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Stevens Pass DGC reviews
4
0
Improvements have been made. Come back. 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Aug 17, 2014
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
***2015 update***
The course at Stevens Pass is the north end's answer to Crystal Mountain. The two courses both have their strengths and weaknesses, but for those who want to play on a ski resort and live closer to Stevens than Crystal? Here's where you go. This course plays parallel to the mountain bike park, which is AWESOME. By the end of my first round I was itching to buy a bike for a couple of grand (or rent one for $110) and go hurt myself. By the end of my fourth, I'd done it. It's even more fun than disc golf. But we're here to talk about disc golf, not mountain biking. So let's talk pros:
Equipment: The baskets are all good quality, yet portable. This was actually a pleasant surprise since it's a temporary layout. They were all in decent condition too. Only one looked like it had been hit by a grizzly bear, and it didn't affect the approach too much.
Cost: It's cheap to ride the chairlift, and you get an all day pass. You could walk up the mountain to play for free, but why waste the energy? Be sure to let them know that you're there to play disc golf though, or they'll make you fill out an insurance waiver and pay extra because they think everyone is there to mountain bike. You can purchase your lift ticket in the coffeeshop and avoid the line since you aren't riding the bike park.
Navigation: Navigation is pretty straightforward. The baskets are all marked with tall number plates, and all of the teepads except for 5 have signs on them. The 5 one was there, but knocked down. The only long walkouts are from 3 to 4 and 13 to 14. After you hole out on 3, go back up the hill and down the road to the 4 pad. You can cut through the woods too if that works for you. For 13 to 14, just walk down the road parallel to the singletrack, and then cross the singletrack where there's a break in the tape. You'll see a couple of picnic tables by the teepad. Maps and scorecards are available at the shop.
Layout: The layout of the course is a pleasant surprise too. You play down a ski resort, but there are some holes that make you play back up a bit. Nothing extreme, but there are uphill shots to go with the downhills. Then of course you have your variety of left and right turning shots. There isn't anything technical, but there are some fairways that are narrower than the others, so shot placement is still important. The 2015 layout really addressed the "lack of distance" issue that had existed before. They stuck to mostly the same layout, but hole 10 is no longer the longest hole. They pushed 13 (the most picturesque hole on the course) out to somewhere around 600', and several of the other holes were lengthened or made more difficult this year. The holes that changed the most drastically were 6 (no longer visible from the tee), 8 (much longer), 9 (much tougher and longer with a creek "water hazard" in the middle), 13 (probably twice as long as it was), and 18 (no longer a straight ahead putter drive, but a hyzer line around a tree/water hazard). All of these were welcome changes. In fact, the only con from last year that wasn't really addressed was that pesky teepad and lefty eating tree on hole 2.
The course at Stevens Pass is the north end's answer to Crystal Mountain. The two courses both have their strengths and weaknesses, but for those who want to play on a ski resort and live closer to Stevens than Crystal? Here's where you go. This course plays parallel to the mountain bike park, which is AWESOME. By the end of my first round I was itching to buy a bike for a couple of grand (or rent one for $110) and go hurt myself. By the end of my fourth, I'd done it. It's even more fun than disc golf. But we're here to talk about disc golf, not mountain biking. So let's talk pros:
Equipment: The baskets are all good quality, yet portable. This was actually a pleasant surprise since it's a temporary layout. They were all in decent condition too. Only one looked like it had been hit by a grizzly bear, and it didn't affect the approach too much.
Cost: It's cheap to ride the chairlift, and you get an all day pass. You could walk up the mountain to play for free, but why waste the energy? Be sure to let them know that you're there to play disc golf though, or they'll make you fill out an insurance waiver and pay extra because they think everyone is there to mountain bike. You can purchase your lift ticket in the coffeeshop and avoid the line since you aren't riding the bike park.
Navigation: Navigation is pretty straightforward. The baskets are all marked with tall number plates, and all of the teepads except for 5 have signs on them. The 5 one was there, but knocked down. The only long walkouts are from 3 to 4 and 13 to 14. After you hole out on 3, go back up the hill and down the road to the 4 pad. You can cut through the woods too if that works for you. For 13 to 14, just walk down the road parallel to the singletrack, and then cross the singletrack where there's a break in the tape. You'll see a couple of picnic tables by the teepad. Maps and scorecards are available at the shop.
Layout: The layout of the course is a pleasant surprise too. You play down a ski resort, but there are some holes that make you play back up a bit. Nothing extreme, but there are uphill shots to go with the downhills. Then of course you have your variety of left and right turning shots. There isn't anything technical, but there are some fairways that are narrower than the others, so shot placement is still important. The 2015 layout really addressed the "lack of distance" issue that had existed before. They stuck to mostly the same layout, but hole 10 is no longer the longest hole. They pushed 13 (the most picturesque hole on the course) out to somewhere around 600', and several of the other holes were lengthened or made more difficult this year. The holes that changed the most drastically were 6 (no longer visible from the tee), 8 (much longer), 9 (much tougher and longer with a creek "water hazard" in the middle), 13 (probably twice as long as it was), and 18 (no longer a straight ahead putter drive, but a hyzer line around a tree/water hazard). All of these were welcome changes. In fact, the only con from last year that wasn't really addressed was that pesky teepad and lefty eating tree on hole 2.
Cons:
Equipment: The teepads are temporary because the course is temporary. That can't be fixed, and they've done well with what they were given. But some are just dangerous. The use of a flat piece of plywood on hole 2 was just stupid. Get that thing wet and people are just going to get hurt. It's also dangerously close to a tree on the left. We're talking no farther than 1' away from the pad. Probably less. There were lefties in my group, and the first one to throw smacked it on his followthrough. Luckily he wasn't hurt, or he would have wasted a lift ride or had to start throwing righty.
Navigation: Next tee signs or basket tape would be helpful in a couple of areas. A map is great, but it's always good to have guides out on the course itself too.
Design: When I think of a mountain course, I think of Crystal Mountain. I think of a course where you bring old discs, DX discs, and discs you found and don't mind losing because you're going to bomb them for 1000' down a mountain. Stevens still doesn't offer that on the level that Crystal does. It would be nice to have a few more bombs available, rather than just holes 4 and 13. I get that the mountain bike park keeps us from being able to play a bunch of 600' holes, but it still has to be pointed out that it's a mountain course that won't crush you... Maybe that's a pro to some, but it's kind of a con to me.
Hole 18: Still kind of meh. It's much better than it was, but it's still flat. I still think hole 18 on a mountain course should be an "empty the bag" hole where you bomb everything that you've got. Instead it's about 250' down a flat dirt road. I guess it leaves you wanting more, but not necessarily in a good way.
The bugs: The course can't be faulted for this and it hasn't affected my rating in the least, but BRING BUG REPELLENT. The mosquitos are out of control up here. It's even worse during fire season.
Navigation: Next tee signs or basket tape would be helpful in a couple of areas. A map is great, but it's always good to have guides out on the course itself too.
Design: When I think of a mountain course, I think of Crystal Mountain. I think of a course where you bring old discs, DX discs, and discs you found and don't mind losing because you're going to bomb them for 1000' down a mountain. Stevens still doesn't offer that on the level that Crystal does. It would be nice to have a few more bombs available, rather than just holes 4 and 13. I get that the mountain bike park keeps us from being able to play a bunch of 600' holes, but it still has to be pointed out that it's a mountain course that won't crush you... Maybe that's a pro to some, but it's kind of a con to me.
Hole 18: Still kind of meh. It's much better than it was, but it's still flat. I still think hole 18 on a mountain course should be an "empty the bag" hole where you bomb everything that you've got. Instead it's about 250' down a flat dirt road. I guess it leaves you wanting more, but not necessarily in a good way.
The bugs: The course can't be faulted for this and it hasn't affected my rating in the least, but BRING BUG REPELLENT. The mosquitos are out of control up here. It's even worse during fire season.
Other Thoughts:
I kind of wanted to call this a pro, but I can't quite do that: They have rental discs. I think that's a cool concept. The reason I won't call it a pro? Because any serious disc golfer has their own discs. And new players probably shouldn't be borrowing discs and playing down a mountain. They'll either wind up destroying the discs on the rocks, or just losing them and having to buy new ones... Making it a very expensive trip. Let them get used to and addicted to the game first. By that point they'll have their own discs.
The restaurant is overpriced (as ski resort restaurants are), but the food is good and it's nice for a break between rounds.
The design keeps errant discs out of the mountain bike park for the most part, but be careful. There are a couple of places where walkouts cross the singletrack, and a terrible shot on 2, 13, or 15 can still find a rider.
Don't expect to find Stevens Pass stamped discs. They have stock stamps, and that's it. They'll offer to order you something if they don't have it too, which is nice but unnecessary. Word is that they want to sell custom stamped discs, but it hasn't happened yet.
All in all, Stevens Pass is a pleasant round of disc golf. It can be physically taxing at times, you need to bring your own water, and there's very little shade, so don't expect it to be "leisurely". But it's fun and offers a fairly unique experience. While I wouldn't return every week due to the cost and lack of proximity to everything else, I'll add it to my summer rotation at least once each year. In fact, with the improvements for 2015, I plan to add it to the rotation multiple times each year.
The restaurant is overpriced (as ski resort restaurants are), but the food is good and it's nice for a break between rounds.
The design keeps errant discs out of the mountain bike park for the most part, but be careful. There are a couple of places where walkouts cross the singletrack, and a terrible shot on 2, 13, or 15 can still find a rider.
Don't expect to find Stevens Pass stamped discs. They have stock stamps, and that's it. They'll offer to order you something if they don't have it too, which is nice but unnecessary. Word is that they want to sell custom stamped discs, but it hasn't happened yet.
All in all, Stevens Pass is a pleasant round of disc golf. It can be physically taxing at times, you need to bring your own water, and there's very little shade, so don't expect it to be "leisurely". But it's fun and offers a fairly unique experience. While I wouldn't return every week due to the cost and lack of proximity to everything else, I'll add it to my summer rotation at least once each year. In fact, with the improvements for 2015, I plan to add it to the rotation multiple times each year.
