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Mint Ridge DGC reviews
12
0
The "Cream Of Wheat" Course In The Boone Area 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 11, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
-The new course in the Boone area offers the same spectacular views that the other courses in the area do. Very high degree of elevation. You get to see just how high up you are in the mountains from a side view on #5's fairway! Holes #7 through #13 have you playing on top of a mountainside full of pine trees! The atmosphere stays the same the entire way but the ending three holes play close to the lake. The atmosphere is very quiet the entire round.
-Wide variety of shots here. First hole strongly favors either a lefty backhand thrower or a right hand sidearm. It's pretty open so there's room to work with but the OB road is straight ahead while the basket is short of the road and to the right. #3 was a fun uphill anhyzer mash. Great opportunity to rip as far as you can! #9 is probably the most wooded. 423' and sharply left over a small valley toward the end of the fairway leading you to the green. There's a downward slope instantly off the fairway to the right. #16 probably has the greatest elevation change here at Mint Ridge. It's a very fun downhill anhyzer over the gravel down a steep hill. Basket is somewhat near the lake. If you go too far, you could be in the water.
-Some neat basket placements. #4 is placed in an open spot but the green slopes steeply to the left. Meaning if you backhand a little early, you'll likely be far down the hill to the left and have a tough approach to save par. #8 is on another sloping green guarded by a long line of trees to the left. #14 was probably the most interesting hole. It's a daunting 240' along a narrow path and fully wooded. The left side is steep uphill from the fairway. The fairway cuts to the right a little and takes you to a small mound that the basket is perched on. The path you throw down creates a SEVERE drop off to the right! Any bad tree kick could take you down far below. It is deep down there and it's very dark. You don't want to go down there! It was hard to see the bottom of it or whether or not there even is a bottom to it and it's tough to climb down since it's steep. A hole that can be this scary will make this an attraction for some players like myself!
-Dynamic Veterans. I like them! They work for me and the one here are portable so if any events are held, the directors and participants could experiment and move them around as an attempt to make better pin placement options since there's no key needed to move them. Hole 3 could be pushed even further up the hill and be a long and difficult uphill par four!
-A couple of long open bombs, both downhill! #13 and #17 that is. #13 is 537' down a pine tree field. Distance throwers do have a chance in reaching this hole with one monster drive. The woods to the left are closer than they appear and there are some trees to avoid in the fairway. #17 is 466' with the water on the right side, being a potential hazard if your disc sails to the right. The only uphill hole that really allows you to crush one without much risk is #3. But it'll get your arm nice and warmed up.
-It's a great mix of open and wooded. About six wooded holes. Ten holes that are more open, and a open that are in between.
-I was the only person playing the course. I was only person there on the property until the end of my round. An old married couple came by for a picnic at the parking area. So it seems to be very secluded.
-Wide variety of shots here. First hole strongly favors either a lefty backhand thrower or a right hand sidearm. It's pretty open so there's room to work with but the OB road is straight ahead while the basket is short of the road and to the right. #3 was a fun uphill anhyzer mash. Great opportunity to rip as far as you can! #9 is probably the most wooded. 423' and sharply left over a small valley toward the end of the fairway leading you to the green. There's a downward slope instantly off the fairway to the right. #16 probably has the greatest elevation change here at Mint Ridge. It's a very fun downhill anhyzer over the gravel down a steep hill. Basket is somewhat near the lake. If you go too far, you could be in the water.
-Some neat basket placements. #4 is placed in an open spot but the green slopes steeply to the left. Meaning if you backhand a little early, you'll likely be far down the hill to the left and have a tough approach to save par. #8 is on another sloping green guarded by a long line of trees to the left. #14 was probably the most interesting hole. It's a daunting 240' along a narrow path and fully wooded. The left side is steep uphill from the fairway. The fairway cuts to the right a little and takes you to a small mound that the basket is perched on. The path you throw down creates a SEVERE drop off to the right! Any bad tree kick could take you down far below. It is deep down there and it's very dark. You don't want to go down there! It was hard to see the bottom of it or whether or not there even is a bottom to it and it's tough to climb down since it's steep. A hole that can be this scary will make this an attraction for some players like myself!
-Dynamic Veterans. I like them! They work for me and the one here are portable so if any events are held, the directors and participants could experiment and move them around as an attempt to make better pin placement options since there's no key needed to move them. Hole 3 could be pushed even further up the hill and be a long and difficult uphill par four!
-A couple of long open bombs, both downhill! #13 and #17 that is. #13 is 537' down a pine tree field. Distance throwers do have a chance in reaching this hole with one monster drive. The woods to the left are closer than they appear and there are some trees to avoid in the fairway. #17 is 466' with the water on the right side, being a potential hazard if your disc sails to the right. The only uphill hole that really allows you to crush one without much risk is #3. But it'll get your arm nice and warmed up.
-It's a great mix of open and wooded. About six wooded holes. Ten holes that are more open, and a open that are in between.
-I was the only person playing the course. I was only person there on the property until the end of my round. An old married couple came by for a picnic at the parking area. So it seems to be very secluded.
Cons:
-There's a lot of work that needs to be done here. The tee pads are very tough to find and I wouldn't have been able to if it wasn't for U disc. They are very vaguely marked with white spray paint. No tee signs or hole info by the pads or anything. However, this course is new so that is subject to change.
-Some holes that I wouldn't have designed here. Few fillers. Like #11 and #12. Especially #12 being about 250' and straight between two sides of weeds. Boring hole. #8 and #18 need a makeover. #8 has an excellent approach shot in the woods but the tee area is the worst spot for this hole. It's especially a pain in the summer. It's in the open and directly over 300' of weeds with very little pathway that's cleared in the open. You could rip one and blindly throw over the weeds and land somewhere to the right side in the woods with no guarantee that you'll find your disc. It could drift far right down the enormous hill in the woods. Or, you could play it safe and throw a shot straight to left. Still, you'd be throwing blindly over the weeds. They are instantly past the pad and you can't see the parts of the mowed pathway where you want to land. This hole would be great if the tee is moved somewhere else where the basket is more visible and you have a clearer sense on what to throw and where you don't want to land. #18 is the opposite of #8. Nice tee shot down a hill with the view of the lake. The pin placement is dreadful. This hole is open until the last 80-90' or so. The last 80-90' is wooded with no line at all to the basket. So they decided to tuck it in there and just call it a short par four? Please! Do over on these holes. They aren't fun!
-Could use a second set of pads. This layout seems to be clear that it's for everybody to enjoy but the fun is kind of limited on this layout. There are three, maybe four holes I can say that I really enjoyed. Many others were sufficient and presentable but not great. Not many of them could compare to Ashe County or Rolling Pines. A few of the holes here, like #3, #13, #14, and #16 would blend in well at the highest rated courses around Boone. Maybe a few others. The rest of them would be inferior to the holes at Ashe County.
-No idea where to pay the $5. I knocked on the door at the address. No one was there. I drove up that gravel road on the right side of the entrance where I tried to pay and no one was there either.
-Some holes that I wouldn't have designed here. Few fillers. Like #11 and #12. Especially #12 being about 250' and straight between two sides of weeds. Boring hole. #8 and #18 need a makeover. #8 has an excellent approach shot in the woods but the tee area is the worst spot for this hole. It's especially a pain in the summer. It's in the open and directly over 300' of weeds with very little pathway that's cleared in the open. You could rip one and blindly throw over the weeds and land somewhere to the right side in the woods with no guarantee that you'll find your disc. It could drift far right down the enormous hill in the woods. Or, you could play it safe and throw a shot straight to left. Still, you'd be throwing blindly over the weeds. They are instantly past the pad and you can't see the parts of the mowed pathway where you want to land. This hole would be great if the tee is moved somewhere else where the basket is more visible and you have a clearer sense on what to throw and where you don't want to land. #18 is the opposite of #8. Nice tee shot down a hill with the view of the lake. The pin placement is dreadful. This hole is open until the last 80-90' or so. The last 80-90' is wooded with no line at all to the basket. So they decided to tuck it in there and just call it a short par four? Please! Do over on these holes. They aren't fun!
-Could use a second set of pads. This layout seems to be clear that it's for everybody to enjoy but the fun is kind of limited on this layout. There are three, maybe four holes I can say that I really enjoyed. Many others were sufficient and presentable but not great. Not many of them could compare to Ashe County or Rolling Pines. A few of the holes here, like #3, #13, #14, and #16 would blend in well at the highest rated courses around Boone. Maybe a few others. The rest of them would be inferior to the holes at Ashe County.
-No idea where to pay the $5. I knocked on the door at the address. No one was there. I drove up that gravel road on the right side of the entrance where I tried to pay and no one was there either.
Other Thoughts:
-Mint Ridge is getting great comments on the social media sites, so my opinion might be outvoted. It's a gorgeous property for sure with some fun holes. I have a lot of energy, even for my younger age so I didn't enjoy it as much but I thought it was pretty good. I love to see some serious magnitude, whether it's elevation or intimidation. This course is unarguably less tiring because it's not as much of a hike, even though it does require you to hike. That being said, it's probably a good change. It's not as intense. Biggest elevation change on any given hole here is probably nearly 35 feet. The new course in Sparta that is still being worked on has many holes that exceed 35 feet and it is an enervating hike for anyone and is probably too exhausting for some people. Mint Ridge is suitable for any player of age or size. It's a little bit easier on the legs.
-Even though it's nice to have less intensity, I do wish there were long pads or long pin locations that could utilize more elevation just as an option for players that prefer elevation. When walking from #14 to #15 I thought that #15 was going to be a big fun steep downhill shot that I was looking for. From #14's pin, you walk along a ridge created by an enormous hill to the left side. You think you'll find a small trail somewhere along the way that takes you further up but you don't. #15 is down about 12' in elevation. It's a primarily wooded hole with light elevation. The basket is in the clear open. I was kind of bummed out on this hole. It's cool, but it's nothing thrilling. Directly behind you, there's a cliff that you wish you tee off on but you don't tee off on. This was labeled as the signature hole on U disc. In future time, I don't think it'll be. Maybe #16 though. That was my favorite hole, and for very good reason.
-Hope some additions will come here. It's a good course that could be improved.
-Even though it's nice to have less intensity, I do wish there were long pads or long pin locations that could utilize more elevation just as an option for players that prefer elevation. When walking from #14 to #15 I thought that #15 was going to be a big fun steep downhill shot that I was looking for. From #14's pin, you walk along a ridge created by an enormous hill to the left side. You think you'll find a small trail somewhere along the way that takes you further up but you don't. #15 is down about 12' in elevation. It's a primarily wooded hole with light elevation. The basket is in the clear open. I was kind of bummed out on this hole. It's cool, but it's nothing thrilling. Directly behind you, there's a cliff that you wish you tee off on but you don't tee off on. This was labeled as the signature hole on U disc. In future time, I don't think it'll be. Maybe #16 though. That was my favorite hole, and for very good reason.
-Hope some additions will come here. It's a good course that could be improved.
