Tee Boxes= Being up on the mountain, I don't expect this sort of course to have concrete pads. Most tees had rubber tee pads that are in good shape.

Baskets= Discatchers in good shape. The layout is tweaked seasonally I believe.

Signs & Stuff= Red paint and flags help with navigation. Riding the ski lift up to play a round was terrifying...I mean exhilarating. Restrooms, extra water, bar and grill located at the warming hut at the top of the lift (I assume only open when the lifts are running). Shout out to Supreme Flight who provided signage for the tournament!

Design&Maintenance=Two nine hole loops starting near the warming hut. Most baskets are visible from the tee, making navigation easier. Just the fact that a course on the side of a ski hill gets maintained impresses me.

Dave's Point= Unique and Epic! The view from hole 10's green is hard to believe until you see it yourself.

Tee Boxes= Some of the teeing areas were on the short side, but a large run-up is rarely needed. Rubber pads or dirt tee pads don't always provide optional footing. Only one set of tees (except for shot across the pond which had a shorter tee)

Baskets= Lesser quality baskets on a few of the temp holes for the tournament. I don't believe these are always set up however.

Design& Maintenance= No real Top of The World Epic Shot which you really expect when playing on a ski slope. Some fun shots that use the elevation, but lacking a true TOW.

Signs&Stuff=Little to no seating on the course. The ski lifts rarely run. The course is always playable, but is only reachable by hiking up the fire road. It's a hike.


Dave's Point=I wish the lifts ran more regularly, so jump on any chance to play this course when they do! This course plays at high elevation so beware dehydration and altitude sickness!! Lots more water than you think you need and sunscreen. It is very isolated up there with little to no cell signal. You are a long way from help, so go prepared. There are rattlesnakes in the area.

I was lucky enough to play Mt. Waterman for a one round 22 hole tournament. They had the ski lifts running that day, so getting to the course was a little easier than hiking up the fire road. Epic mountain course just about an hour outside of Los Angeles....Texas didn't have that.

Tee Boxes=.75
Baskets= .75
Signs & Stuff= .75
Design & Maintenance= .5
Dave's Point= .1.0
total= 3.75

Temperatures are so much cooler up there than in Los Angeles during this time of year.

Very scenic views.

Very easy to navigate. Rocks are spray painted bright red to guide you towards the next tee box.

Front 9 is standard Disc Golf shots of all types.

Back 9 gets tighter and more technical and LONGER. I don't know if the new basket layouts are permanent, but some of them are insane and the entire group of us were out of breathe and we are all sore after.

Not too many death shots. Maybe 3 holes total have shots where you can fly off the mountain.

Still a bit too rugged. Not enough people play the course to make it feel like a legit permanent course.

Carts and strollers will be a burden.

The #1 Ski Lift wasn't in operation. We knew this ahead of time and had guys bring their 4X4 trucks cause the fire road is steep and ROUGH. The hike up hill looks treacherous, but manageable.

Some broken glass. Inconsiderate players have made some spots littered.

There were some hikers up there. The bike trails looks AMAZING and fun! Definitely a bike would add to the experience.

It's 8000' elevation and some what isolated.

Make sure to bring a cooler packed with drinks, snacks, food, ice and whatever you and your group will need to stay hydrated and fed. There are no stores or gas stations anywhere nearby. It's an hour drive up the mountain from either direction so pack the car accordingly.

OverStable discs are almost useless here. Bring your UnderStable stuff so that you won't be doing extra hiking while retrieving your errant shots.

Cool Off

Drive up and cool off when the heat of summer is getting to you. Mount Waterman is a small ski resort located between 7,500 and 8,000 feet above sea level. In summer the resort is reachable from La Canada Flintridge or from the Palmdale area and Wrightwood. Lift One offers service up from the parking area on Highway 2. This 18 hole DISCatcher course is challenging for players of all skill levels. It is also offers cooler temperatures than the deserts and valleys below..


I love ski resort courses.

Which means my view of this disc golf course may be very different than yours. I enjoy playing rugged, Western courses and this course fills the bill. The course isn't completely rugged, but it is a big workout at elevation. The course often follows roadways and wider trails. One of the biggest obstacles to good footing is dealing with the abundance of pine cones! This may sound silly, but once you play this course, you will completely understand. I wore hiking boots, but I probably could have played in sneakers.

Lift Up Resort

The disc golf course is free to play at Mt. Waterman. However, unless you are going to walk up, you will need to purchase a scenic round trip lift pass. The $15.00 scenic lift ticket is good for a round trip up on the main lift. There is a large parking area just off Highway 2 at the bottom of the main lift. Lift One takes you up to the main area, warming hut and restrooms. It is a short walk to either Hole 1 or Hole 10 after you disembark.


Variety

I was pleased with the variety of holes and the use of elevation. There are some short tight holes and some nice wide open holes for letting them rip. While the trees here are not thick, you still have to navigate the "wooded" fairways. This resort covers so much acreage. There is absolutely room for 18 more holes at this location. I imagine several alternate tee and target locations will develop as this course matures.



Dual Nines

This course is designed as two separate nine hole courses that start at the top of the main lift. It is a short walk to play the front nine or the back nine. There are full service restrooms and a warming lodge. There are beverages at the snack bar in the warming house (when open). Since you are playing at altitude, plan to take a short break here between nines to rest and get resupplied for the second nine. I think the back nine is a little more strenuous than the front as there is more uphill hiking.



Nice use of elevation

Since this is a ski resort, there is naturally a lot of elevation here. Many ski resort courses are all up or all down, luckily this one is not like that. The two nine hole loops play away from the main plateau. The front nine work up and around to Hole 6 and then traverse back down to the main area. The back nine starts playing down from lift one, the course winds down, around and eventually back up to the main lift area. While not a super strenuous mountain course, it is still a long up and down hike in the thin mountain air.

Tees

This course has both natural and rubber tee pads. I understand permanent tees are not really possible for most ski resort courses. On my visit we did try a couple of alternate tees. There is so much open space here, I imagine several alternate tee and target locations will develop as this course matures. There is absolutely room for 18 more holes at this location.

Tee Signs

There were laminated tee signs on the holes and a lot of arrows to help with navigation. Most ski resort courses can't put in traditional signs on poles as these can be dangerous during ski season. As long as the course owners print and install new signs when holes change or at the start of each season, the laminated signs are acceptable (although not ideal). The current signs could use some updated graphics and the location of next tee.



Kids, Strollers and Carts

This is not a good course for kids under 12 to play or tag along. It is just a bit too rugged, with some very steep areas to bring a cart or your young kids. I would say a definite no for strollers and for disc golf carts. There are some rocky traverses and some and a couple of steep climbs. Also, wayward drives will mean you will have to cover even more difficult terrain. It is tough to balance a traditional bag on the sloped terrain, I wouldn't want to be messing with a cart.

Pets

I understand that dogs on leashes are allowed. I don't know if they charge a fee to let your pet ride the lift, but I know folks have done it. I suppose you can always walk up with your pooch. You should call first to double check on this.

Be Prepared for Weather

Summer showers and storms can pop up quickly. Be prepared for sudden temperature changes even on warm sunny days. Cloud cover and winds can drop temperatures very quickly. I recommend bringing a warm winter hat and an extra layer of clothing just in case.

Restrooms

There are full service restrooms at the main lift area next to the warming hut. They were clean and maintained. They are located near the start of Holes 1 and Hole 10. There are no other restrooms or portables on the course. However, since this is a wilderness area, there are plenty of opportunities for privacy during the round.

Navigation

There were plenty of arrows throughout the course to direct you to the next hole. It was pretty straightforward without a lot of walking to the next hole. It would be helpful to put the next hole information on the tee signs. Don't use the map posted here dated 9-2014.

Pack it in, Pack it Out

There are no trash cans on the course. The only trash cans are located at the main area near the restrooms. Please plan to carry all of your own garbage during your round.

No Gas on the Mountain

There are also no convenience stores or grocery stores. Be sure to fill up your gas tank and purchase all your water, snacks and supplies before you head up here for the day.

Great Exercise

You want to be in good shape to tackle this course. Again, it is not as rugged or as steep as some other ski resort courses. However it is still a big hike up and down hills over rugged terrain at over 7,500 feet. The air is thinner up here which will add to the amount of effort required to play. Drink lots of water and take deep breaths to help lessen the high altitude symptoms. Plan to take a nice break after your first nine to get rested and fueled up for the second nine.

Map

Do not use the map here at DGCR dated 9/8/2014. It is the original layout and does
not reflect the current layout. Needs to be updated with the new dual nine layout. Once you get started, navigation isn't too difficult.


Tee Signs

The laminated tee signs could use some improved graphics and include directions to the next tee. Most ski resort courses can't put in traditional signs mounted on poles as these can be dangerous during ski season, so these are not expected. However, they may want to mount the laminated signs on downed logs and such to add to the character and navigability without endangering the skiers.


Tees

This is on a ski resort, so permanent tees are not really an option. Some tees are rubber mats and others are natural. The tees are well defined, they are just not ideal and could use a little more preparation. Hopefully they can level and prepare the current tee areas and/or add some longer rubber mats.

Worth the Drive

I will definitely be playing here again. I like to drive and I don't mind taking a trip if the course is worth it. The drive up Highway 2 from La Canada or Wrightwood is very enjoyable. Lots of twists and turns and amazing vistas. If you don't like driving and you don't like hiking in the mountains, you probably won't enjoy Mt. Waterman as much as I did.

Mountain Biking

This resort also offers Mountain biking in the summer. They charge $25.00 for an all day pass for Mountain Bikes. It is only $10.00 more than the disc golf round trip ticket. A dual mountain bike and disc golf trip is definitely in my future. I plan to lift up, bomb it down, ride back up, play 18 holes then bomb back down again! Bring your own bike as they do not have any bike rentals on the mountain.

Camping on site!

Primitive tent camping will be available on site once the resort officially opens for the 2016 season. The nearest traditional campground is Buckhorn Campground. It is not possible to reserve spots at Buckhorn. There are a couple of other campgrounds on the mountain.

No Gas on the Mountain

Be sure to fill up your gas tank BEFORE you make this journey. And don't forget to bring your own beverages and snacks because there are no convenience stores up here either.

Rating

I would give the layout a 4.5 for variety and challenge. I will give the property and this wonderful area a 5.0 for beauty and the sheer size of it. I will have to give it an initial rating of 3.5. I will be happy to update it and give it at least a 4 if they install better signs and improve some tees.

Very scenic alpine ski area course.

Great use of elevation change, boulders and trees to make a very challenging course.

It's listed as par 56 but there are very few easy 2s on. Just about every hole has lots of opportunity to give you bogies or worse.

While being fairly hard it manages to do so without having an OBs or ridiculous cliffs.

Low risk of losing discs. That's because it's mostly clear of grass and undergrowth.

Several picturesque shots.

There's lot of land up there so this course could easily be expanded to 27 or 36 holes which would frankly make it a bit better value.

Brand spanking new Innova DisCatcher baskets.

The rubber teepads are fine but not great. Many were pretty short and also missing good locations for run-ups.

Sometimes the rubber pads didn't point at the basket. Which made it interesting.

A bad case of this was hole 4. I ended up playing to the wrong basked the first time through because the tee pointed the wrong way and the basket for 6 was visible in that direction.

I kinda thought that playing from 4 to 6 was a better hole too.

I like the layout to a point but frankly I think it could be a lot better. There are lots of missed opportunities to make marquee holes that really make use of the course's natural resources.

Hole 10 is I think the worst example of this. Just above the hole is an amazing flat and level lookout spot that's almost 10m in diameter. Placing the basket in the middle of that would make for a really memorable hole.

There are a good number of places where the pathways aren't very clear or well marked. This is both between holes and on fairways. It's unclear how to get from point A to point B without making your own path a bunch. This will be fixed with play to a large extent. Golfers will cut the paths but it would be nice to have some of that marked better ahead of time.

There are a few points when a thick ground covering of pinecones made it a bit difficult to walk. It's an interesting feature but they need to be cleared out.

There's good variation in the shots needed to hit birdies on this course. All sorts of right, left, straight, up and down. That's good. My one quibble is that there are a number of places where the tree windows seem needlessly tight. If a shot already forces you to pretty much crush your drive then it's a pain to also have to watch for something that's 20' away. Sure, it's fine for a hole or two but I found myself thinking about that on shot after shot.

That eventually went from challenging to annoying.

All of the cons above taken into account this is a very good course that I look forward to playing again.

Challenging, 18 holes, loops back to clubhouse after 9 and again after 18. Two legit par 4's. Great views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Crisp clean air and a more natural / wild feel than Sky High (35 min. down the road). Lift takes you to the clubhouse with parking at the base of the lift. Great place to practice stand-still shots as you'll be forced to. Also, you will get a workout - one round here equals about 3 in a grassy park.

Many roads crisscross throughout the course yet few are used for fairways or at least to walk from pad to basket via a quick diversion to and from the roads. As the crow flies, this 2 mile trail from pad 1 to basket 18 ends up being a 3 mile hike (60% uphill) after widening off the fairways to ones lie at an intermediate / advanced level of play, not to mention that if feels more like 4 miles with the lack of decent walking paths. Deep ravines down then back up to the basket make for picturesque views from the pad but even if you park the shot, the energy expended outweighs the view. No true top of the world hole despite all of the elevation (as in long, big drop, open other than near pad obstacles). Fairways are largely wild terrain and even if you find a flat enough spot (about 50% of the time for my card of 5) for another x-step, it often takes 30 seconds to clear a path from all the pine cones, rocks, fallen tree wood, and dirt divots to fill in. Rubber t-pads (5-7' long) could stand to be about twice as long as they are. Hole 10, albeit a bit flat, has just about everything going for it... three lines of approach (none easy), road for a fairway, long flat run up before stepping on the pad, solid risk-reward choices from drive to putt. An alt basket position deep and atop the hill to the left of the fairway would be a model for modifying some of the other holes. Not sure if signage is forthcoming but get a map if not. Rec players will probably not enjoy this course so don't bring a new player if you're looking to get them interested in the sport.

Careful going over the tops of the pines, they are disc catchers. One guy in our group stuck 4 in the trees in one round and after 45 min of rock throwing total, we left the last one behind. Allow for 2.5 hrs per round with no other delays. The entire back half was relocated since last season and although I didn't play the old layout, I get the impression that course design took a step backward. If redesign included more than a single line to most baskets that aren't already obstacle free (other than around / near the basket), along with utilizing the roads for traversing, this course would be twice as good as it is now in my opinion. Another idea that might work would be to make use of the chair lift by traversing down to play then taking the lift up again for another round with 9 additional holes... mixed in with the back half perhaps? Since the lower half of the lift is where the open ski runs are, this would probably make room for 1-2 top of the world holes and with 27 holes total and less needless and uphill walking, this could be a true 'adventure' course.

This course has potential to be the best in SoCal. Epic mountain scenery, varying shots with elevation changes. Start the day with a long lift up to the top of the mountain. The top has restrooms and a Warming Hut which servers food drinks and beer. As of 8/29 the full 18 holes course was installed. Lots of technical shots mixed with some long downhill bombers and every basket from tee has some elevation change. The full course plays to the top of the mountain and then around the top into a 700' bomb down the ski run. The whole trek to hole 14 is mostly all countinous climb uphill with some exceptions. Bring water. Stay hydrated. After hole 14 the course plays just as hard but less physical on the body and feet. I will be at this course every weekend it is open.

Some of the tee pads need to be extended in length and there are no signage to guide you through the course, but there are red flags near the baskets which if followed, guide you to the next tee pad. Over time the paths will be walked out and defined. They do have course maps, so grab one from the warming hut before heading to hole 1. I do not know if there are any plans to install tee signs. Currently open only on the weekends, hopefully that can change. Call before making the trip up.

Adventure course only 45 minutes from La Canada. $10 Ski Lift ride to the mountain top lodge with food and drinks....and the super fun disc golf course. Length and variety over mountain terrain. A good workout at ~8000'.

Only open weekends. The new tee areas could use some improving. Tee signs needed - bring the map. 10 to 14 holes now - soon to be 18 we hear.

I am a big fan of these adventure courses in the mountains. You may want to discount my rating (one of the designers), but I will move it up to 4.... even 4.5... after the following happens - some tee improvements, 18 holes and tee signs.