Sabattus, only the best place ever

[Jason Southwick]

I'm not even freakin' kidding. Kelley and I just had a wonderful weekend in Maine, away from the local NEFA tournaments at Barre and Buffumville. (Did I mention I taught Mike Dussault and Timmy Walsh how to play?)

The one thing we can't agree upon is how big the stone disc golf basket fountain out front is. Kelley originally said 50 feet, and I said no way the DDC light pole is 30 feet, and she said okay. We think it's 15 feet tall, maybe 20. A freaking rock garden of a pole hole fountain. I'd use capitals if I didn't have restraint. The landscaping around this place puts most banks to shame. Fancy cinderblock walkways with crushed stone filling and handicap accessability. First rate, down to the television playing the Edge DVD above the disc counter. Nice.

Just some of the most amazing things I've ever seen, all witnessed this weekend. Designed by Dave Enman -- yes, there are a couple trees that tweak your drive -- and built by Dave Enman, the Hawk and the Eagle are the two courses there. The Owl, a short, family 9-hole course will be completed this year.

Kelley and I played the two currently open courses, first the harder Eagle, where I shot a mediocre 65. After lunch we played the easier Hawk, and I shot a pretty good 52. By the end Kelley was driving over 150 with one of two Rocs she was using, one more understable. She threw the old 150 KC Gazelle the best. Then the 150 Champion Stingray here and there. By the end she was throwing the Rocs hard, right up the middle of the fairway, and putting out consistently with an Aviar P&A. A beautiful thing.

Pete Ruby owns the place, and Dave Enman has packed up and left everything in Pete's capable hands, on to more incredible things no doubt.

Friendly atmosphere. You don't have to be good, or fast, or not smoking and drinking. The greatest thing is the land, and what they've done with it. Clean fairways and woodchips lining the way. Unbelievable. Some courses make you better, like Warwick and North Calais. A weird and fairly elusive aspect of course design, namely making a course that makes people better. Sabattus has two courses like that. By the end of one day I was about three times better. Wait, that's silly -- five times better. Kelley was six times better.

Don't get sucked in. Continue to live life in the dark about how good a disc golf complex can be. Don't go to Sabattus. Don't enjoy the tiled bathroom in the clubhouse.

[Jason Rubito]

Great write up, I try to play there once a week atleast. And i would have to say the fountain is about 15-25 feet tall.


Gorgeous there isnt it ?


really puts you at ease when you play there and arent worried about your score its so calm out there.

[Jeff Conant]

that's sabattus
one b and two t's
for you hardliners out there.

Jason, either you read this post i made last week
or the air that was shared
was aptly compared

here it is

i would like to thank kieran, brad, & the sabattus crew
for taking on the task of TDing,
providing ideal course conditions
and attending to details last sunday,
it doesn't go unnoticed.
the eagle is a glimpse of the next step for disc golf
and we should all feel real lucky to have a course
that recieves as much care as sabattus
nestled right in our backyards.

the playoff for 1st in the Pro division
although not witnessed by many
describes the exciting state of dg in maine.

Kieran and Gary finish 2 rounds, same score.
Hole 1 of the playoff had kieran drive first
flippin his flick over straight down the fairway
as far as you can go.
Gary after his patented walk through & arm swing practice
unleashed an anny down the middle
turning ever so slightly right
bam.
into a tree kickin it left,
landing middle of the fairway
on top of the hill.

Gary had honors and safely placed his upshot
15-20* ft from the basket to the right.
Kieran knowing a three is necessary for the push
was a little stong with his upshot
and was knocked down by the trees
120* ft short but the disc rolls down the banking
onto the flat part of the green area,
but still 70-75* ft out.
Kieran sized the putt and nailed it, so did Gary
we moved to hole 2.

Kieran first drove what looked
to be short of the trees
Gary did the same, drove shorter.
Gary with multiple trees in his line
aggressively snapped his putt
that was a heat seeker
but clipped a tree or two
and fell a few feet long
to the right
this was Kieran's chance.
and he stepped to the putt
which was also heavily wooded
and nailed the 25-30* footer for the title.

Having only been around the game for a short time
it's times like this for me
that make me realize
how much growth has occured
in our sport
in our state
in our towns
and frankly within each other.
i largely attribute the positive movement that is DG
is due in part to the commardarie
and sharing of ideas and experiences
that we all seem to have embraced
as important parts of our lives.
thank you Disc Golf.
thank you friends.

* distances may not be quite accurate
feel free to insert your own distances

appropriate emoticon (sucking in).

[Jim Bobka]

I'm looking at a boys dg camping getaway late Sept and was thinking Maine. Probably camp at Enman and Dragan; I guess we'll have to check out Sabattus as well. thanks for the write up. --jimbo

[Jason Southwick]

Thanks Jeff Conant. The handy edit feature here allows me to correct that egregious error in the above post.

[Scott Selders]

After coming home from my Maine Vacation-I made a big sign that said "SABATTUS 620 MILES". I told my Family, and Friends I had found the HOLY GRAIL, so don't expect to see me again for 2 months. I headed out on the Highway with a Back Pack and my sign.

If I was in my early 20's I would have done this, except I would have driven my Saab, and put the sign in the back window.

Sabattus is that Amazing of a Disc Golf Utopia.

[Craig Smolin]

so on MY Maine trip, albeit for business, I stopped first at Pyramids on Tuesday morning. I was greeted by a smiling gentleman of disc golf who knew me not just by face by name as well. I tell him I'm on my way to Bangor for work, and he implores me to check out Sabattus.

So I finished my round in Leicester, and hit the road for Maine. A mere three hours later I pulled into a parking lot sporting the said gigantic fountain basket. I buy two rounds for eight bucks, and hit the hawk course first followed by the eagle.

These courses feature woods holes that have fairways big enough to drive a truck through, although by the time I was done with both I was so tired I could've missed the broad side of a barn.

Amazing length, use of elevation, and good water.

The only complaint I could think of with the hole design was on the eagle's pond hole. The shortcut gap is too difficult to hit off of the tee, not too mention impossible to see from the tee. It is my personal opinion that this hole loses what could be a great shot across the pond. Putting the tee at the top of the gap for an ace/deuce run across the pond, with the "around the horn" line still available for a sure three or four would make for a more interesting and better risk/reward hole.

Otherwise Sabattus has two sick courses.

[Dave McHale]

by the time I was done with both I was so tired I could've missed the broad side of a barn.

are you saying you can hit the broad side of a barn under normal conditions?

[David Hoey]

by the time I was done with both I was so tired I could've missed the broad side of a barn.

are you saying you can hit the broad side of a barn under normal conditions?

(canned laughter)

[Adam Goodman]

We're going to Maine for vacation next week. Sounds like this will be the one (I know there are 2) course I'll try to convince the wife to play while we're out.

[Drew Smith]

Jason - you should get royalties for your reviews

[Jason Rubito]

We're going to Maine for vacation next week. Sounds like this will be the one (I know there are 2) course I'll try to convince the wife to play while we're out.

Let me know if you need someone to show you around. Maine has some really nice courses, 5 all within 25 mins from central Maine.

[Mike Laterreur]

I tell him I'm on my way to Bangor for work,

And you didn't stop by and visit, or call me?

You better hope this was a while ago!!!!


Sorry didn't mean to thread drift.
Still haven't hit Sabattus yet. Once I get my schedule nailed down and a little more time to get out I will be there though.

[Jim Bobka]

"Maine has some really nice courses, 5 all within 25 mins from central Maine." Jason, I can probably guess, but why don't you tell us what those courses are? I can then strategize my weekend up there. thanks, jim

[Craig Smolin]

Mikey - sorry, completely forgot that you were up there now.

[Jason Rubito]

"Maine has some really nice courses, 5 all within 25 mins from central Maine." Jason, I can probably guess, but why don't you tell us what those courses are? I can then strategize my weekend up there. thanks, jim

enman field - has the beauty 18 hole, and the beast -20 hole.
Bob Enman owns these course's, wooded terrain. Bob puts alot of time into these courses they are constanly changing i like to say every two weeks its difforent but no one will belive me lmao. From central maine taking back roads its 25 mins away roughly.

Sabattus- aside from what jason has already written, this is what Maine disc golf is all about. Sabat is out flagship course. Two courses, the eagle and the hawk. The hawk is geared towards am's However when you play your drives will need to be on point ! first hole starts off easily at 169 i believe, then jumps right into 550+ feet for hole 2. Distance is the name of the game with the atleast half the holes being 400+. Wooded yet clean fairways, throw it straight easy birds for you. off 95, 25 mins away.

The eagle geared more towards the pro calibur player, i am not at that level yet i still love the course. Terrain is rough heavily wooded holes. Hard situations will make you scratch your head and you will be putting icy hot on your bum if your not ready for the spanking you are about to get.

Dragon field- Once again owned by Bob Enman. I call this my home course i play here the majority of time with friends and family. Bob is known for his wooded terrain there are some longs holes clean fairways yet baskets hidden in the trees. Very nice course. Always good people in the proshop, great people always on the course (first time i went to this course i went alone and was invited into a group of 2 been a fan since then) Certain holes tend to be "wind tunnels" and there is a chance you will want to retee cause you werent expecting it. off 95, 7 mins away.

Campbell Highlands= short holes yet fun for a few rounds. Very very very !!!! wooded. I dont recommend to use dx or pro plastic. FEw holes have some length to them, decent course for an am and great course if its 90 degrees out cause its all in the shade!! Some challenge yet possible to bird every hole.

Cranberry Valley= Ironically this is on a apple orchard/farm. LOL being a fat guy i must say this !! if you go make it on a weekend they have these mini donuts that will make you want to smack your mother for never making. Thursday was the first time i have ever gone to this course. I found it nice, slight challenges sides of fairways are thick with small trees or brush makes it hard for a stray disc search. Only complaint i could have is the baskets, chains dont want to grab the disc like the other courses, but then again they are difforant style baskets. Tees are a bit of a cluster F___ cause there was confusion if the tourny tees were being used, but we threw from both. Make sure you got a floater !!! Not very easy for a stroller if you got young ones but surely they will love the place, after you can take them to the moon bounce thing. this one is still in central maine but about 30 mins off 95.

If you only had two days in central maine and wanted to get as much disc in as possible,

i would spend one day at enman field in brunswick and one day at sabattus disc golf. Not only are these two places filled with baskets you wont find yourself being rushed, you can drive walk to your disc throw walk. People on the courses are friendly and laidback.

If anyone is here on a weekend or weekday early mourn (930) let me know im more then willing to go for a round, be forwarned im not pro im a rec player turned die hard so im averaging about a +3 or so.


off topic:

jim i love your trophys they really are art man great job. thats my goal is to get one of your trophys even if i have to buy one which seems to be the case according to my putts lately.


sorry for it being so long I have logged in some serious hours this year and i could write soooo much more.

[Jim Bobka]

Thanks for the props, Jason. I've only played Dragan (DDGC); loved the course, and am hoping to get up there for a short stay. As soon as I can get some of my deadbeat friends off the couch. --jimbo

[John Ellison]

For someone with Pyramids and Maple Hill in their backyard to write this it must be true!

When I told Jason back a year or so ago that I was moving to Maine he told me to go find Sabattus. Luckily, it is the closest course to my home and I get to play there several times a week.

I used to play Maple Hill once a week and now I long for it again. The grass is always greener I guess. I feel lucky to have had the chance to play both and whichever one I am playing from now on I will realize that it just doesn't get any better.

[Jason Rubito]

adam goodman stopped by yesterday to catch a round in @ sabat, from what i think he loved it. We ended up playing a round on the eagle (scores withheld for my benefit lmao) he did very well for someone that never played the course. I am glad he came up i recieved some very good tips that i think will help me, hope he didnt mind me feeding off him for tips, and to find out what i was doiung wrong.

Highlight of the round, would have to be well besides me falling on my ass and looking like a schlub, would have to be him telling me they should work in the water more and my response was "just wait" lol great timing cause it was the very next hole.

[Adam Goodman]

The only complaint I could think of with the hole design was on the eagle's pond hole. The shortcut gap is too difficult to hit off of the tee, not too mention impossible to see from the tee. It is my personal opinion that this hole loses what could be a great shot across the pond. Putting the tee at the top of the gap for an ace/deuce run across the pond, with the "around the horn" line still available for a sure three or four would make for a more interesting and better risk/reward hole.

I had a great time on the Eagle course. I think I shot a 63 or something like that, but it should have easily been a 55 if I had known the course. There were so many holes that after making my initial drive, I realized "Oh, this is how I was supposed to play this hole". Prime example was the hole Craig was talking about. I thought you were supposed to play around the pond. But after walking all the way up, I realized that instead I should have thrown a putter/mid that drifted left towards the pond, then thrown over the pond. I didn't go back and retee (like I did on many holes), but unlike Smolin I think the tee position is great. It gives you a great choice (which might end up being a decision based on how your drive ends up). At first I thought the tree limbs hung down too low over the pond gaps, but then I realized that a good drive will drop down to the left, leaving you with a realistic (not fluky) shot for a 3. Otherwise if you go around, you're probably getting a 5 or worse.

I'm surprised you didn't like the tee Smolin b/c this is what disc golf is all about...it's the future - true par 4s and par 5s. If you had the tee on top of the hill, it would be just another par 3 and almost nobody would probably go around the long way.

Another hole that got my blood pumping was the quarry hole. After a good drive I was left with an uphill shot from the middle. I had no idea how far it was b/c of the elevation (higher than Warwick's #5 blue pin), so I threw a drive into the woods too far. Threw an extra Buzzzz....and realized that that was the shot as it halted to a stop 10 feet from the perched basket.

Hole 3 I didn't quite agree with the mando. I understood the concept so you wouldn't cut the corner and throw over the other tee, but the mando was for a 40 foot gap 300 feet away. There must be a better way of handling that. Hitting that gap is hard enough, but having to negotiate a mando 300' away made it really tough. I unfortunately threw a driver there and wondered why as it faded left through the gap. The correct shot is a mid range disc that will settle down straight right through the gap, leaving a straight shot to the pin 90-degrees to the right.

This would be an excellent tournament course b/c of the huge scoring discrepancies each hole would yield. Thanks for the tour Jason. And thanks to Peter for creating this disc golfers paradise and for showing my wife around. I think her opinion of the sport definitely changed and now thinks more positive of the culture and sport's future. Keep up the good work and good luck with your disc golf business plans. I hope to visit the area again soon.

[Craig Smolin]

Excellent points Adam, specifically about the pond hole. Your absolutely right that this type of hole is the future. I hzyer-flipped my valk to the top of the crest, which was a perfect drive for going around the horn. From there I throw a roc, which got just a bit unlucky, landing in the trees just off the pond, about 60' out. From there, I dropped my putt just under the basket. Not sure if this was a birdie or a par.

IMO, if the pond gap were a bit more visible off of the tee, and slightly more open, it would be a lot more inviting. I played the hole thinking that a perfect drive was to the top of the hill, and from there I would get to chose to either go across or go around. I actually over-shot the pond gap by about 50', and at that point the trees were super tight with no possibility of going across.

I suppose a local would have known the correct disc and distance to throw to reach the gap, and get the birdie/eagle "3"

Regardless, Sabattus has two awesome courses

[Mike Laterreur]

Mikey - sorry, completely forgot that you were up there now.

[discndav]

I played Sabattus last Monday and am thinking this might be the best DG facility I've ever seen! 2 great courses along with a pro shop on beautiful land. I say this after playing for 20 years at over 170 courses!

Take my word for it, go out of your way too play Sabattus!!!!

[James Buonopane]

certainly best course/facility in Maine and top 5 in New England..

[Todd Eddy]

Played Sabattus on Saturday. It fluctuated between 17 and 21 degrees with some serious wind. Met Pete who was working away on the tractor. Great guy, sweet clubhouse, beautiful courses. Then my buddy Mike and I won about 25 games of Beirut in a row. It was a great day.

[Jason Rubito]

Small update for folks.


I hear they have finished yet another course !!! A 9 hole putt and approach, called the owl. Nothing more then 150 feet so im told.

[Paul Benoit]

I played Sab a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was one the best kept courses I ever played at. I really had a lot of fun and enjoyed the variety of challenging holes on both the Eagle and Hawk courses. They do have an 9 hole Owl course that is in operation which makes for a great duce or die experience.I suggest everyone make the big trip up to Maine. Just don't fall asleep on the way home.

[Matt Stroika]

How is there not more banter on this course?

I agree with all the positive reviews. I wish I had gotten here sooner than I did and that I had more time to play the other courses. The Eagle is a sweet course. Not quite perfect, but well worth the 9 hour trip to play 18 holes of golf on a beautiful October day.

Not sure if it is due to erosion, but why are all the concrete tee pads in Maine too short and/or not built up along the edges? I find it sort of odd to have everything else nearly perfect except for safety hazards at the tees.

Despite the island tees, this is a Top 5 course in New England without a doubt. I can't wait to get back.

[LeftyhasRights]

Haven't played a course in Maine

[Dan Hale]

Is this place still open? I know when I was in Maine earlier this year (jan or feb) they were closed. Im hoping to go play on Monday or Tuesday next week....I know they have a number so Ill call it eventually...just being lazy I guess...