Angostura Recreation Area, Hot Springs, SD
Angostura Recreation Area Nature Trail Disc Golf Course
Angostura Disc Golf Course Review
Two things are consistent at the Angostura disc golf course. First, the fairways are narrow but open; and second, the putting greens are small with dramatic drop-offs. There are no second chances and no recovering lost discs around the baskets. This course just may hold a record for longest name: Angostura Recreation Area Nature Trail Disc Golf Course. Seriously?!
Angostura disc golf is a nine-hole course with distances that range from 250 to 550 feet, and par 3 to par 5. It is located in a South Dakota state park among rolling hills of the prairie alongside Angostura lake. The majority of the disc golf course is covered in prairie grasses with just a few scattered pine trees. A few of the holes start off with blind drives due to the rugged landscape, which are not incredibly difficult once you have played through once or twice and get to know where to expect the unseen basket.
There are no level cement tee boxes, just a railroad tie marking a starting point in an uneven and frequently sloped natural landscape of grass, stone and gravel. The fairways are well maintained, just a little narrow with a mowed width of about five feet.
Discs outside the mowed area are relatively easy to find in the prairie grasses, which do not gobble up and conceal the discs like
Kentucky bluegrass. The prickly pear cactus is plentiful on the prairie, and although it presents a beautiful yellow flower, it has a bite when reaching for discs laying nearby.
The putting greens at Angostura disc golf simply drop off like seventy-five feet to the lake below. There’s not much room for error close to the baskets, as Angostura Lake sits at the bottom of the steep hillsides.
Hole 6 is certainly interesting with an initial drive across a ravine that is easily 100 feet deep and nothing but a little path leading out to the hole. The basket sits at the end of a peninsula with cliffs falling to the water in three directions.
On top of each basket is a small solar powered landscape light, presumably for spotting the baskets in the dark.
Angostura Recreation Area Nature Trail Disc Golf Course is very scenic, a great backdrop to play. If you play through twice to get eighteen holes, the experienced gain on the first round is invaluable and makes the second round even more enjoyable.
Check out some of the other course I have discovered: DISC GOLF COURSES
Interested in living and traveling fulltime in an RV? Check out Brad’s RV Adventures.