Cannon Ridge - Original reviews
5
1
eakadima15
Experience:
27 played
17 reviews
drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Nov 23, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
Course demands wide variety of shots
Terrific elevation changes, great combination of uphill and downhill throws
Many holes are tough but fair
Incredible views, courses don't get much better aesthetically
Green turf tee pads are wonderful to use and memorable
Ideal combination of wooded and open holes
Terrific elevation changes, great combination of uphill and downhill throws
Many holes are tough but fair
Incredible views, courses don't get much better aesthetically
Green turf tee pads are wonderful to use and memorable
Ideal combination of wooded and open holes
Cons:
Signage could be clearer, threw to the wrong basket on a couple of holes
Need to play with a spotter, there are many blind tee shots. Having a spotter on 10 is a must
Need to play with a spotter, there are many blind tee shots. Having a spotter on 10 is a must
Other Thoughts:
Special thanks to Doug for making an exceptional course on his own property free to play. This is a true piece of disc golf heaven!
15
1
Tight Woods and Open Holes 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 14, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
-10 of the hole's meanders thru a heavily wooded course with ravines including elevation and uphill fairways. The last 7 holes open with some trees in play and slightly sloping fairways. One hole is open with a water carry, and in the ravines a creek comes into play.
-There are multiple tees and baskets on some holes. Baskets catch good, there is one hanging basket. The middle tee box is turf, the long and short tee box is natural with a marker. Some long and middle tees share the turf pads, I decided to stay on the turf for a first visit. Some long tees also had turf. It's tree gap crazy off the tees for the most part including a few open fairways. Most baskets have guardian trees.
-Good variety of par and distance.
-Tee signs are a rock marker with hole #, par, and distance.
-#11 long basket ranks #1 as the most difficult basket placement I've seen, unseating #5 Lake Marshall the Lair Course.
-#8 a unique water carry hole that reminded me of watching #1 Eureka Temp hole of the Ledgestone Open. Except in reverse.
-#12 another unique hole open tee to open basket only for an air shot. Hadn't played an open hole quite like it.
-Holes 1 thru 12 with each hole having its own identity, difficulty, and scenic I rank #1 for the opening 2/3rds of a course a very long stretch making me feel like I was being put thru a grinder and enjoying it. Also very physically demanding thru the ravines.
-Holes 12 thru 18 open and will be a delight for the bombers.
-From the tees played a variety of fairways and drivers, pulling a lot of discs out of the bag. Wooded players will love it, and open bombers will find their preference on the last 1/3rd of the course.
-The property is just flat out scenic; the owner has put a lot of time and money into it. The course is private and no fee to play it.
-Navigation is very good in a crooked figure 8 starting off clockwise. No problems from basket to tee.
-The open fairways are well manicured and will always be taken care of.
-Beginners and Recreational players may find holes 1 thru 12 overwhelming, but will find relief the rest of the way in. Intermediate and advance will be challenged with some memorable holes. Overall fun for all.
-There are multiple tees and baskets on some holes. Baskets catch good, there is one hanging basket. The middle tee box is turf, the long and short tee box is natural with a marker. Some long and middle tees share the turf pads, I decided to stay on the turf for a first visit. Some long tees also had turf. It's tree gap crazy off the tees for the most part including a few open fairways. Most baskets have guardian trees.
-Good variety of par and distance.
-Tee signs are a rock marker with hole #, par, and distance.
-#11 long basket ranks #1 as the most difficult basket placement I've seen, unseating #5 Lake Marshall the Lair Course.
-#8 a unique water carry hole that reminded me of watching #1 Eureka Temp hole of the Ledgestone Open. Except in reverse.
-#12 another unique hole open tee to open basket only for an air shot. Hadn't played an open hole quite like it.
-Holes 1 thru 12 with each hole having its own identity, difficulty, and scenic I rank #1 for the opening 2/3rds of a course a very long stretch making me feel like I was being put thru a grinder and enjoying it. Also very physically demanding thru the ravines.
-Holes 12 thru 18 open and will be a delight for the bombers.
-From the tees played a variety of fairways and drivers, pulling a lot of discs out of the bag. Wooded players will love it, and open bombers will find their preference on the last 1/3rd of the course.
-The property is just flat out scenic; the owner has put a lot of time and money into it. The course is private and no fee to play it.
-Navigation is very good in a crooked figure 8 starting off clockwise. No problems from basket to tee.
-The open fairways are well manicured and will always be taken care of.
-Beginners and Recreational players may find holes 1 thru 12 overwhelming, but will find relief the rest of the way in. Intermediate and advance will be challenged with some memorable holes. Overall fun for all.
Cons:
-Really needs a tee or course map with the multiple tees and baskets only on some holes. Can be confusing from the tee box in the ravine portion since most baskets are blind from the tee. Found no online source with a map, and UDisc wasn't much help. Even though I was only playing turf tees, only found 1 rubber matt that was long that I didn't play, I was looking for long tees for any future visits. Mistakenly played a few short baskets when I intended to play long.
-From holes 13 to 17 the course lets up on the gas pedal and opens with some obstacles. The holes are good, solid, and scenic, but only partially unique if you've been bagging courses. But I believe this portion of the course was intended for the long thrower.
-#8 basket is in the owner's backyard and there's patio furniture at about C2 boundary. Just don't want any wild throws to the left.
-On a few holes the course intermixes with the Par 2 course.
-Lost disc potential could be high on some of those ravine holes off the tee, your disc will fly out of sight. And the water hole on #8. Then there's the putt on long 11. The only searching I did was on #10 for a few minutes, everything else the brush was so light walked right up to it.
-From holes 13 to 17 the course lets up on the gas pedal and opens with some obstacles. The holes are good, solid, and scenic, but only partially unique if you've been bagging courses. But I believe this portion of the course was intended for the long thrower.
-#8 basket is in the owner's backyard and there's patio furniture at about C2 boundary. Just don't want any wild throws to the left.
-On a few holes the course intermixes with the Par 2 course.
-Lost disc potential could be high on some of those ravine holes off the tee, your disc will fly out of sight. And the water hole on #8. Then there's the putt on long 11. The only searching I did was on #10 for a few minutes, everything else the brush was so light walked right up to it.
Other Thoughts:
Cannon Ridge IMO is the most overlooked course on DGCR that I've played at the time of this review only 31 of us have played it. I'm sure with Hawk Hollow, Blockhouse, and Loriella Park close by it gets overlooked. The course only got my attention a few months ago when a local facebook page did a top 10 Virginia Disc Course request, and several players listed Cannon Ridge on their list. Did my homework and saw it to be mostly a ravine course, and I was ready to go play! Cannon Ridge is now listed #5 on my Virginia Top Course list.
With hole 1 right out of the block downhill into the ravine with difficulty and scenic, the course never lets up until the 12th basket that portion of the course I've anchored at a 5.0. However, from 13 tee until 16th basket the rating starts dipping with open holes as with the difficulty and, but the fun factor will rise for those who like to sling it out there, and #18 a solid enough finish. I settled on a 4.25 which doesn't work to place an overall rating. My overall rating factor is based on a soaring fun factor for more than 2/3rds of the course with respite for a few holes with the last two finishing holes picking it back up. The round taking pictures took 85 minutes.
Notable Tee:
-No. 16 long tee is placed right on the owner's circular driveway with a beautiful display of plant life in the inner circle behind you. From the tee the hole is open.
Notable Basket Placement:
-No. 11 long basket it's called, but it's at a shorter distance that the "short" basket. This is when a tee map would have been very useful. The basket is hidden behind trees on the left and is not seen as you walk up a killer hill until come upon it. As I spotted it, I had a WTH moment. The basket is lower than the fairway by a few feet literally sitting on a narrow ledge of a few feet wide. Before the basket is bottomed out by at least three-foot drop. Behind the basket is all air, a drop to the ravine of about 20 feet. I can't imagine missing a putt then trying to putt back up the ravine let alone climbing down to get it. As I was looking up fairway at my disc next to what I now know was the wrong basket. It didn't make since to me that the short basket was the monster of all basket placements, and the long basket was an easy approach. I didn't discover the error until later, and the next time I play this hole and the "long" basket, it will be a dump putt.
-No. 13 an open fairway with a dogleg left around a tree line. The basket is very well protected by skinny tree jail. The opening to the basket is no more than 10 feet all the way around it.
Notable Holes:
No. 4 Par 3 Long at 301 feet is a straight down hill drop with heavy trees all the way down. Gaps start right off the tee, no bigger than 15 feet wide, no straight line to the basket. The green slides down to the creek outside C1. A fun throw, but where will it go.
No. 5 Par 3 Long at 302 feet is straight back up the hill you just came down from on No. 4. In front of you are 2 V-shaped gaps, and in the middle a cluster of trees that spread out towards both 4 and 5 fairways. The V shape is about 30 feet in front of you both gaps no more than 12 feet. To the left is 4 which you can use to get behind the V for a line to the baskets if 5 gap is awkward. The 5 gap is a lazy straight up hill dog leg right. Before the short basket is a dip into the fairway and straight back up hill to where both baskets are perched, they both are rollers, and look like vultures peering down at you.
No. 10 Par 3 Long at 281 feet a dogleg left downhill with a mando on the left to keep you straight until about 120 feet out, at the dogleg the fairway drops straight down to the basket, which is backed up by the creek, and blind from the tee. On the left from the tee heavy trees nowhere to go. Missed the dogleg straight to skinny tree jail with a ditch behind it. I miss the dogleg and it took two pitches to get out. Also spent the most time looking for my disc on this hole.
No. 12 Par 3 Long at 458 feet is when the long bombers will start having their fun! From the long tee the hole is boomerang shape to the left and must get high above the trees by at least 25 feet to clear all of them, and there are several trees to clutter the fairway. The tee is in the open, the baskets which are blind, are in a clearing with trees and brush all the way around them outside C1. No short cut on the left, too heavy with trees. I didn't see the longs until I crossed over them after finishing my round, looks to be a fun throw for a big arm to get up and over the trees at least 380 feet on a boomerang left. Even from the middle tees you must get the disc up. I hit a tree on approach.
No. 18 Par 4 Long at 529 feet is a reminder from the tee of the gaps in the ravine section of the course, but its only off the tee thru a 12-foot gap straight down fairway that opens to the right but stays heavy with trees to the left. The fairway doglegs left at about 275 feet out and you leave the heavy trees behind on the left. The fairway slopes down, then back up where the basket sits open. Some marshy water to the left outside of C2. Before you are a handful of trees with thick branches that spread out. Difficult to find a line and will need to find an up and over of at least 30 feet up. Very scenic finishing hole.
Signature Hole:
No. 8 Par 4 Long at 428 feet is a straight away up hill water carry. After you pass the 10-foot gap in front of you the fairway is open all the way to the long basket. The hill you see is a dam holding up a lake full of water. To your left you should see the short basket. Behind the lake which you can't see, is the owner's home behind the lake, straight ahead is a window. To the right of window is the top of a small tree, below that is the long basket. To reach the basket up hill over the water is at least 410 feet. At the gap from the tee are overhanging branches that could keep you from getting height on your disc. The basket sits in the backyard and is a roller into the lake with the help of a dip in the roller. But the grass is fluffy and help stop my disc from rolling into the water pitching from the short basket green. Looking from basket to tee is where I got the thought of a reverse No. 1 Hole at Eureka Temp Ledgestone Open.
Trouble Hole:
No. 3 Par 3 Long at 363 feet is a level fairway until you reach a gap of about 20 feet at 180 feet out, there are some smaller gaps to the left and the fairway then drops down. Need to clear a brush area to the left that bulges into the fairway covering a drop to the ravine at 230 feet to a clearing area, if you clear the gap your disc will disappear from the tee to the clearing below. The fairway then breaks right to a dogleg. The long basket sits in a wooded area sloping down towards it. From the tee to the left is heavy brush and trees leading to the ravine. Only place where I thought I would likely not find a disc. To the right off the tee is heavy with the trees, and no short cuts. From the tee its intimidating, especially looking left off fairway. A tad late release miraculously took me thru a smaller gap on the left, thought disc was gone, but found it barely on fairway past the bulging brush area. That's when I decided what a beautiful throw from off the tee.
With hole 1 right out of the block downhill into the ravine with difficulty and scenic, the course never lets up until the 12th basket that portion of the course I've anchored at a 5.0. However, from 13 tee until 16th basket the rating starts dipping with open holes as with the difficulty and, but the fun factor will rise for those who like to sling it out there, and #18 a solid enough finish. I settled on a 4.25 which doesn't work to place an overall rating. My overall rating factor is based on a soaring fun factor for more than 2/3rds of the course with respite for a few holes with the last two finishing holes picking it back up. The round taking pictures took 85 minutes.
Notable Tee:
-No. 16 long tee is placed right on the owner's circular driveway with a beautiful display of plant life in the inner circle behind you. From the tee the hole is open.
Notable Basket Placement:
-No. 11 long basket it's called, but it's at a shorter distance that the "short" basket. This is when a tee map would have been very useful. The basket is hidden behind trees on the left and is not seen as you walk up a killer hill until come upon it. As I spotted it, I had a WTH moment. The basket is lower than the fairway by a few feet literally sitting on a narrow ledge of a few feet wide. Before the basket is bottomed out by at least three-foot drop. Behind the basket is all air, a drop to the ravine of about 20 feet. I can't imagine missing a putt then trying to putt back up the ravine let alone climbing down to get it. As I was looking up fairway at my disc next to what I now know was the wrong basket. It didn't make since to me that the short basket was the monster of all basket placements, and the long basket was an easy approach. I didn't discover the error until later, and the next time I play this hole and the "long" basket, it will be a dump putt.
-No. 13 an open fairway with a dogleg left around a tree line. The basket is very well protected by skinny tree jail. The opening to the basket is no more than 10 feet all the way around it.
Notable Holes:
No. 4 Par 3 Long at 301 feet is a straight down hill drop with heavy trees all the way down. Gaps start right off the tee, no bigger than 15 feet wide, no straight line to the basket. The green slides down to the creek outside C1. A fun throw, but where will it go.
No. 5 Par 3 Long at 302 feet is straight back up the hill you just came down from on No. 4. In front of you are 2 V-shaped gaps, and in the middle a cluster of trees that spread out towards both 4 and 5 fairways. The V shape is about 30 feet in front of you both gaps no more than 12 feet. To the left is 4 which you can use to get behind the V for a line to the baskets if 5 gap is awkward. The 5 gap is a lazy straight up hill dog leg right. Before the short basket is a dip into the fairway and straight back up hill to where both baskets are perched, they both are rollers, and look like vultures peering down at you.
No. 10 Par 3 Long at 281 feet a dogleg left downhill with a mando on the left to keep you straight until about 120 feet out, at the dogleg the fairway drops straight down to the basket, which is backed up by the creek, and blind from the tee. On the left from the tee heavy trees nowhere to go. Missed the dogleg straight to skinny tree jail with a ditch behind it. I miss the dogleg and it took two pitches to get out. Also spent the most time looking for my disc on this hole.
No. 12 Par 3 Long at 458 feet is when the long bombers will start having their fun! From the long tee the hole is boomerang shape to the left and must get high above the trees by at least 25 feet to clear all of them, and there are several trees to clutter the fairway. The tee is in the open, the baskets which are blind, are in a clearing with trees and brush all the way around them outside C1. No short cut on the left, too heavy with trees. I didn't see the longs until I crossed over them after finishing my round, looks to be a fun throw for a big arm to get up and over the trees at least 380 feet on a boomerang left. Even from the middle tees you must get the disc up. I hit a tree on approach.
No. 18 Par 4 Long at 529 feet is a reminder from the tee of the gaps in the ravine section of the course, but its only off the tee thru a 12-foot gap straight down fairway that opens to the right but stays heavy with trees to the left. The fairway doglegs left at about 275 feet out and you leave the heavy trees behind on the left. The fairway slopes down, then back up where the basket sits open. Some marshy water to the left outside of C2. Before you are a handful of trees with thick branches that spread out. Difficult to find a line and will need to find an up and over of at least 30 feet up. Very scenic finishing hole.
Signature Hole:
No. 8 Par 4 Long at 428 feet is a straight away up hill water carry. After you pass the 10-foot gap in front of you the fairway is open all the way to the long basket. The hill you see is a dam holding up a lake full of water. To your left you should see the short basket. Behind the lake which you can't see, is the owner's home behind the lake, straight ahead is a window. To the right of window is the top of a small tree, below that is the long basket. To reach the basket up hill over the water is at least 410 feet. At the gap from the tee are overhanging branches that could keep you from getting height on your disc. The basket sits in the backyard and is a roller into the lake with the help of a dip in the roller. But the grass is fluffy and help stop my disc from rolling into the water pitching from the short basket green. Looking from basket to tee is where I got the thought of a reverse No. 1 Hole at Eureka Temp Ledgestone Open.
Trouble Hole:
No. 3 Par 3 Long at 363 feet is a level fairway until you reach a gap of about 20 feet at 180 feet out, there are some smaller gaps to the left and the fairway then drops down. Need to clear a brush area to the left that bulges into the fairway covering a drop to the ravine at 230 feet to a clearing area, if you clear the gap your disc will disappear from the tee to the clearing below. The fairway then breaks right to a dogleg. The long basket sits in a wooded area sloping down towards it. From the tee to the left is heavy brush and trees leading to the ravine. Only place where I thought I would likely not find a disc. To the right off the tee is heavy with the trees, and no short cuts. From the tee its intimidating, especially looking left off fairway. A tad late release miraculously took me thru a smaller gap on the left, thought disc was gone, but found it barely on fairway past the bulging brush area. That's when I decided what a beautiful throw from off the tee.
