Bald Eagle DGC reviews
8
0
Quality, technical woods golf 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:May 1, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
To preface, my reviews of both courses on site are very similar as they essentially just play as a single 18 hole course. I am rating the courses as if they were separate 9 hole courses, like they are listed on DGCR, and not as a full 18. If the full 18 was listed as a single course on DGCR I would rate as a 3.0; hole design worthy of a 3.5, maybe a 4.0, but it's brought down by the cons.
1) As with the other 9, the Bald Eagle is tight and technical but still fair pretty much everywhere. From the long tee on hole 1 I can't really see much of a way to get near/into the circle off the tee with the tight dogleg and the mando, but everywhere else there is at least one defined line to hit to put your drive near the pin. Hit those lines and usually be rewarded with a birdie look. Miss them and have a challenging scramble for par, or worse.
2) Good amount of variety. Hole shapes and distance are well balanced. There is one hole that forces a RHFH/LHBH (hole 1), one hole that forces a RHBH/LHFH (hole 6), two narrow tunnel shots (2 and 7), a turnover or forehand hole for each handedness (3 and 9), with the other three having a couple different routes that are available. There is definitely a preferred line on each of those three, but you can make a variety of things work.
3) Nice, good as new, DISCatcher baskets.
4) Rest spots (benches, or other) near most, if not all, tee pads. There are no trash bins, but being a private course with little traffic there's no litter to speak of.
5) Multiple tees per hole, but as an intermediate player or above I don't think they really add very much to the experience. Definitely nice to have for newer players, though, as the long tees could certainly leave a first timer with a bad impression of the sport with how punishing some of the holes can be.
1) As with the other 9, the Bald Eagle is tight and technical but still fair pretty much everywhere. From the long tee on hole 1 I can't really see much of a way to get near/into the circle off the tee with the tight dogleg and the mando, but everywhere else there is at least one defined line to hit to put your drive near the pin. Hit those lines and usually be rewarded with a birdie look. Miss them and have a challenging scramble for par, or worse.
2) Good amount of variety. Hole shapes and distance are well balanced. There is one hole that forces a RHFH/LHBH (hole 1), one hole that forces a RHBH/LHFH (hole 6), two narrow tunnel shots (2 and 7), a turnover or forehand hole for each handedness (3 and 9), with the other three having a couple different routes that are available. There is definitely a preferred line on each of those three, but you can make a variety of things work.
3) Nice, good as new, DISCatcher baskets.
4) Rest spots (benches, or other) near most, if not all, tee pads. There are no trash bins, but being a private course with little traffic there's no litter to speak of.
5) Multiple tees per hole, but as an intermediate player or above I don't think they really add very much to the experience. Definitely nice to have for newer players, though, as the long tees could certainly leave a first timer with a bad impression of the sport with how punishing some of the holes can be.
Cons:
1) The density of the rough is pretty overbeating in places. With the exception of hole 2 where a tree was down, there was nothing crowding the fairway but getting off the fairway at all is quite the adventure.
2) Natural tee pads, but they are in good shape so it is not a major con at all, but just something I don't like on courses. Also no tee signs, but a few holes to have markers near one of the tees on the hole and most tees are marked with little flags, framed with little logs, or visibly different than the surrounding ground.
3) Navigation is difficult. I knew this going in, especially since Matt wasn't able to meet my brother and I there to show us around, but it's still worth mentioning and something I'd consider a con. With the course map we had to do a little back tracking in some spots and I'm pretty sure we missed a couple of the correct tee locations. Either that or the distances listed here in the 'hole info' tab are quite off on a couple holes. Hole 2 threw like 50ft past with a mid and then range found it at about 260ft instead of the 310ft listed here. Hole 3 I'm pretty sure we teed off from the white pad instead of the blue, but we didn't see anything that could have been a further pad in the area. Hole 6, where the blue tee is located on the course map was just an uncleared section of forest. Hole 7 and 8 were again much shorter than the listed distances but we couldn't find anything else around that look like a tee. Obviously, with Matt's guidance this wouldn't have been an issue but if, like me, you will be checking out the course without him definitely be prepared to *probably* play the course incorrectly.
4) Not necessarily a con for me, but for some the limited availability could be an issue. Though, with how thick the rough already was in early May when I played you probably wouldn't want to play the course mid-summer when it isn't available anyway.
2) Natural tee pads, but they are in good shape so it is not a major con at all, but just something I don't like on courses. Also no tee signs, but a few holes to have markers near one of the tees on the hole and most tees are marked with little flags, framed with little logs, or visibly different than the surrounding ground.
3) Navigation is difficult. I knew this going in, especially since Matt wasn't able to meet my brother and I there to show us around, but it's still worth mentioning and something I'd consider a con. With the course map we had to do a little back tracking in some spots and I'm pretty sure we missed a couple of the correct tee locations. Either that or the distances listed here in the 'hole info' tab are quite off on a couple holes. Hole 2 threw like 50ft past with a mid and then range found it at about 260ft instead of the 310ft listed here. Hole 3 I'm pretty sure we teed off from the white pad instead of the blue, but we didn't see anything that could have been a further pad in the area. Hole 6, where the blue tee is located on the course map was just an uncleared section of forest. Hole 7 and 8 were again much shorter than the listed distances but we couldn't find anything else around that look like a tee. Obviously, with Matt's guidance this wouldn't have been an issue but if, like me, you will be checking out the course without him definitely be prepared to *probably* play the course incorrectly.
4) Not necessarily a con for me, but for some the limited availability could be an issue. Though, with how thick the rough already was in early May when I played you probably wouldn't want to play the course mid-summer when it isn't available anyway.
Other Thoughts:
The Bald Eagle course, essentially the front 9 of the 18 holes on the property, certainly offers an enjoyable experience. Nothing is truly unique, but it's all good and fun. The YMCA camp director greeted us in the parking lot and was very friendly and happy to see us out there. Looking at the course in isolation, ignoring the other 9 on site and the cons, I would definitely call the course above average. Solidly 3.0. It's up there with the best 9-holers I've played. With the cons factored in it's enough to be knocked down a half disc. Though, a better course map that could make navigation more manageable without a guide would maybe be enough to hold it at a 3.0 but I'd have to visit the course again to decide for sure. Very fun and worth your time to play if you are around the area, but nothing to center a trip around or anything.
