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Sandy Hollow DGC reviews
11
0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
18.8 years
256 played
243 reviews
You Hafta Head to the Hollow
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 22, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
- dual large concrete tees with full color tee signs/maps at each tee
- Innova DISCatcher baskets in good shape
- paint color on tee post indicates which tee is which
- benches at many tees
- aptly named; characteristic sandy soil is present on many holes
- course makes two loops (9 holes and 11 holes) which circle back to parking lot nicely
- fantastic number of next tee indicators are helpful with navigation
- course plays through a mature forest with moderate technical challenge, increasing at the end
- hole numbers on baskets
- port o potties, garbage cans, and practice basket near parking area
- blue and white bands on baskets uniquely designed for this course
- starting on hole 11, intense elevation change through thicker woods
- rough is very forgiving in most places
- some holes have alternate pin placements
- good variety of hole lengths
- Innova DISCatcher baskets in good shape
- paint color on tee post indicates which tee is which
- benches at many tees
- aptly named; characteristic sandy soil is present on many holes
- course makes two loops (9 holes and 11 holes) which circle back to parking lot nicely
- fantastic number of next tee indicators are helpful with navigation
- course plays through a mature forest with moderate technical challenge, increasing at the end
- hole numbers on baskets
- port o potties, garbage cans, and practice basket near parking area
- blue and white bands on baskets uniquely designed for this course
- starting on hole 11, intense elevation change through thicker woods
- rough is very forgiving in most places
- some holes have alternate pin placements
- good variety of hole lengths
Cons:
- tee signs could be a bit larger and some are in rough shape
- some tee signs are clearly out of date and need to be updated to the new format
- long walk between holes 15 and 16 (could be another hole!), but well marked
- a few turf tees mixed in near the end - not ideal for uphill throws but are level
- not necessarily a con, but hole 5 is the one notable disc eater
- reports of poison ivy, though this may be minimal now
- some tee signs are clearly out of date and need to be updated to the new format
- long walk between holes 15 and 16 (could be another hole!), but well marked
- a few turf tees mixed in near the end - not ideal for uphill throws but are level
- not necessarily a con, but hole 5 is the one notable disc eater
- reports of poison ivy, though this may be minimal now
Other Thoughts:
Sandy Hollow is clearly one of the nicer courses in Southern Ontario, but hasn't gotten a ton of love on DGCR yet. Set away from street noise in an area devoted to disc golf, there is great solitude and connection to nature on this course.
The first half of the course came in around a 3.5 for me or maybe a bit lower. The back half is at 4 or even 4.25 caliber. I settled on this being a 3.5, but it's a 3.75 type of course. The back 9 (well, 10) really showcases why this course is named "Sandy Hollow", with huge ravines and intense elevation change on most throws, all with iconic sandy soil. This sandy quality can work in your favor or not, as discs can skip quite easily on this smooth ground.
Up until hole 11, the course is much more pedestrian with the exception of hole 5. It's still a nice course, with some decent challenge and the need to hit lines, but it's much more open and almost entirely flat. Hole 5 is the first time the elevation change really comes into play, and it's a bit of a doozie. You may not realize from the tee just how deep a hill is off to the right of the basket. I was victimized by this and threw a shot that faded really hard to the right into the thickest rough at Sandy Hollow. With the reports of poison ivy here, and no idea where my disc landed, I gave up pretty quickly. I think this soured me initially, but as I went to review this course I realized I couldn't come up with many real cons. On hole 5, I'd recommend trying to throw a fade-left shot. For the rest of the course, discs are pretty easy to find.
For the second half of the course the elevation change is spectacular, the rough is very limited, and it's such a fun course to play. There are some very risky shots in the woods with steep dropoffs and ability to roll away. There are a few turf tees scattered in which weren't my favorite, but they have really nice platforms built where needed to create level tee areas.
20 hole courses seem to be a thing in Southern Ontario; not sure why, but this course was on the shorter side anyway, so this wasn't an insanely long 20 holes. It does have some longer holes mixed in for variety, but on average the focus is more on technical accumen than distance. I was here around 7:30 AM on a Friday morning and there were a few other people behind me eventually but it was pretty quiet. This is clearly a well maintained course for the most part, though some of the tee signs need replacement. You will get an intense workout here, so bring your energy and your hiking boots - better to start the day here than to try to end it here.
Overall, this course was a total blast to play. This is probably one of the best "next tee indicator" courses I've visited. I didn't have issues with poison ivy but I've never run afoul of it in 18 years of disc golf so I may not be the best indicator. The amenities are very nice here for a free course. It's very hard to choose between 3.5 and 4 here but it's well worth the trip regardless - this is Ontario disc golf at its finest.
The first half of the course came in around a 3.5 for me or maybe a bit lower. The back half is at 4 or even 4.25 caliber. I settled on this being a 3.5, but it's a 3.75 type of course. The back 9 (well, 10) really showcases why this course is named "Sandy Hollow", with huge ravines and intense elevation change on most throws, all with iconic sandy soil. This sandy quality can work in your favor or not, as discs can skip quite easily on this smooth ground.
Up until hole 11, the course is much more pedestrian with the exception of hole 5. It's still a nice course, with some decent challenge and the need to hit lines, but it's much more open and almost entirely flat. Hole 5 is the first time the elevation change really comes into play, and it's a bit of a doozie. You may not realize from the tee just how deep a hill is off to the right of the basket. I was victimized by this and threw a shot that faded really hard to the right into the thickest rough at Sandy Hollow. With the reports of poison ivy here, and no idea where my disc landed, I gave up pretty quickly. I think this soured me initially, but as I went to review this course I realized I couldn't come up with many real cons. On hole 5, I'd recommend trying to throw a fade-left shot. For the rest of the course, discs are pretty easy to find.
For the second half of the course the elevation change is spectacular, the rough is very limited, and it's such a fun course to play. There are some very risky shots in the woods with steep dropoffs and ability to roll away. There are a few turf tees scattered in which weren't my favorite, but they have really nice platforms built where needed to create level tee areas.
20 hole courses seem to be a thing in Southern Ontario; not sure why, but this course was on the shorter side anyway, so this wasn't an insanely long 20 holes. It does have some longer holes mixed in for variety, but on average the focus is more on technical accumen than distance. I was here around 7:30 AM on a Friday morning and there were a few other people behind me eventually but it was pretty quiet. This is clearly a well maintained course for the most part, though some of the tee signs need replacement. You will get an intense workout here, so bring your energy and your hiking boots - better to start the day here than to try to end it here.
Overall, this course was a total blast to play. This is probably one of the best "next tee indicator" courses I've visited. I didn't have issues with poison ivy but I've never run afoul of it in 18 years of disc golf so I may not be the best indicator. The amenities are very nice here for a free course. It's very hard to choose between 3.5 and 4 here but it's well worth the trip regardless - this is Ontario disc golf at its finest.
