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Troop 194 DGC reviews
7
0
The Best Worst Course 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 1, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
+ Navigation is a breeze here. There is only one path to follow, and the tee signs are sturdy, consistent and have all the right information. Plus, there is a complete information board right next to hole 1.
+ The homemade numbered baskets are intelligently and uniformly put together with sturdy materials.
+ You can leave the drivers in the car. All you need here are mid-ranges and putters for these short holes. But...
+ The homemade numbered baskets are intelligently and uniformly put together with sturdy materials.
+ You can leave the drivers in the car. All you need here are mid-ranges and putters for these short holes. But...
Cons:
- ...Play only with your beta set of discs because there is a high probability of losing a disc here to the high grasses bordering the fairways. That could be more of less forgivable except that...
- ...The fairways themselves can't be more than ten feet wide! The knee-high grasses, wild shrubs, tangled vines and flourishing thorns on both sides of the narrow fairways turn every throw into a de facto tunnel shot. Your every toss needs to be pinpoint accurate or you will spend time looking for your disc. And even that could be defended, except...
- ...Every hole is within the same wide-open area, yet there is a growing wilderness in the middle of everything. So even though there are no trees in the way, the player must still temper and measure their throws to avoid ending up in the unforgiving no-man's-land.
- ...The fairways themselves can't be more than ten feet wide! The knee-high grasses, wild shrubs, tangled vines and flourishing thorns on both sides of the narrow fairways turn every throw into a de facto tunnel shot. Your every toss needs to be pinpoint accurate or you will spend time looking for your disc. And even that could be defended, except...
- ...Every hole is within the same wide-open area, yet there is a growing wilderness in the middle of everything. So even though there are no trees in the way, the player must still temper and measure their throws to avoid ending up in the unforgiving no-man's-land.
Other Thoughts:
My favorite hole to play here is hole 5 because the basket is visible from the tee, and I can watch my disc from start to finish so I can know where to start looking for it.
My favorite hole to look at is also the most irritating to play. Hole 8 is an anomaly within the disc golf universe. It starts with a 90-degree right turn and sends you down a simply lovely and shaded wooded path for a little bit before smacking you with a hairpin left turn. I have never seen such an unconventionally designed hole at a disc golf course! It simply has to be experienced to be believed.
Before I go any further, I do want to acknowledge the hard work that undoubtedly went into negotiating the land with the county, building the baskets, designing the tee signs, constructing the tee boxes, planning the layout itself, carving the fairways and installing everything. Any Boy Scout project is ambitious by nature- especially a disc golf course. And I want to see this course succeed. However, as disc golf courses go, Troop 194 Course has a long way to go.
The homemade baskets are nice. The homemade tee boxes are joined wooden beams implanted into the ground with the proper dimensions. The fairways were recently mowed when I played. The fact that it exists at all is a net positive for the sport, but it is not ready yet.
The fairways are the only feature to this course, and they are a mess. Maybe they weren't allowed to interfere with the existing habitats in the area? Maybe the intent was to design a course focusing only on accuracy and nothing else? Whatever the reason, the fairways are claustrophobic, as I mentioned earlier, with bushes and tall grasses. They are perfectly flat and don't exceed 300 feet. The only challenge is keeping your disc on the thin patches of mowed grass. With the ubiquitous possibility of losing a disc, the player feels a weird combination of confidence caused by the short distances and apprehension caused by the imposing rough on both sides of a 10-foot fairway. It simply has to be experienced to be believed.
Still, having said all of that, I see a glimmer of hope in all of it. Widening the fairways by clearing out some shrubs and mowing the tall grasses would be a wonderful start. There is space enough here for a passable 9-hole course with some polish... a lot of polish.
As things are right now, I'm not sure that I can recommend this place to new players, to be honest. Even though it's only 9 holes and the distances are brief, the chances of losing a disc are just too high, and that's a major minus for anyone. If I were to recommend this place, it would be to fearless course baggers who want to see what an amusing bad course looks like. That is, if you can find it. The parking lot is aggressively small, and I speak no exaggeration when I say the walk from the parking lot to the course is half a mile. Seriously, it simply has to be experienced to be believed.
My favorite hole to look at is also the most irritating to play. Hole 8 is an anomaly within the disc golf universe. It starts with a 90-degree right turn and sends you down a simply lovely and shaded wooded path for a little bit before smacking you with a hairpin left turn. I have never seen such an unconventionally designed hole at a disc golf course! It simply has to be experienced to be believed.
Before I go any further, I do want to acknowledge the hard work that undoubtedly went into negotiating the land with the county, building the baskets, designing the tee signs, constructing the tee boxes, planning the layout itself, carving the fairways and installing everything. Any Boy Scout project is ambitious by nature- especially a disc golf course. And I want to see this course succeed. However, as disc golf courses go, Troop 194 Course has a long way to go.
The homemade baskets are nice. The homemade tee boxes are joined wooden beams implanted into the ground with the proper dimensions. The fairways were recently mowed when I played. The fact that it exists at all is a net positive for the sport, but it is not ready yet.
The fairways are the only feature to this course, and they are a mess. Maybe they weren't allowed to interfere with the existing habitats in the area? Maybe the intent was to design a course focusing only on accuracy and nothing else? Whatever the reason, the fairways are claustrophobic, as I mentioned earlier, with bushes and tall grasses. They are perfectly flat and don't exceed 300 feet. The only challenge is keeping your disc on the thin patches of mowed grass. With the ubiquitous possibility of losing a disc, the player feels a weird combination of confidence caused by the short distances and apprehension caused by the imposing rough on both sides of a 10-foot fairway. It simply has to be experienced to be believed.
Still, having said all of that, I see a glimmer of hope in all of it. Widening the fairways by clearing out some shrubs and mowing the tall grasses would be a wonderful start. There is space enough here for a passable 9-hole course with some polish... a lot of polish.
As things are right now, I'm not sure that I can recommend this place to new players, to be honest. Even though it's only 9 holes and the distances are brief, the chances of losing a disc are just too high, and that's a major minus for anyone. If I were to recommend this place, it would be to fearless course baggers who want to see what an amusing bad course looks like. That is, if you can find it. The parking lot is aggressively small, and I speak no exaggeration when I say the walk from the parking lot to the course is half a mile. Seriously, it simply has to be experienced to be believed.
9
0
Birdies and Thorns 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:May 14, 2020
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
9 hole loop created in a nature preserve. Long walk from the parking lot; the rough probably gets way too overgrown to be enjoyed in the Summer months
+ Easy birdies routes on most holes; ace runs on a lot of them
+ Peaceful nature area, away from everyone
+ Beautifully constructed homemade baskets
+ Excellent signage, includes map, distance and hole sponsor
+ Easy birdies routes on most holes; ace runs on a lot of them
+ Peaceful nature area, away from everyone
+ Beautifully constructed homemade baskets
+ Excellent signage, includes map, distance and hole sponsor
Cons:
- Almost a half mile walk from the parking lot to the course, and same amount back!
- Tee "boxes" are ground-level 2x4 framed rectangles. Most are overgrown, some are pretty uneven
- The tee boxes are pointed to follow the curving path "fairway", but many of the holes can be thrown on direct lines. For example Hole #1 is marked as 230ft, curling around through about 180 degrees of left dogleg (a U-turn, really). But you can throw directly at the basket: it's about 150 feet directly left of the tee
- Most of the holes are unremarkable, but #8 stands out as simply bad. It's a hard right angle about 100' off the tee which extends through a narrow tunnel for 150' or so, and then turns sharply around in a "V" for the remaining 50' to the hole (see picture of #8 approach that I posted). So it's a 300' par 4 that you just have to dink and dunk your way through
- The framed teebox on Hole #9 points directly at basket #1. Luckily, it's pretty easy to recognize your surroundings and to keep looking for the correct basket (way to the right)
- Tee "boxes" are ground-level 2x4 framed rectangles. Most are overgrown, some are pretty uneven
- The tee boxes are pointed to follow the curving path "fairway", but many of the holes can be thrown on direct lines. For example Hole #1 is marked as 230ft, curling around through about 180 degrees of left dogleg (a U-turn, really). But you can throw directly at the basket: it's about 150 feet directly left of the tee
- Most of the holes are unremarkable, but #8 stands out as simply bad. It's a hard right angle about 100' off the tee which extends through a narrow tunnel for 150' or so, and then turns sharply around in a "V" for the remaining 50' to the hole (see picture of #8 approach that I posted). So it's a 300' par 4 that you just have to dink and dunk your way through
- The framed teebox on Hole #9 points directly at basket #1. Luckily, it's pretty easy to recognize your surroundings and to keep looking for the correct basket (way to the right)
Other Thoughts:
~ Finding the course requires patience. The course is immediately to the left of the orange stakes marking an underground pipeline out in the distance: the better part of a half mile across a wide open field
~ Areas off the fairways can become very overgrown. Lots of rutted areas covered by long grasses and bushes; plenty of thorns. Not a fun place to play once things start growing - the optimal time to visit is in the Spring, while everything is still knocked down from the Winter
~ I love courses that are Scout projects (much appreciation to Schuyler Reed and to the individuals and local businesses that supported him!). Although it's not a very good course, it's NOT terrible and it IS a good recreational spot. It's a complete 9 holes, and the custom baskets are beautifully made. The signage is great, the play is easy; it's a combination hike and nature walk. The holes are short, but I wouldn't recommend it for newbies because off-fairway is pretty rugged. If I lived closer, I might hit the course a few times from March - May for the birdies and ace runs
~ Areas off the fairways can become very overgrown. Lots of rutted areas covered by long grasses and bushes; plenty of thorns. Not a fun place to play once things start growing - the optimal time to visit is in the Spring, while everything is still knocked down from the Winter
~ I love courses that are Scout projects (much appreciation to Schuyler Reed and to the individuals and local businesses that supported him!). Although it's not a very good course, it's NOT terrible and it IS a good recreational spot. It's a complete 9 holes, and the custom baskets are beautifully made. The signage is great, the play is easy; it's a combination hike and nature walk. The holes are short, but I wouldn't recommend it for newbies because off-fairway is pretty rugged. If I lived closer, I might hit the course a few times from March - May for the birdies and ace runs
