Tips:
• General course info:
https://escalongolf.com /
• This map is 98% accurate:
https://d22ksth68ujgu2.cloudf...N5Zlfkekc.jpg
• Some good pics of the course here:
https://udisc.com/courses/escalon-Sozr
• Tees are currently marked by a sign and then a piece of wood embedded in the ground to mark the front of the tee (with little orange flagy things)
Random Thoughts:
Escalon is a mixed ball/disc golf course, where the ball course is an executive style 9-hole course on a small-ish, square-ish plot of land, with the disc course mostly following the ball course but looping it twice. The first loop of the course covers #1-#14 and the second #15-#27. One loop costs you $5 and two costs you $10 (very reasonable to me). Now you might be thinking that a course that loops the same plot of land twice with no elevation change might be boring, but you'd be wrong. While there are shared baskets amongst the holes, the course designer(s) have done a great job creating unique holes/shots for all 27 out there. What makes this course fun and interesting is the tremendous amount of trees and the thoughtful use of those trees and the greens/sand traps as OB. Additionally, the course crew must have been absolutely giddy when they stepped just off the fairways of this course and saw these perfect rows of trees wrapping the perimeter. Yup, disc nation, that means you get several tree lined tunnel shots to work on your straight throwing disc game, and after you throw your 3rd-ish one, you might be thinking that this course is a one trick pony, and again you'd be wrong, because that's when the course gets you out on the grass to test out all your other shots. What really impressed me about this course was the location of the tee boxes. There are several examples where the tee is placed 'just so' such that you have some kind of decision to make as to which path you want to take to the basket. Rarely do you have a 'let it fly' shot off the tee. You are almost always throwing out of trees, through trees, or into trees, or some combo of all three, and if that's not enough of a challenge, you have the OB greens/sand traps to contend with. Add it all up, and you'll find yourself thinking a lot on this course about where to safely land your disc. You're routinely having risk/reward conversations in your head. Go under the tree or around the tree? Go for the basket or layup? Layup short? Right? Left? Personally, I loved it. Now you might be thinking that this means the course is difficult and you shouldn't. There are definitely some tough shots out there. There are also 5 par 4s and they're not what I'd call 'short', but I did birdie one of them. Overall I left the course -2 with 4 birdies and 2 bogeys and I felt like the course was fair to me. I can point to myself for everything unfortunate that happened vs something unfair about the course.
Bottom Line:
For being brand new, this course is well on its way to being something special. You can tell a lot of thought and love went into the design and once you have permanent tees in place you won't have much left to improve upon. Yes, you'll need to be patient in sharing the course with the ball duffers, but I think it's worth the wait for the number of holes and challenge it presents. I also read that they do nighttime glow golf, which I've never done but it sure sounds cool. So, bravo course crew and I look forward to returning soon!