This course hasn't been given a review in about five years, and it seems it's changed a lot since then. I feel it's worthy of an update. I'd like to alert others of this gem, especially since it's close to the interstate and merely a little over an hour from the Atlanta metro. Fun day trip, especially when you consider the other activities the park has to offer.
Background: At the time of this review, I am a 917 rated player with 375 golf distance backhand and a weak forehand. I have played 62 different courses, located mostly in the American Southeast. I am right-handed and will write this review from such a perspective.
Hole Breakdown: (Note: I'm going to devote most of my time here to addressing the most common basket positions. I may mention other ones, but I will focus on the most common.)
1. A diversity of basket positions to start the day- this could be a midrange or putter throw uphill, a long island bomb playing about 425-450, or a dogleg right par 4. There are some trees, but it's relatively open.
2. Relatively open for about 250 feet, but this shot clamps down into a tunnel under a tree canopy at the end. Getting stuck on the left or right will lead to some unfortunate scrambling. Fairway or mid up the gut seems to be the best play.
3. An oddly-angled downhill tree-lined shot that gently moves right. RHBH turnover or RHFH push hyzer will get you down there. That last position is way farther down there than it looks.
4. Three positions- left, right, and center. The rightmost position is going to be either a forehand skip or a sneaky hyzer to the left of the mando. Green access is obstructed and some shots have to get a little lucky here. Center or left positions will be must-gets for MA2 and up.
5. A truly fearsome tunnel shot with a large "tree of injustice" in the middle. Left is a cache of trees from which scrambling is difficult and right is scraggly, thorny rough. I've seen good players deuce this, and I've also seen good players take a snowman here. One of the best holes on the course, if you ask me. Plays a little over 300.
6. Either a straight putter shot or a wooded RHBH hyzer skip.All positions play under 230. Far one is definitely a poke and hope.
7. A personal nemesis hole for me. A downhill power shot moving slightly from left to right. Nasty rough to the left, and an overturned RHBH turnover could hit one of 3 lined up trees along the right side of the fairway. Probably takes about 330 to get down there. The basket is located on the top of a hill facing the lake, and a cross breeze could ruin your nose-up uphill putt. Rollaways are also common here.
8. In the short positions, this is a stock RHBH hyzer. In the long position, it gets a lot more interesting. It becomes a par 4 with 2 routes to the landing zone- RHBH flex or tommy up the middle or wide skip hyzer. Then, the fairway almost doubles back in a severely sharp left dogleg to a hill green with an elevated basket. There's 2 places where you can attack for the bird after the tee shot- an inside line and an outside line. If you're in the middle, it's probably best to commit to the par.
9. Uphill RHFH flex forehand or backhand putter shot right up the gut. There's a sneaky line on the right side. Probably a must-get for MA1 and up.
10. Uphill midrange tunnel shot. I like to RHBH a midrange that's a little flippy on hyzer so it doesn't finish too hard down the hill. There's an OB road to the right.
11. Short position is a little putter dump. Long position is a mid/fairway downhill blast through a gap. Backhand and forehand both work here. The natural one-sided bowl of the green can help stop your disc, but it can also lead to an inopportune rollaway to the bottom.
12. Either a RHBH midrange hyzer onto a little hill of a green or a downhill straight midrange shot with OB behind and to the right. Fun little birdie shot.
13. Across a valley and slightly uphill. Positions are left, right and center. Right is pretty reachable with a midrange turnover or flick hyzer. Relatively short, open hole. All basket positions are on the hill, and, as such, mind rollaways.
14. I have played few disc golf holes where I loathe stepping up to the tee pad as much as I do on this one. It's about 225 in the short and 375 in the long. An OB road runs all the way along the right, and the lake runs all the way along the left. To make matters worse, the fairway runs down on a severe right-to-left slope, and I don't think it gets much more than 100 feet wide the whole way. Rollaways and big skips into the lake are common, as are hyzers that don't come back and lead to you attempting the same awful shot 20 feet up the fairway. The short position is close enough that you should be able to lay up a putter and take a par, but you're still praying that it doesn't roll into the lake. The long position…well, you're hoping the basket isn't in the long position. This hole has ruined my Throw At The Stone two years in a row, and I've decided that next year, I'm going to buy a used-bin driver, chuck it down there into the water and take the 4, since laying up doesn;t even really work all that well because the fairway is so tight before the green. This hole would be SIGNIFICANTLY improved with the addition of a drop zone. Maybe you go OB and don't get up and down from the drop zone…I think the double bogey is punishment enough, instead of some potentially cartoonish number (and, of course, the searing pain of probable disc loss). The next hole executes this suggested concept correctly.
15. Awesome blast over the inlet of the lake; an overall really fun and scenic shot. I'd say you need about 330 controlled distance to clear this one and about 350 to get near the pin. This one does have a drop zone about 200 out or so- you can lay up to the drop zone area off the pad if you're a shorter thrower. Shots pulled to the right risk getting caught up in tree branches and dumped unceremoniously into the lake.
16. Another beautiful shot over a rolling hill down to a pin tucked against the lake on the right side. If you're a power forehand thrower or a lefty, this is your jam. I've seen the turnover work, but due to the elevation change, if it's overturned, it's just going to keep going….right into the lake. I've also seen turnovers that don't flip stable up and cruise over the hill into the water. Once you crest the little hill, it's all downhill from there towards the hazard. I don't have the 325 or so forehand power you'll need to reach this hole, so I lay up with a midrange. (I know, I'm lame.) I've also seen this one in a really crazy far position out to the left.
17. A power hyzer uphill with one large tree in the way. I have 375 feet of distance consistently, and I can reach this one, but it's at the edge of my range. Birdie putts can be tough up here due to wind coming off the lake. I've also seen the pin tucked on the edge of the lake, about 250 out; land to the left, lake to the right.
18. A par 4 that has RHBH power throwers salivating. Woods line the left, and the lake lines the right the whole way. (Very tough for LHBH or RHFH players.) The fairway is wide enough that you can hang a relatively conservative hyzer out and keep it off the trees on the left side. I usually try and get about 350-375 off the tee, then I have a very open 200-250 foot upshot. Pretty much zero danger on the green here. Also, the woods on the left tail off around the 400 mark, so if you have a big arm, you can keep the hyzer more over land here. MA1 and up should get this every time.
19. Two lane uphill shot with a midrange. Forehand or backhand turnover both work. Inside line is pretty tight, so I see most people go outside. If you hit a tree in the fairway, you'll have a rough par save from the rough on either side.
20. Very, very technical downhill left turning shot. The line is TIGHT and there are a lot of trees in the fairway. A pushing hyzer can get you down the fairway, but only a hard chop forehand is going to get you down to the back position. A unique, intimidating hole that I find particularly excellent.
21. Not a fan of this one. It's almost an L-shaped fairway to the left- you'll need to throw over some trees and thick brush to get into the fairway. A more aggressive shot can really get up there, but risks getting stuck in insane levels of brush. (I've noticed a high flex forehand fading back to the fairway seems to be the shot.) The second shot is basically a poke-and-hope down the hill towards the basket. I've heard there's some sort of forehand line, but I personally didn't see it. Not a good first shot or second shot, but I think this one could be improved by taking out a few trees towards the end of the fairway.
22. An uphill power shot with a relatively open fairway and a small gap in a wall of trees at the end. If you don't make the gap, you'll have an obstructed 35-40 footer. Plays around 330. Fun to bomb a fairway up there.
23. Right turning shot around a corner with thick rough everywhere. Pretty far right, so you'll need a skip forehand or a very high, ambitious backhand. Relatively standard hole.
24. Wide open 180 foot shot with an extremely elevated basket- probably about 10-12 feet in the air. Big time struggle in the wind. It can be really difficult to make a putt inside 20 feet here due to the severe elevation difference. At my last tournament here, without thinking, I parked my shot off the drive and couldn't make the putt from under the basket. I'd switch to the basketball shot at close range.
25. There's a left and right fairway here, but I think you have to take the right side, even if you're left handed or a forehander, just based on the way the pad is angled. It's around a 325 foot shot with the trademark nasty rough along the sides. Pros would likely go spike hyzer here. You can also lay up with a RHBH putter hyzer to guarantee a manageable approach.
26. This is an absolute beast of a hole, it plays 410 off the long pad and pinches down around the 275 mark. I usually try and throw a midrange into the main gap; if it gets down, the approach is a relatively unobstructed 150 footer. If you can get the drive down, this one is doable. If.
27. A very sharp wooded right turn leads to a very obstructed approach to an elevated basket. There's a number of lines to the basket after the drive, but none are particularly easy, and if you try to push the drive far down there, you're really risking the initial gap. Difficult finishing hole, there's a variety of things that could go wrong here. I think even pros would see nothing wrong with a par here.
Other Thoughts/Tips:
- This park is a wonderful place to spend some time enjoying the outdoors. It's $3 to get in, but it's worth it. In addition to The Stone, there's a 9 hole junior course for ace runs, a swimming beach, and camping onsite. I camped out here for Throw At The Stone one year and had a blast.
- 19-27 are a significant step up in difficulty from the first 18. I recommend newer players stop off after 18, near the parking lot.
- The rough here is ROUGH, especially on 19-27. I've never seen anything like some of the thorn plants here, and there's a lot of them. Luckily, your disc usually doesn't go too far in due to the density. As always, check for ticks and bring bug spray.
- Amenities are very good. There's a practice basket, lost disc box, and community board. Large concrete tees and Discatchers are always good to see, and there's a bathroom near hole 1/18 and after 13. Signage does a good job of helping you locate the basket, but I've found some of the distances to be inaccurate.
- Course maintenance has been a little inconsistent. Normally it looks pretty good, but it was terribly overgrown one time I played.
- Navigation and flow is really good here. You might need help getting from 19 to 20, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
- The folks from the Macon Aces local club are a lot of fun.
- The Tobesofkee Lake Store is less than 5 minutes away. It has an absolutely fantastic selection of Innova and Discraft discs, and there are a few other manufacturers as well. I'm a Discraft guy, so my wallet tends to take a beating there.
- I've played a lot of courses on the I-75 corridor through GA (Dalton courses, Cartersville courses, ATL, Moseley, Tracks, Rozar, Fulwood) and I would recommend this above any of the others if you are on a road trip (I haven't played Freedom Park in Valdosta), although I think others might recommend Westside or Moseley.
- Claystone has a relaxed, easygoing vibe to it. I tend to get frustrated with myself if I play poorly; I notice I don't really have that problem here.
"God bless America, and God bless the backhand turnover."