Wilbraham, MA

Crane Hill DGC

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3.445(based on 32 reviews)
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4 0
DoWork
Experience: 8 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great all around course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 28, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Fun layout, great usage of terrain, two baskets for every hole and good mix of wooded and open field shots. Also nice tees and high traffic. Highly attended weekly events, food and drink nearby with a billiards hall and another bar/lounge about 2-3 miles away.

Layout is good, but each individual hole on its own is fantastic in general. Lots of varied shots and tight lines, as well as "choices" aka decide which gap to go for and what approach to take.

Cons:

Sometimes basket placement makes it confusing to figure out which one you're looking at for first time players. Also the paths to and from certain holes are confusing- I had to ask for directions twice, but due to the high traffic this was easy to get.

Baskets could be nicer but they are at least consistent!

Other Thoughts:

Great course I'd love to play again the next time I'm down now that I know the layout. It's got it all except for on site amenities like bathrooms or food/bev. The quirks disappear quickly with familiarity and the patrons are friendly. I could spend a lot of time here.
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4 0
HomemadeBasket
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.5 years 64 played 39 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Crane "not too bad of a " Hill 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Fair lines off the tee.
Fair pin placements (tricky at times but fair).
Wide variety of shots through out the course. Some long open shots, lots of tight wooded ones.Nice blend of short and long layouts. Some cool uphill shots. Awesome downhill holes.
14 is a fun one!
Good tee pads.
Good baskets.
Two baskets on each hole gives you some options.
Well maintained. Looks great each time I play it.
Good seating through out the course.
Tee signs with par, distance, & map on every hole.
Layout loops back to parking lot at about the middle of the round if you need to grab something from the car.
Lots of space to park.
Lost and found box.
Excellent use of space.

Cons:

No brooms for tee pads.
A few pads really needed a sweep due to the pebbles and stones that covered them, making it very slippery.
Navigation gets tricky.
Definitely need arrows for next tee and on the trails between holes.
Baskets are a little hard to see. A few could use a long pole and flag, others just need some orange tape or paint on the poles.

Other Thoughts:

For a course with the word "hill" in the name, this one really doesn't beat you up. You have a few uphill climbs to deal with, but very manageable. The downhill shots here are great, and you have a bunch of them. You will need to be aware of your greens at Crane Hill, because there are a bunch of tricky pins placements with drop offs and OB lurking. The wooded holes can be a bit unforgiving, so keep it clean. Crane Hill gives you a great deal of open shots during your round, so take advantage of these holes and rip into something. 14 is a very unique layout. It's not often you have a chance to throw an ace run from the edge of a cliff, over a deep gully, to a basket sitting on a cliff. Awesome hole! IF you haven't been to Crane Hill, you definitely need to check it out and cross it off the list. The course is clean, the park is beautiful, and the shots are lots of fun.
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2 0
dwest
Experience: 8 years 89 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Could be a 4 with some easy enhancements 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 24, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

A generally well maintained (with some odd exceptions listed below) course. A nice variety of holes, with various length, elevations, open vs wooded holes, FH vs BH. Two baskets make for good replayability and novice friendliness.

Cons:

Many baskets would benefit greatly from a high visibility band at the top so you could actually see them from the tee or approach.

Given the difficulty seeing the baskets from the tees unless you walk the hole first: the signs on some holes also don't help because they exaggerate dogleg angles and mislead players about basket positions.

Some holes have direction indicators to the next tee, but enough do not which makes it easy to get lost. Also a few signs on trails would help as well.

A decent number of otherwise good holes need one more pass with a chainsaw to clean out saplings that
make success a random crap shoot.

With a small amount of work most of the issues described here and by other reviewers could be
easily fixed. It's a shame that a course this good has small issues that prompted one of the novices in our party to state that they would rather not play the course again vs other better maintained courses in the area.
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1 2
Wombat
Experience: 7.9 years 16 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lots of open holes
Good challenge for beginner and novices
Good challenge in the woods

Cons:

Course layout a little confusing
Needs more signage. And updated signs (old one are worn out)

Other Thoughts:

All around good course had lots of fun
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3 0
obiwanjacobi
Experience: 14.8 years 52 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great place 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 24, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-None of the 18 holes felt like repeats. Each one requires a different line.
-Having 2 baskets per hole really ups the replayability, even though some are similar (hole 17, hole 1)
-The people are very friendly and helpful
-Very well maintained, never long grass
-Great scenery
-Great use of land
-The parking is ample
-The teepads are very well placed and level
-You can start at hole 1, 4, or 12. Whoever laid out the holes on this plot of land was intelligent, with 3 opportunities to stop by the lot, and you can see behind on holes 18, 3, 11 to see if anyone is behind you if you cut in.

Cons:

-Rubber pads can be a bit slicker than concrete
-Tee sign maps are a bit too simplified and not to scale
-Some holes seem to have no great line. There are a lot of areas where saplings plug up otherwise good routes, although it is nice that they didn't just bulldoze nature. A hole that comes to mind is 8. There is not really a line for the A pin that doesn't rely on rolling the dice with trees. Hole 6 also comes to mind.

Other Thoughts:

Awesome course. Be prepared to beat in some plastic here on the trees.
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3 3
jacaissie
Experience: 7 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 18, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Variety of challenging holes requiring different skills
Beautiful surroundings
Two baskets on each hole for variety of play

Cons:

A few holes are so heavily wooded that my outcome on them feels random--no difference between a 2 and a 5 in terms of the quality of my shot.
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7 0
gabereif
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13 years 57 played 37 reviews
3.50 star(s)

RHBH - bring your understable plastic 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 2, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

I had an enjoyable round at Crane Hill, which started off with:
-Easy to find
-Plenty of parking
-Nice kiosk
-Easily the busiest course I've seen in western MA. I didn't have to wait at all, but there appeared to be plenty of regulars, which courses like UMass, HCC, and Conway don't have.
-Free

I enjoyed the mix of open and wooded holes. Many open holes had something to challenge me. I really liked hole 2, although a birdie seems really hard for someone like me who can only throw 300 feet. There were an adequate number of birdie looks and plenty of holes that punish you for hitting an early tree. And there are lots of trees!

It was my first time playing the course, but the signs/maps were good (updated since the pictures on this site) and I used the bricks under most baskets to find the next tee.

The tees are very good. And there are two pins in place for every hole, maximizing the playability of the course. This is a big plus in my book, even though it didn't impact my single round. I also like the stream and the secluded wooded beauty of the course. And the course is clean and has nice benches.

I played in early April, but I assume there are no problems with thorns or poison ivy or brutal rough, which is a welcome change from my usual courses of UMass and Northampton.

Cons:

-Too many fairways are too tight in my opinion. The fairways are fair, but an intermediate player like me got punished a bit too much and I think beginners would be frustrated. Neither pin position is suitable for beginners. I wish that one of the pins offered more open fairways. This course is really good for advanced players given the two pin positions and difficulty.
-I did get turned around a few times navigating the course. I probably spent about 5 minutes heading down the wrong paths trying to find where I was going.
-The tee sign/map on hole 16 misled me. The A pin is straight ahead, not to the left.
-No trash cans on site (that I saw)

Other Thoughts:

This is neither a pro or a con, but lots of A pins require RHBH throwers to use understable plastic. Definitely adds challenge to already challenging fairways on many holes.

Comparing this course to others in the area, I liked it more than UMass and Northampton (which I gave a 3-disc rating) and HCC. It lacked the charm of Flat Rock (which I gave a 3.5) and the golf wasn't as good as Tully (which I gave a 3.5). I think I slightly prefer Conway (which I gave a 3.5), but the two pins on every hole convinced me to give Crane Hill a 3.5 rating. It's got a lot going for it and playing it regularly will make anyone a much better disc golfer. Enjoy!
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5 0
Hector Chain
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 222 played 189 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The Crane was good enough for Miyagi 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 2, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays on and below an imposing wooded bluff. The variety here is among the best of any Massachusetts course. The first several holes are primarily open holes, which transition to the woods, and the course finishes with the more open, longer holes. I played the shorter baskets, and distances ranged from 132 feet (which was not a gimme birdie but not a gimmick either) to over 550 feet.

Oh, and the baskets. There are two of them on every hole. I have to give huge props to courses that do this because there are so few that do. It adds to the replayability and gives some nice, additional looks. With a few exceptions, they play pretty different. One of the uphill wooded holes (around 5 or 6) has the A position as a short turnover shot that is reachable with a full uphill drive. The B position is a very tough hole farther up the steep hill, requiring a couple full, accurate throws up a challenging grade. I wish I'd gotten to play the B position.

I really like that no particular skill set is rewarded here. You need accuracy to handle the wooded holes, and distance will be rewarded on the more open holes. I even got to throw a couple rollers here, which is rare in this part of the country.

Tee pads are all rubber and level. Navigation was generally easy (see below).

Cons:

The multiple baskets are great, but on a few holes they two baskets don't really make the hole any different. Holes 1 and 17 come to mind.

The tee signs are not the crappy wooden things you see in the pictures. They are real tee signs on real posts. Two small complaints: I wish the tee number was larger on the sign. A couple times there are two tee pads near the basket you just played, and it would be nice if you could see more easily which is the next one. Second, the lines to the baskets shown on the signs are not always representative. For hole 13 we threw to the right, only to discover the A position was actually straight ahead.

The hill is huge, but the course only makes use of some of it. I wonder if the rest of it wasn't usable due to steepness, or property lines, or something else?

On a few of the wooded holes, there were more spindly, thin trees than I'd like to see. They usually don't add anything and just clog up legitimate lines.

Other Thoughts:

I played on a snow-less January day, so tall grass wasn't an issue. It looks like they mow the fairways, but I could see the tall stuff off of the early and late holes hiding discs.

Crane Hill exceeded my expectations. Based on the map and the pictures, I assume the multiple baskets are a recent addition. This is a really good course that is worth going a little out of your way for.

On that note, beware that while this course looks like it's right off of I-90, the interstate system in Massachusetts doesn't have a ton of exits, so it might be 10-15 minutes more than you're anticipating. Make the time. It's worth the trip.
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8 0
edfaits
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.5 years 90 played 41 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Rec Player Perspective 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 6, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Tee Boxes are great. Level, Rubber Pads, size appropriate to the hole length
-Nice Baskets... two on many holes
-Variety... up, down, left, right, open, wooded... and wooded, and more wooded.
-Very clean (exception is behind the parking lot)
-Practice Basket near parking lot / Kiosk
-Very pretty in all seasons. 18th hole especially in Spring and Fall
-Free
-Plenty of parking
-Has enough play to be vibrant, but rarely is "crowded"

Cons:

-Lacking some amenities like bathroom or even a port-o-potty, trash cans
-Very challenging for a recreational skill level player. This course can be very frustrating for a beginner, and and can make for a long day for even an experienced rec-level player. But this is a Pro NOT a con for better players.
-Signs rotted away a few years ago. The old signs were nice. But Navigation really isn't too bad for first timers, just print the course map on this site before hand or look for the arrows on all of the baskets.

Other Thoughts:

This course gets a wild variety of ratings, and I tried to be objective in my ratings. I'm an "older" (almost 60) player, and I can't throw more than 200 feet with much consistency.

I think some of the problem with this course is it's really set up to be a challenge to tournament players. REC players like me see the course this way:

1- Straight and open, but to par it I'll probably have to nail an 175' approach shot, then a putt in the windiest part of the course.
2- Some trees to negotiate, a long mostly open par 3.
3- Short but tight. Almost impossible to keep a drive in the fairway, which makes the approach fraught with danger from numerous trees
4- Where is the basket? OK if I don't roll down the hill
5- A decent 200' drive will leave a short approach, but you might have to bend a putter or a mid to get close.
6- Downhill to the "easy" basket. Not a bad par if you can avoid trees.
7- Short uphill. Good par chance if you can avoid an early tree.
8- Another downhill. Just avoid the early trees
9- Cool benches and Tee area, short basket reachable if you can avoid the trees... creek will eat an overshoot
10- Par 3? Really? Not for a rec play. No way I'm getting a drive where I can have a look at the basket unless I get a really lucky roll.
11- Downhill, but a tough Par 3 for a Rec player... trees will eventually grab a drive, and the approach will need to bend and curve just right.
12- OK, a half way decent drive and a "smart" touch approach will lead to a make-able par putt.
13- New short straight basket helps, but the tree in the middle of the already narrow fairway is intimidating. My best percentage is to throw at the tree in the middle... which means a good drive gets punished. Can the mando be ignored on the short basket since there is no advantage to "cutting" the fairway? Another hole that should be a par 4 for a rec level player
14- Hey, a "birdie-able" hole with a nice touch drive, though it's certainly easy enough to hit a tree and be down in the gully.
15- A tough dogleg right even to the short basket. Really a four is the best I can hope for.
16- The hole I fear most in Western Mass/Northern CT... Long and a narrow tunnel and even the "short" basket is a long way out there. Feels like a par five to me and will to most rec players.
17- Fun hole after the 13/15/16 gantlet.
18- Beautiful hole, and I have made par here, but it takes my best drive and then some kind of big hyzer approach to get around the apple trees to have a par putt.

I respect that this is a challenging course that rewards players that can throw long and accurately, but I understand how it can frustrate others. Course Designers need to remember there are more rounds played by us "hackers" than by good players. That said, I understand why the better players in the area love Crane Hill.

Bottom Line is this course while lacking in some amenities, this course holds its own with the better courses in New England.

Random Closing Thought: Until today, I hadn't played this course in over a year. Last time I played it one of the "locals" chewed me out for driving too fast in the parking lot (10 MPH instead of the posted 5 MPH). I thought the guy was just being a jerk, but now I know he was just being protective of a course he loves... neighbors had complained to the town about the dust. Since then the road has a coating of some fresh cinders, today the driveway/parking lot didn't seem to be any dust issue. The local core of players may not be all that warm and fuzzy, but they are not as scary as I once feared.
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4 0
Basshunter
Experience: 11 years 9 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Diverse and fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 6, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great variety of open versus wooded, elevation change and left versus right finishing holes. Basket placements offer diversity of holes where you need to play it safe, complemented by a number of holes where you aren't afraid to go for it. Hole 14 is a gem, it may be short but you better pick the right right disc and the right line. You could easily warm up by playing a hole 1 to hole 18 loop a few times if it isn't busy. Two baskets for each hole offer a couple different layouts. Locals were friendly and helpful.

Cons:

Confusing layout for those who aren't familiar with the course. Because of lack of signage, sometimes need to walk up the fairway a bit to find baskets and figure out your lines. Not always immediately clear which layout a basket is for.

Other Thoughts:

I don't usually write reviews, but felt Crane Hill deserved a recent one. I really enjoyed this course. Although the lack of signage could be frustrating the first couple of times you play it, I think after a couple of rounds you'd have no problem. Install some picture signs with the alternate basket placements and better signage from basket to next tee and there would be no cons here. Definitely will go back as often as I can.
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1 6
DaleRox
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Needs work 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 19, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Open and wooded.....

Cons:

Muddy driveway, No Trash Cans or picnic tables by by Tie box 1. The practice basket is in a mud pit. Some tie boxes are too short. Grass in open area's is long.

Navigating this course was very difficult being there are no markers or signs. You have to guess by following what looks to be a path or white paint on trees.

In the woods a lot of smaller trees could be cut down. It is obvious this course is not maintained very well.

Other Thoughts:

About 20 volunteers, a couple of weekends, a few chain saws, a couple donated picnic tables and trash cans would make a world of difference. Not to mention the town of Wilbraham picking up the trash on the weekends would be the icing on the cake.
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4 0
Jbb817
Experience: 13.1 years 30 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A Local Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 15, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

There is a practice basket right by the parking lot so you can warm up before your round. Well kept teepads and very few spots to lose a disc. Fairways are fair and the rough can be punishing but you very rarely feel cheated. Overall, this course provides a nice amount of challenge and makes you use a bunch of different shots to do well.

The course starts you off with an easy hole 1 to get you warmed up, open 300 or so foot shot. This is followed by a more challenging hole 2 that is still comparatively open. After you've had this chance to get warmed up, it's into the woods where you will be challenged to make good shots. Compared to other courses in New England, the fairways are not super tight, and they are definitely fair. As the course is currently laid out (see other thoughts for alternate pins), 3 is a straight shot down the tunnel, 4 is up hill about 200-250 then turning right and up the hill for another 150 or so, with plenty of rough on the sides. Hole 5 can be played with a turnover or flick down the left side of the fairway or there is a tight line down the right for a hyzer or straight shot.Hole 6 is downhill and to the right protected by some trees, both midrange hyzer and anny ficks work well. 7 brings you back uphill with an easy hyzer shot. 8 is a turnover or flick down the hill (sort of a longer, mirrored version of hole 6. Holes 9 and 10 really challenge you to hit the right line with the right disc and the right angle to get that birdie. Both are basically long shots down a narrow fairway with plenty of rough to punish you if you nail a tree. Hole 9 also has an OB stream behind the basket and down the right side of the rough. Holes 11 and 12 are shorter, both deucable, but 12 is a very tight tunnel shot that it's easiest to try and play a disc that will skip straight. 13 is an awesome and challenging shot, shooting out from the woods to the field then back into the woods, curling towards the left with a mando at the entrance back in. Then you've still got about another 150-200ft of work to do. Playing big skip shots, anny flicks, or sharp hyzers is important here. 14 is the hole everyone wants to deuce, incredibly short, but if you go long you are staring at a death putt down a huge hill. Also just enough trees to knock your disc down into the pit and you're looking at a put that is about 20 feet straight uphill. Hole 15 is just cruel, if you get into the rough, just pitch out and do not try to be a hero, it never works. 16, 17, and 18 all have you back in the open with 16 being a short placement drive then another drive to the basket (big turnover if you are playing to the long position). 17 is a turnover or flick and 18 is a great hole to finish on with a wide open slightly downhill shot about 350' away.

Cons:

Bad signage, and going from hole 3 to 4 might confuse some people (hole 12 is right next to the end of 3 and many new players could easily end up skipping half the course).

Hole 15 will kick your ass. This is the only hole I really dread at this course.

Other Thoughts:

There are alternate pin positions on holes 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 16 and there were shorter positions (though I'm not sure they are used anymore) on 4, 12, 13, 15.

Random doubles league on Thursday evenings and a great community in general make this one of my favorite local courses for sure.
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2 8
njdevilsphan
Experience: 16.6 years 43 played 2 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 28, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Tee pads are flypads that are done well, no lumps and they are not slick, some are a little short but they are manageable.

Cons:

There are NO signs at all. Only can find the next hole by followings paths and some had a rock under the basket pointing you in a general direction.

Other Thoughts:

This is my first review. This course has a rating of 3.42 at the time of this review and I was like that's just way to high. The lack of signs and directions are the first thing you notice. It was hard to find the holes and if you did you did not know if you were playing them in the correct order because they aren't even numbered. Most baskets are blind and you have to walk up the fairway to see them. The OB is not marked by rope or anything you just have to guess whats OB. The fairways on a couple of holes start out fair but then like hundred feet to the basket its a crap shoot no real lines. There are a couple holes that have broken limbs and branches hanging down in the fairway. You throw a great shot the right line and boom branch hit right in the fairway they need to be trimmed up. This courses only saving grace are the tee's which are solid. A mix of open and wooded hole I like. and some I could do with out. Played 2 rounds here and they will be my last two.
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1 2
Franky4fangaz
Experience: 15.1 years 28 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 13, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice terrain..nice scenery...nice day of disc golf a lil of everything wood shots wide open shoots up hill and a interesting 14 th hole

Cons:

Signs..almost none but I emailed the course layout out I found here to my phone and was relativly easy...and when we got a lil lost a local helped us right out and we were back on course

Other Thoughts:

If you go down the road a lil to Springfield famous daves BBQ is not far and we ate there and it was excellent lunch..plus there's a lot of other places for lunch right around
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2 2
maddymiata
Experience: 3 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Rubber Tee Pads 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 7, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

As of October 29, 2013 the course has alternate baskets at every hole. 36 holes total now! Nice variation of wooded and open shots. Nice use of elevation. Good flow to holes.

Cons:

Lack of signs. Muddy parking late winter and early spring.

Other Thoughts:

All Tee Pads are rubber now.(since fall '11) This has not been changed on the course review yet. It has improved the course quite a bit. New signs are going in this year! Nice course
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0 2
hikeNdisc
Experience: 14.8 years 11 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great course with experience 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 6, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great changes in elevation
Nice mix of open and tight holes
Great scenery
A challenge on every hole

Cons:

Tee boxes need help
Navigation can be a problem

Other Thoughts:

Many reviewers post that navigation is a problem, and I can see why. The signs are non existent and the little yellow arrows on the ground pointing you in the right direction are getting buried, however on Saturdays and Sundays there are usually plenty of locals who enjoy playing with new comers, myself included. Thursday nights the course hosts a random double's league. If you know where your going and aren't too picky about footing on drives, this course is a gem.
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0 1
medi0crities
Experience: 15.8 years 30 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good location but a Navigation Travesty 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 28, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

The holes are challenging and fun, even though I was the caboose of our foursome. Nicely cut fairways, challenging inclines and declines and it's hard to lose your plastic which is a definite plus if you're a novice or intermediate frolfer.

Cons:

The navigation is impossible. Faded signs at the tee's, if there are signs at all. The confusion can be very frustrating for everyone, stories of people leaving without playing the full 18 are circulating.

Other Thoughts:

We went on a lovely spring day, very minimal bug issues. Also, there was only one other group out there on a Saturday, which is very nice.
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5 0
Anselm
Experience: 14.9 years 26 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Pristine, natural course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 28, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

FOR COURSE MAP AND SCORECARD:
http://www.wilbraham-ma.gov/P...portsdiscgolf

I have played 8 different courses, in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, and Florida (including Cliff Stephens, home of Ken Climo), yet Crane Hill is the most beautiful course I have ever played. The designers have done a fantastic job preserving dramatic natural elements of the property and incorporating them into the course. A few examples come to mind: The old-growth oak on 8 has a huge branch that hangs low over the fairway, forcing a low flick or turnover drive from us RHBH throwers. Another, even bigger oak shades the 9th tee, which has a ring of benches around it. A stream gurgles its way down the hill next to the tee (it's a downhill drive), following the fairway its entire length, making for a beautiful spot to take a break. Here the RHBH-friendly fairway follows an old footpath, and at 350+ feet in the middle of the woods, this hole requires both power and precision. The new hole 14 (aka "The Ravine Hole") is my favorite on the course; the ravine itself leads down to Twelve Mile Brook, which forms the northern border of the course. At the 14th tee, the ravine is less than 200 feet wide; it's short but kept interesting by a narrow driving window framed by 2 tree trunks. The basket is perched just on the far edge of the ravine, so an unlucky landing may well roll to the bottom, 30 feet below the rim (oh yeah - don't fall off the tee!). Watching people drive from the bottom of the ravine reveals the genius of this hole - while the net elevation change is ~0, the fairway is 30 feet up in the trees! Finally, your round will end with a wide-open, slightly downhill 380' drive across the field to the pin, which is nestled in a stand of low (apple?) trees. It's a lot of fun to really let loose with a driver on this easy hole, especially after taking some bogies on 15 and 16 (which will probably happen as often as not).

Cons:

Crane Hill is a tough course! Forget about driving the pin on most holes; shooting even par requires a proficient shot every time, and in the woods, you'd better be darn near perfect - or better yet, lucky. Some holes like 6 and 11 have no clear route to the basket, so luck will often decide between birdie, par or much worse. Other holes have only one realistic route to the basket, so it's hard to get creative, especially after an errant drive.

Many people have complained about navigation on the course. There used to be nice plywood signs, but they didn't last more than a year or two. At the beginning of my review I posted a link to the original course map, but 13 and 14 are slightly different after some recent changes.

People have also complained about the natural tee pads, but I have been told by the course designer that cement pads are in the works.

Other Thoughts:

For more info about course changes and EVENTS (i.e. doubles league, monthly tourneys), check out New England Flying Disc Association: nefa.com
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1 7
MOLDMAKER1
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

INTERESTING 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 31, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

DEFINETELY WELL PLANNED OUT. THE CHANGE IN ELEVATION AND THE CHANGE FROM OPEN FAIRWAYS TO WOODED FAIRWAYS IS INTERESTING. THE AREA IN WHICH THE COURSE IS SITUATED IN WILBRAHAM IS VERY NICE. ALL IN ALL A VERY PLAYABLE COURSE. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING THIS WEEKEND.

Cons:

YUP NAVIGATION IS DIFFICULT AT TIMES. BUT ONCE YOU KNOW THE COURSE IT IS MORE ENJOYABLE.

Other Thoughts:

I EMAILED THE PERSON THAT DESIGNED THE COURSE. HE DID EXPLAIN THAT HOLE 13 AND 14 ARE NOW COMBINED TO MAKE ONE HOLE, SO AVOID TEEING OFF ON THE 14TH TEE BOX WHICH IS STILL THERE. HOLE 14 IS NOW OVER A HUGH DITCH AND IS UNIQUE. GO AND CHECK THIS COURSE OUT, IT REALLY IS A NICE COURSE AND NICE AREA.
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2 0
great white buffalo
Experience: 20.6 years 70 played 17 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 29, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

There was a very good variety of holes here. The course was thoughtfully layed out for the land. There were a few holes that were what I would consider memorable. There was good elevation changes, and the fairways were clear enough to experience good flight. The baskets were of good quality with the exception of 13 which had no basket. Just the base and a stick sticking out of it. 15 was a super cool hole that shot over a deep gully. The course was something that would be worth the trip to anyone in the general area. I really enjoyed my playing part of the course. Notice I said "playing". I would go here again if in the area.

Cons:

Since I Noted "playing" let me explain. As you have or will read in other reviews about this course, the navigation info at the course here is among the worst I have ever come across. Only one other course I have played in Oklahoma was worse. I would venture to say without a doubt I spent as much time trying to find the next hole as I did playing. It really sucks to be on a high from just sinking a birdie to really blowing your next drive because your frustrated from spending 10 minutes trying to find the next tee. After walking up and down trail after trail and not even being sure that where you are throwing from where you are supposed to be. I had even read the reviews the night before about "piss poor" navigation as one reviewer put it. So I went to the town web site and printed a map of the course. The map did help some. Don't get me wrong. It was just a very bad experience as far as navigation was concerned.

Other Thoughts:

To those of you who play this course regularly, please think of us out of towners who are visiting your wonderful course, and put up some signs, flags pavers or something to aid us in experiencing what there is to offer here. Even taking a sharpie and writing on the tee signs that are old and unreadable. Playing here has made me want to rethink the navigation on my home course to see if there are any areas that need better signage.
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