Satsuma, AL

Steele Creek

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2.15(based on 5 reviews)
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4 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.8 years 694 played 680 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Did I Just 4 A 190 Foot Hole? 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 5, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

(1.614 Rating) A short technical course.
- SHOT SHAPING - I appreciated the amount of thought I had to take at the tees. Every play out here has to be well crafted. 8 of the 9 throws I'd classify as heavily wooded.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Perhaps the strongest aspect of the Steele creek, is its beauty, however I'd still only place it slightly above average. Lots of fully wooded plays without manmade structures in view. However, the vegetation lacks the vibrancy and healthy appearance of many other fully wooded courses I've played recently and I didn't see much in the way of wildlife either.
- CHAINS - DISCatchers, yeah.
- ACEABILITY - Eight tee shots under 250 feet. So needless to say, players are going to be gunning for chains on many holes. This stated, all the holes require a well thought out and well executed line. So far, none of the 14 DGCR recorded rounds list an ace.
- NAVIGATION - Although the course has no navigational aids on site, running this course is fairly easy with a download of the course map on DGCR. Lots of intuitive paths lead from the basket to the next tee.
- QUICK PLAY - I played three rounds in an hour. Two were solo rounds and the last round was a 3 pack that took 25 minutes.

Cons:

Lots of room for improvement.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - Although scoring will vary wildly, overall its not to tough, and rec players should be able to break par on average. I threw three rounds out here improving each time, (+2), (-1) and (-5). The challenge on this course is completely driven from accuracy. Rec and novice players that like technical courses may actually really enjoy this shorty.
- OVERGROWTH - I played in the heart of winter when much of the overgrowth will retreat significantly. Still however, the ricochets here will still end in some moderate thicket. I have a feeling that the summer will be brutal.
- BOGGY - I had a chance to throw with some regulars on my third round and they mentioned that throwing here from June through September is awful. Horrible biting flies, mosquitoes and spiders, among other critters. They said no one plays here during that time frame.
- CHARACTER - Other than nice baskets, the other creature comfort items and amenities are absent. There is no tee seating, no course map and no community board. There aren't any multi tees, multi baskets placements or a practice basket. The hole signage is extremely simple being just a 6x6 post with a number.
- TEES - Awful. Pitted natural surfaces that are probably nothing but mud after a good soaking. Considering that this course is now 4 years old, I wouldn't expect concrete tees to come anytime soon.
- UNIQUENESS - If it weren't for the shot shaping, this course would be a snooze fest. Nine tunnel shots that seem to have been designed by someone who likes left to right breaking shots. A run of holes (4-7), all twist right. Four other holes are putter runs and hole (2) is a pick one of four, 4 foot gap holes. The longest hole just exceeds 300 feet and thus there are no par 4s or par 5s. With a course name like Steele Creek, players would expect some kind of water to come into play at some point. They'd be right too, but only when it rains.
- ELEVATION - Holes (1) actually plays up just over 10 feet. I kind of wish the play was in the other direction. The rest of the holes change no more than a couple feet.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - The appeal of this course is really limited. An advanced player writing 4s on their scorecard, on sub 200 foot holes, will tick them off. On the flipside, beginners will have fairways that are far too constricting to encourage development.
- PARKING - I have no idea where it is, nothing is marked. Just park on the grass by tee (1), I guess.

Other Thoughts:

Don't come here expecting a disc golf nirvana. This is a neighborhood course that will work for those living within a few miles and for baggers trying add another notch. I messaged Mr Butlerton before traveling here asking if it was quick and easy to traverse and he was one hundred percent accurate on his yes and yes reply. Really, that's all I ask for in a course I target, everything else is a bonus. During my final and 3rd round out here I ran in to locals Khan and Shannon. I'm sure glad they showed up as I finally started to hit the lines out here and ran off a bunch of birdies.
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7 0
Mr. Butlertron
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.7 years 684 played 131 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Be Steele my Heart 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 17, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- free to play, ample parking
- low traffic course
- hard to lose a disc
- lots of shade
- ace runs
- a full 9 of quality baskets
- the short technical nature of the course is different than most courses in the area
- intuitive course flow, few directional arrows between holes where needed

Cons:

- very basic course amenities
- no a lot of shot variety, too many holes felt the same, a bit boring
- course felt a little worn down, needs some TLC
- natural tees
- some luck involved, fairways too obstructed by random branches and tree roots
- hard to see the baskets in the dim woods

Other Thoughts:

Steele Creek is a short, technical pitch and putt in the woods. Hole 1 starts near the boat launch parking lot and moves in a counter clockwise direction through the woods and ends near the starting point. I opted to start near the rec center parking lot because I was unsure if parking at the boat launch or the church would be an issue.

Besides the first hole, the terrain is mostly flat and pretty darn short. Tees are natural and the fairways are mostly straight forward. Between the tight lines in the air and the root filled ground, a great deal of precision and a bit of luck is required to throw these fairways. Not many discs are required to throw this course, mostly putters with a mid or two added to the bag should suffice.

I wasn't necessarily crazy about the course, but it offers short technical gameplay that many courses in the area lack. It's something that course baggers will appricate to break up the monotony of all the open college courses of Mobile, however, I doubt many locals frequent Steele regularly. I recommend keeping your head on a swivel if there are other players on the course. Some holes overlap as you transition from holing out and teeing off on the next hole.
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5 1
The Drake
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.4 years 126 played 61 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Good start 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 27, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is one of two courses relatively close together in area about 15 minutes north of downtown Mobile. The course is pretty easy to navigate overall with a nice flow to it. Obviously the amount of land available for design was very small and it appears the designers used every inch they could to squeeze out 9 holes and did a pretty decent job in my opinion.

With the exception of the 2nd hole I would say the fairways are pretty distinguishable for a wooded course. As I often comment for wooded courses I tend to be on the look out for pinball fairways and or pinball greens. For the most part the greens here are very fair and its easy enough to keep a disc in the fairway if you're a straight thrower. Even if you hit a tree and spray off the underbrush is manageable making losing a disc difficult.

With use of the innova DISCatcher baskets they are very easy to see through the trees.

If you're in a pinch for time this is a very quick course to play. I think I finished the entire thing in under 30 minutes.

There is not a lot of other traffic. You don't have to worry about hitting anyone else on the course. Of note though with the limited land some of the tees and pins are relatively close so just be aware of the occasional errant long throw.

Cons:

Of course the first thing you see about the course is that it is only 9 holes. Again, not a total deal breaker but I feel like for most golfers if they're going to go out of their way to play a course would prefer 18.

The holes themselves are also very short. For more advanced players you will not require a driver off the tee. A couple of good stable to under-stable mid-range discs and a putter should do the trick.

There is a lodge on site but as is pointed out in the previous review it is only really open for special events and meetings so there's not a clear bathroom that's easily accessible there. There was a port-a-john near the 2nd hole though.

I always put this as a con but on a short course like this I don't know if many would agree but natural tee pads. I just personally am not a fan but on a short course like this I don't think it matters too much.

Its still rough around the edges in terms of stray branches, rough terrain etc. so watch your footing while it gets smoothed down.

Other Thoughts:

I traveled up to play this course knowing I was going to go across the way and play the course in Creola afterwards. This proved to be a nice quick little round to help loosen up the arm a bit. So while I wouldn't necessarily recommend driving a decent ways to play just this one course, in conjunction with the other course I think its worth a play.

For the locals this will be a nice course to work on the short game and help with some shot shaping for mid-range discs. For beginners I think this is a nice introduction to wooded golf.

I was also a little confused about parking and so grabbed a spot by the lodge but as I finished my round noticed several other locals who were pulling up who basically just parked by 1's tee pad.
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5 0
hammerhead611
Experience: 10.6 years 13 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice course... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 22, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

*Course is located in a nice, quiet area.
*Course is fairly clean (there is primitive camping (tents) allowed in the area), therefore there is some trash lying around.
*Trash cans on several holes.
*Even though the course is located in the woods, it is rather hard to lose a disc.
*Suprisingly dry course...considering that we had record rainfalls here last week, the course was fairly dry. The creek was flooded and water was just about up to the 1st hole tee box. All other holes were relatively water free.

Cons:

*Short course (only 9 holes with the shortest hole being about 190' and the longest being a little over 300'...rumor has it that the back 9 will be put across the street in the woods adjacent to the senior center)
*Being a relatively new course, there are still small stumps, vines, and underbrush that can be tripping hazards.
*With all of the rain we've had lately, the woods are becoming filled with mosquitos, yellow flies, and other biting or stinging bugs. Bring bug spray!!!
*While I haven't ran across any yet, be cautious of snakes...the course backs up to the creek, and water moccasins, rattle snakes, and other Mr. No-legs are native to the area. Watch where you are stepping and reaching when picking up your discs.

Other Thoughts:

In reply to the 1st review...
The lodge is not normally open...it is used for meetings, weddings, receptions, etc. There usually isn't anyone there during the day. The only restroom is the port-a-potty located next to the 2nd hole and there are no water fountains on the property. Plenty of parking, in the grass along the wood line and in the parking lot across the street (just don't park in the parking lot at the senior center).

I just found out about the course a few weeks back and have played it several times, since it is close to the house. This course is short, with no real chance to let a disc fly...I stepped the longest hole off at just over 300'. Most of the holes are straight shots from tee box to basket, yet a few have dog-leg and hooks incorporated. There is no elevation change at all...every hole is flat. The course is marked fairly well, with arrows pointing to the next tee box and, on some holes, indicating the path to the basket. Someone has tried to mark the path from the tee to the basket on some of the sponsor signs, but they aren't too accurate (one shows that the fairway dog-legs to the left, when it actually dog-legs to the right).

The course was built with money from "hole sponsors". Each hole was sponsored by a local business (I'm guessing that the businesses paid for the baskets on each hole). Please make note of the businesses and thank them by supporting them when you can. Without their support, we wouldn't have this course to play. And, please pick up any trash that might be laying around...let's keep the course looking nice (I have picked up several empty plastic drink bottles each time I have played.
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5 0
enragedmullet
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13 years 117 played 81 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Nice little course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 12, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

• on-site facility (port-o-john) and picnic table near hole 2
• Garbage cans every few holes
• Plenty of opportunity to hone your finesse

Cons:

• no bag holders, if that's your thing
• Holes are rather short
• I didn't see a water fountain, but that doesn't mean there isn't one near the lodge or maybe by the boat ramp?

Other Thoughts:

This is a nice little zig-zaggy course with evidence of recent play and, from the glowsticks on the Discatchers, some night games.

It's your classic, woody course that requires some finesse to miss the trees and no water hazards, but most of the holes are pretty short - it didn't seem like there were many over 300'. I think it could be argued that a lot of the holes are par 2.

There was a box marked scorecards but it was empty. (No biggie) No real signage, but the course is well marked with posts and arrows, and as the course is on the short side it's easily navigable.

There were a few mosquitoes out and more than a few bees/hornets buzzing around the ground in the rough, which I'd think would be a seasonal hazard.

After entering the park if you drive toward the boat ramp you'll see tee 1 on your left. Seems to me like sometimes one could get away with parking near there but there were so many trucks w/ empty boat trailers that I decided to park in the lodge parking lot. I'm not sure if the lodge is open to the general public for restrooms, but I didn't think so on account of the port-o-john near hole 2 - I could be wrong though, it was my first time here. All in all it's a decent little course.

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