Tips
• Bring a spotter
• Bring a map or take a pic of the one in the parking lot and also watch this excellent video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO7WYaakNxY
• Bring another spotter
• Bring water and use the restroom before you head out
• Bring another spotter
• Don't bring beginners unless their sole job is to spot
Random Thoughts:
As has been described on this site, Rolling Knolls is built on the remains of a former ball golf course, only expertly shaped to now be what I'd describe as an advanced-pro style disc golf course. By 'shaped' I mean each hole is mowed to only be a fairway for that particular hole and nothing else. There is no place here where off the fairway doesn't mean pain. You're either in the fairway, where life is good.....grass is green and short.....birds sing.....rabbits hop along peacefully munching...., or you're not on the fairway and you're in the dense forest of very tall grass/trees...evil beings hide your disc although it's right in front of you...and the forest creatures laugh at your efforts to get anything close to a clear shot at the basket. Now you may be thinking that we didn't have a good time out here. Quite the contrary. We loved this course and thought it was one of the prettiest that we have played on. The scenery is beautiful. There are critters all over the place (bunnies, deer, squirrels, etc). There are water features and nice mixes of hills, flats, forests, and wide open spaces. The course is clearly loved by all of the attention that is paid to the maintenance. We thoroughly enjoyed this course and are happy we got to visit it on our trip. What I am saying though, is this course is not easy, and will severely punish an even slightly errant shot. Dems da facts. There should be a 'Sorry, no noobies' sign in the parking lot because you're going to have a long day with probably a lost disc or two if you don't heed the warning. To play this course successfully, you don't necessarily need to throw that long. A solid 300' drive will do ya fine for most holes. But you do need to be able to throw accurately straight, and in some cases, you need some shot shapes on both your drives and your up shots to land safely. It is not an exaggeration to say that you can have a great shot turn into a terrible result by your disc being so much as 1 foot left or right of a particular landing zone. If you keep it in the fairway, you're going to have a good day. If not, you're going to have a long day of scrambling just to make par (assuming you find your disc, of course).
As for thoughts on the holes themselves:
#1 - A nice easy warm-up but you do need precision as there are guardian trees around the basket
#2 - Warm-up's over. You now have your first needle to thread or you could lay-up in the gap.
#3 - Fairly straight forward unless the basket's in the back. In that case, you need your first shot long and straight or else your second shot is going to get a lot trickier with the narrow landing area.
#4 - Pretty straight forward. Just don't be short or too long as it drops off just past the basket. Land it on the hill near the basket and tweet tweet goes the birdie.
#5 - Keep your drive in the fairway and you should be good.
#6 - Keep your drive in the narrowing fairway and you should be good.
#7 - Slightly uphill right to left shot. Obviously avoid the tree on the left and land in the short grass.
#8 - Now the fun begins as this is where you're going to want to let fly the discs of wrath. Have at it...just land in the fairway, maybe slightly left as you'll appreciate the room for your second heave.
#9 - My goodness I stared at this one for a bit. You know what I'm going to say. Fairway. But it ain't easy. You're throwing downhill which means you need a disc that's going to stay straight or maybe a slightly left turn, which means starting it at the trees on the right (yikes) and then getting it to come back only slightly left so it lands in the middle. I threw what I thought was a great shot and it still went a couple feet into the rough on the left. Ugh....
#10 - Congrats! You made it through #9. Your reward: a tougher hole. You need a great, left to right drive to ensure you don't end up in the trees on both sides. Another one I spent a fair amount of time staring at.
#11 - Now that you survived that, these next few holes give you a chance to get some strokes back. Here is a dead straight ace run. Just don't be short as the road is OB. Mean! =P
#12 - Another ace run! Except there are a gazillion trees around so ya best be straight, and don't be long. Nasty behind the basket.
#13 - Not sure I'd call this an ace run but make your way past the trees up front and collect your birdie try.
#14 - A short but tricky slight left to right shot through the trees. Don't be too far right as there's water over there.
#15 - I really like this hole. Just throw a straight 200' shot that either finishes straight or slightly left and collect your birdie. Anything right or long is getting wet.
#16 - Yea, fun's over. Your first drive needs to clear that tree straight ahead because your second shot is a blind shot over an island of nasty to a tree-guarded green on the other side. Yeegads. Easily the toughest shot on the course. Send a spotter ahead and throw your best.
#17 - Pretty straight forward. Just long and uphill. Stay straight or right and you can attack the basket on your second shot. Then enjoy the view up there. It's quite purty.
#18 - Really cool finishing hole. There's a pond just short of the green that is nasssssssty. Don't go in there. If you don't feel comfortable trying to fire right at the basket, you can always lay-up and throw across but that's no fun right? Fire at that sucker. You have room right and long. Just don't be left and short. Then....celebrate!
Bottom Line:
This was a very nice surprise for us when we played. While it is a demanding course, it is quite scenic and we thoroughly enjoyed the thought and care that went into its design and execution. We are definitely looking forward to a return visit the next time we're in the area. A hearty thank you and bravo to the course crew!