Foley, AL

Graham Creek - Pecan Hollow

3.315(based on 8 reviews)
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Graham Creek - Pecan Hollow reviews

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22 0
playrecords
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 17.9 years 770 played 27 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Pecan may be a tough nut to crack but so delicious

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 22, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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.

Other Thoughts:

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.
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9 2
Fricks
Experience: 2.2 years 3 played 2 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Borderline unplayable drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 8, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

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

Cons:

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

Other Thoughts:

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.
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14 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 18.8 years 256 played 243 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Wow, Alabama! A Hidden Gem That Will Take You to School... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 30, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 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

Cons:

- 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

Other Thoughts:

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.
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12 0
The Drake
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.9 years 126 played 61 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Highly Underrated 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 11, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

-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

Cons:

-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

Other Thoughts:

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.
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2 7
MoMo337
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Amazing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 1, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

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

Cons:

No definitive O.B. on a few holes.

Other Thoughts:

If you don't love this course after you havr played it. You're crazy.
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3 8
puaahunter
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 45 played 37 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Not a realistically playable course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 4, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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.

Other Thoughts:

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.
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14 0
MikeK
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 28.9 years 330 played 128 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Tough it out until the bitter end! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 29, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

+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.

Cons:

-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?

Other Thoughts:

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.
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13 0
Mr. Butlertron
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.2 years 673 played 131 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Pro 9 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 12, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 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

Cons:

- 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

Other Thoughts:

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.


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