I want to pass along some new info about Crystal City Underground DGC
AND
I want to reply to some comments on the course reviews.
First, the news: The course now owns 36 real baskets and will be installing them over the course of the next week. They may not make it to 36, but 18 will be in place by next weekend.
The fee structure has changed a bit. $5 will buy you access to an 18 holes, $10 will get you access to 36 holes. There are now security checks in place to prevent folks from sneaking in their own booze (this is a private business and they must follow the laws to keep their liquor license or there will be NO alchohol in the cave at all - so don't spoil it for everyone else by trying to be a cheapskate or letting minors drink). Also, they are taking special measures to enforce the NO SMOKING rule. It is a closed in space, with poor ventilation and, as with any cave, there is the potential for pockets of gas from time to time. DON'T SMOKE.
YEAH, 36 in the Underground!
OK, for some of the comments in the course reviews:
First, this course IS being designed by actual veteran disc golfers and course designers. The owner of CCU did NOT design the course and is not managing the course - just collecting money to help pay the bills. The local club, The JC Sharpshooters, manages the course and Mark Dude and Joe McKee are the main designers. They were given some serious limitations on the first two layouts, there wasn't much lighting when the current setup was established, but that is becoming a thing of the past and this course WILL become better and better over the course of this summer.
For the comments about a lack of variety, I think those people are still thinking about topography. The entire landscape of a cave is too different to compare it to an outdoor course. Every hole down there still embraces all of the same aspects we look for in a good outdoor course, minus dramatic elevation changes. Even then, the course is not completely without some interesting and unique topography.
Every hole has a different ceiling height and every hole has a different passage width, so you simply cannot, as with most big outdoor courses, worry only about where your disc lands. On the shots with a narrow passage, you have to be very careful to keep your throw flat, low and accurate. It's not the same as a tunnel shot in the woods - you might get lucky and slip through the trees without hitting one, but the wall in the cave isn't going to give you any forgiveness.
At least 70% of the holes require some real shot shaping, so you must have a good grip on back-hand, fore-hand, hyzer, anhyzer and picking the right disc. There are also many holes where you have to make a choice between two totally different paths to the basket: one is more forgiving but you will be forced to settle for par, where the other is going to be tough to get right but sets you up for the birdie.
Also, how about some love for the ability to develop a new DG skill: ricochete shots. Learning where to hit the walls or ceiling with the right type of throw is not something you get to do outdoors.
The walls are not as hard on the discs as so many have assumed and claimed. YES, you get a scuffed texture to the edge of the discs, but that doesn't get any worse after it gets to that point. I've played this course about 25 times now, using the same discs and they are no worse now than they were after the 4th or 5th game.
Teeing off the sand, for me, isn't a big deal. To be honest, I never even thought about it until I heard other people discussing it. I don't get whats so hard about it. You're not going to stumble or trip... it's the same consistency the entire way while you're walking... I believe that if you don't think about it, you will do just fine. That said, I know that there is an ongoing discussion amongst the designers, the owner and some regulars about a "teepad solution". I'm a fan of using some water and a tamper to create a firm surface on the sand, just like they did to create the road the owners use to drive equipment in on.
Something that really bugs me is all the debate over discs vs. lighting. Good grief. All you need are the blinking LED's carefully taped to the underneath of a clear plastic disc. If you tape them carefully and seal them down, they will NOT fall off and will NOT go out if you land in a water hazard. You do NOT need a flashlight for every player. I have played many rounds where none of us never even had to turn on a light once. There is plenty of lighting down there and the LED's just help you keep your eye on the disc while it flies against the black backgrounds. Occaisionally you need a little extra help finding a terrible shot, but it usually turns out that the person forgot to turn on their LED or managed to knock it to the off position by really nailing a wall... but they WILL still run underwater (if you taped it right). Glow discs are a waste of time, they don't stay glowing long enough to make it past the first 4 or 5 holes before they need a 20 minute recharge - don't bother. The LEDs are cheap, last a long time and save so much time and trouble - you're just silly if you don't use them.
Things I agree are wrong: It's busy and you sometimes have to wait. The signage can be really terrible the first time through a new layout and seriously needs to be improved. The "map/scorecard" if you can get one, is lame and was thrown together with 1 days notice for the collegiate doubles tourney (but, since it's so busy, there is no reason you can't just follow the group in front of you or ask someone). There are a few places where you really have to watch out for discs from other holes or players who didn't check to see if you were clear (some redesigns will fix this).
I do not mean to sound like I regect or don't appreciate all the thoughtful comments made. Everyone has and is perfectly entitled to their opinions and comments. I just wanted to be able to express some counter thoughts of my own without having to write them into my old as hell review.
Thanks everyone.