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Squirrel Hill DGC reviews
11
0
Excellent Views At Squirrel Hill
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:May 12, 2024
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
- The location of this course is in a very picturesque part of the central north woods. The views at the top of Squirrel Hill by the fire tower will have you stop and take a second to admire. The course itself is located inside of Minocqua's famed Winter Park which is home to one of the best XC ski and snowshoe trails in the country so there is lots of elevation here and lot's of wooded trails.
- The course design was done very well here. You start out with a some straight down the gut fairway wooded holes that require precision and then you start your climb up the hill. Once you get to hole 13, you will be at the top of the hill for a 300+ ft RHFH or LHBH shot down the hill which then leads to hole 14 which is an absolute bomber downhill throw which will leave you wanting to empty your entire bag. Then the last 4 holes are some longerish ones that require more shot shaping. You will be throwing every which way and will also test you with a few uphill holes that are not easy to reach the long pin if you do not have the arm speed.
- There are finally benches here at every hole which is great because this is not a course for the faint of heart or the out of shape. When I first played this one in late winter and early spring there were no benches yet and I can tell you first hand that it sucked not having a place to sit besides the ground.
- The tee signs are very helpful in terms of information on the shot shape required to reach the basket. For some reason though, the pars are not listed on the signs so for that just check uDisc. They also seemed to be temp signs so I am not sure if they will be upgraded in the future or not.
- Cement tee pads which are very grippy and very level which I really liked. I've played ski hill courses in the past where the tee pads were either too lumpy, or they were angled wrong and made running up a little harder. There are also brooms at every teepad to clear debris.
- Dual pins for short and longs. Baskets were brand new DISCatchers which caught very well.
- Course flows very well and leads you right back to the parking lot which has a porta-potty if you gotta relieve yourself before or after the round. The parking lot is also independent from the other area of the park. You do not actually enter Winter Park and park at the chalet. There were also signs which indicated which way to walk to the next tee as well as markers on the baskets themselves which point to the right direction.
- Information station which has disc golf bags you can borrow and there's a donation box if you want to leave a few bucks to help with future upgrades. There's also a brand new practice basket area by the parking lot too which was donated by the fine folks at Sandy Point.
- The course design was done very well here. You start out with a some straight down the gut fairway wooded holes that require precision and then you start your climb up the hill. Once you get to hole 13, you will be at the top of the hill for a 300+ ft RHFH or LHBH shot down the hill which then leads to hole 14 which is an absolute bomber downhill throw which will leave you wanting to empty your entire bag. Then the last 4 holes are some longerish ones that require more shot shaping. You will be throwing every which way and will also test you with a few uphill holes that are not easy to reach the long pin if you do not have the arm speed.
- There are finally benches here at every hole which is great because this is not a course for the faint of heart or the out of shape. When I first played this one in late winter and early spring there were no benches yet and I can tell you first hand that it sucked not having a place to sit besides the ground.
- The tee signs are very helpful in terms of information on the shot shape required to reach the basket. For some reason though, the pars are not listed on the signs so for that just check uDisc. They also seemed to be temp signs so I am not sure if they will be upgraded in the future or not.
- Cement tee pads which are very grippy and very level which I really liked. I've played ski hill courses in the past where the tee pads were either too lumpy, or they were angled wrong and made running up a little harder. There are also brooms at every teepad to clear debris.
- Dual pins for short and longs. Baskets were brand new DISCatchers which caught very well.
- Course flows very well and leads you right back to the parking lot which has a porta-potty if you gotta relieve yourself before or after the round. The parking lot is also independent from the other area of the park. You do not actually enter Winter Park and park at the chalet. There were also signs which indicated which way to walk to the next tee as well as markers on the baskets themselves which point to the right direction.
- Information station which has disc golf bags you can borrow and there's a donation box if you want to leave a few bucks to help with future upgrades. There's also a brand new practice basket area by the parking lot too which was donated by the fine folks at Sandy Point.
Cons:
- No trash cans. This is kind of a bummer because everything else in terms of amenities are there but a trash can even if its every other hole would be nice.
- This one is an extreme workout and if you play this one during the middle of the summer when it's a 90+ degree out you will be more than likely having to stop and sit down to cool off very often. Obviously I am reaching for cons to list because really, there aren't very many.
- Rough can be a little brutal if you get off the fairways on some of the holes but it seemed like its thick enough to where every time I got off the fairway, my disc got blocked by the thick woods and would just land on the edge of the fairway.
- Course is seasonal so it is not available during the winter months when the ski hill is open.
- This one is an extreme workout and if you play this one during the middle of the summer when it's a 90+ degree out you will be more than likely having to stop and sit down to cool off very often. Obviously I am reaching for cons to list because really, there aren't very many.
- Rough can be a little brutal if you get off the fairways on some of the holes but it seemed like its thick enough to where every time I got off the fairway, my disc got blocked by the thick woods and would just land on the edge of the fairway.
- Course is seasonal so it is not available during the winter months when the ski hill is open.
Other Thoughts:
I was absolutely torn between rating this one a 3.5 and a 4. I was going to settle on a 3.8 but let's be real. This one was done very well and there's not too many detrimental cons that would justify giving it anything lower than a straight 4.0.
The ski chalet I believe sells discs as well as refreshments although, I am not quite sure when it's actually open during the summer months. I actually lost a disc back in December and someone from there called me and told me it would be at the chalet so I guess whenever it's open again (it was not today) I'll be able to retrieve my Alien.
The only real two cons I can think of is the lack of trash cans / recycle bins (there could not be any due to wildlife potentially getting into them) and the temporary looking signs (which are still done well).
I highly recommend coming and playing this one before or after the hottest part of the summer because I can only imagine how had today would have sucked if it was hotter than 75. Overall, I cannot wait to play this one again when I am not recovering from a sprained foot because even though my x-stepping was having to be done very gingerly, I still had a blast.
The ski chalet I believe sells discs as well as refreshments although, I am not quite sure when it's actually open during the summer months. I actually lost a disc back in December and someone from there called me and told me it would be at the chalet so I guess whenever it's open again (it was not today) I'll be able to retrieve my Alien.
The only real two cons I can think of is the lack of trash cans / recycle bins (there could not be any due to wildlife potentially getting into them) and the temporary looking signs (which are still done well).
I highly recommend coming and playing this one before or after the hottest part of the summer because I can only imagine how had today would have sucked if it was hotter than 75. Overall, I cannot wait to play this one again when I am not recovering from a sprained foot because even though my x-stepping was having to be done very gingerly, I still had a blast.
