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Fire Mountain Disc Golf Sanctuary reviews
28
0
An incredibly scenic track, though not for the new or fearful
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 4, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
There is so much good to say about this course. Yes, it is tight. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it will humble you. Yes, you will hit a lot of tress. No, it isn't beginner friendly. But also yes, it is a truly amazing gem of a course.
NATURAL BEAUTY – this is one of the most beautiful of the 230 properties I have played disc golf on (KUMM Discgolf Parcours in the Austrian Alps being the only one that immediately comes to mind that I'd put ahead of Fire Mountain). This course winds through a gorgeous forest at the bottom of a mountain tucked into a corner of the gorgeous flowing Raven Fork River. The views of the surrounding mountains and the sounds of the rushing water are incredibly serene. The course was constantly striking our group with new wonders and beauty throughout our round.
AMENITIES & EQUIPMENT – everything here is top notch (with one exception listed in Cons below)
• Tee pads – perfectly sized concrete tees all in perfect shape. They are all very level and clean. If these pads were a disc golf standard on all courses, many courses would greatly benefit
• Baskets – brand new DISCatcher Pro 24s. Brightly painted red and yellow for the various layouts
• Tee signs – very, very well done. They each have Cherokee-based hole names with Cherokee language and a history of the hole theme within the Cherokee culture (such as the significance of the rattlesnake, etc). The maps are great, with distances for each basket option. There are also "next hole" signs that make the course very easy to navigate
• Other – there are very large rocks that have been painstakingly placed in key areas, like around tees as seats or on key parts of the fairways or near baskets. Downed trees have all been moved to line the fairways in key places, creating a clear fairway edge. Stone paths and stairs are very well-made and in great condition. There are benches and tons of tee-pad seating all carved naturally out of giant logs. Overall, just by walking the course, one is blown away by the effort that must have been put into all the small details.
• Practice baskets – I remember at least 2 practice baskets. The first is in a large open area near the road and is in a great location. It has some trees to straddle around, some elevation, but also plenty of open and flat putting opportunities as well. The 2nd practice basket is gorgeous but pretty much useless as it is on an elevated concrete mound just a few feet away from the steep bank down to a raging river. I couldn't imagine anyone actually practice putting here, but it's a gorgeous photo opportunity before your round.
COURSE DESIGN – now for the fun part: how does the course play?
• The course is HARD but extremely fair. To me, this is the epitome of great, challenging woods golf. The lines are tight and accuracy (and distance accuracy) is very key. But the lines through the massively tall trees are there and are very reasonable. The lines might not be huge, but they are reasonable. And while you will be hitting (likely many) early trees, the rough on most of the course is also relatively light of underbrush and very fair. Outside of a few very thick areas, most of the course is very scramble-able and gives you opportunities to redeem a terrible drive with a heroic par (or bogey) save..
• Variety – this course will have you throwing a lot of different shots. Forehands, backhands, overhands, rollers, hyzer-flips, laser beams, forced flex shots, etc. There is a ton of shot-shaping opportunity here. There is a decent amount of elevation that is used very well but don't expect any giant or steep elevation changes (like a "top of the world" shot off a mountain or anything).
• Layouts – while each hole only has a single tee, each has a red and gold basket for varying degrees of difficulty. We played golds and while I didn't play reds, they looked a fair bit easier but still not easy by any means. Reds would be a great mid-level amateur layout that would be very challenging. Golds will challenge top Ams and Pros alike. Unfortunately, there isn't much here for beginners (you're welcome to play, but don't expect an easy day)
• While being a very long course, it is actually very compact and there isn't much walking between holes. And while some holes are very close to each other, they never feel really on top of each other. The design is quite compact and makes full use of the space given.
NATURAL BEAUTY – this is one of the most beautiful of the 230 properties I have played disc golf on (KUMM Discgolf Parcours in the Austrian Alps being the only one that immediately comes to mind that I'd put ahead of Fire Mountain). This course winds through a gorgeous forest at the bottom of a mountain tucked into a corner of the gorgeous flowing Raven Fork River. The views of the surrounding mountains and the sounds of the rushing water are incredibly serene. The course was constantly striking our group with new wonders and beauty throughout our round.
AMENITIES & EQUIPMENT – everything here is top notch (with one exception listed in Cons below)
• Tee pads – perfectly sized concrete tees all in perfect shape. They are all very level and clean. If these pads were a disc golf standard on all courses, many courses would greatly benefit
• Baskets – brand new DISCatcher Pro 24s. Brightly painted red and yellow for the various layouts
• Tee signs – very, very well done. They each have Cherokee-based hole names with Cherokee language and a history of the hole theme within the Cherokee culture (such as the significance of the rattlesnake, etc). The maps are great, with distances for each basket option. There are also "next hole" signs that make the course very easy to navigate
• Other – there are very large rocks that have been painstakingly placed in key areas, like around tees as seats or on key parts of the fairways or near baskets. Downed trees have all been moved to line the fairways in key places, creating a clear fairway edge. Stone paths and stairs are very well-made and in great condition. There are benches and tons of tee-pad seating all carved naturally out of giant logs. Overall, just by walking the course, one is blown away by the effort that must have been put into all the small details.
• Practice baskets – I remember at least 2 practice baskets. The first is in a large open area near the road and is in a great location. It has some trees to straddle around, some elevation, but also plenty of open and flat putting opportunities as well. The 2nd practice basket is gorgeous but pretty much useless as it is on an elevated concrete mound just a few feet away from the steep bank down to a raging river. I couldn't imagine anyone actually practice putting here, but it's a gorgeous photo opportunity before your round.
COURSE DESIGN – now for the fun part: how does the course play?
• The course is HARD but extremely fair. To me, this is the epitome of great, challenging woods golf. The lines are tight and accuracy (and distance accuracy) is very key. But the lines through the massively tall trees are there and are very reasonable. The lines might not be huge, but they are reasonable. And while you will be hitting (likely many) early trees, the rough on most of the course is also relatively light of underbrush and very fair. Outside of a few very thick areas, most of the course is very scramble-able and gives you opportunities to redeem a terrible drive with a heroic par (or bogey) save..
• Variety – this course will have you throwing a lot of different shots. Forehands, backhands, overhands, rollers, hyzer-flips, laser beams, forced flex shots, etc. There is a ton of shot-shaping opportunity here. There is a decent amount of elevation that is used very well but don't expect any giant or steep elevation changes (like a "top of the world" shot off a mountain or anything).
• Layouts – while each hole only has a single tee, each has a red and gold basket for varying degrees of difficulty. We played golds and while I didn't play reds, they looked a fair bit easier but still not easy by any means. Reds would be a great mid-level amateur layout that would be very challenging. Golds will challenge top Ams and Pros alike. Unfortunately, there isn't much here for beginners (you're welcome to play, but don't expect an easy day)
• While being a very long course, it is actually very compact and there isn't much walking between holes. And while some holes are very close to each other, they never feel really on top of each other. The design is quite compact and makes full use of the space given.
Cons:
There are very few overall cons I can really think of here. However, a few to nitpick:
DIFFICULTY - The most obvious here is what other reviews I have seen dock a lot of points for on this course: the difficulty
• Is this course very hard? Yes. Is it designed for all skill levels? Not really. Players rated under 900 will struggle here to score. Players under 800 will likely have a very tough time. Very good and great players will be humbled frequently. However, as mentioned above, it is fair and the rough is very "scramble-able". But expect to need to be very accurate even on distance throws. Again, you will be hitting many trees and likely many very early trees. However, as a 940-ish rated player who played doubles here, I LOVED this course. Even when I got punished, I really appreciated what the course was trying to get me to do and had a lot of fun scrambling from my missed shots.
• Also on the difficulty topic is the river. The river is gorgeous and is a great obstacle and ornament IMO. But on a few holes, it is precariously close to the fairway. I loved this risk aspect, but for newer or less skilled players, there are a few areas where the river is tough to avoid, even playing reds. And the river is fast, so do not expect to see a disc again once it gets wet. Again, this isn't a knock on the course or design, but rather more of a warning of what to expect.
COURSE DESIGN – again, I loved this course and its design. But, if there are a few things to nitpick:
• Thick rough on a few holes. This course is new and not fully broken in. Most holes actually seem like they've been there for years and are perfect. However, there are a couple of places where there is very thick brush and a few where it is right around the basket. While this might be a somewhat intentional design that might work on hole 18 (even that could be a bit thick by the basket), I personally would clean up a few of the other areas. Just a few spots feel like you're throwing your disc to a basket that is essentially in a jungle and you're more or less just hoping to get lucky through the thick brush. Though this is maybe 2-3 spots on the whole course.
• Lack of open shots. While this is, IMO, some of the best woods golf you could imagine, it doesn't have any open shot to really power up on. I don't really think this course absolutely needs it, but one open (especially open bomber hole) is usually a nice addition to a woods course. Just to get a break from demanding lines and throw a different type of shot (or take out some frustration).
• Compared to the best of the best courses I've played, there is a bit less decision-making here in terms of risk vs reward. Most holes have a single line, some requiring a very specific but well-executed shot and others providing some interesting options (overstable flex, understable hyzer flip, flipping forehand, etc). So there is decision-making. But compared to courses like Harmony Bends (my current #1), there aren't multiple fairways to pick for the most part and a bit less overall course strategy. I only bring up this criticism because I'm giving this course 5/5 stars, so feel I need to call out this very minor shortfall to some of the other best of the best.
AMENITIES – while what is here is immaculate and perfect, there are two things missing: trash cans and bathrooms. I'm assuming this course doesn't get a ton of traffic, and I'd hope the players that do come here respect the natural beauty so it was very clean. But a few trash cans could be useful (though I could also see why they might not have them due to wildlife considerations and the logistics of managing it). Expect to (and please do) pack out your own trash.
DIFFICULTY - The most obvious here is what other reviews I have seen dock a lot of points for on this course: the difficulty
• Is this course very hard? Yes. Is it designed for all skill levels? Not really. Players rated under 900 will struggle here to score. Players under 800 will likely have a very tough time. Very good and great players will be humbled frequently. However, as mentioned above, it is fair and the rough is very "scramble-able". But expect to need to be very accurate even on distance throws. Again, you will be hitting many trees and likely many very early trees. However, as a 940-ish rated player who played doubles here, I LOVED this course. Even when I got punished, I really appreciated what the course was trying to get me to do and had a lot of fun scrambling from my missed shots.
• Also on the difficulty topic is the river. The river is gorgeous and is a great obstacle and ornament IMO. But on a few holes, it is precariously close to the fairway. I loved this risk aspect, but for newer or less skilled players, there are a few areas where the river is tough to avoid, even playing reds. And the river is fast, so do not expect to see a disc again once it gets wet. Again, this isn't a knock on the course or design, but rather more of a warning of what to expect.
COURSE DESIGN – again, I loved this course and its design. But, if there are a few things to nitpick:
• Thick rough on a few holes. This course is new and not fully broken in. Most holes actually seem like they've been there for years and are perfect. However, there are a couple of places where there is very thick brush and a few where it is right around the basket. While this might be a somewhat intentional design that might work on hole 18 (even that could be a bit thick by the basket), I personally would clean up a few of the other areas. Just a few spots feel like you're throwing your disc to a basket that is essentially in a jungle and you're more or less just hoping to get lucky through the thick brush. Though this is maybe 2-3 spots on the whole course.
• Lack of open shots. While this is, IMO, some of the best woods golf you could imagine, it doesn't have any open shot to really power up on. I don't really think this course absolutely needs it, but one open (especially open bomber hole) is usually a nice addition to a woods course. Just to get a break from demanding lines and throw a different type of shot (or take out some frustration).
• Compared to the best of the best courses I've played, there is a bit less decision-making here in terms of risk vs reward. Most holes have a single line, some requiring a very specific but well-executed shot and others providing some interesting options (overstable flex, understable hyzer flip, flipping forehand, etc). So there is decision-making. But compared to courses like Harmony Bends (my current #1), there aren't multiple fairways to pick for the most part and a bit less overall course strategy. I only bring up this criticism because I'm giving this course 5/5 stars, so feel I need to call out this very minor shortfall to some of the other best of the best.
AMENITIES – while what is here is immaculate and perfect, there are two things missing: trash cans and bathrooms. I'm assuming this course doesn't get a ton of traffic, and I'd hope the players that do come here respect the natural beauty so it was very clean. But a few trash cans could be useful (though I could also see why they might not have them due to wildlife considerations and the logistics of managing it). Expect to (and please do) pack out your own trash.
Other Thoughts:
I was expecting a very different experience based on some of the reviews here and on the other platform that shall not be named. I was expecting a very long, hard, and unfair course that would lead to a long, somewhat frustrating round. I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the reality.
Had I been playing singles, especially the first time through this track, it would have been a lot tougher and a bit more frustrating, but I don't think I would have enjoyed it any less. Rather, we had a group of 18 guys for a bachelor party (all probably in the 900-970 rated range) and did random doubles. We had an amazing time and everyone was blown away by the course. I didn't hear a single person complain that it was too hard or that it was unfair.
If you are in the area and like scenic, challenging golf, this is a must play. If you really love wooded golf, this is a destination course you should make every effort to get to play.
Had I been playing singles, especially the first time through this track, it would have been a lot tougher and a bit more frustrating, but I don't think I would have enjoyed it any less. Rather, we had a group of 18 guys for a bachelor party (all probably in the 900-970 rated range) and did random doubles. We had an amazing time and everyone was blown away by the course. I didn't hear a single person complain that it was too hard or that it was unfair.
If you are in the area and like scenic, challenging golf, this is a must play. If you really love wooded golf, this is a destination course you should make every effort to get to play.
13
0
Catamount
Experience:
1 played
1 reviews
A championship-level hidden gem 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 30, 2022
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Great tee pads-- 5' x 12' concrete with no drop-offs and perfect texture. Signage everywhere-- beautiful and informative tee signs, lots of "next" signs to direct you to the next pad. Two nice course signs and three putting greens on the property. A sweet pavilion in the middle of the course.
This course has a very natural look and feel. The views of the river are gorgeous. Several greens are located near the river and surrounded by rhododendron. Stone staircases throughout (the one on Hole #1 is spectacular). Huge rocks serve as seating behind the tee pads.
A great mix of lines off the tee-- although a dead-straight, 300 ft. drive will serve you best on many holes. Several Par-4s-- some of them are definitely birdie-able, some are very challenging. Most of the par-3s are loooooong. Two potential ace runs...maybe. Only one hole is under 300 ft.
This course has a very natural look and feel. The views of the river are gorgeous. Several greens are located near the river and surrounded by rhododendron. Stone staircases throughout (the one on Hole #1 is spectacular). Huge rocks serve as seating behind the tee pads.
A great mix of lines off the tee-- although a dead-straight, 300 ft. drive will serve you best on many holes. Several Par-4s-- some of them are definitely birdie-able, some are very challenging. Most of the par-3s are loooooong. Two potential ace runs...maybe. Only one hole is under 300 ft.
Cons:
The course is brand new...needs a few years to mature. Builders obviously dealt with some invasive plants by cutting poison ivy vines the size of my arm from trees...and more than a few grape vines. A few years of beating them back will make this course a 5+.
Other Thoughts:
This is definitely a championship-level course. Even the red (short) baskets (there are 9 of them) are challenging. I saw a bull elk that must have been over 700 pounds. He didn't bother me but he scared the crap out of me. The "Watch for Wildlife" signs are real.
