Trussville, AL

Humble Tree DGC

2.55(based on 3 reviews)
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Cerealman
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.4 years 665 played 192 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Humble Tree can brag a little

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

Just about a disc throw from Interstate 59 and northeast of Birmingham, the CrossPoint Church cranks out a fun, mostly heavily wooded design with an excellent variety of lines and tons of potential for score separation.

First, this course is incredibly easy to access. As you exit the interstate, you might be able to glimpse a couple baskets on the hill. Second, the course includes 13 holes in the well-shaded woods and is bookended by four open holes on each side.

The course has experienced some considerable updates since photos were taken two summers ago. There are now concrete teepads on nearly every hole (on all but the newest four holes). There is new permanent signage. Several of the holes now have two teepads, and about half of the wood holes have two or three possible pin locations, as indicated on the new signs.

Humble Tree has spread its branches and grown from an 18-hole to a 21-hole course. After Hole #9, there have been four more heavily wooded holes added and designated as Holes #A, #B, #C and #D. There holes have temporary mesh-like rubber teepads, which obviously aren't concrete, but I had no issues with the footing. Also, the original Hole #3 is gone; part of the fairway went over a parking lot and may have posed a danger to vehicles or been unplayable at times.

The variety of holes, especially in the woods, is excellent. While the layout is on the short side and averages about 200 feet per hole, there's a good mix of fairway shapes with notable elevation on at least half of the holes, which merits the "moderately hilly" descriptor. All the holes are par 3s – with the possible exception of Hole #13 in the long position, which with its twisting fairway design, merits being a par 4.

Hole #15 is one of the more memorable holes combining an open downhill toss with a visible outlined "island" and an elevated basket. It's not a long hole, but the delineated area demands accuracy and got my adrenaline going.

Navigation was fairly straight forward and the distances between holes tended to be quite short.

Cons:

The course conditions at Humble Tree might suffer a bit after inclement weather. With heavy tree cover, there's definitely the potential for muddy fairways. Several of the holes in the woods have rutted fairways and challenging traversability.

Several of the holes are near parking lots. If you look on UDisc, there are guidelines that indicate there are several mandos and there is OB on nearly every hole. However, in most instances, only really poor throws risk missing the mandos or finding the out of bounds area.

The lines aren't pure on every hole. There's definitely some poke-n-hope on several of the most wooded holes.

Humble Tree won't be much of a challenge for experienced players. There aren't any holes over 300 feet. You won't need to throw max distance on any of the holes, and even the few uphill holes are short.

Other Thoughts:

Humble Tree is my favorite type of course. I love the technical lines which prioritize accuracy over distance, which equates to being a fun challenge for me. There are plenty of opportunities to snag birdies while occasionally forced to scramble to avoid bogeys.

With the expansion to 21 holes, new teepads and signage, and an apparent commitment to improving the course, Humble Tree seems deserving of a "Good" rating.
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21 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.9 years 707 played 686 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Humble Beginnings

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 20, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

(2.529 Rating) (RE-EVALUATED) A putter-fest course with a mix of open and heavily wooded holes.
- UPGRADES - I played Humble Tree within 6 months of its opening. There was a lot of growth potential at that time to be had, and thus it was nice to get an update from Cerealman highlighting the upgrades in the last two years. New tee signs, new concrete tees, 4 new holes (old 3 got the axe), lots of alternate pin placements and even a few back tee installs. My re-evaluation score is more than a half point higher than before. I originally scored it a 2.017 in June of 2021. A tip of the cap to all of the volunteers here making this place better and better each day. I hope I am able to get in another round here to see it myself.
- FUN FACTOR - Ace-a-palooza. I lightly brushed the chains on my first throw out here. Additionally, I had at least three mirage aces before the realization set in that the basket must have juked left at the last millisecond. There are 16 holes listed at less than 225 feet currently, although placement can vary this figure by a touch. MA3 players are going to have a birdie bonanza here and average 6 to 10 down in my estimation. It is also hard to lose a disc here. Yes, there is some moderate overgrowth on more than half of the holes, but there are no unforgiving water hazards lurking in the shadows. I think this place is going to draw in a lot of newer players and it will keep them entertained as they develop.
- RAW BEAUTY - The visual star of this course is holes (6-14). 13 straight holes of tight twisting rustic looking tunnel shots when also playing the four-hole loop labeled (A) thru (D). I personally really enjoyed the aesthetics during this portion. The open portion of the course brings my overall score back quite a bit. I scored the woods a 3.5 and it makes up 60 percent of the course. I scored the open part a 1.75. That roughly calculates to a 2.75 overall.
- MAINTENANCE - The word is that several volunteers are out here keeping the fairways and greens looking nice. Thanks again to those involved making this course into the playable shape that it is.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - I heard the tee signs got upgraded from the low quality paper printouts, which was definitely going to be needed as they don't last. When I played two years back, the transitions were generally easy to see due to the openness or there was an intuitive path in the woods. My phone died even while on the course and I had no trouble getting around. I can't imagine that this aspect got worse and it's likely even improved. I still would think that the only tricky transition is (5) to (6). Head west after this hole up the gravel path and through a tree gap.
- HOLE VARIETY - About average, but I decided to include it in the pros because for a short easy course, the variety is above average. There are 6 open holes, 2 lightly wooded holes and 13 heavily wooded holes. Lines break both ways. Lots of moderate elevation change with both risers and fallers. The biggest missing element here is length. I threw only one driver at full power, the last hole. For many longer throwers, this is going to be a putters only kind of course. There are also obviously no multi-play holes and no water elements.
- CHAINS AND TEES - White Veteran baskets. A fine choice in my opinion. The tees, as noted above, recently got updated to concrete.
- QUICK PLAY - 70 minutes as a quick solo, but with family tagalongs throwing a couple throws here and there. I figure groups of four at 100 to 135 minutes.

Cons:

A super short young course with room still to grow in a couple areas.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - Perhaps I was wrong, but I thought several holes were more than 10 percent shorter than the listed distance. Perhaps the new signs alleviated this. A couple holes felt like mindless dinker plays. Anyways, the challenge was not very inspiring enough to me and likely won't be for many MA1s and above.
- SAFETY HAZARDS - I was not a fan of holes (2 thru 4). These three holes can infringe on parking areas. I got a weird adrenaline kick out of throwing over the top of a parked car on (3). Thankfully this hole got the axe. Holes (4) and (5) have low use property access roads in play. Later on hole (15), the tee shot sort-of infringes on hole (18s) basket. Also, holes (17) and (18) have property access roads in play.
- MISC THINGS - The spacing hole to hole is suspect a couple times. I also thought that a couple holes were too luck based with ultra-tight lines. No practice basket and no benches yet, which was surprising to hear from my source.
- TERRAIN - I loved the terrain. The middle chunk of the course is raw rugged decadence. Players with knee, ankle or foot pain should probably avoid this place. I don't have a cart, but I'd label the course as somewhat cart friendly.
- POISON IVY - The course probably has poison ivy and ticks in the wooded portion. This is the situation though with every course in the region with heavily wooded holes. I don't take off for this unless it's epic bad and that's not the case here as long as it stays maintained monthly.

Other Thoughts:

In my humble opinion, this course has seen enough updates to qualify as a 50 to 55 percentile course in my personal rankings. I still think there's more potential. Benches and more extra tees will nudge it up on my ledger. Also tweaking a couple wooded holes to multi-play par 4s would be a nice variety boost. The course still has enough potential yet to cross my 2.75 rating threshold with these noted upgrades. I guess time will tell. If you are reading this and there have been more upgrades, please let me know. I will adjust my review score if I think enough has occurred for the course to rise up a ratings level. As is, not a destination course like Clay DGC a bit down the road. For those in the Birmingham area, it's worth checking out for sure. It will be liked most by MA4s and MA3s, and I'm sure some MA2s may enjoy the high birdie potential. Not ideal for higher skilled players due to the lack of difficulty and length.
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15 0
Bennybennybenny
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 322 played 303 reviews
2.00 star(s)

A New Event For the Church 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 19, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Seems that churches around the deeper south are more likely to have the space for an 18 hole course. The course is located on the highest elevation point of the property. Part of, is open by the parking lot where #1 starts. The very top is wooded where you play holes #6-8. You make your way down the opposite side downhill in the woods and play in there until you get to #15, which is back in the open close to where you start. This being said, there's a good open/wooded mix.

-Course is very short. Under 3500'. Course designer did well because newbies will like this. I myself started playing with my church group, so this is a great way to start. It takes a lot of effort to improve at disc golf and Humble Tree is very welcoming for starters. Many of the open holes are great warm up holes with some danger. #1 is perched on a steeper hill, making you want to putt with caution. #5 is steep uphill along the road on the left side. The open holes are generally speaking, quite easy but they have some base requirements for disc golf. Find the better spot to land in, like on #4 being a hyzer up the side of the hill or on #2 & 5 where the road is OB. The wooded holes are short too, but they have their particular lines.

-Elevation. Quite a bit of it for it being a short course. There are a few steep uphills and a few steep downhills. #13-15 have the best elevation stretch. #13 is a steep downhill sweeping left hyzer. #14 is back uphill while #15 is an open hyzer around a telephone pole down a hill in the open. Many others have good elevation changes. Several holes exceed 20' in elevation change.

-Epic course around the corner at Clay with twice as much elevation and some real creativity! I LOVE that course! Humble Tree has that open/wooded mix that Clay has and it has some aspects of creativity. #16's green is a scary one! I threw a sidearm and went long and had a tough uphill upshot back up the green because the basket is perched on a drop off. The road is in proximity. There is plenty of roller potential here. This course is no where close to as fun as Clay, but it does have some similarities and if newbies like this course and take the time and effort to work on their game, they will see how great of a disc golf area it is around Birmingham!

-Nice tee signs with hole distance info. Signs had some quotes on them. One that I remember was the one on #12 (a very tight hole) was the phrase we've all said before. "Stupid tree!" Would've been nice to see Bible verses that may seem relevant to the hole you play, but some of the phrases may make you laugh.

-I saw a lot of painted stumps on the back nine. It needs a lot of work, but the stumps do indicate that there's some labor put into Humble Tree and that they didn't just place the baskets in and rush the project.

Cons:

-I am a biased reviewer. In all honesty, bias is human nature. It all matters on whether or not you are fair in your biased beliefs and why you favor toward one way to the other. With that out of the way, this is disc golf. I like to see a wide variety of holes. I like to wonder what the next one will be like. I like it when there are some easier holes and some that take a lot of thought into saving par on. This course is less appealing to more competitive players as myself, but it is perfect for what it is made for. You will see some holes that are pleasantly surprising, but it's very short and there's a little bit of repetition. #10 and #12 seemed similar. Both are very tight shorter holes with similar fairways. #9 and #11 are pretty similar too. Both are straight and steep downhill holes around 175'.

-#18's basket is way too close to the road to the parking lot. I parked it. I had a tap in putt, but I was OB. While we are at it. #15's tee pad and #18's basket are too close. I acknowledge that the mando right of the pole on #15 eliminates a safety hazard but I think #15 could simply be better. It could be straighter and further down the hill instead of being awkwardly in the middle of the field being a relatively boring hyzer. #16 could be at the bottom of the hill and still far enough from the road and have you throwing back up the hill. #2's basket is too close to the parking lot. Could be obstructive from people playing it if there's a special event outside of church service.

Other Thoughts:

-It's kind of hard to review this course. Lengthwise, it's very nice for the church members to start a new hobby. The wooded holes, however I hope are incomplete. A few of them were odd and would be irritating for starters, but then again if you play this course enough times, you'd probably know the right way to play every hole at some point in time. I know I would've thought the fairways were weird on #10, #12, & 14 if I started playing here when I was a kid. Hopefully they will have more definitive lines in the foreseeable future.

-I thought it was pretty cool overall. I like Revelation Mountain more though. That's another church course that I think people should check out. I think the target audience (beginners, church members) would love the course here and would be strongly interested in picking disc golf up as a hobby. The designer did great! I would've loved this course as a kid! The church I go to back at home holds many interesting events for people of all ages. Where memories could be made and treasured. This course is perfect for a new event for the members to try out.
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