Warning to the entire state of Virginia

[zenbot]

I will be in Centreville for Thanksgiving week. Anyone want to meet up? I can move my travel tag to the Right Coast.

[solomon.trenton]

this belongs in road trips by the way. come to MA and we can play

[prerube]

Zenbot can post here because it is a warning to all disc golfers that something big is coming to VA. I'll gather up the groupies and start making signs.

By the way I hear Bull run is not worth the $$$. From what the locals say Sherando is better. I will beg my wife to let me go, but since she is 9 months prego, she'll say "bite me"

[prerube]

oh maybe if I read....You said Thanksgiving week. If I am not in New York, I am 100% in.

don't worry Solomon.Trenton I find some Mass groupies for you, but since R's are not pronounced in New England do you have goupies? :)

[sidewinder22]

I try to stay away from VA, friggin' traffic is ridiculous and people can't drive! Not much around Centerville, so you might want to drive 30-60 min to some better courses.

[zenbot]

I've played Burke Lake and Bull Run. I need something with a little more substance.

[zenbot]

this belongs in road trips by the way. come to MA and we can play
I, sir, am not "roadtripping". I will be taking a flying machine to Virginia and stay in a real house.

[solomon.trenton]

oh maybe if I read....You said Thanksgiving week. If I am not in New York, I am 100% in.

don't worry Solomon.Trenton I find some Mass groupies for you, but since R's are not pronounced in New England do you have goupies? :)

well since i can pronounce my r's (grew up in FL) it would be more like gruppies.:D

[zenbot]

oh maybe if I read....You said Thanksgiving week. If I am not in New York, I am 100% in.

don't worry Solomon.Trenton I find some Mass groupies for you, but since R's are not pronounced in New England do you have goupies? :)
This is excellent. We can race our children.

[zenbot]

Holy spit! The thread dun got moved all on it's own accord.


This is a mystical and mysterious place.

[ERicJ]

This is a mystical and mysterious place.
That it is.

[prerube]

Lets blame...um...ERicJ today.

you beat me to the post, but confirmed my suspisions :)

[sidewinder22]

I've played Burke Lake and Bull Run. I need something with a little more substance.

Sherando is a little more substance, it was a bit short to my liking, but pretty technical. Theres another 9 hole course Signal View not far thats supposed to be pretty good. I don't know much about other VA courses.

If you want to play in MD, Seneca is the closest and one of the best 27 holes around. Patapsco is a bit further and 18 holes, its really nice now with brand new tees and dual baskets, with the Blue tees to green baskets over 9200ft. Playing an A tier event this weekend at Patapsco and Avery Jenkins and Nikko are playing. You could play both courses in one day, that would be a pretty sick day of disc golf!

[discgolfne1]

I've played Burke Lake and Bull Run. I need something with a little more substance.

You might try the Fredericksburg area. Loriella, Pratt Park, The Grange (2golf, 1 tiki, 9 mini), Hawk Hollow (call first). These courses offer some substance.

The northern Va. courses were ALL built in the 70's, and were based on light plastic. You aren't using Midnight fliers are you?

[HolySchnell]

Virginia's not a state ;)

[prerube]

Virginia's not a state ;)

I don't get it...

[Vegan Ray]

You MUST come 45 min. south & hit up The Grange & Hawk Hollow while you're here. PM me, I'd be glad to show you around.

[biscoe]

from centreville you can take the back way to hawk hollow (down 29 to 522)- just slightly more than an hour and traffic will not be bad like it will be if you go anywhere on 95 or 66. (plus it's the best course in easy driving distance.) get in contact with me when the time approaches and i should be able to give you the guided tour.

other possibilities would be a sherando/signal knob (fantastic 9 hole course by all accounts) doubleheader or a trip to seneca... or if you're ambitious and have a full day to kill- paw paw.

[fairweather_fan]

I don't get it...

it, and 3 other 'states', are actually "commonwealths"...

[Ventura_Tom]

There is no difference between a commonwealth and a state in the U.S. To Locke, Hobbes, and other 17th-century writers the term "commonwealth" meant an organized political community -- what we today call a "state." Officially Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusetts are all commonwealths. When Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusetts became part of the United States, they merely took the old form of state in their title.

[Ventura_Tom]

I think ZenBot and fam should wear traditional Thanksgiving outfits if they are going to be on the East Coast for Thanksgiving.

[fairweather_fan]

There is no difference between a commonwealth and a state in the U.S. To Locke, Hobbes, and other 17th-century writers the term "commonwealth" meant an organized political community -- what we today call a "state." Officially Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusetts are all commonwealths. When Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusetts became part of the United States, they merely took the old form of state in their title.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h185/revrec/knowledgedropped.gif

[Ventura_Tom]

I was a history major, and occasionally I burp up something tasty.

[Timber]

Giles Run in Lorton is about half an hour away. Just take all of the high dollar discs out of your bag and print a course map before you go.

[biscoe]

oops, forgot giles- it's easily the best in nova but tim is right, leave the expensive plastic in the car. arrange a local guide too if possible- best to have more than one set of eyes on errant shots there.

[t i m]

from centreville you can take the back way to hawk hollow (down 29 to 522)- just slightly more than an hour and traffic will not be bad like it will be if you go anywhere on 95 or 66. (plus it's the best course in easy driving distance.) get in contact with me when the time approaches and i should be able to give you the guided tour.

other possibilities would be a sherando/signal knob (fantastic 9 hole course by all accounts) doubleheader or a trip to seneca... or if you're ambitious and have a full day to kill- paw paw.

I'll second all of Biscoe's suggestions. Hawk Hollow is amazing and a must-play if you can. Seneca is a great 27, but is not as memorable. It's beautiful with a lot of great shots, but I never dream about Seneca holes -- I dream about HH holes.

Sherando is ok, and Signal Knob is an excellent nine-hole course. It's like half of a great 18-hole course. And I know that sounds silly, but if you've played a lot of nine-holes, you probably know how most 9-hole courses are 9-hole courses because they've been crammed into a small piece of land. With Signal View, they've got enough land for a crappy 18-hole course, but instead they put in an awesome nine-hole course that has multiple tees, big air shots, great woods and some nice elevation changes. But the Signal View/Sherando isn't nearly as good as seneca or HH. If I were doing a double header, I would recommend HH and Loriella park for one day, and then head out to PawPaw's two epic courses for another day. If you have any way to play those four courses, you've played some of the best golf in the country.

For what it's worth, The Woodshed at PawPaw is ranked #7 here as one of the top courses anywhere, and The Whippin' Post at Paw Paw isn't far behind. If I could only play one place for the day, I'd say you put that at the top, top, top of your list.

[prerube]

Giles Run in Lorton is about half an hour away. Just take all of the high dollar discs out of your bag and print a course map before you go.

This is a heck of a course, you would love it or hate it.

[prerube]

What ever course you decide I am in, seriously.

[Jimb]

For what it's worth, The Woodshed at PawPaw is ranked #7 here as one of the top courses anywhere, and The Whippin' Post at Paw Paw isn't far behind. If I could only play one place for the day, I'd say you put that at the top, top, top of your list.

If I have an excuse to play Paw Paw Thankgiving week you'd be doing me a great service! 36 Holes on the same site! So what if they're in the middle of nowhere... it's worth it.

And if you're talking Centreville that's near Manassas and D.C., then it'd be about 2 1/2 hours to The Woodshed and Whippin' Post, unfortunately. If you just Mapquest Paw Paw, that only gets you within about 20 minutes of the courses... down a tar & chip and then dirt road. Not to scare you away, but to make you aware.

[Disc Dog]

Hey Zenbot,

If you have the time and don't mind about a one hour drive. Hawk Hollow and the Grange will give you the best disc golf outside of Paw Paw.

If you can play them let me know and I will try and meet you at either one or both (if you have the endurance for it). That would be 54 of the best (72 if you throw in the TIKI) that you will ever play.

Besides the opportunity to meet biscoe (he owns Hawk Hollow) and Mike (the owner of the Grange) is a great experience.

If you want to check out the Grange, Disc Golf Monthly on Youtube just featured the Virginia Open (Women's Open Division). It gives a decent feel for one of the courses.

[zenbot]

Dang. All the courses mentioned sound great. I'm really torn here. Are there any events Thanksgiving week?

[zenbot]

Just reading the Paw Paw reviews is scary.

[biscoe]

some stuff the weekend prior to t-giving near where you'll be but t-giving action is at timber ridge in bedford (2nd best course in va imo) which is probably 2.5 hours.

hawk hollow will be closing for 2 months 12/1 so you would be just in time if you want to play it. you'll be about an hour away but won't have to come down 95 to get here so the drive wouldn't be too painful. i can make arrangements to show it to you given a little notice on what day.

there's some hh footage on youtube too- both a disc golf monthly episode of the vti (virginia team invitational) and this stuff from the hawk hollow open just a couple of weeks ago...OXL4wreIIUM

[zenbot]

Holy spit! 900 foot flatground holes?!? Seriously?

[biscoe]

only one- 975 actually.

[tmahan]

I'm 15 minutes away in Herndon right next to where you're probably flying into (Dulles). I still haven't played Hawk Hollow, if we can get Biscoe out there it might be a good time to pop that cherry. Giles is the closest good course, but as has been said bring spares. The Grange is epic and in range (approx 75 minutes), Seneca's my home course and a good one, 27 mostly wooded holes, about 50 minutes away. Patapsco is a great big arm course, but about 75 miles away and the highways (Beltway and I-95) are a crap shoot. Paw Paw is truly epic being 36 killer holes but with the drive time and getting dark at 5 it would be really hard to take in the place the way you need to. LMK.

[Timber]

Dang. All the courses mentioned sound great. I'm really torn here. Are there any events Thanksgiving week?
Giles Run Wind Up (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=843&day=2009-11-21&c=1) is the Saturday before Thanksgiving

[optidiscic]

IMO you have a few options .....stay near centerville and Play Giles Run (Giles is a nice big arm course and you will never see more thorns in your entire life.....you can go back to Cali and tell stories of thorn brambles 10 ft high and 20 acres wide with a disc golf course cut through it) Still a funique experience regardless the horror. Or you could say the hell with the family and make the trip to Paw Paw for a day....try to get there early in the AM as the trip there up into dem dere hills is half de adventure! Once there you will have 2 of the most legendary and difficult courses to play....some scoff that Paw Paw is just plain impossible hard. True some of those holes are just plain silly but it is still a dandy good time to be had out there and the place has a unique charm and really has enough amazing golf in the 36 holes to make you stop bitching about the trees. Still a must play just to say you made the pilgrimmage.....The last option would be to drive down to Walnut Ridge, a lot of people rave about hole 17...was part of the top of the world debate on here and the course itself looks like a lot of fun...I would pair that course with the Monster at Fighting Creek..its well over 10000 ft of wooded disc golf and looks to be an up and comer and possibly Signal View a niner just off the highway.....HH and the Grange would probably be the safest guaranteed good time but the other options might feed the adventurous side of you...If your only on the East Coast a few times I would go for the best and most disc golf head trip possible! Hell I might skip the meal and play the entire time here.

[biscoe]

walnut creek, not walnut ridge. i'd pair it with staunton instead of the monster though- monster is still under construction- i'd give it until next year's trip. signal view would be on the way back from staunton to centreville as well. that's a lot more driving than hitting the spotsy courses though and imo the spotsy courses are a shade better. if you're going to do extra driving you should go to pawpaw.

[tmahan]

walnut creek, not walnut ridge. i'd pair it with staunton instead of the monster though- monster is still under construction- i'd give it until next year's trip. signal view would be on the way back from staunton to centreville as well. that's a lot more driving than hitting the spotsy courses though and imo the spotsy courses are a shade better. if you're going to do extra driving you should go to pawpaw.

Agreed. If you're going to kill yourself driving go to Paw Paw. Another thing to consider, especially if you're playing by yourself is that it's fall here and most of Paw Paw and the Grange (and half of Loriella) are in the woods where the ground is covered by several inches of leaves. Even shots that you followed the whole way can be hard to find, making it hard to play a quick round if you don't want to leave anything. Leaves aren't that big of an issue at HH, are they biscoe? Giles is fairly clear of leaves but there are those vampire thorns.

[biscoe]

leaves aren't much of an issue at hh.

[dobsonr]

zenbo - i plan on playing Loriella and Pratt in fredericksburg the day after thanksgiving. the more the merrier.

[zenbot]

zenbo - i plan on playing Loriella and Pratt in fredericksburg the day after thanksgiving. the more the merrier.
How far is that from Centreville?

[dobsonr]

I'm not too familiar with Centreville but I think it's about an hour. Giles Run is probably the closest/most enjoyable course if you don't have much time to make a trip.

[biscoe]

loriella or pratt will be about an hour provided 95 is not a parking lot.

[Timber]

I-95 south is ok on weekends as long as you are outside the beltway before 9:30 AM.
After 11 AM you will average about 20 to 30 mph from the beltway to the HOV merge (about 20 miles)
You can miss some of this by taking 28 south from Centreville to 234 east to I-95 south.

[biscoe]

so what is the zb verdict? when and where?

[prerube]

He will be here next monday, but not sure if there are set plans anywhere, looks like he knows where he will be after thanksgiving.

[zenbot]

He will be here next monday, but not sure if there are set plans anywhere, looks like he knows where he will be after thanksgiving.
The problem is that the in-laws have been on vacation so I don't know what our plans are or if I'll even have transportation. I really hope I get to meet some of you. I have an '09 Travel Tag that really wants to get out of California.

[Disc Dog]

from centreville you can take the back way to hawk hollow (down 29 to 522)- just slightly more than an hour and traffic will not be bad like it will be if you go anywhere on 95 or 66. (plus it's the best course in easy driving distance.) get in contact with me when the time approaches and i should be able to give you the guided tour.

other possibilities would be a sherando/signal knob (fantastic 9 hole course by all accounts) doubleheader or a trip to seneca... or if you're ambitious and have a full day to kill- paw paw.

If you can get to Hawk Hollow, The Grange, or Loriella on Saturday or Sunday let me know.

Biscoe is being modest. Hawk Hollow is a private course on 90 acres of his land that he designed.

It is considered the best course in VA by most people in the know. The Grange is so close in quality that it is hard to split the difference.

[tmahan]

I should be able to swing by Centreville on the way to HH. Loriella, Pratt, and HH are all roughly the same distance (Pratt's the closest). I've never played the Hollow so that's my preference. HH or the Grange would be the most memorable.

[zenbot]

OK. I got to Dulles at 6:00 AM. I need some sleep. I'll keep you all posted. It looks like rain all week. =/

[zenbot]

I should be able to swing by Centreville on the way to HH. Loriella, Pratt, and HH are all roughly the same distance (Pratt's the closest). I've never played the Hollow so that's my preference. HH or the Grange would be the most memorable.
That may be a great plan. I heard there were going to be flurries here on Friday. I don't even know what a flurry is.

[jedwards]

I don't even know what a flurry is.

http://ubfunkeys.thespeakeasy.com/img/funkeys/character/flurry/flurry.jpg

[zenbot]

Saturday sound good to anyone?

[biscoe]

saturday is best for me if you're coming to HH.

[zenbot]

Hey there, I just wanted to see if everyone is still interested in Hawk Hollow tomorrow. I still would need a ride out there from Centreville if possible.

[tmahan]

I'm still game. Gonna be cold (early) and windy. I sent a message to biscoe to see if he's still down.

[prerube]

How was it, was meeting Zenbot like meeting an A-list celebrity? It sucks I had to miss it. I did not meet up with anyone.
At Brockport I was stood up....WillACarpenter :)
and I didn't feel like contacting 80Played when I played Dennison Park.

[biscoe]

it was like having paris hilton stop by.

[zenbot]

It was very much like a Paris Hilton reality show except nobody made me shove my fist up a cow's ass.


That was my own idea.

A huge thank you to biscoe for designing the course and keeping it maintained. It was an amazing course and has me rethinking my whole dgcr grading scale.

[tallpaul]

lol shorts and coats

[biscoe]

all about the shorts until it gets down to 35 or so...

[Vegan Ray]

Right on. Loved wearing shorts & sandals to walk the dog at 7 this morning, crunching through the hard frost.

BTW - had a blast w/ zenbot & tmahan on Saturday. (Money approach on 15 btw, tmahan. Will remember for a l-o-n-g time.) Always happy to see new folks introduced to some proper VA hospitality.

[zenbot]

Right on. Loved wearing shorts & sandals to walk the dog at 7 this morning, crunching through the hard frost.

BTW - had a blast w/ zenbot & tmahan on Saturday. (Money approach on 15 btw, tmahan. Will remember for a l-o-n-g time.) Always happy to see new folks introduced to some proper VA hospitality.
What sucks is I'm stuck at home replaying all the holes in my mind. Once is not enough.

[tmahan]

What sucks is I'm stuck at home replaying all the holes in my mind. Once is not enough.

Me too. There are a number of epic holes and zero bad ones. Now I have to wait until February to play it again.:(

My sincerest thanks to John and Ray for the tour and the company. Great time.:D

[traittyprielt]

hey,
the first week in july im planning a road trip from boston mass down the east coast to virginia, georgia, or even florida.
i got 5 days to travel, im looking for some cool spots to stop at or ride. please any suggestions would be great. if anyone
waunts to tag along let me know, who knows you may be on the way..

[prerube]

hey,
the first week in july im planning a road trip from boston mass down the east coast to virginia, georgia, or even florida.
i got 5 days to travel, im looking for some cool spots to stop at or ride. please any suggestions would be great. if anyone
waunts to tag along let me know, who knows you may be on the way..

While it's not in VA, check out Tom Triplett in GA, its right off the highway, but bring a change of clothes, you will be sweaty and possibly muddy.

[prerube]

Others close to 95 are:
The Sarge (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2498)
Luther Britt Park (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=1503)
Pharoh's Tomb (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2564)

[tmahan]

It's a bit of a detour off 95 but worth it to hit up Spotsylvania. The Grange is possible the best disc golf resort in the country and Hawk Hollow is the best course in the state imo. They're both private so you'll want to hit up the proprieters in advance but that should be no problem. Loriella is also a should play.

[optidiscic]

Short notice I wanna hit Virginia was thinking Grange, Hawk Hollow, Charlotttesville and 81..might be a bit ambitious...Help..Im planning this for this weekend!

[tallpaul]

do it!!!

[DWill]

Short notice I wanna hit Virginia was thinking Grange, Hawk Hollow, Charlotttesville and 81..might be a bit ambitious...Help..Im planning this for this weekend!

I believe the VTI tournament is in Hawk Hollow this weekend, double check with biscoe, so it is probable unplayable.

[optidiscic]

yeah I basically canned the 95 route of my trip....made it Bryan Park and dusk and could not find a hotel nearby or anywhere for that matter..I did find the hood though. So knowing that Hawk Hollow was not an option I just drove home from Richmond through the night. The 81 and 64 parts of the trip were good experiences mostly:
-Wilson College in PA ...9 holes worth the stretch and a quick fun play
-Poor House in WV ...loved the little uphills and the downhills and the best view Ive ever seen in DG from #11 tee pad
-Sherando in VA... snuck in after the gate closed and had my best round of the trip by the light of the crescent moon....amazing experience
-Signal View..one of the best niners Ive played
-Kiwi DGC in VA...a tough course to digest..it's difficult from the longs has some pretty holes and has some ugly ones as well...this course had a lot to like and dislike for me...still unsure if I liked it or not
-Walnut Creek Park in VA..the gem of my trip and a new fav of mine.....final 3 holes are the best finishing holes Ive seen yet...17 has got to be the funnest hole in the country...has to be the best on top of the world shot there is...sorry DeLa and Diamond X and Stafford and Whistler's ... I can't imagine anything comparing to that shot...I have played over 100 courses including Diamond X that hole is just so much fun to throw...100+ foot drop with lake hazzard right and pond hazzard left and if thrown properly a birdie (I missed my 30 foot putt..ouch for bird) and then theres 16 an amazing drive through a wooded valley and the finisher a placement drive over water to a peninsula followed by another drive over water to the green tucked amongst trees shoreside...WOW! there are 6 other holes on this course that would be signature holes anywhere else.....Why people dont discuss this course much is beyond me!
-The Monster at Fighting Creek...after playing SV,Kiwi,WCP my arm was shot and boy was I in trouble 10000+ feet of the looongest front 12 follwed by some of the nastiest woods you can imagine...The first 10 holes are game changers here...there is nothing anywhere like 700-1000 foot holes down freeway wide fairways lined by 100 foot trees and punishing schule below those trees...not one tree or twig hangs over these 40-100 foot wide fairways...its the most bizarre look and makes for an interesting experience....I think the opening 10 holes are the most unique and longest in the country..yeah I said 700-1000 foor fairway gold with room to work your disc...I was overmatched here and my score was not kept but Im sure it may have been over 100..yes 800 foot average holes for 12 holes followed by basically no fairway woods holes around 300 with no lanes will produce a 100+ round...a truly unique course and a must play for the biggest arms in the country...I felt like I was riding a moped on an airstip on those long fairways.

I will have to do the 95 leg some other time I can't imagine anything as unique as this but Ive heard good things about the Grange, Hawk Hollow, Byan and Loriella...I also have a strange desire to play Burke Lake...dont ask me why..maybe I just like the pics?

[swatso]

Of my five favourites, Walnut Creek is one of them, and Signal View is the only nine-holer to make the list, so I'm not surprised you enjoyed them.

I will be playing Poor House in a couple of weekends, so if you have any navigation advice, I'd appreciate it.