Albert Lea, MN

Oak Island DGC

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3.885(based on 8 reviews)
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2 0
bobmcnelly
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 324 played 189 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 21, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

- good baskets
- concrete tees
- some of the holes have tee signs
- bathrooms by holes 1
- great variety of distances ranging from 200' to 600'
- great variety of shots required to score well
- some very cool water carry shots if your a righty backhand player
-some very fun technical tunnel shots

Cons:

- almost half the tee signs are missing
- navigation at some parts of the course is very challenging
- multiple fairways cross or come very close together which could definitely cause a safety concern
- hole 17 is sort of a terrible hole, it's a huge right-hand backhand water carry off the tee to a small landing zone with essentially no layup route. The only alternative is to throw your disc along the walking trail that wraps around the water, a very narrow trail.

Other Thoughts:

There are some very cool holes on this course and with some new tee signs and some navigation signs this could be a much better course.
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2 0
IHearChains
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.8 years 211 played 34 reviews
4.00 star(s)

true gem, but a bit of disrepair 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 25, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has a great variety of holes. Tunnels, uphill and downhill, right and left finishes, water carries, true par 4s and ace runs. Baskets and tees are solid. Signs are decent but some are missing or need repair (see cons). The fairways appear to have solid upkeep. I had a blast playing this course, at least half of the holes here were what I would consider to be signature holes on most courses.

Cons:

Water carries are mostly RHBH friendly. Lefties might wish they had a good forehand. There are plenty of lefty-friendly holes as well, so I don't consider this a big con.

Signage. Several of the tees have no sign, and it is a bit tough to know where you're going at a few locations. With quite a few blind baskets, it is a little tough on a traveling player. I consulted the online map several times, and even that was not reliable as Holes 10 and 18 are switched on the online map. I played them out of order. In addition to fixing the missing and broken tee-signs, some next tee directionals would really help in some locations.

Two water carries (holes 15 and 17) require carrying the entire throw over water, with unkept trees guarding re-entry to land. One of them (hole 17) is seriously poke-and-hope...a near-perfect throw can get dropped into the lake. I missed to the right a little, but it got through somehow and ended up parked, so it is flukey. These holes need some trees and brush trimmed at the shoreline near the basket and need some slightly shorter openings so people can play for par rather than all-or-nothing.

Other Thoughts:

Hoping some locals put a little love in this course, because it could be a 4.5.
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6 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Awesome course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 5, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course was easily the most challenging course I played on a recent trip through Rochester, Austin and Albert Lea. This is a very challenging course that plays through a mostly disc golf exclusive park, save for pavilion and a few walking trails which are mostly to get you from hole to hole. The design of this course is top notch. The front and back nine both start and end by the parking lot (well front 10 really, but close enough). The flow from hole to hole is pretty intuitive except a couple spots. The map on DGCR is very accurate and helpful so just bring it up on your phone. The only difference on the map was the baskets for 10 and 18 were flipped. Really plays the same either way though. The tee signs were present all have a basic hole layout, short and long distances and a next tee arrow. Well done here. There is one concrete tee per hole hat are all in good shape. These aren't the biggest but it's better than rubber or grass. There are 4x4's imbedded in the ground further up the fairways on most serving as the white tees. These are hard to find in a few spots. We just played from the longs anyway so not a big deal. The baskets are DISCatchers with the yellow band. These are all in great shape, catch great and are easy to spot in the woods. Quite a few have large flags on the top if they're over a hill or tucked away to aid in pin location. There is a ton of water that comes into play here. There are 3 water carries and numerous others right along or dropping off behind the pin to the lake. There is also plenty of elevation change throughout. Hole 1 shows you what your in for with a dead straight over 200 foot shot down a hallway. It just takes off from there. Many blind pins, tucked off to either side or over a ridge. The course is free and probably not usually super busy. No other golfers when we were there but it was a Wednesday around 1 p.m. The course was also very clean and well maintained. There are ample benches and trash cans throughout as well.

Cons:

This course is not intended for beginners. Even from the whites, if you can find them, It'll be a challenging round. With that said the white tees are really hard to find. In fall It'd be nearly impossible. I'd bump the rating a bit if it had 2 sets of tees on each or at least the water carries. Also it would be nice if there was a designated drop zone for the water carries. My wife can't make it over and it'd be nice to just have her throw 3 from the drop zone. The same applies to newer players as well. If you can't make it over the water the land route is brutal on 17. As has been mentioned earlier but isn't the designers fault but worth noting. The mosquitoes can be bad. Just keep in mind it is surrounded by a lake so not much, or really anything can be done about this. Just make sure to have bug spray. It is Minnesota after all. Also a number of tee signs are missing so you have to walk a couple fairways if it's your first time through.

Other Thoughts:

Bottom line is if you're anywhere nearby this is a must play for any serious golfer. This course is a handful and can be frustrating at times, but in a good fun way if that makes sense. It tests every shot in your bag (and even some not in your bag). I threw 2 sidearms and 2 thumbers which I normally never throw. It requires great shots to succeed here. Top notch design. Top notch course. A must play.
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5 0
krdjis
Experience: 3 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

gets in your head 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 12, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1) Hole diversity:
--Holes with a relatively narrow tunnel of trees: (1,2,4,5,16)
--Holes with some part narrowed by a tunnel of trees: (3,6,7,9,10,11,14,15,18)
--Holes that cross water: (12,15,17)
--Holes that no one can ace: (6,15)
--Holes where wind, depending on direction, is somewhat of a factor: (6,12,13,15,17)
--Holes right to left (hyzer for RHBH): (5,6,8,10,12,14,15,17,18)
--Holes left to right (turnover for RHBH): (2,3,4,7)
--Holes with very sharp left to right; not quite possible to do turnover: (9)
--Holes that are relatively straight: (1,11,13,16)
--Holes going mostly downhill: (3,6,9,14,16)
--Holes going mostly uphill: (2,5,7,10,~13,18)
2) Cement tee pads that grab your feet so you don't slide around...even on wet days.
3) Sweet baskets. Yellow band at the top helps visibility.
4) Well marked course; nice signs with hole navigation.
5) Benches and trash cans; tons less litter since disc golfers adopted the area and upgraded course was installed.
6) Restrooms, water and picnic tables on the course.
7) Right up the hill from Tall Grass DGC, which is a very different type of course...not as good as Oak Island, but an awesome complementary course.
8) Friendly, committed and well-organized local league: Flying Lea Disc Golf Club; a big reason Oak Island and Tall grass are well-maintained.

Cons:

1) Not a beginner course, or can easily frustrate beginners...especially the water holes.
2) There are certain times of the year when mosquitoes take over and you wish that wind was more of a factor on more of the holes.
3) No short tees...yet.
4) Hole #11 might be a little too close to the parking lot, but I've only seen a disc drift over to the cars once or twice.
5) Possibly too many hyzer shots (from looking at my list in the "pros").

Other Thoughts:

This course gets in your head. I find that nearly everyone falls apart a little at some point while playing it. The secret is to just wait and make consistently good choices...and hope that you're done falling apart and your opponents aren't. It's pretty darn technical and doesn't have too many long bomb holes on it, which are not my forte anyway. The fact that it is so close to Tall Grass DGC makes this small geographical area one of the nicest destination course combinations in the state. And when Riverland Community DGC finally gets all of it's tee pads and acquires new baskets, this area will rule Southern Minnesota (and beyond) as one of the best places to make a trip and play golf.
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3 0
mndiscg
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 480 played 478 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Best of Southern MN 2+ years

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

Pros:

-Nice baskets with flags on them to help you see and identify which basket you are throwing at.
-Pads are more than adequate
-Recently installed signs are helpful, i was a little worried about navigation because I played very early in the construction process but when I came back recently it was easy to find my way around. There were a few signs that pointed towards the next tee which were also helpful.
-They really made use of the water. I am tired of playing courses that are around water but not actually in play. This course had the perfect amount of carries that I was entertained without being constantly stressed about losing plastic.
-Great variations in distance here. There are some shorter holes and some longer holes and among the holes of similar length there is good variation in throw required, how tight the line is, etc.
-Multiple tees accomodate many different skills of players. None of them really felt like an afterthought compared to some courses that I have played.
-Albert Lea is quickly becoming a disc golf mecca in Southern MN. This course and its immediate neighbor, Bancroft Bay make a nice tandem and the community college course isn't so bad either. Conveniently located at the intersection of two interstates helps too!
-The course is really scenic, a somewhat hilly area over the water. A nice break from the prairie that you drive through on I90 to get to this course.
-Elevation makes this course a little more challenging and a little more fun.
-There appears to be an active club here with leagues and they seem to take pride in their courses. Not a lot of garbage on any of the courses.

Cons:

-From the longer tees, the holes kind of blend together. There seemed to be better variation in distance and challenge from the shorter tees.
-Could lose a disc in the water or trees.
-I think they could have used the elevation a little differently to create some side hill holes or faster greens to add to the challenge. It was a lot of just straight up and straight down shots.
-This park and Bancroft are very popular with non disc golfers. Be careful as I almost threw at walkers with dogs on fairways of both courses. They just treat the courses like trails through the woods.

Other Thoughts:

I first played this course early last summer when it was first being installed. I probably would have given it a 3 at the time but waited to review it until I could play it again. It is still a bit rough but I imagine that it will get better and better. This course is definitely worth a stop if you are traveling on either of the interstates. It is probably the best course in Southern MN and is made even better with 2 other 18s in this smaller town. I enjoyed my time here and will come back again.
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5 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
4.00 star(s)

No Joke Island 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Discatchers with #'d flags on them made it easier to see the baskets.
2) Nice large grippy concrete is always appreciated.
3) Directionals are used in key spots to move you through the course and from hole to hole which is always helpful for the travelling or first time disc golfer.
4) Temporary corrugated plastic signs have Hole and distance. I appreciated the effort even if for just a temporary basis.
5) #6 is an awesome hole, it is long, fairly open with some key trees to avoid and it finishes into the woods and down the hill with a backdrop of the water. Picturesque, challenging, and requires strategy. What more can you ask for won a hole.
6) Excellent use of the elevation changes on this rolling property. Nothing is overly dramatic but the subtleness of the rolling terrain really makes you think out your shot beforehand.
7) This course is suitable for all skill levels. It has 3 sets of tees (although only one is concrete) which allows beginners to throw a wonderful course along with top pros.
8) Distance variation is tremendous . . . for the beginners there are holes from the 100's, 200's, 300's and even a 400' or two. The lines get a little tougher and a little longer for the intermediate tees and then again for the pro tees. It was fairly seamless how all three sets of tees were usable. Some of the walks to the short tees might be longer or awkward but there is almost no way to design for this given property restrictions and safety. This was done very well at this course however.
9) The use of the water with forced carries or difficult safe layup shots is awesome. This really brings into play strategy and risk/reward, something I think disc golf needs a lot more of.
10) I imagine the gold level players that can throw a long long distance might try to do a big bomb up and over the trees because the open green area is huge at the top of the hill. Either way this is a great risk/reward challenge.

Cons:

1) I know this is going to sound terrible . . . but with 3 water shots . . . I really wish one of them required an anhyzer. Most courses do not get 1 water shot, and with this course having 3 shots over water, I wish one of them could have gone the other way to force people to display all skills under all circumstances.
2) There were some dangerous spots on the course. The most egregious location of this was where #13 fairway passes #15. Discs that hyzer out on #13 would end up right where people walk out and around the water on #15. Fortunately the people on #13 can see people on #15 so hopefully they are patient and let them clear first.
3) This course is still a little bit rough. I know it is not very old so work is still being done. I respect that but I always rate and review courses as I played them not necessarily as I expect them to be. There are a lot of trippers and small stumps along with vines and brush that still could use some clearing. It doesn't affect play much but it does affect the beauty and enjoyability of the course.
4) #11 is a little bit dangerous for the vehicles as anything grip-locked or turned over will go right in to the end of the parking lot.

Other Thoughts:

Hole #1 is close to another copy of Blue Ribbon Pines #4. . . this is not necessarily a bad thing, but it seems to be a popular thing to do is to find a row of evergreens and make that a fairway. Riverland Community College also had the recreational version of #4 at BRP. This does not make them bad holes, but it made me think.
This is a great course, the design is good, the property is great, and it is challenging but still fun. I typically do not expect much more than that. It doesn't really feel like a gold level course because I didn't find it to be overwhelmingly difficult. Sure it has its challenges but overall it was not unplayable. Layup and play smart and you should do just fine, or if you have a bomb of a drive you might be able to play a little more risk/reward shots.
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2 4
timj5304
Experience: 19.8 years 161 played 32 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 24, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

First of all this is in a nice park, land well used to make the most of the distance. There are nice arrows pointing where the next teepad is so navigation was very simple being I am not from around the area. Elevation changes, holes with throws going over the water as well as lots of wooded holes.

Cons:

As previously said, the layout is somewhat boring going from holes playing downhill to uphill and back and forth. A couple holes mainly #11 are somewhat dangerous such as if someone wanted a hyzer would play over cars. There were many people in this park with dogs today and almost seemed like they were trying to get in our way on hole #11 as well. This course is one of those where you can hit the line dead center and get screwed over and take a 4 when you think your on your way to an ace run.

Other Thoughts:

I commend Ross Brandt for his efforts as well as fighting the locals and not backlashing. He did a good job with what he was given for land. I feel that hole #11 should be taken out or move the basket left more and move the basket to hole 18.
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7 0
jmhoekst
Experience: 16.9 years 87 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Mostly Good, but I Expected Better... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 19, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

What I Liked:
- Long & Short Tee Pads
The long tee pads will be poured concrete (in process as of this review). I'm unsure if the short tees will be concrete, but at least they will exist. UPDATE 9/11/12 - All 18 holes have a concrete long tee pad. The short tees are targeted to be poured in 2013.
- Technically Very Difficult - Lots of Risk/Reward
There are a number of tight lines to hit as with any difficult course. Oak Island also makes good use of difficult putting greens. Many of the baskets are on steep hills, requiring the player to properly land approach shots to avoid roll-aways. The same goes for putting, where an errant downhill putt can easily lead to a difficult comeback.
- Innova 28-chain Baskets
These things catch everything. No worries about spit-outs or slip-throughs. Pure awesome.
- Some Beautiful Views
Thought the water isn't a bright-blue ocean, some of the views are simply breathtaking. The putting green on hole 16 is easily the best in the state in terms of the view.

Cons:

What I Disliked:
- Several "Almost" Signature Holes
#1, maybe, but it'll always be a little-brother to #4 at BRP. #15, maybe, due to being able to see the basket. I feel like #12 (RHBH hyzer 300' over water) should be the signature hole, but the basket is too far inland. If it were moved to where the old basket is, it would be great, IMHO.
- Mostly Repetitive
There are some holes that are awesome, but as the round went on, there was a definite pattern. Tee from the open area on top and throw downhill into the woods. Then, tee from the woods and throw uphill into the open area. Overall, a little boring in that regard.
- Long Holes But Short Throws
There are legit par 4's on this course, but there wasn't a single Nuke Bomb that I found. The long holes require short, strategic throws to score well. This itself isn't a con, but not having a single open or mostly-open bomber was a disappointment.
- Deja Vu
When I ended my round on #18, I stepped up and thought "Wow, yet another uphill hyzer hole. I've done exactly this twice already so I better be good at it!"
- You Will Lose a Disc Eventually
I suggest bringing a couple drivers, a mid and a throwing putter that you aren't too fond of.

Other Thoughts:

What I Must Tell You:
I need to start by saying that when I played the course, there were no concrete tee pads yet. There were also several piles of brush in the woods from recent bush-clearing outings. And there were some parts of the course that needed to still be cleared a little bit. None of these things were considered in my rating as it would be very unfair to count these against the course. I also understand that there are parts of the park that were off-limits when putting in this course. I can't count that against the course, either.

There's no doubt this is the most difficult (relative to Par) course in Southern MN. It's probably by far the most scenic, too. But in terms of hole variety, I thought it was very lacking. Way too many RHBH hyzer shots as I only threw FH twice. And like I said in the "Cons" section, there was a lot of deja vu. I don't mean to come across as if I disliked the course, but I expected more. Southern MN lacks in courses that can compete with Oak Island, but that doesn't mean it automatically warrants a perfect rating. In fact...

To summarize, the course is mostly-excellent but lacks variety. The "cool" holes are few and far between, so there are very forgettable stretches of play. It's a long course that forces short throws. I'll certainly be back to play again and will re-consider my rating after that time. But for now, I'm feeling a 3.75. Round it up to a 4.0.
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