Pros:
- Free
- On the grounds of a brewery
- Fun little holes that allow for plenty of ace runs
- Reasonable shot variety
Cons:
- Very short
- Still rough
- Poison ivy just off the fairway
- 9 holes and no room available for expansion
- The chance of hitting cars is real
Other Thoughts:
A cute little 9 hole course that criss-crosses the brewery grounds, Sumttynose DGC is a welcome addition to the NH repertoire of courses. With the closest course to the Hampton area previously being about 30 minutes away, SDGC will give the locals a fun way to get into the sport. There is a reasonable amount of elevation change, both up and down hill, and enough trees to make for some challenge to a newer player. The holes are very short, ranging from around 250 at the longest to around 120 at the shortest. The shorter holes tend to have the most extreme elevation changes, with the 120ish hole being at about a 20ft drop. Each hole is distinguishable from the last, and there are some very interesting routes available to those with the imagination to find them. Of particular note is hole 7, which at first glimpse is a short, tight dogleg left. If you look a little longer, there's a risky big anny shot that makes for an easy two if you can avoid the streetlight and subsequent nettle filled ditch. Hole 8 was also a lot of fun, with a 200ft shot to a basket that was very heavily guarded on all sides. There's a tight line to approach from the far left, and a 3ft tall "coin slot" on the ground at the right where one could skip in to the green as well. For the bold, one could also go up and over the treeline, then let your disc crash down to the basket through the pines, but the shot has more of a "plinko" feel to it than an actual golf shot on that route.
While the short course will appeal to beginners, anyone with any kind of experience will likely need to make a trip or two to the brewery if they want to remain entertained for more than an hour or so. The holes are VERY short overall and most of the lines are evident off the tee. Every hole is very much an ace run, and while some may enjoy that aspect, I like my birdies to feel like an accomplishment more than my pars to be a failure.
One major issue I had was that hole 2's basket is feet from the main entrance to the brewery, and the fairway crosses the driveway. The teesign asks players to yield to traffic, but an overpowered shot could easily turn over into the road proper. Hole 3 also holds the potential for a road shot, though the pavement is not directly in play.
You'll also want to be careful on hole 6, the short, sharp downhill toss. About 15ft behind the basket is a barbed wire fence that is difficult to see in the dark section of the woods it's in. A warning would definitely be a good plan as an encounter with the fence would not be fun.
I will likely play this course quite often this fall, as it is 5 minutes from my office, free, and able to be completed in about 30 minutes. While there are some serious limitations, the space available was used fairly well and the course is entertaining. I would not recommend traveling to play it unless you plan to hit the brewery as well, but if you're passing through the Hampton area, by all means try it out. The course is only about 5 minutes from 101 and 95, so it's very easy to fit in a round here on your way to numerous other pursuits.