(3.159 Rating) A prior long heavy woods course that's now lightly to moderately wooded.
- HOLE VARIETY - It's sad to have to report this. Pecan Hollow has lost over 75 percent of its trees in the last year, to year and a half. Despite this complete change in the surrounding natural environment, the hole variety from before, is still somewhat intact, minus the heavy woods element. I counted seven par 4s and three par 5s. I was digging the multi-play element from start to finish. There are a couple dogleg holes and some bomber par 3s from the back tees. Distances range from the mid 200s to the mid 800s. Many of the holes still maintain many of the key fairway lining trees to force some of the original lines, but that is not always the case.
- CHALLENGE - I had heard that this was once a gauntlet wooded course. The tree loss has no doubtably had a great impact on this. I don't think misfires are punished anywhere close to like they once were. I missed fairways several times and still saved par all but once from the shorts as an MA2 and carded a bunch of birds. From the backs, I probably would have finished around even. So, still a tough course for the mortals like me, but I would imagine that it's somewhere between 5 to 10 throws easier now, than from before.
- AMENITIES AND NAVIGATION - Pecan has the required basics and some extras. To start, the tees are concrete and there are two of them on all but three holes. It appears the tees used to be much smaller originally, but they have been increased to 5 feet by 10 feet with a taper to 6 feet in back. Baskets are MachVs if I recall correctly and there are benches at 90 percent of the holes. Signage is great for the back Blue tees and just numbers and distances for the shorter White pad layout. I do think the course could use a few extra navigational cues after baskets. I strayed in the wrong direction twice. Some of the paths between holes are not as obvious as maybe they once were.
- 4 COURSES - That's right, there are 4 courses at Graham Creek now! I threw three of them on this trip. Here first, second Preserve and then Prairie. I rated them all at the 3.0 level or better. If we rated locations, instead of individual courses, I'd drop a solid 4.0 on this place. I loved my entire time at Graham Creek and hope to hit Pitcher Plant the next time I visit.

100 piles of dead tree debris.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Prior to the 2023 tree death and partial removal, I likely would have slotted Pecan in the 80 to 90 percentile range for course aesthetics. Sadly, after my post round analysis I couldn't even pro the beauty aspect. Parts of the course look obliterated. Mounds of dead trees lie around everywhere. It's downright ugly in a few spots. Maybe in 5 years it'll heal, but right now it looks really bad. I went with 35 percentile. It does look better overall compared to open field school and church courses.
- OFF-FAIRWAY - I played in early spring when the overgrowth was just starting to come back. Because of the loss of just about all the tall off-fairway trees, the fringes are going to be as bad as ever this coming summer. Plus players could throw into tree debris piles which look like great rattlesnake havens. Disc loss potential will likely be high during the summer.
- TIME PLAY - Pecan is a long flat hike. A par 63 and listed at over 8,000 feet. I didn't time my round like I normally do, but it felt like 90 minutes for this quick solo player. Time play doesn't affect my ratings.

I had heard from my friends that Pecan was the crown jewel of Graham Creek. Unfortunately, the damage this course has taken has firmly knocked it off of the top of the hill in my opinion. From looking at the old pictures, it looks like a different course despite having the same basket and tee locations. I figure that every prior reviewer that loved the course pre tree loss would shave between a ½ point and a full point from their review score if they saw it now. On the flip side, those that hated the unrelenting long technical woods play, might actually like it a bit more now. As is, I got it at a solid 3.0 level course after weighing the pros and cons. Perhaps in 2 or 3 years the scars will have healed enough for Pecan to jump back above my 3.25 threshold for a 3.5. It's difficult for me to name similar courses due to the recent damage. One friend of mine noted that it used to be like a flat IDGC Jackson, which I could definitely see semblances from browsing through the old pics. The closest comparison I can come up with is Majette in PCB, which I had thrown one year after Hurricane Michael obliterated it.

Graham Creek - Pecan Hollow is an excellent 18 hole course in the woods of Southern Alabama. Par 67 which means many holes are multi shot and the designers did a great job carving lines through the thick woods. New Mach X's (which IMO is the Cadillac of baskets). Teepads were great and obviously have been enlarged. Probably the first time I've seen concrete poured around an existing teepad to increase the size. I noticed on one of them that 2020 had been written in the back left corner. Tee signs are also new with clean graphics, flight line and distance and par info. Nicer and more permanent that the pics posted here.

I found the fairways to be generously wide and well shaped. Plenty of trees to wind your way through which is one of my favorite challenges.

Well designed multiple shot holes are one of my favorite things in discgolf and this course has them in spades.

This is the best by far of the three courses on site. The parking lot is shared with the Preserve course and the Prairie course is a short drive up the road.

No elevation to speak of although there's not much to be done about that. I could see some places where the rough could be hairy but never found myself searching.

Most holes had a short tee that was natural, denoted by two white pegs stuck in the ground. No signage there or recognition from the main tee.

I played The Prairie course first. Waved to a guy and his dog mid round who were a few holes behind. Changing my shoes in the parking lot he says to me "I was trying to catch you but you were playing too fast" haha (park like course with no danger to speak of). I asked him for directions to the other courses which he provided being the friendly local he was. He warned me not to play Pecan Grove as it was "too difficult." Interesting takes people have...

If this course had some prominent elevation changes I'd rate it 4.5. Was an excellent walk in the woods.

- interesting and challenging course design
- clearly marked baskets and maps for each hole
- well maintained fairway

- unplayable rough
- no elevation change
- course is a disc magnet
- contains confusing meandering paths from hole to hole that sometimes fork with no direction

This course could be really good. The main problem is the rough around the fairway is completely unkempt. I know it's a rough and it's supposed to be, well, rough. But you have to understand, if your disc is even a yard into the rough, you're bushwhacking through spiders, ticks, briars, tall grass, and it's often completely covered and hidden even if it's right off the fairway. If you do decide to play this course, wear long pants and keep your best discs in the bag. If wandering through the wilderness is your thing, you may have a great time disc diving in the woods. We found 3 discs just off the first 5 holes. If the review seems harsh it's just because I would consider this course, in its current state, unplayable. You can try to avoid the rough, but again, if you're 3 feet off your disc might be gone. Not ideal when there's 7 par 4s and 2 par 5s. If they do come out and clean up the overgrown rough I would have this course at maybe 3.5-4 stars. Really a shame because it is a fun interesting course.

- breathtaking natural beauty
- disc golf only natural area removed from typical park dangers/distractions
- 3 different 18 hole courses in the same park area
- benches and garbage cans at almost every hole
- large concrete tees (appear to be expansions of older, tiny concrete tees)
- baskets in excellent shape
- well thought out tight, technical fairways that weave through the woods
- no major safety issues
- straightforward navigation, and baskets are spray painted with next tee direction
- will challenge even experienced players to use every shot in their bag
- well maintained fairways with undergrowth under control

- tee signs are more or less temporary with no information except for hole number and sponsor
- some players might find the course too difficult
- almost too long in some areas
- some low areas tend to collect water and get muddy
- virtually no elevation change
- next tee indicators are not obvious at first

Wow. I was not expecting this course to be as cool as it was. It's probably about a 3.75 for me, with 2 major cons: the tee signs are extremely mediocre, and there is no elevation change. Everything else about the natural beauty of the course, the technical challenge, and the general maintenance is fantastic. I enjoyed it so much I decided it deserved the 4. It's peaceful with only disc golf in the area, and all you're likely to hear are the birds. Because some of the holes on this course are so long, measurements on the tee signs would really help since you usually can't see the basket from the tee. As a first time player at this course, I relied heavily on the online course map to determine my approach for each hole.

I played Pecan Hollow and The Preserve back to back, and I think Pecan Hollow is by far the better course (though both were very fun) and is probably a bit underrated. I hope to come back and play the Prairie course. I love the red clay and the mature trees in this wooded area. The challenge might frustrate some players, and I was definitely over par, but it was still a lot of fun. I don't agree with the review saying this course wasn't realistically playable. It is one of the most challenging courses I've played, but it's so much fun.

I noticed about halfway through that the baskets were spray painted red on the side indicating the next tee direction. It would have been nice to know this at the beginning, as I thought there were almost no next tee signs. Even without this, navigation is pretty obvious overall.

My only other warning is on my way out a bulldozer was spreading new clay on the road into the park. I was afraid my minivan wasn't going to make it through, but it ended up being fine. Just a heads up if your car has especially poor traction...

This course is VERY long at over a mile and a half. A few holes could be shorter, but I don't really hold this against the course. If you are in the Alabama gulf area, I highly recommend you check the Graham Creek courses out. They are some of the best I've played.

-Single use area, no non-golfers on the course
-Nice large tee pads from the "pro" pads
-Shorter "white/red" pads marked by flags
-Great cathing Mach 5 pins
-Challenging but fair fairways for the most part
-Benches on basically every tee (again from the long pads)
-Large variety of shot shapes
-There is a second course on the same property
-Port-o-potty between the two courses
-Nice a shaded through to being a wooded course
-No gimmicky shots/mandos/OB

-No dedicated practice basket/area
-Signs are lacking though a hurricaine did just come through so take that for what it's worth.
-1 or 2 holes have a few "wtf" trees in the fairways that beg the question of where the fairway is, but these are quite few and far between
- Bugs. It's the gulf coast so it is what it is. Bring bug spray
-Short pads are not yet cemented
-Bring a partner for some of the longer holes as there is a possibility of a lost disc with some of the thicker rough

I had the oppurtunity of playing this course with my father in law during a quick vacation trip with the family. After reading the reviews I was not expecting anything particularly quality but I will say I was pleasantly surprised. I've played a lot of courses to date and when it comes to wooded courses I am VERY particular about them. Coming in with a par of 67 I was concerned there would be a lot of clusterf*** fairways with no clear routes to pins, terrible rough, and poor design. Instead what I got was a high quality course with a strong emphasis on placement off the tee for the par 4s and 5s with a few eagle-able part 5s (I had a circle 2 putt for the eagle on hole 3 and just chained out). Now I want to emphasize that I am an extremely experienced player who has been playing MPO for nearly 15 years. The new player or someone rated below 950 will absolutely struggle out here. This is a champsionship level course and you should go into it with that expectation. If you don't regularly shoot under par at most courses don't feel shamed to play from the short pads.

The only additions I would add to put this course in the 4.5-5.0 realm would be the fact that there are basically no tee signs at all. While mostly easy to navigate a few additional next-t signs or arrows would be a nice touch. I also would recommend a few trash cans scattered throughout.

A few significant changes have occured apparently due to the recent hurricaine but it seems to have removed only the trees that would have made many of the longer holes impossible. As it stands now this is seriously a jewel of Alabama. Depending on the caliber of The Preserve which I have not yet had the pleasure of playing this could easily host a pretty baller A tier. If you're in the area I HIGHLY recommend giving this course a play but recognize if you are NOT an experienced player you may leave frustrated.

Championship level course. Absolutely amazing. Top 5 best courses I've ever played. This course is a marathon...not a sprint!

No definitive O.B. on a few holes.

If you don't love this course after you havr played it. You're crazy.

I guess the pros are that there are 18 good quality baskets and 18 concrete tee pads in the woods near two other courses. This shows that the investment in disc golf and the community in the area.

This is not a realistic course that you could play and expect a reasonable round. The holes are just too long, with too many turns, and way too many trees. That\'s not a competitive complaint; it\'s a comment on sound course design practices. (A reasonable hole isn\'t Par 5, 731 feet through a no-fairway forest as you will find at Hole 2!) If you have to add a bunch of extra strokes allowed with multiple Par 4 and Par 5 holes, perhaps the issue is course design.

Here\'s where I think this course has redeeming value- this is an EXCELLENT practice course. Bring your favorite fairway driver, pick a gap between the many trees, and shoot it. Practice straight, controlled shots. You\'ll hit trees. Guaranteed. When you finally get to the green, reward yourself with a putt shot, but don\'t bother keeping score. Then, take your newly acquired skills and go play a real course- like the Preserve, right next door. The original concrete tee pads were small which encourage a point-and-shoot style, perfect for fairway driver practice.

+Possibly the most challenging course in Alabama; the only other course in the state this difficult that I've played is Inverness in Birmingham. I enjoy a tough course and this one is such a challenge, I would have rated it 4.5 but can't because of the ridiculously small tee pads (see cons).
+Secluded, no other park activities at this location.
+Dense forest makes for plenty of shade for hot Alabama summers; also blocks the wind so it doesn't alter your putts.
+Mach III baskets almost new condition.
+Very well-balanced course, requiring players to throw left-to-right and right-to-left shots with high degrees of accuracy.
+Tee signs, while only laminated paper, provided me enough information that I didn't have to walk ahead down the fairway to figure out where to throw on the numerous blind holes.

-Unbelievably small concrete tee pads. I think they measure 3 feet wide by maybe 8 feet long. Completely inadequate for the championship length of this course. The only possible justification for these minuscule tee pads would be that the course designer is a big fan of the cult of "stand and deliver". The cult of stand and deliver is a misguided group of disc golf lunatics who want to change the rulebook to disallow players taking any kind of run-up before releasing a disc. You can't get a decent run-up on these tee pads, which actually makes these holes play about 10-15% longer than the actual already long distance of this course.
-Not beginner friendly at all; do not play this course if you haven't already played at least 100 rounds of disc golf in your life.
-Luck is a factor on this course, due to the tight width of the fairways in many spots and the random kicks off trees that will happen. You can get lucky and kick off a tree that directs your shot down the fairway, or you can kick off a tree into the rough that will cost you another shot to escape. It's easy to get frustrated when your throws are decent, but not blisteringly accurate, and that little bit of imperfection sends your shot 90 degrees left or right into thick, tall rough.
-Only one set of tees.
-No elevation to speak of.
-All the holes are in the woods, and it's hard remembering the differences in each of the holes. Maybe there are so many long and challenging holes on this course that would be signature holes on other courses, but they all kinda blend together in my mind?

Pecan Hollow is one of the toughest courses I have ever played. I shot a 76 my first time through and actually felt like that was a good score and I honestly don't think if I played it five more times that I could beat that 76. Patience is a virtue on this course, and sticking to mid-ranges off the tee even on the 700 and 800 foot holes is a wise decision. It's better to advance 200-250 feet and land in the middle of the fairway than to try and grab another 100 feet or so, and miss the fairway and have no option but to pitch out of the dense rough and small trees that punish off-fairway throws.

There's a sign after Hole 9 or 10 that points towards the "exit". There will be many lesser disc golfers who will give up at this point and bail. But if you have fortitude, guts, courage, or determination, stick it out and keep going! You will be a better disc golfer by the time you finish Pecan Hollow. Why? Because you're going to throw so many shots that you'll get a ton of practice just by finishing. So tough it out!

I can't imagine playing a tournament round on this course, unless it's the only round played that day. A foursome in a tournament on Pecan Hollow is going to take 4, maybe 5 hours to complete. And, keeping score on the par 4 & especially the par 5's won't be easy. It's tough to remember all the shots you made.

- challenging layout
- plenty of fairway width for a wooded course
- concrete tees
- new, high quality baskets
- distances on the tee pads
- informative tee signs
- intuitive layout, good directional signage
- multiple courses on location
- outhouse in parking lot

- flat course
- narrow, short tees
- small stumps and roots throughout
- parking is limited
- no practice basket
- lhbh/rhfh skewed layout
- some fairways were too similar

The Pecan Hollow is a long, wooded, and technical 18 hole course within a multi course complex. The fairways are flat, cleared of most non tree trunk obstructions, and are clearly defined. Pecan features seven par 5s and two par 4s, which is a stark contrast to most 18 hole courses. The holes are fairly technical, so propper shot placement is the key to success. You'll definitely need to plan your moves ahead of time to keep your lines as simple as possible. Think chess, not checkers.

If pressed, I would say this may be one of the challenging 18 hole courses I've experienced. Travelers new to the course will have to do a lot of guessing off the tee as well as midway through the fairway. Personally, I had a tough time judging dogleg angles and committing to blind shots throughout the course. Lower level players that lack control my want sit this course out, as the overall technicality and length may make for a potentially infuriating round.

You can tell a lot of clearing has been done to reach this point. Baskets are fresh, there are excellent directional cues, and the course is easy to navigate. It has all the makings of a top notch course, with a few exceptions.

The comically narrow/short concrete tees displeased me. I would have preferred much more foot room to drive with, especially when there's such a strong emphasis on hitting certain lines from the tee. Another thing I would have liked to see was a wider variety of fairway themes. The repeated blind dogleg theme started to wear thin after a while. Multiple tees, bakets and permanent signage were missing from the course, but I'm sure they'll come with time.

Overall, this has the makings of a really great course. More work is required, though. Still, Pecan is easily one of my favorite 18 hole courses. I'd list Graham Creek (Prarie+Preserve+Pecan) as equal to or greater than the other muti course facilities in the general area such as Gator Links, Blue Angels, and Chickasabouge.