-Great views with the lake in the background
-Nice baskets
-Fairly easy to walk
-In an area with not many courses
-Teepads show hole layout and length/par
-Ample parking
-Water adds a little bit of a challenge on a few holes
-Some well placed trees make for fun shot shaping
-Look for a hanging chain on the bottom of each basket for direction to the next teepad

-Teepads are rubber & are on uneven ground, slippery when wet
-More beginner friendly, short holes galore
-Multiple blind shots
-Beware of walking paths & pavilions along fairways
-Water comes into play. Grip lock or a strong wind can take a disc

I was in the area visiting family and wanted to play a quick round. I was happy to see that Shawnee had a course. The lake and trees give you a beautiful view during your round, especially if you play in the late fall like I did.

I liked how the rubber teepads had the hole layout, distance, and par printed on them. It's definitely different from the standard sign next to a teepad. However, it rained the night before I played, and the teepads were very slick. After the second hole, I decided to just throw from the grass next to the teepads because of this.

Finding your way around the course can be difficult if you don't have a map because there is no clear signage. The Udisc app is very helpful in navigating the course. I also noticed that on the bottom of each basket was a small little chain hanging. This chain indicated which direction to walk to the next teepad.

One thing to note about being next to a lake, and you take take this as a good/bad/indifferent aspect to the park, is that the wind can be bad. The day I played had about 10mph winds, with gusts up around 25-30mph. So be careful on drives to not put them in the lake on the holes close to the water.

With how much land is in this park, they could very easily make this into an 18 hole course. They also have the room that they could probably add a second set of teepads to make a longer/more challenging layout for more advanced players. I'm sure the players around the Bedford county area would appreciate an 18 hole course that's a little more advanced.

Aesthetic-- plays on a hillside overlooking a beautiful lake in the mountains of south central Pennsylvania. Course crosses over a sidewalk a couple times and plays near other amenities so be careful please

Baskets-- all present and accounted for SIR! all in good shape too

Pads/Teesigns-- interestingly enough, the teesign is part of the tee... the rubber mats have a directional arrow, hole number and distance printed on them. The pads themselves are a bit lumpy in places and are placed on slants a lot here. I would prefer to have them on flat places without the bumps but hey, not much run-up is required here.

Routing and nav-- getting to hole #1 is tough, but printing the map here is essential. the pole next to each teepad helps to guide you to where you are going and it's not too bad to find the next tee.

Uniqueness-- factor 7. #7 is the weirdest hole I've seen in a while. This little bloop turnover over the hill with MASSIVE roll-away potential is a mind-eff to be sure.

Length--short to be sure. I guess this park has a LOT of land and this is a bit of an awkward choice of plot for this course.

challenge/variety-- the variety is somewhat decent but it's hard to vary when lengths are so short. they do a decent job showing you a lot of different looks but fail when it comes to holes like #5...psht.

Upkeep-- I can see upkeep being an issue here. The fairways were a bit shaggy and the ground near the lake a bit boggy but neither were detriments to the course..

This was the last stop on a long weekend road trip and it was more spur of the moment. It's a long way from the turnpike but truly worth the stop. And, it's not far from the Flight 93 national memorial...

The course at Shawnee State Park is in a very beautiful setting near the lake. It offers a rather quick round that you will most likely have all to yourself. I did play during a mid-week evening, though, so your experience may be different. As I pulled in, I was taken aback by how beautiful and peaceful of a setting this was. This is an ideal course to play if you just want to be out in nature and play disc golf without interruptions. There is plenty of parking space as you begin near the boat launch, with the first tee on top of the hill at the edge of the lot.

The course starts out with a fun, slightly downhill shot to a blind pin. There isn't much chance of landing in the water, but the possibility is there if you get too excited from the get go. Hole 2 is another water shot that tempts you to run at the basket with a spike hyzer, but with the chance of fading too far out into the water. These water holes are a nice balance of lower risk but still interesting enough. Which brings me to my next point: since it is a shorter course without too many variables to punish the player, this is a good course to take young people or beginners to. Recovery is fair if you miss your lines, but the water, elevation, and scattered trees provide enough obstacles to keep it interesting.

The elevation is nicely used, with downhill shots on 1, 4, 7, and 8 and uphill shots on 3 and 6. 8 offers another blind shot with a basket on a steep slope, while 1 and 9 have slopes on the sides of their fairways. These elevation changes help negate (somewhat) the shorter distances with shots that require accurate approaches on or near these hills.

Because of its ease of navigation, short holes, and lack of chances to lose discs, this makes for a very quick (~30 min) round.

The rubber tees were sufficiently long enough and comfortable and had a generic map of the hole on them that was good enough since you can usually see the pin from the tee anyways.

Short holes. It lists white tees on the site but they were only temporarily marked with flags. There are only red tees now, with an average distance of 212 feet. You will not need your maximum distance drivers here.

I don't really like 7. It's such a short hole and extreme angle that I think you pretty much are forced to lay up at the bend. I guess you can throw a right-handed spike FH hyzer, but I just didn't think it was much of a realistic golf shot.

The course is very well maintained for the most part, but holes 6-8 had tall grass on it. Since they play on such a steep hill, I wonder how regularly that part gets mowed. Still completely playable though.

I enjoyed myself at Shawnee State Park, mostly for the beauty that surrounds the course. While it is short and lacking a bit on challenge, I think it is well-suited for newer/more casual players and still provides some interesting challenges with the elevation and water that's present. Regardless of your skill level, it is worth stopping to play since it is a very quick round, close to the PA Turnpike, and in a great setting.

It was closed when I played, but be sure to check out the building near the boat launch. Apparently they have a good disc selection in there.

Being in a state park, the course is very well maintained. The fairways are kept short and the surrounding area is very nice. If you get off of the fairway, the rough can get a bit long. Luckily, the rough is very thin so it is pretty easy to find your discs if you get off course (especially if you are throwing bright colored discs). The water doesn't really come into play except on holes 1 and 2 and, only if you throw too hard and get an unexpected drift. The terrain is all over the place! If you're not throwing up or down to the hole, you're throwing on a slant. You'll certainly get a workout just walking the course. The changing elevations make up for the size of the course. One other nice feature is a hole map on each tee pad along with the par and distance to the hole. If you have trouble finding the holes, check out the map on DGCR. It's an elevated shot of the course with tees and holes marked. It makes it super easy to find each hole! You can find the first hole about 100ft directly behind the boat house in the boat house parking lot.

Let's face it, the course is very short. Many holes are less than 200 ft and the rest are 200-300 ft, so you won't be throwing down any bombs anywhere. While DCGR indicates a white tee with longer distances for this course, it doesn't appear to exist anymore. The tees are made of rubber with no real foundation under them so they are quite bumpy. Some are at an awkward slant making it difficult to get a good step off. Holes 7 and 8 are the mostly likely candidates for a lost disc. You may want to have someone stand near the basket so they can see where your disc lands if it isn't near the pin. Also, if you go on a hot summer day, expect a lot of gnats flying about your head (which makes for interesting tee offs)!

The course is pretty easy for your average player and even though the course is short, I still found it quite fun! The changing terrain makes each hole unique. The course also appears to be well laid out and without "impossible" holes. There are a couple holes with steep hills at the basket which can make for difficult down-putts and crazy long roll-aways if you miss your putt. My favorite hole is also the shortest. Hole 5 has the basket right on the other side of a steep drop-off. If you throw your drive just a tad heavy, you'll have a long putt. Throw just a tad light, and you'll have a very difficult steep downhill putt! The park itself is beautiful and well maintained. Other things to do there are hiking, beaching, playing volleyball, throwing horseshoes, canoeing, fishing and more. Make a day out of it and enjoy the scenery!

The tee pads had the distance to the basket and the direction, that was easily seen. Short holes that test a player's accuracy. Built around a beautiful state park.

Hard to find the first hole, as there are no real markings to show which way the first hole is. The tee pad's are uneven so it can be hard to get a good throw off without turning an ankle. Long grass off the fairway on a few holes can make it hard to find a disc. Wind coming off the lake can make throwing for accuracy hard on some of the holes. Some of the holes go directly through the park so you have to look out of park guests when throwing.

Overall, a decent course that is pretty well maintained but definitely has room for improvement. It's an ideal fishing spot as well for the fishing type.

Shawnee State Park is a short 9er with a little variety set in a scenic state park.

This course is pretty easy and most intermediate and above level players won't find too much difficulty. The first half of the course plays through a fairly flat tree lined area close to the lake. A little line shaping is required to avoid the trees, but nothing exotic.

The second half of the course incorporates the elevation of a large hill. #7 is an interesting shot, requiring a blind RHBH anny down the hill. #8 is a beautiful shot that throws back up the hill at a basket perched at the hill's highest point overlooking the the park.

The strongest point of this course is the beauty of the surrounding area. The course starts near the lake and plays towards a more wooded section.

The baskets were in good shape and the rubber tee pads were adequate.

This course is inherently limited by the amount of land dedicated to disc golf at the park. The land used is great, but it's a small area that doesn't allow for any distance. If you're a player who likes to air it out, you won't like this course.

About half of the course is located fairly close to a pavillion and a playground, while the first couple holes are in the same area as the boat rental building. These things don't come directly into play with the actual course, but they make this a high traffic in an otherwise spread out, quiet park.

Navigation here is a little confusing and it's not clear where #1 is from the parking lot. Some additional signage would be helpful.

I enjoyed my round here and would recommend this course for a quick round, or as a place to take a newer player. For a 9-holer the course itself is average, but the scenery of this area makes it a nice DG experience.

when I was camping in the area I was really happy to hear that there was a course in the area...but

After exploring the Shawnee State Park, I was wondering why they put it in the place that they did. They have so much land and just a little part of that could be made into an amazing course.
The course runs right through the most populated part of the park then heads up into a grassy area that is very very very hard to see where you are throwing and where your disc has gone.... I would suggest not throwing a Tie Dye disc because you will loose it in the grass.

The guys at the "pro shop" were awesome but the course was lacking in many ways.

Just like all of the PA State Park courses, Shawnee is a very pretty park with lots of non-DG things to do like Biking, Boat Rentals, Beach, Volleyball and a Play Ground. The park also has plenty of bathrooms and picnic areas near the course. This makes it a great stop if you have family members that are not Disc Golfers.

There are rubber mat tee pads that has the hole layout and distance printed right on them in lieu of tee signs. The course also employs very nice Innova Discatcher baskets.

This little 9 holer is laid out in a very nice compact counter clockwise circle with no navigation issues outside of finding hole number one.

The course uses elevation changes on every single hole, nothing really dramatic, but nice none the less. The slope on the course makes for a handful of fast greens which add some challenge.

The design is pretty well balance in my opinion. Right turning, left turning, uphill, downhill, fast greens, guarded pins, ace runs and wide open.

Holes #4 and #5 were pretty cool holes. 4 is a downhill 300' toss with what appear to be lots of options but still ends up being difficult to reach. #5 is a downhill ace run with a low ceiling. I don't believe in cubby aces but I could see people emptying their bag trying to get one on this hole.

Holes 1-5 and #9 are very manicured and aesthetically pleasing. They play over nice grass, through trees with great views of the lake.

A lot of the tees were uneven. They were built on slopes so watch your footing.

Definitely designed for the Beginner/Intermediate level player. (still fun though!)

Very high grass on 6-8. The fairway is a ten foot mowed path so keep an eye on your discs. Holes 7 and 8 are the two worst holes in my opinion. Just straight shots with no obstacles.

The course should re-number the holes so that Hole #9 would be the starting hole and you finish at #8. That seems to be the logical order to play them in.

This 9 hole course was a nice fast play in pretty state park. Nothing spectacular but was fun for a short 9 hole course. The park is located along route 30 which is a nice alternative to the PA turnpike for a good stretch either direction. There is only one other 9 hole course in the Bedford area and this one is by far the better of the two.

*Set in a Beautiful State Park - options for children and families while you play the course - beach/biking/play ground
*Distance and Direction of holes printed on Tee Pads
*Very good course for beginners/amateurs
*Good variety of shots - left/right up hill/down hill
*First five holes, and hole 9 are in the area of the park that is well maintained (grass cut, etc.)
*3 Bathroom facilities located around course (may be closed during late fall/winter/early spring
* Course was laid out very efficiently - with minimal travel between hole and next tee
* Can be played very quickly 20 - 30 minutes for a twosome (which may also be a con)

* Short course (longest hole 300')
* Some of the rubber tee pads are not on flat ground and can be slippery
* At least four or five of the holes are on hills where a shot that hits off of the basket may result in a 40 or 50' roll - even into the lake (hole 1)
* Hole 6 - 8 play through high grass/hay. There is about a 12" foot fairway mowed from tee to hole

This is the course where I played disc golf for the first time last fall. In Western Maryland we have nothing close by so at 40 minutes this is not bad. I like this course because I can bring the family and the little ones can head to the beach/play ground while the older play a few rounds. Also, has a nice picnic grounds to bring a meal before or after you play. If you are heading through Western PA and want to stop off at Bedford this is about a 10 minute drive.

Rubber teepads with distance and flight information imprinted upon them. Nice variety for a short 9-holer.

Single tee/single basket position. Teepads a bit uneven. High grass in summer, so a spotter would be useful on 6-8.

Plays up, down, and around two small hillocks in a very pretty public park. Short holes, but has a bit of everything - left-turners, right turner, up/down/cross slope, a few "fast greens", trees in play on a few holes, even a drop-shot.

Navigation: From building nearest to water at the back left of the parking lot, tee #1 is left and slightly uphill. Course plays in a counter-clockwise direction.

Quick play, quite suitable for beginners and intermediates, bike-riding, water, other activities for non-players.

Wonderful views of the lake and surrounding hills. Huge Lot and bathrooms on the course. Good for beginners as there is minimal disc loss and no mammoth distance needed. Good for experts as it's a quick play relaxing play but offers interesting approaches with fast greens, wind, and guarded greens. Courses has elevation shifts and a few interesting holes albeit short. Holes 1, 6,7,and 8 employ extremely fast greens. Hole 5 is an interesting very short shot with a low ceiling that drops down a bank in such a way that your drive must almost wormburn to have a shot at ace. Never had a look like that....I liked it. Holes 3,4,6, and 9 have alternate lanes to the pin which is great for beginners as it introduces strategy and expersts should enjoy the diversity.(course plays fast so multiple rounds with different options is good) Water lurks nearby but doesnt eat discs outside of rollaways on 1 and 2. Hole 4 is the longest hole with an assortment of options to the pin. I never found the right line after emptying my bag....It's only 300 feet and appears semi-open but for some reason I could not hit the right line....interesting. Rubber mat tees provide hole map and info...awesome idea.

Tees are uneven and lumpy which was awkward even for such short holes I was a bit disoriented on these tees a few times. No real distance or true throw mighty of the hill throws. Much of the course plays through/near a picnic grove. Hole 7 is blind and actually has a dramatic drop-off to the lot and road nearby...scout ahead. Looking at the nearby woods and the spectacular massive hill across the lot I felt empty and thought more could be done here.

If there was an effort to put a more expert friendly back nine employing the unused hill and some of the woods nearby to complement the simple front 9 I would return here....otherwise it's not really worth it unless your in the park or introducing the game.

I just started disc golfing recently, so my skills are...deficient, to say the least. What I enjoy about this park compared to other courses nearby is that it seems to be designed for people with average to below-average skill levels. As such, professionals seeking to play at this course may not be challenged very much. The topography of the course makes it both aesthetically pleasing while enjoyable and functional for playing disc golf. Kudos to Pennsylvania's DCNR for putting courses in places like Shawnee and elsewhere in the Commonwealth!

The tees seemed really slippery to me, which made it difficult for driving. I also had trouble finding the first hole, but didn't have trouble locating subsequent ones.

Because the holes are so close together and the distance of the holes are relatively short, you can play these 9 tees in no time. A nice course for practicing or playing a quick game if you're pressed for time.

Nice Rubber Tee pads and Innova chains. Easy to navigate and can play a really quick round here. Beautiful park setting with great views of the lake and mountains. Convenient parking and bathrooms. Beginner friendly, yet entertaining for the experienced player.

*****6-1-09***** They've added a really nice selection of Innova Plastic at the boat rental office/store beside tee #1 and at Coach Ed's convenience store/bait shop just down the road towards Schellsburg, PA.

Although the tee pads are very nice... a plus... they aren't very level, either side to side or from front to back. This can make your stance a little awkward at times. Hole #6 & #8 pins are very close together. Other park facilities (paths, beach, picnic tables, etc.) are quite close on some holes. No alternate tees or pins (see below).

***Update 9-20-10*** As cccp00a mentioned in his review, the grass on #6-8 has not been cut this year. There's just a wide path cut through the high/thick grass in-between the holes. The path serves as a fairway on #7 and is really too narrow to even be a fairway on #8. A spotter is highly recommended, especially on the totally blind #7.

The holes are mostly short, with the slightly downhill 300' #4 hole being the longest hole. And then hole #5 is only 155' long. Can you say birdie... or ace?

In spite of the short length, the course is interesting to play. A well controlled approach game is important here as several baskets present serious roll-away challenges. For a RHBH thrower there are straight, hyzer, anhyzer, low ceiling, uphill, downhill, level, left sloping and right sloping holes. Although the holes seem relatively open, the more I think about it the more trees I keep thinking of that can come into play. The lake "shouldn't" come into play, but can on a really wild shot or a really bad rollaway. The woods can really only come into play on a couple holes.

A player currently has alternate, longer tees marked off with white flags. I don't know how long the park will leave them up but they add considerable distance to a couple holes and change the path to the pin on several holes. If there would be permanent long/alternate tees added the score could go up very easily. This course has a lot of potential for growth.

***Update 9-20-10***
The longer tee placement white flags are long gone and just a memory now. If you hit me up for a round as a guide we can play from the long locations, too. They were pretty fun.

Basically, this is just a good, fun course to play. If you're travelling through Western, MD or South Central/Western, PA check it out. It's worth the drive, as long as it's a short drive out of your way.

There's a group on Yahoo if you want to check it out.