After yesterday’s weather (and let’s be honest, this old man getting tired and needing to rest…ha), I had a few hours this morning before my conference to venture over to Camp Dakota to sneak in a quick eighteen-hole round. I didn’t have a lot of information about the camp or course, other than the course directories (UDisc, Disc Golf Course Review) said it should be playable. So I took my chances and wandered over to try and play.
When I arrived, I was met with a closed main gate. Darnit! But just because I am stubborn, I drove a little further down the road and found what must have been an employee’s entrance. So I drove into the camp, found the camp office, then rang the buzzer to speak with staff. I had trouble with the intercom, but while I was struggling, a nice man named Youngblood came by to check me out. I said who I was and what I was doing there (writing for DGA and this blog) , then asked if he would mind if I played a round. He said that would be okay. And then when I asked how I pay my $5 (pay to play), he said: “Don’t worry about it…you’re good.” 🙂
Youngblood told me that when the course was designed twenty years ago, “someone from DGA” was the designer. I have since not been able to track down who that designer might have been. But I have to say I was very surprised to see Holes 1 and 2 (pictured above) playing parallel to hazards (road, fence) for quite a long way! An easy opportunity to hit a car or throw your disc on to private property (where the neighbor might not be happy to see you after having a hundred disc golfers walking around in their yard previously). I am on a mission to figure out who designed this course on Camp Dakota’s behalf!
The course was pretty short, but it was “sneaky tough,” with some tight (unfair?) out-of-bounds areas and some tight turns and/or elevation changes. Judging the course before playing, simply by seeing how short the holes are, would be a mistake. I think it plays at least 3-4 strokes tougher than one thinks it should. Even more, factoring in how some of the holes on the back nine need more maintenance.
It broke my heart on Hole 10, as I was screwing around a bit…throwing an extra shot with one of my Squalls, attempting a fun ace run. My second disc caught an unlucky break…dribbling into the pond in the photo above. I thought it should have been within three feet of shore! But I looked for that Squall for a solid ten to fifteen minutes, to no avail. It SUCKS, losing one of my favorite discs on a short, easy hole like that! But that’s the way it goes sometimes.
After making my way around the entire 3,995-foot course, I managed to shoot a -5 (49). DGCR says that is good enough for an estimated round rating of 962. I think that is VERY generous…as I would have put my round more in the 920s-930s. But it’s all a +1 in my Courses Played Collection, so we’ll take it. 🙂
Magic Number = -57 (2,057 Courses Played)
ABOUT DEREK
Derek Tonn is a member of the DGA’s Ambassador Team. His company, Mapformation, LLC, has been DGA’s partner in the development of disc golf tee signage since 2012. The longer our two companies have worked together, and the more Derek has gotten to know all the great folks at DGA, the more he has wanted to formally sing the company’s praises. The more he has realized that “Steady” Ed’s (the father of disc golf and the modern-day Frisbee) vision for the sport and his company perfectly describes his own interests and priorities related to disc golf, and the more Derek has recently been encouraged to share his story.