Manchester, NH

The Hollows - South

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3.385(based on 4 reviews)
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The Hollows - South reviews

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MrFrosty
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.1 years 764 played 387 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The Hollows - South . One Woods , 2 Good Courses 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 19, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Hollows - South is one of 2 courses that are in a large woods .South has its own parking lot , which is dirt and bumpy .When you turn onto crescent , the lot , which is marked , is only 75' down Crescent , and in the fenced in area . If you sneeze , you'll miss the lot . , and has a sign that points to where your first hole will be . There were no bathrooms that I saw here . The path to hole #1 is a long one and runs downhill .
The Equipment - The course boasts 2 tee pads . One of the 2 are cement , the other , natural . The signage is only at the cement pads , and adequate and gives you all of the necessary information . There was no kiosk , so you definitely want to print a map . The baskets are red Dynamic Veterans . There are also ropes and yellow bristles in the ground that mark OB along the fairways , and pinkish/red bristles that mark the greens .
The Landscape - After walking a long narrow path to the bottom of the woods , you have to think you will throw up and down this hill . The course is all woods from beginning to end . Many mature trees dot the sides and fairways . There are a couple of creeks ( not deep enough to lose a disc ) that might come into play . The course play flat for the first several holes , a couple in the middle and the last few . The rest are up and down the large hill you just descended to get to the course . Staying on or near the fairways are a must , as the overgrowth here can be pretty extreme ( more in cons ) . The fairways provide fair lanes for flight paths .
The Amenities - There are some benches and chairs scattered throughout the course . There is also a disc golf store less than 3 minutes from the parking lot , Breakin' Chains . They also sponsor the course and tournaments here . They are great at promoting the game . Drop by if you can and give them some business .
The Highlights - If you are playing the OB , You better be on your technical A game . There are trees everywhere and a ricochet might take your disc on a rollaway OB . #2 ( 511' ) is a long flat drive with OB and overgrowth on the right and overgrowth on the left . The fairway will break right at the very end with the basket around the corner . #12 is a drive that goes across a large gully , and straight uphill to the basket buried in the trees on the right . #18 is a great finishing hole . At 372' , it is a level drive on a fairly narrow fairway that crosses to creeks , the basket being just beyond the 2nd one .
Signature Hole - #16 , a downhill drive 374' between the trees to a basket with literally no green .
Time - It is hard to figure , because I played all 36 holes continuously . I might guess and hour and 10 minutes . A group of 4 will finish in about 2 hours and 15 to 2 hours and 20 minutes .
The course owns some extreme elevation on some of these holes . Be sure to pack some water . You won't return to the lot until you finish 18 and your long uphill walk back .
I think that I was the only player on South on a weekday morning . It looks to be the least popular of the 2 , so you might have the course to yourself on some days .
There is plenty of variety , with uphill , downhill left and right handed holes . This is a nice looking woods and can be very peaceful and full of nature on the South Course . Alternate pin positions are a big plus .

Cons:

#1 The Elements - I can't imagine that you would be able to play this course after a good rain . Lack of steps , grass and the steep elevation is going to cause a lot of slipping and falling . Same with snow or icy conditions .
#2 Overgrowth - I hear that volunteers try to contain the overgrowth during the summer , but it looked to be getting out of hand which can cause a lot of looking for an off-the-fairway drive
#3 navigation - there are some clear cut paths on a lot of the course , but the middle holes can be tricky for the non locals . Some Next Tee signs could help . Also , the tee signs don't tell you with pin position that the baskets are in . Blind shots can cause you to be nowhere near the hole .
Disc Risk - Medium . Rollaways in the middle hole could be a problem , especially since there was a lot of debris in the fairways . A long drive on a tight fairway that hits a rock or a stick at the end can roll away as much as 100' from where you think it was . Also , the overgrowth is high in some areas . Players aren't going to want to return if they spend a lot of time looking for or losing drivers .
Make sure you spray for bugs during the summer . They will eat you alive in these woods .

Other Thoughts:

South didn't seem as broken in as the North Course . It was constructed in 2018 , and I think designer Eric McCabe did a good job . South never comes into contact with the North side , and there is only a couple of times that you can actually see someone playing over there . You can access the North course from a little path to the left of the #12 South tee pad . It will put you in #11's fairway at the end . You can play holes 12- back to 11 on North and go right to #12 if you like playing 36 different holes and torturing your quads ( I would personally drive to the North parking lot because it is nicer , and there is a kiosk up there and easy access to #1 ) . South is not overbearing , but it is challenging and will force you to hit your lines , or pay . Make sure you check with Breakin' Chains before coming here and ask about any upcoming tournament or leagues so you don't waste a trip .
My Recommendation - Not a good family or date course . I also think intros might want to find an alternative until they get some rounds under them and can control their throws . Newbies would be okay if paired with a local . Locals will like the fact that they can play at their own pace on South . Travelers might like playing North better if pressed for time . Course Collectors will love the fact that they can park at North , play for maybe 2 1/2 hours or less and snatch up 2 courses .
These course offer a continuance midway through the round and can give you 36 completely different looks . I would suggest playing it if anywhere near the bottom of New Hampshire since it is only about 20 miles off of I-495 and close to the Manchester airport . If you like technical courses ,
Give Them A Shot !!!
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