Originally a 9 holer that's been improved with clever alternative tees to make for a decent 18 using nine baskets.



+ The standout feature of this course is the basket placements. Seven of the nine baskets are on steep hills or rocky ridges. For a relatively short course, you'll find plenty of challenge landing your approaches or thinking about the consequences of missing long putts


+ A good mix of woods and open holes; The design makes the most of the deep woods in this park. Every hole has fair lines, but there are trees to navigate and some pretty tight gaps (the teeshot on the par 4 hole #12 is probably the tightest)


+ Designers came up with very good alternative tees for playing the back nine to the same baskets. Only on the first (#10) did I stand on the tee and think "Oh, this hole again..". And a few of the newer tees make for better holes than their front nine counterparts (examples are the straight woods shot on #13 vs. #4, and the addition of a double mando when lengthening #6 to become #15)

- The back nine tees are just mats, and some of them are sinking. I hope the framed pavers on the front nine will eventually be found on the back nine


- Signage is bare minimum (just hole numbers nailed to trees near the tees). There are some next tee navigational signs, but a few places could stand some more


- The main valley of the course (#1 and #18, #7 and #16, #8 and #17) will get really muddy and slick if you play on a rainy day like I did. Footing can be tricky when you're climbing up and down the hills

~ It seems like there's been a fair amount of work put in since the earlier reviews. This one is written based on what I found in late October 2021



~ The problem with Hackett Hill is the same as its strength: designing 18 holes using 9 baskets. There are a few places where people will be throwing at other players (9 throws at the 10th tee; 18 throws at the fairway being used in the opposite direction when playing 1 and 10). You could probably fit 3 or 4 groups on the course simultaneously, but they'd have to be playing the same 9. That said, the course makes for a great round of 18 if there aren't too many other people playing






COURSE AMENITIES:

~ Old but still catching DGA baskets; paver tees on the front 9. Adequate parking, benches at most tees. The course is navigable with a cart, but it's pretty steep and rocky with a few stone walls to cross. I was glad I didn't bring my cart


RECOMMENDED COMBINATIONS:

~ Not far from the excellent 27 hole Wilcox Memorial which is not to be missed. Alternatively, you have short 9's north in Kingston and southeast in Tymor Park. You could put together a nice day of bagging short courses

-Good mix of wooded holes & and open grass fairways
-Good use of the land and topography in hole design
-Baskets are new
-One of the few courses in the Hudson River Valley
-Good potential for added baskets and hole development
-Tees numbers were well marked and tee boxes were clear

I've only been playing for a couple of years now and have not played many courses but this course was fun for me and worth the trip out. I look forward to playing again.

-Could use a course map and/or some additional signange. I had to wander around a bit to find certain holes. A lot were adequately marked but first time visitors will spend a little extra time locating the next tee or baskets.
- Could probably use some strategic tree branch removal (through the appropriate channels) to make some of the tee shots more practical. On a couple holes I was throwing through dense branches right off the tee.

As a growing disc golf player/enthusiast (a few years worth), I'm glad there's a course close to home for me. This course has potential and I hope to see it grow.