Rancho Del Sol DiscGolfPark reviews
16
0
Rolling Hills, Long
Reviewed:
Played on:Jan 5, 2024
Played the course:once
Pros:
A big ole bomber course for the big arms, on the site of a hilly former golf course.
-Amenities: The standard, premium DiscGolfPark treatment. Excellent tee signs with maps (though why they don't have pin position indicators is beyond me), DGP baskets, spacious turf tees, next tee arrows welded into trays. Good navigation aids at some of the longest transitions.
-Length: Power players' delight. With all holes in long positions, the layout is over 10,000'. I note that there are still plenty of 250-350' holes thrown in as well, but the many par-4s and -5s aren't playing around here.
-Multi-Pins/Tees: Most holes have two pin positions, where the short is significantly shorter. A few holes have multiple tees as well. When I played, it was almost entirely in the long positions.
-Views: Built into the foothills near Lake Perris, there are nice looking hills throughout. However, the area of (7)-(9) especially excels with great vistas of Moreno Valley and Riverside.
-Hills: Constantly rolling hills of varying steepness. Plenty of perched baskets add a punishing element to putting, while slow ups and downs will require good use of your discs' stabilities. There's a few chances to really let one fly, too. Definitely the element that turns this course from doldrums to remarkable.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: Using the hills and length elements noted above, Rancho Del Sol presents a very challenging collection of holes that require power while also maintaining sensitivity to slopes, especially when landing on greens or setting up for another full drive. If you're not careful, you'll make the fairways a lot narrower by fighting the elevation. The course is actually quite scoreable if you have a certain distance threshold; the par-3s are simple if sometimes boring, and the par-4s just require good placement and a long approach. Be sensitive to putting on slopes, as you WILL get rollaways for missed runs. Memorable holes include the brutal uphill with pocket green (6), overlook basket of (7), cliff shot on (8), water holes (12)-(13), and 1100' bruiser (16).
-Amenities: The standard, premium DiscGolfPark treatment. Excellent tee signs with maps (though why they don't have pin position indicators is beyond me), DGP baskets, spacious turf tees, next tee arrows welded into trays. Good navigation aids at some of the longest transitions.
-Length: Power players' delight. With all holes in long positions, the layout is over 10,000'. I note that there are still plenty of 250-350' holes thrown in as well, but the many par-4s and -5s aren't playing around here.
-Multi-Pins/Tees: Most holes have two pin positions, where the short is significantly shorter. A few holes have multiple tees as well. When I played, it was almost entirely in the long positions.
-Views: Built into the foothills near Lake Perris, there are nice looking hills throughout. However, the area of (7)-(9) especially excels with great vistas of Moreno Valley and Riverside.
-Hills: Constantly rolling hills of varying steepness. Plenty of perched baskets add a punishing element to putting, while slow ups and downs will require good use of your discs' stabilities. There's a few chances to really let one fly, too. Definitely the element that turns this course from doldrums to remarkable.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: Using the hills and length elements noted above, Rancho Del Sol presents a very challenging collection of holes that require power while also maintaining sensitivity to slopes, especially when landing on greens or setting up for another full drive. If you're not careful, you'll make the fairways a lot narrower by fighting the elevation. The course is actually quite scoreable if you have a certain distance threshold; the par-3s are simple if sometimes boring, and the par-4s just require good placement and a long approach. Be sensitive to putting on slopes, as you WILL get rollaways for missed runs. Memorable holes include the brutal uphill with pocket green (6), overlook basket of (7), cliff shot on (8), water holes (12)-(13), and 1100' bruiser (16).
Cons:
-Hazard & OB: Jenkins' course design here seems to rely on lots of hazard and OB areas to dictate landing zones. This in and of itself is somewhat distasteful to me. However, problems with this approach increase due to the ambiguity of these OB areas. Since they were based on the original golf greens and sand bunkers, there is less and less discernible difference between them and fairways as the landscape takes over the formerly manicured areas. I actually ended up ignoring many of these guidelines because it was impossible to tell on a drive where would be OB when I walked down.
-Drainage: Mostly good, but a few holes were marshy and grew particularly thick grass. I found this mainly annoying on the 1100' hole where one of my rollers got brushed down.
-Long Walks: Wowwee. After basically every other hole is a lengthy walk, often a quarter of a mile. On an already-long course, this adds to the tedium, play time, and fatigue.
-Repetition: As on most ball golf conversions, the shaping and variety are limited. Drive far and land relatively flat, and this course plays itself.
-Long-Term Maintenance: I'm concerned about the longevity of this course. Bunkers and golf greens have already been absorbed into the landscape. Some fairways were growing tall, stalky weeds. I'm not convinced that the property is getting the level of care it needs to continue to be a pleasant place to play for more than a couple more years.
-Fee: $5 is actually quite reasonable. To have this beautiful course to yourself too? Totally worth it. But it's still a cost. (N.B. This never affects my rating of a course.)
-Drainage: Mostly good, but a few holes were marshy and grew particularly thick grass. I found this mainly annoying on the 1100' hole where one of my rollers got brushed down.
-Long Walks: Wowwee. After basically every other hole is a lengthy walk, often a quarter of a mile. On an already-long course, this adds to the tedium, play time, and fatigue.
-Repetition: As on most ball golf conversions, the shaping and variety are limited. Drive far and land relatively flat, and this course plays itself.
-Long-Term Maintenance: I'm concerned about the longevity of this course. Bunkers and golf greens have already been absorbed into the landscape. Some fairways were growing tall, stalky weeds. I'm not convinced that the property is getting the level of care it needs to continue to be a pleasant place to play for more than a couple more years.
-Fee: $5 is actually quite reasonable. To have this beautiful course to yourself too? Totally worth it. But it's still a cost. (N.B. This never affects my rating of a course.)
Other Thoughts:
When first stepping off, I felt like Rancho del Sol was a dud. I was really looking forward to this one due to the description and others' reviews, and I was pretty disappointed. However, with time comes perspective, and I realize the competent design (even thrilling at times) and great elevation and views make this a well-above average course. I've rated it Very Good, and those willing to take a long trek and battle primarily with hills will enjoy the challenge.
