Purely Beautiful, and Raw
19 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: -At the time of this review was ranked #10 as a Top-Rated Course in DGCR.
-Co-Hosted the 2019 USWDG Championship with Loriella Park.
-The Course meanders thru a Dairy Farm with high elevated tee shots, extreme uphill throws, up and down hill slopes, open fairways, heavy and moderately wooded fairways, fairways with rolling hills, very tall trees bordering fairways, and most of the holes also meanders along a creek or crosses it. 14 of 18 holes the creek comes into play. The course is very scenic! From 1 and 10 tee looked like I could see a few miles away with the elevation.
-Tees are a light turf. Tees are marked with blocks with hole number, there are some holes with tee signs on the ground, likely to make it easier to remove when the course is not in use.
-Baskets catch very well.
-At the entrance to the course is a mailbox that may or may not be stocked with course information.
-Holes #1 offer an epic elevated tee shot with the disc disappearing over the horizon with the backdrop of trees. Something I hadn't witness before, just a beautiful flight.
-#1 is likely the most elevated tee shot I've thrown, seems to be over 70 feet. Higher than the 60-foot plus tee throw at #10 The Lions at Lake Marshall. With the disc disappearing over the horizon on the drop, and the backdrop of trees and sky. I rank #1 as a personal favorite for an opening hole on a course.
-Holes 1 thru 6, I rank #1 for opening the course and sustaining the variety of down hill drop, uphill climb, hitting gaps, passing by fairway trees, a drop behind a basket, heavy woods, open space, unique basket settings, and creek plays as you play all six holes. Each hole is unique. Add #7 tee throw from wooded tee across creek to open fairway.
-There are 9 other holes that can be used for any future layouts when the course is open.
-From the tee threw fairways, and drivers.
-All holes are memorable!! And has its own unique feature.
-Creek was low enough to be able to play from water, only a few inches deep for the most part. No fresh cow pies, cows must have been elsewhere on other side of property the past few days.
- "Its left alone", meaning fallen trees and large branches are here and there, left as they lay giving a natural setting and a raw feeling, some of it comes into play. I love it!
-Navigation is clockwise. The map on DGCR is accurate, or a course navigation app will be needed.
-Course ranks in top 5 for physical exertion. Holes 2, 5, and 9 are leg burners.
-The course plays very fair! Beginners and Recreational will have difficulty and enjoy the round. Intermediate and Advance shouldn't feel too punished but will be challenge with the variety of looks from tee and approaches.
Cons: -Except for maybe tournament play, no mowers are used on the property. The cows will keep the grass down, but not so much as elevated areas, such as tees 1 and 10, grass was the highest there and about all the way down the slope of the fairway. Not so bad elsewhere, just a little high here and there. Not so much a skip bounce on most fairways, but more like a straight up forward bounce for myself on shorter parts of the fairway that could be just a few inches high. Fairways were very firm!
-The course is a dairy farm. There is no tee post, no directional signs, no benches, and other amenities that you may be used too, just pure disc golf. I didn't miss those things and more focused on what was ahead, so I decided not to include them in my overall rating. Accepting this as a family dairy farm first, with a phenomenal disc course. The course is seasonal and availability centers around calving season.
-If you're expecting to use the layout for the 2019 USWDG Championship it may not be available. My round was the main course, watching the championship coverage, I prefer the main course. Only holes 15 thru 18 were used as its played and numbered. Other holes partially used or numbered differently.
-Very lumpy under the tee turf for 1, 4, and 10 where there was higher grass. Didn't notice it on other tees.
-There could be fresh cow doo-doo and cows. I saw very little, and it looked firm. Cows must have been elsewhere for several days, and I saw no cows. I brought extra towels and a plastic bag to carry them out but didn't have to use them.
-Need to be in decent shape to work your way up and down the hills and have good balance to cross the long foot bridges. No. 7 foot bridge was too tilted towards the creek and since I had played my shot out of the creek, I backed off the bridge and jumped back into the water and crossed the creek.
-Lost disc potential can be high if you're not willing to jump in and get your disc out of the creek. The grass is high on the upper slopes of the course, and low on the lower elevations. I marked the spot where my disc landed and was able to walk right up to it. Lost a sapphire on 10 likely in the upper branches of a cedar tree since I didn't see it drop, no where in the creek or ground area.
Other Thoughts: What a phenomenal course layout! Prior to my arrival in my thoughts were the course owners' message under the course conditions "A family dairy farm first, and a disc course third". I kept that thought while I played the course, and while I thought about my review for the past month. Hawk Hollow is a Pure, Raw, and a beautiful course, very different than any other course I've played, and by chance is course #50 that I have played. Those amenities that I listed in the con's, IMO they don't belong on the course, it would spoil the natural setting of Hawk Hollow, and I love the course the way that it presents itself, and I personally would change nothing. I found the course to be very fair and not unreachable. Hawk Hollow also brought back a memory, a boy scout troop in the cascade mountains 45 years ago, throwing a frisbee back and forth thru the trees, hills, and the open fields just like I played at Hawk Hollow.
My overall rating is anchored on a 5.0, and that's where it will remain! The time to play was an even 2 hours with a casual stroll to enjoy it! A navigation error on my part between 10 basket and 11 tee, and the disc looking on 10.
On a personnel note, I rank Hawk Hollow #2 on my favorites behind The Lair at Lake Marshall.
Notable Tee:
No. 7 Par 5 at 975 feet is straight away to an open field, after you pass the gap. Throwing thru the woods at about 200 feet is the creek crossing, need at least 250 to clear the creek with a 25-foot gap. I clipped a tree and found myself in the creek and played it to the open field the rest of the way. Only the field and basket placement were used in the USWDG.
Notable Uphill Tee Throws:
No. 2, 5, and 9 if your caught on the upslope it's going to be a severe uphill approach. All three were standstills on the approach, not daring to lift my lead foot on #2 fearing I might lose my balance and fall. No. 2 and 9 were not used in the USWDG, only #5 basket was used.
Notable Holes:
No. 3 Par 4 at 462 feet a lazy dogleg left that slopes down to about 260 feet, then drops straight down to the basket that sits on an upslope. A ditch with some water sits at C1, very wet marshy grass from the moisture front right of basket. From the tee to the drop point are several trees with canopy, on an approach if you don't make it all the way down are interfering branches. I liked the dead tree across the right center of fairway at the drop point which I hit but managed to dice my way thru the branches on the downslope to hit C1. Hole was not used at the USWDG.
No. 4 Par 3 at 421 feet is an elevated tee, a gentle dogleg right that meanders back left at a gap to the basket on a drop. As you leave basket 3, make sure you look to the right for the No. 4 fairway gap, you will not see it from the tee. From the tee straight away are cedar trees and brush at about 200 feet, don't want to go there, but can see where the trees gap to the right, the gap is about 230. To the right of the gap is heavy trees and brush. The basket has a few guardian trees, with the creek in the background at C1, don't want to go hot and heavy to the green. Beautiful throw from tee left to right, watched my disc sail a fade passing by the cedars, and dipping out of sight. Hole was not used at the USWDG.
No. 6 Par 3 at 240 feet for those who have played it, will likely tell you its iconic for the course with the basket placement. From the tee a very gentle dogleg right but level if you stay on the very tight fairway of about 20 feet until about C2, then slopes to the basket. On the right upslope are trees, on the left down slope are more trees. A few interfering trees guarding the basket. The basket sits on a rock outcrop, just a few feet past the basket is a 7-foot drop to the ground with a roller. Beautiful basket setting, managed to hit a knee knocker birdie putt from 20 feet. The hole was used in its entirely as No. 5 at the USWDG.
No. 8 Par 3 at 291 feet is a lazy dogleg right tunneled all the way to the basket. On the left is heavy pines and cedar trees with the creek, on the right heavy trees, the fairway is no more than 25 feet wide all the way down, basket is protected. Clip a tree, who knows. I didn't touch any trees but managed to park myself behind one right side. The hole is used in its entirely as #2 in the USWDG.
No. 10 Par 4 at 804 feet very elevated tee slopes all the way down to the creek about 550 feet away. A chance to boom one, nothing in the way. At the creek rows of pines and cedar trees. The creek meanders behind the basket within C2. Some tree protections at the basket. This hole is about positioning for your approach. Mine was on the left and not much there other than trying to throw thru branches, trees are very tall. On the right a little better but can be pinched to the basket. Played as No. 1 in its entirely at the USWDG.
No. 12 Par 4 at 354 feet starts off level with a narrow gap of about 20 feet meanders right at about 150 feet, then at 220 feet shoots straight up hill back to the left. On the left is O.B. with fencing and heavy trees. On the right more trees with the creek running along side them. The creek meanders away at the uphill climb. At the uphill climb are very small gaps thru trees. From the tee theirs canopy, and you feel angle towards the creek. The hole is very scenic, I had an early release and clipped a tree right into the creek but managed to salvage par from the creek. The hole plays in its entirely as #8 at the USWDG.
No. 15 Par 4 at 654 feet tees off in the open down slope all the way to the basket aligning towards right center of fairway. At about 400 feet is a gap of about 25 feet into the heavy tree line. At that point the fairway also slopes left to right into the creek. Heavy trees both sides. Just a beautiful and difficult hole. The creek passes just outside C1. Watched my approach skip thru the gap and right into the creek. Hit a tree out of the creek, and right back into the creek. Such fun! Played as #15 in its entirely at the USWDG.
Signature Hole:
No. 1 Par 3 at 429 feet is an extremely elevated epic tee shot out in the open, and seems to be at least 70 feet high? As you gaze over the openness the next ridge over appears to be at least a few miles away, you're also peering over the trees behind the basket, and the creek flows thru them. Everything looks so small below and just beautiful! From the tee fairway slopes down, and at about 150 feet a huge drop disappearing towards the basket and nothing in the way. The creek and trees behind the basket are just outside C1. Prior to my tee throw I gazed down hill towards the course, behind me at the family home, the silos, and farm buildings and thought "Damn, I'm at Hawk Hollow". Watched my disc fly with the distant trees and sky in the background, and out of sight as it made its drop straight downhill. Just beautiful and personally epic! Was not used in the USWDG.
Trouble Hole:
No. 16 Par 4 at 480 feet teeing off from the open downslope into several gaps of trees at about 260 feet out. At the gap the fairway crowns from the middle to both left and right. Heavy with trees, gaps no bigger than 25 feet, some smaller. Deflect either left or right you could find the creek on both sides or blocked by trees. At about 120 feet from basket fairway drops to the basket. Basket has skinny's protecting it, and the creek just outside C1. All kind of fun things can happen on this hole. Hit a tree on approach and decided to dump to the basket not desiring another encounter with the creek. Hole played in its entirely as #16 at the USWDG.
19 of 20 people found this review helpful.
one of the best
1 Helpful / 15 Not
Pros: elevation challenges = A++
balance of play / fairness = A++
aesthetics = A++
basket placements / greens = A+
Cons: a few minor ones, but nothing that detracts from the extreme pros of playing the course
Other Thoughts: an all-time gem. hope to play it again soon.
1 of 16 people found this review helpful.
12 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Hawk Hollow is easily in my Top 5 favorite courses.
-Private course
-Fantastic course design
-Great use of natural features
-Lots of variety from tight, wooded, short, and long
-Challenging but not unfair
This course is really something special. Every hole is a new challenge and you will be tested with every shot in your bag.
Cons: Hawk Hollow is an active cattle ranch. Aside from personally not liking cows the cow patties can (and do) get in the way. Not a big deal but a difference compared to a top level course with perfectly mowed grass.
Watch your step...don't lick your fingers.
Natural pads are never ideal but understandable considering this property is used for cattle ranching.
There are very few cons with this course. This course should absolutely be in the Top 10.
Other Thoughts: Can't thank John Biscoe enough for his constant hospitality to the many players that use his personal property. John has done a great job with this course and I cant speak highly enough of how good the design is at Hawk Hollow. MUST PLAY COURSE!
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.
Where discs go to fly like Hawks!
16 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Hawk Hollow's open cattle pasture, massive rolling elevation and wooded areas are pretty much the ideal combination land for a professional level disc golf course and the course design is perfectly blended into it. The large hollow terrain here is also unique from the rest of the surrounding mid-Virginia area.
You get to throw a couple awesome downhill and uphill bombs, some tight technical shots through the woods or from the woods to the open and vice versa with varying par 3s and 4s and a par 5. The 18 hole - par 64 layout is probably the best overall I've played. It's not too short and not too long and has just the right mix between the holes.
The snaking OB creek often comes into play around the baskets and landing zones adding to some hesitation to your decision making of risk and reward. The OB barbwire fence also factors in a bit on a couple holes. The course plays very fair while being tough and if you end up OB you know that it was you that messed up, and not some random fluke of the course.
The course consists of two equally awesome loops of 9 holes back to the parking lot area, which is great for tournaments and casual play to restock necessities or take a break from the nature hike. Private course is almost always a pro in my book and no exception here.
Cons: One would be remiss to say there are no cons however they do not weigh-in enough to detract this course from being one of the best of the best IMHO.
Tees are probably the biggest issue people may have here which consist of natural or carpet and not always level. Tee signs are not the best, no benches or restrooms.
Cow pies and cattle can be prominently found throughout the course and barbed wire fences on a few holes. The course is prone to flooding and closes for the summer and calving season.
Only one set of tees and baskets placements geared for gold level players, so rank beginners should probably not play here or they should expect to struggle as if they were playing ball golf at the Black Course at Bethpage that has the warning sign at hole 1 about high handicappers playing it.
Other Thoughts: John Biscoe himself told me he probably wouldn't give Hawk Hollow a 5 and has never seen or played what he considers a 5 rated course, however he also stated that he would put up all the holes at HH vs any other top rated course out there and would stack up against them, and I agree with that latter statement. However I've also played more courses than he has and HH is still one of my all time favorites which is why I have to give it a 5.
When I first played here shortly after I started playing I probably would have agreed with John, but I also didn't know much back then and also partly why I waited so long to review this course. I think HH was the tenth course I had ever played and was the first private course I had ever played. The more courses I've played, the more I've come to appreciate Hawk Hollow as truly one of the best courses and surely a special treat to play!
16 of 16 people found this review helpful.
You'll be hard pressed to find a better course anywhere!
23 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Pros are almost too numerous to list. The reason this course is as highly touted as it is, is namely the shot variety and challenge. HH has as much shot variety as you'd ever need in an 18-hole course.
There are some VERY steep elevation changes, more subtle rolling hills, flat shots, etc...There are several shorter holes for variety and potential 2's, but most holes are longer shots which will challenge you with plenty of OB (on almost every hole). HH does favor bigger arms, but smaller arms can compete just as well with precision.
You'll start on the crest of a large hill, overlooking the valley and large creek below. Almost every hole seems to be a mixture of wooded and open, with only a select few being exclusively one or the other. It's impossible to give the design too much credit, it simply is amazing.
The creek is really the defining feature of the course. It's almost a stretch to call it a creek, it becomes very wide and semi-deep in spots. This becomes your main obstacle to avoid on nearly 3/4 of the holes at HH. The pins are precariously placed near the creek when possible, requiring your approaches to be conservative and precise to award a birdie. In addition to the creek, there are several barbed wire fences in play which are OB's as well. In a tourney situation, this course plays like USDGC where you're concerned with your landing zones on almost every hole, but less so on drives and more so on approaches. There is OB everywhere, and that's a good thing.
The course is technically two 9-hole loops, but you shouldn't plan to go back to your car or anything between 9's as it's another small hike to the parking lot from 1 and 10.
This really is one of the pinnacle's of our sport. It lives up to the hype and the exclusivity perhaps exacerbates that. Pictures don't do this place justice. Just do yourself a favor and try to get here as soon as you can. If you don't enjoy HH, it's likely the case you need to switch hobbies.
Cons: Here's where my review gets a little interesting. Those who've followed my reviews know that I'm a stickler for aesthetics and amenities. I often write at length regarding tee pad design, material, etc... I appreciate the little details like navigation signs when needed. I've let a lot of those concerns go with HH, for reasons which I've listed below in "Other Thoughts". Please take a moment to read that section of my review, but I'll still be listing the "cons" here as I would with any course, just know they didn't result in any point reduction.
Firstly, the tee pads. They're natural and/or carpeted areas. That is 100% to be expected in an operating cow field. I don't really see how this could be remedied at HH, but is a con none-the-less.
The signs at HH are, well, dilapidated, for lack of a better term. This is a privately owned/funded course with support from tourneys/clubs who sponsor baskets etc.. The more of you that support these events, the better these signs could become. The maps provided at my event were ample for the information necessary to play, but the signs could be improved.
There are obviously no permanently installed seating at the course, and it's a LONG course with many hills that will wear you out. Again, can't feasibly be remedied, so plan to bring a stool with you.
The only non-amenity complaints I could come up with are the following items:
1) The course has several spots (holes 6/7 as an example) where during a heavy traffic day (like a tourney) you'll need to be mindful of errant shots coming near other tee pads. This also leads to some delays in play as you'll have to wait for others to tee/putt out as to not distract them.
2) The baskets are a hodgepodge of different manufacturers. Almost all are in perfectly acceptable condition, but you'll be throwing at multiple types of targets, which is strange but not terrible considering the baskets are almost all totally funded by events/clubs and are purchased 1 at a time.
3) The exclusivity of the place is a pro and con. It helps build the lore of this place, for sure, as you can't play it very often. People flock in droves during tourney time here and they fill up within 24hrs of posting. For the traveling player just looking to hit this on a road trip, it's not likely to happen. Thus a con.
Other Thoughts: DISCLAIMER: This review is a 5/5 because I've "overlooked" detractors I've previously factored into many courses which resulted in them getting a 4.5 vs a 5. The reason Hawk Hollow is an exception is as follows:
A) Hawk Hollow's design, course features, shot features, landscape etc.. are all worthy of the accolades that have been assigned to it and are superior to most other courses in this aspect.
B) Hawk Hollow was the first course where comparing it to EVERY other course I've given a 4.5 blow-for-blow just didn't seem fair. This is a private course, opened only several week a year, operating entirely on a working cattle farm. This isn't a typical course by any stretch of the imagination and for that reason, I'm holding it to a different standard as far as "amenities" goes. I'll still list them in the "cons" with the understanding that they'll likely never be remedied and with just reasoning.
C) I simply couldn't let a 4.5 vote help drag down the current rating of this magnificent course, which is over 4.65 as of my writing.
I hope my followers can understand my reasoning when it comes to this 5/5, only the 2nd such rating I've ever given out. If you don't agree with me, feel free to PM me to speak further.
23 of 24 people found this review helpful.
Wish I would have found this place sooner
18 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: There are very few courses out there that are truly great courses. This is one of the great ones. The property is some of the most beautiful that you could ask for on a disc golf course. Water runs through the course, there are big hills, rolling hills, views in all directions. You are in a paradise for disc golf. Sure there are lots of cow patties around, and you will walk and throw into them, but that's no big deal. Actually part of the fun.
There is just about every type of shot to be thrown on this course. One of the few courses that makes you throw many different drivers off the tee. Backhand, forehand, uphill, downhill, all of the shots are there, and the fairways are fair. The course tests all of your skills as a good course does. You might feel the pressure of a tight wooded gap, or the wind howling as you are about to launch your drive off of one of the large hills, hoping it doesn't flip over. It's all here, and it's all done in a spectacular way.
Cons: Some debris on the course, but I know it's a lot of work keeping up with a private course and winter was pretty bad so I imagine there were more limbs down this year than in the past.
A few of the tees are in dangerous spots in relation to previous holes or other fairways. But not really a big deal if you are aware of the certain trouble areas.
Other Thoughts: I will drive 6+ hours here year after year because of the pure enjoyment of being here. It's one of those must-play places. And one of those places that you will not forget after playing it. Every hole has a place in my heart and mind and I will never forget my experiences at Hawk Hollow. I couldn't imagine a better place to get together and play disc golf with some friends.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful.
6 Helpful / 4 Not
Pros: Have to agree with all the pros in previous reviews. Although its been 5 yrs since I threw this monster, I spent the past few days (March 2013) in caddying/supporting friends during the recent Virginia Team Invitational (team match play). Walking this course during the VTI only reinforced my opinion/rating.
It is one of the best courses anywhere. The big armed bombers will love some of the holes and hate most of the technical ones. To score well, you'll need 450'+ open field throws and 300'+ tight wooded threaders.
Every hole gives you a challenge.
Cons: Natural tee pads (not really a con), limited signage (presumably you'll be with the owner or another course veteran), and avoiding cows and their droppings.
Other Thoughts: This will be one of the most amazing courses you will play. I found it more interesting and challenging than Winthrop Gold or Renny Gold.
I wished I took a full series of photos, but photos do not do justice to what awaits..
6 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Holy Cow Patties!
27 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: 18 holes of private disc golf set in a near perfect piece of land. When I parked and looked out over the landscape at Hawk Hollow I knew that I was about to experience something special. The view showed large hills, a good sized creek and lots of woods with some large open pasture land scattered about. Just about everything a savvy course designer would need to create a fun and challenging layout.
The key to Hawk Hollow in my humble opinion is the perfect balance and variety created with all the features available. Mr. Biscoe didn't get enamored by one cool feature or shot, and beat it to death. Instead, this course challenges you in many ways, and never gets boring or repetitive.
Hawk Hollow has holes from 210' to 975', and every hole uses some feature to add to the design. Some holes use elevation up or down, some use the trees, and some use the large creek that meanders throughout the course. Seldom is there a hole without a risk/reward feature or some additional challenge. But sometimes, as in the case with the 975' hole several of the hazards can get in your way all on one hole.
Open holes have either enough elevation, trees or creek to keep a power player from simply bombing a drive without control. The shorter wooded holes offer tight lines, risky greens or OB water to keep them from being easy ace runs. Every hole is simply well done. Fairways are all well defined, and always offer a decent path to the basket.
The fence lines and the creek offer abundant OB to force players to play smart golf. Risky shots here can lead to some ugly scores.
Tee pads were all flat and playable, and baskets were of mixed variety, but they all caught very well.
Cons: Private course that is not always available for play. It's a farm first, so the cows rule.
Cow patties. They are there. Watch where you walk.
Pads and signs could be improved. But if you are there you are probably playing with the host or someone that has played it before. So this is a very minor issue.
Other Thoughts: I didn't expect to enjoy this course as much as I did. I knew it was great from other people's comments, but expected the length to overly challenge my noodle arm, and the cow poop to mar my pretty discs. But neither really happened. Sure I could have used another 100' of arm a few times, but my poor execution on wooded shots hurt me more than the length.
This is probably the best course I have played that blends length with the more technical aspects of disc golf, and forces a player to be well-rounded to score well. You can't be limited or a one-trick pony and do well here.
There are mostly open holes that are 975', 804', 693' and 654'. There are also mostly wooded holes that are 210', 240', 291', 354', 228' and 400'. Variety of length and hole type is simply awesome. There is also a tremendous mix of shots that must turn left or right. And of course there are nice ups and downs. Probably more elevation than any course I have played not in a mountain region. The course is so varied and well done that I didn't even notice how bad my score was until I finished. I got battered, and smiled the whole time.
As with most private courses this course is not a city park. There are no benches, trash cans or paved paths for your baby stroller. Pack it in, pack it out like it's your land. This course is all about the golf, not gimmicks or amenities.
If you are anywhere close, and you have the chance to play Hawk Hollow, do it. This is definitely one of the best courses you'll ever play. It's scenic, challenging and fun. There aren't many places in its league so enjoy your time here. Even if your score isn't what you hoped.
27 of 27 people found this review helpful.
Gettin Hawky
18 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Layout - Amazing. Giant bombs, huge elevation changes, holes that weave in and out of the woods and hug the creek. It's just a great mixture of hole types and distances.
The wooded holes help offset the giant open bombs, many have tricky and fast fairways by OB. They're not extremely tight or technical but they get the job done with difficult basket locations and forcing accuracy over distance.
The open holes are usually huge bombs off a hill or back up it. Though most will still require a good amount of accuracy to score well, especially on approach.
The greens here are very well done, the basket will either be on a slope, near a drop off or by the creek most of the time.
A lot of fairways weave in and out of the woods often forcing a technical shot in/out and then a long bomb. A lot of downhill and then a lot of going back up; makes every shot feel so much bigger.
The fun factor here is ginormous on top of a lot of risk/reward which makes for a great setup.
The course flows well in most places and the open/wooded is blended nicely. Some truly great par 4's out there.
Atmosphere - Beautiful property, there should be more courses on cow farms in that part of Virginia. Has a real special feel to the course when you're out there. Some great looking holes. The creek is bad ass and beautiful.
Great hospitality from Biscoe and the locals.
You're not worrying about chuckers and other distractions getting in your way here.
Equipment - Good signs, some baskets were in good shape.
Cons: Layout - As fun as it was going off the hill, throwing straight back up it 3 times got a little old.
There's a few weird transitions, nothing major.
Atmosphere - Cow patties and mud, it's there and you'll find one or the other at some point.
A lot of walking up big hills, bring water. Be prepared.
Equipment - The natural tees are really not great in a few places. Some ruts have formed in a few making the footing hard for some big bombs; plus there's a lot of tees on hills.
Some of the baskets were in the best condition either.
Other Thoughts: This place is really bad a$$. One of the best courses I've played by far. It's a true gold level destination course. It has some of the best holes in disc golf (Thinking of 3, 10, 15, 16)
18 of 19 people found this review helpful.
15 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: - Phenomenal piece of property
- Incredible Elevation
- Great basket placements near creeks
- Very fair
- Par in the mid 60's
- Very challengeing
Cons: - Cow poop everywhere (it is a working dairy farm)
- Barbwire in some areas and if you throw OB, you have to crawl under it to get the disc
- If it's wet, the tee pads are pretty slippery
- Some baskets, while being replaced, are not the greatest.
- The tee signs, while giving distances, don't really help with knowing where to throw - which is very important on longer courses
- No distances from certain points (i.e a par 4 that plays to the creek, it would helpful to know how far that creek is to the pin).
Other Thoughts: Here are the letter holes.
Hole A - This hole is played after hole 9 and tees between 9's basket and 3's tee pad. This downhill par 4 is open for 99% of the hole. The 1% comes from a small double mando found 5 - 10 feet off the tee. Once entering the field, it is best to be as far as possible. If you can't throw 500 feet, it' s better to miss left as it gets you the best angle to the pin. The pin is found near the front entrance of the property and is surrounded by OB. Most upshots either flirt with the pin on a hyzer line, or are sidearms or anhyzers around the fence line.
Hole B - Tees right by the entrance and just to the left of hole A's basket. This downhill par 3 plays approximately 290 feet, but is very deceptive in distance. An OB fence lines the right side and narrows as you get closer to the pin. A swampy area behind the pin is OB as well and it's easy to both overdrive the pin and go OB as well as putt OB. The basket sits in a corner between the two OB areas.
Hole C is a shorter uphill par 3, roughly 240 feet and tees just to the left of hole B's basket. There are multiple options here. You can throw straight it between a few narrow gaps, throw an overhand over everything, a big sidearm around everything or a big hyzer over everything. This hole is probably the easiest 2 on the course and it's rare to see a score higher than 3.
At this point, you then go to hole 10, found at the top of the hill behind C's basket.
After playing 14, you go to hole D, which is found beside the chorale behind hole 15's tee.
Hole D is a 300 foot, roughly, par 3 across a field. The only true challenge comes at the basket as the basket sits about 30 feet on a down slope in a narrow opening. It's very easy to come up short here and putts roll away pretty easily. Most players throw a soft hyzer and hope to enter the mouth.
Hole E tees just to the right of D's basket back in the field and is about 430 feet. An initial gap off the tee brings challenge, but after that, no challenges unless you throw a very poor shot (OB well right and if you hyzer out early, you are in the woods). The basket sits behind three mature pine trees and offset to the left. Most players try to bomb it up to the right leaving a shorter approach. A big arm can get around the trees for a putt at two. The pin sits on a drop off and it's easy for putts to roll away. 2's a great score and 3 isn't bad either.
Hole F tees just behind E's basket and is a 570 foot par 4. This is a fantastic hole and brings in the true risk reward element of Hawk Hollow back into play. OB runs the entire fairway on the right and eventually narrows parallel with the pin and squares off behind the pin. The main set of woods are well left, and another set of woods show up just off to the left at about 375 feet or so. The fairway, defined by these woods and the OB Line, narrows the closer you get to the pin. A huge drive brings OB into play, but leaves a very simple 150 simple hyzer to the wide open pin. A safe drive hyzers out and leaves a very hard second shot.
Hole G tees just to left of F's basket in the woods. Roughly 500 feet and a par 4, the tee shot starts in the woods and requires a very accurate tee shot to get out as the a tree in the middle of the fairway narrows the margin for error. Once you get out of the woods, most players prefer to be on the right, but too far right puts you back in the woods. From there, there is about 200 or so feet of field before a very narrow opening on the left side that leads to the basket. This ceiling is also very low which makes it even more challenging. The basket sits up a hill about 100 feet past the opening.
Hole H tees to the left of G's basket and behind F's tee throwing in the opposite direction. A shorter more open par 4, the only real danger off the tee is the same fence line from F on the left side of the fairway and a larger tree about 350 feet offset to the right. Most players try to hyzer around this tree or in front of it. Your second shot is usually only about 200 feet, and wide open, but uphill. The pin sits in a chorale which forces very accurate upshots. Thumbers and big spike hyzers are common here as cross boards in the chorale block the pin.
After playing H, you are now back at 15's tee.
The final added hole is hole I, played after 15. Instead of walking directly left towards 16, continue walking down the river about 100 feet or so to get to I. I is a shorter uphill par 3, but wooded and challenging. The pin is up and slightly right so most players choose a flippy midrange or even a thumber. The only real challenge on the hole is missing the trees off the fairway. Almost every kick goes left and out of the kicks, probably half of them go all the way back down into the creek.
After playing 15, you now walk to 16's tee to finish the course.
This is one of the few courses that I truly get excited to play. Everyone I tell about it I istantly tell them it will be in your top 5 and so far, no one has disagreed. The landscape, the challenge, the variety of shots. Just amazing. If you haven't played the course do two things. 1. Slap yourself. 2. Go there yesterday.
15 of 17 people found this review helpful.
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1 
10/26/2012 
10/26/2012
Review By: sloppydisc 
This review was updated on 10/27/2012
Hole #13 
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