Whitecap reviews
10
0
meow-meow82
Experience:
10.1 months
1 played
1 reviews
Difficult to access and poorly maintained 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 25, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
It's high up on the mountain with nice views.
Cons:
- Renting a golf cart ($20 above the $5/person fee) is pretty much required unless you want to walk 30min from the clubhouse.
- I found it incredibly difficult to navigate and understand where each hole and basket was at. 4 of the 9 holes we spent quite a while just figuring out where they were and where they ended which was very frustrating.
- The map is not very helpful, many of the hills were quite steep, and the golf cart trail to hole 1 was muddy, poorly maintained, and in some places dangerous (one way around blind curves with a steep drop on the side and no shoulder). I'd be somewhat careful if you're bringing small children on the course and driving a golf cart up the side of the mountain to get there.
- The tees and greens are almost non-existent. Just a sign for the tee area and a basket somewhere you usually couldn't see or know unless you drive to the basket and then come back to the tee.
- The fairways are sometimes mowed and sometimes not, leaving quite a high brush on some holes.
- I found it incredibly difficult to navigate and understand where each hole and basket was at. 4 of the 9 holes we spent quite a while just figuring out where they were and where they ended which was very frustrating.
- The map is not very helpful, many of the hills were quite steep, and the golf cart trail to hole 1 was muddy, poorly maintained, and in some places dangerous (one way around blind curves with a steep drop on the side and no shoulder). I'd be somewhat careful if you're bringing small children on the course and driving a golf cart up the side of the mountain to get there.
- The tees and greens are almost non-existent. Just a sign for the tee area and a basket somewhere you usually couldn't see or know unless you drive to the basket and then come back to the tee.
- The fairways are sometimes mowed and sometimes not, leaving quite a high brush on some holes.
Other Thoughts:
This is a unique course, but difficult to get to and navigate and feels very much like the course is an after-thought to the resort. Overall, did not enjoy this course at all and could barely finish it. If you're into very different and challenging courses that require a bit of hunting around to figure it out, it might be your play.
9
0
3.1 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 6, 2019
Played the course:once
Pros:
This course is unlike any other that I've played, which made it very difficult to rate. Here is what I liked:
*Scenery - Whitecap was one of the top five most scenic courses I've ever played, with expansive views of the nearby mountains for miles around. I also thought it was pretty cool to play around a ski lift.
*Golf carts - This is a fun feature that is not common in disc golf
*Isolation - The disc golf course is well removed from the many other activities happening at the resort, so you don't need to worry too much about other foot traffic from the ball golf course.
*Fun factor - downhill bombs are fun (see qualifier in cons)
*Scenery - Whitecap was one of the top five most scenic courses I've ever played, with expansive views of the nearby mountains for miles around. I also thought it was pretty cool to play around a ski lift.
*Golf carts - This is a fun feature that is not common in disc golf
*Isolation - The disc golf course is well removed from the many other activities happening at the resort, so you don't need to worry too much about other foot traffic from the ball golf course.
*Fun factor - downhill bombs are fun (see qualifier in cons)
Cons:
Despite the pros, the course had some pretty serious cons that need to be noted here. Disc golf is a distant last among the priorities onsite at Whitecap resort. It's evident that the greens fees from the disc golf course are going to subsidize the hotel, ski lift, ball golf course, and campgrounds.
*Navigation was impossible. There were signs pointing to "Next tees", but they were all inaccurate and contradicted one another. The only map provided by the resort was not descriptive. We never found holes 8 and 9, which was frustrating considering we paid to play. The person who gave us our cart and checked us in for our round did not know where the tee to hole 1 was.
*The quality of the disc golf was average. Every hole (that we could find) was just a downhill bomb onto a green. It's fun the first few holes, but by hole 4 it felt somewhat repetitive.
*The fact that this course was a 9 holer limited its upside
*Navigation was impossible. There were signs pointing to "Next tees", but they were all inaccurate and contradicted one another. The only map provided by the resort was not descriptive. We never found holes 8 and 9, which was frustrating considering we paid to play. The person who gave us our cart and checked us in for our round did not know where the tee to hole 1 was.
*The quality of the disc golf was average. Every hole (that we could find) was just a downhill bomb onto a green. It's fun the first few holes, but by hole 4 it felt somewhat repetitive.
*The fact that this course was a 9 holer limited its upside
Other Thoughts:
This course was difficult to rate because I had a blast here, but that's mostly because I enjoyed the views and driving around on the cart. Without these, it would be a below average 9 hole course.
To make a tee time call (715) 561-2227
To make a tee time call (715) 561-2227
9
0
A golf course made for discs 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Aug 16, 2018
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
SPECTACULAR elevation - this course has the best elevation changes I have ever played, and that anyone may ever play (at least aside from rocky mountain courses). There are FOUR aggressive downhill teeshots. Two of which are over 500 feet. Most of the holes that aren't downhill offer throws over picturesque valleys. Hole 9 is a sight to behold. I think it absolutely blows away Highbridge Gold's hole 8 by a mile. Very steep and cruises approximately 850 feet down the entire ski hill.
Scenic - the views of the surrounding hills, lakes and forests are a sight to behold. Entire course plays from the top of the ski mountain, so you will get plenty of these sights.
Championship level play - the course follows the path of the old back nine of the mountain golf course 1:1 (which has been decommissioned'; the front nine still operates as a ball golf course), so you will be having some long par 4's and 5's. Distance drivers and fairway drivers will be your friend all day here, save for a couple par 3's. Most people when thinking of disc golf on a ball golf course would be underwhelmed, but this place's rolling fairways and extreme drops and slopes, accompanied with a tighter than average overall fairway width for a ball golf course, make Whitecap a unique jewel among disc golf on ball golf courses. The par 3's holes that are here, are not a pitch and putt by ANY means. The first one is almost a tweener hole, playing approximately 450 across a deep valley where any birdie is the infamous "bonus birde" as Jeremy Koling says. The second one is downhill, but with steep dropoff slopes around nearly the entire edge of the green, into thick woods. The last one is a downhill island green, with water on all sides save for the path to access it. Do you risk the water and try for the ace/birdie, or do you flick it to the right and play a subsequent approach toss for a safe par? Exquisite risk vs. rewards on this one. The wider open golf fairways are incredibly pretty to look at and aren't a chore to throw.
Mach V baskets in great shape, powdercoated blue.
Multiple tees per hole (although anything but the shortest of tees may be desirable; see cons).
Next tee signs where needed.
Accessible cart path and golf carts. $10 for a cart all day.
Pro shop with drinks available (discs coming soon).
$5 to play all day.
Scenic - the views of the surrounding hills, lakes and forests are a sight to behold. Entire course plays from the top of the ski mountain, so you will get plenty of these sights.
Championship level play - the course follows the path of the old back nine of the mountain golf course 1:1 (which has been decommissioned'; the front nine still operates as a ball golf course), so you will be having some long par 4's and 5's. Distance drivers and fairway drivers will be your friend all day here, save for a couple par 3's. Most people when thinking of disc golf on a ball golf course would be underwhelmed, but this place's rolling fairways and extreme drops and slopes, accompanied with a tighter than average overall fairway width for a ball golf course, make Whitecap a unique jewel among disc golf on ball golf courses. The par 3's holes that are here, are not a pitch and putt by ANY means. The first one is almost a tweener hole, playing approximately 450 across a deep valley where any birdie is the infamous "bonus birde" as Jeremy Koling says. The second one is downhill, but with steep dropoff slopes around nearly the entire edge of the green, into thick woods. The last one is a downhill island green, with water on all sides save for the path to access it. Do you risk the water and try for the ace/birdie, or do you flick it to the right and play a subsequent approach toss for a safe par? Exquisite risk vs. rewards on this one. The wider open golf fairways are incredibly pretty to look at and aren't a chore to throw.
Mach V baskets in great shape, powdercoated blue.
Multiple tees per hole (although anything but the shortest of tees may be desirable; see cons).
Next tee signs where needed.
Accessible cart path and golf carts. $10 for a cart all day.
Pro shop with drinks available (discs coming soon).
$5 to play all day.
Cons:
Greens - my number one con is the fact that ALL pins are located in the center of the old ball golf greens, where the cup would've been. There are many holes where the basket could be moved out into the trees or on the edge of an OB bunker to make things more interesting, as it can make for a bit of a boring putting game overall.
Long grass - during my last visit, much of the fairway landing zones on about half the holes had grass that was incredibly tall and needed cutting.
Basket 9 is currently missing.
Tees - they are only grass on the old teeing spots for the golf course. They are fine when dry, but may be slippery when wet. Very pretty up on landscaped rock ledges, but they don't feel very "disc golfy" if you will. The short golf tees make for such challenging, almost professional level golf, that the multiple tees behind it almost seem impossible and for lack of a better word, pointless. Only 1000+ rated players should even think about using any of the longer tees.
Lack of informative tee signs. No hole distance, par or map.
$5 will seem a bit steep for 9 holes for most people, plus the terrain and the fact that the entire course is at the top of the mountain, almost make you NEED a golf cart, which throws down another $10 onto the price.
Seasonal - course closed during ski season.
Long grass - during my last visit, much of the fairway landing zones on about half the holes had grass that was incredibly tall and needed cutting.
Basket 9 is currently missing.
Tees - they are only grass on the old teeing spots for the golf course. They are fine when dry, but may be slippery when wet. Very pretty up on landscaped rock ledges, but they don't feel very "disc golfy" if you will. The short golf tees make for such challenging, almost professional level golf, that the multiple tees behind it almost seem impossible and for lack of a better word, pointless. Only 1000+ rated players should even think about using any of the longer tees.
Lack of informative tee signs. No hole distance, par or map.
$5 will seem a bit steep for 9 holes for most people, plus the terrain and the fact that the entire course is at the top of the mountain, almost make you NEED a golf cart, which throws down another $10 onto the price.
Seasonal - course closed during ski season.
Other Thoughts:
The downhill rips are unrivaled, the views are phenomenal, and the challenge is plentiful. It is just a shame that there is no basket for 9 and the grass on a lot of the fairways wasn't kept up with.
