-
Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
Big Hill Lake - South reviews
1
3
Dynamic_83
Experience:
16 played
6 reviews
Decent course,sloppy layout 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Dec 1, 2018
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Plenty of open fairways for distance throwing.Change of terrain throughMultiple basket placements
Cons:
Most of the course is unmaintainedPoor design where the baskets atCan be grueling when hot out during tournaments due to the terrain
Other Thoughts:
This course can be fun and it does let you throw some bombs but this course lacks maintenance most of the time and the basket placements can be aggravating.When they have tournaments here in the summer it can be really bad but overall it's a decent course but not number 1 in kansas
5
0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
20.9 years
550 played
429 reviews
Big, Big, BIG Hill Lake 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:May 6, 2018
Played the course:once
Pros:
Big Hill Lake in Cherryvale is an amazing layout. It has a number of epic drives. There are several holes with heavy woods. Water comes into play a couple of times. It is well equipped with very good tee signs on all holes, concrete tees, and good baskets. There are multiple locations for pins on each hole: Red, Yellow and Blue. Some are extremely long.
I arrived late in the day, and wasn't sure if I would be able to get in all 18 holes. I could have, but in my hurry to get through I messed up and missed one hole. Still I was very impressed with the course as a whole. The first 4 holes were good, with a drive over the pond on hole 4.
The first time I was kind of awe struck was when I stepped into the tee box for hole 5. It is a good long hole with an elevated tee, but what caught my eye was across the street. It was hole 17. I saw the basket first, and worked back to the tee. Not sure where in the sequence it was at the time, but I couldn't wait to get there.
7 is another stunner. The tee is at the top of the dam and it is a long way to the bottom. I saw the basket for 8 and mistook it for the short pin on 7. I missed seeing the blue pin for 7 1349' away. It was beginning to get dark, so spotting a grey basket a quarter mile away is not so easy. I skipped 8 all together, and didn't want to backtrack to figure out where I went wrong. The stand of trees where it is located looked like an interesting orchard kind of hole.
Hole 9 plays close to the spillway, and is a good long hole with the pin on the side of the hill. 10 is fairly steep uphill, with several trees to get around. 11 is another downhill monster drive, pretty wide open. I nailed the tee shot and took my only birdie of the day here. 15 is a good hole, slightly uphill, and pins placed in pockets in the trees after an open fairway most of the way. 16 is probably the most heavily wooded hole, and is uphill out of the box, with undulating and curvy trail once you pass the shortest pin.
17 is the only hole I have ever seen like it on any of the 370 courses I have played. The tee and the pin are about level to each other, but the fairway is a football sized field that is 35-40' below. I guess the field might have been cut from the hill to stage materials and equipment used in the construction of the dam. There was a nearly vertical drop with a metal staircase in front of the tee. The drive travels around 350' across the flat and there is an equally steep climb to the pin at the top. No stairs on the far side, watch your step climbing to the green. I got off a great drive, and floated my mid range on the approach, leaving a 30' par putt that I missed. The pics under the media on the course page give you an idea, but I recommend seeing it in person if at all possible.
I arrived late in the day, and wasn't sure if I would be able to get in all 18 holes. I could have, but in my hurry to get through I messed up and missed one hole. Still I was very impressed with the course as a whole. The first 4 holes were good, with a drive over the pond on hole 4.
The first time I was kind of awe struck was when I stepped into the tee box for hole 5. It is a good long hole with an elevated tee, but what caught my eye was across the street. It was hole 17. I saw the basket first, and worked back to the tee. Not sure where in the sequence it was at the time, but I couldn't wait to get there.
7 is another stunner. The tee is at the top of the dam and it is a long way to the bottom. I saw the basket for 8 and mistook it for the short pin on 7. I missed seeing the blue pin for 7 1349' away. It was beginning to get dark, so spotting a grey basket a quarter mile away is not so easy. I skipped 8 all together, and didn't want to backtrack to figure out where I went wrong. The stand of trees where it is located looked like an interesting orchard kind of hole.
Hole 9 plays close to the spillway, and is a good long hole with the pin on the side of the hill. 10 is fairly steep uphill, with several trees to get around. 11 is another downhill monster drive, pretty wide open. I nailed the tee shot and took my only birdie of the day here. 15 is a good hole, slightly uphill, and pins placed in pockets in the trees after an open fairway most of the way. 16 is probably the most heavily wooded hole, and is uphill out of the box, with undulating and curvy trail once you pass the shortest pin.
17 is the only hole I have ever seen like it on any of the 370 courses I have played. The tee and the pin are about level to each other, but the fairway is a football sized field that is 35-40' below. I guess the field might have been cut from the hill to stage materials and equipment used in the construction of the dam. There was a nearly vertical drop with a metal staircase in front of the tee. The drive travels around 350' across the flat and there is an equally steep climb to the pin at the top. No stairs on the far side, watch your step climbing to the green. I got off a great drive, and floated my mid range on the approach, leaving a 30' par putt that I missed. The pics under the media on the course page give you an idea, but I recommend seeing it in person if at all possible.
Cons:
So, this is a really challenging course, maybe not for the youngsters, newbies, or anyone that has trouble with long walks and hiking big hills. I would print the map off the course page just for backup purposes. Not a hard layout to follow, but it might save some excess walking between holes along the way. The signs are good, but the baskets will not always be visible from the tee.
I saw another tee pad near the first hole, maybe one that was moved from an earlier layout. It was too dark to see if there was a basket somewhere down the hill from that box. Looked like it would have been a good hole, but went in the opposite direction of the next hole.
There are a few holes that are flat, long and mostly open. They get a little repetitive around hole 12-14 and 18. The downhill bombs are fun, but there is little to no obstructions to be avoided. OB is about the biggest hazard if any on these holes.
I saw another tee pad near the first hole, maybe one that was moved from an earlier layout. It was too dark to see if there was a basket somewhere down the hill from that box. Looked like it would have been a good hole, but went in the opposite direction of the next hole.
There are a few holes that are flat, long and mostly open. They get a little repetitive around hole 12-14 and 18. The downhill bombs are fun, but there is little to no obstructions to be avoided. OB is about the biggest hazard if any on these holes.
Other Thoughts:
I think this is in the top 2 or 3 courses in the state of Kansas. Longview is my home course, and best of the 40 that I have played around the state. Big Hill Lake is probably the runner up. Another great course on a lake that has spectacular elevation changes for the great plains. There are not as many trees, making distance the primary challenge on several holes.
Really worth playing, try to get a day where the wind is not too strong. I was lucky it had calmed down to very still that evening. In high winds this one would be wild.
I will try to get to Cherryvale to play this one again. It is a long drive to a remote location, but it is well worth it. Give it a try if at all possible. Loved it.
Really worth playing, try to get a day where the wind is not too strong. I was lucky it had calmed down to very still that evening. In high winds this one would be wild.
I will try to get to Cherryvale to play this one again. It is a long drive to a remote location, but it is well worth it. Give it a try if at all possible. Loved it.
3
0
ROTFLandmines
Experience:
13.9 years
15 played
11 reviews
Well worth the trip. 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Feb 3, 2017
Played the course:once
Pros:
LONG open drives.
Interesting technical shots.
Creative water hazards.
Very clean/well maintained.
Signs are extremely well done - Shows accurate map/pin location/ and next tee.
Multiple [3] pin locations for almost all holes.
Interesting technical shots.
Creative water hazards.
Very clean/well maintained.
Signs are extremely well done - Shows accurate map/pin location/ and next tee.
Multiple [3] pin locations for almost all holes.
Cons:
No course map available.
Other Thoughts:
I am a Pennsylvania native who happened to be in the area and went out to throw. What an amazing opportunity! This place has just about everything you could ask for in a course, and it is extremely well maintained. I'll be breaking my review down into multiple pieces.
The front 9:
- These holes are all very unique, and you do not feel the repetitive nature that a lot of courses tend to leave behind. Most holes are laid out with some smooth bends left and right. and the occasional tight gap shot between dense tree lines. Three holes are really the draw for this course though.
Hole 4 - presents you with a beautiful throw over a small pond, the blue pin location even adds a second water hazard into the mix. With trees lining to the right, and a thick brush area behind the basket [red pin] it makes for an interesting throw.
Hole 7: WOW. 1369FT! [Blue pin] What an epic throw this one is! You start off next to the lake (a beautiful view) and start down a massive hill towards a tree grove. This really made the trip well worth it for me, an impressive launch will lead to a real confidence boost.
Hole 8: I had never been forced to have a control shot like this. Each tree is spaced out (fairly) evenly in a straight corridor. I opted for an anhyzer-flick and managed to clear the trees into the next row for a good birdie putt, but it is easy to see the trouble you can run into if that first shot comes out a bit early/late.
The rest of this course is consistent with the "long drives and controlled lane" shots. Keeping it in the fairway will avoid most water hazards, and lead to an easy par game.
Over all I LOVED this course. My only issue is that for anyone who is not a local - I do not know where the course starts. There is no sign posted, or a map of the course. Upon arrival I had to get out of the car and check the signs to follow back to hole 1. On top of that Hole 1-2-3 are all currently missing signs. Without them it was partially unplayable. Hopefully that will be fixed shortly, considering it is now the off-season.
The front 9:
- These holes are all very unique, and you do not feel the repetitive nature that a lot of courses tend to leave behind. Most holes are laid out with some smooth bends left and right. and the occasional tight gap shot between dense tree lines. Three holes are really the draw for this course though.
Hole 4 - presents you with a beautiful throw over a small pond, the blue pin location even adds a second water hazard into the mix. With trees lining to the right, and a thick brush area behind the basket [red pin] it makes for an interesting throw.
Hole 7: WOW. 1369FT! [Blue pin] What an epic throw this one is! You start off next to the lake (a beautiful view) and start down a massive hill towards a tree grove. This really made the trip well worth it for me, an impressive launch will lead to a real confidence boost.
Hole 8: I had never been forced to have a control shot like this. Each tree is spaced out (fairly) evenly in a straight corridor. I opted for an anhyzer-flick and managed to clear the trees into the next row for a good birdie putt, but it is easy to see the trouble you can run into if that first shot comes out a bit early/late.
The rest of this course is consistent with the "long drives and controlled lane" shots. Keeping it in the fairway will avoid most water hazards, and lead to an easy par game.
Over all I LOVED this course. My only issue is that for anyone who is not a local - I do not know where the course starts. There is no sign posted, or a map of the course. Upon arrival I had to get out of the car and check the signs to follow back to hole 1. On top of that Hole 1-2-3 are all currently missing signs. Without them it was partially unplayable. Hopefully that will be fixed shortly, considering it is now the off-season.
