South Wales, NY

Black Diamond DGC

4.165(based on 45 reviews)
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1 5
Bigcountry54
Experience: 9.8 years 21 played 9 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great round! drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 11, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Veriaty of holes, fairly well marked, beautiful, lots of tee options

Cons:

Some holes could be marked better, a bit of mud
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7 0
Matt Hess
Experience: 9.9 years 16 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Black Diamond DGC @ Emery County Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Red, white, blue and gold tees. Mix of technical and open holes with elevation and a few water hazards. Ample parking space, nice tee signs, teepads are currently being completed. The community is presently grooming the course back to glory. Course is very challenging depending on tees played. A true must play in New York State.

Cons:

Red tees and blue tees can be hard to find if not playing with someone who has been there, or using a mapping app.

Other Thoughts:

The one thing that makes Black Diamond great is care given to it by the community. When playing here, please carry out your trash and bottles. If not sure to play here or not, just go for it!
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3 8
mjparete
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Best course around 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 4, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Simply put the best course around the buffalo area. Tests you to be better especially on the tight front 9. So many scenic holes. Honestly my favorite course ever to play.

Cons:

Could possibly use tee pads but that's it. And hole 1 makes or breaks your day.
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6 3
toddnick
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 5.8 years 86 played 31 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Fantastic Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Long/challenging course with plenty of elevation change.
- Gorgeous park with beautiful waterfalls and creeks.
- Several signature holes (1, 4, 5, 14, 15, 18)
- Four very different tees, golds add at least a shot a hole to the whites.
- Two very different sets of nine holes; front 9 is almost all up and down hill with the majority of holes in the woods; back 9 is much more flat and only #14 is in the woods.
- Some very challenging/unique basket placements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 18)
- Relatively uncrowded

Cons:

- Natural tees are in pretty rough shape.
- Long walks between tees.

Other Thoughts:

- Best course within 30 minutes of Downtown Buffalo and ranks in the top tier of Western New York courses along with Brown's Farm, Parma and Lakeside Beach State Park.
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12 2
Timeetyo
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10 years 41 played 33 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Love to hate this course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 5, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Lots of terrain in play. Uphill. Down hill. Flat...oh crap...that was more up or down hill... Overall and excellent use of the varied terrain that keeps you thinking. After a few really steep holes some that look flat sneak up on you are over/under throwing a hole that you thought was flat but snuck in some elevation.
- Varied basket placement to challenge even short putts and approaches. One with a small mound (really too small to consistently land an approach on - but enough risk that a putt off the basket will be a roll away 25' elevate putt. One on the edge of a steep slope with a smaller LZ at the base - but still that rollaway risk if short. Another where your approach most likely leaves you putting downhill slightly to the pin with only a few feet behind the pin a slope down to an OB creek (~25' away...but the slope makes the rollaway a real possibility).
- Legit Par 4 & Par 5s with some great risk / reward choices in the placement of your tee shot. Many of these are short enough par 4s that a hero line could get you a long look at eagle (or a bogey if you miss it). Or you could play it safe off the tee and leave a challenging upshot. Or - bite off somewhere in the middle.
- 4 sets of legit tees offering a challenge to all skill levels. To give some context - Par is 70 or 71 depending on tees. The tourney we played the winners averaged over 2 rounds - Open (gold) 73, Advanced (blue) 70, Intermediate (white) 73, Adv Women (red) 72. There were a few rounds in the 60s....but nobody averaged under par and folks were cashing with rounds close to 80.
- The longer tees don't just add distance for most holes - they add additional challenge in line shaping to the shot. Quite a few I threw from the white....and was challenged. Looked back at the gold and wondered how you could even make it.....walked up to the red and saw a different challenge than I was presented with. Very nice.
- Hole 1. It smacks you in the face to start. It is fair and makeable if you have excellent control, but man can it make you pay. It is a long (782/934/1100/1166) downhill down a very tight ski slope with some reasonably thick rough off both sides. There is also enough of a curve to it to force your hand on your second & third shots (assuming you were in the fairway) as you are trying to keep it in the fairway. It then opens up the last 100' on the flat at the bottom - but you still have an OB ski shed right and OB road behind / to the left.
- This course is a test of accurate line shaping and placement over pure distance...and you'd better bring more than just a hyzer line....you'll need em all. I found myself breaking out a large variety of discs and shots off the tee (and a whole lot more for recovery/2nd shots). Definitely not a course where you'll be throwing your primary driver on a hyzer line then putting more often than not.

Cons:

- Natural tees were in pretty rough shape. It didn't help that it rained on / off all day and the night before. That certainly made them worse. Even without that they were a big con - some had big pits from wear. Some had roots sticking up in them. They are marked with painted bricks on each side which would likely be difficult to find normally (they were flagged for my tourney). If these were fixed - even to be just leveled, filled in, marked, and graveled - I'd raise the course to a 4.5.
- Navigation can be tricky. There are lots of parking areas by a few different holes (we actually started at hole 11). There are some long walks which aren't always obvious. Unless you are adventurous - I'd grab a guide if possible your first time through.
- Although the tee signs were well done and had all the info - they were back at the golds which very few play and are in many cases out of the normal walk from pin to red/white/blue tee. This made them a lot less helpful.

Other Thoughts:

This is an excellent course that I wish were closer to me so that I could play it more often. It reminds me of a good 'ole backyard tackle football game - you come home bruised and battered - but man was it fun.

It is important to realize what you are in for though because I could see someone being upset if they didn't have realistic expectations. More holes than not are tight and wooded with some rough lines and big consequences for failing. Physically - the course is demanding. It is long. There are additional long walks between holes. These walks are up and down a LOT of terrain. After 2 rounds all but the most in shape were beat just from the wear and tear of the course. You will hit trees - a lot of them. You'll probably grab some birdies...and some bogies (or worse). And if all that sounds good - you'll want to come back for more.

*One more note on the tees. Be realistic as to what your skillset is and play that tee. They will offer PLENTY of challenge. If you are an INT player playing from the golds...well...it'll be a LONG day.
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8 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 548 played 429 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Should be a Double Black Diamond 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Black Diamond is very tough, from any layout you choose. With four sets of tees, you can trim some length off of the course, but you are still looking at a par 70 or 71. Not a course that is beginner friendly. There are tee signs showing all tee positions, pin position, distances, Tee boxes are differentiated by color coded markers in the ground. Elevation changes are fantastic, water and woods are formidable, and all shots will be needed.The baskets were all in ok condition. I played the white tees, and shot a 5 over par (75). Red tees are shortest, then whites, blues, and gold the longest of all. I thought the entire front 9 was great, and 10, 14, and 18 as well. The others were not entirely without charm, either. Hole 1 is crazy, a swerving 40' wide ski run downhill with heavy woods lining both sides much of the way. White tee is listed at 934' and I pulled an awesome second shot with my roadrunner, to make an unlikely 4. 2 is another tough one, with water behind the basket. Woods are heavy, and elevation climbs through the rest of the front nine. 10 is across the street from the parking lot. The back 9 loops around another part of the park, and is a little more open, but just as challenging. 14 was a cool one downhill into woods near the edge of a stream. 17 has a very large, odd mound protecting the basket. 18 is just a good hole through beautiful old trees. This is surely one of the most challenging I have ever played. An incredible park with things you won't see in most disc golf courses.

Cons:

I parked in the wrong place, near the tee for 14, and picked up with a couple of guys from there on the final 5 holes. They gave me some much appreciated tips on the rest of the course. It was a total pro they helped me out, but I did have trouble finding the beginning of the course. A map for the course can also be very useful. Some weird transitions between holes. Rough can be brutal in places, and water might get you too.

Other Thoughts:

A very serious challenge. Don't go if you want a quick round, or you get frustrated easily. If you like what you're reading, the go, by all means. It is a course with lots of personality, and a favorite of mine after playing one round. Emery Park is pretty cool, I loved seeing the ski lift, waterfall, and several other points of interest and/or natural beauty.
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2 12
Gksiazek
Experience: 29 played 2 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Misleading Course Score 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

It was a very scenic park lots on interesting and cool waterfalls. Some really cool holes. Especially the first one down the ski slope.

Back 9 was a solid course. With actual lines to baskets and interesting ways of getting there.

Cons:

The front 9 was boarderline unplayable. Hole 1 and 2 where good holes using available space and trees to make them difficult holes in a reasonable fashion. The next holes 3-7 aren't really holes as far as I'm concerned. There is throwing in a highly wooded area which imo should allow for some sort of line to the hole to exist. Instead on some of those holes I was throwing into a highly tree dense forest with no possible way to get where I was going. Holes 8 and 9 brought us out of the forest and gave us some lines to throw so they where a welcome sight compared to what we had just been thru.

Tee pads? What tee pads? Finding the tee box at every hole was a chore as we searched around for the 2 colored stones about 4 inches long and 2 inches thick almost always grown over by grass.

Restrooms at this park and even in the surrounding area where practically non-exisistant.

Other Thoughts:

I was driving thru Canada on the way to the finger lakes in NY. I chose to stop at this course because of its stellar ratings. It wasn't worth the stop. Maybe if I would have just played the back 9 it would have been ok.

This course has a ton of potential thou the ground is so muddy thou it would require cement tees, a couple guys with chain saws, lots more signs clearly pointing to the next tee.
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3 0
jchoate7
Experience: 11.8 years 64 played 10 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Tough, long course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 12, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is a great mix of open and tight wooded holes. The front nine is very challenging with a lot of elevation change and the back nine wraps it up with some more open holes that still feature the rolling hills that Emery Park has to offer. Great starting hill throwing down the ski hill, really showcases what is to come for the rest of the round. Pins are located very strategically around the course and offer great risk v award shots. 4 tee pads at each hole offer a good variety for whatever your skill level might be.

Cons:

The only cons I see are the natural tee pads, the courses close proximity to the main road, and holes 3 and 4. The natural tee pads are marked by bricks sunken into the ground and can be at times tough toe see, especially when the leaves start falling. The courses close proximity to the main road (holes 10, 17, and 18) makes an issue for safety. And holes 3 and 4 had such potential to be great holes with their pin locations but the two holes are ruined by the fact that there is absolutely no defined fairway. I love tight fairways but these two holes are kind of a crap shoot when you go to throw.

Other Thoughts:

The course is probably the best in Western NY but has so much more potential to be a true top notch course. All it needs is a cleanup on 3 and 4 and concrete tee pads and this course could easily support an A-tier. The course is at Emery Park and when your done playing a round you can go enjoy the other things the park has to offer.
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8 0
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.8 years 351 played 175 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Black Diamond Beast!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Black Diamond is an absolute beast. If you want a challenge this is the place for you. The park is spectacular. It's very large and scenic. The course has the most variety of terrain of any that I've played. Open, wooded, water, elevation, ridges, rock structures, humps, and waterfalls. What a beauty. If you like hiking this is the place for you.

Hole #1 is one of the most memorable hole 1's on any course that I've played.

There are 4 distinct tee pads on this course.
Reds-Recreational 6,136 Ft
White-Intermediate 7,771 Ft
Blue-Advanced 9,052 Ft
Gold-Professional 10, 468 Ft
True par 4 & 5 golf.

Excellent baskets. Discraft Chainstars.

Great tee signs. Very descriptive with hole number, distances, hole design, and all tees.

Although the tees were marked with painted blocks they were all fairly easy to find on each hole. They maintain them nicely.

The front is distinctly different from the back. The front is mostly wooded with great elevation. The back has a lot of long open holes.

Cons:

The biggest con I have are the tee pads. They are natural and were super muddy the day I played. It's really hard to enjoy a course when you are slipping all over.

Bring a map. It can get tough to navigate the first time thru. Try to set up a guide. With a course this long there are tons of blind holes. It adds a lot of time to the round. Don't expect a quick round here.

The tee sign is only located at one of the 4 positions on each hole.

If you play the Red tees you'll have a ton of walking to do.

At one time the baskets had flags on top of all the baskets. Many are missing now. They could use new flags or some kind of bright tape on them. It's super hard seeing the baskets in the woods and from some of the long distances.

Other Thoughts:

With proper tee pads I'd bump this rating to a 4.5.

Get an update on conditions. If this course is dry it's fantastic terrain.

This review is coming from playing the White tees. I did check out all the tees on each hole.

Bring a map. You'll need it.
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6 0
culinarywiz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 35.6 years 305 played 66 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Tough 18 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 28, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Four tees. The shorts/reds are actually respectable. The whites are what the locals typically play...starting to get some honest distance and challenge. The blues are a brutal 9000+ foot workout. The golds are double diamond, kick you in the face, who's your daddy now, 10,000+ feet of "did I really submit to this?" disc golf debauchery.

Strong elevation here...built on an old ski slope. Expect a heavy dose of up and down.

Typically there were defined fairways. At times, multiple lines and distances for landing zones were evident. Lots of risk/reward here.

The natural beauty toward the back was quite nice. Scenic creek, gorge and waterfalls including a deep one that has an old haggard set of stone steps leading down to the base.

The signage is top shelf.

Cons:

There were times I felt the course grew monotonous. Perhaps this is simply due to the awesome length boasted here. You will throw your plastic many, many, many, times before you reach hole 18.

I wish more of the natural obstacles (besides trees) played into the course. I would have loved shooting back and forth over some valley's and water more...rather than always laying up next to them.

The four tee layout was nice but typically the tees were only separated by distance. There were few different lines and rarely did the longer tee present new challenges beyond length.

Other Thoughts:

Definitely a very good course. Worthy of a road trip.

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6 3
iacas
Experience: 11.7 years 31 played 12 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Difficulty is Foremost 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 20, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Several tee markers, sometimes they're tough to find especially beneath leaves.
- Difficulty is a plus. This course IS difficult, so it's not a con.
- It's a small workout. Other reviews complain about the walk, but I rate the difficulty of the walk as "moderate" and no more. I'm in reasonable shape, though.
- The baskets are in good shape and the course signage is nice and illustrates things reasonably well. Tee signs on just one tee, though.
- 18 basket has a cool "amongst a cluster of trees" thing going for it. Nice way to finish.
- Ample parking. And free skiing in the winter? :)
- Some awesome holes, including the first. The 17th is one of my favorites, too, and the back has several sweet holes. #2 is cool as well.
- Despite getting lots of rain lately the course was reasonably dry in most places. The bottom of the ski slope by #1 basket was the wettest for obvious reasons, and it was still just wet, not puddling.
- #9 basket can serve as a practice/warmup basket. The first time here we thought that's what it was.

Cons:

- One elevated basket is fine. Two might even be okay if they're spaced out. When four or five holes in a row have the same "feature" it gets old, fast.
- Several holes in the stretch of holes 3-8 don't really seem to have obvious fairways (one, I believe it's #5 or #6, has a fairway but it's just a path about ten feet wide for 500' to 700') with little to no room for an S-curve or a longer throw.
- Some benches here and there might be nice, as would some elevated tee signs so you're able to find the tees you're playing more easily.
- A few baskets and holes seem a bit too close to some playgrounds, but it hasn't been a problem when I've played (it was cold so nobody was out).

Other Thoughts:

This course presents a tale of two nines (or, really, a tale of holes 3-8 and then 1, 2, and 10-18. Holes 3-8 are "gimmicky" with elevated baskets on far too many holes in a row.

That said, almost the entire back nine and all but six holes on the front are quite nice, with a wide variety of challenging shots, from the wide open to the technical, uphill, downhill, backhand, forehand, hyzer, anhyzer, etc. Your skills will be tested, and you'll have fun.

I'm steeling myself for the local players to give the review thumbs down, but I can only be honest, and I still gave the place a 3.5. It could be a 4.5 with some work. Holes 1, 2, and 9-18 (with the exception of one hole) are worth a 4.3 to 4.5. Holes 3-8 bring down the average.

I ran into some locals (six of them) the last time I played when we caught up to them on the 14th hole or so, and they told us "yeah, we jumped out on ten. We play the back nine twice and don't play the front very often."

Seems like a smart plan. :)
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6 3
Safbo
Experience: 29.8 years 8 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 19, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A very technical course with a mix of play. You need a variety of skills to play the course in par, if your lucky. Terrain plays a major factor here with down hill, up hill, and heavily wooded shots making up the majority of play. Some water but mostly near baskets so be careful on the approaches not over throw. A very picturesque park to play and good accessibility.

Cons:

Ok, sorry I have to be honest here so if I hurt anybody's feelings TO BAD. #1 course is quite long and akin to a hiking trip so a few benches here and there would be nice. #2 tree trimming or outright removal is needed throughout the course, this is not chestnut ridge, and yes I appreciate the use of nature on the course but let's be real, mother nature needs to be keep in check once in awhile too make play possible not impossible (hole 5 ). #3 some tee and basket locations make no sense at all, either next to shelters or playgrounds or in case of baskets (hole3) on hill after you just threw the forrest to get there.This park is big, so make use of it, when the park is busy a lot of people are there and holes 11,14,16 I've had to skip so many times due to people traffic. Simplely moving the tees a little would alleviate most of my compliant's. #4 hole 13 is the only real ace able one ( if the limbs were trimmed) so a few new holes in the future would be nice being joe Davies is the only course in the area with more than 18 holes, again this park is big so add a few shorter holes to keep the play pace varied and FUN.

Other Thoughts:

This is my home course and I play several times a week, but I find myself becoming frustrated with it. This course has every thing it needs to be the premier course in all of WNY at all levels of player skill, but only if a little more work and thought are put into it.
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7 1
jayman33
Experience: 18 years 48 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

High caliber 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 1, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Description: ranked 3rd or 4th in ny
Uniqueness: great design on cool property. 1st 9 are mostly wooded with major elevation changes. Back 9 are longer holes, mostly flat but fun holes and a nice change from the front. Get a mix of everything here
Hole designs: great use of terrain. Tight holes, more open; to the left, to the right; uphill, downhill (first hole's about a 1000 feet down a ski slope).
Basket locations: very good placements. Baskets are in challenging positions. Hole 2 has you approach downhill with the basket close to water, daring you to see how close you want to place your drive or approach. Hole 3 is uphill with the basket on a 8 foot mound which will test you to go for the birdie or settle for par. Many other baskets are in cool places, but my favorite is 18 where the basket is set in the center of a circle of pine trees with high branches.
Favorite holes: so many holes could be my favorite, it's easier to think of holes I didn't like, which was only hole 6 (see cons). Holes 1, 17, and 18 are my top 3.
Difficulty: can choose your own with 4 tees per hole
Flow: red arrows help. Long walks between some holes so you could still get lost if you don't have a map or course guide.
Tee signs: awesome. Great graphics and accurate representation of hole
$: free
Conditions/maintenance: good. 
Crowds: lots of groups were here, but pace was still good. 

Cons:

Hole 6: poor considering all the other holes
Navigation: because flow is pretty difficult at points, this can be a con 1st time playing
Tees: only grass, some are hard to find

Other Thoughts:

Easily best course in buffalo. In my favorites. A must play!
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8 0
lcra0825
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.6 years 152 played 39 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Mix of Open and Wooded holes 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 1, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Great Mix of Open and Wooded holes. The wooded holes all have something unique about them and have great scenery and most of the open holes have interesting basket placements and different obstacles to keep it interesting. Bottom line the course doesn't get boring.
- Great variety of shots are required for this course. There are anhyzer, hyzer, uphill downhill, a few that you have to keep straight. This course will test every throw.
- Very good signs that show you where all the tees are, (very important on this course because they are hard to find and there are four of them for each hole), how long it is for each tee, where the basket is, and where the next tee is(pay attention to where the next tee). The signs are located at whatever tee you would reach first after finishing the last hole.
- Alternate basket placements. I haven't played the course too much but I have never noticed the baskets actually being switched. I am sure the niagra region disc golf club takes care of that
- Multiple tees allow for Pros and amateurs to both play and have fun. An ordinary hole may have tees from 877 feet to 505 feet or 508 to 315 feet. The longest hole is 1165 feet to 782 feet. This course has a good mix of long holes and average distance holes. No short ones though. I wouldn't bring a beginner here because of its length. It could get frustrating.
- The course is configured so the first nine holes start and end at the parking lot. The back nine start and end just across the street from parking lot. This is nice since this is a long course. If you want to play just nine, its easy to do.
- This park as far as I can tell is used mostly for disc golf and it is not nearly as busy as chestnut ridge. Occasionally you will see people walking their dog or having a picnic, but it rarely interferes with your game. Also there are shelters around the park that have at least sinks to fill your water bottle and probably bathrooms.
- Probably because it is not used as much, the course is in much better shape than chestnut ridge. There is less garbage and bottles lying around

Cons:

- Navigation: This course is very hard to navigate even with the provided map(online DGCR). They have added red directional signs to make it better than before, but I would still play this course with someone who has played it before if it is your first time. After you get the hang of it, this will not be an issue anymore.
- Even though there are four tees, they can be very hard to find because they are just colored bricks buried in the ground. Use the signs to help you find the desired tee.

Other Thoughts:

I find this course very fun to play despite its length because of the abundant variety of holes. I found that the average player (everyone I have asked) uses the white tees. These are still long(7771 ft.) but not unbearable. Also make sure you play with someone else, especially the first time, so you can spend more time playing and less time looking for the next tee. You will also have players for spotting. Although there are no disk sucking black holes, there are some blind drives. Overall this course is a "blast!"
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2 5
swil91
Experience: 18.9 years 22 played 9 reviews
4.50 star(s)

emery 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 17, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

great all around course, solid length and challenges you to use all the shots in your bag, 4 tee selections keep things interesting

Cons:

please change the basket locations!!!!!!
the only ones ever rotated are #1 and # 15....terrible
many courses out west switch them up every 3-6 mos

only one legitimate ace hole

not a beginners course

Other Thoughts:

great track
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3 5
justinmd44
Experience: 23.8 years 57 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

BIG LONG DG Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 29, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

You are welcomed to this course with a thousand+ foot shot down a ski slope... and that is just the beginning. The course will definitely test your arm and yet, the trees, tight fairways, and variety of shots will help to equalize most players. Its a big, tough, long course God couldn't shoot 54 here.

Cons:

This course can feel excessively long at times, it is long hole after long hole after long hole. The length and rigor of the course also makes it difficulty for people to find time to play a full round.

Other Thoughts:

The course might take a long time to play but it is well worth the time spent.
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9 2
Chiefstang
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 101 played 21 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Take your lumps!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 27, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Truly an epic course with monster throws demanding accuracy. Imagine the largest holes on your local course. Now make those the shorter holes on the course, and litter the fairway with trees... That's Emery.

As challenging as it is, it is a beautiful course with a fun factor of 11 (Think Spinal Tap). The signage is great on each hole, and the course is easy to navigate (depending on which tees you're using... See cons).

Cons:

My gripes are few, and easily fixed. Aside from these couple complaints, I would've given this course a 5.

Tee pads would be nice. The natural tees haven't eroded badly yet, but as this course catches on, I can see it being a problem. I imagine with a course this polished, they're on the way.

Tee pad markers. As great as the signs are on each hole, there is only one to mark four different pads per hole. The pads themselves are only marked by a hard to find (especially in the autumn) colored brick in the ground. Someone put small yard flags at the tees, but many have been removed, leaving us to hunt, sometimes for ten minutes or so, for the golds. A simple post painted the color of the tee would be a HUGE help ( ...and maybe concrete pads.?.?.?). That being said, navigating the course itself was easy.

Other Thoughts:

We drove from Rochester to play this one and Chestnut Ridge. Three and a half hours later, daylight squashed our hopes of playing both. Leave yourself time to play this one. Dress accordingly as underbrush and mud frequent many of the holes. First time playing it, though and we never had to hunt for a disc.

Of the courses I've played, including my local favorites, this is the best. Just be ready for a high score and try not to get frustrated. I'm close to par on most courses, so I laughed at my buddy who challenged me to throw under a hundred (From the golds... Didn't drive all this way to sissy out!). Ninety-five throws later, I had beat his challenge, but wasn't laughing anymore. This course is HARD, but go into it knowing that and you'll have an amazing round.

Worth whatever roadtrip you need to make, so come get your lumps!
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10 2
sloppydisc
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.3 years 201 played 147 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Arm still hanging! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 12, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful landscape with elevation, rocks, trees and creeks. In the fall you also get the changing leaves. Multiple tee positions for different levels of abuse. If you had your Wheaties in the morning play the longs to the tune of over 10,000' of throwing. And there are more than a few uphill throws that make it seem even longer. Signs at every hole showing tee placement and basket positions. New and nice. Front 9 is a heavily wooded beast that can crush you if you are not accurate. Lots of challenge. Basket are all new and in great condition. Navigation wasn't a problem, altough there is some long walks between holes. Bring a map and keep your eyes open for the wooded arrows on the trees directing you to the correct path.

Cons:

Natural tee pads. It is probably not practical to have tee pads for the 4 different tee positions available at many of the holes, but some kind of pad would be nice. Positions are marked with colored bricks that can be hard to locate, especially in the fall. When you are in the woods leaves are everywhere.

#16 plays through a playground area. Nobody around when I was there, but it could be a problem on certain days. Multi-use park, so you might have to share the space. 2 of the guys I played with hit the bathrooms off the tee, so look for pedestrians and kids.

Even on the wooded holes it didn't seem like there were holes that forced me to shape lines and make a certain shot. Many straight shots through scattered mature trees or WTF wooded fairways.

Other Thoughts:

I can understand why some people have rated this course very high. It is really nice, and has a ton of long holes. Basket positions are located in areas that try to make the course more challenging also. #18 is surrounded by trees, and #14 plays right along a creek bed. But overall, it just didn't seem like a fun course. I usually star every hole that is unique or really impressed me, and I didn't have any marked on my notes. But I also don't remember seeing any bad holes either. Just good solid play. Definitely worth playing if you are in Western NY. My impression is that this course would be great for players with big arms that want to air it out. Just don't looking for a ton of technical shots. Several of the wooded holes were overly tight, bordering on a hope and a prayer. There may be lines, but they certainly aren't obvious. Overall, it's a good course, but not on the level of other top courses I have played.

May 30, 2012 UPDATE : Went back for another pound and tried the White tees this time. I still have the same love, hate feeling for this course. Tee pads would be a huge upgrade. The wooded holes still are a little odd. #3 has a line, I think, but from the tee it is not anywhere near obvious. #4 could be a great hole, but too many trees and too much luck get in the way. That hole makes little sense IMO. This is still a fun and very scenic course. White tees made more sense for my ability than the Golds I played before. I won't knock a course for long walks or up hill climbs, but I'd love to see a few fairways altered, and some decent pads put in here. It's a very nice course, but not quite in the upper echelon. Yet. Definitely worth a stop ifmyoumare in Western NY.
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2 8
WaDoosh
Experience: 14.9 years 47 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Great course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 30, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course is simply amazing. Bring your accuracy for the front 9, one mistake and you can be looking at a 5 or a 6. Hole 1 is absolutely a sight to see and a must play. Lines are tight and challenging. Make sure you bring a variety of shots or it can be an ugly round. Head to the back 9 and bring out the big arm. Holes are long and flat out fun, so many holes to step up and crush it!

Cons:

Very muddy in spring, path between hole 2 and 3 is ALWAYS muddy!

Other Thoughts:

Once this course has cement tee pads, you're llooking at a championship caliber course. If you're ever in the area, you must stop by an play this course. Tee signs are great, makes the course easy to navigate!! PLAY THIS COURSE!
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3 0
leftyone
Experience: 21 years 21 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Awesome Course!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well Marked, Wide range of shots required, great scenery! loved the elevation changes, crossing the creeks and rustic bridges. there was a course map right there at the parking lot as well as some info on upcoming tournaments

Cons:

Some of the holes are flat out tough, especially on the front 9. For a first time player at the course sometimes your taking your first two shots with out a visual at the basket (and i'm talking about two good shots)

Other Thoughts:

Front 9 requires alot of accuracy. I found myself shooting alot of midrange discs off the Tee just for the accuracy aspect. Many tight windows to shoot through. Back 9 was more wide open, take out the drivers and bomb away.
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