It looks like the Stevens Pass people are super excited about Disc Golf and want you to come and play their course (and take the $12 chairlift) and buy their discs, food and drinks too. This area is big with BMX people this year but they are trying for the disc golfers hard putting out a disc golf banner, having a small disc selection, basket as you walk up ,etc.

This is a mountain course for anyone who can walk the rugged terrain, beginners can play here and it will be a challenge for them and more advanced players can come and enjoy the epic downhill ace runs. After the first four holes the downhill grade eases and the majority of the course becomes less extreme (almost flat in one spot) and also much easier to walk.

There are too many holes here crammed together so they can reach that magical number of 18. Instead of having 3 good holes and 15 average or bad holes it would be great if they could take out a few holes, end the crossing fairways and strange course flow and put in the best possible number of holes here which could be 12, 13, 14 etc. any number of holes doesn't matter. What is important is quality, not quantity.

The course on here is listed as pay to pay which isn't entirely accurate. It's $12 to ride the chairlift to the top to play all the way down but you could hike up to hole one and play your way back down. It's faster and more convenient to take the lift but it's not necessary so there is a way around the pay to pay aspect of this course.

Stevens Pass DGC is located at the top of Hogsback Express Quad and runs parallel with the mountain bike course as it winds its way down the mountain. With 18 holes of exhilarating play on a dramatic mountain landscape, the course was designed to appease all skill levels. Those who are used to playing Crystal Mountain in Washington or Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, BC, might find themselves underwhelmed as far as difficulty but will quite enjoy the course nonetheless. Fairways are scattered with vibrant wildflowers and thick tree lines while the Cascades tower overhead. Wildlife is abundant, with raptors, elk, deer, and other little furry critters meandering through periodically.

Holes on the course range anywhere between 140-497 feet, offering several ace runs as well as a few longer, more epic ones. Par for the course is 54 for adv/open players and par 62 for the less experienced. Baskets are all DISCatchers which have a yellow band around the top, making it easy to spot from the tee. Although there are no tee signs, yellow ribbons are placed periodically along the course to help with navigation. Although the tee pads are all natural, are more than sufficient at this point considering the age of the course, amount of foot traffic, and distance.

Favorite Hole(s): #3 - 274 ft. steep downhill shot with a small/fast green. A putter is ideal for this hole as it slowly drops in elevation with little fade. #4 - this hole is the longest on the course, at 497 ft. and again incorporates excellent elevation. It presents some serious risk/reward off the tee for those willing to go for the birdie and try their luck as they air over/around a massive gully to the left.

I am all for pay to play as I truly believe it is the way of the future for DG as land becomes harder to come by. $12 for a seasonal course is doable assuming it fits the needs of most/all of the DGers who play the course. Even though the course is set up for all skill levels, I found myself wanting more in terms of length and challenge. I enjoyed the scenery, as mentioned above, but felt like a mountain course should be able to offer more. Tee pads and baskets were, for the most part, unobstructed and left little challenge with the exception of the wind and elevation. There were ample opportunities in my opinion to create more difficult approaches, pin positions, or fairways, but were not taken advantage of. Many holes, especially toward the end, felt like fillers and presented little to no challenge. Hopefully over time the designer(s) will reconsider the layout and perhaps relocate some of the holes to make a more challenge course that showcases what Stevens Pass has to offer.

I came up to Stevens Pass with my brother and friend who are intermediate players at best. We all found the course enjoyable and well worth our time considering we came in with realistic expectations and a positive attitude. In order to make the course more challenging for myself, an advanced player, I chose to use mainly putters and mids throughout and still found myself shooting eight under. This course is ideal for those who love hiking and getting out in the great outdoors. With several chances for a photo op, it was essential that I took my time to take it all in considering the course played fairly fast and there was a lot I would have missed if I hadn't slowed down to "smell the flowers".

Note: If headed over HWY 2 toward Stevens Pass, I highly recommend stopping for lunch at the Sultan Bakery in the town of Sultan just miles from the course. It has fresh baked goods and tremendous sandwiches.