A ski resort course that gives you a workout.

-Elevation: You'd hope for this at a ski course, and A-Basin delivers. A good, question, though, is what kind of elevation do you like? (1)-(12) travel consistently up about to treeline, with (13)-(20) coming back down a little more quickly. (Holes (2) and (19) are exceptions, going the opposite as the general course flow.) There are some super steep downs, especially (2), (16), and (20), which will undoubtedly be thrilling. I think I threw 650' on (16), which is a 350' hole.

-Beauty: Not to be missed. Almost to the top of Loveland Pass, you're pretty near several 13er peaks, and it's a beautiful, nested feeling up here. Very memorable.

-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: The main feature here is elevation, but there is definitely thought in other respects. All par-3s. The most common hole has slight elevation and plays from the edge of one treeline, across a run, and into a pocket on the opposite tree line. There are about two heavily wooded, shorter technical shots. There are also a couple of holes with slightly wider fairways. From (8) and on, the course is generally very open, with the downhill or uphill elevation becoming the entire interest on a hole. If you took the best five holes, they could run with any course, but there are quite a few bland holes as well.

-Maintenance: Nice. This course isn't an afterthought, as they often seem to be at resorts. It looks like it gets dedicated care.

-Price: Kudos to A-Basin for making it available for free. They have every right to charge.

-Bendiness: i.e., lack of shaping. There are a handful of holes with some very interesting shaping requirements, like (2) and (14), but by and large it's a course of openish, straight shots, and not very long ones. To me, that just isn't very interesting.

-All Par-3: Zero multi-shot holes. Birdie or bust.

-Weather: This altitude, in this pass, is very fickle. It can be beautiful in Dillon and storming up here. Note also that you're getting pretty high towards treeline. I went twice on days that were sunny in Frisco, and got a light drizzle and a sudden hailstorm those two times.

-Muddy Tees: The natural tees hold water disappointingly well.

-Physical Demands: One of the more strenuous courses I played. There are a lot of uphill holes in a row, and you're at a very high altitude. Also, you need to have strong ankles to go up and down the sheer slopes.

-Lost Disc: The downhills are likely to let your disc sail away and never be found.

A-Basin is a distinctive course. It's got some of highest grade elevation plays I've ever seen, and a couple of other enchanting holes, but a lot of ho-hum to go with it. It's a one-trick pony. Overall, it's a Good course to be at and enjoy, but it's a mixed bag with the weather and the, at times, bland holes.

-Amenities: Natural tees well-marked, decent tee signs including a photo of the hole, DISCatchers.

Fantastic that A-Basin is offering a FREE disc golf course in an incredibly beautiful mountain setting. Beautiful views and some nice downhill shots where you can really let it fly. Although they are very basic in construction, the tee box signs are incredibly helpful in showing pin placement, they did a great job with those.

The tee boxes are not yet concrete, and even for intermediate players, teeing off in lumpy dirt tee boxes can be frustrating. This course also has tons of elevation changes, and if you are not very fit and acclimated to the altitude, you're going to be struggling with the physical nature of navigating this course. Also still quite a few overgrown areas or even boulder fields where you can lose your disc if you take a bad turn, but such is the beauty of a course in this incredible high-alpine environment. The high mountain walls surrounding the basin kills the sun a little earlier in the day, so bring a light jacket if playing later in the day.

Amazing course. Definitely some "cons" to work on, but overall we are super thankful that the team at A-Basin has installed this course! A few little improvements each season will turn this into a world-class mountain course in no time.