(Camden) Osceola, NY

Osceola Tug Hill - South

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3.565(based on 8 reviews)
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Osceola Tug Hill - South reviews

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2 0
SwilliAm
Experience: 27.7 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful Wooded Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 13, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Owner of course is very friendly and knowledgeable of the sport, being an avid player himself.
- Pro shop is well-stocked with plastic, bags, etc., and has a bathroom for the public.
- Most of the course is laid out in a beautiful hardwood forest with lots of elevation changes, including ponds and streams.
- Very friendly course for beginners and intermediate players, though enjoyable to play for pro's alike. Challenges your short game with no need for big arms.
- Good mix of "lefty" and "righty" holes.
- Woods are not so dense you can't penetrate them to find your discs.
- There is a bar in town only 1/4 mile from the course, and a place to picnic at a beautiful waterfall not far from the bar.
- Did I mention this is an absolutely gorgeous course?

Cons:

- Location is rather remote.
- Quite buggy (wear deer fly patches on your hat, or apply Ole Time Woodsman fly dope).
- A bit of a walk between certain holes, but not too bad.

Other Thoughts:

Now is the time to play this beautiful course because after October of this year it may cease to exist. As the more difficult North course is now gone, the owner is considering closing the South course as well so he can spend more time with his family.

Also, now is the time to take advantage of everything's being marked down 1/2 off in the pro shop. Great deals to be had, including Innova Pro and Innova Sport DisCatcher targets for 1/2 price.

It is well worth the 60-mile drive from Syracuse, NY to play this enchanting course. It will be a shame if the course is closed for good, but at least it will be open all winter for great cross-country skiing on well-groomed trails in a place that averages over 22 feet of snow a year.

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2 0
nickstaudt
Experience: 17.9 years 18 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Picturesque 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 30, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Picturesque course! The landscape is beautiful and adds to an already awesome course. Extremely easy to navigate, signs whenever necessary, maps and score cards located at course map by the first tee. Very well designed course, nice use of elevation, fair to all throwing styles and beginner friendly. Experienced players will still enjoy this course because it is not too easy, it is just more forgiving than the north course if you get off the fairway. Baskets are discatchers and in great shape. Very well manicured course. There are also 4 bonus holes located along the way which is a really cool concept. Pro-shop on site.

Cons:

Tee pads are rubber and in good shape, but I still like the grip of cement better. No benches located between holes which was noticeable since the course plays over hilly terrain and can get tiring on a hot day. 5$ a day to play, but still definitely worth it. Not much challenge at hole 1, please redesign.

Other Thoughts:

This course was so much fun to play. The individual hole designs are fantastic! Challenging with tight lines and narrow fairways in spots, but forgiving if you get off the fairway. The rough here is not like the rough at the north course, which can be brutal. Many memorable holes I want to play again. I highly recommend this course over the north course if you only have time for one round. This course is well worth the visit.
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3 0
Timeetyo
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.1 years 41 played 33 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice compliment to the North Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 5, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Excellent use of elevation throughout
- Rubber teepads in good condition
- Navigation is simple with next tee signs where appropriate
- proshop on site
- This course is an excellent compliment to the much tougher North course (on site).
- A good mix of right & left finishing shots
- Very tight and technical throughout the course (excluding 1-4). Most fairways are ~25' wide x-country trails that require a specific line shapes to stay on the fairway.

Cons:

- A few long walks between holes
- The first few holes felt uninspired. I get that they are a warm up for beginners before getting into the woods, but a little more use of obstacles to ease them in would be nice. For example, just moving 1s basket to the left to force a L>R shot would help.
- A few of the par 4s in particular have some awkward distances & lines creating NAGS - especially for intermediate or better players. One in particular (I want to say 7 - may be mis-remembering) was ~75' to a pretty tight bend left, then ~200' straight to the pin. There was a *tight* gap to shoot for the pin but the risk/reward wasn't there. The awkwardly shaped dogleg wasn't anything I could see a reasonable golf shot making. This lead to shooting ~100' just around the bend. Then ~175' straight approach, tap in 3. zzzzzzz Just open up another reasonable risk/reward line to let someone with the arm to go 275 try and get the deuce....and maybe end up carding a 4/5.
- Hole 15 needs a little more work. It is short (198) and easy enough to reach. The problem is at ~150' there is a wall of small trees all ~4' apart. This leaves a beginner trying to hit a 4' gap (or hope to hit one of 3-4 gaps) or else be hoping for a good tree kick. The trees are far enough out from the pin that if you get knocked down there by them you are 30-40' out and outside of a beginner's putt range. Just taking out 1 of these would do the trick.
- Although our group (which included a few complete newbies) didn't have an issue - there is a lot of ferns & thorny fun off the fairway. Could be some long searches.

Other Thoughts:

Not a con to me as it is well worth it - but it is $5/day to play (2 courses)

I am viewing this course as one designed to be beginner friendly given the much tougher (and excellent) North course on site. The distances are shorter. The pars are (very) friendly. For a beginner - I think the course does a good job and hits the mark. For a more experienced player I found this course to be a bit frustrating in that the par 4s were just designed as par 4s for a beginner...not something that could be a 4 for a beginner but an int+ player would be trying to get a look at a 2 on.

The land itself is beautiful but be prepared to get in some exercise. Long walks and lots of hills. I'd definitely recommend some decent footwear
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2 0
bdjohns1
Experience: 10.7 years 8 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A nice course in the forest on Tug Hill 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 7, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Aside from the first four holes just playing around in the meadow off the parking lot, many of the holes play through cross-country ski trails, so by default, this course rewards good shot shaping, as most of the cleared trail areas are in the range of 30-50 feet wide. I didn't feel like there was a strong bias one way or another towards holes favoring lefties or righties - as a main RHBH thrower, I felt the number of holes where the FH throw was the best option were reasonable.

The first few holes once you're in the woods just follow the trails.

Starting from hole 9 on is where this course really shines. Short par 3s with tight lines reward skill shots versus brute force. Water is in play on 9 (a small creek if you catch a bad kick off a tree) and on 14 (short carry off the tee). 18 brings you back into the meadow, but with a basket well-protected by a cluster of trees/bushes.

$5 for 36 holes that are this well cared for is a fair price, I think. The owner also has a nice little pro shop at the back of his house. He's officially only open on the weekend and Tuesdays during the week, but I came through on a weekday early evening, and he invited me in to take a look around.

Tees all have black rubber mats now. I played right after a drizzle, and I didn't have any traction problems. The mats are new in 2014, so that's an improvement versus what the 2013 reviewers pointed out.

Cons:

The first 4 holes felt tacked-on to get the south course up to 18 holes.

While the route to holes is well-signed, there's a decent hike between several of the holes, and a couple of the between-holes trails can be a bit muddy/slick. Wear fairly rugged footwear. I was in regular cross-trainer type shoes, and in hindsight, I'd have worn trail shoes.

On a lot of the holes, if you're off the fairway much of the ground cover is ferns - errant shots could be hard to find. Don't throw your green/yellow discs without a spotter. On a wet day with dark ground, my sand-stone colored Vibram was very visible. Throw your reds, oranges, and pinks during the summer.

Bugs. Not so much mosquitos, but deer flies and the like. Bring your 100% DEET.

The basket on #5 and the #6 tee are a little close together.

Other Thoughts:

I was en-route from Syracuse to a work site in Lewis County, so I only had a few discs I threw in my suitcase to play with. It was a fun challenge to play with one driver, 2 mids, and a putter. I came through early evening on a Monday, and I had the place to myself.

If you're a high-rated thrower, a good exercise would be to play the longer North course, then come to the south side and take only 1-2 discs with you to really work your shot shaping on the <200-foot holes.

I imagine this place is absolutely gorgeous in the fall. I need an excuse for a work trip out to NY in October.
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2 2
JenONeil
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Such a Beautiful Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 6, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- The course atmosphere
- The range of difficulty
- Well marked

Cons:

- Flip flops not recommended

Other Thoughts:

At this site there are two courses you can choose from, this one on the South Side of the road and another on the North Side. I have played both and think they really offer a wide range of difficulty. Personally I liked this side better because it was the easier of the two, but it was not too easy! This course takes you through a large span of wooded area that is just simply gorgeous. The first few holes are in an open field area and can really help get you warmed up. As you continue through the course the nature only becomes more beautiful. I had a couple holes that were my absolute favorite. The first was hole #9 - at this hole you are playing over a creek and bridge. Then toward the end at hole #14 you are shooting over a pond with plenty of active frogs, fish, etc....makes for a good break. Incredibly relaxing area. Not only was this fun for the disc golf game, but the stroll though the woods was very enjoyable. One tip - wear sneakers!
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13 0
sloppydisc
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.4 years 201 played 147 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Come one, come all 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

18 hole course with new baskets and nice, flat crushed gravel tee pads. There are maps and scorecards available in the store on site.

Store has a good selection of discs, bags and outdoor accessories. Especially bug sprays and things for dealing with the deer flies and mosquitos.

This course is set up as the White level course for beginners, intermediate players, or just people that want a more relaxing round than what awaits across the street. Hole lengths range from 153' to 354'. The design of the holes vary also. There are some wide open ace runs, and some tight challenging holes as well.

Course is very well maintained. Open areas and fairways are mostly mowed grass. No weeds, rocks or saplings to work around. Most fairways were designed from the cross country ski trails used in the winter. Next tee signs are placed throughout the course to help with navigation.

The first 4 holes are pretty much wide open and reachable for most players. Don't let these fool you. The rest of the course plays in the woods, and offers more challenging layouts.

Remote, pristine wilderness. Private course with a great feeling of being out in nature. Hills, woods, creeks and small pond all add to the scenery. Very nice landscape.

Cons:

Lack of length or big drive holes for throwing drivers.

Using the ski trails for fairways occassionally creates some strange lines and limits the shot selection somewhat.

#7 tee way too close to basket #6. #9 tee is close to #8 basket also. Safety hazard if multiple groups on course.

Not a lot of big sweeping turns or curves. Ski trails limit the shape of fairways.

Some branches neeed trimming snd ceilings need cleaning up.

Hole 15. Right now luck is important as skill. Not really any path to the basket. Good luck.

Other Thoughts:

This is a pretty good, basic course. Plus it is very new so I would expect it to improve as the owner learns, and tweaks the design. Course will be open June 1 - Oct 31, then ski season begins.

I really enjoyed several holes on this course. #9 is a short 153' uphill shot with a creek in the middle. It could be an ace run, or you could suffer due to roll away risk by the basket. Either way it is in a beautiful spot.

#12 is a tight 354' uphill shot that might be the most challenging hole here. It is one of the holes that makes this course fun for experienced players, not just beginners.

#14 is probably my favorite hole here. It is 276' slightly uphill and over a small pond. Not really any lost disc possibility without a flukey throw or bounce, and it also has two lines you can hit from the tee. Just a pretty technical shot finishing with the basket wedged into some trees. Well done.

This course is definitely worth a stop. It has some limitations due to length and the shape of the ski trails, but for a beginner friendly private course it is nice. Plus there is camping nearby, as well as fishing on the salmon river if you are interested. All in all, this is a nice addition to the NY dsic golf scene. I look forward to coming back, and seeing the growth and improvements as this course ages.
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1 2
goodspeedg6
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 16, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course was well marked with good placement of baskets. Good deals with buy one get one free greens fee for this month.

Cons:

Short gravel tee boxes, tall grass could make it hard to find discs. Disc baskets have one ring of chains.

Other Thoughts:

Most of the holes are btw 150-300 feet. A lot more par 4s than I think there should be. A lot of narrow/tight fairways, not many open holes.
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1 2
cococup
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Osceola Tug Hill South 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 8, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

challenging course for the easier of the 2 courses. elevation changes, lots of left, right and roller shots. pretty course. easy to find next tee. all but 4 holes are in the woods. 4 holes open field. interesting hole placements.

Cons:

some hanging branches are still in the process of getting cut.

Other Thoughts:

good shoes recommended. flip flops do not provide enough support
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