Hannibal-LaGrange University reviews
10
0
Twain Town 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Feb 27, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
Hannibal's first 9-hole course makes for a quick round with a good amount of elevation and good use of the trees provided to the college's disc golf club.
Elevation is the biggest feature of the course. Hole 1 is a 520ft bomb off the hill behind the University library with the basket set on a small rise to make putting that little bit more difficult, Hole 5 is a long uphill with a mando around an electrical pole to keep throws from going over the road (nice work), and Hole 6-9 all have some nice uphill/downhill action. Hole 7 is slanted to the right for some more difficulty.
The trees make what would be a very dull course into an enjoyable one. Hole 2 has you throwing into a lane of trees that progressively gets thinner to the basket, and hole 6 is guarded by two very tall and wispy trees. Several other trees are placed well to force one line or the other, so having multiple shot types is important.
Even though the holes get shorter toward the end of the round, the tree difficulty ramps up. Keeps the course interesting all the way through.
All the fixtures are excellent for a new course. Concrete tee pads on six holes (the other three tee from the gravel behind the school library), a detailed tee sign for every hole, and bright red DisCatchers complete the course.
Elevation is the biggest feature of the course. Hole 1 is a 520ft bomb off the hill behind the University library with the basket set on a small rise to make putting that little bit more difficult, Hole 5 is a long uphill with a mando around an electrical pole to keep throws from going over the road (nice work), and Hole 6-9 all have some nice uphill/downhill action. Hole 7 is slanted to the right for some more difficulty.
The trees make what would be a very dull course into an enjoyable one. Hole 2 has you throwing into a lane of trees that progressively gets thinner to the basket, and hole 6 is guarded by two very tall and wispy trees. Several other trees are placed well to force one line or the other, so having multiple shot types is important.
Even though the holes get shorter toward the end of the round, the tree difficulty ramps up. Keeps the course interesting all the way through.
All the fixtures are excellent for a new course. Concrete tee pads on six holes (the other three tee from the gravel behind the school library), a detailed tee sign for every hole, and bright red DisCatchers complete the course.
Cons:
Loose gravel on 1, 3, and 7 is a tough surface to tee from, especially when going all-out on hole 1. Hopefully a few more concrete slabs get laid down.
Hole 4 is a wide open, 220ft chip shot. Most players with a few months experience will get the easy 2, but maybe it's there to tempt an ace run?
Lots of mud around the tees, but that's probably just because they're new.
Hole 4 is a wide open, 220ft chip shot. Most players with a few months experience will get the easy 2, but maybe it's there to tempt an ace run?
Lots of mud around the tees, but that's probably just because they're new.
Other Thoughts:
If you're looking for quick 9er to bag in the area, this is the place for you. It's far from a bland college 9-hole course due to the big elevation changes and the big trees. The HLGU disc golf club lucked out to get such a nice piece of land to design this course on.
Plenty of room to park behind the library since you're probably not going to have a ton of company on the course.
Plenty of room to park behind the library since you're probably not going to have a ton of company on the course.
15
0
A Fun Rec. 9-Hole Course For Folks That Are Newer To The Sport 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Dec 30, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) plays host to a brand new 9-hole recreational course that is open to the public. This 9-hole course makes the most out of an otherwise little used plot of land, and does enough with its design to make for a fun, easy round of golf.
Location of HGLU is just off of Route 61, just a mile or so north of I-72. The entrance to the college is actually very accessible from either the Route-61 or Harrison Hill Rd. exits on I-72. When you turn onto College Heights road to get onto campus, take the first right onto Muir Rd and then take another right in front of the house on the left side of the road. You'll see some parking to the left, followed by the course map and the back lot to the library. Apparently, they want you to park in the paved spots and not the gravel, so disregard the Ford Fiesta in the photos I post, as that belongs to some other schmuck who doesn't read before going to a small 9-hole course....
Along I-61, you will find just about any fast food, store, or gas station you could ask for in a town of this size, so any bathroom breaks or replenishing of snacks will not be a problem. Huckleberry Park is host to another 18-hole course that is just south of HGLU on 61, and when you consider other options in Palmyra and Quincy, this 9-hole is among a bunch of local options if you're wanting to make a day of the area. Just don't speed in Hannibal, as I have heard from multiple friends and family that it's easy to get a ticket in this town.
Amenities are limited at this course, as it's on a college campus instead of a city park. That being said, according to the course map, disc golfers are welcome to use the library for its bathroom. The nearest door to the course says staff only though, so you may need to walk to another door.
Terrain/Mud/Drainage was notably a non-issue during my round, as my opportunity to play this course was after some pretty wet days in the area. I was impressed that there were virtually no areas of mud or water, minus the drainage next to hole 1 that the mando makes you throw around. This course seems like one where you won't have to worry too much about course conditions.
Course Equipment is all brand new here as of the writing of this review, and exceeded my expectations. The baskets are red-banded DISCatchers that look fresh and play like they are fresh out of the box. The tees that are not off of the gravel circle by the library have concrete pads that vary in size but are generally long enough for the tee shots on the course. The tee signs include all of the information you could ask for, including par, distance, a graphic of the hole layout, mando locations when applicable, and hole sponsors. The course sign/map also provides a great overview of the course layout as well as the par and distance of each hole, rules, and an explanation of how to play disc golf. Overall, the branding in place for this course is very well done, and makes the course accessible to new players in addition to those who already know the game.
Course Design is pretty straightforward at HGLU, and just about makes the most of the land available. While a lot of the shots are pretty basic and fairly open on the course, there are some nice opportunities to really rip a drive and also do some shot shaping to get your birdie on some of the holes, which adds to the fun-factor here.
Shot-Shaping is most notable on holes 3 and 5, with both of these holes requiring RHBH anhyzers if you want to get significant distance and close to the pin. Hole 1 also has some shot shaping with the mandatory dogleg around the tree in the field, which will require either a long hyzer or a flip up shot followed by a second approach shot from the right side of the fairway. Most of the other shots are pretty straight, though many do have trees and branches to consider.
Elevation is also present on this plot of land. Holes 1 and 3 have a downhill factor to them, while holes 2 and 5 have slight uphill elevation changes from the tee to the basket. Other shots like on 6, 8, and 9 have some small but noticeable elevation changes.
Distances are where you will find the most variety on this course, with hole distances ranging from 211 to 526 feet. This results in three par-4s on site, with hole 3 arguably being long enough to be one as well based on the rest of the course. This variety provides some fun changes of pace as you make your way through the 9 holes on site, as it was fun to follow up longer bomber holes with shorter but somewhat technical ace runs.
Difficulty is on the easy end at HGLU, which is really what they are probably going for with this course. Newer players will not be caught off guard with any of the pars or any shots here, and more seasoned players can enjoy this course for its ace runs and try to see how close to a -9 they can get. All in all, this course serves its purpose and likely goal well.
Location of HGLU is just off of Route 61, just a mile or so north of I-72. The entrance to the college is actually very accessible from either the Route-61 or Harrison Hill Rd. exits on I-72. When you turn onto College Heights road to get onto campus, take the first right onto Muir Rd and then take another right in front of the house on the left side of the road. You'll see some parking to the left, followed by the course map and the back lot to the library. Apparently, they want you to park in the paved spots and not the gravel, so disregard the Ford Fiesta in the photos I post, as that belongs to some other schmuck who doesn't read before going to a small 9-hole course....
Along I-61, you will find just about any fast food, store, or gas station you could ask for in a town of this size, so any bathroom breaks or replenishing of snacks will not be a problem. Huckleberry Park is host to another 18-hole course that is just south of HGLU on 61, and when you consider other options in Palmyra and Quincy, this 9-hole is among a bunch of local options if you're wanting to make a day of the area. Just don't speed in Hannibal, as I have heard from multiple friends and family that it's easy to get a ticket in this town.
Amenities are limited at this course, as it's on a college campus instead of a city park. That being said, according to the course map, disc golfers are welcome to use the library for its bathroom. The nearest door to the course says staff only though, so you may need to walk to another door.
Terrain/Mud/Drainage was notably a non-issue during my round, as my opportunity to play this course was after some pretty wet days in the area. I was impressed that there were virtually no areas of mud or water, minus the drainage next to hole 1 that the mando makes you throw around. This course seems like one where you won't have to worry too much about course conditions.
Course Equipment is all brand new here as of the writing of this review, and exceeded my expectations. The baskets are red-banded DISCatchers that look fresh and play like they are fresh out of the box. The tees that are not off of the gravel circle by the library have concrete pads that vary in size but are generally long enough for the tee shots on the course. The tee signs include all of the information you could ask for, including par, distance, a graphic of the hole layout, mando locations when applicable, and hole sponsors. The course sign/map also provides a great overview of the course layout as well as the par and distance of each hole, rules, and an explanation of how to play disc golf. Overall, the branding in place for this course is very well done, and makes the course accessible to new players in addition to those who already know the game.
Course Design is pretty straightforward at HGLU, and just about makes the most of the land available. While a lot of the shots are pretty basic and fairly open on the course, there are some nice opportunities to really rip a drive and also do some shot shaping to get your birdie on some of the holes, which adds to the fun-factor here.
Shot-Shaping is most notable on holes 3 and 5, with both of these holes requiring RHBH anhyzers if you want to get significant distance and close to the pin. Hole 1 also has some shot shaping with the mandatory dogleg around the tree in the field, which will require either a long hyzer or a flip up shot followed by a second approach shot from the right side of the fairway. Most of the other shots are pretty straight, though many do have trees and branches to consider.
Elevation is also present on this plot of land. Holes 1 and 3 have a downhill factor to them, while holes 2 and 5 have slight uphill elevation changes from the tee to the basket. Other shots like on 6, 8, and 9 have some small but noticeable elevation changes.
Distances are where you will find the most variety on this course, with hole distances ranging from 211 to 526 feet. This results in three par-4s on site, with hole 3 arguably being long enough to be one as well based on the rest of the course. This variety provides some fun changes of pace as you make your way through the 9 holes on site, as it was fun to follow up longer bomber holes with shorter but somewhat technical ace runs.
Difficulty is on the easy end at HGLU, which is really what they are probably going for with this course. Newer players will not be caught off guard with any of the pars or any shots here, and more seasoned players can enjoy this course for its ace runs and try to see how close to a -9 they can get. All in all, this course serves its purpose and likely goal well.
Cons:
Honestly, there aren't too many cons to this course, but rather just some limitations that come with the land available.
Obstacles in terms of trees are pretty limited on this course. Some holes like hole 2 provide somewhat tighter fairways to contend with, but for the most part, a fairly straight drive will get the job done on most of the holes here, with holes 3 and 5 requiring some gentle anhyzers or forehand shots from right handed players. Holes 6 and 9 are guarded by trees with low branches, but even if you hit something, you'll likely have a makeable putt for birdie.
Safety/Fairway Overlap is probably not going to be a huge problem given the amount of traffic this course will likely get, but some of the fairways play pretty close to each other. Holes 2 and 3 especially come to mind, with the tee area of 3 being almost right over the pin of 2. I feel like it's implied that hole 3 wants you to throw an anhyzer which should keep you away from hole 2's fairway, but they play close enough together that you may end up on the other fairway during this part of the course. Given the mandatory doglegs on 1 and 5, I feel like a mando on 3 would make sense to further encourage folks to throw around the trees rather than over hole 2's fairway.
Teepads for holes 1, 3, and 7 all manage to incorporate the gravel circle drive, and currently do not have dedicated concrete pads. This leaves you with either natural grass around the gravel, or the gravel itself. I didn't have issues with this on my round at HLGU, but throwing on any surface that has a looseness to it like gravel has the potential to be dicey. I'm not sure if concrete for these pads are in the plans for this course, but I think it would really elevate and complete the equipment on this course if it were to happen.
Course Design - while I think the plot of land this course is on is mostly maximized, I think there are some places where more interesting shots could have been sought out. There's only so much you can do with this amount of land for 9 holes, but hole 4 could use something to spice it up instead of being wide open and just being over 200 feet. Even making it a circle 1 island would be a nice touch to add something to it. I only bring this idea up because there are other parts of the course that really show some creativity.
Obstacles in terms of trees are pretty limited on this course. Some holes like hole 2 provide somewhat tighter fairways to contend with, but for the most part, a fairly straight drive will get the job done on most of the holes here, with holes 3 and 5 requiring some gentle anhyzers or forehand shots from right handed players. Holes 6 and 9 are guarded by trees with low branches, but even if you hit something, you'll likely have a makeable putt for birdie.
Safety/Fairway Overlap is probably not going to be a huge problem given the amount of traffic this course will likely get, but some of the fairways play pretty close to each other. Holes 2 and 3 especially come to mind, with the tee area of 3 being almost right over the pin of 2. I feel like it's implied that hole 3 wants you to throw an anhyzer which should keep you away from hole 2's fairway, but they play close enough together that you may end up on the other fairway during this part of the course. Given the mandatory doglegs on 1 and 5, I feel like a mando on 3 would make sense to further encourage folks to throw around the trees rather than over hole 2's fairway.
Teepads for holes 1, 3, and 7 all manage to incorporate the gravel circle drive, and currently do not have dedicated concrete pads. This leaves you with either natural grass around the gravel, or the gravel itself. I didn't have issues with this on my round at HLGU, but throwing on any surface that has a looseness to it like gravel has the potential to be dicey. I'm not sure if concrete for these pads are in the plans for this course, but I think it would really elevate and complete the equipment on this course if it were to happen.
Course Design - while I think the plot of land this course is on is mostly maximized, I think there are some places where more interesting shots could have been sought out. There's only so much you can do with this amount of land for 9 holes, but hole 4 could use something to spice it up instead of being wide open and just being over 200 feet. Even making it a circle 1 island would be a nice touch to add something to it. I only bring this idea up because there are other parts of the course that really show some creativity.
Other Thoughts:
HGLU's disc golf course isn't going to blow you away, but it's really cool to see a small university putting in a course of this quality for both students and locals to use. 9-hole courses can easily be an afterthought in terms of design and equipment, so to see this plot of land get maximized and such nice baskets, tee, and signage get installed is a nice departure from that tendency that some other 9-holes I have played have seemed to fall into. If you're driving through Hannibal on either Route-61 or I-72, this is an easy course to stop off at to grab a quick round or combine with Huckleberry.
Ascension Disc Golf is among the sponsors that helped fund this course and are based in Hannibal. They seem to be mainly an online retailer, but carry eight of the larger brands if you want to check them out online.
If you're passing through Hannibal and want a quick chill round, stop by HGLU. I put 3 discs in my duffle bag to bring while visiting family nearby and was found a round here with a putter-mid-fairway trio a fun use of a half hour. It's nice to see a course like this on the campus of such a small university. Props to the locals and the folks at the college that made it happen - go play a round to show your appreciation if you're nearby.
Ascension Disc Golf is among the sponsors that helped fund this course and are based in Hannibal. They seem to be mainly an online retailer, but carry eight of the larger brands if you want to check them out online.
If you're passing through Hannibal and want a quick chill round, stop by HGLU. I put 3 discs in my duffle bag to bring while visiting family nearby and was found a round here with a putter-mid-fairway trio a fun use of a half hour. It's nice to see a course like this on the campus of such a small university. Props to the locals and the folks at the college that made it happen - go play a round to show your appreciation if you're nearby.
