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Camp Swatara reviews
15
0
Very solid effort by local design gurus
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Apr 13, 2023
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Tons of variety
Tees arranged to make it pretty friendly for newbies and pretty challenging for experts
Wide corridors in the woods
Each hole is like a little puzzle
Tees arranged to make it pretty friendly for newbies and pretty challenging for experts
Wide corridors in the woods
Each hole is like a little puzzle
Cons:
Rubber tees, if you don't like that sort of thing. They were in great shape though.
If you go off the relatively wide fairways, you're pretty much in pricker bushes.
It's pretty hilly and rocky in spots, can be tough to walk. Also, you aren't very close to your car once you get past #5. Not that this is a con, but just be prepared that once you go up the hill on #6 in to the woods, you're pretty far out there until you get to #18.
$2 to play. Definitely worth it though.
Closed from about Friday at noon to Sunday evening. They have campers.
If you go off the relatively wide fairways, you're pretty much in pricker bushes.
It's pretty hilly and rocky in spots, can be tough to walk. Also, you aren't very close to your car once you get past #5. Not that this is a con, but just be prepared that once you go up the hill on #6 in to the woods, you're pretty far out there until you get to #18.
$2 to play. Definitely worth it though.
Closed from about Friday at noon to Sunday evening. They have campers.
Other Thoughts:
The star of the show here is the course designers, Michael Dunkle and Charlie Greco. They weren't given tons of land to work with, but managed to come up with a rare course that pretty much everyone will like. As long as they don't stray too far off the fairways.
Dunkle and Greco specialize in making relatively short holes challenging by giving you multiple options from the tee, none of which seem the best. You see this all day long if you go to another of their courses in Lebanon County, South Hills. That course is packed full of options. Is the left corridor best? Should I go left or right of the tree? Half the time you're trying one way and still thinking about the other. Camp Swatara does that to you constantly. It is filled with par 3s that trick you into going straight at them. Before you do, look around a bit, because very often playing a wide curving shot gives you a lot more room, especially from the short tee. The long tees usually make you hit a gap first
Unlike most of their courses which have one tee and two baskets, this course has one basket and two tees on almost every hole. There are two holes where the short and long tee are the same. Having played both the shorts and then the longs in back to back days, the fun level is the same from both, although the long tees are quite a bit more challenging than the 6 shot difference in par might reflect.
There is also an LVDG League layout on UDisc that is a great option, as it plays the back tees when the back tee is more fun. There are some pretty tough shots, but you aren't constantly being pummeled.
The short tees are set up around 4300 feet, par 56. There are 16 par threes, 2 par fours. None of the par threes are over 300 feet, and both par fours are less than 400 feet. Very playable. The long tees are par 62, but add 2100 feet, or about 350 feet per shot. That's a lot to make up considering most of it is in the woods. If you can shoot even par from the short tees, you can expect to shoot around +6 from the long tees.
Based on PDGA league nights, even par 56 from the short tees on a nice day is about an 890 rating. Even par 58 from the LVDG tees is about a 925 rating. Even par from all of the long tees is 62 and I haven't played in any event that used those tees but my guess is that would be about a 940.
The short tees are plenty for a beginner or someone who can get it out there 150-200 feet or so, and relatively straight. You'll have lots of 210-foot par threes, that go in every different direction, including up and down. The long tees are for advanced players but aren't so crushing that you can't have fun. The LVDG league tees gives you a lot of long, downhill throws, including a par-4 I can reach with a Leopard (and I'm not exactly long). Another great intermediate course would be to play the longer tees only when the par is higher than the short tee. That way you still have a par 62 course, but it's a pretty friendly 62. For example, both #14 and #18 are fabulous downhill par 5 holes that are par 4s from the short tee. There's no need to skip the long tee. Although, playing #14 from the short tee as a par 4 gives you the rare opportunity for a double-eagle. But still, the long tee is about 850 feet, straight downhill the whole way. It's a blast! How often do you play a course with two par 5s that are both sharply downhill?
I'm not going to go hole by hole and describe all of them, but Hole 1 is a good example of what you're in for. You can either play the long tee about 320, or the short tee at about 210. Either way, you have a slightly downhill shot that you must play left to right if you want to get close. Problem is, there's a shallow creek on the right that is OB. But playing way out to the left brings a grove of trees and pricker bushes into play. Going straight isn't great because there's a pine tree 50 feet short of the basket. What to do? Hole 3, 233 feet par 3 from both tees, is another puzzler... there's a nice wide corridor but that isn't where the basket is. Instead the basket is blockaded behind a wall of trees to the right. You can try to curve a left to right shot in there, or play out to the left and pitch up. Or there is that tiny opening straight ahead that you can definitely hit...unless you don't in which case you're 150 feet away still, probably with no shot. Hole 5 isn't very long, but there's a shallow creek again, this time on the left. And there's that one lone tree right in the middle. Which way around it is best? Hole 8, downhill, big dropoff behind, but how to get there? Straight is doable, but dangerous. Right seems safe enough? Or maybe left?
You get the point. There are multiple par 3s with water, none of which will eat your disc, but the water is certainly in play. Can I get across the water? Play away from it? No, let's go for it, because I won't lose my disc!
The photos posted of the course make it look narrower and more rugged than it currently is The corridors are 40-50 feet wide in the woods, although you do still have some trees to deal with. It doesn't look nearly so claustrophobic when there still aren't leaves on the trees. #18 is probably the narrowest fairway, which is OK since it's a 650-foot downhill par 5 that curves left. You can manage the 20-foot wide fairway and you're not going to lose your disc in the rough.
It's not a 5.0 course, a Best of the Best, but it's somewhere between 4.0 and 4.5. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and go 4.5. It caters to all audiences, and is both difficult and lots of fun at the same time, which is a rare combination. There aren't really any weak spots. It's 18 straight holes of above average golf, each with a mystery to solve. If it were 2000 feet longer and par 70, with cement tees and the pricker bushes totally gone, we'd be calling this one of the best courses in the world.
I keep changing my rating on this, from 4.0 to 4.5 and back....I have Lenni Lenape at 4.0 and South Hills at 4.5 and this really is in the middle. It basically is South Hills, but in the woods
Dunkle and Greco specialize in making relatively short holes challenging by giving you multiple options from the tee, none of which seem the best. You see this all day long if you go to another of their courses in Lebanon County, South Hills. That course is packed full of options. Is the left corridor best? Should I go left or right of the tree? Half the time you're trying one way and still thinking about the other. Camp Swatara does that to you constantly. It is filled with par 3s that trick you into going straight at them. Before you do, look around a bit, because very often playing a wide curving shot gives you a lot more room, especially from the short tee. The long tees usually make you hit a gap first
Unlike most of their courses which have one tee and two baskets, this course has one basket and two tees on almost every hole. There are two holes where the short and long tee are the same. Having played both the shorts and then the longs in back to back days, the fun level is the same from both, although the long tees are quite a bit more challenging than the 6 shot difference in par might reflect.
There is also an LVDG League layout on UDisc that is a great option, as it plays the back tees when the back tee is more fun. There are some pretty tough shots, but you aren't constantly being pummeled.
The short tees are set up around 4300 feet, par 56. There are 16 par threes, 2 par fours. None of the par threes are over 300 feet, and both par fours are less than 400 feet. Very playable. The long tees are par 62, but add 2100 feet, or about 350 feet per shot. That's a lot to make up considering most of it is in the woods. If you can shoot even par from the short tees, you can expect to shoot around +6 from the long tees.
Based on PDGA league nights, even par 56 from the short tees on a nice day is about an 890 rating. Even par 58 from the LVDG tees is about a 925 rating. Even par from all of the long tees is 62 and I haven't played in any event that used those tees but my guess is that would be about a 940.
The short tees are plenty for a beginner or someone who can get it out there 150-200 feet or so, and relatively straight. You'll have lots of 210-foot par threes, that go in every different direction, including up and down. The long tees are for advanced players but aren't so crushing that you can't have fun. The LVDG league tees gives you a lot of long, downhill throws, including a par-4 I can reach with a Leopard (and I'm not exactly long). Another great intermediate course would be to play the longer tees only when the par is higher than the short tee. That way you still have a par 62 course, but it's a pretty friendly 62. For example, both #14 and #18 are fabulous downhill par 5 holes that are par 4s from the short tee. There's no need to skip the long tee. Although, playing #14 from the short tee as a par 4 gives you the rare opportunity for a double-eagle. But still, the long tee is about 850 feet, straight downhill the whole way. It's a blast! How often do you play a course with two par 5s that are both sharply downhill?
I'm not going to go hole by hole and describe all of them, but Hole 1 is a good example of what you're in for. You can either play the long tee about 320, or the short tee at about 210. Either way, you have a slightly downhill shot that you must play left to right if you want to get close. Problem is, there's a shallow creek on the right that is OB. But playing way out to the left brings a grove of trees and pricker bushes into play. Going straight isn't great because there's a pine tree 50 feet short of the basket. What to do? Hole 3, 233 feet par 3 from both tees, is another puzzler... there's a nice wide corridor but that isn't where the basket is. Instead the basket is blockaded behind a wall of trees to the right. You can try to curve a left to right shot in there, or play out to the left and pitch up. Or there is that tiny opening straight ahead that you can definitely hit...unless you don't in which case you're 150 feet away still, probably with no shot. Hole 5 isn't very long, but there's a shallow creek again, this time on the left. And there's that one lone tree right in the middle. Which way around it is best? Hole 8, downhill, big dropoff behind, but how to get there? Straight is doable, but dangerous. Right seems safe enough? Or maybe left?
You get the point. There are multiple par 3s with water, none of which will eat your disc, but the water is certainly in play. Can I get across the water? Play away from it? No, let's go for it, because I won't lose my disc!
The photos posted of the course make it look narrower and more rugged than it currently is The corridors are 40-50 feet wide in the woods, although you do still have some trees to deal with. It doesn't look nearly so claustrophobic when there still aren't leaves on the trees. #18 is probably the narrowest fairway, which is OK since it's a 650-foot downhill par 5 that curves left. You can manage the 20-foot wide fairway and you're not going to lose your disc in the rough.
It's not a 5.0 course, a Best of the Best, but it's somewhere between 4.0 and 4.5. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and go 4.5. It caters to all audiences, and is both difficult and lots of fun at the same time, which is a rare combination. There aren't really any weak spots. It's 18 straight holes of above average golf, each with a mystery to solve. If it were 2000 feet longer and par 70, with cement tees and the pricker bushes totally gone, we'd be calling this one of the best courses in the world.
I keep changing my rating on this, from 4.0 to 4.5 and back....I have Lenni Lenape at 4.0 and South Hills at 4.5 and this really is in the middle. It basically is South Hills, but in the woods
16
0
One of the Best Courses I Have Played 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Sep 2, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
Coming from SE PA, this is one of the best courses I played so far, rivaling Camp Sankanac, although the two are markedly different characters.
I also took the backroads and really loved the drive up here after Reading. It's designed by Michael Dunkle & Charlie Greco, who also worked on South Hills in Lebanon, Lenni Lenape, and several others courses south of here. I've been a fan of most of their courses and this one seems like a homerun.
In the beginning, it's grass fairways framed by forest and sometime after the fifth hole it became mostly forested but generous fairways, often with elevation in the mix. Streams play a role on a few holes but they weren't big nor threatening to carry disc away.
Navigation was supremely easy and only by the 16th basket did I have to pull out my phone, since teeing from from #1, to orient myself on the course map. Everything just flowed smoothly from one to the next.
There were a few holes I really liked, maybe because I parked them first time out. Like #5, one of the last grassy holes bisected by a stream, #11 a 306ft downhill in the forest or #16 with basket on it's own "island" formed by stream in front and brush in brush in back. But that's personal preference. Idk if you'd call any of them signature holes, probably not, but the course as a whole simply felt solid.
To compare with someplace equivalent like Sankanac, there the fairways tends to be relatively flat with high tees or baskets when elevation is in play. Also, the course is not divorced from where camp activities take place, so where you get to see different things while playing. A lot of variety but same activity about can also hinder play. Here, when there's elevation, it tends to be up or down for nearly the entire length of the hole. It's sequestered away from Camp to its own section, so all you see is fairways, fairways, fairways.
+Elevation plays a big role here but it never felt obnoxiously gimmicky about it.
+Nearly each hole had two tee pads, one basket. I played the short tees, which probably averaged a bit longer than a typical community course although walking from from the long tees to the short adds to that.
+Signs were top notch, illustrated on metal or rigid plastic. Very clear and simple to read.
I also took the backroads and really loved the drive up here after Reading. It's designed by Michael Dunkle & Charlie Greco, who also worked on South Hills in Lebanon, Lenni Lenape, and several others courses south of here. I've been a fan of most of their courses and this one seems like a homerun.
In the beginning, it's grass fairways framed by forest and sometime after the fifth hole it became mostly forested but generous fairways, often with elevation in the mix. Streams play a role on a few holes but they weren't big nor threatening to carry disc away.
Navigation was supremely easy and only by the 16th basket did I have to pull out my phone, since teeing from from #1, to orient myself on the course map. Everything just flowed smoothly from one to the next.
There were a few holes I really liked, maybe because I parked them first time out. Like #5, one of the last grassy holes bisected by a stream, #11 a 306ft downhill in the forest or #16 with basket on it's own "island" formed by stream in front and brush in brush in back. But that's personal preference. Idk if you'd call any of them signature holes, probably not, but the course as a whole simply felt solid.
To compare with someplace equivalent like Sankanac, there the fairways tends to be relatively flat with high tees or baskets when elevation is in play. Also, the course is not divorced from where camp activities take place, so where you get to see different things while playing. A lot of variety but same activity about can also hinder play. Here, when there's elevation, it tends to be up or down for nearly the entire length of the hole. It's sequestered away from Camp to its own section, so all you see is fairways, fairways, fairways.
+Elevation plays a big role here but it never felt obnoxiously gimmicky about it.
+Nearly each hole had two tee pads, one basket. I played the short tees, which probably averaged a bit longer than a typical community course although walking from from the long tees to the short adds to that.
+Signs were top notch, illustrated on metal or rigid plastic. Very clear and simple to read.
Cons:
First thing of importance is to note the hours. Open from Sunday after 3PM to Friday Noon. In other words it's closed the greater part of the weekends to general public, open only to Camp Sawarta residents. Please take note!
My only problem, first time out was how to reach the course after driving into Camp Sawatara, which felt a bit daunting, and also navigating from #16 to #17.
Some people complained about the tees. I didn't have a problem with them but I barely remember them at this point, after a month.
Some people have complained about brush on the edges. They probably took the long tees with huge drives and I can see that, although haven't experienced it myself.
-Navigational Snafu: #16's basket has an arrow pointing back, which I took meant out, towards the field. No, you actually want to recross the bridge back to #16 fairway and then take the path left of the basket. This was the only navigational annoyance I had here once on the course.
My only problem, first time out was how to reach the course after driving into Camp Sawatara, which felt a bit daunting, and also navigating from #16 to #17.
Some people complained about the tees. I didn't have a problem with them but I barely remember them at this point, after a month.
Some people have complained about brush on the edges. They probably took the long tees with huge drives and I can see that, although haven't experienced it myself.
-Navigational Snafu: #16's basket has an arrow pointing back, which I took meant out, towards the field. No, you actually want to recross the bridge back to #16 fairway and then take the path left of the basket. This was the only navigational annoyance I had here once on the course.
Other Thoughts:
Terrain Potential: XXXX - Excellent. Plenty of land, open spaces, woods, hills, some water.
Actual Execution: XXXXx - Phenonemal. Almost everything just flowed together.
Upkeep: N/A - Brand new.
Difficulty: XXXx - Intermediate+. Two sets of tees, the short set was already a challenge to me.
Fun Factor: XXXXX - Best of the best. I really enjoyed playing here my first time out. It made up for a lot of mediocre rounds lately.
Overall: XXXXx - Phenonemal. I loved playing here.
Starting Point: Once you drive into Camp Sawatara, follow the road alongside the pond until over the bridge and the roads split in two with a large sign. Go right. Stop at the office, if you need a visitor pass. Then follow the road until you're out of the woods and make a right. This will loop around a grass parking lot island you can park on. At the end is the bulletin board for the disc golf course and behind it a box to pay suggested donation of $2. Location of parking/bulletin/first tee on google maps is 40.497179, -76.352892
Amenities: On the course itself I didn't see anything.
Actual Execution: XXXXx - Phenonemal. Almost everything just flowed together.
Upkeep: N/A - Brand new.
Difficulty: XXXx - Intermediate+. Two sets of tees, the short set was already a challenge to me.
Fun Factor: XXXXX - Best of the best. I really enjoyed playing here my first time out. It made up for a lot of mediocre rounds lately.
Overall: XXXXx - Phenonemal. I loved playing here.
Starting Point: Once you drive into Camp Sawatara, follow the road alongside the pond until over the bridge and the roads split in two with a large sign. Go right. Stop at the office, if you need a visitor pass. Then follow the road until you're out of the woods and make a right. This will loop around a grass parking lot island you can park on. At the end is the bulletin board for the disc golf course and behind it a box to pay suggested donation of $2. Location of parking/bulletin/first tee on google maps is 40.497179, -76.352892
Amenities: On the course itself I didn't see anything.
