Holler overated?

[discNDav]

I went out of my way last week to play Holler in the Hills since it was #10 on this site for a while (it no longer is) and I was in KY with a complete day to golf anywhere. I played the Black Course in WV and Charlie V in the days preceeding and then Freeman, Holler and Iroquis all in one day!

I have not reviewed Holler yet but was disappointed considering how hightly it is rated here. I have played over over 250 courses now and Holler is not in my top 10 because: the tees were far from good, the grass wasn't cut, the rugged terrian is not easy to walk (and possibly dangerous), the bugs are bad and the steep uphill shots weren't all that fun to play.

I respect the work done to put in a PRIVATE course, there is no park staff here. Some of the holes were indeeed very memorable, especially the last few! It's totally worth $5 though and I might return on a future visit further south next time on my way to Bowling Green. I know now what to expect.

I'm sure others will disagree with me, anyone else agree with me on this?

 

[optidiscic]

Uh Oh......LOL

I actually am glad someone has the guts to be honest regarding a pvt course...too many free rides for privates on this site IMO

More importantly though what did u think of The Black Course...Im guessing you didnt like it for its steep hills, lack of amenities, and rugged terrain...I loved it but I am beginning to realize my tastes dont match many on this site.

 

[AdamE]

I am a disgrace to DGCR. I live less than 2 hours from Holler and have yet to play it, but it is on my to do list. I've heard excellent things about it from friends and plan to get down there soon so I can give me 2¢.

 

[AdamE]

What did you think of Charlie Vettiner and Freeman Lake?

On a side note, there will be an A tier played at Charlie Vettiner and the Fun Farm on September 4-5.
http://www.pdga.com/event?TournID=9763

 

[Dave242]

I went out of my way last week to play Holler in the Hills since it was #10 on this site for a while (it no longer is) and I was in KY with a complete day to golf anywhere. I played the Black Course in WV and Charlie V in the days preceeding and then Freeman, Holler and Iroquis all in one day!

I have not reviewed Holler yet but was disappointed considering how hightly it is rated here. I have played over over 250 courses now and Holler is not in my top 10 because: the tees were far from good, the grass wasn't cut,
.........
I respect the work done to put in a PRIVATE course, there is no park staff here.

Maintenance in the growing season (spring to mid summer) is a bear....so you gotta keep that in mind when judging private courses. On the flip side, I think private courses get extra love (grade inflation) here out of love/respect/admiration/appreciation for the owner (a bonus or ~0.5 points) and another ~0.25 for being private and allowing you to do what you fear getting caught doing on public courses.

 

[Dave242]

I have not played Holler, but I have played Charlie Vettiner. I was at Pro Worlds this last week and caddied for Alan Beaver one round. We were on Dave Greenwell's card and I chatted with him about CV (he designed it). He seemed pretty thrilled that I loved that course and noticed and appreciated a lot of the design features he included. CV is tied for #10 on my list of over 280 played - I graded it a 94 (4.5 discs).

 

[lil_trumperboy]

Holler In The Hills

I went out of my way last week to play Holler in the Hills since it was #10 on this site for a while (it no longer is) and I was in KY with a complete day to golf anywhere. I played the Black Course in WV and Charlie V in the days preceeding and then Freeman, Holler and Iroquis all in one day!

I have not reviewed Holler yet but was disappointed considering how hightly it is rated here. I have played over over 250 courses now and Holler is not in my top 10 because: the tees were far from good, the grass wasn't cut, the rugged terrian is not easy to walk (and possibly dangerous), the bugs are bad and the steep uphill shots weren't all that fun to play.

I respect the work done to put in a PRIVATE course, there is no park staff here. Some of the holes were indeeed very memorable, especially the last few! It's totally worth $5 though and I might return on a future visit further south next time on my way to Bowling Green. I know now what to expect.

I'm sure others will disagree with me, anyone else agree with me on this?

In defense of my course:
I must start by saying I definately respect everyones honest opinions and I am always looking for feedback in regards to my course. I can handle constructive criticism but I take offense to bogus reviewers who have actually not played my course. I believe discndav has played my course but I do take offense to this thread! I take alot of pride in my course and it is somewhat of an obsession to make it the best it can be. It is alot of work to maintain and continue to upgrade.
I am aware that some folks have commented on the Tees. They are mostly 9' X 5' "Fly 18 Rubber pads" framed in with treated lumber and gravel underneath. A few are concrete. I plan to lengthen some and concrete most of them in the future. They are better than dirt or gravel.
The grass: I have always took pride in keeping the grass and weeds cut as well as clearing rough areas as reported in feedback. My push mower/weed eater helper step son was away for six weeks this summer, my new mower caught on fire while refueling after three hours mowing (it was not running at the time but hot) and is in the shop being repaired and my loving wife wants me to build an addition on our home instead of me pouring more money into the course so I have been quite busy keeping her happy. Sorry discndav but you caught me at a bad time on the grass issue. You mentioned rugged and steep terrain but I see you really like Blue "Mountain" Skyline Park. I have material to build some steps going downhill on a few holes as well as upgrade some existing steps.
The bugs: I can't control the bugs, who they pester or when they decide to roam but I must admit that the bug season this year is the worst I've seen it! Horse flies are the issue at this time of year. May and June it was ticks. I carry bug spray in my bag and apply it wherever I play.
Discndav, I ask that you hold off on your review of Holler In The Hills and try it again in October for free. The course is always more fun the second time around and if you played by yourself, it is not a fun course when played at a fast pace. You need 3 or four people to allow you time to relax and enjoy! I can't emphasize enough that I take much pride in my course and will continue to improve it each year so for those of you who may have had a bad experience, please check us out a couple of times a year and watch how things change. For those of you who plan to play it, I should have the grass issue resolved by mid August and it is not a beginner or elderly friendly course!
Howie

 

[WillACarpenter]

lil_trumperboy, I suggest you go to your courses main page and update the Current Conditions to reflect what you've just said.

The Current Conditions box is to warn people about anything they might find if they go now, that they won't at other times. And does not reflect review scores or anything like that.

Also I don't feel discndav meant to offend you in any way, more making a commentary on the recent outbreak of review inflation.

Best of luck with the course, and thank you for providing us with a cool place to play our game, when I get a chance to come out there we'll have to throw a round.

\/\/

 

[therealbigtrav]

In addition to what Wil said, Holler has been reviewed very well by the majority of players on here. It does show that you take a great deal of pride in your course.

 

[biscoe]

I have played over over 250 courses now and Holler is not in my top 10 because: the tees were far from good, the grass wasn't cut, the rugged terrian is not easy to walk (and possibly dangerous), the bugs are bad and the steep uphill shots weren't all that fun to play.

hmmm... you may want to avoid hawk hollow- tees are inconsistent (but imo all quite functional), grass is cut to some degree (cattle gotta eat and we have had no rain so i'm not cutting it), rugged terrain is tough to walk (a plus imo- makes this less of a sissy sport/game), several steep uphill shots (which i enjoy a good bit). bugs on the other hand are not bad.

what are your feelings on paw paw?- it seems to fall under all of those descriptions as well.

lastly - are you prue?

 

[Mr Mirth]

Holler is a superb DG experience!
Worth every bit the 4 I gave it.
I'll be playing it Friday and may consider editing my review...

 

[lil_trumperboy]

lil_trumperboy, I suggest you go to your courses main page and update the Current Conditions to reflect what you've just said.

The Current Conditions box is to warn people about anything they might find if they go now, that they won't at other times. And does not reflect review scores or anything like that.

Also I don't feel discndav meant to offend you in any way, more making a commentary on the recent outbreak of review inflation.

Best of luck with the course, and thank you for providing us with a cool place to play our game, when I get a chance to come out there we'll have to throw a round.

\/\/

Thanks for the info Wil. I did not know that feature existed.
I updated.

 

[WillACarpenter]

Thanks for the info Wil. I did not know that feature existed.
I updated.

Most people either don't know it exists, or think it is somehow tied in to ratings.

I feel that it can ONLY help your ratings. If you have some FREAKY flooding and people show up and a couple fairways are under water they'll review the course saying "Man, this place holds a LOT of water! Bring water shoes if you plan to play here!"

When in reality you NEVER really have water, but you got a freak storm and EVERYTHING in the area had standing water. A little forewarning goes a long way.

I know nothing about your course, other than it's on my wishlist of courses to play...but if you have a sign of some sort at the entrance having a course conditions SIGN would be AWESOME. It could be as simple as

"Mower is on the fritz, sorry it's not as trimmed as I'd like, donations for a new mower accepted at office.

Make sure you bring some bug spray, horse flies have been crazy this year.

Have Fun and Good Luck!"

See what I did there? Getting you a new mower my friend

\/\/

 

[Jukeshoe]

Thanks for the info Wil. I did not know that feature existed.
I updated.

Just be aware that anyone can change it.

Sounds like a fun course you've got. Rugged = good in my book.

 

[agentdozzer]

I have not reviewed Holler yet but was disappointed considering how hightly it is rated here. I have played over over 250 courses now and Holler is not in my top 10 because: the tees were far from good, the grass wasn't cut, the rugged terrian is not easy to walk (and possibly dangerous), the bugs are bad and the steep uphill shots weren't all that fun to play.

Aside from the tees and the grass the rest of the cons listed are really matters of personal preference. I had no problem with the tees and the course was very well groomed when I played. Rugged terrain is one of the reason's I loved Holler so much that it bumped Idle out as my favorite course. I am used to bugs at all courses didnt think they were any worse down there. I personally loved the uphill shots, I dont have the biggest arm but I can usaullly play a better line up hill and acheive more d than my competitors that would normally crush me on flat ground. One of the shorter uphills the fairway wasnt anything to write home about but the basket placement was. Oh cant wait to get back trying to hit up Mammoth Cave and Holler sometime this fall. I know I dont have hundreds of courses under my belt to compare to but I dont believe It is overrated. Actually I lowered some other courses after I played here because Holler and Idle were so far ahead of them.

 

[NothinButChing]

havent played it but sounds like fun not overrated

 

[big shot dobbs]

Holler if ya hear me!!

Holler is my favorite course to play and train, I have played it probably 50+ times, and I consider it my home course. I have a family and a few jobs to manage, but when I go to Holler in the Hills, life stops for a while. This place is very special, and I hope everybody gets the feeling I do when they play it......total peace.
Has anybody noticed the view from the basket on Hole 12, on top of the boulder looking over the holler? A holler is a smaller valley for you city folk
Has anybody climbed the 100 ft rock wall, and sat their for a spell on Hole 15?
Have you noticed the rocks that make the elevated baskets on Hole 1 and 18 were straight from the creek running at the bottom of the holler? Benches on most every hole? Howie cares about us, and we love him for it.
These are the things that make it special, and should be considered when reviewing.....I agree the course and terain are challenging, but it's not bad if your in half decent shape, and don't work so hard trying to beat the course.....just enjoy it Pack a lunch, throw a pole in the creek, and sit back and enjoy a special holler in KY....then go out and play it again!!

Yes, I am totally bias when it comes to the Holler course, so take this with a grain of salt.

 

[superberry]

Private courses are GREAT! Love the creativity and challenge you won't see on public courses. I can't wait to play holler, and with the challenge, more than 18 holes, unique terrain, risky greens, elevation, and water hazards, I'd be thinking it's at least a 4.5 disc course. BUT I haven't played it.

 

[DavidSauls]

The thing to remember about private courses is that there weaknesses are offset by their strengths.

Deduct for maintenance if you wish. Especially seasonally. We have good reasons the courses aren't as well groomed in the summer---but it is a fact, they're not as well groomed.

But add back for the (usually) better layout, fewer backups because they're not crowded, absence of non-disc-golfers (a BIG plus!), serenity, aesthetics, etc.

In the end, ratings are a matter of taste, and we've all played courses, public & private, that left us wondering why everyone else liked them so much. Mayber Holler isn't overrated---its features just don't appeal to the O.P. as much as they do to most other reviewers.

 

[discNDav]

Howie, please do not take offense to my post. The 33 of the 37 reviews on this site gave it 4.5 to 5 stars so I was expecting a major WOW factor like my first time playing Flip City, Sabattus, Idlewild (which I only gave a 4.5) or Warwick which are my all time favorites.

I did play the course solo and rather quickly, next time I will slow down and enjoy it more but this probably won't be until next year at the earliest since I live on on the east coast. I'll gladly pay the $5fee anytime.

Someone asked about how I like Paw Paw...I like the open holes there but the insanely long wooded ones are not fun in my book, I have not been back there since 1999.

Charlie V had a lot of blind shots from the tee but I thought it was well designed. I figure it will be easier the next time around. Freemon was very nice, I like playing DG in a nice park with cut grass along the fairways.

discNDav
Dave Prue