Steamboat Springs, CO

Haybro Red Tail DGC

4.325(based on 19 reviews)
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1 9
Heidsterq
Experience: 21 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

creative and challenging 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 8, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Creative, challenging, very well designed & detailed

Cons:

You should be in decent shape, it\'s a bit of a hike, but great workout. Suggest a spotter on some holes, don\'t wear sandals

Other Thoughts:

Very easy to follow, someone put a lot of time & effort into the design, great job in the details, very impressed!
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5 2
grantdent
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Excellent Course and People! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 6, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Driving down the dirt road to get and turning into the driveway by the green shop to be greeted by a group of boisterous four legged friends, one could wonder what you got yourself into. A true mountain course, that's what. This gem is worth the drive. The owners, Mark and Mary are friendly and welcoming. After parking, filling out the waiver, and paying the $5 fee, you head to the first tee box. We were one of two cars on sunday afternoon, so I knew we would have it mostly to ourselves. On the first tee box I knew Mark must be a bomber, because the basket straight up the hill was no slouch. The rest of the course was no different. This course has excellent signage, tee boxes, and basket locators (which you will need). A spotter is a big help, and you throw blind a vast majority of the time. The oaks can swallow a disc if you are not careful. Be prepared to hike, this is no walk in the park, and bring water. Great traction on your shoes is a must. The course is long, and demands accuracy, but also forgiving enough to be fun. The front nine plays mostly uphill or across a meadow, while the back heads (mostly) down or across the mountain, take some time to enjoy the view up top. Mark and Mary are very kind, and you can tell they spend a lot of time, effort, and money providing a great course, with excellent directions and trimmed fairways. All and all a great place to enjoy nature and to challenge your skills.

Cons:

The terrain can be a challenge, especially on the downhill shots, there are some steep descents that you could slip on if ill prepared.

Other Thoughts:

A great place to get away from it all, can't wait to go back, and I really can't wait to play snowshoe disc golf, because that apparently is a thing and I am so in for it! Thanks for all the hard work and continued improvement you put into this course.
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8 1
david W
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.9 years 493 played 28 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Rough...very rough 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 19, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has some potential. The baskets are in good shape, some of the new boardwalk style tees are interesting, and there are some fun shots.

Pretty scenery and lots of elevation makes this course unique.

The maps at the beginning of the course were nice, I would like to see hole distances added as well as some tips or additional info for the course.

Hole transition signage was nice with the large plate style next hole number markings. This tremendously helped course navigation.

Cons:

Parking lot is messy and muddy. I parked along the road to avoid further frustration or complication.

The wood tees on the first few holes are interesting but I have a feeling they would be a major slip hazard when wet.

There has been little maintenance of tall grass and under brush and because of this, the round takes twice as long as it should because discs (even good shots in the fairway) are tough to find.

Some of the holes just don't make sense. You step up to the pad, cant really see a fairway and have to throw blindly over a bunch of shrubs and trees to have a chance at birdie or par. I really didn't like this at all.

Signage especially at the tee could be better. A few tees were missing signs and because there is little to no cell reception, I couldn't pull up course/hole info online.

Tees need to be marked. There were several tees that were very large areas that didn't have a marked beginning or end of tee. Thats just lazy and could be easily fixed with two rocks with panted hole numbers on them.

Other Thoughts:

My experience left much to be desired. I feel that this course was someones bright idea but failed due to poor execution. The course could be much better (maybe a 3.5-4 star course with major maintenance and upgrades) but I find the current 4+star rating to be laughable at best.
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Designer response by mmueller
Sorry about the mud in the parking area. At the time the course conditions did indicate that we were undergoing construction and advised people on how to avoid it, perhaps you didn't see the notices? You also played at a time that the local paper announced unprecedented storms and the end of a 30 year drought in the area, including 6" of snow on each of the first and second days of summer.

The deck tees are not slippery when wet, they have a gritty coating on them that is used for boat decking and works well under most conditions.

All of the missing signs have been replaced and many of the existing signage has been updated. The construction was taking precedence over other activities at the time, like course maintenance.

The signage that directs people to the next tees does have the length of each hole as does the sign at each tee pad. ATT coverage is poor, but other carriers do pretty well. For reasons I have not figured out, someone keeps removing the tee markers, whether they are rocks, stakes or otherwise. I'm now using nail in whisker markers hoping that they don't get removed or destroyed.
4 0
Hey it's Stellato
Experience: 24 played 22 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Must-play Colorado course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 16, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Beautiful scenery, the course plays up and down a hillside in a semi-tight valley outside of Steamboat Springs. The course utilizes rugged, mountainous land on a cattle grazing range. You will play cross-hill, up-hill, and will also have several shots where you shoot from up on the hill down to the pastures below.
- Perfectly maintained baskets with HUGE (I mean HUGE) red flags on each basket. Never before has spotting the pin been so easy. This was huge.
- Maps are provided to aid navigation, along with some charming home-made signage that gives this course a fun backyard feel.
- Professional tee signs are installed with hole names and extensive details about distance and elevation changes for each hole. There is even a nice little writeup suggesting how to attack the hole.
- This course is very strenuous for walking around with tons of uphill. Recommended only for fit players who enjoy a good hike.
- There were tons of grazing cattle on the course, they roam freely into the fairways and greens. It was pretty entertaining and I think added to the charm of the course... just watch where you step!
- Cool mini-markers help you determine your line on blind hole placements. The map recommends a position for spotters, I had never used this before but it is a GOOD idea for this course! Player 2 would spot when Player 1 threw his drive, then player 1 would locate their disc before returning the favor and spotting player 2.

Cons:

- Not much to complain about here:
-it's strenuous hike but you knew that going in...
-there are some blind holes where a disc could get lost, but the map recommends a spotter so you knew that going in...
- it's $5 to play, but you're likely to have the course to yourself, plus you knew that going in...

Aside from continuing to improve tee pads, I'd recommend next updates here would be better defined parking area and a little better presence at the beginning of the course. Will be back for sure and will try to catch it earlier in the day to take advantage of lightest winds.

Other Thoughts:

Thank you to course designers and those maintaining this course!
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Designer response by mmueller
Thanks for the great review and suggestions. Much improvement to the teepads, including 9 new ones, grounds, and signage has been going on in the 2 years since you played. There is now a 1,600 SF shop with an upstairs deck of the same size, though the deck is still under construction. When finished there will be a large eating area, a cafe, a bar, and restrooms.
3 3
mmueller
Experience: 11.1 years 2 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Redtail moves to year 5 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 5, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1) Infringement - much effort has gone into giving each card on the course as much privacy and ownership of the hole that they are playing by taking advantage of the huge amount of space available, as well as vegetation and terrain to give a private feeling to every hole, while still offering a reasonable distance from pin to tee. The fairways aren't crowded together, which is oh so common on many courses that I've played. There are very few places at Haybro where players are forced to see or interact with players on other holes.

Haybro is a Disc Golf Course, period. It is not a park. It's not shared with a campground, biking, hiking, baby strolling, wedding pictures, school ground, homeless refuge, playground, rv park, track, gravel pit, neighborhood, gymnasium, orgy, picnic, ATV park, airfield, military base, baseball, ball golf course.... At Haybro Redtail, the only thing that you are sharing the space with is the mountain views, wild animals, mother nature, and on rare occasion, other disc golf players.

2) Safety - Yes the terrain is mountainous and steep in spots, but none of the tee pads have sharp drop offs and by design they have ample run-up, run-off, and side clearance as well as safe zones for spectators and bystanders.

3) Use of vegetation, terrain and elevation - you are not going to find many courses that leverage these three elements like Redtail does, and none of them can offer all the pros listed here

4) Appeal to all levels of players - Being the property owner and with ready access to the best of construction equipment, we have built long shot tees that challenge the strongest arms, as well as much closer amateur tees that won't scare away those new to the sport. Plus the putting park is friendly, entertaining, and challenging to all skill levels.

5) Technically and physically demanding with an absolutely brilliant layout - It can only be experienced in person. A great deal of study has gone into each hole to give challenge/reward options to all styles of play. Fairways, landing zones, greens, and pin locations have been carefully crafted to create the best dg experience possible

6) The putting park - ~ 2 acres of truly unique mountain terrain devoted purely to putting w/9 Dynamic Discs Marksman baskets complete with elevation, obstacles, and tunnel shots.

7) Exceptional reputation - people from all over the state and country make a point to play Redtail and many come back regularly. On the 4 common disc golf rating sites (google, discgolfscene, dgcr, and UDisc) Redtail has rated between the top 3 and top 6 in the state over it's 5 years of operation.

8) Views, landscapes, serenity - The best that Colorado offers and it can only be experienced in person

9) Excellent integration with natural surroundings

10) Easy access, well marked routes, flexible year round play and creature comforts - A waiver is required but everything is provided for at the start of the course. Signage is abundant. A majority of tee pads have benches. Snow shoe disc golf is a blast.

Cons:

1) Redtail's financial and time burden will always be in conflict with my desire to create the best disc golf experience that I can. As long as the pros above offset this fact, the course will remain open. It does help that Redtail is a personal favorite of many people from Denver/front range and that Ski Town USA (Steamboat) brings in a lot of people with disc golf interests. I have met so many enthusiastic and fun people that come to play and praise what we've done with the course that I am long way from expecting any financial gain from the endeavor.

2) Redtail is the only P2P course open to the public in this region of Colorado. It is also among the most challenging to play in the state (which says a lot in Colorado). A majority of Redtail's patrons show respect and follow the rules, but there are those that feel that they are above the rules.

3) Maintenance is a lot of work. The maintenance crew consists of Greg, myself, and a herd of cattle. Greg and I are both very particular about the condition of the course. With each passing year, and now more than 4 years in, we have been gaining. Now maintenance takes less time away from ongoing course improvements, with the exception of the months of May and June, where our time is totally consumed with mowing and brush cutting.

Other Thoughts:

DISCLOSURE: This review is written by the owner and a key developer of Haybro Redtail DGC. Haybro is my vision and I played a critical role in it's design and development as did Greg Dalsis, who still voluntarily performs almost all of the maintenance while I focus my time on my Professional Services day job in order to provide the significant funds required to keep the course in operation.

My vision and charter for Haybro primarily came during ~10 years of constant travel for work. Disc golf was an ideal solution to getting regular exercise while I was out in the field. Courses are readily available throughout the US, even in the most urban locations. Traveling with discs is also real easy.

Finally the comments in this thread starting with #87 here: dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10441&page=9, are what provided the impetus to write the review, and I couldn't agree more with the comments spoken.
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1 0
jonesphillipscott
Experience: 8.9 years 23 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Great hike, technical course, difficult, but not too difficult 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 5, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Technical, definitely makes you think about every shot. Not overly long (which is a preference of mine). Some great big bombs down the mountain. Also, the last few holes are big drop in from the tee (some of my favorite shots). Dog friendly.

Cons:

Ticks? That's about all I can think of.
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3 0
Kpcguide88
Experience: 7 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Local Review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 3, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Updating my review as I have now played the course 10+ times.

Awesome mountain course ! Lots of hiking, elevation change, challenging shots, great scenery, awesome basket placement.
+/- elevation on holes/tees.
Dogs can run the course with you.
Great variation of shots and approaches.
Good hole to hole signage
The Putting park is sweet!
It's a wild course! Let's just say it's not a city park round of disc... and it's addicting, fun and tiring.
I'm looking forward to seeing the growth of the course. The potential is endless on the property.

Cons:

Easy to lose discs in the long grass/brush.
Wish there were more holes to play.
Can be out of the way, if you don't know the area.

Other Thoughts:

Overall I find Redtail to be one of the most challenging course I have played to date; both physically demanding and technically challenging, lots of obstacles - trees, brush, geography. Great mountainside baskets with decent signage to each hole. I liked that each hole had a back story posted along with signage, distance and mapping.
That being said, Haybro is the closet course to my house and 1 of 3 dgc in the local vicinity.
I have now played this course over a dozen times and everytime I go out I find something new out there, or learn a new way to approach a basket, or see something on the course/mountainside that I've never seen out there before.
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1 5
Jay Rando
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

summer and WINTER Disc Golf!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 29, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The best winter snowshoe disc golf anywhere! Course runs the gauntlet of challenges from short "thread the needle" holes to LONG downhill putter huks. With a whole lot of everything in between. Have played in both summer and winter, and while this course is fantastic in summer, I think it shines when there is many feet of white powder on the ground. Just metal tape some thin ribbon to the bottom of your discs, strap on some snowshoes and enjoy. Actually easier to find discs in winter than summer. Mark, the owner of the course, and Greg design and keep this course in great shape, always looking for better lines and challenges to create. Beautiful vistas and a challenging course make this a summer AND winter must for me every year.

Cons:

Nothing that can be helped. A little bit of a drive, but well worth it.

Other Thoughts:

Keep it up guys, and I'll see you come Colorado Summer!
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7 0
CBass
Experience: 19.2 years 142 played 27 reviews
4.50 star(s)

One to Experience 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 28, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Awesome mountain course set in a beautiful valley full of Oak shrubs. This is a physically demanding course with extreme elevation changes that will challenge any player. Every hole is different, adding ongoing interest into the experience. Some holes are blind shots but have been flagged and even have a mini basket or two in the fairway to help guide you along. The signage is being updated and posted which helps a great deal, still it is best to have a spotter on some holes. Dual tees have been dug in, making some par4's to add to the challenge factor, if you wish. The oak shrubs provide a cool respite from the mountain sun, and are the main obstacle here as you move your way along the hillsides. Many different throws will be required in order to score well, not just another short open hyzer like many courses, shot placement is key.

Cons:

Once signage is up on the entire course, navigation will be easier. Rugged and physically demanding, which is not a con for me since I like a challenge and a good workout, plus the views on top are worth it! It looks like funds are being utilized in the right areas as they are acquired in order to make things better. I don't want to put a bunch of cons into a review if things are continually being upgraded. Thanks for all your hard work!

Other Thoughts:

The owner has put a ton of effort into making this course available to the public, course maps you can take with you, fairways have been trimmed, lines cleared, flags put up on baskets, cold water jugs placed and filled, tees leveled, and now signage is being printed up, among many other things. Bring good shoes, sunscreen, water and snacks. Make sure to sign your waiver, put a mere $5 in with it, and enjoy your round! This is definitely one to experience!
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2 0
calebf
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A Special Spot 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 17, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a very cool course to experience. A low key way to play a private spot. The other reviews are pretty spot on. The owner puts A LOT of effort into maintaining an interesting and challenging course. It has a couple of great "mando" shots! Bring friends to help you enjoy. You will likely have it to yourself. Nice spot to enjoy at the first tee/18th basket. Great use of elevation change on a few holes. It's rustic, but really legit!

Cons:

If you play solo, you're gonna loose a disc? But, I do that all over. But, honestly spotters help, a lot.

Other Thoughts:

I must say, the $5 & waiver requirement to play is really fair. Owner puts in work here! Don't be "that guy"... Keep it casual and open for the rest of us.
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8 0
markmcc
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12 years 278 played 254 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Well Designed P2P 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 3, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I am very impressed when a private individual takes on the task of designing and building an 18 hole course, and then opens it to the public. This piece of land was made for disc golf, with tons of elevation and thick tree cover.

There is a lot of variety out here, with hole lengths varying from 150' out to nearly 400'. Most have a significant elevation change as well, and virtually all require shaping your drive through or over trees.

Just to give an example of the variety out here, the first three holes are:

Hole 1 - 218' with 47' uphill elevation
Hole 2 - 360' with 100' downhill elevation
Hole 3 - 310', flat, with a pond in play

Many of the holes are blind (or nearly so) from the tee. Between the descriptive tee signs and the addition of mini-baskets out in the fairway on the line to the basket, you'll get some very useful help when playing the blind holes. But you'll still be walking forward a good bit to figure out where you're going and how to get there.

Two holes have mandos which add interest, including a triple mando that created a low-overhead tunnel shot.

I didn't find any of the sections repetitive or monotonous. I enjoyed the shorter "hyzer over the top" holes as they still demanded precision to land your drive close to the basket. Miss even a little and you're in the trees.

A few teepads are wooden decks which are large and flat. I liked them fine and they had good traction. The remainder were natural ground that had been flattened out. They were very large and worked well. With rain or snow-melt I can imagine some mud issues, but that didn't impact my rounds at all.

Baskets are all Innova Discatchers in perfect shape. That yellow band is a big help in spotting the pins.

Tee signs include a good aerial diagram of the hole, cross-section showing elevation gain/loss, tips for playing the hole (appreciated!) and some interesting info regarding the name of the hole and how it came to be called that. A nice personal touch.

Hole-to-hole navigation was great. Obvious trails and signs make it simple to find the next hole.

Overall I thought this was a great example of a challenging pay-to-play course. It is tougher than either of the other two courses in Steamboat, but if you are up for the challenge you should give it a whirl.

Given the amount of work and $$ to develop and maintain this course, the $5 fee is a bargain.

Cons:

My biggest con out here is disc-finding, which is challenging to say the least. I played my first round with Mark (owner) and Greg and that was a huge help. But we still spent plenty of time looking for discs. My second round was solo and that was even tougher. With the combination of many drives landing out-of-sight and the thick tree/brush/grass cover you will spend plenty of time looking for discs. Having a spotter is a huge help.

Some of the final holes didn't have tee signs (yet). I am sure that they are in the works and just haven't gotten mounted yet.

Other Thoughts:

This course is an amazing effort by Mark and Greg, and is a work in progress. They are still clearing fairways, adding signs, improving teepads, etc. It is in great shape for play as it is, but I imagine it will only improve with time.

The course is physically demanding. I wore long pants and hiking boots and was glad I did.
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11 0
ninjalectual1
Experience: 10.9 years 32 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of Colorado's great "hidden gems" 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 14, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

*One of the most technically challenging courses I've played. In short: the course makes creative use of elevation and any other natural features the land provides. It forces a variety of different throws, using a variety of different discs to get the job done. It also demands a higher level of physical fitness than front range courses.

*Several holes had beautiful natural fairways leading up to the basket, usually on a slope perpendicular to the initial direction of the drive, and with trees crowding the entrance to the fairway, adding difficulty. A variety of forehand and backhand throws are all but mandatory here.

*Only one or two holes give you a straight line at the basket (and even those have complicating factors precluding anything too straightforward). You're constantly forced to lean on the disc's natural hyzer (or anhyzer) movement, usually with no good option besides putting a lot of air under the disc to allow for enough turn and/or fade to get you where you need to be. This is something I don't get to practice on any of my home courses.

*Most of the blind drives feature a mini-basket displayed prominently in-line between the tee and the basket, providing guidance on where to aim.

*I didn't feel like the final stretch was monotonous at all, as others have complained. I quite enjoyed it, and I found dealing with the huge elevation drops quite challenging (then again, maybe people complain *because* it's so challenging? And if it's not that hard, why isn't anyone scoring aces? ).

I had to learn quickly that on an average length hole (say, 230 ft), a large elevation drop (between 40 and 90 vertical ft) changes EVERYTHING. It plays more like a short 120 ft hole, but one that requires all the contol and none of the power you would expect.

Cons:

Not much to complain about without picking nits, and pretty much all of these problems stop being relevant once you've played the course a few times.

*Navigating some of the blind holes can be tough for first timers, but the course did take measures (like the mini-baskets) to mitigate it.

*Several holes had steep drop-offs immediately past the basket that weren't apparent from afar, constituting unfairly severe penalties for near misses in the wrong direction.

*Though there are clearly visible signs marking each teepad, they are handmade, and discerning the meaning of each sign isn't always obvious, notably on holes with separate "high" and "low" tees. It's unclear which tee is more challenging, aka which to consider "pro" and which is "am."

Other Thoughts:

This course perfectly illustrates a reoccurring debate I've been having with friends: is it better to throw a tomahawk over everything to get the lowest possible score on a round at all costs, or is it better to face challenging, closed, or curving lines head-on, aiming to navigate them "properly" with finesse? Personally I fall squarely into the latter camp, as I think nailing a challenging line with a memorable shot is what it's about. I can fondly recall lots of great shots I'm proud of, but I don't have anything enduring or interesting to say about any of my lowest scoring rounds.

I had lots of fun playing this course on a day that probably shouldn't have been nearly so much fun. The course was under 6+" of melting snow, and what wasn't snow was probably mud slicks, but I didn't have any trouble walking between holes or finding errant drives. Finding traction on the snowed-in tee pads was a different story, though. Run-ups were all but impossible without slipping and sliding during your wind-up or release.

After dropping off my signed waiver form, I was planning on playing a couple holes before deciding whether to leave a donation, as I sort of expected to get sick of fighting the conditions after a hole or two. But a local dude arrived and ended up taking me through all 18, and of course by the end all that mattered was changing into warm and dry clothes, and I forgot to go back and leave a donation. I feel awful about it, since the owner of the land was extremely nice over the phone, and the course itself is great fun. Of course if he even noticed he's way too chill to say anything about it, which to me only makes it worse. Don't let yourself make the same mistake I did!

If nothing else, at least it's an excuse to make it a point to come back for another round the next time I'm anywhere near this part of the state!
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Designer response by mmueller
A very commendable and truly DG guidebook quality review. Thank you ninjalectual! Also, the constructive criticism was just that, constructive. I purchased a laminator, work to improve signage is in progress, and hopefully signage at Redtail will be a relic issue for the 2016 summer season.
6 0
thatdirtykid
Experience: 19.6 years 89 played 13 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Nice to be away from the city. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 20, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is obviously evolving still, my guide who is local even was unaware of some of the newer work.

The baskets are nice and there are fun trinkets to be found around the course.

Good use of the elevation, some good up, down and across shots.

The greens offered good challenge when it comes to putting. The style of growth was fun to navigate.

Quiet. The course and the landscape was quite serene.

Its not overplayed. Some of the mountain courses on the front range reminded me of La Mirada in the sense that everything is worn down and discs bounce and roll away and there is more hardpan than grass.

Cons:

EDIT: IT APPEARS A FEW OF MY CONS HAVE BEEN IMPROVED ON. The owner of the course is constantly been putting in work to make it a good place to play. I am excited to play it again.

The vegetation here was relatively short, and aside from a few well placed tees over the top was always a choice.

It was hard to find discs at times, and having some one spot is a good idea on a few blind holes.

The course got a little monotonous on the final stretch. All the holes were putter length hyzers over the top of the short growth.

It could be difficult but far from impossible to navigate the first time.

Other Thoughts:

The area is still improving, and has a bit of potential. The designer mentioned the possibility of some longer tees.
This was a great change of pace from the golf on the front range especially in the city. I will play it again when in steamboat. I look forward to seeing the course evolve.
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Designer response by mmueller
Thank you for playing Red Tail and posting your comments. Nothing has produced more debate between players on the course than the section of holes that you call "monotonous". It has created a divide between players that love them because of the high demand for accuracy paired with a big risk/reward factor, and the players that usually dominate with a strong arm, like on other holes at Red Tail. I've played with a lot of people on this course and, though it's common on other holes at Red Tail, it's pretty much a given that players will attempt 2 or more drives whenever they can on those holes in search of their own elusive line to a look on the basket. 16 now has had a triple mando through the tunnel of trees, which makes the need for accuracy more obvious.

We've done our best to compensate for the short vegetation along the fairway by creating many more hazards on the greens that increase the risk on the over the top throws and, as the course matures, that will become more obvious. Given the feedback and average score seen on the course, it's pretty clear that it is much more challenging then many other courses out there.

The changes over the last year, with longer pin placements and 4 par 4 options have received a lot of praise, I hope you get a chance to come back and see what you think. Newer course maps indicate holes where spotters are highly recommended and the best place to spot. Hopefully that will reduce the lost disc problem.

Cheers!
5 0
Wise Fool
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.2 years 125 played 118 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful Land for a Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Elevation is a very strong point of this course. There are uphill, downhill and even quite a few side-hill shots. The majority of holes have some sort of elevation change on them.
-The first two holes are a great way to open up a course. You start out throwing straight uphill on a guarded basket position on Hole 1. Hole 2 is a big downhill hole to the basket in a small meadow. It was quite a memorable way to start the course.
-Lots of memorable holes on this course. Hole 8 is a short very steep hole, 7 is a very memorable hole that throws over the trees across the hillside.
-The flow of the course makes a lot of sense and it is really easy to follow. Between the holes there are painted circles that point you in the direction of the next hole. We never got lost while navigating the course.
-Lots of really tight holes. There are very wide open holes on this course (Hole 3 is a fairly open but it also has a water obstacle on it). You definitely have to hit your line in order to score well, or you will be hitting a lot of trees.
-I like the idea of using old disc golf discs as the tee-signs. It was a nice unique touch for the hole. I also liked how each of the holes had a name, that's always a nice small touch.
-In a very secluded area outside of town in a beautiful setting.
-Baskets were like new and caught very well.

Cons:

-The tee-pads need some improvement. They were mostly dirt, and a few were really muddy.
-Overall, the course was quite muddy and several sections especially some of the steeper areas could use some stone steps to help make traversing it a little easier. (To be fair we did play this course after a very wet spring comparatively for Colorado, so the mud was probably worse than usual).
-While I love the disc tee-signs, much of the writing on them was starting to fade, so a little more permanent option on them and they would be perfect.
-I loved the really tight holes, but a couple of them seemed a little too tight and could use a little more clearing.
-There is quite a bit of underbrush on this course, so you might be looking for your disc for a while on some holes, but we used a spotter on several holes and had very few issues.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, this was a great course. It is still a little rough around the edges but it is already a great course and it looks like it will continue to improve. Make sure you break lots of water and are ready for a hike as this course will definitely get you breathing a bit with all the up and downhill. If you are anywhere near Steamboat, make sure you hit this course.
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Designer response by mmueller
Thank you for playing Red Tail and for the thoughtful review. You played at the tail end what Steamboat calls mud season and on what happened to be the wettest mud season on record. Your timing must have been particularly bad because we've been able to hold frequent tag matches throughout the rainy mud season without issue, but it looks like the ground finally decided enough is enough. The tee-signs have been updated and over 1000 hours of brush clearing have been accomplished since you were here so hopefully you'll get a chance to see the improvements some time soon.
5 0
razorado
Experience: 18.9 years 10 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

great for the area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 2, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Great views
-Mix of up and down
-New baskets
-Close-ish to Steamboat
-Great owner
-Lots of elevation change
-Has tons of working potential

Cons:

-Lots of underbrush (young course)
-Similar length shots
-Blind shots, hard to pick a consistent line till you are much more familiar with layout.

Other Thoughts:

Great course, great owner, tons of possibility of change and improvement. Would love to see more people playing and showing initiative to help shape this into a Championship course. Continuous interest will and donations will really do lots for this community.
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8 0
TheWCG
Experience: 15.9 years 374 played 15 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 2, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Course is set on a private property
-Fairly easy navigation
-Flat/level natural tee pads
-Risk reward shots
-Elevation shots
-Demanding fairways
-Beautiful views

Cons:

-Fairway length on some holes
-Brush covered landing zones

Other Thoughts:

I had the opportunity to throw this fine course today. The course plays on a scenic piece of private property placed on a mountain side. Most of the holes here are on the short side of things but that doesn't mean the holes aren't challenging. The course has a lot of elevation and the possibility of wind to contend with. I personally enjoyed this course and it did have a decent amount of fun factor involved. This course was fun.
Things I would slightly alter on this course to give it a better rating would be to lengthen some of the holes and maybe to use the elevation in a different way. A mixture of fair length and from par 4's to par 3's with a good risk/reward factor with cleared landing zones are what I believe makes for better ratings. I gave this an honest 3.5 as it stands. I believe this course is going to be ever changing and developing into something great.
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Designer response by mmueller
Thanks for your comments and great input. Red Tail was first conceived a year ago in May and we've come a long way since then, yet clearing of the brush can't be rushed or too heavy handed to avoid creating a scorched sterile course. Improvements will come over time, yet Red Tail DGC is not meant to be a course with pristine, manicured tees, greens, and fairways, but a chance to play a great game in a peaceful, back country and natural setting. It has quickly become my favorite way to get away from it all.

[2 September 2016] 3 is 400' in it's current position; 6 is in it's long position and there is a par 4 and par 3 tee to choose from; 9's current position is a par 4 - 330' with a 30% upslope; and 13 is in the long, par 4 position at 400' and a 25% upslope. In total there are 7 alternate tee locations to cater to both the pro and amature players
5 0
bobmcnelly
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13 years 326 played 190 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

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

Pros:

- Brand new disc catcher baskets
- the first 4 holes feature "deck" style tee pads made out of wood, very unique
- quality tee signs that offer a ton of information
-this course uses elevation better than any course I have ever play, lots of unique shots with extreme elavation change
- good variety of distance with shots ranging from short 175' shots to around 350' but those are uphill 350' shots that feel more like 450'
-lots of challenging and unique holes with lots of high risk high reward type shots
-beautiful views of the Sleeping Giant and Hahns Peak
-the layout of the course brings you right back to where you park, very little unnecessary walking required
- there are multiple holes that offer different pin placements, along with multiple tee pads turning some holes into par 4s
-the owner of the course is a great guy!

Cons:

- 14 dirt tee pads, which for the most part of great as far as dirt tees go, but I'll put it in as a con
- lots of rough terrain to battle and lots of thick bushy areas
- fairly easy to loose a disc on an errant shot

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course with tons of potential and it is being improved upon everyday. I would highly recommend checking this course out, but be ready for a hike. Bring boots and lots of water!
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Designer response by mmueller
Thank you for the review of Red Tail DGC. Signage is now first rate on all 18 greens and 34 tee pads. There are even signs as you exit a green and move to the next hole, in cases where there are multiple tee pad options, to aid the player in choosing their preferred next tee.
5 0
bpredmon1
Experience: 18.9 years 2 played 2 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Red Tail 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 31, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Challenging course through a wide variety of terrain. Lots of elevation change and great views. The course has vastly improved since opening early this spring. Teepads are coming along and fairways have been cleared out. This is quickly moving towards a professional caliber course and will be so in coming years.

Cons:

A few blind holes can be challenging or frustrating to new or beginner players. Once you have played through a couple times these holes become much easier to navigate.

Other Thoughts:

Mark is a great host and welcomes all to come check out this amazing course on a great piece of property! Peace, Love, and Disc Golf!

*Once you learn the layout of the course and are able to play with a group and spotters, there couldn't be a better place to be. You can hide from the wind during the holes in the trees. The views from start to finish are amazing. The lack of noise pollution makes the course absolutely peaceful. I haven't been able to donate my volunteer time to the course as I was when it was being established and will regret this forever. Thanks for all you have done for the sport in a few short years Mark. Don't ever stop playing!

Peace, love, and Disc Golf!
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Designer response by mmueller
6 13
phunkytao
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

great new course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 20, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging and unique throws everywhere
beautiful setting. All of the teepads, fairways, greens and even much of the roughs are now cut back

Cons:

if you are weak of spirit the up and down of the hills will challenge you

Other Thoughts:

This is a brand new course (first review!) and has a rustic feel. Dirt tee pads except for two holes which have cool wooden ones. Mark and Greg have done a TON of work to get this course going. It was a ton of fun going up and down the hills of Red Tail valley. We had a group of 5 and didn't lose a single disc. Only played holes 1-11 due to time constraint. This has the potential to be a world class course on par with the likes of Beaver Ranch in Conifer and Phantom Falls. I recommend wearing pants to shield yourself from all the brush you'll be walking through, bring some water, and expect ~2-3 hours of some awesome disc golf.
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