Hwy 52 West reviews
18
1
Cerealman
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
15.8 years
584 played
178 reviews
Mountainous course is the apple of one’s eye
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 24, 2024
Played the course:once
Pros:
Among the Cohutta Wilderness and near the "Apple Capital of Georgia" is a privately-owned course where several years of work by its owner have produced a heavily wooded and very hilly layout that is the apple of one's eye.
The Hwy 52 West course isn't difficult to find, but the drive over Fort Mountain and the traversing up and down hills will be more arduous. This is definitely mountain-style disc golf with very few flat holes. However, the terrain is decently clear from heavy underbrush.
The teepads are a mixture of surfaces, including concrete, wood, gravel and dirt, and while they're a bit rough and ready, most of the teepads are very suitable for throwing. The signage at each hole is a painted slab of wood, fitting the rustic feel of the course.
Navigation is fantastic and intuitive, thanks to a multitude of signs, arrows and even a few paper pitchforks that are devilish in appearance but not a foreshadowing of the course, unless you have bad knees or got suckered into bringing a cart. On Hole #12, which is a downhill bomber and likely the signature hole, there's a little sign indicating where to stand to best be able to spot the basket through the labyrinth of trees.
The baskets are all Axiom Pro and a variety of colors, but they're easy to spot and did an excellent job catching discs during my round.
While the other stuff – such as teepads, baskets, signage and navigation – is above par, especially for a private course, it's the course design that boasts plenty of variety and is the star of the show. There are uphill and downhill throws and a few that cross a valley. There are a few holes that are as easy as apple pie – the sign for the short Hole #11 even says "Ace Run" – and there are a few holes where you'll want to avoid smacking trees and turning your round into applesauce. While the holes use nearly all of the available cleared space, the owner created a design where every hole is different.
The parking area is well-marked and convenient. There's a shaded porch-like area next to Hole #1 where you can sign the required waiver and drop the $5 fee into the cash box. There's a semi-bowl-shaped area nearby with a practice basket too.
There's a lovely spot on top of the hill – near the intersection of Holes #6, #11 and #12 – where you can see the mountainous scenery through the trees in all directions.
The Hwy 52 West course isn't difficult to find, but the drive over Fort Mountain and the traversing up and down hills will be more arduous. This is definitely mountain-style disc golf with very few flat holes. However, the terrain is decently clear from heavy underbrush.
The teepads are a mixture of surfaces, including concrete, wood, gravel and dirt, and while they're a bit rough and ready, most of the teepads are very suitable for throwing. The signage at each hole is a painted slab of wood, fitting the rustic feel of the course.
Navigation is fantastic and intuitive, thanks to a multitude of signs, arrows and even a few paper pitchforks that are devilish in appearance but not a foreshadowing of the course, unless you have bad knees or got suckered into bringing a cart. On Hole #12, which is a downhill bomber and likely the signature hole, there's a little sign indicating where to stand to best be able to spot the basket through the labyrinth of trees.
The baskets are all Axiom Pro and a variety of colors, but they're easy to spot and did an excellent job catching discs during my round.
While the other stuff – such as teepads, baskets, signage and navigation – is above par, especially for a private course, it's the course design that boasts plenty of variety and is the star of the show. There are uphill and downhill throws and a few that cross a valley. There are a few holes that are as easy as apple pie – the sign for the short Hole #11 even says "Ace Run" – and there are a few holes where you'll want to avoid smacking trees and turning your round into applesauce. While the holes use nearly all of the available cleared space, the owner created a design where every hole is different.
The parking area is well-marked and convenient. There's a shaded porch-like area next to Hole #1 where you can sign the required waiver and drop the $5 fee into the cash box. There's a semi-bowl-shaped area nearby with a practice basket too.
There's a lovely spot on top of the hill – near the intersection of Holes #6, #11 and #12 – where you can see the mountainous scenery through the trees in all directions.
Cons:
A few items at the Hwy 52 West course land in the "cons" column; some of these are expected due to the private course offering being a one-man operation.
If multiple groups were on the course concurrently, some awareness would be required considering the propensity for discs to hit trees and go careening in all directions. For example, the fairway for Hole #17 bypasses the basket of Hole #16 and crosses through the fairway of Hole #2. For big downhill throws like Holes #6 or #12, there's definitely the possibility to end up in another hole's fairway. Holes #6 through #9 play parallel to each other, so some overlap will likely occur.
The teepads aren't perfect and could be problematic in non-ideal weather situations. Also, several of the teepads aren't level, especially on the holes where you're throwing up the hill. The teepad on Hole #10 was probably the worse as the elevated tee is supported by wobbly boards and your run-up might consist of a hop, a skip and a jump unless you opt to throw standstill.
There are fallen logs and tree debris about the course, though the owner has done a tremendous job clearing fairway lines and underbrush to make the course very playable.
The signs indicated some holes have multiple possibilities for basket placement, but the current position (and distance) wasn't always clear.
The baskets all seemed level, though some on the side of the hill were propped up by a couple logs.
If multiple groups were on the course concurrently, some awareness would be required considering the propensity for discs to hit trees and go careening in all directions. For example, the fairway for Hole #17 bypasses the basket of Hole #16 and crosses through the fairway of Hole #2. For big downhill throws like Holes #6 or #12, there's definitely the possibility to end up in another hole's fairway. Holes #6 through #9 play parallel to each other, so some overlap will likely occur.
The teepads aren't perfect and could be problematic in non-ideal weather situations. Also, several of the teepads aren't level, especially on the holes where you're throwing up the hill. The teepad on Hole #10 was probably the worse as the elevated tee is supported by wobbly boards and your run-up might consist of a hop, a skip and a jump unless you opt to throw standstill.
There are fallen logs and tree debris about the course, though the owner has done a tremendous job clearing fairway lines and underbrush to make the course very playable.
The signs indicated some holes have multiple possibilities for basket placement, but the current position (and distance) wasn't always clear.
The baskets all seemed level, though some on the side of the hill were propped up by a couple logs.
Other Thoughts:
The Hwy 52 West course doesn't require a ton of distance, averaging just over 225 feet per hole, but it makes up for its shortness with the ascending and descending hikes. Plus, the rugged design uses elevation well and is a lot of fun to play.
The owner requests that interested visitors message him before playing, though a response is not required to play.
While the entire course is currently in the woods behind the owner's home, he shared that he is clearing out an area in the front part of his property in order to add three more holes.
The owner requests that interested visitors message him before playing, though a response is not required to play.
While the entire course is currently in the woods behind the owner's home, he shared that he is clearing out an area in the front part of his property in order to add three more holes.
