Woolwich, NJ

Tranquility Trails DGC

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3.55(based on 3 reviews)
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9 0
Ryal
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 7.4 years 240 played 202 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Prevail on the Trail

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 17, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Practice basket, lost and found and welcome map all nearby parking and hole1.
+/- All long and short tees are solid, wide and long slabs of concrete topped with turf.
+ New baskets have built-in 'next' arrows. Navigation is a breeze here!
+ Both sets of tees have their own well-illustrated and clear tee signs.
+ Fairways clean, and OB is well marked with stakes, but...

Cons:

- ...There is some nasty rough seen here.
- It is overall pretty flat.
- Many of the holes are straight forward and direct.
- Mud, I guess? (Not from experience.)

Other Thoughts:

It is so refreshing to play a course like Tranquility Trails.
I have to respect a course that focuses so strongly on its infrastructure. At Tranquility, it is consistently presented better than many courses I've played so far. The tee pads, signage and baskets are identical from 1 to 18. It feels like the designers and maintainers are serious about making this place the best that it can be, and the effort shows.

A lot of that effort is seen in the fairways. It's kind of funny to look at this course in satellite view because you can clearly see many of the lanes carved out of the forests and fields. About a third of the course plays in wide open pollenation meadows. Unmistakable fairways are implanted there with dozens of bees going about their business. The fairways in the woods are also nicely established. Hole4 was my favorite one to look at because it was a pleasantly framed fairway with a gentle slope to the terrain and a healthy covering of woods. Right after that, hole5 was my favorite to play. A continuation of the pretty wooded area from hole4 sends the player slightly uphill before throwing a surprise valley finish at the end. Woods and elevation working together are the quickest way to this disc golfer's heart.

Flat and wide-open holes, however, make my heart bored. Holes6-9, 15 and 16 are nicely maintained established but dull from my perspective. To my mind, hole15 was the most boring example. More than six hundred feet of straight-ahead wide open throws with tall grass on both sides? Boooo....
But to be honest and a little bit hypocrticial, I'm glad that those open air holes are there. If those holes were just more woods, I would probably complain about 'sameyness' instead of the wide open nature of those holes. So at least they are trying to inject variety into the layout with those fairways. I suppose there is nothing to be done about the elevation, but maybe planting a few trees here and there would benefit the course and wildlife?

Within the wooded holes, there are some spots of tremendous undergrowth and rough in the form of thorns, grabby shrubs and so forth. I remember holes10 and 11 having a lot of it, but it can be found in most parts of the course. I suppose it can be argued that those are actually features of the course to act as consequences for bad throws. But, surely, a bad throw is itself already a consequence. Do I really need to then be stabbed in the arm by thorns just because my midrange glanced off a tree?

It's a nice piece of land, though. A walk through here is enjoyable and free of any major noise. Strolling through peaceful woods is a sort of therapy for the disc golfer. Those tall grasses that I mentioned eariler are a double-edged sword for their pleasant & secretive environment but If upkeep were to be ignored, even for just a few weeks, the grasses would run rampant and render those open holes unpleasant to play. A few of the holes have nice views of Raccoon Creek. It was a nice surprise to see it at the end of hole7 and presented a constant threat in the back of my mind during holes10 and 11. I am absolutely sure that this makes for some soggy grounds after rain or snowmelt. I didn't experience that in mid-September 2022, but just keep it in mind if the local weather has been nasty lately.

Bottom line: While not the most engaging course around, Tranquility Trails is a good time in a good area with good fairways and good infrastructure. Competently put together. Recommended.
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15 0
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 7.3 years 447 played 414 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very Good; Very Promising 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 22, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Finding a promising new course is such a treat! This is a great addition to the southwest corner of NJ, easily accessed from Philliy and northern Delaware. Given its location, I'm not surprised to see it's an Adam Harris design



+ The layout mixes four different environments: marsh and traditional woods at the beginning and end, field holes that transition to and from a series of lakeside holes in the back. There are a couple of longish walks, but the variety of holes makes it well worth it


+ There's evidence of lots of tree removal to create certain holes. The first obvious one is hole #4: a split fairway, long par four that looks like about a thousand trees had to be removed to create


+ Good mix of BH and FH


+ A few real standout holes: #7 is a long par 4 that starts in the field and then arcs around to the left, with a narrow gap into a wooded hillside leading down to the lake. Great risk/reward shot. Then #9 is a RHFH par 3 with a tight turn and a very steep drop to the lake if your throw too straight - but you have to risk hanging it out if you're going for the birdie


Cons:

- First thing you've got to know is about the mud in the front section of the course. If there's any rain, you're gonna get wet feet somewhere on 1-3 or 17-18 (especially on the transition paths between the holes). This is a brand new course, so I'm guessing it will be fixed over time - but for now, opt for drier days and watch where you walk


- As a very new course, the rough isn't at all beaten in yet and there's lots of thorns to be found just off the fairways.



Other Thoughts:

~ The "field areas" incorporate parts of 7 holes, with three of them playing entirely in the field (6, 15, 16). I don't know what the plans are for keeping the grasses down during the season (everything was very low when I played in April, but in that condition, they felt pretty shapeless and dull


~ The different tees provide some very different looks, and not just added distance. Back tee on #12 incorporates a branch across the fairway (at waist level, just to get into your head), and the back tee on #14 puts you down a chute you have to clear in order to get up to the main fairway


~ The white (long) tees are harder, but the red (short) tees are also very challenging: not "beginner." The course is more like a choice of "intermediate" and "advanced" layouts



COURSE AMENITIES:

Excellent Discgolfpark signage and catchy baskets. The tees are platforms with artificial turf: they're raised and level. Big enough for runup, and close enough to the ground for a Conrad-style extreme. Two tees on each hole.


RECOMMENDED COMBINATIONS:

Convenient location: not far from Alcyon Woods (another excellent and relatively new Harris design); easy to mix in with northern Delaware courses like Bellevue, Brandywine and Canby West




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12 0
slvravn
Experience: 12.2 years 28 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Thanks for another great South Jersey course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 31, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 18 holes with Disc Golf Park baskets
- 2 turf tee pads on each hole
- Port-a-Potty in lot at beginning of course
- Entry level to mid level course
- Great tee signs and each basket has a next hole sign.
- A few of the holes offer different shot shapes for right and left handed players.
- Very clean area. Lets keep it that way folks!

Cons:

- There will be mud! Course looks to be set in a low lying area s with nearby wetlands. If it rains be prepared for muddy conditions. Not sure how the land drains as of yet.
- A few the back 9 holes are wide open field shots. Wind will add some flavor to them, but for the most part its point and shoot.
- There seems to be a lot of standing water and if that is the case, during the warmer months be prepared for mosquitoes and other assorted flying creatures.

Other Thoughts:

Great to see another course popping up in the area. I think the designers did as much as they could with the land given. On its own it will be a fun local course, but in the future it should pair well with harder courses like Stafford or even Alcyon.

Not sure how parking will hold up on busy days as there is a smallish lot for this part of the park

Rough is pretty gnarly right now and there are a lot of thorns mixed into those areas. Over time the rough should get worked in a bit, but for now watch out.

I am curious how the lines for some of the holes will be affected once summer comes around and there are leaves on the trees.

Update: I played the course again and the tee pads for the shorts are really tiny. I understand that some of the shorter holes you could do a standstill throw, but I prefer to go through my normal footwork process and just slow down my throw. I definitely had to watch my footing for even a small x-step throw on the short pads. Just watch your footing so that you don't twist an ankle coming off the short tees. This also leads to more throws from the side of tees and the ground around them getting torn up.
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