Auburn, ME

Dragan Field - Red Dragon

3.955(based on 20 reviews)
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Dragan Field - Red Dragon reviews

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0 2
keithb
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
2.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 1, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

i like this course as far as just playing it. gives a variety of shot selection, and with the addition of more out of bounds areas, makes it a little more challenging.

Cons:

course pars ( as per most courses ive played in Maine) pars are way too generous. several holes under 300' are par 4. As i mentioned in the pro part just play the course for fun not score.
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5 0
markmcc
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 278 played 254 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Playing the Red Dragon 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 13, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

This 18 hole course presents a little differently than most in this part of Maine. While heavily wooded courses are the norm, this one offers quite a few open, grassy fairways surrounded by heavy woods. Also interesting is that the edges of many of the fairways are marked with yellow stakes and rope and are OB. So even if you get into the woods you don't play from there.

In addition to the marked OB along the fairway edges, there are a few OB islands mid-fairway on holes or near the basket. Hole 3 is an example of a large OB island of trees directly in front of the basket. You can play around the right or around the left, but you've got to get behind these trees to access the pin. If you land OB there is a DZ in front of the tree island.

Hole 18 has a large OB island marked about 250' out from the teepad where a lot of rec/intermediate players might land a drive.

Hole lengths average right at 300', and don't vary a great deal. There are a couple of sub-200' woods holes and one that almost gets to 500', but you'll be playing a lot of 250' - 400' holes. Lots if straight drives along with a few gentle bends. I recall only a couple of holes that called for a really heavy turn on the drive.

There is good elevation on a number of holes and some interesting boulders and rock ledges. Hole 10 has a 10' tall rock ledge about 30' in front of the tee that you must drive over to a blind basket above. Interesting and unique.

Maintenance was excellent and there was a gentlemen string trimming the course the morning I played. With all of the green grass out there mowing and trimming must be a full-time job. Congrats for keeping up with it!

Baskets, teepads, signs were all good. Plenty of benches and trashcans and a few next hole signs to keep you going in the right direction. Overall the course infrastructure was solid.

Cons:

With the generous and often open fairways and relatively short hole distances, this isn't a particularly challenging course. And with a single tee and pin position there aren't options for creating more challenge.

On many holes the tee signs were set well back behind the tee. It seemed odd to have to walk back 20 - 30' from the front of the tee to check the signs. Others were in the "expected" location right of the front of the pad.

Some of the concrete teepads seemed little short.

Course pars are extremely generous. While I don't normally even mention it I played -14 on my first and only round, including an eagle 2 on the 305' Par 4 Hole 15. The P2P courses in Maine tend to have soft pars, but this one was softer than most. I wonder what Maine DG'ers must think when they play courses in other states?

Other Thoughts:

This course wasn't as difficult as many of the tighter courses in the area, and so was a relaxing and fun round. Nothing wrong with that!! And the chance to shoot way under par might give you something to feel good about.

I enjoyed some of the common sense signage around the course, including the sign that described what to do when finding a disc with someone else's name on it. Spoiler: It isn't your disc so don't keep it!

Also the fee box states that the cost to play is $5. Not $4, or $3 or whatever change you found in your car. Five bucks! I appreciate the candor.
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2 0
Geer_Boggles
Experience: 13.8 years 7 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great course for Int/Adv players 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 1, 2019 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Great variety of shot types required.
- Tee Pads are excellent (Concrete)
- Benches on nearly every hole
- Clear Tee Signs highlighting accurate routes with OB shown
- Trash/Recycling bins on each hole
- Very well maintained course conditions
- Clean routes with options on most holes
- Good sized pro shop
- Practice basket before course with picnic table seating
- Debit/Credit cards accepted

Cons:

- Some very wet holes that may be mitigated with proper trenching**

Other Thoughts:

**Maine has had a vast amount of rain/snow this year and as a result of the late ending to the winter season, this likely caused the holes I saw to be more waterlogged than normal. However I still feel some trenching could have mitigated some of this and dried the holes earlier. Though I am no expert by any means.

I played this course the week prior to a PDGA - B tier event and also during the event so course conditions were likely at their peak.

Regardless, this course is a must play in the L/A area of Maine and forces a vast amount of shot types. From long open holes where two bombs and an approach and get you to the basket or shorter technical holes that require precision. Even holes that require a long bomb to start and precision to finish. Risk/Reward, Options for routes, diversity of shots. This course has a lot to offer and no two holes feel quite alike.

I recommend this course to anyone in the area or traveling to the area. While it plays to an Intermediate/Advanced skill level, beginners and pros alike will also enjoy the course and find quite a challenge.
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2 1
Im_Ryno
Premium Member
Experience: 14.7 years 379 played 19 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Dragan Spring '17 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 15, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course is well laid out with a good mix of open and wooded shots. They change some pin positions every now and then and have a different layout for winter, which is cool. Looks like they're cutting a new course right now, too.
Tees are great and there are nice benches on a lot of the holes.

Cons:

I haven't had a good conversation with the older guy that runs the shop, he's always been kind of short and condescending with me.
For some reason the course seems to attract players who lack etiquette. That shouldn't be a mark against the course, it's not really their fault, but you do have to deal with it when you play there... Large groups that don't let you play through, more there to drink and smoke then actually play.
Cigarette butts, bottle caps and wrappers don't find their way to receptacles and are left in the fairways.

Other Thoughts:

If you can, go there earlier in the day. Use the honor box (it's $1 off your round) avoid the goons that bring more beer than discs. Don't go OB on hole #2! Apparently the neighbors aren't too friendly and management insists you do not retrieve your discs.
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2 7
Jmewhite1
Experience: 24 played 13 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Favorite course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 7, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

great fairways, fields, woods and greens, great tee pads and a variety of shots. Well marked and well maintained. You can use every disc in your bag. Pro shop on site and close to the highway.

Cons:

18 can be wet, more mowing in the summer

Other Thoughts:

My favorite course in the state.
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3 1
runningDoc
Experience: 9.9 years 3 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course, Happy to have made the drive! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 14, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Great Layout. Its a private course and you have to pay (by honor box if before/after clubhouse hours) or at the clubhouse.

All the tees were cement and nice and grippy.

The holes have a ton of variety, from open fairways, to doglegs, to water hazards and uphill and downhills.

Its maintained great, there are garbage cans on each tee and each tee has a clear map of the hole and what to avoid/O.B./warnings.

The guy working there was super nice. I played before clubhouse hours and paid by honor box and then decided to play later that day and he let me play again for free (even though it should've been at least a couple dollars more for the whole day option).

Its a private course so you don't have to worry about other people using the course as a park.

Cons:

Its a little in the middle of nowhere and a drive up from Freeport or Sabego Lake. I think it took me almost 40min from both areas to drive in. It was worth it, but still you've got to plan your day around it if you're far away.

The worker at the clubhouse was a nice guy but it seemed like their stocks of stuff was depleted. I understand in the age of internet people are probably buying stuff online, but I was actually looking for a disc golf bag and some discs and was excited to buy locally but they didn't have much stocks of simple stuff like champion roc3 or innova standard/starter bags.

Other Thoughts:

I played after some torrential rains and it did dry up a lot, but there was some muddy parts. I didn't care though. It would be wise to take note of the course conditions and maybe call in before making the trip out there though.
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2 5
CrowLegs
Premium Member
Experience: 12.1 years 141 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 23, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Easy Navigation
Plenty of trash cans and benches
Very good layout
Very good use of elevation

Cons:

The swamp near the end (hole 18?) was pretty soggy.

Other Thoughts:

I played this as part of my vacation. I really enjoyed it, probably more than any other course. The course is impeccably maintained, and navigation was a breeze (I played by myself and did not get lost once).
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4 0
reposado
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.7 years 278 played 273 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Half what you expect 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

I came to Dragan Field expecting two things based on the reviews and its location in Southern Maine. 1. Generous Pars. 2. A lot of muck.

It delivered on the first, which can be either a pro or a con, but I was very happy that it failed to meet my second expectation. It had been raining for a few days and my shoes were still wet from Pleasant Hill the day before. After seventeen holes, my shoes had actually dried out while playing Dragan Field.

Beyond that, it was a really fantastic course. It wasn't an wide open course but it wasn't a woods course either. A ton of the fairways were just nicely shaped, original holes, that have a bunch of replay value.

When i say its not open or woodsy, what I mean is that a lot of the holes feel open, but require you to hit specific gaps as there trees on the fairways, probably planted there specifically to force your shot. This is an old course, so I feel safe in saying that this course wasn't cut out of the woods in some places, but that the trees were grown to give each hole a unique character.

Short par threes that seem too easy if you see the distance but then make you think when you have to play it. (Hole 3) is short but there is an immense OB of woods in the middle of the fairway. You have to throw it about 1540 feet and THEN hook it sharply if you want a chance at two. Awesomely, you can try going left or right. (Hole 10) is real short lengthwise but the tee faces a twenty foot cliff. Throw it up and over the cliff, then another 150 feet where the cage sits on a raised platform.

There's a few strangely shaped fairways that require you to first go one way, then the other to stay on the fairway. Hole 6 is the most obvious example.



Great signage, with a ton of info on the tees, and almost unnecessary arrows pointing the way at the cages. Great flowage for most of the holes.

Cons:

I mentioned earlier that my shoes had dried out by hole seventeen. Well hole eighteen quickly undid all the sun's good work. Could not find a place to walk up that fairway.

I'm not sure if the generous pars in the area are really a con, but they should be noted. Really, it's all relative though. You shoot what you shoot on that course and where you fall compared to an arbitrary number doesn't really matter. It's fun to struggle to stay under par, sure, but it's more fun to compete against your own best score from the same course, no matter where the par is set.

The balance of holes going right to left was a bit high for my taste. RHBH guys will obviously love it but I like a few par threes to swing right so I have a chance at par.

Several of the holes do suffer from my least favorite feature in a course, the too-small tee pad. In most cases there was space on the side, but I'd rather see natural then cement that I can fall off of.

There are a few times where the tees are near a different fairway. Someone putting on eight is in the crosshairs for someone driving on six, for example.

One last quibble, hole eleven does shoot downwards towards a few small ponds, where you can not see them from the tee. This isn't a fun challenging water shot. This is a spot where from the tee, you could hit water and not be able to tell if your disc actually went into the water or not. Didn't happen to me, but when I saw the water there was a moment of panic.
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7 0
Menacewarf
Experience: 15.5 years 60 played 13 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Playable and Forgiving 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 21, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Dragan field is an 18 hole course made up of fairly straightforward fairways over a fairly flat yet undulating piece of land.  The design does make good use of the available terrain, playing up and down a particular hillside a number of times (three total) with each pass down and back up offering some different types of fairways.  Some of the highlights of this section include an uphill bomb over a sandy area to a grassy terrace, a two shot hole finishing tucked down left in a steep forest, an elevated basket, and a very reachable fun downhill hole with two routes.  

Dragan is made up of a mix of par 3's, a few unlikely deuces which play as par 3.5's (4,6,16), and a pair of true two shot holes (9,17).  Much of the appeal, of Dragan field is the variety of shots and fairways paired with a nice layout which doesn't wear you out.  Although a number of the par three's are bordering on too straight forward (2,5, 13, 18) the variety of lengths, angles, and slopes of theses holes, like the course as a whole, keeps things fun.  

Open all winter with adequate pads and baskets.

Cons:

As said above there are a few tweener (3.5) holes. These could problably play a little better with a bit of tweaking, however there are no egregious concerns.

Again, as said above a number of the par three's are a bit straightforward, and while this helps the courses playability, these could likely get a bit boring for advanced or higher level players over time.

Other Thoughts:

This course has a nice location and layout. Give it a try!
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1 4
ProjectKyle
Experience: 4 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good Course overall. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Well maintained! The workers do a professional job at taking care of the fields.

The course offers meany unique and challenging holes. Which includes a straight uphill par 3 on hole 10 ware the basket is sported on a concrete slab!

Good mix of woods and open fields

Pars are within reason

Cons:

The finale 9 holes are not mapped out well. Making it vary easy to get lost if its yore first time.

Also on hole 2. the property on the left side is privately owned. And you are not allowed to retrieve yore disc if it go's over.

Small pro shop with a small selection of discs

Other Thoughts:

Overall a grate course that beginners and pros will enjoy.
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1 4
Maine focus
Experience: 14 years 34 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Close to home 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 29, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

perfectly maintained, fairways are in great shape, with ob's clearly marked. This is one of the best upkeeped courses in Maine.
Course offers a variety of shots from long bombs to tight wooded holes.

overall a great course in southern maine well worth the time to play it

Cons:

owners are a weird bunch.

not much of a pro shop

no dogs allowed

Other Thoughts:

This course is my home course being that its 15 min away, have played here 100's of times, really is perfectly groomed. They even shovel t pads and pack down fairways in the winter.
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7 0
Ryan LaRoche
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My home course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Easy for beginners
-Yet difficult to "master" for the more experienced player
-Excellent markings
-Excellent tee pads and maps
-Clean-always
-Well maintained
-Requires multiple shots hyzers, anys, big drives, technical skilled shots are not a must but if you want to shoot in the 50's it is a necessity.
-Nice pro shop, not the best but efficient use of the space. Could have more on hand but they cover the basic needs of most.
-Knowledgeable friendly staff
-Open year round

Cons:

-As stated it does hold water, especially in the spring
-It is pay to play but all courses here in Maine are
-It is too easy to get to par, although pro par is MUCH more difficult, but attainable for the above average player

Other Thoughts:

This is the course that I learned to play on. It was very hard but attainable par for a newb was a definite plus. The course is ALWAYS open. I have had some memorable winter rounds in as much as three feet of snow! Wear the appropriate footwear as it does have some wet areas, but that is normal for Maine courses. Overall a great experience even after well over 150 rounds played there!
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6 0
DF Maintenance
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 17, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

First of all, I am writing this as both a player and someone who works on the course. I want travelers to understand the playing conditions. The course is clean, regularly mowed, litter free and has the feel of a nice quiet park. Although the course recovers from snow and underground runoff in April and early May (as is any Maine course), it is NOT otherwise usually wet. Any areas that take slightly longer to dry are reinforced with rocks so you don't sink in past your soles, or are in minimally-landed-in fringe areas of fairways; and there are paths to walk across anything else. From June through October the course is sneaker-dry. (Also, In the winter we shovel tee pads and pack fairways after each snowfall as the course is fully playable all year).

As a player, this is one of my favorite courses still of over 150 played, and I still have not tired of it. It is very beginner-friendly, but is designed to encourage advanced players to work on most skills (righty-lefty; backhand/flick/tomahawk) to seek out deuce opportunities with multiple approaches.

Cons:

These are not really "cons" but reminders or advisories. When playing ANY course in Maine: wear sturdy footwear, stay hydrated late spring thru autumn, have insect repellent and/or sun screen available. Also many courses in Maine have ponds and streams so a floater disc can't hurt (we have a tiny pond with a couple of rakes for you to use if you happen to catch it)
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8 3
roadtrip
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 28.8 years 200 played 22 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 23, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice course. You use every throw, every disc, length, vegetation obstacles, etc. etc.

Updating this review 2 years later. Went back to Maine in the winter this time. Owner was very friendly and welcoming. He maintains the course even in Maine's brutal winters. Clears tee pads, etc. I've given ratings bumps for course maintenance at places like Bracket's, I think this course deserves the same bump (I upped it a half star). It certainly helps paying $5 when you know it goes to good people who are helping your disc golf experience, especially when they're doing it in freezing icy conditions.

Cons:

Swampy. Pay-to-Play

Other Thoughts:

I like this course. I think it just shows the difference in people's ratings. It's shocking that this course would rate higher than Hornets Nest, Waller Park, Idaho State. It plays more like Arcadia Lake (OKC) or a swampy Killens Pond (DE) or Davidson (NC).

I've been trying to figure out the most objective ratings system I can come up with. I don't narrate the entire round, but I want to give an idea of what you're driving to if you've never played the course before. The reviews I've seen seem more like cheer-leading the local course. If you give this course five stars, you'd have to give Sipapu/Nockamixon/Humboldt a hundred stars.

Variety (shots) - 3.5/5 - it does have a good mix of shots. Good use of the vegetation and other obstacles. You'll need to bend a disc every which way. Just nothing spectacular.

Variety (distance) - 3/5 - there's length. And it's sprinkled in, instead of just getting longer as you go. Lots of short holes. Fun for ace runs but it can have a pitch-and-putt feel to it at times.

Beauty - 2.5/5 - Hills, shrubs, green grass (seasonally). It's as good as you'll get in this part of the state.

Trackability - 3/5 - It's not too far from I-95, makes it an easy play on road trips. The holes flow well enough too.

Lost Disc Hazard - 2.5/5 - lots of shrubs. If you're accurate and/or persistent, you'll be fine. Just be sure to watch errant throws all the way through til the end.

Vibe - 2.5/5 - to each his own. Seems like the locals love it. I had a nice time. The swampiness doesn't bother me when I know to expect it. Summer bugs too. Not too crowded, though there were some folks there to tour guide you or chat local courses with.

Safety - 4/5.

21/7 = 3.00

It's a nice course. I'll play it again when I'm in the area. I'd hate to offend anyone who plays, designed, or maintains it, though I'd also hate to send people on long expensive journeys for courses that don't live up to their ratings.
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0 4
kfitz
Experience: 9 played 9 reviews
4.50 star(s)

played 100 plus here 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 1, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

ob adds difficulty which allows the most experienced player to come out and play with noobs or gf. lots of dueceable 4s, got one par 4 ace out there, have seen two others, plays easy on the body

Cons:

kind of easy and that fabled second coarse that ive been waiting for doesnt seem to be coming....

Other Thoughts:

leagues are fun
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1 4
ncee
Experience: 7 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

yeah, what he said 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 26, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

All around nice course. The guys do a great job of keeping the course clean, and well maintained.

Nice pads, easy to see most baskets, but with a bit of a challenge on some holes.

A nice mix of woods, and fields.

Cons:

To damn wet, to often.

Other Thoughts:

Nice course, nice crew, nice escape.
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0 3
danman
Experience: 15.6 years 5 played 5 reviews
5.00 star(s)

wear boots 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Perfect layout not to wooded but not to open.Very helpful staff and pro shop.

Cons:

This course is very wet year round you definitely want to wear boots or expect to have wet feet.

Other Thoughts:

This is by far my favorite course of the 4 that I play on a regular basis. I shoot under par there almost every time, but its not an easy course by any means. Its very well maintained, but they do have drainage issues. It is $8 to play all day which is one of the most expensive coursed around but its worth it
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3 1
deafaliendisc
Experience: 25.9 years 47 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Golf's Putt course of Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 23, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

-It looks like Golf course in putter design.
-It have small concrete near by each basket to tell you where the next tee is. Instead of nail the wood with arrow shape. Easy to follow around.
-Red color on top of each basket. Easy to spot feel like, that it was heated by Red Dragon flame on it! :)
-big red garbage can on every tees. With every tee number on it.

Cons:

-Need little bit more challenge (possible in summer time with more trees to blossom out)
-Lots of watery and mud on the course during early spring time. (That's expect in state of Maine)

Other Thoughts:

The tee with each design of course need stronger plastic to press on avoiding snow or rain for wet to getting through. So it cause fading..
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1 2
ShortBusDiscGolf
Experience: 28.9 years 182 played 9 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of my Fav's 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 6, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Awesome layout and design. Bring a couple 'Trick Shots'.....and some arm. Hole 16 is one of my favorites in all of disc golf. Great signs and trash cans. Gordy is the man!!!!!!!!!!

Cons:

Some drainage issues, but so what. More benches please. $5 to play, but totally worth it.

Other Thoughts:

A must play while in Maine.
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1 2
capedcodder
Experience: 24.8 years 31 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Dragon Field is great 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 20, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Has everything you could want in a course. Well maintained with very clear OB areas. Easy to navigate with clear markings. Also, a couple of very creative holes with some fun suprises.

Cons:

None that I can think of.

Other Thoughts:

Pro shop attendant was awesome. Not only did he help us with our Maine disc golf tour schedule but he played a round with us as well. The guys at Dragon are the ones to talk to about Maine disc golf.
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