Polecat Creek reviews
3
0
Living the Dream 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Apr 10, 2014
Played the course:once
Pros:
Polecat Creek is a self-proclaimed practice course built on a personal plot of farmland in Pocahontas, Il. The land owner, Craig, saw the potential for a personal 9-hole and set out on this labor of love.
Polecat Creek (so named for Craig's beleaguered affection for a certain disc of similar name) plays between corn and bean fields, through a particularly dense timberline snaked by creeks and enjoying a fair amount of elevation changes and ever-shifting winds. Many of the baskets are home-made, the rest are portables. The home-mades require a bit of finesse to get the disc to stay put, but its a private course so you deal with it.
Hole 1 plays long and flat, the fairway mowed out between rows of corn. The basket sits right of the fairway.
Hole 2 moves into the timber line, playing tight and wooded left to right to a slightly elevated basket protected by a moat-like creek.
Hole 3 plays uphill and between the corn rows.
Hole 4 throws slightly downhill and into the timber again where a hanging basket taunts you. There is a death putt lurking there, where the land drops back into a creek behind the gallows basket.
Hole 5 is another Children of the Corn fairway, slightly downhill to a basket that squats behind a pantheon of small guardian trees. The big hyzer shot is the way to go to avoid them, but the banshee winds will easily flip your drive and leave you He-Who-Walks-Behind-The-Rows.
Hole 6 is a right-to-left fairway, corn to the right, dense timber to the left with the pin tucked into low-hanging tree cover at the end.
Holes 7 and 8 are easily the signature holes here. 7 throws from elevation to elevation with a (sometimes) broad creek at the lowest point. The fairway is tightly wooded and the pin, while straight ahead, is tucked under a massive fallen tree.
Hole 8 is an uphill left to right shot, open at the tee but narrowing as it ascends to a right-side basket.
Rounding out the course is hole 9, which has corn to the left and thick woods to the right. It throws downhill with a right side basket (actually the same basket as hole 6).
Polecat Creek (so named for Craig's beleaguered affection for a certain disc of similar name) plays between corn and bean fields, through a particularly dense timberline snaked by creeks and enjoying a fair amount of elevation changes and ever-shifting winds. Many of the baskets are home-made, the rest are portables. The home-mades require a bit of finesse to get the disc to stay put, but its a private course so you deal with it.
Hole 1 plays long and flat, the fairway mowed out between rows of corn. The basket sits right of the fairway.
Hole 2 moves into the timber line, playing tight and wooded left to right to a slightly elevated basket protected by a moat-like creek.
Hole 3 plays uphill and between the corn rows.
Hole 4 throws slightly downhill and into the timber again where a hanging basket taunts you. There is a death putt lurking there, where the land drops back into a creek behind the gallows basket.
Hole 5 is another Children of the Corn fairway, slightly downhill to a basket that squats behind a pantheon of small guardian trees. The big hyzer shot is the way to go to avoid them, but the banshee winds will easily flip your drive and leave you He-Who-Walks-Behind-The-Rows.
Hole 6 is a right-to-left fairway, corn to the right, dense timber to the left with the pin tucked into low-hanging tree cover at the end.
Holes 7 and 8 are easily the signature holes here. 7 throws from elevation to elevation with a (sometimes) broad creek at the lowest point. The fairway is tightly wooded and the pin, while straight ahead, is tucked under a massive fallen tree.
Hole 8 is an uphill left to right shot, open at the tee but narrowing as it ascends to a right-side basket.
Rounding out the course is hole 9, which has corn to the left and thick woods to the right. It throws downhill with a right side basket (actually the same basket as hole 6).
Cons:
For the sake of transparency, this course has no tee flags, no benches, no trash cans or restrooms and the layout is and will most likely remain in flux, a constant work-in-progress. I do not personally consider these things to be cons on a private course, but should be mentioned.
Other Thoughts:
I had a lot of fun throwing with Craig. Polecat Creek is a fun little course with some decent shot variety and a couple very scenic holes. There is a lot of promise on this property, and Craig has ideas to move, expand or extend the course over time. I hope to make it back in the early fall to see the corn stalks and shin-high grass OB in its glory.
