St. Paul, OR

Champoeg State Park

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3.585(based on 19 reviews)
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3 0
rkopald
Experience: 23.3 years 11 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Love this course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 20, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great course, fun holes, outstanding location, usually not too busy.

Cons:

Terrain doesn't vary all that much, some holes are contrived, sometimes other park goers drunkenly wandering into the course, and once in a while course hogs.

Other Thoughts:

Great course for the summer to throw a couple-three rounds of casual intermediate golf. A lot of the holes are kind of the same, but it's still fun. Bring a six pack and your dog and take your time and have fun here. It's nice in the summer under the trees when other places are too hot to play.
Afterwards go to Roger's Landing for a dip in the river and grab a delicious pint at Wolves And People to make a day of it.
I play here a lot in the summer.
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6 0
Breh
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 191 played 189 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 26, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Big parking lot
Great tee signs with rings under them showing what pin the location is in...multiple pin placements
Big long tee pads!!! Some of the best tee pads you'll see on a course
Mach x baskets our like new.
Good mix of par 3s and 4s allows you to throw some max distance drives.
Mandos are clearly marked out.
Course flows fairly well.
Hole 18s pin Placement in the stump is pretty sweet.

Cons:

Really flat course, literally next to none on the elevation change here.
Feels kind of repetitive... most holes are fairly open so most scores of same skill level will be close..dosen't offer much score separation.
In the winter becomes a mud pit and borderline unplayable
Couple spots you could get turned around hole 5 to hole 6 mainly..use the arrows under the basket that's what they're there for!!
No real signature shots

Other Thoughts:

All in all it's a great course and worth the stop. 5 dollar parking pass required but I do recommend checking it out. Not much chance to lose discs when mowed
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2 1
disc_destroyer69
Experience: 15 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A really great course worth your time 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 18, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

A nice long course for beginners and veterans with a variety of tees and baskets. Fun holes and fun shots. Hardly anything bad about this course except it's kind of annoying to pay the five dollars but if you only do this course occasionally its totally worth it.

Cons:

Some of the tee signs were confusing as it showed there were many different baskets for just one hole. And some of the holes had more than one tee.

Other Thoughts:

Truly one of the best courses I played. Definitely worth your time.
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4 0
Nate32
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.7 years 74 played 60 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 19, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Champoeg State Park is located in St. Paul, Oregon and is a fantastic course for all ages. This course features great hardware and tee pads. First time there I would recommend a map.
The trees are amazing. Its pretty fun to play in the woods with big oak threes. But watch out for poison oak! Fun shots on every hole. Tee pads are great cement and new tee signs. Baskets are Mach X somewhat new and they are definitely not rusting yet.

Great accessibility first hole is right near parking lot. Also there is two practice baskets. But they are the very old discatchers that I believe they used to have at the course originally.

The first time I went there were no tee signs. Although on the tee pads they say the number of which hole it is but I wish they had just added them when the course was first built. Although there are only 6 pictures there are quite a variety of holes. Some are open some are wooded but it all plays on a flat terrain.

The last hole ends with elevated basket on the stump. My favorite holes are the first few ones. They are ace able but its fun to just have some straight away holes.

Cons:

Last time I went to this course the grass was long but in the pictures the grass was short. On the first few holes I think it ok to have the long grass because those holes are pretty short medium length.

It is possible to loose a disc. But if you do loose a disc you might want to consider all the poison oak there is there. When you park there are a couple signs that will tell you what it looks like so you know what to look for. Although you probably will find your disc because there is not many places to loose your disc. But just don't throw a green disc or orange in the fall.

In the winter it can be very muddy and wet. Not very fun to play unless you have very good shoes. It is pretty busy during a regular day especially on the 4th of July. There are campgrounds as well.

Other Thoughts:

I do like playing here once and while. Fun course if you are in the area or camping. 2 practice baskets which I find very awesome because unlike milo there is no practice basket.

I think it would be great if they had a few benches next to the tees because the big oak trees would shade it. And if it is a hot day it would be a nice way to cool off.


I find this course somewhat long but not really. A few holes are playing for some par 4s. The terrain is not great if you like terrain. It plays on a flat property no hills nothing.

Overall pretty great course there is not much to say about it but they just mowed it. It was a little annoying to play in the long grass unless you throw pretty close to the basket. I would like to play this course if I visit again. It is 5$ pay to play. If you live somewhat close I would recommend the state parks pass its only 25 dollars and it is all year.
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2 4
fastdds
Experience: 6.2 years 15 played 13 reviews
3.50 star(s)

July Chapoeg 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 20, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Safe and clean park with well marked signage and concrete t pads. Excellent baskets. Wide variety of shots. Hard to lose a disc on most holes, but beware of thick berry bushes along a few fairways. Magnificent trees. I imagine the course plays much different in non-summer months. We had only dry fairways, no water, brown fast grass so skips and rollers in play.

Cons:

Could use some longer holes as you never really get to use a driver at full power. No elevation changes.
Several large slow family groups playing disc.

Other Thoughts:

A fun and solid course, but no Milo.
I would advise playing on weekday or early AM on weekend. Nearest food/drink is store several mins drive from course. I would play again if in the vicinity.
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4 1
DCaliBEAST
Experience: 16.2 years 25 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Clean Park and Fun Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 12, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

I played a hot afternoon around 7:00p, the course was still open until 9. The sun was still out in early summer but there was plenty of shade on the course. The course was well manicured with the branches cut high and the grass cut short. Not a lot of places to lose a disc here right now. There was a full 18 holes with Mach style baskets and 2 well kept short and long tee pads for each hole. There were a full range of holes from couple hundred feet to what seemed like 500+ on the par 4s. Each tee had metal signs that showed all of the placements as well as the distances to each basket. The baskets had signs directing you to the next tee so it made it easier to find your way. I still used a map and had trouble finding the basket for 10 at first. There were a lot of straight and slight dog leg shots with a couple baskets up about 4' on stumps. This course was fun I got to watch a couple walk their giant caged bird/parrot around the walking path and I was able to quickly play through it solo.

Cons:

There was not that one hole that makes a course unique, you know what I'm taking about. Putting a basket on a stump dose not make it unique. Other than that ok.
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4 1
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.7 years 415 played 382 reviews
3.00 star(s)

MIxed feelings 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 4, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Nice setting, with some very good holes
+ Great tee pads (look for the oak leaf insignias on the long tees!)
+ Baskets on stumps!
+ #6 was the standout hole for me: It's a really nice left dogleg early on that requires careful drive placement and a tight approach through a line of trees.
+ #8 is another fun par 4: the clear line is a hyzer play to the right - but you're flirting with OB in the road.
+ The par 4s, pound-for-pound, might be the best holes on the course (along with the long back-to-back 3's on 12 and 13).
+ Good opportunities for RH forehand teeshots.

Cons:

- Poor signage: we wandered around more than expected (especially on the early holes) and even missed hole 18, because. It finishes halfway up #1 and we thought we were looking at basket 1 again.
+ January 2019 update: I see on Reddit that they've installed some really nice tee signs. Great! That should fix things.

Other Thoughts:

- Pay-for-play, in that they charge an admission fee for the park. The course is well maintained, and now it's good to see $$$ being spent on upgrading the signage.
- Overall a good course, with some very good holes. It's at a disadvantage because the early and late holes have been fit into the existing structure of the park. This means some longish walks between holes, and the sense that a few holes are squeezed in. But once you get to hole #5, you feel like you're more apart from the park, and that's pretty much the case through #15.
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5 0
WKS01
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Agreed on being overlooked 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Located in a State Park with more things to do than just disc golf.
The course has a good variety between the multiple pin locations (that do actually get moved) and long/short tee pads.
Fairways have been mowed neatly every time I have played.

Cons:

The course is not usable all the time as drainage is a big issue. A lot of areas become small swamps.
Though a pro, the number of pin locations can be confusing for players that are not always there.

Other Thoughts:

Champoeg is another option to the great courses around Portland. Though it is not necessarily on par with Milo, Pier Park, Horning's Hideout, etc. it is a great course to play. Added bonus to those interested is the Visitor Center sells custom park stamped DX discs.
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5 0
krife
Experience: 12.7 years 41 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Overlooked in Portandia 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 18, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Outstanding teepads and baskets. The Mach X baskets catch great and look amazing. Tee pads that "flair out" toward the fairway always play better, and these 12' pads are just a treat to throw from.
-Good flow of play. With few exceptions, (hole 5 to 6 comes to mind) the next tee pad is in a logical location.
-Good use of terrain. This property is flat, and the designers clearly took time to arrange the fairways around the best feature of the terrain - the amazing oak trees! These trees are mature and majestic. A nice change of pace in the land of evergreens.
-Near non-existence of undergrowth. This cannot really be oversold to any PNW'er who has spent hours looking for discs in stands of ferns (or blackberry, huckleberry, stinging neddles, etc.) only to find your disc in the first fern you looked at! It kind of feels like playing on a ball golf course in that respect.
-The grass was recently mowed and that was nice. I imagine it is not ALWAYS mowed though.

Cons:

-Navigation. There are maps at the kiosk, but that only goes so far. When each hole has upwards of 5 pin locations, a basic map is really just a suggestion.
-Tee signs. They're there, and are printed in decent quality and laminated, but...the elements do a number on simple signs like these. Most are simply stapled to a landscaping stake, and have curled around it. Let's call them a nice start.
-Which basket are we playing today? I'm sure the locals appreciate the various basket locations (I sure would!) but unless you've played the course 50 times then you're unlikely to be able to tell if you're playing the 306' pin or the 345' pin on most of the holes.

Other Thoughts:

I've only played the course once but I enjoyed it. Other reviewers have noted the swampy conditions, which I did not experience but could certainly see where and how that would effect your round. I played the "short" tees, but looked at the longs and even threw a few from there as well. The short pads were not much of a challenge, but there is enough variety with the pins/pads to create a much more difficult tournament layout if you wanted. I'd like to play in that tournament.

The Portland area has a lot of great disc golf courses, many of which are better than Champoeg Park (Milo McIver, Pier Park, Blue Lake, to name just a few) but that should NOT deter you from putting this course on your list. This is a course to enjoy.
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1 9
Oregon32
Experience: 7.8 years 17 played 3 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Bad Timing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 27, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good Baskets good Tee's there's a long tee and short tee for just about every hole. Tree's provide good obstacles.

Cons:

Very Very Very swampy and muddy, I probably just went at a bad time. I will have to try it out again in the summer when the ground is more dry.
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7 0
Pierparknut
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.8 years 89 played 85 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Oak Tree Mania 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 7, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-This course has a beautiful setting in a quiet state park among a grove of massive oak trees. The shade is very nice on a hot summer day.

-The routing is well thought out, with all different types of shots. Four holes can play as par 4s in the long position.

-#s 12, 13, and 18 had baskets on tree stumps. A nice change of pace. The one on #12 though, was too high. It's hard to retrieve your disc.

-Very little undergrowth, hard to lose discs.

-All New Mach X baskets, doesn't get any better than that!

-At least 2 basket locations on every hole. Some holes have 4 or 5. Most holes have two tees, also. I'ts a new challenge every time you play.

-Huge concrete tee pads with a rounded side pointing toward the basket. Never an awkward run-up here.

-There are tee signs, which have been there since at least February. They are laminated paper on wood posts. At first I thought they were for a tournament, but they are here to stay. Somehow, after 6 months and plenty of storms, all of the tee signs are still there. Permanent signs would be welcomed though.

Cons:

-The ground is bumpy, with thousands of acorns, and it's easy to twist an ankle. Also, there's really no elevation change.

-No elevation change to speak of.

-Wild animal dung is all over. Keep an eye out for it.

-A sign at the info board warned of poison oak. Undergrowth is only a factor on a few holes, however. (#4, #6, #7, #15)

-It is a terrible winter course. Even on a nice winter day, there will be mud and standing water everywhere. A flat site adjacent to the Willamette River tends to not be the best place for winter play.

Other Thoughts:

-The beautiful setting, teepads, and baskets, are what makes this a 4.0 rated course in my book.

-If you're in the area during summer, definitely check this course out. In winter it is a complete swamp. But during the summer it is a beautiful walk through the woods and is never too crowded. If you are one who must play on courses with nice baskets, this is for you. And the number of pin locations makes it a new, fun experience every time.
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6 0
pdx-disc
Experience: 30.8 years 15 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Getting better but still needs work 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 9, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

* Nice location - oak groves provide shade, flat grassy meadows and some understory shrubs in the rough. Beautiful in the late spring and early fall especially.

* Some challenging holes, decent variety of shots. The new design is quite long (maybe too long) and there are many trees to try and dodge.

* Rough/out-of-bounds areas are well-marked with red stakes. Most rough areas are not too punishing. Low odds of lost discs.

* Concrete tees and rubber alternate tees on each hole. Mach X baskets are nice, but some holes have older baskets.

* Large state park with many amenities, including day use facilities, camping, historical museums, and a visitor center.

* Restrooms and garbage cans close to the course. Usually plenty of parking available.

* Only five miles from two 9-hole courses in Newberg.

Cons:

* Virtually no signage except for the first hole. Take a photo of the course map with your phone, or get a printed copy at the visitor center before you play. There can be decent walks from pin to next tee, and the direction is not always obvious. This is no problem for the locals I'm sure but if you don't play here regularly, take preparations or you will miss holes or play them out of order.

* Course is very flat. Elevated baskets on tree stumps help somewhat but it's kind of an "is what it is" thing.

* First few holes (#1-3) are a bit close together. Keep an eye out for flying discs headed your way!

* Course can get swampy in the winter, and crowded on the summer weekends.

* Some poison oak on this course, be careful.

* This is a fee park, but compared to the other fee parks in the area the course could be a bit more improved.

Other Thoughts:

* Good course for: people who haven't played Champoeg since the 2014 redesign and addition of holes - it's a lot more challenging now. Also good for people with giant arms - a lot of long holes here.

* Bad course for: beginners, people in a hurry, people looking for lots of elevation changes and mind-blowing shot setups, people playing in the winter without waterproof shoes.

* King for a day: I would add signage to the main (concrete) tees, and add "next tee" markers to the baskets. This would improve the experience for new and infrequent visitors immensely. I would also finish the Mach X basket rollout so the holes have matching baskets, and add some benches to the tees.
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3 1
volklaero
Experience: 9.7 years 10 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Newly Updated, Worth the Trip 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 7, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

A full 18 hole course now
Recently, work has been done to carve out more of a "course". It is now much more clear where to walk, and the rough is grown out a bit more which I think adds to the feel.
Large new concrete tee pads
Close to I-5

Cons:

A mixture of baskets, some single chains
No signage
Plays in a circle around a parking lot

Other Thoughts:

A much more fun course now with the recent improvements. Worth the drive, and easy to buddy up a round with Wheatland DGC just 15 min south.
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7 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

New Look Champoeg 18! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 23, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

I can't say I was familiar enough with the old Champoeg to feel qualified to speak on the differences between the two.

I was fortunate enough to be guided around the course with two regulars. Navigation would have been a chore without them. The course has a kiosk at the beginner with maps available. # 18 finishes right near the beginning which is always a nice touch. The tee pads are extra long and wide which is nice as 13/18 holes are listed as 340' or longer. A big arm is an asset on this course.

There are nine new Mach X baskets and three elevated stump baskets (one is probably a little too high.)

Plenty of garbage cans along the way and you pass right by the restrooms on the back nine.

Being in the Oak Grove, the course is flat and shady. Shady is a pro, being flat is not.

My favorite hole turned out to be one of the shortest on the course, # 14. It's just 260' with a dogleg right but there's not much room to navigate your drive through the opening. I threw a backhand roller that worked here.

Cons:

Champoeg has some low spots that would be very wet during much of the year.
Course is flat and fairly open.
Many of the 400-450' holes felt eerily similar to me.
Grass was high in places.
No tee signs or numbers on baskets.
Lacks an "Empty The Bag Hole" or a big "Risk/Reward Hole."

Other Thoughts:

I know that this course and park is extremely busy. The serious Champoeg players are hoping this remake eliminates some of the more casual rec players.

Myself, I was less impressed than other reviewers. While I think it's a solid, challenging course, it's more wife than hot girlfriend! I just don't feel it's in the same league as Oregon's top 15-18 courses.


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8 2
Getty
Premium Member
Experience: 45.9 years 173 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 17, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

I played 5 courses this weekend. This one had the best pontential and failed. Navigation was ridiculously bad.. I had no idea where to throw most of the time and missed several holes...THE DAY AFTER A TOURNAMENT!!!

I paid $5 and feel ripped off, I spent at least 20 minutes looking for discs in the middle of the fairway. Discover your mowers, OR state workers.

Don't get me wrong, though. There are some quality holes here. You will have a tough time recording a birdie if you top out at 300ft. The 375 - 450 footers were numerous and did get redundant after awhile. There's also lots of red stakes (OB), so throw it straight.

Oh, and I got hasselled for having a dog on a leash by a ranger. Skip this course, and go elsewhere for now, but the potential is really there. Kudos to the guys who try to make it happen!
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4 1
PDXdiscgolf
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great update to a classic course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 10, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is very well laid out and the recent update to a full 18 is extremely well done. There are probably triple the amount of alternate pin positions with each hole having at least two (some have 4). The teepads are concrete and HUGE! They are semi teardrop shaped which is very nice for a wide variety of run ups. Three holes have pin positions on stumps to make them elevated and mix up the course a bit.

Cons:

Course get VERY wet during the winter. There are low points all around the course with many ditches turning into creeks in the middle of the fairway. This isnt really anyone's fault but just the nature of the course in the lowlands. There is a creek that comes into play on hole 8 that you absolutely do not want to throw into in the winter but drys up in the summer.

Other Thoughts:

This is my home course and I am really lucky to get to play here almost everyday in the summer. This summer will be the first full summer with 18 holes and new teepads and I know it is going to be awesome!
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10 0
01guin
Experience: 10.9 years 43 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great update 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 27, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Trees shape the fairways to require a decent variety of shots on different holes
+ Scenic area with flat ground and trimmed grass
+ Course is well maintained and free of undergrowth, it would be very hard to lose a disc
+ New tee pads are the longest I've seen and are wider at the front to allow run ups from multiple directions
+ A few par 4s (I've read), though all holes seemed to be ~250-500ft.

Cons:

- The lack of elevation change makes for an easy walk, but also detracts from shot variety
- No tee signs or updated course map, yet. Notes for those who knew the old layout: The old hole 2 was removed, and the new hole 3's tee pad is back near the start of the parking lot. Every other tee pad and basket were pretty easy to identify.

Other Thoughts:

In an area saturated with great/excellent courses, Champoeg gets unfairly overlooked. Friends of Champoeg have done a great job improving the course, and while it isn't as challenging as Pier Park or McIver, it's a respectable course in a beautiful state park. It is ideal for beginners/families or more serious players who live fairly close. Also, note that they sell park-stamped DX Aviars, Sharks, Rocs, Teebirds, and Valkyries at the visitors center on the way in.
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3 3
PoegJunkie
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

The Old Oak Grove is All New 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 19, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

*Huge new tee pads (14 foot with 7 foot fronts)
*18 holes (4 new, one retired)
*Tons of added length and complexity (3 par 4s)
*Larger footprint
*The setting is most beautiful (tough to beat)
*9 new Mach X baskets (9 more coming)
*Very shady
*Added pin locations

Cons:

*Wet during winter months (much better with new tee pads)

Other Thoughts:

This may be the most beautiful setting to play in the area, and now we have a course to match. This past summer the course was redone to add new holes, new baskets, huge tee pads, and multiple pin locations. We are now talking destination golf.
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4 0
mbressler13
Experience: 12 years 50 played 26 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My Most Played Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 13, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Brand new huge tee pads
-Complete redesign of course adds A LOT more distance and plays more technical as well.
-Currently has 9 mach x baskets, with the other 9 coming with future funding
-Nice and flat
-Garbage cans spread around course
-Course has had a lot of trimming and cleaning done
-Now the course makes it way close to a bathroom around hole 11/12. Before the bathroom was quite a jaunt away
-Old Oak Grove provides a lot of shade during summer months
-There are still a few "am" pads on the course as well
-Quite lefty friendly.... :-D
-3 new stump holes locations!

Cons:

-Hole 18's basket is quite close to hole 1's fairway
-A few holes play over roads and/or pathways
-No tee signs currently.

Other Thoughts:

Thank you Friends of Champoeg for all the work you've done to this beautiful, scenic, and challenging Par 54 course. I LOVE IT!
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