Mike's private course is absolutely phenomenal. I called him for permission to play during my vacation to Big Island. The course is off the beaten path, but it's worth the drive. Each hole has several lines, backhand and forehand. And none of them are gimmes. Call Mike to see this disc golf course in paradise for yourself
- technical and challenging lines
- beautifully designed and maintained
- baskets are cleary marked

- in a cleared out, but reclaimed rain forest nonetheless--wet!
- challenging terrain so watch your step

Bring rainboots if you have them, you're feet are gonna get wet. Have overstable and understable discs, you'll want both

Gargoyle's Garden is pretty magical. The terrain has been trimmed just enough to allow a full 18 hole course while retaining all of the natural splendor. A par of 56 that takes all shapes and sizes of throws to navigate the fairways. Challenging but playable, fun, and breath taking scenery throughout.

Mike Leitch is the proprietor of the operation, and has a good selection of discs if you need some new plastic or just want a souvenir. He was responsive when I was planning the trip and answered my questions in a very helpful manner. He also patiently helped with directions when I got lost driving to the course.

The course itself is marvelous. Trees abound, and an assortment of ferns, grasses and other exotic flora will also be obstacles on your way from tee to basket. A few holes have more clean airspace to throw big drives, but there is always something to think about as you choose your lines. There is a bit of elevation change, nothing drastic, but the land is far from flat. Sinkholes, bumps, ridges and depressions will keep you on your toes.

The layout requires a variety of shots, precision throws, and strategy. OB is in play on at least 3 holes, and one mando. Several fairways are extremely wooded and have narrow lines. It is the kind of technical and fun combination that I love. It has birdie holes, par 4's and twists and turns for every disc in the bag.

The first hole is a nice flex shot over low leafy plants, around trees, and across berms. A nice drive to lead off the round. Hole 2 is nearly blind, to a mid range target partially hidden by a small hill, and with plenty of greens to wade into if you overthrow. Hole 3 is more open, but has OB to the right if you land on the wrong side of the fence. The basket is on top of an old SUV skeleton to make that putt a little trickier.

Holes 4 and 5 are just beautiful fairways that require straight, controlled drives. Hole 6 is not long, but its a right to left line that can deflect off any number of trees.

Hole 7 is through plenty of forrest, and the basket is in the bottom of a 15 foot sinkhole. 8 looks like a straight shot, but the direct line has a lot of brush under it if you get knocked down early. The left to right line my offer better odds. 9 takes you through several clusters of trees to round out the front.

Hole 10 is the first par 4, and has one of the nice turf tees under a canopy. There is more than one line, and any way you go will be kind of tight. 11 is shorter, right to left, but not an easy pin location. 12 is a bit of a flex shot that has some distance and plenty of trees once again.

13 is the second par 4 hole. A fence runs the right side and if you cross over you're OB. There is a cluster of trees that are in the perfect place to knock down a drive and add a penalty stroke. The basket is to the left, and slightly uphill, protected by several trees. Birdies are not out of the realm of possibility, but the wind ate me up and spit me out into the bad place. 14, 15 and 16 are all bumpy fairways that have tough lines through trees.

17 is mostly open to the right, allowing a big right to left hyzer into the woods where the basket is tucked away. The closer you get to the pin, the more the lines improve for the approach. 18 is an "island green" that is OB outside of the boundary. The island is a fenced dog pen that has several trees standing along the fence line. Inside the pen there are several plants and a couple of earthen mounds in front and back of the basket that can make the putt more intimidating.

The baskets are nice, with red rims above the chains, and numbered red flags to add visibility through the trees. The tees are not uniform, but I didn't have any trip ups with any of them. The layout flowed well, and didn't require a lot of extra walking. All of the holes are pretty high quality. If I had to select favorites holes 4, 7, 10, 13, and 17 would get serious consideration.

The rainforest has a habit of being really wet. The first couple of holes had a bit of standing water in places but were still very playable. If you throw one outside of the fairway it can be very challenging to retrieve, weather it is due to thick vegetation or treacherous footing. Strong trade winds were blowing and complicating things too.

The tees are not consistent, some are rubber, some dirt and a couple of them have nice platforms with turf. The natural tees are decent, but not always level or roomy. An eventual upgrade of all tees to turf platforms would be really nice.

This was the first course in my 50th state, and what a way to finish off the mission. Mike knows disc golf, and he has painstakingly crafted a beauty of a course. It is unlike any other that I have played across the nation. The local landscape has been gently pruned in a way that conserves the native trees and beautiful plant life, leaving 18 fun and challenging holes.

Mike has created a totally unique course on his scenic island property. He is a friendly host that had guided nearly 500 players around the 18 hole layout at the time of my visit. I was number 493 in the register that began listing visitors about 3 years ago. By the way, every 100th visitor gets a free Gargoyle's Garden disc.

I felt fortunate to be there two days before a C tier one day tournament, because the course was in top form. The rain forest will consume the fairways quickly if regular maintenance lapses for any extended length of time. The work is continuing, mainly by adding improved
tee boxes. I won't ding the rating because the tees that are in place did just fine for me, but all turf tees with signs would be a nice touch.

I shot a 61 (5 over par), but I know I could do better if I played a couple of more rounds. The wind got me on a couple of throws, when I didn't commit to making some shots head on into it. I made birdies on 3 and 6, but I had OB penalties on 5 and 13. I also took bogies on 7, 8 and 16. This layout is tough but fair, and I hope to play there again someday.

Do not rely on Google Maps to take you to his place if you choose to visit. Follow the directions on the course page, they are accurate. GPS had me driving into a big field of tall grass.

Great coarse running on the side of a volcano in hawaii. No other coarse like it anywhere I have played, has great beauty all around, with a good technical layout for players of all ranges and ages.

Bring good shoes it is a brain forest in hawaii.