Manchester, NH

The Hollows - South

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3.385(based on 4 reviews)
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MrFrosty
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.1 years 764 played 387 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The Hollows - South . One Woods , 2 Good Courses 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 19, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Hollows - South is one of 2 courses that are in a large woods .South has its own parking lot , which is dirt and bumpy .When you turn onto crescent , the lot , which is marked , is only 75' down Crescent , and in the fenced in area . If you sneeze , you'll miss the lot . , and has a sign that points to where your first hole will be . There were no bathrooms that I saw here . The path to hole #1 is a long one and runs downhill .
The Equipment - The course boasts 2 tee pads . One of the 2 are cement , the other , natural . The signage is only at the cement pads , and adequate and gives you all of the necessary information . There was no kiosk , so you definitely want to print a map . The baskets are red Dynamic Veterans . There are also ropes and yellow bristles in the ground that mark OB along the fairways , and pinkish/red bristles that mark the greens .
The Landscape - After walking a long narrow path to the bottom of the woods , you have to think you will throw up and down this hill . The course is all woods from beginning to end . Many mature trees dot the sides and fairways . There are a couple of creeks ( not deep enough to lose a disc ) that might come into play . The course play flat for the first several holes , a couple in the middle and the last few . The rest are up and down the large hill you just descended to get to the course . Staying on or near the fairways are a must , as the overgrowth here can be pretty extreme ( more in cons ) . The fairways provide fair lanes for flight paths .
The Amenities - There are some benches and chairs scattered throughout the course . There is also a disc golf store less than 3 minutes from the parking lot , Breakin' Chains . They also sponsor the course and tournaments here . They are great at promoting the game . Drop by if you can and give them some business .
The Highlights - If you are playing the OB , You better be on your technical A game . There are trees everywhere and a ricochet might take your disc on a rollaway OB . #2 ( 511' ) is a long flat drive with OB and overgrowth on the right and overgrowth on the left . The fairway will break right at the very end with the basket around the corner . #12 is a drive that goes across a large gully , and straight uphill to the basket buried in the trees on the right . #18 is a great finishing hole . At 372' , it is a level drive on a fairly narrow fairway that crosses to creeks , the basket being just beyond the 2nd one .
Signature Hole - #16 , a downhill drive 374' between the trees to a basket with literally no green .
Time - It is hard to figure , because I played all 36 holes continuously . I might guess and hour and 10 minutes . A group of 4 will finish in about 2 hours and 15 to 2 hours and 20 minutes .
The course owns some extreme elevation on some of these holes . Be sure to pack some water . You won't return to the lot until you finish 18 and your long uphill walk back .
I think that I was the only player on South on a weekday morning . It looks to be the least popular of the 2 , so you might have the course to yourself on some days .
There is plenty of variety , with uphill , downhill left and right handed holes . This is a nice looking woods and can be very peaceful and full of nature on the South Course . Alternate pin positions are a big plus .

Cons:

#1 The Elements - I can't imagine that you would be able to play this course after a good rain . Lack of steps , grass and the steep elevation is going to cause a lot of slipping and falling . Same with snow or icy conditions .
#2 Overgrowth - I hear that volunteers try to contain the overgrowth during the summer , but it looked to be getting out of hand which can cause a lot of looking for an off-the-fairway drive
#3 navigation - there are some clear cut paths on a lot of the course , but the middle holes can be tricky for the non locals . Some Next Tee signs could help . Also , the tee signs don't tell you with pin position that the baskets are in . Blind shots can cause you to be nowhere near the hole .
Disc Risk - Medium . Rollaways in the middle hole could be a problem , especially since there was a lot of debris in the fairways . A long drive on a tight fairway that hits a rock or a stick at the end can roll away as much as 100' from where you think it was . Also , the overgrowth is high in some areas . Players aren't going to want to return if they spend a lot of time looking for or losing drivers .
Make sure you spray for bugs during the summer . They will eat you alive in these woods .

Other Thoughts:

South didn't seem as broken in as the North Course . It was constructed in 2018 , and I think designer Eric McCabe did a good job . South never comes into contact with the North side , and there is only a couple of times that you can actually see someone playing over there . You can access the North course from a little path to the left of the #12 South tee pad . It will put you in #11's fairway at the end . You can play holes 12- back to 11 on North and go right to #12 if you like playing 36 different holes and torturing your quads ( I would personally drive to the North parking lot because it is nicer , and there is a kiosk up there and easy access to #1 ) . South is not overbearing , but it is challenging and will force you to hit your lines , or pay . Make sure you check with Breakin' Chains before coming here and ask about any upcoming tournament or leagues so you don't waste a trip .
My Recommendation - Not a good family or date course . I also think intros might want to find an alternative until they get some rounds under them and can control their throws . Newbies would be okay if paired with a local . Locals will like the fact that they can play at their own pace on South . Travelers might like playing North better if pressed for time . Course Collectors will love the fact that they can park at North , play for maybe 2 1/2 hours or less and snatch up 2 courses .
These course offer a continuance midway through the round and can give you 36 completely different looks . I would suggest playing it if anywhere near the bottom of New Hampshire since it is only about 20 miles off of I-495 and close to the Manchester airport . If you like technical courses ,
Give Them A Shot !!!
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1 1
KCole
Experience: 16.9 years 17 played 5 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Muggy Summer Day 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 7, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice tees, baskets, and next hole signs. Bridges where appropriate.

Cons:

Swampy area led to lots of bugs. Spray is a must. Lots of trees. I love a good wooded course with some obstacles but this is too many. Off fairway is really thick in most places. Path to and from parking lot was kind of overgrown. I was there on a hot humid summer day so maybe the bugs were worse than normal.
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1 3
slippingdiscs
Experience: 27 played 27 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great course close to home 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

In the woods
Challenging holes
Nice layout
Water and ravine hazards (also a con)
Great signs

Cons:

Water and ravine hazards
Some spots are really muddy.
Seasonally there are a lot of bugs.


Other Thoughts:

This course is constantly being improved. It is well maintained.
There is another course nearby (The Hollows - North).
The City of Manchester is trying to up its disc golf presence. There's a disc golf gear store within a couple of miles of the course. They sponsor tournaments.
Wear bug spray.
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3 2
summit617
Experience: 38 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Classic New England Golf 2+ years

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

Pros:

Holes are very well designed, great use of the land/elevation. This course is very technical but is still fair (more fair than hollows north). The fairways are intuitive for the most part, but the rough is punishing. You will get rewarded for a good shot, and punished for a bad shot. Holes 7-9 are technically demanding which forces smart play, where as other holes are very get-able. This is a great challenging course.

Cons:

Being recently cut, this course is still very fresh, so the rough is still very rough. Stumps and debris are still very abundant all over the course, but once this gets taken care of over time this course will be beautiful.
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