Whistler Olympic Park reviews
6
0
So much potential for Whistler Olympic Park 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jun 27, 2009
Played the course:once
Pros:
While driving up to Whistler Olympic Park you can't help but notice how dramatic the landscape is, making the location of this DG course truly breathtaking. As the road winds up and through the mountainside you find yourself traveling past several things that catch your eye. Whether it is black bears on the roadside, massive pines as high as the sky, or hillsides carpeted with vibrant wild flowers, you're guaranteed to be in awe. Being that the course is located in an Olympic Park you will also pass the massive ski jump along the mountainside and the Biathlon course which includes the cross country track and shooting range (course starts to the right of the shooting range by the red barn).
The disc golf course itself had many of the elements mentioned above as well as much more including winding streams throughout a few of the holes (#13,14, and 16). The course layout included restrooms at the beginning and end as the course loops you around after traveling up and down along the biathlon trails including through the woods at times on a few holes ( #5-9, and 12). For being such a new course it was not extremely difficult to navigate as there were small wooden stumps with numbers on them sitting about a foot above the ground as well as an occasional "next tee" sign with an arrow pointing the direction to the next tee pad. Every hole had elevation which was a major plus for adding to the overall difficulty of the course. Six were uphill, six were downhill, and six were flat with slight elevation and some water. Also, there was very little walking between holes which helped in overall navigation, making it much easier for first timers or those traveling through Whistler on vacation.
The disc golf course itself had many of the elements mentioned above as well as much more including winding streams throughout a few of the holes (#13,14, and 16). The course layout included restrooms at the beginning and end as the course loops you around after traveling up and down along the biathlon trails including through the woods at times on a few holes ( #5-9, and 12). For being such a new course it was not extremely difficult to navigate as there were small wooden stumps with numbers on them sitting about a foot above the ground as well as an occasional "next tee" sign with an arrow pointing the direction to the next tee pad. Every hole had elevation which was a major plus for adding to the overall difficulty of the course. Six were uphill, six were downhill, and six were flat with slight elevation and some water. Also, there was very little walking between holes which helped in overall navigation, making it much easier for first timers or those traveling through Whistler on vacation.
Cons:
Even though this course is still being developed, there is a lot of work to be done. This course has so much land and so much potential to put the other course just 20 minutes north to shame. Unfortunately, the course uses only a small portion of the park which is truly a shame because the land would be perfect for a professional 27 hole course.
The tee pads are practically non-existent (even though there are tee signs) because there is little to no room provided on almost every hole. The tee signs themselves are just large numbers printed off from a computer and stapled on to a small log that sticks up about a foot from the ground. If I hadn't looked at the course photos on this site ahead of time I would have never known what to look for. There was no distance or directions on where the pins were located which made it tough at times to spot. The pins were tones which aren't always that big of a deal but these ones were very difficult to spot as they blended in too well in the trees. It would be great if there was an orange ribbon or spray paint on them so they were easier to spot from the tee. I did however like how they were placed (in stumps, hanging from trees, sticking out sideways from fallen logs about ten feet above ground, etc.) because it added to the difficulty and uniqueness of the course.
Another issue was how short many of the holes were. Many were less than 200 feet (15) with just a few breaking that distance (3). Holes #5-8 had you walking up extremely steep terrain with no trails which made no sense, and was rather difficult for even an athletic person like myself. It felt like they crammed a bunch of holes in a small area even though they had acres upon acres to play with.
Last but not least, insects (especially the mosquitoes) were a major problem. It was hard to take a lot of time teeing off cause if you waited too long you were attacked by swarms of insects (bug spray or not) like Alfred Hitchcocks "The Birds" I shot. six under and never stopped moving. If I had the chance to play it again now that I know the layout I know I could shoot double digits under par. Hopefully next time though the holes will have changed up a bit and a kiosk will have been put up to navigate the course a little easier.
The tee pads are practically non-existent (even though there are tee signs) because there is little to no room provided on almost every hole. The tee signs themselves are just large numbers printed off from a computer and stapled on to a small log that sticks up about a foot from the ground. If I hadn't looked at the course photos on this site ahead of time I would have never known what to look for. There was no distance or directions on where the pins were located which made it tough at times to spot. The pins were tones which aren't always that big of a deal but these ones were very difficult to spot as they blended in too well in the trees. It would be great if there was an orange ribbon or spray paint on them so they were easier to spot from the tee. I did however like how they were placed (in stumps, hanging from trees, sticking out sideways from fallen logs about ten feet above ground, etc.) because it added to the difficulty and uniqueness of the course.
Another issue was how short many of the holes were. Many were less than 200 feet (15) with just a few breaking that distance (3). Holes #5-8 had you walking up extremely steep terrain with no trails which made no sense, and was rather difficult for even an athletic person like myself. It felt like they crammed a bunch of holes in a small area even though they had acres upon acres to play with.
Last but not least, insects (especially the mosquitoes) were a major problem. It was hard to take a lot of time teeing off cause if you waited too long you were attacked by swarms of insects (bug spray or not) like Alfred Hitchcocks "The Birds" I shot. six under and never stopped moving. If I had the chance to play it again now that I know the layout I know I could shoot double digits under par. Hopefully next time though the holes will have changed up a bit and a kiosk will have been put up to navigate the course a little easier.
Other Thoughts:
From Whistler Village the exit to Whistler Olympic Park is 9.5 miles away on the right hand side. The road sign is difficult to see so look for the large blue Olympic sign to guide you. From the exit it is an additional 8-10 miles but is well worth it. There is also a place to stop at the base of the ski jump where you can take photos of the jumps as well as one of the many large Olympic stone symbols of the 2010 games. Tours of the ski jumps and biathlon riffle shooting are $10/person and are running up through 2010 Olympics (although it will be closed in September for a while in final preparations for the Olympics). When going up to Whistler Olympic Park there is truly a lot to do so make a day of it as it is well worth it!