Saco, ME

Boom Field

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2.655(based on 17 reviews)
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3 0
lowguppy
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Has Potential, Needs Work 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 12, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Very nice layout with a good mix of shapes, distances and wooded and open field holes.

Cons:

- Old single-chain baskets
- Terribly inconsistent tee-pads. From solid concrete to half-submerged rubber mats. The worst is actually unsupported paving bricks that are completely uneven now.
- Maintenance. I don't know how often they mow, but it's not enough. In the wetter months when grass grows fast you'll spend way too much time hunting for your disc in the fairways.

Other Thoughts:

I actually really like playing this course later in the summer when the grass is under control and things are dry. It just needs so much work. I do think that if they put in a shop/clubhouse and could invest in some improvements that it would be one of the nicer courses in Southern Maine, but it seems to be more of a personal/hobby course than a business.
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4 0
rcj333
Experience: 10.6 years 82 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun change of pace 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 1, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

I found Boom Field to be a nice change of pace from your typical New England "thread it through the trees" course. When we went the grass was manageable, and the fields not too mucky. But could totally see both those being a problem after a wet spell. Tee pads were Ok, and while the signs did not have a graphic for the pin (they are usually wrong anyways it seems) they told you what you needed to know including OB areas. We had no problem getting from hole to hole and while there were people playing we had no issues with crowding.

Cons:

Tics. All 3 off us had a tic on us after the round. More a heads up than a con...but I hate tics. And as mentioned above, I can see the mud and high grass being a major con at times.

Other Thoughts:

Boom Field is probably more of an intermediate - beginner course and is over parred. Its the first 18 hole round I have ever came in under par. Buy your snacks in drinks in Biddeford, because there is nothing out there. All and all we had a fun day and would come back.
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3 0
reposado
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.7 years 278 played 273 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Potentially Great, Lacks Basics 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 27, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

There is a lot of good here. To start, it has character. The spools that serve as as tables, chairs, bag rests, whatever, make the course unique. It's out in farm country and despite the lack of livestock and crops, it feels like a farm. Even the strict warnings against trespassing without paying the fee add to the flavor.

There are also quite a few interesting holes, and my impression at the beginning was better then my impression at the end. A couple solid fairways led to a sweet half moon shaped fairway hole on the third tee. Then four was a drastically different 750 foot bomb. That's a varied start.

It also ends well, with a a nice gradual uphill climb to the 18th cage. One last reminder of how good this course could be, if a few things were fixed up.

Cons:

The muck, the muck, the muck. It hadn't been especially rainy when I was here but most of the fairways, not the rough but the fairways, were drenched and my feet were equally drenched about halfway through the course. I'm not sure what could possibly done, but I feel that one of the perks of landing your drive in the middle of the fairway should often bee dry feet.

What could be improved is the navigation between holes. If I hadn't had downloaded the map from this site I would have been completely lost on a few occasions. As is I had a difficult time ascertaining which was the next tee to throw from, which was the cage I should throw towards. These are basic elements that could be cleared up with a few wooden arrows.

The cages are also showing some age, though that typically doesn't bother me.

Other Thoughts:

One change from the map that is here. Hle 12 appears from the map to be shooting towards the OOB line. It has been reversed, with the tee near the OOB line and the cage where the tee presumably used to bee. Thank god, as I was not relishing shooting directly towards a barb wire fence.
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3 0
iHitTree
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 96 played 38 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Refreshing surprise 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 21, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A good course to work out and learn a new disc or a variety of throw types as there isn't a lot of punishment for those high and left slips or crash and burn bites to the right. It has a great landscape and scenic views. I love the hanging basket on #12. It has a good variety of holes with distances varying from about 190-790 feet. Even though it is mostly a field course, there are plenty of holes tucked into or around a brush or woods line. This is a relaxing play. The signs are spectacular. Distances and pars written with a great bonus of a verbal description of the basket location. Directions to next tee are well marked. There are also local businesses that have advertisements above each sign at each tee, which I think is great for the course and the sport--one where lack of funding only hurts courses' upkeep. The large wooden spools littered all over the course rock!

Cons:

The pars on this course are very generous. A 67 for the course will assuredly be played as a par 3 (54) course for most experienced players that can air out a disc off the tee. I think hole #4 is a par 4 at 790 feet hole #10 could be a 4 with a long tee shot bootleg right, hole #16 could be a 4, so that would make this a par 57 course which seems about right. It really depends on philosophy. In ball golf, pars are calculated assuming 2 putts. In disc, this is very 50/50 with some courses like Carousel in DE giving you pars that assume a parked approach and a one putt (there's 800 ft. par 4's multiple times). If you play a one putt style, this is a par 3 course with the exception of the beasty hole #4, which is a drive/ drive/ approach/ putt par 4, making the course a par 55. Watch out for rough on the right of 5, down the hill on 6, the right of 7 and 8, right of 14, left of 15...those spots could pose big problems in the summer. Fairway grass was long but not too bad...wear light shoes, as your feet will be wet. Boots won't save you. The course holds a lot of water. A few places, namely hole 12/13, have a design flaw with 2 completely parallel holes, causing some retracing of steps. 12 used to play opposite but discs were traveling OB out of the property causing issues with adjacent property owner, so they switched it and hung the basket which was a nice perk.

Other Thoughts:

I am a Philly area dude whose family originally hails from Biddeford, so I end up this way of few times a summer and this is my vacation home course being 10 minutes from where I stay. I like the open style hilly course--a change of pace from the majority of other courses on east coast being wooded. Wind and wet ground are the primary obstacles.
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4 0
g8orade
Experience: 12.6 years 4 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice in August 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 8, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful property that plays down a contour and up from both ends. Well maintained as of today, I didn't have any of the drainage nor mowing issues mentioned in another review. Mostly open and breezy, a few wooded shots. 12 basket is up in a tree; I like those.
No one else playing early afternoon on a beautiful August day in Maine. Worth the drive out from Wells/Kennebunk.
I really like the community sponsorship idea, businesses have taken up each hole and they are well marked. Scorecards have a map. There are bug spray and even loaner discs out to use.

Cons:

If you're looking for long and narrow this isn't it. The rough in the middle is waist high and pretty impenetrable. Watch the poison ivy that is also growing beneath the taller stuff.
A few holes are pretty short.
Mix of tee pads, some concrete others more like tarpapered wood.

Other Thoughts:

Coming off route 1 northbound, the turn onto Pine Rd is immediately past the river bridge. Pay to play is honor system, and the scorecards have a map.
Really pretty property I enjoyed the visit and would recommend it.
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4 0
seano2222
Experience: 13.6 years 67 played 10 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 28, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Caveat: This is the course I play most often, as it is only a short excursion off my ride home from work - however, if Woodland Valley moved 10 miles closer, I'd still play this course half the time. Different styles - Both great.

Only two holes on the course are entirely bordered by woods - That said there isn't a single hole on the course where the trees, terrain or out-of-bounds don't necessitate one or more very accurately placed driver shots to save a stroke. The course is everybit as challenging as heavily wooded courses, just needs to be viewed in the light it was created. I've had great luck getting back lost discs here.

Cons:

Being open, the sun drenched, fertile, former farmland grass grows as a ridiculous pace. The owner mows every few weeks, just don't expect Scarborough-like fairways. As with most courses, you need to be wary of poison ivy if you stray. Even with drainage improvements, some of the turf holds heavy rain for a few days ... This in turn holds back the mowing.

Other Thoughts:

The course, with the exception of mowing, is primarily maintained by volunteers. This season, tweaks and improvements were often in progress, such as basket placement, drainage, trimming, rough clearing and tee reconstruction. The grounds are always clean, tee box waste and empties collection is frequent. Being a bit hilly and relatively wide open adds a bit of granduer and park-like ambiance - As such it's very comfortable and relaxing venue for a round.

The wife and kids love to throw. Without the seemingly generous pars, I'm not sure they would have stuck with it when we first started, hard to buck up and come back again after a +34.

Being open, wind can become part of the fabric of the game. Fortunately predominant winds run right with or against most fairways, there is rarely punishing cross winds.

Favorite holes: 10 that necessitates an understable-rip to slice it to the right, #13 with the big hookshot, #14 that has the OB alders across the fairway out around 300 feet, #17 with that long graceful downhill drift and a stunning view looking over the back nine - Great sunset looks off to the left of the tee box too.

EDIT MAY 2012: As much as it hurts me to do it to my home course, I'm knocking down my rating a half point. The mowing and drainage issues aren't being addressed and conditions hjave degraded from last year. I've become accustomed to it and even prepare for it with rubber boots - But I've seen too many frustrated first time visitors searching for discs in the middle of the fairway while navigating the course in soaked through sneakers. Looking at the recent sucess of nearby courses, it seems like the additonal revenue could quickly pay back the investment to make these basic improvements here.
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2 11
weekend warrior
Experience: 12.8 years 9 played 1 reviews
1.00 star(s)

LAME! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 14, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

For some one who has never played before, this is the course for you! No bad shots can occure here. will bring my wife here n she'll prob shoot par!

Cons:

For any experianced golfer, this course is a joke! No obsticles other than a couple dog leg rights. But seriously c'mon. Went on va-ca ta oob n went here n it was a joke! Ridicusly wide and open! Take every par n subtrat one from it! The par 5...was an open field joke! they all were!

Other Thoughts:

If you from maine and think this course is challenging...dont ever play a real course like Maple Hill in Leicester, MA cuz you'll end up swollowing a shotgun! Oh yeah..the layout is stupid! If you wana retrace you path 7 or 8 times ta get to next tee's..then all the power to ya!
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3 0
dsm767
Experience: 20.8 years 16 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

WINTER PLAY REVIEW 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 13, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very open and a good place to work on different types of backhand and distance management skills as wells as different anhyzers and hyzer shots. seems like a good course for any other months rather then winter ( read on) for all backhand players.

Cons:

for those of you with bad back hand shots that side arm and flick with less then 300' average i would not challenge a friend who can out drive you backhand every time its not the course that skill with beat power; as an example there is a long 723' par five for the fourth hole it is a long hole and can seem longer than it is i am a distance thrower and it was a hard 4 for me.

Other Thoughts:

I did play this course in Feb of 2011 the circumstances were knee high snow with sheeted ice on every hole which was not only tiring on the way to each basket and hole but if you over shot there were a lot of narrow banks your disc can slide down in the winter, i was the only one out of my buddy and brother to be under after the first 9 holes and after much talking down, it was my first trip to the course after all we had to trudge back tot he car from the 10th hole because my friend had stepped into one of the rivers that had almost frozen over in winter and it soaked his boot. longest 9 holes i ever played, longest walk back to the car i have ever had. 30+ minutes in knee high snow shins were frozen and bruised for weeks from the ice on the snow breaking through for new holes on every step. Bring extra gear in winter!!! otherwise seems like a good course for any other months for all backhand players.
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7 0
jtreadwell
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.7 years 92 played 28 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Going the Distance! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 10, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a very different course than you typically see in the New England area. Almost every hole is all about wind and distance management with very little threading through trees. That being said it's nice to be able to really air out your arm and finally justify having that Boss sitting in the back of your bag! Hole 4 has pretty much become the signature hole for this course with its 750 feet of glory, however a few of the back 9 holes are steep enough to warrant some power driving with more placement involved.

Cons:

The par is incredibly generous and sometimes misleading. For example, there is a hole on the early back 9 (13?) that is posted as a par 4 with the hole "on the edge of the woods". Without scoping out the pin you would assume it was down the fairway a good ways, but should you power drive, you'll find that you overshot by a long ways and that this par 4 hole is realistically a short 3. You also need to be very careful should you find yourself out of bounds as the OB is choked with poison ivy.

Other Thoughts:

So overall a fun time with a few caveats. If you're a local player who doesn't feel like you can really drive like you want to, this place will be your new favorite. For those who crave technical shots and wooded madness, you may want to skip it.
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3 3
kanekasey9
Experience: 15.8 years 18 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 19, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Liked this course . The setting was very peasefull. It is a very New England setting. The course is very well marked, the baskets are easy to find. If you like well open shots this is the course to go to.

Cons:

Don't really have any.

Other Thoughts:

Was on vaction in York Beach, the ride to the course was very easy. Will go back next year.
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3 0
tracrat78
Experience: 15.8 years 23 played 4 reviews
2.00 star(s)

first maine cource 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 19, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

great new england views
nice elavation changes
a couple technical shots
great bomb (if you can really bomb one) shots
nice place to learn how to thow a long straight disc
signage is good easy to follow
kiosk is very well set up
York Beach is only 20 mins away thats were i started

Cons:

missed sign from the road by about 50 ft
maybe something bigger (or brighter)
not enough tech shots got a little bored (maybe sore) with just launching shots

Other Thoughts:

again Great New England views If you are at Wells York or Old Orchard beach take some time to go and throw in a nice relaxing cource
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5 1
Everett Evans
Experience: 30.8 years 116 played 14 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Partial review, I'll be back... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 8, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Solid tees
- Nicely carved fairways for first three holes
- Nice to have an open course in an area (Northern New England) known for punishing woods courses
- No bugs when I was there
- Good length for the holes I played
- Nice elevation changes

Cons:

Only minor:
- Sign for the course was so small we almost drove by the place
- Sign-in area is pretty run down
- Baskets are rusty (who cares)

Other Thoughts:

This is only a partial review, based on playing the first five holes during a brief trip through Saco. I'm trying not to bias my rating due to having the best five holes of my life at this course. After playing a miserable 3/4 round at Amesbury at 3 over, I finished up my day with a test run at Boom field. Holy crap!
Hole 1: parked for a 2
Hole 2: crap drive, hit 50 footer for a 2
Hole 3: parked approach for a 3
Hole 4: big drive, big approach to pin high left, missed 60 footer for a 4
Hole 5: pin high, hit 30 footer for a 2

6 under after 5 holes!! Even playing par 3 on all holes it was 2 under, including the 750 footer. If only I can play like that all the time, I would easily make $5,000 a year golfing (ha, ha).

The course was lovely, and I will be back without a doubt. If you are in the area, stop by, you will love it, especially after smacking trees at nearby courses. Cost $5 for an entire day of relaxing golf in scenic rolling hills, can't beat it.
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8 0
Jimb
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.1 years 126 played 54 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Thoroughly Enjoyable! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 6, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course was a short drive to the Old Orchard Beach area where there are a lot of other things to do.

There are benches & trash cans throughout the course. The course makes a full circle with #1 tee & #18 basket very close to the parking. Apparent upgrades have been made to the tee signs since previous reviews. They are now a plus. They have hole length, pin location info. and OBs identified when applicable. Most of the tees are in good shape now with grippy rubber mats. Some have additional length added via concrete slabs. (Some are made of large stone pavers... see Cons.) The baskets are single chain Innovas that seemed to catch pretty well. The chains are getting rusty on some but the baskets are otherwise in good shape. There are adequate next tee directions given so navigation isn't really an issue. The fairways had just been mowed when I was there and it had been dry for a while so the course was in excellent shape.

I really enjoyed the elevation change that came into play on many holes. Although virtually all of the holes are relatively or very open, throwing up steep hills or down, to frequently concealed pins, made for a lot of fun drives. There are about 3 distinctly right turning holes and 4 distinctly left turning holes. The other holes are generally straight and allow for more varied shot selections to get to the pins. There are no truly "wooded" holes on the course, but many of the pins are tucked in close to the trees so that errant tee shots & approaches can easily end up in the woods.

My typical drive is a little over 300' so there were about 7 pins that I couldn't reach off of the tee due to sheer distance, or due to distance plus elevation increase. It's was nice to get to air out several shots. While at the same time, several holes offered easy birdie opportunities to boost my ego.

The owner's 93 year old dad lives there and welcomed me to the course when I got there. And the owner (forgot his name) was there, setting up for a league when I left and was nice to talk with. Plus the locals who had showed up while I was wrapping up my rounds were cool, too.

Cons:

If you have to have true wooded holes, there are none. If you have to have water, there is none. So the open nature of the course could be viewed as a negative.

A couple of the shorter holes (#6 & #11 especially) seemed kind of "gimmicky" due to their short distances and simple RHBH hyzer lines. They served to connect the holes before and after them, but could probably be adjusted some to make them fit in with the rest of the course better.

The course was mostly dry when I played, but you could see tractor tracks in dried mud on several of the holes so the course obviously has some very "soft" areas when it's been raining.

Holes #4 and #10, and possibly a couple others, use a series of 2' x 2' concrete pavers for the tees. They aren't perfectly even and could use some work. They create a bit of a trip hazard. And #10, in particular, drops off in front of the tee and doesn't seem very safe if you take a long run up for your tee shot. A couple of the rubber mats were on top of wood framed supports and are in need of repair as they were getting pretty "saggy."

This detail didn't affect my course rating at all, but the flies were out in force when I played. So be prepared to deal with them. (If you're from New England, you're probably already aware of this, though.)

Some people don't like pay to play courses, but $5 to play all day seemed totally reasonable to me for this course so it didn't affect my rating either.

Other Thoughts:

Highlights: #4 just because getting to rip 2 drives on a hole is better than 1. I really enjoyed the short, up hill, right turning #9 a lot. The pin is tucked nicely into the edge of the woods and just made for a nice golf hole. (Sorry but I forgot to take a picture of #9.) #14 was very cool, playing down hill with the pin over a small gully lined with shrubs. I didn't go for the pin and laid up to a gap in the shrubs for an easy 3. But bigger, more confident, arms could easily go for the pin off of the tee for a deuce. And the closing 3 holes, playing severely up, down and back up hill made for a nice closure to the course. On #16, getting to throw up hill, over the gap in the trees, instead of through the gap, really made me feel good as I know I couldn't have even reached the trees a year or two ago.

I also got to play the Woodland Valley courses when I was in Maine and Boom Field served as a perfect contrast to those heavily wooded courses.

The par of 67 listed on the scorecard and hole info. here on DGCR is very generous. I would expect that par could easily be set at least 11 shots lower for experienced players as even I shot a 55 and a 53.

Given the opportunity, I think that a 2nd set of tees could probably be added... some shorter and some longer. This could really add to the courses appeal as I really enjoy 2 sets of tees in most cases.

As the title says, I thoroughly enjoyed Boom Field and the next time I'm visiting the area, I will most definitely go back. I can generally judge how much I like a course by how many of the holes I can visualize in my mind after playing it... and I can still imagine all 18 holes of Boom Field while I'm wishing that I was there.
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3 3
kfitz
Experience: 9 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

boom 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 8, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

good mix of elevation, long and short, strait aceable, hidden aceable holes, the elderly man who lives in the house by it was very friendly

Cons:

little over grown most of that summer, drainage was an issue
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4 2
dukdukgolf
Experience: 16 played 16 reviews
2.50 star(s)

boom so/so 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 3, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Actually liked the elevation changes and hole layouts were decent. A few real fun holes. also close to old orchard beach which is why i went to it.

Cons:

very wet,,swampy. Needs to be mowed very very bad. Some tee pads in disrepair.

Other Thoughts:

honestly it could be a good course with a little work and maitenance. if it was mowed with better tee pads id give it a 3 or 3.5.
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4 2
Spoonie-J
Experience: 24.8 years 23 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

More like Boom Swamp 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 25, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Closest course to the summer beach areas like Old Orchard, Wells, etc. Nicely secluded with a good variety of shots including plenty of wide open long holes.

Cons:

Very wet and swampy throughout. The main fields in the center of the course had water/mud up to your ankles. It rained the day before but it was sunny the day we played and it seemed unusually wet and mucky. It may not be as bad after a few days of sun so I'll update this review if I play it again.

Other Thoughts:

Not enough holes in the woods, most in the open wet fields. Conditions felt more like a free course than a $5/round course.
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2 1
ShortBusDiscGolf
Experience: 28.9 years 182 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bring a big arm. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 29, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Wide open big D kind of course. This course will teach you how to throw in windy situations. 750' Boomer shot is lots of fun. Locals are awesome people.

Cons:

A stiff wind can ruin the day for those who are not savy with the wind. Make sure to check yourself for ticks afterwards. Tee signs need to be updated.

Other Thoughts:

Check it out!!!
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