• 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)

North Fort Myers, FL

Tortoise Run DGC

2.865(based on 14 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Tortoise Run DGC reviews

Filter
13 0
adlacro
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.9 years 152 played 125 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Tortoise Run

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 16, 2023 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

18 holes with at least two pads to every hole, and many with alternate positions. Baskets are in fair condition and took no hurricane damage. First few holes have tight fairways before opening up to some wider gaps throughout a relatively open field lined with palmetto bushes. The course tightens up again in the back nine before a finishing hole going over the lake that borders hole one's fairway. Fairways are free of debris, which says a lot for the area being less than 4 months removed from a major hurricane.

Cons:

Take these with a grain of salt, given the hurricane that rolled through a few months ago:

Off the fairways are piles of downed trees and limbs, making errant throws even more punishing. Only a few holes had signage left.

Other than hole 18, which is a large water carry, there's no real signature hole or shot. No elevation, but it's Florida, nothing you can really do about it. 11 and 12 are not beginner friendly, as your shot must traverse over a fenced-in swale that is OB and there's no access over the fence to retrieve errant throws.

Other Thoughts:

I had the course to myself, not surprising given the time of day I played and the weather that morning. Hopefully as the area continues to recover, a little bit of TLC will be put into the course, the debris gets removed and the palmetto bushes trimmed back, and some signage either gets added or the stumps next to some pads are touched up. It is playable and passable for the time being.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
8 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 46 years 1562 played 1507 reviews
2.50 star(s)

North Fort Meyer Community Park Has A Little Trouble With Their Numbering System! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 23, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

The park is large with a real Florida marshland and Florida forest feel to it. Many fairways seem to be cut out of the marshy grasslands. There are scads of mature trees to avoid. Two holes (11 & 12) play down a narrow 15' wide fairway with a chain link fence on your right the entire way. Thick bushy palms and tree are on the left. I didn't see a gate and didn't want to scale this fence (my dear wife always tells me not to do anything stupid and at my advancing age climbing over tall chain link fences definitely qualifies as stupid). So I ridiculously chose to throw a forehand roller, with limited success.

On the first three holes, I threw off three different tee pad surfaces, carpet, concrete and patio block. Not a big deal, just kinda interesting. I assume they are in the process of installing concrete. I thought the patio block tees were fine. The basic little tee signs show the distances for both sets of tees. I think, only the shorts had the signs with all the information. A couple holes had no signage. The baskets are basic Mach I models. I did appreciate the small wooden next tee arrows that were affixed to the bottom of the baskets, except # 5, which was pointed in the exact opposite direction from the actual pads.

Playing from the shorts, the course is recreational level. The longs appear to be longer but mostly the same look and line to the basket. Playing over 1300' longer I think the challenge level might be creeping up into the advanced range. A player needs descent accuracy to play here. This is another course that I wouldn't exactly call technical but it is tight in places. I don't see it as being a good fit for the beginning player.

Favorite hole? No one hole wowed me. I actually thought 11 & 12 playing along the fence line we're kinda cool along with a certain element of pucker. As tight as they are, I think better players wouldn't hesitate to hyser one out over the fence and let it fade back to the basket.

Cons:

I liked the description previous reviewer, jeremyjsand, used to describe North Fort Meyers DGC. He proclaimed it, A Diamond With Some Rough. I'm thinking he meant the course is rough around the edges. Agreed.

The course feels a little neglected compared to many. I see signs that someone is working to improve things here. Someone was out today with a chain saw working along on of the fairways. But, when you see three different types of pads on the first three holes, you know this is a work in progress. Not like Taylor Lake Park up north where the local club is doing amazing things.

The little next tee arrows were so very helpful except for the one on the # 5 basket. It points in the exact opposite direction of the next pad.

The numbering system totally confused me starting at hole 14. Some of the signs had one number and then the short sign had a different number and then the basket said something else. I though I was done after playing what I thought was # 18 before a guy wandering by told me that was 17 and directed me to 18. Then all the distances on those tees was screwed up. I finally threw from the shortest tee and the sign said 105'. 105' is about one half way across the pond.

A few holes had no signs.

The course is flat and there's not much in the way of hole variety. You're not often forced to shape your shots. I'd say this is another course where you're not going to have to use every disc in your bag.

Other Thoughts:

The course felt a lot average to me. Average beauty. Average challenge. Average pads, baskets and signage. Average maintenance and upkeep. Average design and uniqueness. Average excitement factor. Throw in some below average elevation and I feel compelled to give this course an average rating of 2.5. It has it moments but.....and I played in January when it was dry and the vegetation might have been less of a factor than in the summer months.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.3 years 658 played 637 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Oh Joy, Pavered Tees. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

(2.721 Rating) A challenging course with upkeep issues.
- CHALLENGING - Not championship difficult but advanced players will be able to test their skills here. I think your typical advanced player (950 rating) will struggle to maintain par here from the back tees. There are a few shots well of 400 feet and lots of obstacles to avoid. I personally played the shorter tees for my round and didn't crack par. Playing above your skill level here can be punishing, especially if your aim is suspect.
- SHOT SHAPING - Very good. Not as good as the nearby course, The Preserve, but on par or better than neighboring Estero. This is one of those courses that on few holes you'll believe that branches are growing into your line after you release your disc. My favorite lines were (3) (14) and (18). The last half dozen holes all make you strategize your plan of attack, or perhaps your defense plan.
- SPACING - A lot of South Florida course are jammed into a tight space. The North Fort Myers course is one of the few exceptions. Very little chance to run one into another fairway and tees are nearly all well protected from errant discs.
- CHILL AREAS - Only a few benches and I think one or two picnic tables along layout. There is just enough seating along the layout to take a break every few holes to ponder how that easy 3 became a 5.
- ALT PINS AND TEES - Lots of extra pins placements and numerous holes have duel pads.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - There are several nice looking wooded and water holes out here. The last six-hole stretch was my favorite portion with four solid wooded holes followed by two holes with water lurking on the left side. On the flip side there are also a few duds out here as well. Having the chain link fence along the right side on (11 and 12) is neither appealing to look at or to throw

Cons:

North Fort Myers has your typical south Florida issues, thick vegetation, flatness and plenty of water.
- GATORS - Prime gator habitat at the water on (17 and 18) with signs warning as such. I'm not sure if the locals actually see gators in these ponds or not, but I wouldn't want to find out.
- LOOSE DISC OPPS - A very real possibility considering the above issue. However, there are more scenarios as well. In addition to water on (17 and 18), water is all over on (3) and also right of the fence on (11 and 12). The course also features thick vegetation, numerous palms and palmetto bushes. This is not an ideal course to have an off accuracy day. Keep in mind that I did play North Fort Myers in the summer. I know of several south Florida courses that dry up and lose the vegetative thickness during the winter. This course may as well.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Bringing a first timer here is not a good idea. That stated, I'd be hard pressed to recommend any nearby courses as an ideal beginners courses.
- CHARACTER - A touch below. A cool stickered up bag hanger on (5). Multi baskets and tees and mentioned in the pros. A few benches, trash cans and a practice basket. However, it's the next 3 items listed below, that lead to a below average score.
- NAVIGATION - No map on DGCR and no map on site. The layout does have a little bit of intuitiveness to it and there are some directional cues and next tee indicators on the tee signs. However, that didn't stop me from walking around aimlessly a couple of times. Figure coming here blind on your first time will add at least 15 minutes to your round.
- TEES - Wow, I was expecting a lot more from a course rated this high. Many of the tees use concrete pavers. I want to say I've played 5 or 6 courses that utilized pavers and none of them were in good shape, and this course is no exception. Most of these pavered tees are heaving up, down and to the side. A few had broken pavers as well. A couple were so bad that I teed to the side. There were also a couple temporary mats. They were better than the pavers but still not ideal.
- MAINTENANCE - The course needs a touch more love, perhaps it was the time I played. In addition to the tees, the overall feeling I got from the course was a little run down feel. Not horrible by any means, but lacks the curb appeal like that of Estero and The Preserve. A couple signs were missing or damaged. Grass wasn't cut in several areas.
- ELEVATION - I you guessed that this course was flat, you'd be right. If you're searching for a course with some elevation, Estero about a half hour south has a couple 30 foot elevation plays.
- UNIQUENESS - In addition to no elevation, I think the overall variety was around average or a touch below compared to the courses I've played thus far. For one thing, all par 3s. No doglegs or water clears. It didn't seem like they were any bomb-it without worry holes out here and not one shot felt like a chip shot ace run. What the course does have going for it is the technical nature of several lines to the left and to the right. I recall at least one raised basket on (9) but I think there may have been another. Water parallels two holes really well and has a marginal effect on a couple other holes.
- TIME PLAY - Figure 2 1/2 hours for a four sum here.

Other Thoughts:

The 100th course I hit in Florida. The thunderstorms were building all around me the day I came. I thought about bailing several times but was blessed to only get a few sprinkles during my round. North Fort Myers fills the gap between two of Southwest Florida's top courses (The Preserve and Estero) Although I think the North Fort Myers course comes up a bit short compared to those gems, I still would happily call this course my own if I lived in the area A great course for those looking to be challenged, but a poor choice for the kid with one or two discs.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
8 1
reposado
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 278 played 276 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 9, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Surprisingly well-maintained with nice wide fairways suitable for beginner to intermediate players. For the most part a nice variety of hole shapes and lengths and the difference between fairway and rough is obvious. A lot of the holes feature mowed out areas between the scrub palms and the goal is to toss it along that fairways. Of course there are plenty of opportunities for an advanced player to throw over all of it but he better be careful to get back to a safe landing space here. Other holes feature a bit more of a wooded look, with canopies and tree lines and the rest, so this is a good mix of holes that should be fun for most players.
I found navigation simple with new tee signs that had been installed just that week and solid equipment all over the course. Though I could see this course getting out of hand, if the maintenance continues to be like what I saw, this will be a pretty good stop on any trip and a nice alternative to Estero for locals who fear water.

Cons:

The rough is that typical of a lot of Florida courses. Scrub palm that sits about waste high that you want no part of going into for retrieval. Though I think it works for the most part here, this is typically a style that I dislike, as there are rarely trees that make you shape your shot: all the rough can be flown over. At other points, the fairways is lined with murky water and the hole shapes are straight and uninteresting. It does have a bit of the problem where the holes are red-level in terms of difficulty but the rough is inappropriate for new players who may be frustrated with the fact that an errant shot will have them in misery. There are also a few holes that are just why, as they follow a preexisting path parallel to a fence that guards some sort of drainage system the end of which features a basket tucked slightly to the left.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 0
cohunter
Experience: 13 years 39 played 8 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Palmetto Forest 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

A varying of shots for all disc golfers. The local league/park has worked hard at creating a course that can be easy for the beginner or difficult for the more advanced players. Each hole has a pro and am teepad and multiple pin placements(according to map on pin placements).
The course was very quite with only a few people playing and very few people out on the course. This was the same when played in January too when the weather was cooler.
Holes: 3,11,12, and 16 were pretty narrow. 18 throws over the corner of a pond. 1-3, 10-18 are all pretty shaded and played through the palms and oaks.
The rec center staff were helpful in getting me a course map, which I recommend getting, and the rec center also has nice restrooms and cold water from the fountain!
All baskets were up kept well with not damage and all were marked with a number to help identify.

Cons:

Brand new layout and design is the reason for the cons. But I am going to put them so that future players know. As the course improves and problems are taken care of I'll update the review.
A lot of trash, was disappointed in how much trash was on the course. Only a handful of trashcans, on #6 near the basket there is an old "dump" where locals have discarded trash and a lot of glass.
4-10 plays out in a palmetto forest. Literally cut down by a mower for fairways, stay straight and the palms are no worry, go right or left and your are on an Easter Egg hunt! The palms do come into effect in 11-17 but these holes are in the oaks and offered shade.
The league and park tried to put in signage but park users have vandalized the temp signs and finding your way can be difficult.
The tee area has no sign for distance or pin placement so walking ahead looking for baskets was a must, most teepads were either temporary pavers or the old rough concrete teepads.

Other Thoughts:

Once navigation and signage is taken care of this will help boost the course. Being hot and confused looking for a teepad isn't fun. The trash unfortunately will take a while to collect as a combined effort from all park goers is the only way to fix the issue.
Overall it was a good experience and will play again.
Was this review helpful? Yes No

Latest posts

Top