great layout with a mix of open and wooded holes and elevation changes

excellent baskets

the best signage of any course I've played

silver tees make it approachable to any skill level

orange flags added to hard to see baskets

Some may find the length and terrain too exhausting

it's a long distance drive for almost anyone.

unfortunately because of park hours, extended rounds may have to be cut short

sometimes not all grass is mowed during summer (not sure if this is being resolved or not)

This course has improved so much since opening and will continue to evolve into a world class course. A must play course to anyone in the area and may become a destination course to challenge and golfer.

Lots of variety in shots, open, wooded, uphill and down, bomber shots and technical shots.

not a whole lot to complain about here. It can be difficult sometimes to find your drives on 16 and 17 if they haven't mowed in a while, but 16 long is still one of my favorite drives

I really enjoy the long tees here, this course is really well put together. great job.

Muddy Run is easily among the more challenging, high level courses I have gotten to play, but it at the same time manages to be approachable for an intermediate player like myself. This is a course where my rounds are filled equal parts with "How do I execute the shot I need to execute to get my Birdie?" and "I wonder how the pros would attack this one...".

The diversity and elevation is at times daunting, but makes for some interesting and gorgeous shots (especially holes 2, 6, and 16) when coming downhill out of the trees.

The pads and baskets are all excellent, and the tee signs are some of the best I've seen - both in terms of describing the hole, and adding a little bit of extra flavor (native birds) as a distraction if you desire it.

It is also great to see the course continuing to evolve and improve as a response to feedback from the community, and a great corps of dedicated club members. Every time I return to play this course, there seems to be some new lines tidied up, or a new rock wall to guide play.

There are a couple holes which could benefit from "next tee this way" signage; I recall the 10 - to - 11 transition being a little tricky on my first round.

The high grass is also a disc-eater on holes 16 and 17. I've spent far too long looking for discs that have landed perfectly in my group's line of sight, only to have them swallowed up by the earth in the time it takes to walk to the landing zone. Given the nature of the grass in the area, I don't think this issue is likely to change - it'll be short when it's mowed, and long when it's not.

Overall, this is just one of the most engaging course I've played, and it keeps me wanting to come back. In isolation, I know I *can* birdie any of the holes, even without a 450' drive or eye-of-the-needle tunnel shot.

Have I? Definitely not. Will I some day? Hopefully. But at least I know I *can*, and that keeps me coming back, because the challenge means it'll be so, so satisfying when I get it.

Great holes, beautiful scenery, great challenge. The course was clean and well maintained. Easy to know where to go next which I have found is not always a priority at other courses. I am very much a beginner and played from the silvers and at no point did I feel overwhelmed. Course was fair and challenging and a great hike for this out of shape guy

Thank you to everyone for the time and effort that was put into this course.

I have played courses all over the US and this is one of the best I have ever played. The holes are clean and with a ton of variety, in all areas. The tee signs are massive and easy to see from a far distance and have a lot of good information that's helpful. I definitely consider this the best course in PA

The was a lot of rocks and in some cases it was right under that basket, which is hard on the putters

Well planned. Great variety of shots. Challenging, but worth the drive. It's probably designed more for the advanced players, but playing the silver tee pads can be a lot of fun for people new to the sport as well. I personally like to mix up the silver and gold tees on a round for a little bit more variety. This course just has about every shot you could pull out of your bag on it. Some great flick shots, some great backhand shots, turnovers... it's mostly wooded, but has open holes too. I really love playing this course.

Sometimes the grass in the fields isn't mowed down very well, so you just have to check with the locals to see if anybody's been there recently.

What a perfect course to round out the perfect road trip, one that includes the likes of Nockamixon State Park and Iron Hill. At first, I was worried that Muddy Run would not be the course for me. I don't throw very far, and the 9,000 feet from the Gold's scared me. I was dead wrong, because this course was well worth it.

The park itself was very nice. All the grass was mowed, the lake on site looked beautiful, and the other onsite activities looked well kept too.

The tee signs at this course are possibly the best I had ever seen. They were absolutely huge, way bigger than I had ever seen, something I could not tell from the pictures. They had local bird information, a different bird for each hole, and the usual suspects, distance, par, and a map that was an aerial view from google maps. I also really liked the way that it added distance to certain parts of the fairway, a nice helpful hint for choosing your disc.

The tee pads were grippy and long concrete, with two tees on most holes. The baskets were new Mach V's, with tall orange flags on top of the basket helping you see the basket from far away. These baskets were very nice and catchy, as well as visible. There were also some nice wooden benches for you to rest on after a long, grueling hole.

Being pretty new, the whole place is in tip-top shape. Baskets are shiny silver, tees are uncracked, signs are not faded. That makes a lot of people happy, including me.

The course design itself was quite fantastic. The elevation that the course uses is magnificent. It had a perfectly good mix of downhill and uphill holes, shots that forced a hyzer, turnover, forehand, anhyzer, s-curve, and absolutely everything in between.

The gold tees were amazing, but the silver tees did look very nice. They offered shorter holes, but still challenging, while providing different looks at the baskets.

Navigation was a breeze, with the next tees never too far out of site. 18 finished not too far from the parking lot that you start at.

There were many holes that I would say are feature holes. Hole 2 and 16 were absolutely amazing downhill crushes, with a need for accuracy on two, and more distance on 16. These are two holes you could sit at, and throw discs on all day long.

The cons for this course most certainly do not outweigh the pros, as Muddy Run is absolutely amazing. I can not stress that enough.

The first con for me is the filler holes. Hole 7 is a wide open 413 foot par 3, which mostly just needs either a crush off the tee for a birdie, or two midranges and a tap in putt. I see it as not much of a chance for a score separator. Hole 9 was a 300 foot toss to a gap in the trees. Not much of a challenge for the 2, but if you miss the gap, it is still an easy cleanup for 3.

The walk was grueling. Definitely not a con for me, so don't take points off, but it isn't something to approach without a water. That can be purchased at the snack bar on site.

No trash cans on the course, and if you take my suggestion of bringing lots of water, you will have to carry your trash out. Please don't be that guy who litters. It's not cool.

The fence surrounding the property had a prison/confinement vibe. Barbed wire, with a gate at the front. I was a little intimidated, as I would not fare well in a possible hunger games type scenario. Especially after that walk.

For me, there is not much keeping me from a five disc rating. The course sees a lot of love, a lot of care, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears from the disc golfers who play it.

If you are within the area of Lancaster, PA, this course is definitely a must play. I was absolutely blow away with the course, and there is a definite interest in travelling back here to play it again!

-Multiple tees that are well made concrete tee pads
-Fair but tough fairways
-Ease of navigation, Usually Gold teepad within sight of basket
-benches are at most Gold and Silver teepads
-Many different open and wooded holes; really requires every shot in the book

-Trash cans would be a bonus
-complete benches for all teepads
-slight repetition on some of the holes; throw up the hill, then down, then up, etc.

Probably the only time I've ever said that a top notch course has potential to grow even more. I've seen rock walls being put up the last time I was there which gave the course a bit of a Nockamixon feel to it. While I agree that this course does take a few elements from some of the best courses in PA, it has plenty of it's own style. There are not many courses in Pennsylvania that can challenge a golfer in the woods and in the wide open field quite as well as this can. I look forward to seeing what is in store for this course for many years to come!

Best course in Lancaster County, and that says a lot because Lancaster County has like six courses!!!! The view from hole 6 is incredible. That's all i have time for!

the elevation changes might be hard on the elderly or overweight, but i love it!

This course is very well laid out. The tee signs are fantastic and clearly provide all relate to hole information. The tee pads are well poured, level concrete with good grip even when wet. The baskets all have flags atop them so they can be spotted as easily as possible from the tee. All the holes were very well landscaped and manicured, with one exception which I will address later.

At the start of the course there is a nice big course map, with printed scorecards and pencils in little cubbies. Personally I like scorecards, and was happy to see them here.

I played the golds. I consider myself to be a pretty average player, throwing right around 300 bh/380fh. I felt from the golds all the pars are fair. There is a lot of elevation change, with some straight uphill shots, and some nice bomber holes. There is a good mix of open, semi-wooded, and heavily wooded holes. This course doesn't favor any one play style, but rather challenges you to take every shot you have out of the bag to do well. Par, I felt, is attainable, but requires smart play and good course management.

It's a nice course, with good scenery, in a very nice park. There is camping, lots of picnic tables and grills (even a few right next to some holes) and a pretty big lake. Even though it's a mixed use park, there is little overlap from course areas to other usage areas.

There were no trash cans I saw, which I always feel there should be at least one or two out there.

While the tee signs are very nice, I could see someone mixing up which hole is next. Adding any sort of indicator for the next hole direction would be nice.

The one big issue I had with it was the fairway on number 16. It's a 750' or so hole that plays from a hilltop out of the wood line and over a big open field. There was no mowing done in this field. The silver tee had a nice path cut in between tee and basket, but nothing of the kind for the gold tee. I don't like throwing out into waist high grass for a number of reasons. First, the risk of losing a disc goes way up, and it takes much longer for players to find their lie. Second, we do have quite a few snakes and ticks in this part of the country, notably copperheads and rattlesnakes that love this type of environment on warm days. Third, in the rain (it was light rain and mist when I played) you will get soaked from the waist down. I was dry and comfortable up until this point and after was soaked from walking through the tall wet grass.

This really is a great course. It's fun, fair, challenging, and has something for everyone. It's close to a cool disc store, the park has lots of amenities, and it is overall well maintained. Definitely worth a trip to play if you are in the area. I drove 2 hours to play it and likely will make the drive again. Seriously check this course out. Given that it is very new, and this fantastic already, I see it only getting better and becoming a top course in this part of the country.

- Beautiful, well maintained course with scenic views off of many of the teepads in a lightly used area of the park.

- The course does not favor right or left-handed throwers, providing doglegs in either direction throughout the course.

- Excellent use of elevation with a wide variety of uphill and downhill looks.

- Great balance between wooded and open holes.

- Large, level teepads that are adequate for the run-ups required for big drives.

- Gold and Silver teepads that provide different looks and shorter options for less-experienced players.

- Large, descriptive tee signs that describe the path and elevation change of the holes.

- The fairways, while narrow at times, have been cleaned of brush and debris to provide a clear path of least resistance on the way to the pin.

- Newly installed log benches are located at many of the teepads.

- There is plenty of parking located immediately off of Hole 1's teepad.

- Muddy Run Recreational Park is an excellent place to make a weekend trip, complete with camping, boating, fishing, hiking, a soccer golf course, clean restrooms and a full service snack and bait shop.

- More of a warning than a con, but this course is geared towards advanced disc golfers. Even the silver teepads are challenging, and beginner golfers may become discouraged.

- Without previous knowledge of the course it can be difficult to locate the pin on a number of the holes. I have the understanding that flags have already been purchased and should be installed in the next month or two.

- The course loops back on itself for the most part, but there is a decent walk from 18's pin to the parking area.

Here's a quick rundown of each of the holes from the Gold position:

1. Uphill and uphill again. A first drive that lands near the base of the steeper hill should provide a decent approach to set you up for birdie.

2. A huge bomb off the top of the hill you just climbed. Staying to the right of the fairway with your first drive gives you a better angle for your approach to the basket.

3. Stay. In. The. Fairway. I tried to cut the corners once... It didn't work. Don't try to bite off too much with your drives, as staying in the narrow fairway is more important than a little extra distance.

4. Err right on your first drive. Missing left will result in a near impossible approach at the basket and likely extra strokes.

5. Just throw straight. But not too straight, or you'll find the disc magnet tree in the middle of the fairway.

6. A prevailing right-to-left wind and a narrow fairway off the teepad make finding this green difficult. Right-handed throwers need to generate some turn in order to finish towards the basket. It is far too easy to fade early and end up well left of the pin.

7. The distance and elevation will make this a tough birdie to convert. Throw straight as hard as you can and avoid the patches of trees on either side of the fairway.

8. This is one of my favorite holes of the course. A drive that finishes too close to the treeline will make for a very difficult approach. Try to finish your drive to the left while maintaining distance, and look for a smooth hyzer approach that skips towards the basket.

9. Throw it straight or take a wide hyzer to reach the protected basket.

10. Probably the toughest hole on the course. The approach to the basket is extremely challenging, even with a perfect drive off the tee. As with Hole 3, staying in the fairway is far more important than trying for extra distance. A first drive that finished too far left or turns right into the woods will put you in a world of trouble.

11. A left-handed throwers dream. Another hole where cutting the corner will get you into trouble.

12. Don't go left. Any disc that fades down the extremely steep slope will make saving par a tall order.

13. The shortest hole on the course, and probably the easiest birdie. The elevation has the potential to stop a disc early if released too low.

14. Another personal favorite. Muscle your drive off the tee to carry up the hill and around the first corner. A good first drive should set you up for a long sweeping right to left approach that carries you far down the hill. A perfect approach could result in an eagle look, but an unfortunate kick could make par difficult to obtain. It is important not to fade out too far to the left as you carry down the hill.

15. A straight-forward hole that leads straight up the hill. Bite off as much as you can with the first drive to make for an easier approach to set up a birdie.

16. A breath taking view off the tee with a fun bomb down the hill. Birdies are achieved through an accurate approach, while avoiding going OB beyond the pin. A first drive that finishes below the horizon may take some time to locate in the grass.

17. Back up the hill. Your first drive should take you as close to the steep slope as possible, as coming up short will make achieving the necessary elevation to the pin very difficult. Parking your tee shot immediately in front of the gap in the trees is a great place to be.

18. A tough finishing hole for right-handed players. Maintaining a long anhyzer line without turning into the trees or fading out early is the name of the game. Unless of course you have a proficient forehand in your repertoire.

Overall this is an amazing course that will continue to become more refined. It is difficult to believe that this course is only a few months into its existence.

-Doesn't favor L/R handed players
-Beautiful vistas
-Well thought out pin placements
-EXCELLENT teepads
-Mach V baskets catch really well
-Best tee signs I have seen
-Tough but fair

If I am nitpicking:

-many blind holes, often couldn't see the pin even after my second throw on some of the longer holes, could be helped by placing flags atop the baskets and/or coloring some of the baskets instead of leaving them as unpainted steel. My understanding is that flags are in the process of being placed soon. UPDATE: Visibility has been greatly improved with the addition of flags to the baskets that needed them.

-windy days will punish errant throws along the ridgeline

-with the length of the holes and amount of elevation, benches or strategically placed fallen trees/logs would be highly welcomed UPDATE: Seating added in many places

After playing this course from the gold tees on a cold windy morning, I am completely convinced that the quintet of evil designers built this monstrosity on an indian burial ground.

Hole One lulls you into a sense of well being with an open throw of about 250' to the base of a hill before continuing another 220'... all uphill, and into the woods.

Hole Two sets up a scenario you will become familiar with on this course. Throwing out of a copse of trees as far as the landscape allows before putting at a basket protected by another copse of trees. IF you bring your big boy arm, and IF you miss the trees lining the early lane, you will be rewarded with watching a drive float down one of the few purely downhill holes this course seems to offer.

Hole Three is where the malicious intent of the designers became evident. 600' par 5 seems fairly reasonable... until you see this serpentine, densely wooded, beast that sports over 70' of elevation as it takes you up to the ridgeline.

Hole Four... and you are still walking/throwing uphill. Take a second to catch your breath because here is where the angry spirits of the woods will try to coax your disc off of the fairway and into the dense jail of trees that line the lane.

Hole Five is the design of a Trickster god. Being the first par three and "only" 333' (half the number of the devil but twice as sinister) it entices you to try to crush one up the tunnel of a fairway. Do not fall victim to it's siren's call unless you can throw a putter that far. The fairway is lined with thin stick like trees and ground clutter looking to eat discs. Safe play is rewarded here.

Hole Six gives you a slight reprieve from what you have just endured. At just under 400' with a drop of over 40' of elevation, even the noodle armed of us get to watch a decent flight of a drive. Just enough to restore some of the confidence the last few holes stripped from you.

Hole Seven again tries to trick you a little bit. Sporting only +10' of overall elevation, the hole begins with a throw over a 25' rise before falling -14' over the duration of the hole to a protected basket. Definitely a fair par three but only the really big arms can summit that crest and get to a birdie-able landing zone.

Hole Eight is a hole that rewards big distance without really punishing inaccuracy. A 600' wide open fairway before a dogleg left to the pin another 150' away. A very fair par four which will give most decent arms a chance at picking up a birdie.

Hole Nine seems a bit out of place when you first approach it. One of the two holes under 300' on this course and at a measly 296', it "feels" like it should be a birdie. It plays a little longer due to it's deceptive +14' elevation over an open fairway. The pin is tucked away nicely in a copse of trees that could impair a misplaced drive or upshot.

Hole Ten has the heart of a succubus. Fight the temptation to try to break off large distances over the 580' length of this hole. Play controlled placement golf or you will likely be carding a double bogey or worse. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Hole Eleven is where I began to suspect foul play in the design of this course. How am I still going uphill? My legs propel me ever forward. I begin to not care what my final score will be, only wanting to say I completed this course, regardless of score, it will not best me. 435' uphill flick line? Sure, why not? You heartless SOB.

Hole Twelve is where the Devil goes on vacation. Any throw that hyzers left is just asking to be a double bogey and the right side isn't that much better. Big drop off behind the basket to punish any who still have the energy to "run" a long putt but miss.

Hole Thirteen is the other <300' hole but again the elevation rears it's ugly head to make a birdie difficult without a big drive or a long putt. This hole seems so much easier on paper but most should escape with an easy look at par.

Hole Fourteen will make you think that the tee sign is mistaken. It boasts a -28' drop in elevation but immediately off the tee pad, the ground rises up about 30' over the first 200' of play before doglegging left and drop 60ish' over the remaining 500+' of play. Apparently even the downhill holes are uphill now. Trees abound and have seemingly been cursed to spend the rest of eternity slapping the efforts of well meaning disc golfers out of the sky. This basket is particularly hard to spot nestled as far as possible down the hill and on the tree line. As with everywhere else on this course, if you are unsure of where the basket is, look to the most difficult, furthest away point, and there it will be, solemnly mocking you.

Hole Fifteen is another blind hole, as usual it is uphill. I barely look up as I throw my drive and trudge begrudgingly back to the summit I only just descended. According to the tee sign, there is an anhyzer/flick route but it seems cluttered and will rarely be used in its current state. I escape with a par only because I correctly guessed where the basket would be.

Hole Sixteen is one of my favorites on the course. Yes it is 700+', yes the basket is tucked away in trees as far away as the property allows. Still watching the full flight of a drive after having to play so much more conservative in the preceding woods seems like a gift, perhaps the spirits that live here have accepted that I will finish this course despite their best efforts.

Hole Seventeen... I should have known. I am once again going to climb that hill, only this time I will have to throw 340' feet across an open field with enough accuracy to hit the gap in the trees that allows entry to the vertical fairway. I take solace in the fact that the remaining hole can't be uphill, as I will already be up there.

Hole 18, why in the name of all that is holy did you make me walk up the hill to 17's basket only to trudge back down the hill to 18's tee pad? I was hoping for some triumphant throw from the top of the world to the beautifully raised basket in the open field. Something like hole 16 but only 450' so there would be a chance at a ridiculous ace coming off the hill. Instead I get a 420' anhyzer out of the woods. It is deceptively downhill and my drive stretches out further than I thought it would.

I hate this course, I can't wait to play it again. Be back next week.

Challenging, but fair layout. Almost no spray and pray kinds of shots.

- Concrete tees are very well done and full sized
- Tee signage had maps that seemed very accurate
- Beautiful park, huge rolling hills all along a ridgeline that runs through the center of the course
- Good mixture of finesse and power shots.
- Some really fun downhill bombs

There are several holes with big risk vs reward options. Hole 12 is a perfect example of this. 580 feet on a gentle downhill slope. A Big arm could have an eagle putt, but if you fade out left more than 20 feet your disc will go WAY down a deep ravine and probably never be seen again.

- Although there is water surrounding the course, it never really comes into play. That's the only thing that could make this course better for me.

If you are in terrible shape, this course will not be a fun hike for you.

-Course was designed with high-level disc golfers in mind, from both sets of tees. Regardless of skill level, players will be challenged, especially when the wind is up. There is a variety of hole shapes and lengths, but the definite trend is toward big distance shots.

-The chance to throw some downhill bombs is always appealing.

-Amenities are quality--teepads are good and paths and signs are big enough to make navigation very apparent.

-This course, like Quaker's Challenge, makes me want to scream from the mountaintops about landing zones. Especially in the woods, the fairways at Muddy Run tend to be the same width throughout. They're adequately clear in that width, so the tee shot is frequently valid. But after a turn (3, 4) or gap (10, 12) at an appropriate distance (say, 250-400 ft depending on the intended skill group or designer's intention) there should be a clear "bubble" that's a little wider than the fairway, that's distinctly more advantageous to be in. This concept wouldn't make the course much easier, but it will more fairly reward good shots that stay in the fairway, by providing a better opportunity at subsequent shots.

-Although it appeals to the advanced and up crowd of DGers, I could easily see a family getting more than they bargained for. I would strongly suggest placing a "beginner" tee with a couple of pavers set much closer to baskets, or suggesting a mini-loop. Once you get past hole 2, you're pretty much committed to playing the whole thing unless you know to jump from 4 to 16 or similar.

-The plague of these multi-shot open holes is that there's no/little advantage to being in a particular location (1, 2, 8, 16).

-I have only played this course in the late winter, so I don't have a great sense for how it leafs in and the schule develops.

-Hole 12's long tee and sign are in a really bad spot relative to 11's fairway. I probably don't intend to ever play the fairway on 4 (in a tournament, would throw out to the field, then hyzer my way back in) or 17 (would just throw straight at the basket as hard as possible, and hope to punch through the treeline).

-The tee sign maps would be more informative with a sketch or graphical interpretation of trees/obstacles/elevation changes, rather than just an aerial photo. Especially in the woods, the only indication of fairway shape is the one line on a background of solid green.

-It was a pleasant surprise and worth driving 90 minutes to get there. With a few focused landing zone tweaks, I would be happy to revise this review up to a 5.

It combines all the best features of my previous favorite long distance courses in PA and DE, and it's planned out so well that it gives you a chance to play decent without feeling horrible about yourself.

It's l like Brandywine, Bear Creek, Butter Valley, Carousel, French, Iron Hill, Nixon, Nocki, Sank had a course baby and Muddy Run was born

Phenomenal terrain for a course and excellent balanced design integration featuring some massive elevation changes playing up/down and across a wooded mountain ridge with long open sweeping slopes. 18 holes almost 50/50 open/wooded with nice gold and silver level concrete tees, signage, navigation, and Mach V baskets. Very little underbrush in the rough and appears course has great club and park support. Disc golf only area of park.

The course gives you lots of variety - par 3's, 4's and 5's, awesome fun downhill bombs, requires distance to make the long uphill holes, and demands the utmost technical accuracy in the woods. The most well rounded player will be rewarded here.

Muddy Run starts off with massive elevation and distance and then smacks you with the woods then ebbs back lulling you with some more open holes then smacks back again in the woods and finishes off with a big bang in the ebb and flow.

Wildlife - given the amount of deer, geese, and Punxsutawney Phils, you may also find Wynona's big brown beaver here as well somewhere around the scenic reservoir. Nice bathroom facilities and course map in parking lot.

Really not much to complain about here. As you might expect given the park name it can be a little muddy in places, but really not that bad and hopefully the brand new tee areas will be nicer once some grass grows. Not sure how much grass will be mowed in summer months. Only one big loop of 18 holes back to parking lot.

Baskets can be hard to spot in woods. IMO holes 3, 10 and 12 from the long tee might benefit from a more generous fairway. Some might say no water holes, and no benches(yet?). Feels a little weird with the fencing in places and I'm sure some throws will go over eventually. Hole 2 has the parking lot and park road to potentially be interfered with.

Muddy Run feels like it was the love child of Mountain Lake Resort in Pembroke VA and Brakewell Steele Animal in Warwick NY which are two of my favorite courses, but not quite as fair or scenic. I thoroughly enjoyed my round playing the gold tees and airing out some long distance shots and even while I had a little trouble on some of the wooded holes. Favorite holes 1, 2, 5, 14, 15, 16(probably the signature hole), 17, and 18.

Muddy Run is another epic and unique pro caliber beast that ranks up there with the other top PA courses like Moraine, Deer Lakes, Tyler, and Nockamixon, and not far away Quaker's Challenge and Camp Sankanac, and not to mention Ship Rock nearby and Roland Park on the other side of Lancaster making Amish country a great disc golf destination with excellent food! Remember to watch out for the horse and buggies on the roads and enjoy having another free PA disc golf wonderland!

- Excellent tee signs
- tough but fair course
- elevation change
- mach v baskets
- concrete tee pads
- next tee pad visable from the previous holes basket
- beautiful park
- scenic views
- plenty of other things to do in the park other than disc golf
- Soccer Golf course away from the disc golf course
-

- only thing I can think of is that I want in the rough, stepped in a gofer hole feel forward into a branch, got a half inch splinter and possibly broke a finger on my non-throwing hand.

totally not the courses fault....

Heard about this course on Reddit and later saw it being promoted by LAFS. Kind of just popped up and wow......this is an amazing course.

For the record we played the gold layout. Par 68. You start off with a par 4, 4, 4, 5 and then finally a par 3. Great mix of open and wooded holes. Bomber holes and technical holes.

Really enjoyed the par 4 and 5's in the woods. The par 5's are some really fun challenging holes.

Tee signs are impeccable! Posting the distance of the doglegs from the tee is great to know. Also loved the information of the birds that you can find in the park. Tee signs are almost like billboards and are easy to pick out from the basket.

The tee signs also list the elevation changes....especailly like on one of tha par 5's it tells you the elevation change is a -28' when you're looking at a big uphill shot off the tee....you soon realized that yea.....there is a massive down hill once you get to the top.

My only regret is not going back and playing silvers right away. I will defiantly be taking the 2 hour drive back out to play this course.

Very well done LAFS......excellent course. I can't think of anything I would like to see changed to make this a better course.

Incredible! For comparison this course is basically 70% Deer Lakes and 30% Iron Hill -- and might even be the best course in the Mid-Atlantic region when compared against those courses and others like Moraine and Nockamixon.

It's full of amazing, fun, and diverse shots on terrific terrain. The course essentially winds its way around a large ridge with lots of mature trees and a few open areas. The fairways through the woods are actually pretty fair, especially for a brand new course. It's definitely a course for big arms but it does have two nice sets of concrete tee pads (which I would guess play about 975 rated and 900 rated). Almost every hole is an aesthetic treat, whether throwing out over an open area or through the woods.

No water holes. Hole 9 is not as extraordinary as the other 17 holes.

Hole 16 is named "bald eagle." During my first time playing that hole I actually had a bald eagle flying over my head.

Bring along a soccer ball. My brothers, Dad, and I had way too much fun playing foot golf (our first experience) on the foot golf course immediately adjacent to the disc golf course.

It boggles my mind that a course could be this good on Day 1. Great job to those that made it happen!

- Will challenge EVERY part of your game!
- Even distribution of right/left, wooded/open, and upslope/downslope holes.
- Large concrete tee pads

- Requires ~3 hours to play a round.
- Not meant for beginning players -- could be discouraging.
- Several baskets could use flags to make them more visible from a distance.

As a member of the club that designed this course, I had the opportunity to play it before it was officially open. What follows are my observations, ramblings, gripings, and feeble cries for mercy that were the result of playing the course late in the fall. Since I played this round, the fairways have been cleaned nicely, tee pads have been installed, and the course map and tee signs are in place.

Those improvements did not make this course any less of a BEAST!


Hole #1
Gold Par: 4
Distance: 474'
Elevation: +50'

Silver Par: 3
Distance: 232'
Elevation: +35'

Description: Holy crap! This is Quaker's Challenge #1 WITHOUT the benefit of starting at the bottom of the slope. Threw my drive and only made it to the short tee -- and I considered that a successful drive. Got my third shot into the circle -- but DAMN, that's a tough one to start with!! And, on top of that, there's the walk up the hill -- and for those of us who are not in the greatest shape, that walk deserves a rest before the next drive.


Hole #2
Gold Par: 4
Distance: 712'
Elevation: -38'

Silver Par: 4
Distance: 562'
Elevation: -32'

Description: Don't hit the tree, don't hit the tree, don't hit the... whew! Cranked out a drive that made it out of the trees. Didn't drift right as far as I wanted, so I ended up left -- but in the fairway and well within range for an approach. Approached to within the circle (which means that I missed the SECOND set of trees), so I'm pretty pleased with the first two holes. It's a fairly long walk to the third tee.


Hole #3
Gold Par: 5
Distance: 600'
Elevation: +71'

Silver Par: 4
Distance: 443'
Elevation: +66'

Description: I like the "fool's temptation" that coaxes players to throw past the first dogleg in search of that backdoor path to the pin. That's going to catch (and punish) a TON of the "screw-the-risk" players! The first turn is a dogleg left, so of course I hit a tree and kicked right, I had a long second shot up the hill and a short third shot around the right hand corner. I totally misjudged the pin placement and still had about 80' for my approach. Got my approach near the circle, missed the putt, and managed to come away with a 6. That has to be the longest 600 feet that I've ever seen!!!


Hole #4
Gold Par: 4
Distance: 496'
Elevation: +15'

Silver Par: 3
Distance: 243'
Elevation: +4'

Description: A straight fairway driver got me to the bend in the fairway, and a lucky anhyzer fairway driver got me to within 50'. Missed the long putt, so it's another par on the card. This one will be tricky to get in three from the gold tees -- one bad tree kick and you'll be posting bail. This hole stays with the theme of "Good shots will get you a par, but it'll take GREAT shots to score the birdie!"

(Sidebar: By this point, I'm in full sweat. I don't know if its because of the elevation changes, the roughness of the hike up and down the fairways, or if I'm just old, but I already sound like an old steam locomotive.)


Hole #5
Gold/ Par: 3
Silver Distance: 333'
Elevation: +2'

Formal Description: TUNNEL SHOT baby!!! This flippin' little hole is deceptive in it's length. Its a nice birdie opportunity, as well as the opportunity to totally SCREW your score with an errant shot and a bad kick. I went off the fairway left with about 100' to the pin, and the upshot was tricky, but I managed to get into the circle. It was a satisfying three. The difference between the fairway and the "not fairway" is huge, with thick underbrush and thin trees ... LOTS of thin trees! Note to self: Stay in the short stuff!


Hole #6
Gold Par: 3
Distance: 398'
Elevation: -44'

Silver Par: 3
Distance: 287'
Elevation: -26'

Description: This is favorite hole #1. That being said, there was a headwind, so I expected my RHBH drive to turn right when it came out of the woods. Instead, it went left -- FAR left. I was able to approach into the circle, so I escaped with a three -- but that odd disc action is something that I'll want to be careful of. This is one of most picturesque holes so far -- reminiscent of #6 at Nockamixon, which looks out over the marina and lake. Nicely done, guys!


Hole #7
Gold Par: 3
Distance: 413'
Elevation: +10

Silver Par: 3
Distance: 337'
Elevation: -14'

Description: Nice "little" uphill hole. Tried to throw a flex drive, but it hyzered WAY left. Managed to miss the circle long left with my approach, so I ended up with a 4. This hole is probably easier than I made it. I like the protected pin position, and I'll like it even more when I don't put myself out of position for a decent approach.


Hole #8
Gold Par: 4
Distance: 747'
Elevation: -40'

Silver Par: 4
Distance: 439'
Elevation: -36'

Description: Threw a nice drive into the middle of the fairway, and my second drive made the corner, but it was still 80' or so from the pin. The approach lane to the basket is around the corner -- and there is a tree in the middle of that opening. Of course, I was behind it. I had to scooby around some trees to get into the circle for a 4. This seems like one of the easier par 4 holes with a little less danger than the wooded ones.

(Sidebar: I'm already through 1 of my 2 bottles of Gatorade. It's overcast and in the low 80's, so it ain't the heat. Maybe it's the other two rounds that I played this weekend. Or maybe I'm just old and out of shape.)



Hole #9
Gold/ Par: 3
Silver Distance: 296'
Elevation: +14'

Description: Another one of those deceptive holes - I think it's a nice, smooth fairway driver shot, and I end up about 60' short. My approach puts me in the circle, but this should have been a birdie chance. Bah!



Hole #10
Gold Par: 4
Distance: 580'
Elevation: -34'

Silver Par: 3
Distance: 368'
Elevation: -25'

Description: Favorite hole #2. I love this fairway. Of course, I didn't stay on it. I went into the woods right, then my scramble went into the woods left. A third shot got me back on to the fairway, but now I'm laying 3. Not wanting to throw past the pin position and down the hill, I "Sally-ed" my approach (apologies to anyone out there named "Sally"), and ended up about 60' out. An approach into the circle gave me a 6 for the hole. STILL a favorite hole, but DAMN!



Hole #11
Gold Par: 4
Distance: 435'
Elevation: +32'

Silver Par: 3
Distance: 300'
Elevation: +12'

Description: This is a sweet hole! There is a risk/reward tease for trying to cut the corner, but a bad kick there will really mess with your day! So for me it was a forehand fairway driver to the corner, and an unusually accurate backhand anhyzer midrange to get BARELY within the circle for a 3. The fairway is a complex curve, and it makes for a challenge.


Hole #12
Gold Par: 4
Distance: 537'
Elevation: -21'

Silver Par: 3
Distance: 259'
Elevation: -27'

Description: Favorite hole #3. Here is the hole's weather report: Mostly challenging, with a chance to be brutal! I was able to throw a drive and a LONG approach and get into the circle. I was proud of that 3 -- as it was my one and only birdie!!! (Editor's Note: I've played the course a dozen or so times since I did this preview... and I haven't birdied this hole since!)

(Sidebar: Gatorade dwindling, and I still have the big holes left. Not good.)


Hole #13
Gold/ Par: 3
Silver Distance: 242'
Elevation: +34'

Description: This hole is a chance to breathe between the technical #12 and the "Oh-My-God" #14! Then again, it's uphill, throwing out of the woods, to a nicely protected pin position. I threw a forehand driver (because I was tired of falling short.) I ended up about 40' short. Approach into the circle for a 3. Sigh.


Hole #14
Gold Par: 5
Distance: 732'
Elevation: -41'

Silver Par: 4
Distance: 574'
Elevation: -59'

Description: And here we go... Favorite hole #4. And it's a sign of good design when my first drive (and it wasn't a bad shot) only made it to the short tee. The second shot is tough -- I only got about 1/2 of the way down the hill before I hit a tree and went left hard. My 3rd shot also hit a tree, and my 4th shot went long, so my approach into the circle and putt netted me a 6. And I was happy about that. This is a HARD hole because it's so long and tight, but it's such a FUN hole that I don't think people will mind the difficulty.


Hole #15
Gold Par: 4
Distance: 373'
Elevation: +65'

Silver Par: 4
Distance: 311'
Elevation: +58'

Description: ANOTHER uphill hole!! Holy hell!!! My flippin' arm is going to fall off!!!! Players will be cursing your names, your mothers, and your obvious sadistic leanings for this hole! Not that it's all that hard -- but after the last 14 holes, there will be some tired and grouchy people looking at yet another uphill drive full of trees and various assorted other uglyness. I throw a desperation drive up the hill -- with no idea where the pin was. Figured that it was at the top of the hill, so I just pitch to the top and hope. Ended up about 60' left, but approached into the circle and took a 4. I'd smile at my par on that hole, but I don't have the energy left to move my facial muscles.


Hole #16
Gold Par: 4
Distance: 737'
Elevation: -80'

Silver Par: 4
Distance: 569'
Elevation: -30'

Description: From the tee pad I realized that the meadow grass was armpit-high. I knew that I would never find a disc that fell into that mess, so I walked out into the meadow grass to see how far out it went. And flushed a fawn. I'm not sure, but I think that we BOTH almost had a stroke!! With all that adrenaline, my drive easily cleared the meadow grass and landed in the lawn. Threw my approach to about 50' feet, then into the circle for a 4. Fun hole. A little scary, but fun.


Hole #17
Gold/ Par: 4
Silver Distance: 519'
Elevation: +63'

Description: Crap. This is hole 1 on steroids!!! And I'm tired! What I said about #15 goes for this hole as well. I see this one as a spirit-crusher. For a lot of players, the last third of this course will be more mentally challenging than physically or technically challenging. It really isn't a hard hole - it's just deceptively long and visually intimidating. My drive #1 gets across the field -- well, 3/4 of the way across the field. 2nd drive went 1/3 of the way up the slope. 3rd shot went past the pin position by about 40'. Approach into the circle; and that's a 5. A. very. tired. 5.


Hole #18
Gold/ Par: 3
Silver Distance: 420'
Elevation: -36'

Description: Finally. A nice finishing hole to a very challenging course. Not a hard hole, but after getting tree-slapped for 2.5-3 hours, it's just hard enough to provide players with one more chance to get punished for a poor choice. And then there is the raised basket -- just high enough to make you tentative. I throw a forehand into the open, well short of the pin position. I don't have the heart (or the arm strength) to run the long putt, so I put a layup to within 15'. Then I miss the putt and end up with a 4. Now it's time to drag my weary backside to the car.



Final thoughts:

1) This is a long course. I played tournaments at Iron Hill Gold twice this year -- and wasn't this tired after *2* rounds there. It's the elevation. Its brutal.

2) The fairways are fair, but tough. Get off the fairway, and you are hosed.

3) The course design is spot on. Nice flow. Nice mix of lengths and left/right turns.

4) Make sure you have enough to drink. Then take more.

1. Great signs and pads
2. Honest, challenging fairways...nothing gimmicky. You have to hit the lines that exist in the woods. Sometimes while dealing with elevation changes.
3. Offers both gold and silver tee shots.
4. Beautiful park setting that is well kept.
5. Without signs designating next hole, the flow is obvious and there
are no long walks between holes.
6. Great mix of wooded and open holes with a few must get birdie holes peppered in.

1. Trash cans and benches would complete this gem of a course.
2. Be prepared to invest some time to play this course. Not necessarily a con, but it should be mentioned. Expect an averaged 2.5 hours to complete the gold layout with four people.

You'll want to get out and play this course!