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.

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.