Both of the Sunrise courses play along and follow the existing cross country ski trails. The North course follows them almost the entire time.

Course Infrastructure:

Navigation is simple even for the simple minded, most tee pads are either in sight or in the area that you would think they would be naturally; along the ski trails. There are really nice, detailed tee signs showing all of the multiple basket locations, there are 2-3 on each hole and this course has at least two of them in for every hole which is nice if you want to play all the baskets without walking; just take multiple drive off each pad.

The holes themselves:

There is a really good amount of elevation here as you're in the mountains and it makes many holes very interesting. Plenty of variety with uphill and downhill right to left and left right lines. The course challenges mostly intermediate to advanced players by making them shape shots and find landing zones and when they don't that's when the score go up. Although not a super treed course the fairways which are open in the middle and closed to the right and the left make you feel pressure to throw with the fairway and land on said fairway. If you don't do this you are punished with a likely 10-15 foot pitch out into the fairway.

Aesthetics:

It's beautiful. You're in the mountains and usually the only group on it. There are these yellow, wild daisies that grow all over the place that compliment the surrounding green trees and hills. There is a lot of wildlife if you pay close attention. We heard or seen wild turkeys, grouse, deer, groundhogs, and all sorts of birds I can't even mention. I would probably come up here to hike or ride my mountain bike if there weren't already a disc golf course here.

Teepads:

The teepads are atrocious and it's really unfortunate. They were obviously dug out of the hard ground and they out in rubber pads but these things are so uneven and lumpy it's dangerous. There is either a large lump in the center and the sides of the pads slant down or there are multiple lumps and even holes in the pad on many of them. There are some par 4 holes out here and even the par 3 holes out here aren't pitch and putts and I found myself very quickly resorting to a one step or a standstill throw for the entire round. If you're going to ask a distance drive out of me you sure as hell better provide a tee pad good enough for me to do an X step from.

Hole 9 and 14:

When we arrived at hole 9 and we thought the tee pad was facing the wrong direction. It faces into a wall of bushes with a little creek on the other side. I go and walk around to find the basket over all of the crap about 200 feet up. They are asking for a 200 foot thumber or tomahawk (which I don't have) or risk losing your disc in the thick stuff. We opted to play around to another holes fairway. I'm not a huge fan of this type of hole with the only way to make birdie with a specialized, highly risky throw off the tee that many don't have.

Hole 14 is a long open par 4 hole sitting just under 700 feet. I despise long open holes as I don't see the strategy or fun in these holes. Perhaps you disagree with me. It's the only type of this nature here so perhaps it's tolerable but for my taste I will skip it next time and move on to a more interesting part of the course.

Both of these courses on site are very well put together and designed. I rate the North course just behind the South course but both are worth playing. It is a beautiful area and the golf is no different. Pocatello in general has very good disc golf courses and the area itself is worth a visit for a course bagging trip. Idaho Falls is just up the road an hour and has a few good courses as well. infinite discs out of Logan Utah has a pro shop in the middle of Pocatello that is well stocked with discs and other disc golf gear. I'm coming back to Sunrise for sure!

- 18 Black Hole Portals with Yellow bands. These will move on a few holes between a short and a long location. They're all well mounted and catch great. The first half of the course has another 9 of the same with Red bands that are in much shorter and easier pin locations in an attempt to creat a beginner friendly track.(more on that below)
- 18 tees with framed in rubber mats ranging from appropriately sized to James Conrad approved on a few of the longer holes.
- Lots of elevation in play. Some steeper and some more mild, almost every hole has noticeable change. A few holes offer unique multi-stage changes which I love.
- Most of the fairways play along cross country ski trails. With pins thoughtfully placed this results in a goodly amount of shot shaping to get at the circle or set up for the second shot on the par 4's. Not a ton of challenge getting off the tees but precision is required to score well.
- Well though out greens off of the trails. Some slightly more open but many guarded and often by gorgeous aspen groves.
- Nice balance between the wooded trail lines and more wide open bomber holes.
- 4 par 4's add to the variety of hole type. None of them are alike. Honestly, very few holes feel similar, par 4's or 3's.
- The Sunrise courses are set in a beautiful valley south of Pocatello. Modest mountains covered in pines and aspens with a bit of high prairie sagebrush surround you while you tackle either course. It's a really beautiful place to be out tossing saucers.
- Pretty good maintenance. The fairways get mowed so the ski trails can open with less snow. There are stretches of the summer where it would be nice to get an extra mow in.
- Free to play. I'd be willing to pay.

- While the tees have good mats and are appropriately sized, many lean with the slope on which they're built. Not ideal.
- Tee signs have been temporary laminated sheets at best. On my last trip most were missing. Bummer for travelers since a number of holes are blind. There are tall metal poles that at least help with finding the tees.
- The course relies on the ski trails a little too much. A couple holes have a similar feel because of this. But generally you're playing a ski trail. The South course does a little better job getting you off of them for a few holes.
- Some of the open holes are a touch too open for my taste.
- Couple-few par 3.5 feeling holes. Not my favorite.
- The rough has been vastly improved over the 2 years of these courses young existence. It's still gnarly. First time visitors will benefit from spotters to avoid lost discs. Often times 10' off the ski trail fairway is a pitch out only situation. I don't mind bad shots getting punished but this can happen most of the way down a fairway from even decent to ok throws.
- Hole 12. It's been improved with some tree removal but no thanks. Unless you've got a pretty dang big thumber or can hit a 300' FH through a 12' gap at 275', it's tough to imagine your drive getting in the circle. This is my least favorite hole on the entire property.
- Open range for cattle at certain times of year. Whether you play through cows or not, their patties will litter the course.

I really love the Sunrise courses. They have some flaws but the goods really outweigh the bads. I rate the North course slightly lower than the South but have yet to skip it while down there. It still has a pile of signature holes and unique aspects that have made every one of my rounds enjoyable.

Certainly not for beginners however 9 short baskets offer a more beginner experience. It just seems like a bit of a waste as you'd have the full walk which ain't anything to shake a stick at and then you're halfway out there. So you either walk back, walk the rest of the course, or play which won't be fun for players of that level. Because if this, I don't really consider the 9 Reds in my pros, cons, or overall rating.

The course is fairly hikey. Maybe slightly less so than the South course, and certainly not a beatdown like some courses, but good shoes, water, and some decent physical shape will help. Really, I feel like any course that doesn't have some hills to hike around probably isn't that great of a play anyhow. At 4 hours from home I make this trip at least once every year. Lots of fun golf in the greater Pocatello region and plenty of awesome places to camp. If you're in the area and not a beginner, get yourself some Sunrise.

+ Great variety of shots. Several are tight and technical following cross country ski trails through the forest. Still fair sized gaps and lines; rarely feels like a poke 'n' pray (if ever). Also a few open bombers. Good mix of straight, right-to-left, left-to-right. Really tests a lot of different shots.

+ Good variety of hole lengths. Couple ace runs, but also a number of longer par 3's and a few legit multi-throw holes.

+ Elevation in play on most holes. Again, awesome mix of throws. Variation tests many skill sets.

+ Baskets are all MVP Black Holes; seem to catch well. Basket installation is proper. Still new and in pristine condition.

+ Tee pads are rubber mats, and the correct care was taken to frame them up and get gravel substrate placed beneath the rubber. A few are a little lumpy, but overall they're some of the best rubber pad tees I've played on.

+ Also, where appropriate, tee pads are HUGE--I'm talking 12' or longer in some cases. For those that like a long run up before a big drive, these tees can accommodate that!

+ Map at the site entrance makes the navigation feasible.

+ Beautiful area, secluded in a rugged patch of basically untouched wilderness. Course is mostly forested with a few touches of prairie/sage terrain mixed in.

+ Some amenities on site: picnic table, bathrooms. Good amount of infrastructure available from the cross country ski center. Not bad for the middle of nowhere.

+ Even for some of the rougher foliage areas, each hole has at least a path mowed, and the greens are mostly in tidy condition. A few of the holes have fully mowed fairways, and it really gives you the sense that it's worth the effort to get this course really cleaned up and in prime shape eventually.

+ A lot of work has clearly gone into the course. The sky is the limit as far as improvements that can be done: provisions are in place for tee signs, some of the harsher rough could be tamed, maybe selective tree removal to open up designed lines in a few spots. Could become a true dime, and it looks like that's the intention of the great folks who have been working on the course so far.

+ Also: Bonus! There's another 18 hole course on site. South course is in a similar vein, perhaps a few more open bomber holes in the prairie type landscape. Altogether it's a great place to spend a day.

- Still some work to with the installation, then a lot of traffic would really help to break-in the course. Not sure if there are plans to clear some of the brush, or just let it get trampled eventually.

- Certainly not beginner friendly.

- A few blind holes hinder the initial navigation. Helpful to have a spotter on some of the holes, either because blind or just big hucks into tall sage.

- I guess some people might be bummed that there are no water hazards. I personally think that the existing terrain provides plenty of good challenges as is, but definitely no water carry holes.

- Active cattle grazing as of 7/2018. Lots of cow pies on the course. New tee pads seem like a popular place to defecate. Not quite sure why that is, but there's plenty of empirical evidence to back it up.

Wow, just a blast to play here. We played before installation was complete, but can already tell that the course has the bones to be 4.5/5 quality or better. Hate to hamstring it with a 3.5 review, although it is already at that quality even though incomplete. So mods, PLEASE DELETE THIS REVIEW after the install is complete. (Or fund my trip to go back and re-review!)

Very much worth the trip to play!

Bring your own water. Sturdy footwear strongly recommended.