Agape Farm is the latest top-notch Championship Course in this part of the state, and boy is it something! Immense elevation, creatively challenging par 5s, and gorgeous views across many acres of a Christian camp.

Three layouts plus a fourth championship layout (whose baskets were not in for the tournament I played in). The Reds (8,252') play quite comfortably to par while the Blues (11,098') are a nice challenge. Goldilocks Whites come in at 9,733'.

Not as many of those patented John Houck double fairways as some of his other courses, but there are plenty of decisions to make on all of the par 4's and 5's, as there are not many flat landing zones to choose from.

Large pristine tee-pads, great signage, and perhaps the most efficient design from hole to hole that I've experienced on a Championship-level course like this, hardly any time spent walking from one basket to the next tee.

On the longer holes, the greens themselves are numbered with clear signage so new players don't have to squint and wonder if they're throwing to the right basket.

The back 9 in particular is quite picturesque as you move further away from the rest of the course and the camp infrastructure.

The par 5s are really worth singing about. One or two (depending on the layout) on the front nine and three on the back nine. The first one, hole 5 (1095'), asks you to throw straight across from one hill to another, hopefully progressing far enough that on your second shot you can punch through a gap in the trees to get into the open. Your final approach is across an open field downhill into a tiny green cut out into the edge of the woods.

Hole 13, coming in at over 1300'(!) asks you to beat a few trees off the tee, throwing slightly downhill and hopefully avoiding getting caught up by branches too high. If you fade too far left along the slope of the hill than the best you can hope for your second shot is to make it just through the gap, setting you up to throw up over an open rise, which should get you close enough for an easy though somewhat blind approach to a basket nestled in a depression with several guardian trees and a slope that loves rollaways drifting away past the basket.

I love hole 9, which I have yet to figure out after three rounds. Par 4, 651' from the blues, it forces you to throw a very straight shot through several gaps that lands in a very specific landing zone which will allow you to throw a delicate BH turnover or maybe a flippy FH down a gradual slope to the green that skips quite quickly into the pond beyond.

It's a great course and an absolutely blast to play, the designers and the whole Agape Farm team have really gone above and beyond to put a beautiful course in the ground. But there are just a few things holding it back from being 5 stars:

There are three holes that feel a bit like filler in my opinion, hole 6, hole 12 (which feel like a real missed opportunity to push a little further into the woods to make a par 4), and hole 16.

Similar to Muddy Run, holes 17 and 18 are just wide-open bomber holes. I think these holes would be totally fine within the context of the whole round, but not the most magical way to end a round and they feel like they stick out from the rest of the course in an underwhelming way.

The course had been whipped into great shape by the grounds crew for the Grand Opening tournament but the rough still feels raw in some places and the fairways are not quite beaten in yet. I suspect it'll take plenty of maintenance to keep Nature at bay and I wonder if a course this far out will ever get enough traffic to feel comfortable softened up into that perfect space.

$12 to play, there's a drop box at the first tee.
Plenty of bathrooms throughout.
There's a pitch and putt micro-course on-site as well.
RV parking and amenities.

I think a brief comparison to the other big boy course in the area, Faylor Lake, would be helpful to draw out some of the virtues of both courses:

Agape Farm is absolutely challenging on every shot. There is aggressive utilization of elevation throughout, greens are sloped, second shots on fairways are almost always forcing you to deal with unbalanced footing and throwing up hill or downhill.

Agape is, I feel, also more mentally demanding. Hole to hole, Faylor mostly asks you land your tee shots in a few particular places, and challenges you to figure out what type of throw to get there, while Agape allows you to play your game off the tee to land in a variety of spots, but you may not know clearly what spot is best.

I do find Agape plays easier to par than Faylor but the physical and mental experience of a round at Agape is more taxing. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing!

Agape is a little less picturesque and lacks some of the water danger of Faylor, but Agape's big bomber holes feel a little more natural (though perhaps also a little less memorable).

Definitely play them both and decide for yourself!

Agape Farm Championship has it all: jaw-dropping elevation changes, challenging but fair fairways, a nice mix of wooded and semi-open holes, and a gorgeous mountain setting. I cannot wait to play here again.

The most memorable holes were the many huge bombs off big hills, some of which require placement or hitting a gap. For days afterwards I dreamed of those holes, and I can still picture them vividly.

Besides the epic downhill throws, the course featured every shot shape imaginable, including left, right and straight drives, valley shots, grinding uphills, and a few short but tricky holes mixed in. A stream comes into play near the hole #16 baskets.

Huge trapezoidal concrete teepads were installed level and the surface was appropriately grippy. Nicely done.

Three teepads and two baskets on most holes, plus reasonably generous fairways make this course amenable to a range of skills. That said, the short-to-short layout is still > 8,000 feet so I would not bring a beginner here.

Lots of variation in hole lengths. The short layout includes four holes longer than 800' and six holes around 200' or less, while the long layout features three holes longer than 1,000' and three holes shorter than 300'.

Post-mounted signs at every tee include a map showing the location for all tees and baskets, plus distances from each tee and directions to the next tee. Brooms for clearing teepads have been hung on the tee posts in the woods.

Orange Mach 7 baskets feature a number plate and were fairly easy to spot. Baskets were mounted level and caught well.

The course loops back to the parking lot halfway through the round. On such a big, physically challenging course the opportunity to replenish water was much appreciated.

Transitions between holes were usually fairly short. After finishing a hole the next tee or a directional sign was typically visible from the basket. Next tee signs featured red, white, and blue arrows pointing towards the red, white, or blue tees (but see cons).

Grass was well mowed when I played. Cheerfully decorated 6-seat outhouse is located between holes #1 and #2. The Micro course on site serves as a quick warm-up for putting and short approaches.

The positives far outweigh the negatives but Agape Farm does have a few new course issues that I expect to improve over time.

Rough was quite thick in places, often near the basket. (I lost a disc within circle 2 on hole #8). I hope that the rough will get beaten in as more people discover this gem.

Navigation could be improved. The arrows on the "next tee" signs pointed generally in the right direction, but sometimes I spent more time than I liked looking for the next tee.

It would be helpful if each teepad (or post) were marked red, white, or blue. Sometimes after wandering about a bit (see above) I located a teepad, but it was not obvious which teepad I had found. A bit of spray paint on each post would be helpful.

For a course with such dramatic ups and downs, it would be nice if the tee signs listed elevation change for each hole.

I know this seems like a lot of cons for a course that I rated so highly, but the pros of this course far outweigh the cons. Think of these as suggestions to make a fantastic course even better.

I cannot wait to play here again. Preferably soon. Did I say that already? If so, it deserves to be said again.

This course is a workout, and I was fortunate to play here on a seasonably pleasant autumn day. Hydrate well if you play in the summer heat.

It had rained heavily a few days before I played and the insects were really bad despite bug spray. This did not affect my rating but it did affect my enjoyment.

Compared with Faylor Lake, Agape feels more woodsy and is more of a workout despite shorter transitions between holes. Both courses are fantastic, however. The two courses are only about an hour apart so play both if you get the chance. You will be glad you did. Tired, but glad.

$10 per day to play the Championship and Micro courses at Agape. Sell blood or a kidney if you have to, it will be worth it. You will find the cash drop box by the course map near the tees for holes #1 and #10.

I hope to return regularly and follow Agape's evolution. If navigation improves and the rough gets thinned out near the baskets I will happily award my first 5.0 rating. But this is the strongest 4.5 I have ever handed out.