In Memory: The Best Extinct Courses

[b-mart]

Lakewood King County Park basically underwent a redesign. Something like 16 of the orginal 18 holes are still there. I don't like the redesign quite as much but it's still a nice course.

Yeah the new layout isn't as much fun and it's a lot easier too. At least I think it's easier, but I was also new when I played the old one so my drives (with a Katana) were going about 150' and hyzering hard left. I'm going to correct you though, because seven of the holes there weren't part of the old layout. One of those seven was hole 4 but now you throw at it from the opposite direction so I consider it new.

 

[ChampViking]

The best of the Northwest with a combination of permanent baskets, homemade baskets (a couple), and tone poles, that felt like a hike on a backpacking trail not more than 10 minutes from town. The elevation changes were really fantastic, especially compared to the flat courses around here. I don't know how people got mowers back there, but they did. Reasons for extinction are HOA related.

Mossy Roc DGC in Bellingham/Sudden Valley, WA

 

[LeewayeDiscGolf]

HP in Colorado Springs, CO. Maybe not the biggest or most challenging, but it was always very fun. Never super busy, very scenic views, right in the middle of Springs, but felt outta town. My son and I will still say to each other that 'today feels like an HP day'. Miss that lil' course.

 

[bettsjc]

HP in Colorado Springs, CO. Maybe not the biggest or most challenging, but it was always very fun. Never super busy, very scenic views, right in the middle of Springs, but felt outta town. My son and I will still say to each other that 'today feels like an HP day'. Miss that lil' course.

Just saw this thread for the first time and was coming on to list good ol Hewlett Packard DGC. This is a major loss to DG in the Springs area. I can't imagine how crowded Cottonwoods is, not that it could possibly get any more crowded out there. I think its a huge loss that a course that overlooks Pikes Peak from about every hole could be gone! Some original shots, very nice course considering there was virtually no upkeep of the course. I'll miss it on my ventures back over there, and when I move out there in the future

 

[kw83028]

The original Kensington course. I only got to play it once, but it was a great course.

Wish I played then. Looks like a cool course

 

[takman]

Maybe not the best, but the one I miss the most is Inland Greens DGC in Wilmington, NC. This was one of Pat Farrell's designs from a par 3 ball golf course. Mostly open and groomed, the perfect compliment to Castle Hayne.
Only open for about 18 months...RIP.

 

[General Scales]

The best of the Northwest with a combination of permanent baskets, homemade baskets (a couple), and tone poles, that felt like a hike on a backpacking trail not more than 10 minutes from town. The elevation changes were really fantastic, especially compared to the flat courses around here. I don't know how people got mowers back there, but they did. Reasons for extinction are HOA related.

Mossy Roc DGC in Bellingham/Sudden Valley, WA

I grew up in Sudden Valley and would've killed to have that crappy campground converted into a disc golf course when I lived there. I got to play Mossy twice before it got shut down and it was fantastic. Was really a big blow to disc golf in the Bellingham area when the baskets were removed. Thanks Sudden Valley for being jerks.

I really miss the 21 hole layout at Downriver DGC in Spokane WA. That was the first course I played and the 21 layout, while slightly dangerous in a few area's, was just frickin awesome to play.

 

[ashmgee]

I'm guessing you saw Jamie's post on the Par Infinity page. Why someone would go out and rip out ferns is beyond me. And like you said right after a group of Par Infinites went out and worked on cleaning along the river, getting us some much needed good PR. It's just sad.

I know. Hopefully this doesn't end bad.

 

[humchris85]

I know. Hopefully this doesn't end bad.

The really sad part about this is that it an active member in the club who did this. I will figure out who it was even if Jamie will not tell me.

 

[ashmgee]

Ya, it will come out eventually I'm sure.

I haven't been out there in a little over a week so I haven't seen it.
That's all I will comment on this matter, because it's not my place.

 

[humchris85]

Ya, it will come out eventually I'm sure.

I haven't been out there in a little over a week so I haven't seen it.
That's all I will comment on this matter, because it's not my place.

The only time I've been out there in the last 2 months was when I cought the very end of the Goddess Games. Being injured sucks . I will probably go out and take a look just to see what the damage looks like.

 

[ashmgee]

Is the back feeling better at all. Seems you have been hurting for a while now?
I probably won't make it there till this weekend. I've been really busy during the week.

 

[MikePinchico]

Chico's short course This course is where I learned to play DG. It was shut down because the city of Chico caters to piece of crap environmentalists. It was a great place for beginners to learn without getting frustrated. It has been gone for two years and there is still no replacement that was promised.

 

[lion]

I really miss Emerald Isle in Oceanside. Awesome course that had it all or all I ever asked for. I also wish I could of played the Shasta ski club course that was stupid high in elevation with amazing shots and awesome amenities.

 

[humchris85]

Is the back feeling better at all. Seems you have been hurting for a while now?
I probably won't make it there till this weekend. I've been really busy during the week.

There's days when I feel beter than others, but for the most part it is still hurting bad enough that I'm still keeping myself from playing. I've decided that I'm not going to be golfing till I'm 100%.

 

[danhyzer]

Boylan Family Farm in Laurel Springs, N.C was one of the best courses I've ever played (Got to play it two consecutive years. Wish I got to play it with the discs I use today instead of Vipers and Scorpions I used when I was a novice player. I remember Steve Hill tomahawking a jaguar up hole # 18 steep hill. And helping Jack White flag the Christmas trees on hole # 1 with flagging tape and caddying for Chris Pellegrino when he won the World Amateur Championships.

Hole # 1, in my top 10 for greatest holes in the World------------ - +

 

[danhyzer]

Boylan Family Farm- Laurel Springs, N.C.
Kandahar-Fenton, Michigan
Columbus Crew Stadium- Columbus, Ohio
Big Run-Columbus Ohio
Waterworks Park- Canton, Ohio (my 1st DG course I ever played)
Emerald Isle- Oceanside, Ca.
Cape Cod Community College- West Barnstable, Ma.
Big Rumens Farm- Athens, Ohio
Delaware Elementary School (last time I got to see Gordon Holton)

 

[Ziggy]

Back when I was chasing a girl, i recall Ski Sunrise closed down in 2003 due to financial issues? And a disc golf course was placed on the adjacent mountain out in Wrightwood, CA. Wonder what course that was... Recall meeting Stork, they guy who used to do DG magazines and a guy who created the dg travelling book of courses before there was dgcr.

Perhaps lion can shed some light on my hazy memory!

 

[Toro71]

Morningside Park - Old Layout

Morningside in Knoxville is the only extinct course I've played. I haven't been able to, er, never made it to Brackett's Bluff, which is sad because I live less than an hour away.

Morningside had its issues as a course, but it was so old school, "built" in the 80's, right by UT. Tees were dirt, or marked spots on sidewalk, or top of the stairway landing, etc. A few wacky shots. There were about 20 chances to hit other players or park goers.

Playing there was great for me, as a guy who just really discovered the game (or at least my obsession with it) in the past couple of years. The layout totally made me think of a bunch of long-haired dudes wandering over from campus with their "state of the art" aviars etc, and making the course up in the park. It wasn't "designed," it was "improvised." The course was like a window into the past in that way. The oldest course here in Charlotte is only a year or so "newer" than Morningside, but it is definitely a "designed" course. (Talking Reedy Creek here, never played Latta Park, or whatever you old-school CLT players had going on back then.)

I read an article about "Superclass," and the push for it, to help keep some of these classic "gems" relevant.

Anyway, RIP Morningside time machine.

And I suppose it's not totally extinct, apparently just being extensively reworked, to make up for advances in disc technology, as much as anything.

 

[Hampstead]

And Big Run in Columbus was a blast also. I played the last ever round there with a bunch of great people. Chuck Custer, Kevin Stewart and a few others. Me and Kevin were the glow-doubles winners of the very last round ever played on that course.

I used to play Big Run all the time.



R.I.P.