Albert Lea, MN

Riverland Community DGC

2.675(based on 3 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Riverland Community DGC reviews

Filter
1 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
2.50 star(s)

ROC the RCC 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Surprisingly this course has some variety. This is probably the thing that earns the course its rating. It may not be outstanding in any way but it is decent and it has a little bit of everything.
2) Outstanding distance variation on this course. There are holes in the 100's, 200's, 300's and even 400's. That was a little surprising also because it is just a community college. Most school courses just are not that diverse.
3) There is an interesting # plate which is a number actually cut out of steel. It is the shape of the hole number, but I swear #1 looked like the state of MN . . . perhaps I am wrong.
4) Beginner friendly course for the most part. While there will still be challenge, the general difficulty is not that high and distance is the main factor, not tight fairways.
5) Dual tees allow for varying abilities to enjoy the course.

Cons:

1) Tees are very hard to find with only a post buried in the ground to mark the front of the tee.
2) Very small but heavy chain makes these homemade baskets strange disc catchers. I had some fall out I thought would normally stay and vice versa.
3) There are a lot of rusty chains on these baskets. I sure wish people making their own would realize that stuff needs t be galvanized or protected from rust to remain a viable basket.
4) There is a parking lot completely in play on #4. You have to clear about 225' of parking lot before landing on the grass. It is a pretty good shot, and simply too risky to leave in as a hole design. It just seems like it could have completely been avoided with all of their property.
5) Baskets will leave gashes in your discs. They are sharp and my Pro Rhyno took some abuse even though I made just about everything. I believe I also had a putt fall out of the basket meaning the sizing was not appropriate.
6) Lots of strange and long walks which lead to getting lost. It doesn't help there are no tee signs but the walks alone were confusing. I actually played from a logical place in the woods on #15 towards the basket only to now realize in looking at the map that the tee is way down the hill and you end up walking the entire length of the fairway before throwing back the way you came. I just seems like better flow could have been achieved and even more variety could have been used if they went from #14 through the woods to the location on #15. Skip the extra walk and make a better hole at the same time.

Other Thoughts:

This course surprised me . . . it was fun, challenging, long, nice variety . . . but the tees, baskets, directionals, were all sub par. The challenge was mostly from distance and not obstacles which knocks it down slightly. I would go back . .. but only if Bancroft Bay or Oak Island were no longer in town.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 0
mndiscg
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 480 played 478 reviews
2.50 star(s)

CC Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 16, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-A solid 18 holes with a decent variety of shots in both length and shot required. Some tee shots need to be very straight, some need to be long, some need to turn.
-I liked holes 9 and 3. They were both short versions of BRP's famous hole 4. Tunnel shots down pine tree rows.
-Dual tees on every hole with significant difference in distance and difficulty. If you play both you can pretty much have 36 fairly unique holes.
-You probably won't lose a disc here. Keep it out of the few woods on the course.

Cons:

-If you have seen people talking about the disc eating baskets on the old Bancroft Bay #2 course then you know what to expect here as it appears that they were moved to this course when that one got new baskets. The baskets aren't the greatest catchers either but they are still probably the best home made baskets I have ever seen.
-Tees are natural
-Bad flow, there were many times were I had no idea where the next tee was. For example, after hole 4 you need to walk around the back of the fenced in area and take a right just past the shed and there will be hole 5s tee. Also, after hole 6 walk back past hole 5s tee and into the field and you will find both tees for hole 7. I can't remember where hole 16s tee is but I remember that that one was hard to find too.
-The few woods on the later part of the course were pretty thick and had some suspicious looking plants.

Other Thoughts:

This course is alright. If you have time to play this one along with the Bancroft Bay 1+2 and soon to be gold then you can get a solid 45 or 63 holes. That is a lot for a city the size of Albert Lea. This course is probably the worst of the ones in town but it is still pretty enjoyable. I would play here.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 0
Martin Dewgarita
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.4 years 1587 played 93 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 24, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

**Take note that I played this course in the winter, I believe I was able to find the correct tee areas for each hole, some were marked with flags, others I just found the general location. I will return to this course in the warmer months and update my review accordingly**

Amenities. Plenty of parking (though it says unauthorized vehicles will be towed, we asked if we could park in the parking lot, no problem - and I guess there is visitor parking just south of the parking lot), I've never been in the college, but I'm sure there's a variety of services if you needed a restroom or a degree.

Good Variety. Several holes had some technical challenge with holes like 1 that had a single tree directly in front of the basket, or 2 and 10 had a row of trees protecting the fairway along either side, or hole 3 that was a very tight gap though a very short hole. Several holes were wide open and of varying lengths giving an opportunity for some decent rips.

Tees. Even in the snow I could find most of the tee locations, they are marked by flags and a toe board. *Natural tees, I cannot comment on their condition* There are no tee signs up yet, but I hear they're coming this spring.

Cons:

Baskets. These baskets came from the Bancroft #2 course, they're homemade, discs fall out of the basket, and my SSS plastic left with some huge gouges from the sharp edges.

Navigation. Maybe with tee signs will come some navigation aids. I highly suggest printing out a map if you've never played here before, the walk between several holes isn't exactly straightforward, I was lucky to have tracks in the snow to follow.

Walks between holes. From 4-5, 6-7, and 14-15, are all a decent walk.

Opportunities for Technical Variety. This course is billed as a beginners course, for high school students and college students to learn the game. Several holes use the trees fairly well, but I dare to imagine that the could be used even better, maybe an addition of long tees, or alternate pin positions deeper in the woods. What better way to learn the game than to create more technical holes?

Other User Areas. Several of the holes play very close to other activity areas, including roadways, parking lots, baseball diamonds, sidewalks, a K-9 Training area. If any of these areas were busy some of the holes may be dangerous or unplayable.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, an enjoyable course that compliments the other area courses well, a great place for students to learn the game, and a worthwhile stop of you're playing the very nearby Bancroft Bay Courses.
Was this review helpful? Yes No

Latest posts

Top