Discraft Disc Golf
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The Cliff Stephens Disc Golf Course in Clearwater, FL is located about 20 minutes away from the Tampa, FL airport, making it an ideal destination for fellow disc golf travelers headed to the Sunshine State. This beautifully maintained disc golf course features well-marked concrete tee boxes, a number of water hazards, and some quirky surprises along the way. While this may not be the most challenging course in the country, it is certainly one of the best experiences I have had in my travels so far...just watch out for the lightning!
At first glance you will realize that this is an extremely tight course. Holes are placed very close to one another. As a result there is not a whole lot of walking during your round. Depending on your perspective this could be a positive or a negative (if you spend as much time online as I do maybe its the latter). Each hole has two concrete tee boxes with excellent signage pointing out the general hole location. Most holes as Cliff Stephens Disc Golf Course are straight shots that should be an easy 3 for experiences players. Distances are mostly short...in the 300′ - 350′ range (except for the long 18th). A good stable driver (such as my newly purchased Discraft XL) could be your best friend here.
Naturally, the Cliff Stephens Disc Golf Course is not a breeze to play. Just about every hole features either a thick grouping of trees or a water hazard. A bad drive could leave you making the decision to lay up onto the fairway, or try to cut through several hazards. Hole number 5 is a good example of how important the placement of your drive can be. You could easily waste two strokes trying to cut through trees if you don't land in a favorable spot. As far as challenging water hazards go, look no further than hole #16 which features an island green. It can easily be reached with a medium distance drive. However, it will definitely test your mettle (I would not want to lose a brand new disc).
On a related note my Mom, Girlfriend, and I struck up a conversation with a young man who was snorkeling for lost discs in the various ponds. He did not seem to mind the posted "DANGER: ALLIGATOR" signs. I can only hope he was getting hazard pay on his eBay postings.
As previously mentioned, the course ends on a high note, allowing you to let loose a cannon of a drive on #18. The fairway is WIDE OPEN and forgiving. You will definitely have fun letting loose and pulling out your longest, least accurate driver. It might even take you a couple long drives to get within putting range.
Throughout your experience at Cliff Stephens Disc Golf Course the one feature you will probably notice most is the diversity that is found from hole to hole. No two holes are exactly the same. Each features a memorable hole location, hazard, or quirk. Hole #9 for example has you drive over a wooded retaining wall that is about waist high. My girlfriend Sherri had the shot of the day on this hole, bouncing her Discraft Avenger SS driver right off the top of the wall and inches away from the basket.
To sum things up...if you are ever in the Tampa/Clearwater area you should to check out the Cliff Stephens Disc Golf Course. Check that...you NEED to visit the Tampa/Clearwater area to come play this course. It is absolutely beautifully maintained, expertly designed, and a whole lot of fun.
by Ron Capurso
http://www.DiscGolfTraveler.com
What is better? Innova Disc golf discs or Discraft?
This is really just a matter of opinion, all the companies have very good discs. I prefer Discraft but that's probably only because that was what i started playing with and got use to playing with. However, i definitely keep a few innova (especially the champion and new star) in my bag as well as my always trustworthy gateway wizard.
The Moral: Discraft Rules, but give the other guys a chance every once in a while.
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