2nd annual disc marathon

[roggenb3]

Background:
Last year I took a 5,600 mi road trip from Madison to San Diego and back to visit my mom and play as much disc as I could. In the 14 day trip I ended up playing 18 rounds at 16 courses in 9 states.

Foreground (? - why isn't that termed used in this context?):
I have the same amount of time off this year (16 possible days - last week of Aug and first week of Sep off), but can't leave immediately due to the Mad City Open, and I am trying to be back by 9/4 for the Packers/Seahawks game.

This year I am going the opposite direction. My goal is to find the perfect balance of quality and quantity. I want to play alot (currently planning on 22+ rounds in 12 days), and in as many states as possible (I am well on my way to all 50 states), and I also want to play the best every state has to offer. So I don't wanna play a crappy course just to play another course (damn you, Ninigret!), or play a 4 hr round just because it's a nice course (like anything that involves a ski lift).


Attached is a screenshot of my trip as I have it planned out on Google maps.

Below is a list of all the courses I plan on hitting. This is assuming I stay on schedule (which I did successfully on my trip last year). Some days are a bit agressive which may lead to a course or two being skipped due to fatigue, but I can handle 3 rounds a day for an extended period.


8/25:
Hawk's Landing + mini disc (Eden,NY)
Black Diamond (South Wales,NY)
Shore Winds Blue (Waterport,NY)

8/26:
Joralemon State Park (Albany,NY)

8/27 (trip within a trip while at a hotel in Leceister):
Pleasant Hill (Scarborough,ME)
Woods at Beauty Hill - Lynx (Center Barnstead, NH)
Austine (Brattleboro,VT)

8/28 (all courses by Leceister):
Pryamids
Maple Hill
Newton Hill

8/29:
Ninigret (Charlestown, RI)
Stafford Woods (Voorhees,NJ)
Sedgley Woods (Philly)

8/30:
Bryan Park (Richmond,VA)

Staying with a friend in NC for a few days, didn't map out the courses for that.

9/3:
Lucky 8 (Lavalett,WV)
Idlewild (Burlington,KY)

9/4:
Lemon Lake Red, Blue, Silver (Crown Point, IN)


So, what I want from everyone here is suggestions:

What are some great courses near my path that are worth hitting up?
Which courses in my plan are nearby better courses?
Are Pyramids/Maple/Newton the best 3 in the Marshall Street area?
What courses should I play while near Charlotte for a couple days?

And one specific question: Woods at Beauty Hill is marked on DGCR as private, but there is no phone number or anything to call....do I just show up?

Finally - Anyone who lives near my projected path - Are there any non-disc related things I NEED to do while in the area?

 

[tallpaul]

Austine will be better than you think. Give the designer a call and set up a tee time; he and his brother both played with us during a recent trip.

Maple Hill and Idlewild will both take quite a while to play. Speaking of the Idlewild day; Johnny has 2 full and one nearly finished course on his land, and Lucky takes a while to play...on a mountainside. So, that day won't be easy to get done either. Also, there are three more great courses near Idlewild.

Guess what I'm saying there, is that when planning the mega trips, it's always difficult to dedicate enough time in a single area....

Looks like a great one; have fun!

 

[Mando]

My only comment is ; you must really like to drive more than playing good to great disc golf courses, but at least you have a full day for two rounds at Joralemon.:thmbup: Punt all those courses on the 25th and head to the state parks and breweries near ithaca (Finger Lakes), you will be glad you did.

 

[bballr4567]

Steer a bit further south in Indiana and play at Prides Creek in Petersburg. It's a newer course but it's pretty ridiculously fun.

 

[roggenb3]

My only comment is ; you must really like to drive more than playing good to great disc golf courses..

It's funny you say this becasue I am stoked about this year's trip becuase there will be so much less driving than my last one (about 2,100 miles less). It's really not bad, should be about 50ish hours of driving over 12 days, or about 4.25/day on average - think about it like work and thast's only half a shift. The key is to not sleep much and drive through the nights, then I have all day to disc

 

[grodney]

What courses should I play while near Charlotte for a couple days?

The ratings on this site don't lie:
Renaissance
Nevin
RL Smith
Bradford
Hornet's Nest

Besides those, it depends on where you're staying and what you're looking for:
- Fox Chase in Albermarle is pretty good and is rated highly.
- Winget is a really fun course, and can be paired fairly easily with RL Smith and/or Renaissance.
- Bailey near Bradford is a good short putter/roc warm-up course.
- Elon has two separate courses on one site - a long challenging course and a nice little putter/roc warm-up course.
- All the die-hard locals will recommend getting on the private Brackett's Bluff.
- Depending on what you like, you might find Reedy Creek, Scrapyard, or others worth your time.
- There are some up north I know nothing about but their ratings are good and/or locals feel they are under-rated, such as Stumpy and Robbins.
- If you love the USDGC, go play Winthrop Gold even without the rope.

 

[roggenb3]

Thank you grodney, that is exactly the type of local insider info I am looking for. I do love me a private course, and may very well check out Brackett's Bluff...

Give the designer a call and set up a tee time; he and his brother both played with us during a recent trip.

Is Austine private? It's not listed as such and there is no number to call on the page that I see...

 

[tallpaul]

Austine is public. I was mixing up Austine with the other course we played that day; so disregard that. Though, you can connect with course designer; Patrick Harris, via facebook. We played with him also. He's one of the better deaf disc golfers around; and a real nice guy/guide. Make sure to play the pond hole. It's not super fantastic; but a nice hole.

 

[Mando]

Austine is public. I was mixing up Austine with the other course we played that day; so disregard that. Though, you can connect with course designer; Patrick Harris, via facebook. We played with him also. He's one of the better deaf disc golfers around; and a real nice guy/guide. Make sure to play the pond hole. It's not super fantastic; but a nice hole.

Is there a DGCR Hall of Fame category for using semicolons ?

 

[greg_b_4]

Roggen, I see you are playing johnny sias' back yard at lucky 8. I would highly recommend playing armco in ashland ky the same day. There are 2 courses there and the harder course is my favorite course I've ever played, and I've played hornets nest, idlewild, and renny.

 

[roggenb3]

Roggen, I see you are playing johnny sias' back yard at lucky 8. I would highly recommend playing armco in ashland ky the same day. There are 2 courses there and the harder course is my favorite course I've ever played, and I've played hornets nest, idlewild, and renny.

Good suggestion, I love elevation so the blue course seems like something I would love.

 

[greg_b_4]

Good suggestion, I love elevation so the blue course seems like something I would love.

Roggen,

If you are gonna be in the Huntington/Ashland area on the 3rd Im pretty sure I could meet up and play with you. I travel for work and I can make that area my stop for that week. Let me know.

 

[roggenb3]

I've already played Sedgley Woods, and although I want to go back, I am thinking of skipping that and playing Borderlands before Ninigret on 8/30.


Also, I might stay closer to Philly that night and play Tyler State Park the next morning - that place looks amazing.

 

[roggenb3]

One more random question - anyone have a guess at how much I need for tolls?

I don't even know how to begin to estimate something like that, as I am completely unfamiliar with how much tolls generally cost.

I was thinking like $100 or so...

 

[tallpaul]

^^^That estimate is about right. We spent a little less; but we avoided the coastal highways as much as possible. If you have to pay bridge crossing fees; they are expensive.

 

[discNDav]

I'd skip Ninigret in RI, years ago I drove 45 minutes out of the way and walked off after 5 holes, it was the worst course on my New England trip. Can you find time for Borderlands in MA, it's great! I'd show you around Stafford or Sedgley but I'll be on my own DG trip.

 

[discNDav]

Tyler might be all in the "C" positions (think par 4 on almost every hole which makes it great) since the Yetter tourny is upcoming. I don't see Delaware listed on your trip, there are many choices near Wilmington and very close to I-95.

 

[Mando]

I'd skip Ninigret in RI, years ago I drove 45 minutes out of the way and walked off after 5 holes, it was the worst course on my New England trip.

No way this guy will skip Ninigret,his trip is all about bagging states. Seems to be a much higher priority than playing good courses.

 

[Olorin]

roggen,

You have to squeeze in Brandywine in Wilmington DE. It's close to the interstate and will give you another state played on a very nice course. I really enjoyed it!

 

[roggenb3]

No way this guy will skip Ninigret,his trip is all about bagging states. Seems to be a much higher priority than playing good courses.

Thats where youre wrong, its only half about the states, like I already said. Not sure how you get that impression when most of the courses I listed are near a 4 rating....Anyways, after playing Maple Hill I axed the trip to upper NE and just played Maple Hill for another day bc it was sooo spectacular. Skipping some also now gives me a reason to need to come back to this area of the country. Since I already skipped those I also skipped Ninigret in favor of Borderlands, and played Seneca Creek State Park in Maryland instead of anything in DE just so i could drive further that night rather than stop at like 8pm.

Pretty awesome so far, cant wait to play Idlewild tomorrow!