Parking. Bathrooms. Views. Picnic tables. Although there is usually wind, it's generally consistent. Typically you will have the wind in your face for the front eleven holes and at your back for the back nine, or vice versa depending on the season.

It's a workout for sure, but the tee pads that have been built so far are often nicely elevated. Many holes play far longer than listed, and the extra height off the tee is very inspiring.

Due to elevated tee's, even beginners are throwing far on many holes. When it goes wrong, it goes way bad. Experienced spotters are a must, or you can add an hour or three to your round as there are no fairways to speak of on many holes. Some have vast fields of impenetrable bushes and scrub the entire way to the basket. Some holes you will be required to throw as far as you can into often chest high fields of sage and other assorted bushes.

The top of the world shot on hole 20 is the best and the worst of this course. You can watch a disc hit the ground 650 feet out and still spend 2 hours looking for it. Every other time I come out here, I lose a driver on this hole. As there is no fairway, even well-placed throws can disappear in the brush forever. I suggest, you shoot for the road to the left on this hole.

The course doesn't see enough traffic to get beat in. It doesn't get played enough because it's not beat in. It seems every year it gets more overgrown.

As others have said, there is no shade, be sure to plan your visit accordingly.

Play in mid-morning or evening when the wind is the lightest, and the heat is the least.

Overall, the course needs fairway work. Its missing something to aim at for many drives, even for pro's. The dirt is easily workable. An hour or so with a light bulldozer or a bobcat on several holes would change this place dramatically. It's kind of lame throwing great shots directly into endless bushes.

This course has some serious potential. Even without tree's the elevation changes, the cliffs, the drop offs, I want it to be great. I'd love to go in there with my backhoe and strategically clear some brush here and there. Not too much, but it needs fairway clearings before people will play this course in mass. Something to drive at on each hole is a must-have. If not, the only option is throwing into bushes on way too many drives.

Hole 13 needs a marker to indicate where the tee pad is. I don't know which spot on the road is the tee.

Hmmm...pros...pros. Little difficult to think of things that are actual pros here.

- There are no crowds and there is plenty of open space. Really nice tee pads (where there are tee pads), and nice baskets. Great practice basket. Incredible views down the canyon.

- Like "swinging with two weighted bats" then going to play your regular course. Play just nine holes here, then go play Ann Mo and it will feel like you can throw a mile in the park.

- when I purchase a new disc that feels stiff and needs to get beaten in I can either deliberately throw it against some rocks and trees to beat it up a bit, or I can play a round here once and call it done.

This is an easier question.

- The holes are way too long. Some courses, holes over 500' are the exception. Here they are the rule. Holes under 500' are the exception instead. For the guys with the really big arms that can throw a putter 350+ I can see them enjoying it. Personally I get angry with courses where distance is the primary obstacle and find it difficult to get the peace of mind I normally get from a round because I am so frustrated by how long every hole is.

- Aside from distance, elevation is the only other real obstacle in play here. Sagebrush is not really an obstacle, just a constant irritant. There are no "fairways" to speak of, just throwing over a sea of sagebrush over and over and over again. You can look for a clear spot and try to throw there, but distance is deceiving here because of the many changes in elevation on virtually every hole.

- Walk up to throw down. Lots and lots of this. Then for some variety, there's "walk up to throw down and across, unless you can't throw 400' - then walk up to throw down to throw and walk back up again." I am in reasonable shape, and this course just kicks my butt to the point that I am just not having a good time.

- "Greasewood Goblins." This is the un-official course mascot. They hide in big clumps of greasewood/sagebrush and steal your discs.

- I have never once come home from this course without scratches all over my arms and legs, and socks full of burrs and cheatgrass. Just nasty. Sometimes if it rains, the stickiest clay/mud you have ever seen. In the dry heat of summer it's almost like Mars dirt in patches. Get it wet, it clumps on your shoes, adds weight and is just plain nasty.

There are courses that offer positive challenge which make you a better player. Then there's Lydle Gulch Gold. This course just makes me tired and angry. I have played it through a few times, hole 20 is fun but still just brutal and just getting there without collapsing of heat stroke or exhaustion is a miracle for the casual player.

This is a course for big (huge) arm players with an iron constitution, in peak physical shape. Anybody else is just going to have a bad time. I play it from time to time to remind myself of these things. I had really high hopes for this course, but it's just not built for the intermediate or casual player. Halve the distance on half the holes and it would be more playable.

Innova baskets w/yellow band
giant pads (when they all get installed)
elevation
restrooms (1 & 10)
plenty of parking
isolated (though a few dog walkers)
views of the reservoir and Boise from afar

No trees/shade
repetitive
blind holes
dirt/dust
no smaller loop (10 out 10 back)
no tee signs, trash cans, or benches

A lot of work has been put in to get this course to where it is now, but a lot more work has to be put in to finish it. It's a gold course for the length and elevation, but is lacking in the way of obstacles. Not a destination course on it's own, but combined with the blue course, the 40 total holes is worth seeking out. the highlight is definitely #20, a great top of the world shot to end. unfortunately w/o trees or obstacles the shots start to get repetitive, especially 8&9&10 that are all shooting along the right side of the gully. the sagebrush and hills all start to look the same, and the shot is wide open. what your left with is the elevation as the challenge. up, down, left, and right; the 20 holes cover all combinations. by the 12th hole it was more about getting to the finish and out of the sun. so it's a workout: a lot of up and down out in the open hills make for a tough mental game of surviving to the end, like a half marathon of disc golf.

When I'm in town, regardless of conditions, I play this course every chance I get. Not unusual for me and my best friend to run it twice in one day even in august's brutal heat.
Sweet lines, good mix of birdie holes as well as absolute morale crushers
Really fun elevation changes, especially hole 3, 17, 20
Makes great use of the slopes to create shots that favor RHBH vs Flicks
Nothing quite like hucking one off 20 and watching it fly for 15 seconds.

Not a lot of obstacles
Tee pads should be done by now, not sure why we (GSDG) haven't finished it by now
Summer time = surface of the sun hot (but there's never a line...)

Don't come out here if:
A: you don't like searching for discs
B: you are ridiculously out of shape
C: you are a beginner

Do come here if
A: your tired of ann mo
B: your tired of ann mo crowds
C: you like to grip it and rip it

This is the basically the same not-so-rave review I wrote for the Blue Course.

Lydle Gulch DGC is located in a very rough wilderness area across the street from the boat launch at the Lucky Peak Dam. The area here is rugged, hills with sometimes thick and nasty ground cover. The course is just now being constructed. The "Blue" course features blue Discatcher baskets while the "Gold' course features yellow Discatchers. That might help in the future sometime.
The tee pads on the Gold course are currently just scraped off areas. I'm sure the course builders will eventually get these pads in just like the great pads that are being built on the Blue. There is a huge pile of rocks and patio blocks up near the first hole.
The course tries to follow some trails but it's difficult to navigate. The baskets are extremely hard to spot up in these hills. This course looks as though it's built for Intermediate players and above. Beginners need not apply.
There are red stakes marking the way to your basket.

The wind was howling, blowing my shots all over the place. I think it'll probably always be a blowin up here.
The terrain is incredibly hard and difficult to walk through. After playing just the first few holes, my shoes and socks were so covered with burrs, I later sat down and took more than an hour painstakingly picking these burrs out, one at a time. I would never again set foot on this gulch without gaiters! I'm still picking these burrs out of my socks after three weeks and several washings.
There is not a stitch of shade up here.
No water other than the beautiful lake behind the dam.
The ruggedness here is going to eliminate most players from ever coming back.
Someone is putting a ton of $ into the construction of this course.
Who's going to maintain it way up here?
A spotter is a must.
A 1000 foot hole across this landscape. Good luck finding that disc. OK, technically speaking, you probably can't throw 1000 feet
Because of it's isolation, it's going to be easy target for vandals. Everything needs to be built sturdy as hell to last.

Other Thoughts: People scoffed at Gustave Effel, the builder of the Effel Tower. I believe many disc golf players are scoffing at whomever is building this course. Between the ever present winds, super rugged terrain, distance from Boise, incredible problem with burrs, costs and tremendous manpower needed to construct this course, I personally believe this course will become ONE GIANT, EXPENSIVE WHITE ELEPHANT!

I have to think that only the most hard core players will ever brave the obstacles and venture up here. And I don't see them coming back too often.
Perhaps I'm wrong and the Lydle Gulch courses will become the Effel Tower of Disc Golf Courses. Unlike the Effel which is smack dab in the middle of Paris, the gulch here is a little off the beaten path but still might draw crowds of players. Only time will tell.

Killer course just a short drive out of town. Dogs can be off leash. A new lost and found box is an awesome addition. The tee-pads are looking great and they are HUGE!
There are some killer long holes. 2, 5, 8, 12, and 20. 12 is over 1000' playing up hill. It is the best 4 you will ever hit.
There are also some great ace runs on 3, 6, 11, and 15.
Great use of elevation on all the holes. Downhill holes make you feel like a boss and the uphill like a noodle-arm.

Brutal hot in the summer. I'd take discs out of my bag so I could pack way more water. Some of the trails up to elevated tee pads and on steeper sections of fairway are way sketchy. Be careful on 4, 7, 9, and especially 18.
The tee-pad for 18 is my only major gripe about the course. It is a terrible trail up to and away from the tee-pad. I also do not see how they are going to put one of the brick tee-pads (like the other holes) without doing some major excavation.

Watch your discs close and pick markers after your throw. The brush will eat discs. Watch white and off-white discs very carefully on holes 12, 13, 14, 15, and 18. There are a bunch of white round rocks around the fairways on these holes and white discs disappear when they land in those rocks. I know you will want to empty your bag on 20, but you must resist. Unless walking around for hours up and down the hill to find all of them sounds like fun to you.
Over-all a great addition to the Boise DG community.

1. Variety of elevation, there are a lot of uphill and downhill drives/putts, as well as some over the canyon drives that are really cool.
2. Long holes, this is a big arm course for now.
3. Great baskets
4. Great tee pads (as long as they all follow the example set by the first and only tee pad installed so far)
5. Excellent access from Boise. Bogus Basin is one of my favorite courses, but it is so far away that it makes for a full day trip. Ann Mo is also a great course but very flat and the hazards are treacherous, this is a close option that offers length, elevation, and the security of being able to find your disc.
6. Pet friendly (please pick up after your pet)

1. Some blind shots, bring a buddy to spot and a lunch.
2. it is not finished yet (no signs, one tee pad, no distance measurements, no map...) short time issue though, the course will be finished in the next few months.
3. No trees, so elevation, distance and sagebrush are the only technical aspects
4. lack of amenities (think water, or other beverage access)
5. Some holes are way too long. #13 and #20 have to be at least 850 - 1000 foot holes, those are scary numbers.

Like I said this course is not complete yet, all of the tee's aren't in, distances are not set in stone, and tee placements are not finalized, so this is a preliminary review. My rating is based on what was there on the first and only day I played (so far, I will return shortly). I am stoked to see what this course has in store when it is complete. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is heading up the project so I expect big things (and an extended finish date). No matter what this course is going to be a great year round alternative to the Ann Morrison course that all Boise disc golfers know and love.