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Glenwood Park reviews
14
0
Listen To The Music On The Lake! 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Nov 14, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
Disclaimer: It's been almost three weeks since I played here. I had final exams coming up and didn't have much time to spare. Grad school is HARD! I love this course a lot and want to do it justice on this review.
-Glenwood's scenery, terrain, variety, and location on the lake stole my heart. I played the blues and was delighted with the thrill of throwing over the lake twice on holes ten and seventeen. Course is very hilly and has some excellent steep downhills and uphills. The baskets were all in the long pins when I played, which I didn't even know there were any! On that layout, I had the pleasure of playing some par 4s and a couple of par 5s.
-Suitable for everyone since there are three sets of pads. There was a doubles tournament going on when I dropped by and the players were all playing the white pads to the long pins. The whites are pretty simple to the original pins, somewhat overparred for intermediate players. The white pads to long pins make this course much more suitable for an intermediate player. The reds are the rec pads and they are fun enough to make a newbie fall in love with disc golf.
-Again. Glenwood is very hilly. I love elevation but relevance and distinctiveness are important to me too. I played Princeton, Glenwood, and then Thornspring and I strongly wish I played here last instead of Thornspring. Thornspring was a very long and a very hilly open course too, but did not have as much meaning to it since it is extremely long and wide open on a golf course.
-Glenwood is one of the most meaningful courses I have ever played from the long pins. #4's long pad has you teeing up instantly up the side of the hill that you throw on the previous hole. The hole continues out in the open gently uphill. The fairway eventually takes you to the woods and then the elevation increase gets steeper and higher. Probably up about 45' in elevation if I have to guess from the long pad. Challenging enough in the short pin. The long pin is harder. It's barely any further, but it's sharply to the left side of the short pin. Very meticulous and surprising how maybe 75' can make a hole much tougher. This is a challenging par four and one that is wonderfully designed! #7 and #8 (especially #8) were both fun downhill shots. #7 was nice and unique being a tricky flex shot out of the woods into the open next to an OB fence. #8 was EPIC! 353' and severely downhill. I threw a putter and was underneath the basket. Not to mention the green has a couple of boulders between the basket. Hole is dead straight so if you hit the line reasonably well, you'll get to see your disc glide! #16's drive down a big steep hill off of a flat lot was sweet too! There's more that I'll get to.
-After playing two joyous downhill holes (joyous to me at least), you get to play another one. Not as far down but slightly downhill the entire way (maybe a 25' decline in elevation change from the long). That is #9. You have a view of the reservoir that you are throwing directly toward. The lake is maybe 40' past the basket, so if you are too powerful, you'll be in the water. Hole is a par four, so if you have a long enough drive from the pad, you'll have a better chance in seeing the basket on you upshot. It's a real grip and rip from the long pad, but there is a gap you have to hit since it starts in the woods.
After #9 you get to play OVER the lake on #10. A super fun ace run. Only about 225' from the long and about 180' from the short. Not a long hole, but you have to be no more maybe 20' short of the basket to not be out of bounds. If you play the blues, you'll have an extremely scary but fun experience on #17. This hole is much tougher than it looks. The white tee isn't very hard, as it is longer but wide open. The blue pad is a 546' beast! If you can't clear 350', play the white pad. There was a slight headwind when I threw, so it took a pretty good rip to have a secure spot in the open past the lake. The basket is tucked in a wooded pocket. From the pads, it looks like the basket is barely in there but not really. It's about 40' past the clearing.
-#11's long pin was a killer par five. Especially from the blue. The blue pad is next to the reservoir, making a unique tee area. The short pin is halfway up the big hill, being a softer par four with it being open. The long pin is all the way up the hill and tucked into the woods on top of the hill to the right. Many holes here have elevation changes past the 25' mark and this hole is just past the 50' mark. It's under 700' and seems easy to birdie, but it's actually quite hard. The next par five, and this is a par five from both pins, is well the next hole! #12. This hole was a blast to play. 644' in the original pin and about 750' in the long. The basket was in the long. The drive is another big downhill and this time it's initially open and through a gap that's pretty far from the blue pad. Many ways to attack this hole and make a birdie. You could go short and have an easier second shot through the gap. Or you could go big and try to hit the gap off the pad. If you hit it, you might have a chance for eagle or you could lose a stroke or two in the woods. The short pin is pretty much straight ahead, but the long pin is tucked in the woods up a small hill to the right side.
-Lots of forgiveness. The original pins make this a relatively easier course because of par. The long pins are quite harder and were a more enjoyable challenge for me but there were still plenty of easy birdies out there for a 960 rated player like myself. Course is more open than usual but still has some wooded holes.
-Glenwood's scenery, terrain, variety, and location on the lake stole my heart. I played the blues and was delighted with the thrill of throwing over the lake twice on holes ten and seventeen. Course is very hilly and has some excellent steep downhills and uphills. The baskets were all in the long pins when I played, which I didn't even know there were any! On that layout, I had the pleasure of playing some par 4s and a couple of par 5s.
-Suitable for everyone since there are three sets of pads. There was a doubles tournament going on when I dropped by and the players were all playing the white pads to the long pins. The whites are pretty simple to the original pins, somewhat overparred for intermediate players. The white pads to long pins make this course much more suitable for an intermediate player. The reds are the rec pads and they are fun enough to make a newbie fall in love with disc golf.
-Again. Glenwood is very hilly. I love elevation but relevance and distinctiveness are important to me too. I played Princeton, Glenwood, and then Thornspring and I strongly wish I played here last instead of Thornspring. Thornspring was a very long and a very hilly open course too, but did not have as much meaning to it since it is extremely long and wide open on a golf course.
-Glenwood is one of the most meaningful courses I have ever played from the long pins. #4's long pad has you teeing up instantly up the side of the hill that you throw on the previous hole. The hole continues out in the open gently uphill. The fairway eventually takes you to the woods and then the elevation increase gets steeper and higher. Probably up about 45' in elevation if I have to guess from the long pad. Challenging enough in the short pin. The long pin is harder. It's barely any further, but it's sharply to the left side of the short pin. Very meticulous and surprising how maybe 75' can make a hole much tougher. This is a challenging par four and one that is wonderfully designed! #7 and #8 (especially #8) were both fun downhill shots. #7 was nice and unique being a tricky flex shot out of the woods into the open next to an OB fence. #8 was EPIC! 353' and severely downhill. I threw a putter and was underneath the basket. Not to mention the green has a couple of boulders between the basket. Hole is dead straight so if you hit the line reasonably well, you'll get to see your disc glide! #16's drive down a big steep hill off of a flat lot was sweet too! There's more that I'll get to.
-After playing two joyous downhill holes (joyous to me at least), you get to play another one. Not as far down but slightly downhill the entire way (maybe a 25' decline in elevation change from the long). That is #9. You have a view of the reservoir that you are throwing directly toward. The lake is maybe 40' past the basket, so if you are too powerful, you'll be in the water. Hole is a par four, so if you have a long enough drive from the pad, you'll have a better chance in seeing the basket on you upshot. It's a real grip and rip from the long pad, but there is a gap you have to hit since it starts in the woods.
After #9 you get to play OVER the lake on #10. A super fun ace run. Only about 225' from the long and about 180' from the short. Not a long hole, but you have to be no more maybe 20' short of the basket to not be out of bounds. If you play the blues, you'll have an extremely scary but fun experience on #17. This hole is much tougher than it looks. The white tee isn't very hard, as it is longer but wide open. The blue pad is a 546' beast! If you can't clear 350', play the white pad. There was a slight headwind when I threw, so it took a pretty good rip to have a secure spot in the open past the lake. The basket is tucked in a wooded pocket. From the pads, it looks like the basket is barely in there but not really. It's about 40' past the clearing.
-#11's long pin was a killer par five. Especially from the blue. The blue pad is next to the reservoir, making a unique tee area. The short pin is halfway up the big hill, being a softer par four with it being open. The long pin is all the way up the hill and tucked into the woods on top of the hill to the right. Many holes here have elevation changes past the 25' mark and this hole is just past the 50' mark. It's under 700' and seems easy to birdie, but it's actually quite hard. The next par five, and this is a par five from both pins, is well the next hole! #12. This hole was a blast to play. 644' in the original pin and about 750' in the long. The basket was in the long. The drive is another big downhill and this time it's initially open and through a gap that's pretty far from the blue pad. Many ways to attack this hole and make a birdie. You could go short and have an easier second shot through the gap. Or you could go big and try to hit the gap off the pad. If you hit it, you might have a chance for eagle or you could lose a stroke or two in the woods. The short pin is pretty much straight ahead, but the long pin is tucked in the woods up a small hill to the right side.
-Lots of forgiveness. The original pins make this a relatively easier course because of par. The long pins are quite harder and were a more enjoyable challenge for me but there were still plenty of easy birdies out there for a 960 rated player like myself. Course is more open than usual but still has some wooded holes.
Cons:
-The layout I played was epic. The first hole and final hole have more meaning in the long pins since they are quite close to the lake. None of the holes here to me are bland or have a lack in meaning. The only problem was the difficulty of navigation. The long tees don't all have signs and they are sometimes difficult to spot. Only the white tees all have signs. There's no course kiosk. U disc made Glenwood a lot easier to navigate. I needed help from a local on locating #4's long pad.
-I guess the road on #3 and #4 is hard to avoid sometimes. You'll see pedestrians.
-I guess the road on #3 and #4 is hard to avoid sometimes. You'll see pedestrians.
Other Thoughts:
-Hole 8 is one of the greatest holes that I have ever played. It was kind of like two other epic holes that I've played, but longer and with even more of an elevation drop. #18 at Inverness in Hoover, Alabama sort of came to mind. More so would be #12 at Stoney Hill in Newberry, SC. That hole is more open but same premise. Straight and a long way downhill onto an island green with a creek. #8 at Glenwood is even funner than those two holes! There's a small creek (or ditch) near the basket along with some boulders. #11 and #13 were both fun huge uphill drives for me and made the shorter distances for their par very well justified. #11 from blue to long plays probably close to 850'. #13 was a dogleg right and doesn't turn until maybe 250' from the blue pad, doesn't seem far, but the top of the hill is probably 40' above the tee pad. You'll have to really crush it to be able to birdie this par four even though it's under 450'.
-#16 was another signature hole. The white pad was more traditional. You know, steep downhill from the get go and slightly to the right side. The danger is the potential (despite it being low) to roll left off of the side and be left with a tricky upshot or even in the lake. The water is visible from the white pad. The blue pad is a very creative and originally thought out challenge. You tee off on the top of the hill yes, but you are further back and the hill doesn't decline until you reach the white pad. From the blue pad, this hole is flat for the first 100'. You have to be very cautious and critical because of the big change of the terrain that you don't immediately get to. It changes the flight of your disc. I had to think for a couple of minutes on how I was going to try and attack this hole. It's hard to throw 400' straight or have it flex to the end at the end of a longer distance. Usually discs will fade left but that's not at all what you want here. The basket is just a touch to the right side. Sidearm throwers will have an easier time with this challenge, but a backhand dominant thrower like myself will have to find their most reliable understable driver.
-I absolutely love Glenwood. I was really stuck between giving it a 4 or 4.5. Based on how much I loved some of the holes here, the creativity, and the mountainous atmosphere along with the lake made me really undermine the lack of proper signage and the difficulty with navigation. Glenwood desperately needs better signage. Some players have a hard time enjoying and seeing the brilliance and effort put in to a course when it's harder to navigate. I think if there was better signage, more people would enjoy Glenwood as much as I did. It's absolutely stunning! I decided to drive three and a half hours primarily to play here and I'm proud to say that I did. It's a real "underdog" that I think it's well worthy of a 4.5. Surprised I rated this higher than the designer.
-#16 was another signature hole. The white pad was more traditional. You know, steep downhill from the get go and slightly to the right side. The danger is the potential (despite it being low) to roll left off of the side and be left with a tricky upshot or even in the lake. The water is visible from the white pad. The blue pad is a very creative and originally thought out challenge. You tee off on the top of the hill yes, but you are further back and the hill doesn't decline until you reach the white pad. From the blue pad, this hole is flat for the first 100'. You have to be very cautious and critical because of the big change of the terrain that you don't immediately get to. It changes the flight of your disc. I had to think for a couple of minutes on how I was going to try and attack this hole. It's hard to throw 400' straight or have it flex to the end at the end of a longer distance. Usually discs will fade left but that's not at all what you want here. The basket is just a touch to the right side. Sidearm throwers will have an easier time with this challenge, but a backhand dominant thrower like myself will have to find their most reliable understable driver.
-I absolutely love Glenwood. I was really stuck between giving it a 4 or 4.5. Based on how much I loved some of the holes here, the creativity, and the mountainous atmosphere along with the lake made me really undermine the lack of proper signage and the difficulty with navigation. Glenwood desperately needs better signage. Some players have a hard time enjoying and seeing the brilliance and effort put in to a course when it's harder to navigate. I think if there was better signage, more people would enjoy Glenwood as much as I did. It's absolutely stunning! I decided to drive three and a half hours primarily to play here and I'm proud to say that I did. It's a real "underdog" that I think it's well worthy of a 4.5. Surprised I rated this higher than the designer.
2
2
michael_w
Experience:
8.4 years
4 played
1 reviews
My Favorite Local Course in WV 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 7, 2016
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
There are may pros to this course. It is located on a beautiful lake that is I believe county owned, so it is maintained well. I am friends with the course designer, and he also does a great job of keeping things groomed. This course has a great blend of wooded shots and long open field shots, and almost every pin is at higher or lower elevation than the tee box. No shots straight into a basket. (excluding hole 10, which is over the lake) I believe that the walks between holes was made as short as possible. The only long walk you are going to have is from hole 17 to hole 18. I have learned to love this walk. It is beside the lake, and gives you a minute to think about what needs to happen on 18.
Cons:
My con list is pretty short. My main complaint is that there are some rough thorn bushes in a couple of places. They aren't throughout the entire course, but I would say that 7 or 8 of the holes have some large bunches of them that you should try to avoid. My other con is that the people in the park can be pretty stupid at times. I know this can be a problem anywhere, but most people don't realize what you are doing and walk right by the holes and not take into consideration what is going on.
Other Thoughts:
Having a relationship with the designer, and playing with him on a regular basis, I know that this course will only improve over time. Ever hole we play we are constantly thinking of ways to improve the layout, functionality, aesthetics, and dynamics of the hole. I love playing this course, and I am proud to take ownership of it as my home course.
