Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2020/03/30/dream-18-tour-2019-edition-part-1/
There are two things we know to be true about disc golfers. We all drive by that place that “should be a course” during our daily routines – you know that undeveloped section of acreage between two subdivisions, or maybe that forgotten corner of the county park? We drive by and imagine where we’d place the Tees and Baskets, we wonder how many people would come play, would the pros stop by if they were traveling through town, etc. The other thing we’ve all thought about at least once is a “Dream 18” – taking our favorite holes from our favorite courses that we’ve played or watched on video and creating one perfect monstrosity of a course. Well, allow us to play Dr. Frankenstein for a moment. Since we know course access is either tough or nonexistent at this point in time, the writers here at Ultiworld Disc Golf, along with some anonymous touring pros, cast our ballots for the ultimate Dream 18…using only the courses from the 2019 Tour!
Here’s the rubric:
- Courses must have been played by either the MPO or FPO divisions on Tour. The Tour is comprised of the Disc Golf Pro Tour (PT), PDGA National Tour (NT), and PDGA Majors (M).
- The holes are only eligible to appear in the same relative position as they were played on the 2019 Tour. For example, Fountain Hills Hole #1 is eligible only for the Dream 18 Course’s Hole #1 votes. Keep in mind that we are considering the tournament-specific layouts, so the numbers may not match up with the way the course plays regularly.
- Ties were broken by the writers in very unscientific ways, this is for fun after all.
Without further ado, we submit for consideration, debate, and hot-take discussion – the front 9 of the Dream 18 On Tour – 2019 Edition! All of the video links should go directly to the flyovers (and if you’re under the shelter-in-place advisory they’ll provide some good rounds to go back and re-watch!). Leave a comment below, or in our subscriber-only Slack channel, about which holes you’d sub out to make it your own personal Dream 18 On Tour!
Hole #1 – Maple Hill Gold – Leicester, MA
835ft. / 255m – Par 4
On an early fall day, right when the leaves are starting to change and you’re standing on the tee pad for hole 1 at Maple Hill- Gold, you are probably having at least one of these thoughts: “Wow, this is absolutely gorgeous!” And “can I clear the pond?” As they say at the pro shop, it’s just a pond, get over it, but that is, of course, easier said than done. Number 1 on Maple Hill’s Gold layout requires elite distance off of the tee to reach the suitable landing area to attack the green, and shortly thereafter just as much finesse with the upshot if you want to put yourself in position for a putt. -CW
Runner Up: Fountain Hills
Hole #2 – Riverbend West – Estacada, OR
630ft. / 192m – Par 4
This classic dogleg-left design with iconic “Milo” features is one of the most satisfying holes in all of disc golf. It has just enough technical difficulty, just enough picturesque quality, and features a fairway-to-rough transition that most faithfully replicates the challenge for discs that a golf course’s rough conceptually poses – notable because Milo McIver State Park was originally intended to be a privately-owned golf course. The green presents another visual metaphor – a target raised in the “traditional” way. The saturated red band of the basket stands out even as dappled light decorates the shaded green. Don’t forget the obligatory picture with your group! -JT
Runner Up: Hornet’s Nest
Hole #3 – Blue Lake – Fairview, OR
550ft. / 168m – Par 4
This par four has had some sneaky genius in its design. The left to right curving fairway requires a shot that hugs the curve and finishes as far left as possible in order to set up a straight tunnel shot to a basket set on a thumb shaped green with OB all around. Alternatively, a wide hyzer shot over OB is available to drives that land further right, risking effectively a stroke and distance penalty if that upshot route snags any of the trees guarding the right side of the green. This was the hole that played a crucial part in the epic battle between Paul McBeth and Ricky Wysocki in the final nine of the 2014 Portland World Championships. Holding a one throw lead, Wysoki played a textbook drive that landed well left, giving him a straight shot to the pin. McBeth’s drive finished too far right and he was faced with threading the needle to the pin through the tiny middle gap. He made the shot and then, courtesy of Wysocki’s missed putt, gained a valuable stroke to draw level. -KF
Runner Up: Maple Hill
Hole #4 – Brewster Ridge – Jeffersonville, VT
575ft. / 175m – Par 4
Woods golf, when designed correctly, is the best golf. Add in the subtle elevation on Brewster Ridge and it makes every shot of this par 4 an exercise in picking the right line and judging your power and release angle. Its right turn can cause trouble off the tee, and the protected green is further than you think. The 575 feet of hole 4 are difficult to master, but the satisfaction of a birdie is worth the struggle. -BW
Runner Up: DeLaveaga
Hole #5 – Gleneagles – San Francisco, CA
1033ft. / 315m – Par 4
You emerge from the never-ending Vermont tree maze lined with colonial stone fences to suddenly find yourself in the City By The Bay. A stiff breeze with renegade gusts hits your right cheek as you gaze across at the opposing hillside above Bayshore Heights. Guadalupe Canyon Pkwy winds across your vision, lulling you into a false sense of security. You think you can throw downhill shots, but the wind here is one of the Golf Gods’ premiere puzzles, pushing seemingly great shots towards that left-side OB with ease. Your drive must be like a surfer braving the barrel, perfect balance and speed, riding a knife’s edge in an attempt to defy physics. If you accomplish that feat, the remaining challenge is to leave yourself an inside-circle tailwind putt on the nearside of a mounded green, without flying it and leaving yourself a 40-footer back into the headwind which laughs loudly in your face. -JT
Runner Up: The Beast
Hole #6 – Riverbend West – Estacada, OR
850ft. / 259m – Par 4
The Philobatross Hole, the site of the most viral clip in disc golf history, and maybe by those calculations the “most widely seen” disc golf hole of all time? Even before all of those accolades, the design and challenge itself made this a near unanimous choice for Dream 18 No. 6. Philosophically similar to Hole 2, No. 6 is longer, has tougher footing, and features a tighter and more closely guarded choke point just before the green. From personal experience, it’s impossible to play this hole without thinking about those epic moments, and it’s damn near impossible not to marvel at the feat that was accomplished as you watch your own shots traverse air above the fairway. -JT
Runner Up: Disc Side of Heaven
Hole #7 – Fox Run Meadows – Jeffersonville, VT
1225ft. / 373m – Par 5
Is your arm tired yet? Hopefully not, because it’s time to tackle the first Par 5 of the course. Fox Run Meadows, the companion course to Brewster Ridge, has crowned World Champions, Pro Tour Champions, and Green Mountain Champions in its relatively young lifespan (<10 years old). This hole is the longest on the course and cedes the biggest advantage to the big arms out of the entire Dream Front 9. It’s pure distance, more or less straightaway, and has a narrowing fairway the further up you go. A couple of daredevil trees force you to pick a gap, or give up a little distance off of the tee, but the straight-with-fade line is available to both-handed hyzers. From there, you’re staring straight at it…it’s just…you know…still really far unless you’re Calvin Heimburg. -JT
Runner Up: Blue Lake
Hole #8 – WR Jackson Memorial – Appling, GA
645ft. / 197m – Par 4
Right off the bat you’re staring down a wooded tunnel, which also happens to break right, and you need to find a landing zone for a second shot. Happen to find a clearing and you are staring upward toward the pin, tucked way back in the trees, for a daunting approach. The fairway splits, with neither offering the perfect path, and you’re probably starting to question whether this Dream 18 is more of a nightmare. -BW
Runner Up: Emporia CC
Hole #9 – Riverbend East – Estacada, OR
585ft. / 178m – Par 4
This nearly-reachable downhill hole can be an easy par-4 and even an eagle opportunity for the top pros. But miss that tight early gap off the tee and you are fighting to save par. One of the most aesthetically pleasing holes in disc golf with the disc firing out of what looks like a bunker in the side of the hill then floating down to the mostly open fairway. There’s a couple of trees on the right side that you need to miss to guarantee an easy upshot. The Clackamas River on the right side of the fairway is set far enough back that it rarely comes into play. The road of the left side of the fairway is OB and waiting to snare any right hand backhand shots that fly too high and fade early. In the Beaver State Fling, the huge galleries that this tournament is famous for, add atmosphere as they line the road, creating a natural amphitheater that lifts the intensity for anyone who’s left themselves some work to do on their approach shot. -KF
Runner Up: Brazos Park East
So there you have it! We’re halfway done with the 2019 Dream 18 On Tour edition. How would you vote? Would anything change? Stay on the lookout for the Back 9 coming out shortly!