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First Tee of the Lowcountry reviews
11
0
Nicely maintained new 9 holer 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jul 9, 2018
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
(For Updates, see the "Other Thoughts" section
+It's new and adds some variety to the Hilton Head Island disc golf scene
+The white tees are clearly marked (except #6 which I couldn't find the first time around)
+The blue tees offer some decent challenge, especially throwing over the pond on 7 (see UPDATE July 2018)
+Lefties and folks who rock the anhyzer will love this course
+There are two practice baskets
+It's new and adds some variety to the Hilton Head Island disc golf scene
+The white tees are clearly marked (except #6 which I couldn't find the first time around)
+The blue tees offer some decent challenge, especially throwing over the pond on 7 (see UPDATE July 2018)
+Lefties and folks who rock the anhyzer will love this course
+There are two practice baskets
Cons:
--5/9 of the course has no margin for error on the right hand side... as in, get ready to forfeit discs that go there.
--The white tees are really too easy. They should be red
--Course accessibility is very limited
--The white tees are really too easy. They should be red
--Course accessibility is very limited
Other Thoughts:
First I wanted to clarify, this is NOT the only course on Hilton Head Island. The other course is Hover Links, which I also reviewed.
**********
UPDATE: July 2018:
This course got a tremendous makeover since I played it last year. I left my original review on here because I wanted to highlight the changes and upgrades:
1. Unlike Hover Links, this course really feels like a "course" and not a bunch of baskets placed around a field. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy Hover, but this one is more of a "course"
2. The blue teepads are now concrete (white is not)
2a. While the blue pads are concrete, they seem short in length. PDGA specs " Typical size for pads at
the longer tee positions is 5 ft (1.5m) wide by at least 12 ft (3.5m) long." from https://www.pdga.com/files/PD...ch%202014.pdf
These pads feel like they are maybe 8 feet in length because I could get two steps in. I'll try to post a picture of the teepad on 7 because that's the big water hole which kind of requires a good run.
3. The blue tees are EASILY found now, which makes hole 2 maybe the toughest hole I've ever played. The blue tee on 2 sets you back in the woods with a very narrow tunnel shot you have to make the full distance (tee to basket). The "ground" is a concrete lined pond covered in duckweed (ie you won't recover a disc there unless it floats and you have a retrieving device on a rope). The sides are a mix of bamboo, virginia creeper, briars, and other very dense vegetation that you will struggle to navigate. The apex of the tunnel is a tree branch that hangs down just enough to make it really inconvenient. I drilled it with a buzzz which instantly found a new home dead center of that "pond". If I had more discs with me, I'd consider a mako, comet, or some other 0/0 disc to thread that needle instead of trying to power a big hyzer over the lower brush but under the overhanging tree branch. I only had one mako on me though and didn't want to risk it on the early hole.
4. Hole 6 can be found now and it's another tunnel shot that's maybe two arm wingspans wide. The sides again are a mix of bamboo, briars, and other really dense brush which makes it nigh impossible to retrieve a disc that veers too far from center. Again, bring a mako or comet for this hole or play it conservatively.
5. Hole 7 is a blast. Frustrating from the blue tee because the teepad is short and behind the teepad is a hill, so if you have any sort of run-up, you will have to start by running uphill which has to mess with other people's release (not just mine). The pond has "watch out for alligator" signs posted. I saw it in 2016, and I think I did in 2017, but despite dropping my wahoo in the drink again in 2018, I didn't see it this year. I don't have a retrieval tool, but unlike hole 2, if you're patient and not worried about reaching into an alligator pond from the edge, you can easily get your floating disc. It's a Boys and Girls club... I don't really think they'd keep a man-eating gator there so close to where the kids play.
Final thoughts from the 2018 update:
I don't lose discs often. I've lost a total of four over the past two years, but three came from this course alone. The white tees take out all the difficulty from this course. I throw consistently under par on the whites, but I went a terrible 10 over on my first blue round this year after losing two discs and throwing into the water on 7. The blues are a challenge and due to the technique required on 2 and 6, I would argue that while the white is a very easy white, the blue is a very difficult blue. In 2016, I rated this 2.0 stars. I didn't change the rating in 2017, but with the new concrete pads (even though they feel short), easy hole-to-hole navigation, and general upkeep, I upgraded it to 3.0. I definitely look forward to coming back as my scores from here brought my DGCR rating down and I want to avenge those lost discs
****end of 2018 update****
This course earned a 2.0 from me whereas Hover got a 1.5. Aside from the monstrous water hazard on #7 here, this course is much easier than Hover. I had fun playing here, but it was just not that memorable. I'll give you a walk through to explain:
1. Nice and straight, starts off at the far end of the ball golf driving range. The dense brush lines the right hand side, all open on the left.
2. Nice and straight. The dense brush lines the right hand side, all open on the left.
3. Nice and straight. Starts out on a diagonal toward the dense brush, which eventually lines the right hand side, all open on the left.
4. Nice and straight up to the very end, the basket is tucked away in a pocket. The dense brush lines the right hand side, all open on the left.
5. Nice and straight, fortunately no dense thornbushes now. All open on the left. Basket tucked away in a dense thicket of wood chips which squish underfoot.
6. Good luck finding the tee box. When you do, it goes through some trees
7. Good god, there's a big pond. If you play the white tees you skip it, but you go right over it on the blues. This is the most memorable hole on the course.
8. Now you get to throw back up towards the building, I think. At this point the map is a disaster and is not consistent with the tee boxes and baskets. I played what I think is the true #8 which takes up up to the other locked gate (not the one you enter, this one is perpetually locked)
9. This is an ultra short hole very straight through some trees.
My point in that walkthrough is that none of the holes except 7 are actually that noteworthy. I am VERY HAPPY that this course is here and for any disc golfers visiting Hilton Head, it's worth playing just for variety. But there's a catch: you can only play in the afternoons. First Tee uses the area for ball golf clinics in the morning, and by evening, the whole place is locked up. I would give it another half star if it could be played in the mornings or evenings. I completely understand why it is locked up and I support the Boys and Girls Club as well as First Tee, but still, accessibility is limited on this course.
The fact that it's new and has visible markings for tee boxes can't outweigh how easy it is to play from the white tees here. Perhaps that was the design to make it more recreational, but then they should be red tees, not white. The white tees per the scorecard are (in feet): 219, 198, 234, 186, 248, 231, 165, 156, 171. I believe that the blues would pose a much better challenge but it was closed when I came back to play them.
Final thoughts: I wanted to play this course again but it was closed at 6:45pm. Because it follows the perimeter of the driving range and a small golf course, the quality of the grass is very nice and maintained. I wish it the best of luck to help grow the sport on the island. Even from the blue tees I don't think it would be as challenging as Hover Links (the other course on the island). A new map online would help, as the current one is hard to read.
It's a nice little course. I'd like to play it again before I go home.
**********
UPDATE: July 2018:
This course got a tremendous makeover since I played it last year. I left my original review on here because I wanted to highlight the changes and upgrades:
1. Unlike Hover Links, this course really feels like a "course" and not a bunch of baskets placed around a field. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy Hover, but this one is more of a "course"
2. The blue teepads are now concrete (white is not)
2a. While the blue pads are concrete, they seem short in length. PDGA specs " Typical size for pads at
the longer tee positions is 5 ft (1.5m) wide by at least 12 ft (3.5m) long." from https://www.pdga.com/files/PD...ch%202014.pdf
These pads feel like they are maybe 8 feet in length because I could get two steps in. I'll try to post a picture of the teepad on 7 because that's the big water hole which kind of requires a good run.
3. The blue tees are EASILY found now, which makes hole 2 maybe the toughest hole I've ever played. The blue tee on 2 sets you back in the woods with a very narrow tunnel shot you have to make the full distance (tee to basket). The "ground" is a concrete lined pond covered in duckweed (ie you won't recover a disc there unless it floats and you have a retrieving device on a rope). The sides are a mix of bamboo, virginia creeper, briars, and other very dense vegetation that you will struggle to navigate. The apex of the tunnel is a tree branch that hangs down just enough to make it really inconvenient. I drilled it with a buzzz which instantly found a new home dead center of that "pond". If I had more discs with me, I'd consider a mako, comet, or some other 0/0 disc to thread that needle instead of trying to power a big hyzer over the lower brush but under the overhanging tree branch. I only had one mako on me though and didn't want to risk it on the early hole.
4. Hole 6 can be found now and it's another tunnel shot that's maybe two arm wingspans wide. The sides again are a mix of bamboo, briars, and other really dense brush which makes it nigh impossible to retrieve a disc that veers too far from center. Again, bring a mako or comet for this hole or play it conservatively.
5. Hole 7 is a blast. Frustrating from the blue tee because the teepad is short and behind the teepad is a hill, so if you have any sort of run-up, you will have to start by running uphill which has to mess with other people's release (not just mine). The pond has "watch out for alligator" signs posted. I saw it in 2016, and I think I did in 2017, but despite dropping my wahoo in the drink again in 2018, I didn't see it this year. I don't have a retrieval tool, but unlike hole 2, if you're patient and not worried about reaching into an alligator pond from the edge, you can easily get your floating disc. It's a Boys and Girls club... I don't really think they'd keep a man-eating gator there so close to where the kids play.
Final thoughts from the 2018 update:
I don't lose discs often. I've lost a total of four over the past two years, but three came from this course alone. The white tees take out all the difficulty from this course. I throw consistently under par on the whites, but I went a terrible 10 over on my first blue round this year after losing two discs and throwing into the water on 7. The blues are a challenge and due to the technique required on 2 and 6, I would argue that while the white is a very easy white, the blue is a very difficult blue. In 2016, I rated this 2.0 stars. I didn't change the rating in 2017, but with the new concrete pads (even though they feel short), easy hole-to-hole navigation, and general upkeep, I upgraded it to 3.0. I definitely look forward to coming back as my scores from here brought my DGCR rating down and I want to avenge those lost discs
****end of 2018 update****
This course earned a 2.0 from me whereas Hover got a 1.5. Aside from the monstrous water hazard on #7 here, this course is much easier than Hover. I had fun playing here, but it was just not that memorable. I'll give you a walk through to explain:
1. Nice and straight, starts off at the far end of the ball golf driving range. The dense brush lines the right hand side, all open on the left.
2. Nice and straight. The dense brush lines the right hand side, all open on the left.
3. Nice and straight. Starts out on a diagonal toward the dense brush, which eventually lines the right hand side, all open on the left.
4. Nice and straight up to the very end, the basket is tucked away in a pocket. The dense brush lines the right hand side, all open on the left.
5. Nice and straight, fortunately no dense thornbushes now. All open on the left. Basket tucked away in a dense thicket of wood chips which squish underfoot.
6. Good luck finding the tee box. When you do, it goes through some trees
7. Good god, there's a big pond. If you play the white tees you skip it, but you go right over it on the blues. This is the most memorable hole on the course.
8. Now you get to throw back up towards the building, I think. At this point the map is a disaster and is not consistent with the tee boxes and baskets. I played what I think is the true #8 which takes up up to the other locked gate (not the one you enter, this one is perpetually locked)
9. This is an ultra short hole very straight through some trees.
My point in that walkthrough is that none of the holes except 7 are actually that noteworthy. I am VERY HAPPY that this course is here and for any disc golfers visiting Hilton Head, it's worth playing just for variety. But there's a catch: you can only play in the afternoons. First Tee uses the area for ball golf clinics in the morning, and by evening, the whole place is locked up. I would give it another half star if it could be played in the mornings or evenings. I completely understand why it is locked up and I support the Boys and Girls Club as well as First Tee, but still, accessibility is limited on this course.
The fact that it's new and has visible markings for tee boxes can't outweigh how easy it is to play from the white tees here. Perhaps that was the design to make it more recreational, but then they should be red tees, not white. The white tees per the scorecard are (in feet): 219, 198, 234, 186, 248, 231, 165, 156, 171. I believe that the blues would pose a much better challenge but it was closed when I came back to play them.
Final thoughts: I wanted to play this course again but it was closed at 6:45pm. Because it follows the perimeter of the driving range and a small golf course, the quality of the grass is very nice and maintained. I wish it the best of luck to help grow the sport on the island. Even from the blue tees I don't think it would be as challenging as Hover Links (the other course on the island). A new map online would help, as the current one is hard to read.
It's a nice little course. I'd like to play it again before I go home.
