proximity to a large river, water doesn't factor... Unless you experience a severe and powerful grip-lock on #1 and manage to miss all of the protective trees and shrubs guarding the far-off river. (one of our guys actually did this but it was a fluke). There is a large sign structure that holds a large map of the course and an offering of smaller scorecard maps. Course layout was easy to follow and the new back nine wooded holes had decent and obvious fairways. Good baskets, solid tee boxes and phenomenal views of the giant spillway.

Cons:

Some good elevation potential may have been overlooked in the woods, however, there are still several elevated tees and baskets that are more out in the open.

Other Thoughts:

I felt this course was worth a drive. We played until dark and wished for more daylight.
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1 2
Disc Buddy
Experience: 12 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Fun, great risk reward shots 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 10, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great right and left hand shots. Very easy to follow and clear directions. Super fun new holes. We came from out of state and with eight of us, it gave us enough of a challenge for every person.

Cons:

I loved the long holes but I wish I would have seen a couple of holes under 200'. The park could use some extra trash cans scattered at some of the holes. It's only been a couple of months since the course added more holes and already there is trash scattered throughout.

I would have loved to see a hole with more elevation back in the corner by hole one.

Other Thoughts:

The walk was not far at all. Great use of the park with good flow from hole to hole.
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1 0
Matty Ice
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

First time 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 4, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful park and well maintained settings. The hole placement lines up well with the structure they have. The lst hole is a little weird with a backstop behind the cage but i liked it and plan to go again soon.

Cons:

It is very short for a niner. If you set a good pace, you can finish easily in 30 mins. A lot of walking from the last hole to the first hole back to the car. Wind from the lake makes it a difficult course.

Other Thoughts:

I wish it was 18 but space in this park is a premium. Talked to park manager november 2012. He hopes to have the course expanded to 18 by Christmas.
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1 1
drewdexter81
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very Fun Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 30, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is not too long, and not overly difficult with the natural obstacles. It's located within a quaint park that is conveniently situated off I-30. Also has very clean bathrooms.

Cons:

It hasn't yet been expanded to 18 holes, but will be in the coming months.
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5 0
Pizza God
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 36 years 1689 played 554 reviews
3.00 star(s)

eh 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 5, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

easy access from 30.

Nice little park with picnic tables, a decent restroom and a playground.

Very nice tee signs with hangers on all the posts for your bag.

Large cement tee boxes.

Signs pointing to the next hole (much needed on a few of them)

Very nice kiosk at hole 1 with a map of the course.

the land is pretty flat, but the course takes advantage of the what elevation there actually is.

You will need a few good shots to score well on this course

Cons:

My biggest con is the walk between holes. This is a short course so I didn't expect long hole, but I would be willing to bet the walks between the holes are actually longer than the total length of the course. Specially if you count hole 9 to hole 1.

Hole nine is also a con in my opinion, the hole is a down hill WIDE open hyzer shot with a PAR course gym turned on it side guarding the basket from the back and sides of the hole. It is basically a fence as tall as the basket 4 feet from the basket around 2/3 of the basket. Land in front of this "fence" or you have to throw a drop in for a putt.

Other Thoughts:

In general this is a very nice 9 hole course. Holes 1 and 2 are short, but have a nice left to right fade shot to them. Hole 2 has a nice gully in front to punish a short shot.

Hole 3 is your third lefty hole in a row with the road on your left and shull on your right. I landed basket high, in the street ;(

Hole 4 is a tight hyzer shot in the woods. Now you are done with woods shots.

Hole 5 is wide open and the longest hole on the course. Not really much to it and you have to walk a long ways from 4 basket to 5 tee box.

Hole 6 is a typical hyzer 300 foot open shot.

Hole 7 is a very nice distance through a group of very large trees. there are several paths to this one.

Hole 8 is also a very nice disc golf hole. Great defined fairway, good length and the basket on the left hand side for it to be considered a lefty hole. This is the signature hole for this course in my opinion, specially with views of the lake on the left.

Hole 9 - Ug, I am not much for gimmicks on disc golf courses. there is an old PAR course located in this area of the park. They took one of the stations, turned it on its side to make like a fence surrounding the back and sides of the basket. On top of that, it forces you to throw a hyzer by putting the tee box facing to the side and a tree between the tee and the basket. After that large tree, there are no more trees on this hole, just the fence around the basket.

Now the VERY long walk back to your car or to hole 1 for round 2.

I am not sure why they didn't make this course better other than maybe they could not use some of the areas. For the most part the course is pretty good, but the LONG walks between several holes decreases the value of this course.

I should also mention how hot is was the day I played. I used the rest room before I left, it was so hot in the restroom I turned on the blowers to dry your hand on for some cool air.

**** Edit ******

I have been told the funding for the other 9 holes have been raised and the long walk from 4 to 5 will be eliminated and the new holes will mostly be in the woods.

I will be back when the new 9 are added.

Edit #2

Got to play this course again with 18 holes, MUCH BETTER course now, flows better although there is a few longer walks between a few of the holes. The walk from 9 back 1 problem has been resolved.
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4 0
LookIhitAtREE
Experience: 13.6 years 47 played 11 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beautiful course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 25, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course beautifully resides along Lake DeGray and the dam. Brand new pads, baskets and signage. Plenty of trees to make shot-shaping necessary, but some open shots as well. Very nice mixture of layouts. The last hole is a fun run alongside the dam with a basket that is protected on three sides by a fence to force you to come at it straight. This course is highly recommended for a leisurely stroll through the woods by a lake with some fun disc golf to boot. Bring a picnic, as their were plenty of tables, grills, etc. When you are done you can go down to the water and splash around, nice frigid water after a hot round.
A nice bathroom was also near hole 1.

Cons:

Fire ants were numerous and some light poison ivy. Lots of insects flying around, but after all it's Arkansas.

Other Thoughts:

Bring the kids, plenty of play equipment and picnic areas. Very nice park, you will enjoy this round.
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2 0
tccarneal
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Little Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Easy access off I-30, clean grounds and facilities, Great tee pads, loved the posts at each tee box with hooks to hold your bag up off the ground, Awesome!

Cons:

can't really think of any, except wish it was 18 holes

Other Thoughts:

This is a really well thought out course that can be played by novices and pros alike. Beautiful setting along the lower lake and dam. Great course!
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