Mastin Lake

THIS IS IT!! This course will make you a pro. I used it to train for the 2004 Rocket City Blast and I won the Am division because I separated myself from the pack on this course. It has everything: el ... show more ›

THIS IS IT!! This course will make you a pro. I used it to train for the 2004 Rocket City Blast and I won the Am division because I separated myself from the pack on this course. It has everything: elevation changes, woods to open, open to woods, wooded holes with length, every turning shot, even a possible chicken wing drive on hole 12. Need I say more? This course will separate the men from the boys on the hike alone. Yes, it is in a bad neighborhood, so lock your car, and don't touch trash with your bare hands. But aside from random pros turning tricks in the parking lot, and occasional car getting broken into, never had a problem. The course is in the woods behind some baseball fields. #discgolfheaven #dirtysouth

A short technical course that’s a blast to play. PROS: + ELEVATION + The only course in Huntsville with a bunch of 30 foot plus downhill shots. Holes (9) (12) (14) and (17) are all in the ... show more ›

A short technical course that’s a blast to play.

PROS:
+ ELEVATION + The only course in Huntsville with a bunch of 30 foot plus downhill shots. Holes (9) (12) (14) and (17) are all in the 30 to 40 foot range. Only one other hole in the entire Huntsville area does this, Indian Creek hole (14). In addition, there also a few fun up shots as well on (7) (10) and (11), which are in the 20 to 25 foot range. Players that have bad knees or ankles should stay clear of this course. Bringing a disc golf cart out here is probably doable but not a good idea.
+ ACE RUNS + Not the easiest course to ace in town due to the technical nature of the course, but these baskets IMO are the most exhilarating to run at. The layout is fairly short and several lines are less than 10 feet wide. I’ve had several close calls already here where I’ve admired my drive from the tee hoping for the sound of chains, only to watch it skip harmlessly by the basket or to get picked off late by a guardian tree.
+ CHALLENGE + Judging Mastin Lake’s difficultly solely on its length would be a mistake. Although an advanced player could easily go 8 down or more here, they will also post up rounds over par on a day where every branch seems to move into the line after the throw. The course is going to produce some great scoring battles. A lead of 6 shots after 12 holes could easily vanish as holes (13) (14) and (17) are all five-able with a poor drive and bad ricochet.
+ SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY + During the winter, Mastin Lake opens up quite a bit. I’ve brought a first timer during that time period and they loved it. The course is easily two throws easier to skilled players over the winter and perhaps five throws easier to unskilled players. However, bringing a beginning player here during the summer peak overgrowth is not a wise idea.
+ NATURAL BEAUTY + Considering all the elevation changes and also the older trees, one of the better looking courses in Huntsville. Some of the lines are worthy of pulling out the phone and snapping a photo. On the other hand, there are also some surrounding elements that have some less than desirable views. There are baseball and tennis court fences in view. These views all occur along the open west boundary of the layout.
+ NAVIGATION + Not too bad. There is now an updated map on DGCR but none posted on site. There are a bunch of well-placed directional cues to keep players on track between holes. The only trickiest transition is between (3) and (4) where there’s a bit a back track down (3s) fairway.
+ QUICK PLAY + Players that are in good shape should have no problem playing this one in under an hour solo. Groups of four should be able to play in less than two hours, but there will likely be one player in the group needing to take a break at a few holes due to all the elevation changes.

CONS:
A solid technical course that really only has preferential issues.
- NO BOMB-IT HOLES - Players that enjoy grip’n and rip’n probably won’t like this course. Only one hole approaches 400 feet, hole (13), and it’s probably the only time that an advanced player will bring out a driver as it’s a bit uphill. There are a few other shots over 300 feet, (9) (14) and (17) but they are all downhill and my weak arm can get to all of them.
- FORGIVENESS - Although short enough for recreation players, for those that can't hit 10 to 15 foot lanes consistently, this course can become very self-defeating. In addition, regardless of skill level, players will hit trees several times out here. When there’s a ricochet in the wrong direction, scrambling for par may take a miracle. I had one of my best par saves ever out here on hole (17), where a bad kick on an early tree left me over 50 feet deep into the thicket. I pitched out and then threw in a 150 foot par save.
- LEAVES - Playing this course in the couple months after all the leaves have dropped can be a nightmare. It is literally inches thick in dead leaves. I’ve played in November out here and have spent minutes scouring leaf piles trying to find my disc.
- POISON IVY - I’ve spotted this awful plant at several spots along the layout.

OTHER THOUGHTS:
The first course I ever played in Alabama back in 2014. Personally, one of my favorites in the area as Mastin Lake offers the only respectable elevation changes among all the Huntsville area courses. Players looking to make a disc golf tour of the Huntsville area should definitely consider this one if they plan to play 3 or more courses during their visit. Players that live within a two hour’s drive need to play this course at least once. Mastin Lake is currently a top 30 course on this site for Alabama and I personally think that's a little underrated.

this course is a lot of fun. For variety alone, it's a must-see. There are uphill holes and downhill, gaps to throw across, a few hearty doglegs, plenty of trees with equally plentiful open fairways.T ... show more ›

this course is a lot of fun. For variety alone, it's a must-see. There are uphill holes and downhill, gaps to throw across, a few hearty doglegs, plenty of trees with equally plentiful open fairways.There are both right-handed and left-handed holes to create a good challenge for either player type. Many of the holes have two different tees, each with its own angle of approach, offering a little extra in the technical dept. The terrain is a lot of fun to hike..but prepare to tire yourself out due to the elevation changes. Of course, without the sudden changes in height you wouldn't have the fun of shooting from that perch at hole 11 either. :) The course is a little rough at times due to the lack of maintenance, but it's not enough to ruin the fun.

Would be a higher rating if the baskets were better marked, the pads were in better shape, or the course was better maintained. Seems like setting up a disc golf course here was almost an after though ... show more ›

Would be a higher rating if the baskets were better marked, the pads were in better shape, or the course was better maintained. Seems like setting up a disc golf course here was almost an after thought.
The course itself is fine. Lots of terrain changes, a couple of nice long shots, and like someone said, plenty of doglegs.